The shop door opened, and customers had already started coming in. I got busy right away.
After watching for a few hours this morning, we left the place where we bought food. I went straight home. John Chou won't be coming by these next few days. I didn't ask him why—waiting quietly is enough.
I've long grown used to waiting. Here in the Dark Place, that old sense of urgency is gone. Time has worn away the unease in our hearts.
Just then, someone walked into the shop—it was Howard Zhang, my cousin. I stared in surprise, but quickly hid my suspicion and walked over.
"What brings you here again today? How's Susan Li?"
"Who's Susan Li?"
Howard looked utterly bewildered. I sighed helplessly. As expected, he was here to borrow money. This time, I wasn't stingy—I gave him five thousand after a few words. He left, full of gratitude.
Several regulars in the shop tried to persuade me, saying all sorts of things about Howard. I just smiled and said nothing.
"Alright, that's enough. Let me get back to grilling."
I'm gradually getting used to these days. After a busy night, I made myself something to eat and had a little drink.
Howard showed up today, but Susan Li had already vanished from his memory. I asked around—everyone said they'd never heard of Susan Li, and the flower shop owner never had a daughter.
This must be the work of the Dark Banquet, erasing everything. Now they brazenly send this fake Howard right to my door. They must know about everything that happened days ago, but sending Howard back so quickly proves one thing—they aren't afraid of what we might discover. To them, even if we figure something out, there's nothing we can do.
I sneered and took a sip of wine. Just then, footsteps sounded outside, and soon the shop door was knocked on. When I opened it, Basil Bertram stood there smiling, with Leah King behind him. They both looked hungry.
"Boss Zhang, you haven't come to restock with us in ages, so we thought we'd drop by. Is this a good time?"
"Come in and eat with us. I'll make a few more dishes."
It was another whirlwind meal—Leah King and Basil Bertram ate quickly, and only bothered to bring me two bottles of Morning Dew Wine. I drank, smiling in silence.
But tonight Basil Bertram's behavior struck me as odd. When he came in, he glanced around, then looked back again. Once both had eaten their fill and were ready to leave, Leah King was yawning and slumped over the table, already tipsy.
Strangest of all, Basil Bertram actually took the shop's wine and poured it for Leah King, leaving her drunk and sound asleep at the table.
"Qingyuan..."
As soon as Basil spoke, I shook my head helplessly, resting my chin on my hand and watching him. He hurriedly turned and closed the door, looking flustered.
"Um..."
"I won't tell the others."
Basil Bertram seemed relieved. He sighed helplessly, pulled out another bottle of Morning Dew Wine from his pocket, and handed it to me. I twisted it open and drank. The taste was fading, but it was still far better than the wine in my shop.
"When did you remember?"
I asked right away.
"Half a year ago."
I didn't really want to pry into Basil Bertram and his daughter's affairs, but maybe I could understand how he felt.
"It's been tough these days, but Leah's been happy every day."
Basil said this with a helpless sigh, then looked at me seriously.
"Tell me, Qingyuan—what's really going on now? After all this time, maybe it's finally time we faced our true selves."
I shook my head.
"I'll tell you everything, little by little. But there's no need, Basil. After all the effort to repair your relationship with Leah, don't go back to how things were before. You can keep being a good father, care for and love Leah. Unless it's truly necessary, there's no need to get involved."
I started to tell Basil Bertram everything that had happened, as best I could. Leah King still hadn't woken up—she doesn't usually drink much.
"So much has happened?"
Basil Bertram said with emotion. I nodded.
"Your power now should be stronger than mine, right?"
I asked, and Basil Bertram nodded.
"My Wooden Contract Stone has returned—from Leah's body, back to my hand. I can summon my instincts again, and my strength has mostly come back. Like you said, only hope in our hearts can truly restore our power. In this endless darkness, only hope can break through."
Basil immediately understood what I meant. But faced with the dilemma of how John Chou and I can get into the Dark Banquet, he seemed powerless.
"Alright, Qingyuan, I'm heading home."
