The monk was named Zachary Chow. He captured the Yellow Ghost because it had possessed a human body. So when Zachary saw it in the busy marketplace, he devised a way to catch the Yellow Ghost.
"Mr. Zhang, ghosts are not like humans. No matter how kind a person was in life, once they die and become a ghost, over time, resentment and anger will surface. As wandering souls, they drift through the living world, with no support, no relatives, no way to reincarnate. Naturally, they become discontent. The evil nature of ghosts never truly changes. So, Mr. Zhang, I ask you to leave. I will chant Buddhist scriptures for this ghost and help it find peace as soon as possible."
Faced with Zachary Chow's explanation, Ethan Zhang was still unsure what to do. Zachary continued speaking.
"You've probably been having nightmares lately. That's because of this ghost's curse power. But as time passes, the dreams will fade."
I looked at Zachary Chow in confusion, feeling as if I had seen this monk somewhere before. Judging by his attire, he must be one of the Renegade Monks. My memory of the Renegade Monks' origin is clear—it began with two monks, though I can't recall their names. One of them left me with a sense of deep dislike.
At this moment, Ethan Zhang still hadn’t left. He observed the situation inside the house while Zachary Chow brewed tea for him. I stood thoughtfully beside Ethan Zhang.
Now, looking at these scenes—half real, half illusion—I wondered what was truly happening. Although I wanted to destroy everything here, I held back. My body now possessed the power of Buddha. When it comes to karma, the Buddhist sect understands it most deeply. That power within me seemed to consciously warn me.
Even if I reverse karma now, nothing is truly resolved. The crisis won’t end. The devouring of karma still exists. If the root isn’t addressed, everything is meaningless. The self-devouring of the Law of Karma only disappears temporarily; in the end, it will surge back all at once.
There are many examples of this in the Buddhist sect, and the Daoist sects too. Ultimately, both Buddhism and Daoism strive to return to the primordial state. All of this defies the Law of Karma known as 'nature,' so they rely on years of cultivation to gradually dissolve human karma.
To reach this stage requires years of self-cultivation, but our method is too simple and crude—directly disturbing karma and reversing its flow. I quietly watched everything before me, increasingly convinced that this chaos was caused by disrupting karma. In the past, familiar people and places were here, but everything I experienced began to unravel.
Everything I see now—all these unfamiliar things—must be the result of disturbing the Law of Karma. I intend to keep watching.
At this moment, Ethan Zhang and Zachary Chow began drinking tea together, chatting for a while. Zachary knew Ethan could see ghosts and sensed that he carried a heavy Deathbane Aura.
"Mr. Zhang, you were born a Child of Malice, which is why you can see ghosts. Let me teach you a method: on the first and fifteenth of each month, find a place that gets plenty of sunlight, and bury yourself in the soil there. Gradually, the Deathbane Aura in your body will diminish, and you won't see ghosts or be troubled by them anymore."
Ethan Zhang looked serious, then after some thought, smiled.
"Master, that's not necessary. I think things are fine as they are. It's true that seeing ghosts used to bring me trouble, but now I've gotten used to it. If I suddenly couldn't see them, I might even feel a bit lost. So, Master, I hope you can release my friend. He just wants to find his daughter. Once he does, he'll leave and won't disturb the living world anymore."
I looked at Ethan Zhang in confusion. His face showed relief, with no sadness or anger over ghosts. Now I’m certain: what I’m seeing isn’t my past karma, but something that appeared after disturbing the Law of Karma.
Zachary Chow then invited Ethan Zhang to dinner at his home, and Ethan agreed. Zachary seemed determined not to release the captured Yellow Ghost, and Ethan didn’t press the issue.
By evening, Zachary had prepared some simple dishes, including meat and alcohol, which greatly surprised Ethan Zhang.
"Mr. Zhang, though I am a monk, I have long since broken my vows. The only thing I still uphold is Buddhist philosophy—not the Buddhist precepts."
Ethan Zhang smiled and nodded, sipping a little wine. It was clear this wasn’t his first time drinking—he showed no reaction at all. He and Zachary talked about many things, including several ghost stories. By 8 p.m., Ethan finally got up to leave.
"Master Zachary Chow, I hope you can let that guy go. He’s stayed at my place for days and taught me many things. It wasn’t long, but I’d consider him a friend."
