"Sir, is there something you need?" The burly man in front of me turned his head and spoke in a rough, booming voice.
My heart skipped a beat. For a moment, I could only gape at him, my mind in turmoil. All around, Hell's Registrars and some ghosts from the town covered their mouths, snickering quietly.
After a while, the laughter grew louder, but I was speechless. The situation was extremely awkward. The burly man respectfully approached me.
"Sir, do you like men?"
I couldn't hold back my anger any longer and shouted.
"You're the one who likes men, damn it!"
As I cursed loudly, the laughter around me grew even louder. Soon, many ghosts started to jeer, claiming I liked men. It seemed everyone knew Lewis Si—the ghost I was disguised as—had a reputation for being lecherous. The burly man in front of me shouted even louder.
"So Sir Lewis Si likes men, huh?"
I was puzzled by his behavior. It seemed he was deliberately trying to embarrass me.
"Damn it, you little punk, are you looking for trouble?"
Ray Lin walked over and shouted, then swung his red-headed black lacquered baton at the burly man. I saw the baton flash with a red light as it struck, tearing open his flesh. The man rolled on the ground, covered in wounds, but Ray Lin didn't stop, completely immersed in his role as a ruthless Hell's Registrar, cursing as he beat him.
"Damn it, you need a beating, don't you? Daring to mess with my brother—I'll beat you to death!"
Ray Lin shot me a fierce look, as if telling me to join in. The burly man on the ground, his body torn and bleeding, raised his hands and begged for mercy.
Other Hell's Registrars gathered around. Now, every ghost living in Halfway Crossing wore a look of anger and helplessness. I glanced around and noticed that most of the Hell's Registrars only carried green-headed black lacquered batons; a few had blue-headed ones. Their rank was lower than ours, but they all seemed eager to join the commotion.
I drew the red-headed black lacquered baton from my back and walked over to Ray Lin, raising the baton. Ray Lin shot me another look, and I finally struck the burly man a few times. Soon, the surrounding Hell's Registrars looked ready to join in.
"Alright, let's go drink. Damn it, do you even know who you're messing with? How dare you joke with us?"
Ray Lin quickly stopped the Hell's Registrars who wanted to join in and told them to disperse. I looked at the burly man, curled up on the ground, motionless and covered in wounds. The surrounding ghosts were all angry but dared not speak.
"Come on, brother, let's go drink."
Ray Lin called to me again, dragging me toward a shop. Inside, the place was bustling—mostly with Hell's Registrars. As soon as we entered, several of them greeted us respectfully.
Inside, I felt uneasy about everything here. Ray Lin patted my shoulder and called for the boss to bring out the drinks. We went straight up to the second floor, found an empty table, and sat down.