Two days later, I strapped a large bundle to my back, ready to head home. I’d finally gathered enough molds. I planned to travel day and night—hunger gnawed at me, but luckily, this was the Forest of Desire. I’d managed to catch plenty to eat at the lake, though I didn’t dare eat too much.
Slowly, I began to float upward, then shot forward at high speed. Hope filled my heart. Thankfully, the Spirit Snake was clever enough to simply explain what I needed to do next.
As long as I had molds for every part of the firearm, I could inject Deathbane Aura into them to create the components. Once I assembled these parts one by one and made the bullets, the Deathbane Gun would be complete.
Joy surged inside me—I just wanted to hurry back and start my next round of training. If I could successfully forge the Deathbane Gun, I could finally use it. Those stone statues would make perfect targets for practice.
According to the Desire Ghost, those statues were vessels of desire, just as I’d suspected. Desire and its vessels cycle back and forth, transforming into each other again and again—that’s what keeps the Forest of Desire running.
Previously, the prison constructed by Lao Chongyuan was forged from immense Desire Force, causing millions of vessel statues to disappear.
I had no idea how long I’d been flying. I could only conjure food from desire, but I couldn’t eat much—too much, and I’d turn into a statue myself. I avoided the tables of stone food, just focused on controlling my desire. As long as I kept it in check, I could conjure whatever I wanted to eat.
On the morning of the twenty-first day, I returned to the Forest of Desire. As soon as I entered, I heard the fierce sound of mahjong tiles and bursts of laughter. They’d set up two tables and were playing away. I walked over.
"I'm back."
I called out happily, but no one paid me any mind. It was as if they were all bewitched, their eyes glued to their mahjong tiles and the tiles on the table, faces locked in grim determination.
Thinking back, ever since mahjong was invented, how many people have been ruined by it? I sighed, then gave a wry smile.
"Enough is enough, you guys. I'm heading off to keep training."
With that, I picked up the Bing—my ghostly supernatural app—lying to the side and walked to the edge of the forest. I took out my bundle and, with a loud clatter, spread out all sorts of gun molds. Every mold was tied up with string so I wouldn’t mix them up.
I took out the full set of molds for the Deathbane Revolver and laid them out a little farther away, then started practicing.
Right from the start, I realized this was far harder than I’d imagined.
Controlling the Deathbane Aura had to be incredibly precise—much more than I’d expected. I tried making a cylinder, but its shape came out crooked.
Then I severed the Specter Web connecting to the cylinder, tossed the ruined Deathbane Aura product aside, and watched as it slowly faded away.
By the time mealtime came around, I still hadn’t managed to make one. The ground was littered with crooked cylinders—some smooth on the outside, but inside, the six bullet chambers were uneven. There was no way to load bullets like that.
"Looks like I need a lot more practice."
I sighed, deciding to treat myself to a good meal tonight. I headed to the table and started eating.
I put together a feast: chicken, fish, beef, lamb, and pork, plus some side dishes and a jug of fine wine. I tried to recreate the flavor of Dawn Dew Wine I’d tasted before, but it was still worlds apart from the real thing—though not bad, all things considered.
After eating and drinking my fill, I felt a little tipsy. I figured I’d better rest well tonight and start training hard again tomorrow.
The six of them were still locked in battle at the mahjong table, tireless as ever. I walked over to take a look.
"Ah, Ethan, when did you get back?"
Zhu Tang asked, busy arranging his mahjong tiles. I shot him an annoyed look, while the others acted as if I didn’t exist.
I couldn’t be bothered with these gambling ghosts. I went back to bed, lay down, pulled out my phone, and started watching holographic gun videos. Right then, Bing—the supernatural app—began broadcasting the gun-making process to me.
For over ten days, I spent my days trying to make Deathbane Gun parts and my nights studying gun mechanics. After all that time, the only pieces I was satisfied with were the barrel and trigger. I kept those two parts with me.
