Brother, keep working. I'll wait for you to close up.
John Chou ordered some food and started eating and drinking. I got busy, but Xu Fu's situation kept lingering in my mind. What I thought about most was how he managed to kill.
During the Dark Banquet, those killed would dissolve into black particles and vanish, only to revive after a while, completely unharmed and with no memory of being killed.
I retched at the thought of the severed limbs in Xu Fu's home and the blood crusted thickly on the floor, sticky and foul. No matter how I tried to make sense of it, it seemed impossible.
Xu Fu couldn't have done all that with just a small knife.
The chicken skewers are burnt, brother.
I hurriedly flipped the chicken skewers. The place was already packed, and Rachel Lan looked exhausted, but I wasn't comfortable letting her go home alone.
Go rest, Rachel. John Chou, come help me.
I called out. John Chou squinted and smiled, and Rachel Lan, unable to argue, sat behind the cashier and leaned against the cushion, falling asleep.
Brother, aren't you afraid someone will see you do this? We're not supposed to be this close.
That was before. Anyway, just say whatever comes to mind when the time comes. Hurry up—the customers are waiting.
John Chou smiled helplessly as he spoke.
Got it, Boss Zhang.
After a while, all the customers had left. John Chou left too, but came back through the alley. We pulled down the shutters, sat at a table, I made some side dishes, and we started drinking.
It’ll be hard to make the others remember anytime soon. After talking to John Chou, I realized what each person truly wants inside is exactly why they can’t remember anything now.
By the way, that old cat opened a clinic over there.
I mentioned it, and John Chou just grunted. He obviously already knew.
And I saw Master Jianyun a few days ago.
John Chou grunted, took a sip of his drink, and said.
Brother, keep an eye on Xu Fu. If necessary, find a way to keep him away from the other Immortality Society people. That’s the most important thing. But finding a solution might be tough—separating artificial souls isn’t something everyone can do. Not everyone has the instinct for Coexistence.
"What's going on with Redmond and Yuna Ji? Why did you pretend not to know when they came looking for you?"
John Chou chuckled and shook his head.
"It was too abrupt. Those two really don't understand how serious things are. Once they do, they won't bother me anymore."
"What do you mean?"
John Chou always stops halfway through his explanations. That's what I hate most about him.
"That means their actions could attract attention from others—especially those we don't want remembering the past. The Immortality Society, the Cat, and a few others, right? The Ghost Worm Monk was our class's star student, both parents have high-paying jobs, and the kid's life is pretty comfortable."
I almost choked, then laughed.
"That's fine. Let him spend his whole life in this darkness."
"What's most important for a brother is remembering how power feels. You still can't do that, can you?"
I nodded. Just as John Chou said, I couldn't connect with the ghost soul or my instincts at all. I stood up.
"I need to tell Earth Soul. He's probably in the same state as me right now."
John Chou shook his head.
"You don't need to worry about him. His instincts are subtly different from yours."
I was about to ask something, but seeing John Chou's expression, I stopped. He wouldn't tell me.
After sending Rachel Lan home, John Chou and I headed to Xu Fu's apartment. It was late; the streets were empty, but Xu Fu's room was still lit.
"What are we doing here? Why drag me along?"
I didn't understand John Chou's intentions. He could handle surveillance alone; I was more worried about Rachel Lan.
"I need to know how Xu Fu killed the residents here. That's crucial."
I don't know how much time passed, but eventually the lights in Xu Fu's room went out. John Chou and I drifted into his home. It was as empty as always. Xu Fu was asleep, so we entered the room. Everything was gone, spotless.
"So that's it. He skipped class today to clean up. Now we'll never know."
With a click, the door opened. John Chou and I exchanged glances, floated outside, and peered through the window. There was a mask—a white mask. After Xu Fu put it on and donned a loose hoodie, he left the house with a dagger tucked into his pocket.
Xu Fu walked quickly, almost flying. He seemed agitated, as if something had upset him. He wove through the streets and alleys until he reached District 12.
We watched as Xu Fu entered a quiet disaster zone in District 12, going into a two-story building.
