We returned to the banquet. Ji Yun'er was still drinking Morning Dew Wine, while Tan Tian watched him with a scowl. Yue Que came back to their side, and Lan Jiuqing and I walked over slowly.
Yue Que told me that the professor who restores emotions to zombies might have set his sights on me—he’s even more formidable than Tan Tian.
“Zhang Qingyuan, are you scared? Heh, do you want me to send some people to be your bodyguards?”
I shot Lan Jiuqing an annoyed look.
“It’s not fear. I just want to know—who exactly is this person?”
Yue Que had said he only sensed that the man was after me, and I trusted his instincts. He’d once told me, the first time he met Yin Choujian, that he’d become a formidable evil spirit someday.
“Zhang Qingyuan, let me tell you, there are plenty of people in this world who are monsters in disguise. It’s not just the Immortality Society—you’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg. We zombies may have little contact with the outside world now, but we still gather intelligence. Especially since the seven Ghost Lords appeared, things have been turbulent beneath the surface. This is just the calm before the storm.”
I understood what Lan Jiuqing meant. When I got back, I’d have to tell Old Stone about some things. We’d agreed before: anything related to ghosts, I’d give them every detail. For the record, I missed them too.
There was so much on my mind—especially about the Blind Granny and the Little Old Man. They’d left Fortune Telling Street too. Thinking back to the day they left, I couldn’t help but worry they’d run into trouble.
But there’s no point worrying now. First, I have to save my cousin—that’s my top priority. I sat down, took a sip of Morning Dew Wine, and ate a little. Huangfu Ruofei sat happily at the table, enjoying watching Ji Yun’er and Tan Tian chat.
"Yuna Ji, you used to be so much livelier, like a little girl. But now... sigh."
"Tan Tian, people change, and so do we ghosts. You really don't know your own strength, do you?"
Tan Tian remained as stern as ever, his face devoid of any expression, but this time he picked up his wine glass.
"Drink up. The past—I’ve already forgotten it."
After a while, I sat quietly alone beneath the Moonlight Tree, admiring the moonlit leaves dancing in the air. I felt at peace. But once again, I’d acted recklessly—because of me, a newly born ghost soul perished. I remembered that black-and-white space, holding my second ghost soul as it dissipated, leaving behind only a crystal, and I felt a wave of sorrow.
I’m still too weak. Coming to the corpse realm this time gave me a glimpse into the Five Elements and Yin-Yang, but I barely understand any of it. I’ve paid tuition to the Little Old Man so many times, yet he left before teaching me a thing. All I could do was smile helplessly.
People who truly understand these things are Uncle Mo, Lan Ruoxi, and the members of the Ghost Burial Squad, but they probably don’t have time to teach me. Huangfu Ruofei likely knows as well, and just then, she happened to walk over.
"It’s beautiful, Ethan. If only I had a camera."
Her words made me smile. I remembered I still had my phone, so I took it out. Huangfu Ruofei took it from me with delight and started fiddling with it.
"Ethan, show me how to use it—I’ve never used a phone before!"