The car rolled slowly down the road, heading south—toward my apartment building. I stared blankly at Ray Lin.
"Have you noticed lately that Yuna Ji has disappeared?"
I nodded. It was true—I hadn't seen Yuna Ji for a long time. Nor Shadow. I had no idea where she went.
"Since ancient times, Yuna Ji has been closely tied to zombies. You remember, don't you? All those things that happened with her before."
Ray Lin's reminder jolted my memory. The first time we fought with Shadow, we nearly died. Rachel Lan was poisoned by corpse venom. Thinking back, whenever Yuna Ji appeared, Shadow was terrified of her and always obeyed her commands. It was Yuna Ji who cured Rachel Lan's corpse venom.
And then at Putian Temple—when Yuna Ji emerged, she summoned countless walking corpses. Thinking it over, those things were similar to the revenants I encountered at that funeral home.
"How do you know all this?"
I asked. Ray Lin just smiled at me.
"Well, why I know—let's set that aside for now. I'll tell you a little. Brother Qingyuan, my ghost soul is special, and my ghost domain is called the Tenfold Path. As for how I entered that horror story, it's because of my ghost domain. Heh."
Ray Lin spoke, but I didn't press him further. He didn't seem willing to tell me more about himself.
"During the great cleansing of the ghost realm, zombies were purged just like ghosts—by practitioners. About two hundred years ago, as far as I know, zombies had their own leader, much like the Ghost Sovereigns. On their leader's command, they all went into hiding. Even now, they haven't resurfaced. I don't know the real reason, but I did visit their gathering place once."
My heart skipped a beat, and I immediately asked,
"Was it Zombie Village?"
Ray Lin nodded.
"That's right. The geography there and the old zombie legends are numerous. But now, it's just an ordinary village. When you go, you have to find the entrance—otherwise, you won't see those creatures."
I nodded. Then Ray Lin pulled the car to a stop with a screech—it was my apartment building. We had arrived.
"Thank you," I said again. Ray Lin turned his head and replied,
"Take the dog you got from the Forest of Desire with you. And go find Rufina Howard. That girl knows far more about zombies than I do."
I nodded.
After getting out of the car, I looked around. It was deep into the night. A feeling of long-lost familiarity rose from my heart. The neighborhood was quiet and peaceful. I smiled and walked up the little slope ahead.
As soon as I stepped in, I was stunned. Every ghost in the courtyard was gathered at the entrance—standing, sitting, lying down—all waiting for me.
"Xiaoyuan, it's good to have you back."
A group of ghosts swarmed around me. Among them, an old voice sounded. I nodded, and everyone stood by my side. Old Wei came over—I nodded to him.
The noise quieted down. I looked at them, filled with gratitude. When I arrived, everyone greeted me warmly. This felt like home. Gradually, this place became a home. Everything about the apartment building seemed so warm.
"Thank you all. Thank you."
I kept thanking them. At that moment, a voice drifted down from the sky—John Chou.
"Brother, what took you so long to get back?"
I looked up. John Chou sat in midair, smiling—not arrogant like before, but with a playful expression. He slowly descended, and I walked over with the ghosts around me.
"Thank you, Brother Qingyuan."
Sophie Su grinned and squeezed up beside me.
"You saw him, didn't you? Your father."
Sophie Su nodded vigorously. She told me her father, Peter Su, had come to the city a few days ago and was working at a snack shop near University Town. Even though he lived with the people in front of my apartment building and had food every day, Peter Su insisted on working anyway.
I walked up to John Chou. He smiled and said,
"That bitch Yuna Ji must be trapped. That's why she hasn't shown up all this time."
I looked at John Chou suspiciously and asked,
"Do you know something?"
John Chou replied,
"Brother, once you go to that village, you'll understand. For now, just rest for a few days."
With that, John Chou turned away. Suddenly, a melodious flute sounded. It was Samantha Simons in the air, surrounded by drifting cherry blossoms, holding a jade-green flute. The music was cheerful, and the mood instantly lightened. The ghosts bustled about, bringing out food and drink they'd prepared.
