"Amitabha, all is well, all is well. As a humble monk, may I ask a question?"
My raised wine cup paused in mid-air. This was wine Master Frank Yuan had unearthed from beneath the woodshed—it had been buried for years, used sparingly for cooking or dispelling dampness. He generously brought it out for us to drink.
The aroma from the cup was incredibly tempting. Lord Shenyan had already downed a whole bowl, while Howard Zhang and Rachel Lan both wore flushed cheeks, showing signs of tipsiness. But what concerned me most now was what Master Frank Yuan wanted to ask Deathbane Ghost.
At this moment, Deathbane Ghost stared blankly at us drinking, stretching his nose as if trying to catch the scent of the wine, but he couldn't smell a thing. Even if he drank a little, he couldn't taste anything.
"Why the Future Buddha?"
So it was about this. Earlier, at dusk, Deathbane Ghost had indeed requested that when the Buddha statue was returned, Master Frank Yuan would temporarily lend one to Howard Zhang. Master Frank Yuan had agreed.
"No particular reason—just a feeling that Howard Zhang will need it one day."
"Huh? What does that even mean?"
Howard Zhang threw an arm around Deathbane Ghost's neck. In just a few hours, the two had become quite close. Master Frank Yuan also seemed to be warming up to Howard Zhang, and even Lord Shenyan was joining in, clinking several rounds of drinks with him.
"Rachel, are you alright?"
I glanced at Rachel Lan beside me, her head propped on one hand, looking tipsy and laughing nonstop. I patted her back with my hand.
"Qingyuan..."
Suddenly, Rachel Lan lifted her head, her eyes glazed with intoxication as she gazed at me. Her body swayed, then she closed her eyes and puckered her lips, leaning in for a kiss.
"Kiss me, Qingyuan."
I let out a startled sound. Howard Zhang immediately started egging us on with a mischievous grin from the side.
"Amitabha."
Master Frank Yuan closed his eyes. I glanced around as Rachel Lan pressed her face against mine, nuzzling me. My cheeks burned, and I quickly hugged her and stood up.
"Howard, you all sit for a while. I'll take Rachel over to let her sleep."
"You never kiss me, Qingyuan. You're always like this."
I held Rachel Lan in my arms. She wrapped her hands around my neck, still talking.
"Alright, alright, I know."
I was a bit surprised, but felt a warmth inside. I never expected Rachel Lan to have this side to her. After she got drunk, I took her to the room and laid her down. She was still clinging to my neck. I bent down and kissed her cheek lightly, making her giggle.
"Scratch my back, Qingyuan. It itches right here."
Rachel Lan started to take off her clothes as she spoke. I hurriedly helped her, bit by bit, as she turned to the side and I gently scratched her back.
"Qingyuan, I wish you had a body again."
Rachel said this again. I let out a sound, blushing as I covered her with the blanket. After a while, Rachel finally quieted down, but I was deeply moved. I don't have a body now, and there's a gulf between me and Rachel Lan—one of life and death.
Whenever I'm with Rachel Lan, I do my best to suppress the yin energy in my body, never letting even a trace escape. Even though Rachel has regained some of her power, too much exposure would still harm her over time.
"Good night, Rachel."
I stood up and left the room, walking slowly toward the others.
"Why are you back so soon, cousin? Stay a little longer. Women are like that—just keep them company."
Howard Zhang saw my serious expression and immediately stopped smiling.
"Master Frank Yuan, do you know any way I could become human again?"
I quietly watched Master Frank Yuan. He sighed helplessly and made a Buddhist hand gesture.
"Humans suffer the four agonies: birth, aging, sickness, and death. Beyond these, there are countless others—suffering from compulsion, weakness, depression, bullying, unattainable desires, separation, resentment, and the five aggregates. These are the pains of body and mind. To be human, one must endure endless suffering in the cycle of reincarnation. But your situation is different, Benefactor Zhang. You exist outside the Six Realms—what is called 'nature.' As for why you were born human, even my humble wisdom cannot explain it. Nature is simply as it is."
"There are actually many ways to become human again. The most common for ghosts is to find a substitute, or to consume someone's soul and take over their body, using magic to perfectly fuse with the flesh. Or, like the Ghost Worm monk, you could collect pure souls and reincarnate."
Howard Zhang muttered to himself. I stared at him in surprise, and he quickly slapped his own mouth.
"Forget I said anything, alright, cousin?"
Master Frank Yuan nodded as well.
"Be careful not to bring karma upon yourself with your words."
With that, Master Frank Yuan looked at me again.
"Benefactor Zhang, I knew the day you became human. I even glimpsed some clues through dreams, but still couldn't figure it out. Now your physical body is completely destroyed, and becoming human again may be harder than reaching the heavens."
"Is that so."
