I stared at John Chou in shock. He gave a wicked grin, then burst into laughter, saying nothing. In an instant, the smile vanished from his face, replaced by a grave expression.
"Ethan, you have no idea what the young master is truly like. I know best. He pretends to be innocent, but you have no clue what he's thinking. Only I do. Young master, you can fool others, but you can't fool me. After all, I'm the one who raised you, from your birth to your death, never once leaving your side, young master."
As Mr. Brown spoke, John Chou descended and walked over to him.
"What's the deal with those guys from the Immortality Society who specialize in hunting ghosts?"
I asked, and Mr. Brown glanced at me, letting out a sigh.
"It's the Nether Syndicate. That guy was originally the heir of the Snake Sign, but because of the Immortality Society, he joined them. The first time he appeared was in the Ghost Path, during the great purge. Thousands of ghosts died by his hand."
Mr. Brown spoke, leaving me at a loss. John Chou still said nothing, sitting down on the ground, while Mr. Brown continued.
"The Immortality Society's large-scale mobilization this time is probably to search for that guy. Everything else they're doing—finding test subjects, anything related to you—is just incidental. The real reason is that someone stirred up a hornet's nest."
My heart skipped a beat. Could it be me? But on second thought, even if I did something, the Immortality Society wouldn't mobilize on such a scale. I looked at John Chou again.
"Young master, where exactly did you find that guy? He was already deemed a failure by the Immortality Society during the last great purge in the Ghost Path. They couldn't destroy him, so they locked him away. Why did you let him out? What are you trying to do? Times aren't what they used to be. Why would you cause such chaos now?"
Mr. Brown spoke in a questioning tone. I was confused too—I had no idea what John Chou had done, but what Mr. Brown said seemed true. John Chou looked as if he had nothing to say.
"Mr. Brown, you're blaming me for nothing. I'm not the one who let that guy out."
John Chou muttered quietly, but Mr. Brown clearly didn't believe him, staring at John Chou.
"Heh, young master, who else would do something like this if not you?"
As he spoke, Mr. Brown suddenly made a move. His whole body glowed green as he reached straight for John Chou's chest. In an instant, he pierced through John Chou, and with a flash of bright red light, Mr. Brown pulled out a black-and-yellow object from John Chou's body and held it in his hand.
"Young master, the evidence is clear. Are you still going to deny it?"
I stared in shock at what Mr. Brown held. Suddenly, I felt something moving inside my body—it was the Spirit Snake. With a gurgle, a mass of deathly energy appeared on my left shoulder, condensed into mud, and then formed into a snake.
"Spirit Snake Shedding Skin—it's actually here."
Right after, the Spirit Snake flicked its tongue, obviously excited. I looked again—what Mr. Brown held was a snake skin, black-spotted with a yellow base, shimmering with a crystalline glow.
"Young master, this is the thing we used to seal that guy. I'm very clear on this. Where did you get it? Heh, where have you been these past few days?"
Mr. Brown kept talking, but John Chou still said nothing, as if he had no intention of explaining.
"Young master, things have only just calmed down, and then you go and do this. Heh, what exactly are you trying to achieve?"
Finally, after a long silence, John Chou let out a deep breath and smiled.
"Old Tom told me about it."
I blinked, remembering that back in the Netherworld, Old Tom had indeed spoken with John Chou for a long time.
"Hmph, that cat-sign kid? Young master, most people can't even handle their own troubles, but you insist on meddling. Now you've stirred up a huge mess and expect me to clean it up again. Young master, can't you be more careful?"
Mr. Brown looked exasperated as he spoke. I also wanted to know why John Chou had released someone like that.
"Mr. Brown, I'm innocent. Wasn't I just out shopping recently? Then I suddenly remembered that guy—he's been locked up for hundreds of years. Don't you think that's too much? The Nether Syndicate and the Immortality Society used him, and when he wouldn't obey, they just locked him away."
Mr. Brown looked heartbroken, pacing back and forth for quite a while before finally sighing.
"Young master, really—why do you always make so many people run around in a frenzy every time? Sigh."
John Chou burst out laughing.