If this keeps up, it’ll be nearly a year and a half. I’m growing more and more worried about what’s happening outside.
I started working nonstop, making Deathbane Gun parts over and over again. Those guys never left the mahjong table. I’m starting to worry—if they go outside, still obsessed with mahjong, what am I supposed to do?
In short, I’m worried about these so-called “mind-scattering distractions.”
A month later, I finally succeeded in crafting my first Deathbane Revolver. It felt heavy in my hand. I aimed it at a stone statue, and the bullet casing was finished too—now all I had to do was fill it with enough Deathbane Aura.
Slowly, I loaded the bullet, aimed at a statue, and prepared to fire my first shot. My hand trembled, excitement surging inside me.
I crouched, striking a pose like a cop in a movie—left hand across my chest, right hand gripping the gun, using my left as a brace. I took aim at a statue about ten meters away.
Bang! The gun fired, but it didn’t go as I’d hoped. Instead of a successful shot, the whole revolver exploded. Deathbane Aura tore into my hand, chest, and cheek. I gasped for breath.
Staring at the pile of shattered parts, I saw nothing but wreckage, black smoke pouring out.
I made another one, but the result was the same—another explosion. A trace of fear crept into me, but I knew I had to keep trying. If I gave up, I’d never make progress.
A week went by, and still—every revolver I made blew up, injuring me again and again, turning each attempt into a heap of scrap.
But I decided to keep going. Once more, I made a revolver, but this time I resisted the urge to fire. I decided to consult the Spirit Snake.
I went over to the mahjong table—no one paid me any attention. I called out several times, but they were completely absorbed in the game. Over time, I’d noticed their skills had improved.
Most of the time, after a round of mahjong, no one triggered a win, and they’d memorized almost every tile.
"Hey, can you guys pause for a few minutes?"
Still no response. Furious, I raised the Deathbane Revolver and pulled the trigger. Bang—Deathbane Aura exploded. With a crash, I landed on the floor. The six of them stared at me in shock.
"What’s your problem? Sis here’s on a winning streak—why’d you do that?"
Yin Ghost complained, and I immediately stood up, glaring at them.
"Do you still want to be my ghost souls or not?"
I glared at them. Then the Spirit Snake stood up.
"Go ahead, go ahead—finish what you have to say. We’ll take a break."
With that, the Spirit Snake walked over and followed me to the statues. I explained every detail of the crafting and assembly process. He listened thoughtfully.
After a long while, I tried assembling another Deathbane Revolver. The Spirit Snake took it, weighed it in his hand, then told me to try firing. I nodded, aimed at the statue, and got into position.
Bang—the Deathbane Revolver exploded again. I glared at the Spirit Snake, but he just burst out laughing.
"Isn’t it obvious? Sigh, look—what’s your Specter Web for? You made this thing out of Deathbane Aura, called it a revolver, but it’s still just unstable aura. Just wrap all the parts together with your Specter Web, and it’ll work fine. All right, I’m off to play mahjong."
Suddenly, I laughed—it was true. I’d only ever connected the Deathbane Gun as a whole, never the individual parts.
At mealtime, I panted heavily, using the Specter Web to connect each part. It was far more complicated than I’d imagined—every step required the precision of threading a needle, fine control over every strand.
Trembling, I got into position, aimed at the statue, and slowly squeezed the trigger. Bang.
Amazed, I saw a tiny hole pierced through the distant statue. I rushed over, and as the statue cracked, I saw on the far side a trumpet-shaped opening, just like a real gun would make. I cheered in excitement.
From now on, after each use, I could draw the Deathbane Aura back into my body, and I could make Deathbane Guns and bullets anytime, anywhere.
With that decided, I went to eat, planning to celebrate—at least the Deathbane Gun was finally finished. Now I just needed to practice until my body remembered every step.
The six of them kept playing mahjong day and night, completely ignoring me. It made me furious. I decided it was time to teach them a lesson—this idea had been simmering in me for a long time.