After explaining the events in the Ghostrealm to everyone, it was already past 1 a.m. During that time, Rachel Lan bought me some food, and I talked as I ate.
"Sorry, sorry, Ethan Zhang, since you asked, I had no choice but to help you out. The method for entering the Ghostrealm—I once heard about it from a senior uncle in the sect, when he was drunk. I never thought it would actually work."
"Alright, alright, at least I made it out."
Only then did I realize I’d spent nearly four days in the Ghostrealm. Howard Lee and Hugh Thompson kept checking my body, but found nothing unusual. Yet both of them, along with Rachel Lan, kept staring at my legs—their eyes were fixed on my legs.
"What exactly is going on? I’ve been unlucky ever since I got back—is it because I’ve absorbed too much yin energy?"
Howard Lee stared at me while I thought it over.
"Probably a lot. I figured if I was going into the Ghostrealm, I’d need money, so I stuffed my pockets full of spirit money."
Suddenly, Hugh Thompson burst out laughing. Seeing my puzzled look, he started to explain.
Normally, when people in the living world burn spirit money for their deceased relatives, that money really does end up with the departed. But no matter how much you burn, it’s tied to your family’s wealth. Usually, the dead only get about one-tenth of your household income, at least according to the living.
[Note: 'Spirit money' (also known as joss paper) is burned in Chinese tradition as an offering to the deceased, believed to provide wealth in the afterlife.]
The wealthier a family is, the more spirit money their dead receive. So those cars and mansions people burn—if you couldn’t afford them in life, burning them won’t get your relatives anything in the afterlife.
That’s the whole idea behind 'yin merit.' If a ghost gets a lot of spirit money, they can even bribe officials in the underworld to suffer less, or get reincarnated sooner. Some use it to do business in the Ghostrealm—profits earned become the family’s yin merit, which can be returned to living descendants. If you make it big in the Ghostrealm, your fortune and blessings pass down to your children and grandchildren.
[Note: 'Yin merit' refers to spiritual merit accumulated in the underworld, often believed to affect the fortunes of a family across generations.]
After listening, I slapped my forehead, remembering all the money my dad lost, and how I kept getting hurt for no reason. It was all about the money—just now, my medical bills cost several thousand, and the doctor said my fracture was so bad I might not walk for half a year. There would be even more expenses ahead.
"Ethan Zhang, you willingly gave that money to those ghosts, didn’t you?"
I hung my head and sighed. I did give it willingly, but I hadn’t known what it meant. Now I’d screwed myself—and my dad, too.
"Ethan Zhang, you’re a living person, but you took all that spirit money down there and handed it to the ghosts. That’s as good as giving away real money. If you spent all your fortune and blessings this time, you might be broke for the rest of your life."
Hugh Thompson said this as I lay down, laughing.
"Once this is all sorted out, I’ll just work a few more jobs. It should be fine."
"Don’t worry, Ethan Zhang. Let’s focus on fixing things this time. Old Stone said he’d give you a hundred thousand yuan as a bonus, didn’t he?"
Howard Lee said this, and I immediately sat up.
"Really?"
Seeing Howard Lee nod, I felt a little relieved.
"But I’m not doing this for the money. How’s your investigation going?"
I asked, and Hugh Thompson adjusted his glasses before replying. It had been days, and the case still wasn’t solved. Justin Huang was still missing. Just thinking about it made me anxious.
Hugh Thompson started explaining. Aside from what I already knew—the late Richard Li, age sixty-one, shoe factory owner; the forty-something general store owner, Richard Li, also called Laughing Li; the twenty-one-year-old university student Richard Li; and the director of the construction bureau, Richard Li.
Excluding those four, the other nine Richard Lis all experienced dramatic ups and downs. Five of them are still struggling to survive, on the verge of collapse, while the other four are thriving.
The common thread—except for the construction bureau’s Richard Li, the other twelve all had dramatic rises and falls. Combined with Laughing Li’s story about the Taoist priest, things were starting to make sense.
"Let’s release that ghost first and make him confess about the Taoist priest."
Hugh Thompson said, while Howard Lee held a small jar.
"This ghost jar is pretty fancy. Haha, I didn’t expect a Renegade Monk to still be around in this world."
As Howard Lee opened the jar, a puff of black smoke burst out. Louis Lee appeared, immediately trying to float away, but Howard Lee quickly drew a Peachwood Blade from his back, with a Blue Talisman stuck to it, and pressed it against Louis Lee’s neck.
"Spare me, spare me…" Louis Lee looked exhausted and weak, his body almost transparent.
With a swishing sound, Rachel Lan quickly released several Spirit Shrouds, wrapping all four walls of the room so it looked like white curtains hung everywhere.