I sat down and took a sip of wine. Howard Zhang patted my shoulder, then smiled.
"Don't worry, cousin, you'll figure something out. You always do, no matter how many times you go through this."
"Actually, there is one way. If your Deathbane Aura reaches a certain quality, it's not impossible to reconstruct flesh and blood."
At that moment, Deathbane Ghost, sitting across from me, suddenly spoke. I looked at him, and quickly understood the cold smile on his lips.
Earth Soul once said something similar. Like me, he is a ghost, but his body is much stronger than mine. Now I understand—it was built by taking countless lives, piling up what is called 'Deathbane.'
"Go check out the Dark Banquet."
At that moment, Lord Shenyan suddenly spoke. I looked at him.
"The folks there have all kinds of ways. You'll find something that fits your values. If you cross your own bottom line, you're no longer Qingyuan. There's no need to agonize over it—just stick to what you've chosen, and don't let down those who stand behind you."
I took another sip of wine, then nodded quickly.
"Yeah, what's there to worry about? Worst case, Rachel Lan waits a few years. Just look at Aunt Lan—she's over forty and still beautiful. It's fine, even if you wait ten more years, nothing will go wrong. Modern medicine is so advanced, and even if she can't have kids then..."
"Cousin."
I muttered a quick word, and Howard Zhang stopped talking, his playful grin fading.
"The important thing is having a woman willing to wait for you in silence. Isn't that enough?"
I let out a sound of surprise.
It was late into the night and we were still drinking. Howard Zhang had collapsed—he'd reached his limit as a human. Lord Shenyan smiled and hoisted him onto his shoulder.
Soon, Lord Shenyan carried the thoroughly drunk Howard Zhang inside to sleep, then returned.
"By the way, Master Frank Yuan, do you have any way to help with Howard Zhang's karmic burden?"
"Karmic burden, karmic burden—what's done becomes a barrier hard to dissolve. Doing something is easy, but bearing its consequences is difficult. That's why so many Buddhist cultivators can't transcend their karma to reach higher levels. The hardest to dissolve is worldly karma. Only Howard can resolve his own karma, whether the outcome is joy or sorrow—that's his cause and effect. Benefactor Zhang, don't worry needlessly. In my view, Howard has deep Buddhist affinity and a kind nature. He's not a weakling, either."
I nodded in agreement. Thinking about it, Howard Zhang has gotten into plenty of trouble, but he's still doing fine. He's never run from his mistakes—he owns up to them. He makes mistakes often, but now he's starting to seem more like an elder.
"So, what do you say, Ethan Zhang?"
Suddenly, Deathbane Ghost spoke, then pointed toward the cliff.
"Behind the Shadow Falls, there are quite a few who still retain consciousness. If you can absorb their Deathbane, I'll acknowledge you. Then we'll go all out in a final battle—win or lose, I'll become your ghost soul until the day you die."
I suddenly remembered the people Earth Soul had seen in the cave behind the waterfall. Those were all beings of extreme Deathbane, who had killed many in life. After death, their consciousness came here, excluded from reincarnation because of their Deathbane, left to await purification. Many don't want to be purified—they want to return to the living world. But if they leave, they'll be devoured by monsters born of the Shadow Falls, so they hide in the cave.
"Alright."
I smiled and nodded.
"Don't think they're weak, Ethan Zhang."
"Let's start first thing tomorrow. I need to tell Rachel."
Deathbane Ghost nodded, then floated up.
"Go give it a try. Down there are all beings of extreme Deathbane. Once you can absorb their Deathbane, I'm sure we'll have a worthy fight."
Deathbane Ghost vanished, and I quietly gazed at the distant cliff.
"Let me give you a little guidance, Qingyuan!"
A flash of red light appeared. Lord Shenyan tossed the Sin Blade to me—I caught it, feeling its heavy, incredible power. It was a fierce sword.
Then, a flash of black light appeared in Lord Shenyan's left hand—it was the Juzi Sword, Mozi's token. The two swords looked different, but were oddly similar, both shaped like rough wooden clubs.
"First, you need to understand something—why did the ancients carry swords?"
I made a sound of acknowledgment as Lord Shenyan began to pace slowly.
"Swords have always been symbols of status. In ancient society, it was the same. True combat use came only after metallurgy advanced—then swords became truly practical."
I nodded. Suddenly, Lord Shenyan lunged at me, thrusting the Juzi Sword straight at me. My first reaction was to dodge—the strike was fierce, and I couldn't block it.
With a soft thud, Lord Shenyan tapped my shoulder with the Juzi Sword. It was very light.
"Like I said, swords once had a history of being more ceremonial than practical. Why didn't you block it?"
I swallowed. The strike looked fierce, but the force was gentle—Lord Shenyan hadn't used any real power.