Zachary Chow smiled and nodded, but sighed helplessly.
"Here, you can call a ghost your friend, but don’t mention it elsewhere. Many practitioners like me despise ghosts. If they hear you call a ghost your friend, they’ll come after you."
Ethan Zhang nodded. Then Zachary took out a special bamboo tube, with a string of Buddhist prayer beads attached. As soon as he removed the beads, a puff of blue smoke burst out, and the Yellow Ghost instantly appeared on the ground, panting in pain.
"I haven’t seen you for a few days—why are you turning translucent, Ben?"
The Yellow Ghost’s name was Ben Chen. He shook his head helplessly.
"Being trapped in here, I feel like I’m fading away. This monk keeps chanting day and night—I almost died. Thanks, Ethan."
Zachary Chow sighed again, then handed the prayer beads to Ethan Zhang.
"Mr. Zhang, keep this safe. Someday, it might be useful to you. Remember, ghosts may change in many ways, but their nature never does. They are humanity’s enemies—evil by definition."
Ethan Zhang nodded and left Zachary Chow’s house with Ben Chen, hurrying to catch the last bus.
"Ethan, don’t worry—take your time. The last bus leaves at nine. If you’re slow, it’s fine. I’ll go check first. If the driver won’t wait, I’ll mesmerize him for you."
"Don’t hurt anyone, though."
Ethan called out, and Ben Chen left happily. The village road was long and flanked by rice fields, making for a slow walk—it had taken nearly half an hour to get here. Now, at this late hour, the sky was pitch black. Ethan could only use his phone’s light to guide his way, careful not to step into the mud.
After some delay, it was already nine o’clock. Ethan jogged up the slope, and not far ahead was the last bus stop. He hurried over and saw Ben Chen waving in front of the driver, distracting him. The bus was full of people, all looking around in confusion. I realized Ben Chen must have clouded their vision.
Some people started to sense something was wrong and began to tremble. I didn’t know what illusion Ben Chen created, but the bus didn’t move. Eventually, Ethan boarded, and Ben Chen dispelled everything. People snapped out of it—some shouted about ghosts and ran, the driver was terrified and looked around nervously, legs shaking, but in the end, the bus started moving.
It was clear Ethan felt uneasy. He looked apologetically at the passengers, who were still discussing the strange events. Some said the bus had passed two stops, yet it was still at the terminal.
In reality, the bus hadn’t moved at all. Ben Chen had clouded the passengers’ senses—they thought the bus was moving, but it had stayed in place.
In the end, nothing strange happened, and many people breathed a sigh of relief. The driver, though, was still visibly shaken.
Finally, at past midnight, Ethan returned to Room 410, yawning. Ben Chen came back with him.
"Ben, I really think we’ll never find her. If you at least knew your daughter’s name, I might be able to help. But you idiot—you ran off and don’t even remember her name. How am I supposed to find her?"
Ben Chen sighed and shook his head helplessly.
"Ethan, you don’t understand. Only after death do people realize how much of a jerk they were in life—but by then it’s too late. I just want to see my daughter once. If she or her mother are still alive, I want to say sorry to them. That’s all I want, and all I can do. If there’s another life, maybe I can make it up to them."
Ethan Zhang smiled, nodded, and patted Ben Chen on the shoulder.
"I’ll help you. But for now, I need to sleep."
Ben Chen kept thanking him, and I saw that Ethan Zhang actually looked happy.
After nightfall, Zachary Chow left and continued wandering the ghost market, asking all the local ghosts, but still found nothing. There are five ghost markets in the area, and Ben Chen had already visited them all, coming up empty-handed.
I don’t know why, but I’m drawn to these karmic matters that aren’t mine. Time has lost all meaning for me now. I plan to see this through to the end.
The next morning, Ben Chen bought breakfast for Ethan Zhang as usual. After eating, Ethan slapped his forehead as if he’d thought of something.
"My cousin probably knows a Daoist priest. Maybe we can ask him for help."
As Ethan spoke, Ben Chen shook his head.
"It’s no use. I once tried asking a Daoist for help. He told me clearly that my ties to my wife and daughter were already severed. Even if we’re related by blood, there’s no way to find them. Once emotional bonds are broken, they can never be restored."