It's been a while. There are sounds outside, but the Serpent King seems to be moving very slowly, not heading toward Serpent City. John Chou and Tabby Cat King sit quietly on the ground, showing no sign of nervousness at all.
"Do you think those guys will come together to catch you? If you take away the Bloodbane Power, won't the Sanzu Force start to converge now?"
I asked, and John Chou opened his eyes.
"Brother, think carefully. Do you really believe what they said is true?"
Surprised, I widened my eyes and thought about what the Bullhorn King had told us. There were many suspicious points. I couldn't pinpoint the specifics, but it did seem that way.
"You actually believe ghost stories? Ethan Zhang, is your head screwed on right?"
Tabby Cat King muttered. I swallowed hard.
"What that guy said is half true, half false. It's not all lies. When that snake arrives, ask him properly about the River of the Three Paths."
"What exactly is that thing?"
I asked, and John Chou shook his head.
"Back when I invaded the Sanzu Force, I heard someone mention it. I only witnessed what it was like when Bullhorn King locked us up in his dungeon. You must have sensed it too, brother."
I nodded.
"Ghost Aura really does get swallowed up. Earlier, John Chou, you told me not to use Ghost Aura—I didn’t realize why. But after staying inside, I entered my Instinctive Space and released some Ghost Aura, and a lot of it was devoured. When I got out, I was left starving."
Now, all we could do was keep waiting. No one knew where the Serpent King was headed; he moved slowly, and sitting on the rocks, we couldn’t feel much vibration at all.
No one knew how much time had passed. Tabby Cat King had shouted countless times, but the Serpent King remained silent, still moving onward.
"Is this guy trying to take us somewhere to wipe us out all at once? After all, we can’t see anything right now."
John Chou said nothing, continuing to sit silently. I could only do the same—speaking was pointless. Now I felt that same gnawing hunger again, as if my chest was sticking to my back.
Finally, the Serpent King stopped. I felt a rush of air beneath my feet, and with a boom, we were launched into the sky, along with the boulder.
With a crash, the boulder hit the ground. The three of us were already standing on solid earth. I noticed we were surrounded by lush green woodland, but streams of Ghost Aura were fleeing toward the edges. I heard the voices of ghosts, all terrified of the Serpent King.
"Why did you bring us here? This isn’t your territory—this is Empty Grove, north of Serpent City!"
The Serpent King stared at us in silence. I looked at Tabby Cat King in confusion.
"What is Empty Grove?"
"A lot of ghosts here disappear mysteriously. Only those who can't survive elsewhere come here. There's a rumor that those who vanish are chosen by the Beast Lord and get to reincarnate. That's why so many ghosts gather here—some are desperate, and some come because of the rumor."
Tabby Cat King glanced behind him as he spoke.
"Looks like we've gone deep into the heart of the forest. What exactly are you planning, bringing us here?"
"The River of the Three Paths—you just said you were looking for it, didn’t you?"
Tabby Cat King immediately fell silent.
"So it really exists. I always thought you guys might have made it up."
The Serpent King shook his head.
"If you want to find the River of the Three Paths, you can do it here. All those ghosts who vanished were swallowed by the River of the Three Paths."
"Why are you telling us?"
I asked, and the Serpent King turned away, slowly transforming into a small snake and slipping into the undergrowth. Then he left, and I quickly felt his Ghost Aura vanish in an instant.
"Is that guy trying to..."
"He's just suspicious, but he doesn't know how to put it into words. Brother, the snake inside your body seems to have affected him."
I hummed in response. After John Chou said that, I felt it too—the Serpent King's eyes always held doubt. Maybe he doesn't really know what the River of the Three Paths is, but one thing is certain: he wants to find out.
"We can only search, brother."
Then the three of us split up, giving each other our Specter Webs so we could find each other even if we went too far. The forest was cold, but nothing seemed unusual. The plants and trees were all familiar, just like in the living world. I wandered aimlessly through the woods.
"Fat Cat, where are you going?"
A crisp voice sounded in my ear. I turned my head—it was a green mantis.
"Can I ask you something? Is there anything strange about this place?"
Just as I asked, the mantis flew away, laughing as it left. I kept walking and kept asking, but no one knew of anything unusual in Empty Grove.
I was almost starving. I spotted a wild fruit tree with a few green, unripe fruits. I climbed up, picked one, and after one bite I wanted to spit it out. But I was too hungry and desperately needed something to restore my Ghost Aura, so I forced myself to eat two. By the third, I couldn't take another bite—it was bitter, astringent, and so sour it made my tongue curl.
I wondered how John Chou and the others were doing. I sat down under the tree and asked every passing insect for news.
After resting for a while, I regained some Ghost Aura and kept moving. The path ahead was tough, overgrown with weeds and thorns.
I stopped again, found a comfortable patch of grass, and lay down. I hadn’t found anything else to eat along the way.
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Suddenly, I caught a strange, enticing aroma. I sniffed, and my mouth started to water. I quickly got up. Ever since I became a panda, my nose has gotten sharper. I followed the scent.
The smell was irresistible, making my head feel light. I wandered into a broad, sloping woodland. The scent came from a pile of rocks at the bottom of the slope. Curious, I approached carefully and noticed many animals and insects had gathered, all drawn by the aroma.
Getting closer, I reached the pile of rocks. The scent was coming from the cracks. I swallowed hard. Like me, the animals gathering here ranged from large to small.
Some animals couldn't help but paw at the rocks, but there was nothing inside. I stared in confusion, then suddenly looked to my left—there had just been a bear beside me, but it had vanished without a trace.