Suddenly, I regained consciousness and cried out in alarm. Darkness clouded my vision, everything was blurry. My whole body ached, my limbs felt weak. It was as if my eyes were covered in a black veil, but faint light still seeped through, stabbing into my eyes and causing sharp pain.
"Ethan, it's all right now."
A familiar voice reached me—it was Rachel Lan. Moments later, a pair of gentle hands touched my cheeks. I managed a smile. I didn't feel tired anymore, but my whole body felt unaccustomed and uncomfortable.
I continued lying on the bed, then spoke up immediately.
"Rachel, Old Moe—he's all right now."
"Don't say anything more, Ethan. Let me help you up and walk a bit."
I nodded, feeling a strong, steady hand lift me up from the bed.
"Is everyone else here?"
Hugh Thompson smiled, then told me we were still at Granny Nina's house. Vincent Swallow, Mr. Blackmask, Frank Niu, Rachel Lan, and Vivian Ouyang were all here. I smiled too.
Rachel Lan supported me. My legs felt weak and unsteady, my sense of balance poor. Rachel told me I'd been lying in bed for more than half a month.
"Ethan, sit down for now."
The air outside was fresh. I breathed deeply, my stomach rumbling. At that moment, I noticed a needle still stuck in the back of my hand. I spoke to Rachel Lan about what Old Moe had said to me before leaving, gripping her hand tightly.
But Rachel Lan didn't seem shaken at all. She just smiled, squatted beside me, and spoke lightly.
"If that old bastard lets me catch him, he'll have hell to pay."
I laughed.
"Hey, Ethan Zhang, have you hugged her enough? Hands all over her, and everyone's watching!"
It was Vivian Ouyang. Her voice came clearly from behind me. My face flushed red, and I quickly let go of Rachel Lan, smiling awkwardly.
"Oh, right. Thank you, Miss Ouyang."
"Thank me for what? All right, Ethan Zhang, that's enough. You must be hungry. Rachel, come on, let's go to the village and get something to eat."
After a while, Hugh Thompson came over and spoke.
"Ethan, when you have time, come to the Ghost Burial Squad and tell me in detail about what happened in your dream. This is very important information. Last time, when I helped you look for weapons, Old Stone was driven crazy."
I burst out laughing.
"Ethan, did you find them? My family."
Vincent Swallow walked over. I shook my head, then nodded.
"Master, there was someone named Henry Cole inside."
"What..." I had just finished speaking when Vincent Swallow couldn't contain himself, placing a hand on my shoulder.
The person named Henry Cole was indeed Vincent Swallow's last deceased disciple. However, because of everything that happened later in the dream, I wasn't able to clearly learn from Henry Cole about the tragedy that befell Vincent Swallow's family and disciples.
None of this was caused by Mona Ouyang.
Vincent Swallow stayed silent for a while, then burst out laughing and began gulping down his drink.
It wasn't until Rachel Lan and Vivian Ouyang returned with some meat that I began telling everyone about the bizarre world I experienced in the dream.
I don't know why, but suddenly I wanted to stay. Rachel Lan said nothing and simply nodded, and the others gradually left, with Blackface being the last to go.
"Ethan, take a good look. At the end of life, there is nothing. No matter how powerful one was before, it all ends the same way."
I didn't understand what Blackface meant to tell me. Rachel Lan and I returned to Granny Nina's house.
"Young man, why are you still unwilling to leave?"
I looked at Granny Nina and shook my head, feeling a wave of sorrow—the kind of loneliness and sadness that clings to her, with no children, waiting for death alone.
"Granny Nina, I just want to stay a few more days, at least..."
I didn't finish the sentence. Rachel Lan hurried over to steady Granny Nina, who was trembling and nearly falling. We entered the house together.
At night, Rachel Lan and I made a bed on the floor, sleeping beside the main hall's table. After lying down, Rachel Lan pressed close to me. I held her, unable to sleep.
"Ethan, you want to stay here and accompany this granny on her final journey, don't you?"
