"Dear travelers, our next destination is Harmony Village Scenic Area. The environment there is beautiful, and the sights are truly remarkable—there are waterfalls and lakes. We hope you enjoy your journey with Kanghui Travel. Our goal is always to provide the best possible experience, and we are constantly striving for excellence..."
Staring out the window, I kept sighing. Isabelle Frost sat beside me. We were heading to Harmony Village, a picturesque place known for its vast rapeseed fields—it's famous for its rice and oil. The surrounding landscape is unique, making it an ideal tourist destination. Especially at this time of year, the village is packed with visitors; the rapeseed flowers have just bloomed, painting the fields a brilliant yellow—a perfect spot for photography.
We paid the fare and boarded a tour bus. I didn’t really understand the point of this trip, but Isabelle insisted we take the bus—even though flying would have taken less than a day. I had to suppress the ghostly energy that threatened to spill out from within me. Around us, everyone was excited—families, couples, children—all eager to enjoy Harmony Village during the peak season.
Traffic on the road was heavy. To our right below, there was an old highway, now deserted. Our bus was traveling on a long, straight, and wide road.
"Ah, that's enough about the scenery. Harmony Village also has a legend—an ancient and terrifying one."
A staff member on the tour bus took up the microphone and deliberately lowered their voice. I sighed—this must be the Legend of the Man-Eating Village.
The staff member continued: Behind Harmony Village, in the lake, there’s a legend—a village appears on the water. On misty, seductive nights, you can see the lights and crowds in the village, but you must never approach. Once you enter, you’ll never come out again.
Isabelle listened intently, but I found it all rather dull. There must be something lurking there—maybe a powerful Blue Wraith or similar. Anyway, with Isabelle around, I had nothing to fear. No matter how strong the opponent, together we could handle it.
"Just like before."
Isabelle said coldly, glaring at me. I gave an awkward smile and started listening seriously.
The staff member’s words successfully piqued the interest of many. Some people on the bus were already talking about sneaking out at night, hoping to capture some supernatural photos.
Leaving the city behind, the sky—once overcast—began to clear. It was noon when the bus stopped at a transfer station. I chose to stay on board. Maybe it was my menacing appearance, but some men considered approaching me, only to be intimidated. Isabelle stood up as well.
"Miss Frost, what do we do next?"
"Eat?"
I let out a sound of surprise and watched Isabelle walk off the bus. As soon as she stepped out, I saw several men approach her, trying to strike up a conversation. I sighed—eating had long ceased to matter to me. Except for drinking, I’d lost all interest in food.
Watching the lively crowd, I couldn’t help but feel a wave of melancholy inside.
At that moment, I felt a strange sensation in my body—a breath of energy from within the Soulreaver Blade. Cecilia seemed to want to come out. A pink mist began to swirl around me, gradually taking the shape of an unparalleled beauty. Cecilia smiled softly, gazing at everything outside.
"So this is the world, thousands of years later?"
Cecilia looked outside with envy. But then I noticed something strange: the crowd around us seemed bewitched, all turning toward our bus. Smiling, eyes wide, they surged forward in excitement.
"Miss Cecilia, could you come out? If Ethan Zhang lends you his eyes, you’ll be able to."
Isabelle Frost suddenly appeared beside me, making me jump. She reached out her hand and, with a sharp smack, struck the pink mist. As the pink vapors gradually dispersed, the people around us regained consciousness. Many looked confused, as if they had no idea how they’d ended up here.
“Ethan Zhang, lend me your eyes.”
Cecilia’s voice echoed in my mind. I gasped, then suddenly felt a disturbance in my ghost soul. The ghostly energy inside me began to resist.
“I won’t do anything to you. I just want to see the world through your eyes.”
I relaxed a bit, letting my guard down. Something occupied part of my ghost soul, and my vision blurred for a moment. When I looked at the window, I saw both my eyes had turned pink.
“They probably can’t see it, right?”
I asked, but Isabelle Frost had already disappeared. Looking into the distance, I saw her sitting at a table with some men, happily eating. But her smile looked fake, and I sighed.
“She really does have a beautiful smile.”
Just as I finished speaking, Isabelle Frost glared at me from her seat. I blinked, mouth agape, surprised she could hear what I was saying.
In the afternoon, the bus started up again. Many of the previously excited passengers settled down for a nap, while Isabelle Frost wore a serious expression.
“John Chou has dumped another troublesome matter on me.”
“What’s wrong, Miss Frost?”
Isabelle Frost began to explain. She’d investigated everyone here and learned that the legend of the man-eating village was just a story. In these people’s memories, some had visited Harmony Village more than once. The environment was nice, and the entertainment affordable, so it was a popular destination.
[SKIPPED: Irrelevant passage – This chapter isn't finished... please click next page to continue reading!]
Some people had vacationed there for over a decade, yet none had ever seen a village appear on Nameless Lake.
One person had even visited thirteen years ago and never saw anything unusual. The man-eating village was just a fabrication in their minds.
“If we go there and sense any strange energy, we’ll find the entrance, right?”
I muttered to myself.
“Ethan Zhang, it’s not as simple as you think. Yvonne May’s abilities have always been a mystery. Years ago, Redhair tried many times to uncover her true powers, setting countless traps, but he always failed. Eventually, he gave up. Among the seven Ghost Sovereigns, it’s common knowledge—Yvonne May’s abilities are incredibly difficult to grasp. Even your own powers, coexistence, won’t make it easy for you to sense hers.”
I sighed, looking out the window. Things really were complicated. If all I had to do was find the thirty-one missing Ghost Burial Squad members, I wouldn’t be worried—even with the Blue Wraith’s power. But John Chou had sent Miss Frost to accompany me.
As the sun stained the western sky gold and red, we arrived. On the left was a wide parking lot, packed with vehicles of all sizes.
To the right, I was stunned by the road leading into the village. The ancient architecture of the buildings and the bustling crowds filled the streets. Gray stone bricks neatly divided Harmony Village into three main sections.
There were three main streets, with houses arranged along them. A river split the village in two, and a wooden bridge crossed it, where many people stopped to watch the flowing water.
On the left side of the village stretched golden rapeseed fields, on the right lay amber wheat fields, and behind was Nameless Lake, surrounded by mountains and forests.
Locals said the village was slowly built and refined over many years. Originally poor, it was transformed after investments began thirteen years ago, turning it into the beautiful place it is now.
There’s a rule everyone must follow: cars aren’t allowed inside the village. The streets are narrow, and if cars entered, it would be too crowded.
We got off the bus and followed the tour group to the inn we’d reserved, walking down the road into the village. The scent of rapeseed drifted on the breeze.
Our inn was by the lake. Every household here ran a four-story inn, with shops on the ground floor and guest rooms on the upper three.
It was peak season, and the village was packed. Those without reservations had to camp by the lake in open areas.
The village was small—barely a ten-minute walk brought us to the lakeside inn. After sorting out our rooms, we went up to the third floor and opened the window to see Nameless Lake outside.
“I really can't sense anything, Miss Frost.”
I said, as Isabelle Frost drifted over, her red eyes fixed on the lake.
“Even if we can't sense anything, there's something here.”
I gasped, and in an instant, a torrent of green ghostly energy surged toward the lake.