I slowly drifted to the top of the stone stele and sat down. At this moment, I felt much more at ease inside. Spear and shield, they are both myself. The existence named Ethan Zhang is neither human nor ghost.
How can I break through all of this?
In a daze, my Six Ghost Souls were already floating before me. I looked up at them, and in the eyes of each soul, there was a determined resolve.
"Ethan, tell us, do you want us to accompany you? To fight in a battle that may well be hell itself."
Spirit Snake asked, and I smiled, looking at the six of them.
It was me who kept suppressing your actions. I’m sorry. This time, let’s lift all boundaries. After all, I’m not their match. I’m counting on you all.
I stood up and slowly bowed. The Six Ghost Souls whooshed into my body.
At that moment, I seemed to hear a distant voice calling out to me, filled with warmth and longing. I smiled and touched my chest.
It’s not time yet. Maybe, I have to wait until the battle is over.
I said, then slowly floated up. My cloak billowed as I pulled up my hood. For the third time, I plunged into Brother Owen’s ghost domain, following Allen Zhang’s teaching, completely concealing my ghost aura within my body.
Gradually, I approached Brother Owen’s ghost domain. With a whoosh, I plunged inside. The city began to repair itself, the streets lively once again. All the ghosts seemed to have forgotten what had just happened.
Once again, I set foot on the street, looking up at the fully restored Jialan Lotus Seat and listening to the excited chatter about the Jialan Banquet in four days.
After wandering the street for a while, I bought some food. Strangely, I didn’t see any chanting ghost monks. I returned to the courtyard where we’d stayed before. Everything was fine. I saw Wendy Wood, still trapped inside a green barrier.
This thing must be a ghost array, set up by Quinn Lee.
Wendy Wood was still inside the ghost array, chanting Buddhist scripture, completely unchanged. After watching for a while, I left. Now The Dragon and Quinn Lee should have been captured. The only one I could seek out was Holly Hao. She’s no ordinary Blue Wraith. I couldn’t sense anything particularly powerful in her body.
But thinking carefully, since she’s been here for so many years, and Brother Owen is no ordinary figure, how could he not know about Holly Hao’s existence?
Gradually, I arrived at the west side of Jialan City. Holly Hao seemed to know I’d come, and had already withdrawn her subordinates. I noticed the number of ghosts on this side had decreased significantly.
When I went up to the second floor, Holly Hao was lying sideways on a soft couch, surrounded by swirling smoke. I greeted her, and she sat up.
"What is it? What do you want, Ethan Zhang? That battle just now made quite a stir. But you lost. That golden-faced guy is unbelievably strong. Heh, it’s my first time seeing two high-level Blue Wraiths defeated by a human."
I nodded, said nothing, and poured myself a cup of tea from the teapot on the table, taking a sip.
"You probably know something about Brother Owen’s situation."
Holly Hao smiled gently, nodded, then shook her head.
"We know very well what you want to know, but you can’t afford the price."
"What do you need me to do for you?"
I asked directly. I was desperate to know how Brother Owen could strip away the memories of the ghosts here, even erase them, depriving them of everything and returning them to the purest form of soul.
"A final word of advice, Ethan Zhang. Things here aren’t what you imagine. We’ll probably leave the day after tomorrow. Please, go."
With a cold remark, Holly Hao rejected me. I walked along the street, pondering how I could uncover Brother Owen’s secrets.
Holly Hao seemed to realize the seriousness of the situation, so she decided to leave. That was the right choice. In the face of Mr. Oblivion, even high-level Blue Wraiths pose no threat to him.
At that moment, I suddenly looked up and saw Allen Zhang. He was smiling, standing right across from me. I hurried over.
"Let’s eat first."
Allen Zhang said as we entered a restaurant, ordered some dishes, and he began to eat ravenously.
After he finished eating, I started asking questions. Allen Zhang told me that Vincent Swallow was settled and fine for now. The Dragon and Quinn Lee had been captured, and Mr. Oblivion didn’t seem intent on killing them, but rather handing them over to Brother Owen’s disciples.
Brother Owen still hasn’t come out from the place where the pure souls are gathered.
"I stayed up there for a long time and saw a lot of interesting things. Ethan Zhang, the Jialan Ceremony in four days is just a scripture lecture. I’ve investigated the scriptures—they’re the three sutras of the Saint of the Underworld. Looks like Brother Owen wants to redeem all the ghosts here in an instant."
My heart tightened as I clenched my fists. Now there are two Golden Mask Men from the Immortality Society present. How can I stop all this from happening and rescue my cousin?
"Those two were too straightforward, so they failed. I’m different, after all—I’m an evil ghost. Only victory matters. Those intangible things mean nothing in the face of winning or losing."
I stared at Allen Zhang in surprise. He gave a cold, sinister smile.
"At first, the two of them tried to use their strongest powers, hoping to defeat Mr. Oblivion. You saw the result, didn’t you?"
I nodded. Allen Zhang continued.
"Since we’re ghosts, we must be ruthless and poisonous—these four traits are indispensable. The two of them, one for his boss’s reputation, one out of spite, both lost. But I’m different, because Boss Yin once told us: If you don’t win, you have nothing. For centuries, countless sacrifices have been made for honor and family, but only the ones who win in the end qualify to survive."
This is what John Chou meant by 'laughing last.'
"Acting on impulse leads to results like this. Only by finding the opponent’s weakness and attacking it can you turn disadvantage into advantage, and then into victory."
"Do you understand military strategy, Mr. Zhang?"
I asked. Allen Zhang smiled.
"In life, I commanded troops in battle. But because of so-called honor, I died. After death, I had nothing. Come, I’ll take you to a place."
Allen Zhang led me through the streets and alleys for a long time, until we reached a deserted street in the middle of the city. Then I saw a well. Allen Zhang smiled and told me to go down. I didn’t hesitate—seeing no ghosts around, I jumped in.
It was sand—I could feel it. As soon as I entered, I began sliding downward. Startled, I gradually landed in a space glowing green, surrounded by flowing sand. On a bed made of sand, Vincent Swallow lay there, barely alive.
"Master."
I called out anxiously. Allen Zhang followed me in.
"I set this up during the chaos of your battle. They won’t find it for now. Let’s wait and see here, Ethan Zhang."
I walked up to Vincent Swallow. He was still unconscious, his wounds had been treated, but he was very weak. Remembering the shocking battle between Vincent and his master, it seemed Brother Owen had been severely injured as well.
"That monk is strong. If Mr. Oblivion hadn’t intervened, Brother Owen would’ve been finished. What a pity."
The power Master Swallow unleashed at that time would have caused tremendous harm to ghosts. We couldn’t intervene, only watch from the sidelines.
At that moment, I saw Vincent Swallow’s lips move. I quickly called out, looked around, and saw Allen Zhang reach into the sand and pull out a water jug, handing it to me.
I gave Vincent Swallow a sip of water. He seemed much better, but soon fell back asleep.
Just like that, a day passed. Vincent Swallow woke up, his face pale and weak as he looked at me.
"Master Swallow, let me help you up."
I said, helping Vincent Swallow up. Allen Zhang waved his hand, and the sand morphed into a sofa. I supported Vincent, helping him sit down.
"Where’s Brother Owen?"
Vincent Swallow asked, and I told him what had happened. He smiled wryly.