Rachel Lan spoke, and I nodded. Even without Vincent Swallow's words, I could sense Granny Nina's death approaching. Her spirit was like a dead tree, lifeless and hollow.
For several days, Rachel Lan and I stayed at Granny Nina's house. Gradually, Granny Nina could no longer walk. Each day, she was lucid for only a few hours. Her skin darkened, her speech and consciousness began to blur. Rachel Lan and I cared for her.
I found myself strangely happy in this place, my mood calm. Looking at the little vegetable patches and the old tile house behind me, everything felt so peaceful.
"It will probably be tomorrow, Ethan."
Rachel Lan spoke as I glanced back at Granny Nina, sitting in the house with her head bowed, barely alive. I nodded. Then Rachel Lan and I took out a set of bright red clothes, embroidered with the character for happiness, which she had bought in town a few days ago. She went into the inner room to help Granny Nina change, while I set up the mourning hall.
My heart was calm. Granny Nina had helped me, so I wanted to see her off. Through the Ghost Web, I could sense that her body was just a shell—inside, the bones and flesh were nearly gone. She was only hanging on by a thread.
After everything was prepared, Rachel Lan gently carried the frail Granny Nina and laid her in the coffin. We waited quietly by her side.
All night, nothing changed. Granny Nina's breathing was steady, though slow. I grew drowsy, while Rachel Lan sat wide-eyed, watching her.
"It's almost time, Ethan."
I snapped awake. Rachel Lan and I walked to Granny Nina's side and looked at her.
Suddenly, Granny Nina opened her eyes wide, staring at us, and spoke each word with effort.
"Ethan Zhang..."
Granny Nina spoke weakly. I nodded and leaned closer.
"Those of the Nether Syndicate can never retreat. Never. When you return, tell the couple who sent you with a message: South Yao Mountain, Hollow Cave..."
After she finished, Granny Nina slowly closed her eyes. I watched in silence as she passed away. Suddenly, a fierce wind rose up. In an instant, Granny Nina's body began to turn to ash, drifting away as smoke and dust, vanishing.
A flash of golden light appeared above the coffin. I saw a smiling face—Granny Nina, her toothless mouth grinning at us with genuine warmth.
Suddenly, with a sharp squeak, a small golden rat, like a paper-cut figure, darted out of the golden light toward me, landed on the ground, and slowly merged into my shadow.
I stood still, watching my shadow as the golden rat disappeared within it. Rachel Lan was stunned, unable to speak.
We stayed in Granny Nina's house for another day. The oppressive atmosphere lingered, but a sense of peace gradually returned.
When we left, I glanced back at the vegetable garden and the old house, feeling as if something had ended, and something else was about to begin.
Rachel Lan held my hand tightly. We walked down the mountain together, leaving behind the world of ghosts and memories.
The others waited for us at the foot of the mountain, their faces solemn. Vincent Swallow, Old Moe, and Blackface greeted us quietly.
I glanced at the sky. The oppressive darkness seemed to press down, but I felt a strange strength growing inside me.
"Ethan, are you alright?" Vincent Swallow asked, his voice low.
I nodded. "I'm fine. Let's go."
We walked together, silent, each lost in our own thoughts. The road ahead was uncertain, but we would face it together.
As we left, I looked back one last time. The golden rat's power still lingered in my shadow—a reminder of everything that had changed.
Rachel Lan squeezed my hand. "No matter what happens, I'm with you."
The others nodded in silent agreement. Even in the face of loss and darkness, loyalty remained.
We continued down the mountain road, the oppressive air heavy with grief and the promise of new battles.
The journey ahead would be long. But for now, we rested—briefly, together, before the next storm.
We would face the coming darkness together, no matter the cost.
For a brief moment, there was peace—a fleeting respite from the horrors that awaited us.
But I knew this rest would not last. The world was changing, and so were we.
Loss, loyalty, and the burdens of our supernatural journey weighed on us all.
As the night deepened, we prepared ourselves for what was to come.
This brief rest was over. The next chapter of our lives was about to begin.