After a while, Xu Fu came out. The agitation in his eyes was gone.
"You don't really want to see what's inside, do you?"
John Chou blocked me, but I ignored him and went in anyway. I'd already guessed what it might be, but what I saw inside still made my skin crawl.
There were corpses already rotting, covered in maggots, along with some fresh severed limbs—probably the ones we saw last night. I immediately turned away and retched, while John Chou patted my back.
The scene was horrific. In the basement, there were corpses reduced to white bones, dried-out bodies, and fresh, decaying ones. I hadn't sensed any living presence inside, so I hadn't rushed in.
Several fresh corpses looked like they'd been slashed with a knife. The sight made my skin crawl.
"The key is in the ones he killed. Looks like he's got some serious psychological issues."
John Chou grunted. We sat on the roof for a while. Xu Fu had already gone back, venting some of whatever was inside him.
"There's nothing certain about any of this."
I said, and we floated up again, returning to Xu Fu's house. But this time, my eyes widened. There was a woman in the room—Jing Le. I stared, watching as her hands and feet were tied up. She fainted, her eyes clouded, curled up in the corner.
"Don't move yet, brother."
John Chou immediately stopped me.
"We can't just stand by and do nothing, can we?"
"If anyone's going to save her, it should be her father, Ber Ziran. Don't get involved. Figure out how to get Ber Ziran here."
I stared at John Chou, puzzled.
"And after that?"
"Leave it to fate."
The street grew crowded again as I desperately searched for Ber Ziran, asking around about the father and daughter's whereabouts. But by the time the shop opened, I still hadn't found Ber Ziran. John Chou was watching Jing Le, so that was fine for now. The key was Xu Fu, who had just taken Jing Le.
If Ber Ziran comes, the two of them will probably fight. Then, maybe Xu Fu will remember something.
I couldn't worry about anything else now. I kept asking people, but there wasn't enough time. I decided to release the Ghost Net to find Ber Ziran.
In an instant, the Ghost Net spread across the surrounding streets. I kept sensing Ber Ziran's presence, and suddenly I felt it clearly.
I dashed through the streets, weaving past crowds, until I finally found Ber Ziran and Jing Le on a bustling clothing street. I stared in disbelief at the father and daughter, each pushing goods at different intersections, lost in the crowd.
What really happened to Jing Le last night?
"Let's just watch for now."
I released the Ghost Net again, tracing Jing Le's aura. Soon I was sure—the person in front of me was definitely Jing Le. Did Xu Fu let her go? Was the one we saw last night really Jing Le?
For a moment, I was completely confused. I decided to go to the shop and wait for John Chou. We'd agreed he'd show up when it was time to grill.
Rachel Lan and I worked all night, but when it was time to grill, John Chou still hadn't come. I left the door slightly open and quietly sipped my drink.
Just then, I heard footsteps.
"Why are you only coming now, John..."
The person who walked in was Xu Fu.
"What's wrong, Boss Zhang? Waiting for someone?"
Xu Fu smiled faintly and sat down.
"Xu Fu, why are you showing up at this hour? The grill's already out. If you want food..."
"You finally remembered, Zhang Qingyuan."
A familiar, wicked grin spread across Xu Fu's face. The tension instantly escalated, and he lunged at me. With a crash, the chair Xu Fu was sitting on shattered, and he was already backing onto the street. I flew out after him, my fist swinging.
With a thud, Xu Fu caught my fist with one hand.
"Let's talk business. You're not my match. Or are you here to talk about your woman?"
"What do you want?"
I glared at Xu Fu, and a massive shadow behind me grabbed Rachel Lan, lifting her into the air.
"Where's John Chou?"
I growled.
"He's at home. I just came to play cards with you. Let's go find him together. I'm sure he saw this coming last night."
"Let go of Rachel Lan. I'm not going to say it again."
Rage surged inside me, slowly turning gray.
"Let her go, Big Guy."
Xu Fu spoke, and the hulking figure released Rachel Lan. I caught her, and with a thud, the big guy flew out into the street, crashing hard.