Back in the long-lost room, there was no strange odor at all. Although it was, as always, shrouded in night, it was just past five in the afternoon—still an hour or two before dinner. Rachel Lan helped me to the bed, then went to open the window.
The room looked like it was regularly cleaned. I was grateful to the ghosts in the courtyard. More and more, I felt that this place had become another home for me—the home of Ethan Zhang, now a ghost.
"That night, in my dream, John Chou pulled me to a place. He told me you were in danger."
I looked at Rachel Lan in surprise. She walked over, I took off my shoes and leaned against the wall. Then Rachel sat beside me, leaning into my arms.
I couldn't help but laugh. So, everything was under John Chou's control. Just thinking of that guy made me angry, but I was still happy.
"Ethan, before, you..."
"I won't have those thoughts again, Rachel Lan." I looked at Rachel Lan seriously and said.
"Honestly, before I went to the Forest of Desire, I didn't even realize that because of my past, I had thoughts like that. But not anymore. Never again."
Rachel Lan quietly leaned against me and nodded. The faint fragrance of her hair drifted to my nose, and I enjoyed breathing it in.
"Don't worry, Rachel Lan. Your father—I will find a way to rescue him." As soon as I finished, Rachel Lan looked at me, deeply worried.
"But..."
"No buts. That dead monster is just waiting for me to go in. As long as I don't hand over the Nightmare Stone, there's no problem. Someone has to do it."
"But still..."
"I'm not going in there to die. I know I might not be his match inside, but you heard it just now, right? Master Swallowwine seems to know a lot about dreams. It'll be fine."
For the next hour or more, I told Rachel Lan about all the strange things in the Forest of Desire. She laughed many times.
"I was really starving back then. Every day was a struggle. Luckily, I met those five guys and Old Ren, or I would've been done for."
There was a loud knocking at the door—"dong dong dong"—and the door was pushed open. It was Rachel Lan's mother, Lan Chuhan. She came in smiling, and with a look of disdain, said:
"Ethan Zhang, are you impotent?"
I choked violently and coughed hard. Rachel Lan glared at her mother, clearly annoyed.
"Alright, just kidding. Time to eat."
"Auntie, why are you just like Uncle Mo? Don't make such crude jokes."
"Our business doesn't need your interference," Rachel Lan replied immediately.
Lan Chuhan laughed loudly and left. Rachel Lan and I exchanged a glance and laughed. Then she closed her eyes, and I gently leaned in and kissed her.
When I got to the courtyard, it was already bustling. The atmosphere was great, and the sound of glasses clinking filled the air. The Five Freaks were still chatting with the other ghosts about all sorts of things.
"Hey, Taotie, you're really shameless. With so many people here, you ate half the buns yourself."
Taotie smiled, holding a roast chicken in his hand, gnawing on it. Zhao Yuyang was still busy beside the steamer.
"Friend, your buns are truly amazing. Delicious."
"Of course! Heh, back in the day, my bun shop had customers lined up for miles! Ha ha."
I walked over and saw three regular tables pushed together, covered with all kinds of dishes. After Rachel Lan helped me to my seat, she went to help out. Most of the ingredients were bought with Shijian's money, and I awkwardly apologized.
Once we started eating, the atmosphere became lively. Shijian clinked glasses with me, then grinned and patted me on the back, saying:
"Ethan, you're doing great. Humans and ghosts really can get along. I hope the future of the Ghost Burial Squad can move in this direction. I'm counting on you, Ethan."
"It'll be fine, Old Stone. Let's drink."
We kept eating until after eight o'clock that night.
"Amitabha."
A voice came from the doorway. I turned my head—it was Master Cloud. He walked in, followed closely by Master Chenzhu. The latter glared at us with anger. Suddenly, I felt a gust of wind. Turning around, I saw that Master Swallowwine, who had just been eating at the table, had disappeared—he clearly didn't want to be discovered by the monks of the Renegade Sect.
"Hmph, Ethan Zhang, it's already night and you're still eating and drinking here. What, planning to go back on your word?"
Master Chenzhu glared, his beard bristling with anger.
"I've had enough! Damn it, let's close the door, kill him, and then drag those monks in to cook and eat them."
As Zhao Yuyang spoke, I suddenly saw a flash of green light—it was Lantern. Master Chenzhu immediately took a defensive stance, but in an instant, Lantern's tongue shot out and wrapped around him.
