Lord Shenyan lay quietly on the chair, eyes closed in rest, while John Chou sat silently at the table, sipping wine. The gloom that had lingered on his face earlier had faded, replaced by a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.
"Taking the world as one's own responsibility? Heh, there really are people like that!"
Yuna Ji said, giggling.
"Weren't you the same back then..."
"I was different. I never felt obligated to my people or my country. Countries fall because they walk the wrong path. Besides, I'm just a woman—the weight of such responsibility is too much for me."
Jing Kerr sighed at this.
"Perhaps you're right. Taking the world as one's responsibility... When I went to assassinate the King of Qin, that was my purpose. I failed, and for hundreds of years after my death, I've witnessed countless dynasties rise and fall. This world can't become better just by removing one person. One person's effort is never enough—it's insignificant. Humanity entered an even more brutal and corrupt age. That phrase, 'taking the world as one's own responsibility,' is just a grandiose courtesy. Looking back, it wasn't really about Qin's tyranny but about repaying Crown Prince Yan's kindness. Qin had already destroyed many states, and Yan would be next. The only way to stop such a lopsided war was to assassinate the King of Qin. Without him, they'd fight over the throne, and Yan's royal family would be safe."
John Chou laughed.
"Indeed, if you look past all the grandiose words, the real reason for war is always power. The people are just the foundation for that power. Gaining power means gaining everything. Isn't that similar to what's happening now? Even if Hell changes rulers, what difference will it make? The Ten Judges have replaced the old rulers, but Hell still collects souls. Will a new ruler refuse that power? Of course not. At its core, it's always about power."
I burst out laughing, then shook my head.
"Everything you're talking about has nothing to do with me. Let's not discuss this anymore. All I care about is becoming stronger in this war."
John Chou looked at me and then spoke.
"Indeed, doing something purely for its own sake is far more important than overthinking it. Like that woman—you all know, her purity isn't fake."
Yuna Ji lifted her head in surprise.
"You're talking about Rachel Lan, aren't you? That girl is truly extraordinary—to possess such pure willpower, even Ethan Zhang doesn't have that. Maybe it's because of her influence that Ethan became so stubborn."
"Definitely."
I burst out laughing. At that moment, the Azure Luan beside Lord Shenyan lifted its head, glanced at Yuna Ji, and suddenly pecked at her with its beak.
"You little beast, what are you doing?"
Caught off guard, Yuna Ji was pecked on the face. Annoyed, she stood up and grabbed the Azure Luan's neck, while the bird kept pecking at her.
"Yuna Ji, remember, Ethan Zhang is a great benefactor to the Azure Luan. If you talk about him like that in front of it, of course it won't be happy."
"Just you wait."
Yuna Ji angrily gripped the Azure Luan's neck, wrestling with the bird. I watched in disbelief—the Azure Luan was so pure, yet it stayed by Lord Shenyan's side and had not a trace of ghostly aura. Nothing here seemed to affect it.
"Enough, you two."
At that moment, Lord Shenyan opened his eyes and stood up. I immediately stood up as well.
"Once we leave, you'll be in charge of this guy, Yuna Ji."
The Azure Luan and Yuna Ji immediately turned their heads, both looking extremely reluctant.
"Are you sure you don't need us to come with you?"
Pei Min asked doubtfully, glancing at John Chou. The three of us were already standing at the crossroads.
"Of course. I have a few things to investigate, and it's just about destroying a few enemy cities. The three of us are enough—mainly to confirm a few things. Lord Shenyan, until I've confirmed what I need, don't attack."
Lord Shenyan nodded, and I stretched my body.
"We'll follow your lead, John Chou."
The three of us walked up the mountain road ahead, suppressing our power completely. Soon, we reached the summit.
Looking out, everything was a dusty yellow. The sky was tinged with yellow, and compared to the Nether Hell, Shuzhou was much brighter. Endless plains stretched out, the ground crisscrossed with ravines, completely cracked open.
"The terrain here is far too open. If the enemy advances, they'll sweep right through, and the impact on the Nether Hell will be enormous. That's why I have to take at least twenty cities in Shuzhou."
"Let's go. Beyond here is enemy territory. We have no idea what their scouting methods are, so keep your presence hidden."