With that, Basil Bertram hoisted Leah King onto his back. I walked them out, following along, and saw the smile never leave his face.
"Oh, and if you need anything, come find me. I don't know if my strength will help—I can't think things through like John Chou does."
I nodded, watching Basil Bertram and Leah King walk away. In my mind, Roxie's smile appeared.
"I wonder when John Chou will come by."
For seven days straight, John Chou didn't come by. I never went to look for him either. All I knew was that he barely left his house, saying he was sick. Some old regulars who knew him told me about it, since John Chou used to help out in the shop.
I kept waiting patiently. Basil Bertram's parents didn't come by these days either, instead spending their time on the street hawking useless health products.
On the tenth day, just as I was closing up, John Chou finally showed up.
"Ah, brother, what can you do?"
As soon as he entered, John Chou let out a long sigh, looking tired. I smiled helplessly and started preparing a table full of good food to cheer him up.
"What? Basil Bertram? That guy..."
John Chou immediately set down his chopsticks and stood up.
"What's wrong, John Chou?"
In an instant, John Chou burst out laughing and looked at me.
"There's a way, brother—as long as that guy has power."
"Let's finish eating before we go."
After a while, late at night, we arrived at Basil Bertram's door. With a creak, the old courtyard gate opened and Basil Bertram came out, looking serious.
"So you've found a way, John Chou?"
"Yes. As long as you can tap into your instincts, we can still break into the Dark Banquet."
I looked at John Chou in surprise.
"Tomorrow night, then. Leah's asleep tonight, but if I'm out too long, she'll notice."
John Chou wasn't in a hurry. He turned and tugged me along, and we went back.
The next night, I didn't open the shop. Instead, I brought plenty of food to Basil Bertram's house, ready to cook. Leah King looked genuinely happy.
Basil Bertram started pouring wine for Leah King again, saying the more you drink, the better it tastes. Leah believed him and decided to try, but ended up drunk.
Suddenly, Basil Bertram stood up, carried Leah King into the house, and quickly floated back out.
"Hurry up."
The three of us floated straight toward the base. I broke open the big stone gate with my baleful energy, and we entered a space with a black circular pool.
"So, John Chou, what do we do?"
Ghostly energy radiated from Basil Bertram—his strength was indeed powerful, much recovered.
"Don't rush. It's only theoretical for now, but putting it into practice is extremely difficult. We'll need to turn both of us into shadows."
Basil Bertram and I both looked at John Chou in astonishment, our minds full of questions.
"What exactly do you mean?"
"I've thought about a lot of things, considering everything from when the Dark Banquet first appeared, to when they showed up in the living world, and everything that's happened recently."
I held my breath and watched John Chou quietly as he smiled and continued.
"There's only one possibility. Have you ever seen any resident of the Dark Lands with a shadow?"
At once, Basil Bertram and I both turned pale and shook our heads woodenly—indeed, we'd never seen such a thing. But the people of the Dark Banquet could use shadows. In the living world, they have no physical form, but their shadows can go there. It's truly strange.
"That's it. The space where the Dark Banquet is, you probably need a shadow to enter. In other words, it's a world of shadows. No matter how hard we try or what powers we use, without shadows, we can never get in. That's why they don't need to watch us, and in their eyes, we're no threat at all."
"But is that really possible?"
I stared at John Chou in surprise. He looked at Basil Bertram.
"Your instincts might make it possible. That's why your power hasn't faded after all this time—it's actually grown quickly, right, Basil?"
Basil Bertram nodded.
"It's true that my instincts can do it, but isn't it too dangerous for you?"
"Risk always goes hand in hand with hope. Besides, this is our only way. We have to temporarily become shadows to get into the Dark Banquet, or we can't fight back at all. It's so frustrating, dealing with those guys."
Basil Bertram nodded, then raised a hand.
"I understand, John Chou. Tell me—what do you need me to do?"
As he spoke, red ghost threads spilled from John Chou, and I released my own black ghost threads.