"It's already begun. All I did was remove a single gear from the machine. After all, have you ever seen a machine that runs for hundreds or thousands of years without a problem? Mr. Brown, this was bound to happen sooner or later. Since no one else would do it, I did. So, what now?"
"Well, young master, things have gotten to this point, so there's nothing we can do." Mr. Brown said, his whole body glowing bright green. I could feel a powerful ghostly energy emanating from him.
"Come help me, young master. Hmph, if you had just asked me directly, maybe I would have considered it and not been so harsh. Next time, don't beat around the bush—and don't drag Ethan Zhang into it, hmph."
John Chou laughed again, then looked at me and patted my shoulder.
"It'll take three days, brother. In these three days, you're on your own. Don't die, okay?"
I let out a sound of surprise. John Chou pointed at Mr. Brown, who was now completely wrapped in green light. I could sense his ghostly energy swelling, growing ever stronger.
"Mr. Brown needs three days to fully release his Ghost Soul. Ever since I suppressed him with the Sanzu, he's kept his Ghost Soul sealed. Otherwise, others would have easily found this place."
As John Chou spoke, I saw red ghostly threads unfurl from his body, reaching toward Mr. Brown.
"Then I'll head back for now."
I spoke, and John Chou nodded. I spread my wings and took off, turning to look at John Chou and Mr. Brown—their relationship was far deeper than I'd imagined.
"Brother, be careful. Don't die, okay?"
I nodded and flew off into the distance. The Spirit Snake remained on my shoulder.
"Ethan Zhang, go to the place where you met that Nether Syndicate couple before. Hurry."
The Spirit Snake spoke. I let out a sound of surprise and stopped in midair.
"You need to retrieve the Serpent Seeker Altar—it's essential, especially if that guy really has escaped."
I responded and flew toward the city. The Spirit Snake retreated into my body, but I could feel its agitation and anxiety. It seemed deeply troubled by the entity John Chou had released, growing increasingly restless.
I sped up, flying nonstop. The sun had already risen, but the city remained silent. After all, things were still happening—out of sight, beyond my reach.
Half an hour later, I landed on Fortune Teller's Row. The street was deserted, shop doors tightly shut, not a soul in sight. I found Mr. Cooper's and Mrs. Blake's shops and looked over. Suddenly, the Spirit Snake emerged from my shoulder.
"Careful—someone's here."
I nodded—I could sense it too. There was someone in their shop. I carefully walked inside and was suddenly startled. The moment I entered, thousands of snakes twisted together and lunged at me.
It was an illusion. Everything vanished. I turned pale and saw a person sitting at a table, wearing a white T-shirt and black leather pants, with short white hair and a bright, clean face—radiating a sunny disposition. On the table sat the Serpent Seeker Altar.
The person sipped tea elegantly, making a soft slurping sound. Suddenly, a large Spirit Snake emerged from my back, glaring at the person with hostility.
"So, you're here for the Serpent Seeker Altar, aren't you?"
I clenched my fists, warily watching this person.
"Spirit Snake, it's been centuries, hasn't it? Heh, I'm just here to help you. Don't you need this thing? The Nether Syndicate couple set up a barrier—getting it won't be easy."
I was stunned. The person's voice was clear, bright, and magnetic—full of sunshine.
"Nice to meet you, Ethan Zhang."
I blinked, looking at him.
"Are you the one John Chou released?"
I asked, and the person nodded, took a sip of tea, and gestured for me to come closer. I approached cautiously. Suddenly, he sniffed the air.
"So stinky... so stinky..."
Suddenly, I sensed a murderous intent. The friendliness in the person's demeanor vanished, replaced by a chilling aura that made my skin crawl.
"Hurry up and turn human, Ethan Zhang."
The person spoke, trembling, his eyes turning gold like a snake's, staring at me.
"Quickly, or I might not be able to suppress my urge to kill ghosts. If I end up killing you, that wouldn't be good."
I snapped to attention and began transforming myself back into a human, but his gaze lingered on my right hand and left foot.
"Still gray, but much better."
The person smiled brightly again, and the murderous intent vanished instantly.