As John Chou spoke, a red glow appeared over his body. Gradually, he transformed into a scholar in white robes, looking refined and gentle. Lord Shenyan's body also changed; he became a stooped old man. Then the two looked at me.
"What?"
"A bit ugly."
John Chou said, and I glared at him in annoyance. Lord Shenyan walked on in silence.
"You're the one who made me look like this, damn you, John Chou."
"Brother, didn't you say we'd follow my arrangements when we left?"
I was momentarily speechless, unable to refute John Chou. I had transformed into a woman wearing a rough gray dress, with a round face and a thick body. I felt extremely uncomfortable—if I'd known, I wouldn't have said that. John Chou had already made it clear we'd follow his orders, or else I'd have to go back.
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"Also, brother, a woman's voice isn't like that. Say a few words, let me hear."
I choked, unable to say a word for a long time.
"Enough, there's a ghost over there."
Lord Shenyan spoke as we walked over. I thought about it—maybe I could just pretend to be mute.
From a distance, I saw some ghosts riding horses heading our way, all dressed alike in tight black clothes. My eyes widened as I noticed burning clouds printed on their uniforms.
"You lot, don't you know about the prohibition?"
John Chou hurried over, plastering a fawning smile on his face as he spoke.
"Sir, we came from the wastelands, fleeing for our lives. Things over there are getting strange."
John Chou spoke, and the dozen or so soldiers eyed us suspiciously. One of them immediately reached out his hand.
"If you've come here, you have to pay a tax. This is Lord Wang Lang's territory."
I swallowed nervously, while Lord Shenyan silently took some ghost coins from his pocket and handed them over.
We were then told to head northeast, where there was a town. After the ghost soldiers left, we continued on our way.
"Did you sense anything?"
I immediately asked, but John Chou shook his head.
"As soon as we entered this place, those ghost soldiers came right over. It looks like they have some way of tracking our location. Let's keep moving, and remember—not to use any powers."
We kept walking, and soon a modern-looking town appeared in the distance. From afar, we could see ghosts coming and going, but it looked like an ordinary town.
Once inside, everything seemed normal. Many ghosts were doing business, and there were quite a few living here too.
We found a restaurant crowded with ghosts and sat down. Many were sighing. After listening for a while, we learned that there used to be a ghost market here connected to the world of the living, but for unknown reasons, it had recently shut down. It seemed the locals didn't know about the war yet, or most ghosts simply hadn't heard about it.
After asking around, John Chou found out that there were many such towns to the north, and this area belonged to a Qing-capturing ghost named Wang Lang. The town we were in was already the outermost edge of his territory.
When we asked about the ghost soldiers, a ghost explained that only in recent years had Wang Lang's subordinates started wearing matching uniforms. As for the burning red cloud on them, no one knew why.
Since the passage to the living world was cut off, the ghost realm had become desolate. Ghosts used to enjoy incense offerings and paper money from the living, but now that source was gone. Food could only be found within the ghost realm, and many were starving, on the verge of becoming hungry ghosts.
But in this barren place, I saw many strange fish and odd plants on the menu.
We soon learned that these were gathered by ghosts from the mountains and ponds to sell. Only city life was comfortable now, with everything available, but here things felt meager.
Many ghosts were struggling to survive. In the past, they could bring goods from the living world to sell in the ghost realm, then use ghost money to buy what they needed at the ghost markets.
"Let's go. Straight to the city."
After a few hours, we set out again, renting three horses for speed. I wondered how Lord Shenyan had so much ghost cash on him.
"Brother, sometimes power is useless. The world of ghosts and the world of humans aren't that different—the only difference is, if a ghost doesn't eat, it becomes a hungry ghost; if a human doesn't eat, he dies of hunger."
I didn't know what John Chou was getting at. The three of us could only wander across the cracked yellow earth, heading northeast.
Along the way, we saw many ghosts—some were vendors, others just ordinary spirits.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out ahead. I saw more than ten ghosts fighting—one group seemed to be robbing three others.
"Mind your own business. Let's go."
John Chou said, pulling Lord Shenyan away.
But just then, those ghosts noticed us. Three of them, each wielding a broadsword, flew straight toward us.