I sat at a stone table by the pavilion, took a sip of wine, and felt utterly refreshed. I briefly told the ghosts in the courtyard about everything I'd experienced in the Dream Realm. For the details, I planned to have Tunjiu explain later.
Though I was tired, I was genuinely happy, drinking with several Blue Wraiths. Tomorrow, I planned to go to the old quarter in the west of the city. I only had vague memories, but I'd told Hu Tianshuo that the site of the old murder should have records.
By around 7 a.m., I handed the now-empty Horror Stories book to the Old Freak and finally returned to my room. I called Hu Tianshuo, who said Fang Datong would come get me. At 2 p.m., I lay on my bed, set the alarm, and planned to sleep until noon.
"Brother..."
I had just lain down when John Chou whooshed into my room, staring at me. Annoyed, I muttered,
"Can't you knock? I'm trying to sleep."
"You saw it, didn't you? My memory."
As soon as John Chou said that, I sobered up. It was true—I had seen the memory of John Chou's death. Thinking back, Lord Shenyan, the first time he met me, told me to tell John Chou that if he wanted revenge, he was always waiting.
"You... you were killed by Lord Shenyan?"
I sat up and asked. John Chou nodded.
"That's right. Back then, it was him—he killed me himself. Heh."
"What are you really trying to tell me?"
I could sense John Chou wanted to tell me something, but he hesitated, holding back.
"Alright, brother, I'll be honest. If you make it to the zombie gathering place—the so-called corpse realm—bring something back for me."
I shot John Chou a look, then laughed.
"What do you want? You should've said so earlier."
"Heh, brother, here's the thing. There's a zombie named Lan Jiuqing—he knows. If you see him, stir him up a bit."
"Why?"
"That guy is flashy and loves to show off. He'll spill everything if you prod him. The thing is called the Locking Corpse Mirror—it's a prized treasure of the corpse realm."
I eyed John Chou suspiciously.
"What do you want it for?"
"It's beautiful. I want it as a decoration!"
"You're lying."
I blurted out. John Chou burst into laughter, about to ask again, but I spoke up first.
"Fine, I'll do it."
John Chou nodded, then vanished into the wall. I didn't bother asking why. I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
Beep beep beep—the alarm rang. I sprang up, rubbed my sore eyes, took a cold shower, and went downstairs. After eating some leftovers, I got ready to head out.
"Master Qingyuan, let me go with you."
I blinked at Samantha Simons, a bit puzzled, but quickly nodded. I didn't refuse.
Just outside the building, Samantha Simons's clothes shimmered with green light, transforming into an orange-red dress that revealed her pale legs and shiny silver heels. She wore oversized sunglasses, her hair loose—a distinctly modern look.
I blinked, unable to help but compliment her.
"Master Qingyuan, you're planning to find Rufina Howard, right? I know where she is."
I smiled and thanked her. Samantha Simons really was like a big sister, taking care of so much in the apartment building. I was grateful to her.
I called Dalton Fang. He'd already set out. It was just after eleven. We crossed through the residential area and went outside. As expected, Samantha Simons turned heads everywhere—her elegance and femininity were impossible to hide, even behind big glasses.
"By the way, how did you know, Miss Simons?"
Samantha Simons smiled softly and answered.
"Some time ago, I noticed a suspicious fellow wandering around our place. It was Ray Lin, a Blue Wraith. He told me a few things, so that's how I found out."
I let out an 'oh' of understanding. In the distance, I saw a black van driving toward us. Sure enough, it was only Dalton Fang. Recently, the Ghost Burial Squad has started recruiting new members, and the older batch is beginning their internships, so everyone has been pretty busy.
"Damn, Ethan Zhang, where'd you find another beautiful woman?"
As soon as we met, Dalton Fang slapped his forehead and glared at me fiercely.
"Watch your mouth before you curse, damn."
Dalton Fang was briefly confused, then quickly smiled.
"Ah, it's Miss Simons!"