"Speak. Who was that Taoist priest? How did he instruct you?"
"I really don’t know."
As soon as Louis Lee finished speaking, I glared at him, clenching my fist as my Deathbane Aura slowly leaked out and formed a sharp spike.
Suddenly, everyone else in the room stared at me in shock.
"Speak! If you didn’t know, how did you end up hurting Richard Li?"
Louis Lee kept shaking his head.
"Once, an old Taoist priest cast a spell and summoned me. He told me to find a substitute whose fate matched mine, so I could be reincarnated. That’s why I did it."
Hugh Thompson looked at Louis Lee in confusion, then suddenly walked over and grabbed his head.
"What did that Taoist priest look like?"
"I really don’t know. All he did was summon me and tell me about the substitute—I never saw him, just knew he was powerful."
We all fell into deep thought—the mystery had only grown.
Suddenly, I pointed my Deathbane Aura spike at Louis Lee and stabbed at him. With a loud bang, Howard Lee slashed through my Deathbane Aura with his sword.
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"Ethan, what are you doing?"
I glared fiercely at Louis Lee.
"A guy like this deserves to be dealt with."
"Oh, right, I think I heard that Taoist priest say the twelfth person has been found—a university student."
"Damn it, spit out everything you know!" Howard Lee was furious, slapping a Blue Talisman onto Louis Lee’s forehead. Wisps of blue smoke rose as Louis Lee shook his head and screamed, until Howard Lee tore off the talisman.
"Looks like he really doesn’t know anything."
Hugh Thompson said, and I immediately shouted.
"Help me with the discharge paperwork, then take me to Mrs. Blake for treatment. Tomorrow we’ll go find that university student."
"Looks like we’ll have to get tough. Otherwise, they won’t say anything."
Hugh Thompson said, adjusting his glasses. Rachel Lan glanced at him, and when we tried to handle the discharge paperwork, the doctors and nurses tried everything to stop us, saying I’d need another surgery soon or risk permanent disability. But I insisted on leaving, and Hugh Thompson argued fiercely on my behalf. In the end, I signed a waiver saying if I left and became disabled, it was my own responsibility.
Around 3 a.m., we arrived at Mrs. Blake’s shop. As soon as we entered, Mr. Cooper jumped out, laughing loudly.
"Heh, Ethan, this injury isn’t a small matter. Naturally, the fee will be higher."
I held my forehead while Howard Lee and Hugh Thompson helped me into a chair.
"Uh, can I pay later?"
Mr. Cooper leaned in close, holding up two fingers.
"Twenty thousand?"
Mr. Cooper shook his head.
"Two words: no deal."
"How much, sir? I’ll go get it right now."
Rachel Lan quickly negotiated, and they settled on eighteen thousand. After my leg was treated, Rachel immediately went to get the money. I bowed my head in embarrassment.
"Ethan, you’re plagued by bad luck. You’ll be losing a lot of money soon, so be careful."
Mrs. Blake said this, startling me. I looked down at my leg, which was still shrouded in black mist.
"Mrs. Blake, is there any way to fix it?"
Mrs. Blake shook her head.
"There’s nothing to be done, Ethan. Business is business—one side wants to buy, one side wants to sell. That’s the way of the world. Charity too, one gives, one accepts. What kind of deal did you make with those ghosts?"
I sighed as Mr. Cooper went into the room with the white curtains. I sat down in front of Mrs. Blake.
Just then, the chair beneath me cracked, and I fell straight to the floor. My injured leg hit the ground, pain shooting through me so sharply I almost passed out.
A faint layer of black mist clung to the stool.
"Sigh, Ethan, looks like you’ll be unlucky for a long time. You all shouldn’t get too close to Ethan, or this bad luck might spread."
Mrs. Blake said this, then moved her chair farther away. Hugh Thompson and Howard Lee quickly distanced themselves from me, and I stared at them speechlessly.
"You two, help him up!" Only when Mrs. Blake spoke did the two of them lift me, but they immediately moved away again.
Soon after, Rachel Lan returned with the money. Seeing my pained expression, she came over to help me. When she heard about my contagious bad luck, she just smiled.
"It’s fine, I’m tough. Besides, I’m part of the Hades Circle."
"True, it’s better if close friends help share the burden." Howard Lee muttered. Rachel Lan’s cheeks flushed, and I just thanked her quietly.
"Miss Lan, once this is all over, I’ll pay you back every cent—with interest."
Suddenly, Rachel Lan glared at me.
"Sigh, Ethan, you really are something," Mrs. Blake said, shaking her head.
"But about what you mentioned, Mr. Cooper and I have heard of it before. The Mount Mason Order is known for powerful rituals to change luck and fate. Little Lee, shouldn’t you know about this?"