Howard Zhang was still clutching his crotch, howling in pain. Rufina Howard ignored him and went straight upstairs.
I walked over, looked at Howard, and started laughing.
"Howard, are you alright?"
"It's fine, it's fine. Kids, you know... It's nothing. It's my fault, sigh."
"Serves you right. You've always been like this—never serious. The moment you see a pretty woman, you lose all self-control. Hmph."
Susan Li snorted coldly and hugged Mark Zhang.
"Son, come on, let's go to Mommy's room. From now on, I'll take care of you. Your dad will only lead you astray."
"Hey, Susan Li, stop calling me 'your dad' every other sentence. Sure, he's our son, but you don't have to..."
"Alright, alright, Howard Zhang. I'll call you Howard Zhang, okay?"
With that, Susan Li went upstairs with her son. She lived on the third floor, room 305.
Finally, Howard started to feel a bit better and looked at me with a grin.
"Ethan, this place is nice. I think I'll stay here with you."
I responded with an 'oh,' then remembered that Master Jianyun had already left the mountain. After all, he was Howard's master. I hurriedly said,
"Howard, is it really okay for you not to go back? And your son—or is it daughter? They're still missing, aren't they? Shouldn't you...?"
"Ah, it's nothing. I already know what to do. Don't worry, Ethan."
I glanced at Howard out of the corner of my eye and sighed. Suddenly, I remembered that during those days, because of Howard's situation, my aunt had fallen ill from worry.
"Howard, you should go home for a bit and check on Auntie."
"My mom's fine. She's already recovered. I went back a few days ago—she's alright. Haha, but you, Ethan, I heard from my son that you've become quite a big shot now?"
"Who told you that?"
"It's nothing, Ethan. Later, let's go out for dinner. We'll have seafood. I don't want to deal with that annoying woman."
"Howard, why are you always like this? People..."
After that, I started worrying about Rachel Lan's condition. After a brief chat with Howard, I went upstairs to Rachel's room and knocked on the door. Soon, Rufina Howard opened it and poked her head out.
"Ethan, what do you want?"
"Is she alright?"
"Go away, I'm busy. I don't have time for you. It might take several hours."
Only now did I notice Rufina Howard was drenched in sweat. The room was filled with steam, fogging up the air.
I replied with an 'oh' and went back downstairs. Howard was messing with the computer. As I walked over, I saw his face light up with excitement. Instantly, I understood—he was definitely browsing those kinds of websites.
I hurried over.
"Cousin, who usually uses this computer?"
"Oh, those female ghosts use it. They're always watching TV series."
Howard gave a thoughtful 'oh,' stood up, and smiled.
"Come on, Cousin, let's go get some seafood."
We left, and I drove the Ghost Burial Squad's car. Following Howard's directions, we arrived at a restaurant near the university town. Once inside, we ordered a whole table of dishes. Howard devoured the food like he hadn't eaten in days.
"Howard, are you alright?"
"Ah, you don't know, Cousin. All this time, I've been running from my senior brothers. It's been exhausting. If it weren't for my son, I wouldn't have escaped several times."
After we finished eating, Howard took out his wallet and looked inside. I leaned over and suddenly my eyes widened—a bloodstained photo of a sweet-looking girl, smiling. The blood on the photo was still fresh.
"Howard, isn't this...?"
I remembered—on the day Howard went to Universal Temple to become a monk, we got into a car accident on the way. Howard picked up a bloodstained photo by the roadside and put it in his bag.
"Why are you still keeping it?"
"Sigh, Ethan, you have no idea. I dreamed about her. The girl in the photo came to me in a dream, begging me to save her. I couldn't bear it. I've been searching for months, but I still haven't found her."
I replied with an 'oh,' then chatted with Howard about my own affairs for a bit.
"Not bad, Ethan. Heh, I knew staying at your place was the right choice. Even Ghost Sovereigns—my senior brothers, no matter how strong, wouldn't dare cause trouble there. I don't have to run anymore, and I still need to find my daughter."
Mentioning Howard's daughter, Diana Zhang, made me uneasy. I'd already asked the Ghost Burial Squad to look into it, and even consulted Yin Choujian, but found nothing.
"By the way, Howard, didn't you say you found a way?"
"Oh, it's a way to help the infant spirit reincarnate. I stayed for a while and heard my master mention it. He even allowed me to return to secular life temporarily to resolve it. The method? It's simple, Ethan. I just need to be with Susan Li again, and when the time comes, let my son and daughter enter Susan Li's body. That's it."
I replied with an 'oh,' but looked at Howard awkwardly and sighed. Thinking of Susan Li's tone today, I quickly asked,
"Does Susan Li know too?"