Green light flickered as several Soul-Consuming Ghosts flew past.
"Everyone, wait!" Master Cloud shouted urgently.
"Stop!" I yelled. Master Chenzhu struggled desperately, using every trick he knew, but couldn't break free from Lantern's grip.
"That guy is probably the strongest Soul-Consuming Ghost in this courtyard."
The old eccentric beside me muttered. I gasped, watching Lantern grin foolishly, his tongue curling around Master Chenzhu's cheek, then sharpening like a needle and aiming at his face.
"Master Chenzhu, I suggest you calm down. This one may not look impressive, but if it comes to a fight, even with all your disciples outside, you won't stand a chance. Amitabha."
Master Cloud spoke, walking over slowly. I looked at Lantern in surprise, then tugged at Zhao Yuyang, who sat down.
"Is Lantern really that strong?"
I muttered, and Zhao Yuyang nodded.
"As a Soul-Consuming Ghost myself, I know—for now, even Boss Yin couldn't beat him."
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My heart skipped a beat as I watched Lantern grinning foolishly.
After a while, Master Chenzhu sighed, and Lantern finally let him go. Then, still grinning, Lantern bounced over and continued eating, tongue curling around the food.
"Just now, that guy wanted to snatch your cousin and run. If that fool hadn't stepped in, he would've used the Path of Heaven to escape after grabbing your cousin. Truly devious."
Old Wei muttered quietly.
At that moment, I noticed Master Chenzhu glaring at us, his target was Blackface. I had already asked Officer Shi to get a simple child's mask for Blackface to wear.
"Oh, Ethan Zhang, I didn't expect your place to be so weird, full of all sorts of riffraff." Master Chenzhu said provocatively, his anger still burning.
"Chenzhu, my disciple, don't be afraid. The Buddha Statue of Visions is ours for the taking." A ghostly voice echoed, and we all looked around. It sounded like it came from far away.
"As you command, Master."
Master Chenzhu sat down cross-legged and began chanting scriptures. Then he took a skull from his robe and placed it on his bald head.
Suddenly, a dark glow appeared inside the skull, and its mouth began to creak open and shut.
"Judging by the voice and aura, that's Master Wuyun. Greetings from this humble monk."
Master Cloud bowed respectfully and recited, "Amitabha."
"Hmph, Master Cloud, go tell your master—how long does your Brahma Sound Sect plan to keep waiting? The world of the living is overrun by evil ghosts. If you keep standing by, you'll be unable to protect yourselves. Your Brahma Sound Sect has produced nothing but useless disciples these years."
"Amitabha, Master Wuyun, I am but a humble monk and wish to remain uninvolved."
"Remember this, Master Cloud. Tell your master that soon, I will pay him a visit myself. He should be careful."
The skull creaked, sounding full of confidence. Ever since it appeared, Master Chenzhu's demeanor changed—he became calm and resolute.
"The guy inside that thing is no weaker than Master Swallowwine," Blackface muttered.
I stared intently at the skull.
"Let's keep eating." I said, and we resumed our meal, ignoring Master Chenzhu and his master, Master Wuyun.
Time passed minute by minute. I was full, and all of us waited for Lord Shen Yan to arrive. It was already eleven o'clock.
"He's here," Leprosy whispered. I looked toward the entrance of the apartment building.
It was Lord Shen Yan. He stepped in, his long hair flowing, looking at us with utter disdain. He ignored Master Cloud and Master Chenzhu, then floated over to my cousin.
"Hmph, Master Cloud, did you see? This Ethan Zhang will be a major threat in the future. You'd better think carefully. We're from the same sect—will you stand with us or just watch from the sidelines?"
Master Wuyun shouted again. Master Cloud just smiled calmly and walked toward us.
Rachel Lan helped me walk over. I opened my eyes wide; after all, I had never seen Lord Shen Yan's power before.
"My power is the Hellfire. Ethan, your cousin became like this because of lust. Soon, I'll use Hellfire to burn away everything covering him, and he'll recover. But..."
"But what?" Li Susu rushed over, her eyes filled with worry as she looked at Lord Shen Yan.
"Don't worry, miss. Ethan Zhang's cousin may never wake up, but all I can do is restore his body."
Li Susu felt dizzy and Sun Yu quickly supported her.
"I've heard Ji Yuner mention it. That Ghost Sovereign named Yunmei can heal many things!"