"What exactly do you want?" I held up the statue, gripping it between two fingers, ready to let go at any moment.
"No need to be so tense, Ethan Zhang. I can't escape. I just wanted to offer you a bit of advice."
Huang Mingfa spoke as he stood up. I clenched my fist, preparing to release the black Vermilion Bird statue in my hand.
"There must be a major figure outside, right? The revenant implanted in my body already knows. But it's from the Order Faction, so it probably won't do anything too outrageous in the living world."
I quietly watched Huang Mingfa as he paced to the front of the conference room, paused, then continued speaking.
"The Immortality Society has three major factions, and I belong to the Warrior Faction. Heh, we're the ones who like to stir things up. There's also a hidden faction—rumored among our members, but no one has ever seen them. The split between the Order and Warrior Factions began centuries ago."
"What are you trying to say? If you know something, just say it."
"Don't rush, Ethan Zhang."
Huang Mingfa spoke, picked up his cup, then glanced at the clock on the wall—it was already half past eight. He smiled, and I kept watching him.
"Sit down first. I'll tell you what I know, don't worry. You can call Lan Yin in, too. It'll help you all feel more at ease, right?"
At this moment, Rachel Lan and Miles Mao entered through the door, with Lan Yin following behind, glaring fiercely at Huang Mingfa.
"Alright, call everyone involved in here. Whatever you want to know, I'll lay it all out for you."
Lan Yin kept his eyes locked on Huang Mingfa, while Miles Mao and Rachel Lan ran out to call the others. Huang Mingfa helped himself to some water.
"Don't try any tricks. I'm not Ethan Zhang. No matter what you know, if you try anything, I will..."
"Alright, I get it. You big shots all say the same thing. You could squash me like an ant at any moment. I know."
Lan Yin was fuming. I gave a slight smile. It seemed things were finally coming to a close, and I felt a weight lift from my heart. I thought about it; after this was over, I planned to spend some time alone with Rachel Lan somewhere else.
Old Eccentric and Hugh Thompson were the first to come in, followed by the others one after another. Aside from the Ghost Burial Squad trainees, most of the team had arrived. Huang Mingfa grunted a few times, took a sip of tea, and cleared his throat.
"You're telling us all this, but aren't you worried that when the time comes..." I was about to finish when Huang Mingfa cut me off.
"Worried? Hell no. Either way, I'm dead. If I don't talk, I'll just suffer more. So I'd rather talk. In your eyes, I'm just a despicable coward, right? Fine. I admit it. I'm despicable. Happy now?"
At that moment, a phrase surfaced in my mind: People need pride, trees need bark. Without pride, even ghosts are afraid. Now I truly understood.