The method Cecilia taught me was to use her strongest power of allure to stir up Darren Rong’s deepest desires, then shape those desires through her own perception. That way, we might be able to see what his younger sister looked like.
I kept holding Darren Rong up, my eyes emitting a soft pink glow. Gradually, Darren Rong stopped shouting and just stared straight into my eyes.
He looked like a man who’d just seen something that made his blood boil. There was a repulsive feeling about it, and Isabelle Frost, standing nearby, covered her mouth and laughed.
“Two grown men, Ethan Zhang, heehee.”
“Miss Yi, cut it out. That’s Cecilia inside me, you know.”
I muttered, disappointed. Cecilia’s allure failed to draw out the image of Darren Rong’s longed-for sister—instead, it triggered a different kind of reaction in him.
“Sigh, Cecilia, what exactly did you show him?”
Cecilia giggled in my mind.
“Of course, it was what every man in the world wants to see most.”
“Ethan Zhang, if you want to play with this lunatic, go ahead. Just don’t drag me into it again.”
Darren Rong started acting crazy again, and my mind felt muddled.
"Just threaten him, hang him up and give him a good beating. Maybe that’ll jog his memory."
At that moment, Yin Ghost appeared, sneering as she spoke.
"No, that’s not right. With a lunatic like this, you should knock his head hard—maybe that’ll snap him out of it."
Tong Ghost chimed in restlessly.
"Enough, you two. Damn, he’s still human."
I sat down quietly, planning to connect with Darren Rong again through the Specter Web. Even if his mind was a mess, as long as I could find a single thread of memory, it would be enough.
"You’d better not, Ethan."
A black flame ignited on my shoulder, and Zhu Tang poked her head out halfway.
"Why not?"
"This guy was a lunatic to begin with. His memories might drag you into madness as well. In other words, if you're not careful, you'll become a madman too."
I swallowed nervously. Threads of ghostly veins had already extended to the surface of Da Ronghe's body, about to pierce him, but I stopped myself.
"No wonder Miss Yi doesn't want to waste time on this lunatic. Sigh."
Neither this nor that—just like that, a day passed. The strange phenomenon on the lake last night kept stirring up conversation, growing even more heated.
By evening, it was almost midnight. Many people were still by the lake, waiting, hoping to witness another bizarre spectacle.
Yi Xuehan and I watched quietly. At that moment, fog began to rise over the lake again. Sure enough, in just a few moments, a village appeared before our eyes—dozens of households, a street full of vendors shouting their wares. It was impossible to tell what era they belonged to; everything was a blur.
In less than a minute, the strange vision vanished once again. We still couldn't feel a thing.
On the morning of the third day, I went again to where Da Ronghe was. I stared at him—he was still rambling incoherently. He mentioned his sister a few times, but there was no real progress.
I felt disheartened and restless. Fed up with this madman, I drifted out of the room. Just then, my eyes suddenly focused on a distant street—a strong ghostly presence was approaching.
With a whoosh, I floated over, already drawing my Ghostblade. The ghostly aura was dangerous, mingled with the living, but I quickly found it hovering in the air.
At that moment, I sheathed my Ghostblade and saw someone—Duan Wentian. He wore a white suit, moved with elegance and ease, and sat in a snack shop, quietly eating and chatting happily with a few girls.
"Sorry, I have a call from a friend. I'll step outside to answer it."
Duan Wentian smiled and walked out, gesturing toward the distant canola fields. I nodded and drifted over.
After a short while, Duan Wentian strolled over, unhurried and relaxed.
"Long time no see, Ethan Zhang. You've gotten much stronger."
"What are you doing here?"
I asked coldly. I had little fondness for this former enemy. I’d saved him once in a horror story, but he’d saved me too—so we were even.
"Nothing much. Boss Yin sent me to help out."
I grunted, my guard dropping. I landed, grasped Belle’s hand, then let go.
"The phenomenon here is probably just light."