Howard nodded.
"Sigh, nothing we can do. Things will work out eventually. I also heard, Cousin, that you saved her, right?"
"Not really. I couldn't have done it alone."
"Thank you, Cousin. Even though I haven't spoken to that woman in ages, we were married, after all. She has a bad temper, but she's a good person. She didn't even thank you properly—serves her right to be unlucky."
When we got back to the building, it was already 8 p.m. Helen Chen and Justin Lee seemed to be having a conversation. Justin was smiling, while Helen sat coldly and silently under a cherry blossom tree.
"Cousin, look—those two ghosts have a thing going on. Heh."
"Howard, stop talking nonsense. You think everyone is like you?"
Howard and I talked about a lot of things. We've always been like this since we were kids—he tells me everything, and I do the same. We never hide anything from each other.
(This chapter is not finished yet~.~ Please click next page to continue reading the exciting content!)
Then Howard gave a mysterious smile and said he was going to Susan Li's room to find his son. I was left alone with the computer. There was nothing I could do about Rachel Lan's situation—Rufina Howard was trying her best to help her. All I could do was wait, hoping to find the whereabouts of the last Ghost Sovereign.
I waited until 11 p.m., but not a single ghost came back. Frustrated, I went upstairs. When I reached the third floor, Howard was standing outside Susan Li's room with a mischievous grin, while Susan looked at him with contempt.
"What's wrong? Now that you're in trouble down there, you remember how good I am? Howard Zhang, get lost."
"No, Susan, I just wanted to catch up with you. Besides, you know about our son and daughter, right? So, let's work on our relationship a bit, now."
"No way, Howard Zhang. Everyone knows what you're like—full of tricks. You think a few sweet words will get me into bed? I'm thirty now, and you're thirty-one. Still no stability, no sense of responsibility."
"Who are you talking about? Hmph! Am I really that kind of person?" Howard's voice rose, protesting loudly.
I shook my head helplessly and sighed. Isn't that exactly what he's like? Always thinking with the wrong head.
"No! Howard Zhang, let go of me!" Susan Li grew anxious as Howard pinned her against the door, hugging her and moving his face closer.
Seeing Susan Li's angry face, I looked around. Howard was basically committing a crime. Even if I'm just a fake cop, I should at least stop him. I rushed over and shouted.
"Howard, don't do this!"
Howard let go of Susan Li, turned around, and smiled.
"Ah, Ethan, you're still up this late? Me too. I haven't had any in months, and tonight I just got the urge. Sigh, I should learn my lesson. Sorry, Susan, you know how I am."
Howard muttered for a while, then pulled me along.
"Come on, Cousin, let's go buy some beer. Just the two of us brothers—we can have a good talk."
Suddenly, Susan Li reached out and grabbed Howard Zhang's ear.
"Get in here, Howard Zhang. Hmph."
I let out a surprised sound, not understanding what was happening. Howard, with a mischievous grin, was dragged inside by Susan Li. The door slammed shut with a bang.
I stood at the door, stunned for a long time, unable to say a word. After a while, I finally spat.
"What the hell is going on?"
Back in my room, I went to sleep. Earlier, I'd knocked on Rachel Lan's door, but Rufina Howard just shouted at me not to disturb her.
Half asleep, I drifted off.
Suddenly, a pig-slaughtering scream rang out. I shot up from bed—it was Howard's voice. I quickly got dressed and rushed out. Checking the time, I'd only been asleep for half an hour.
I ran to the third floor, to Susan Li's room. The door was open, and Howard's screams came in waves from inside. I hurried over, then instantly turned away.
Inside the room, Susan Li was wearing a sheer pink nightgown and nothing else. Howard was in just his underwear, clutching himself and rolling around on the floor.
"Ethan Zhang, come in and take a look—Howard Zhang seems a bit off."
I replied with an 'oh' and backed into the room, facing away.
"Alright, I've put my clothes on."
I turned around. Susan Li was under the covers. As I ran down earlier, I wondered if Susan was getting revenge on Howard for old and new grudges. I remembered reading a news story about a woman who, to get back at her cheating ex, hid scissors and cut off his...
Seeing Howard Zhang drenched in sweat and rolling around, I squatted down to comfort him, casting a suspicious glance at Susan Li.
"I didn't do anything! It's Howard Zhang's own problem. If you can't, you can't—don't force it! Serves him right, playing around too much. I'll get you something to eat later to help you recover."
"No... no... that's not it. I know what it is—it's that old monk's doing. Damn it, the Masculinity Seal!"