"Let me out."
Everything around us had collapsed. The Spider Wraith's ghost domain ended completely the moment it was sealed inside Cao Wanzhi's photo.
"Pleasure working with you, comrade."
Victor Duan grinned, extending a hand toward Cao Wanzhi, who sat in the back seat of the bus. Cao Wanzhi smiled awkwardly and did not shake his hand, as if feeling a bit embarrassed.
I held a photo in my hand. The bus was parked in a lot, and it was late at night. All of us were inside.
After the Spider Wraith was sealed inside the photo, all its connections to the outside world were severed. Wilson Wu and Roy Luo had regained their senses, and now they stood beside the bus. The Curse Ghost was still outside.
In the photo I held, countless spiders crawled and overlapped, searching for an escape route. But this photo was like a mirror; to break out, they would have to take down Victor Duan and Cao Wanzhi, otherwise escape was nearly impossible.
"Sigh, too weak. Was this guy really the one who almost took down that John Chou fellow?"
Felix Zhou asked in confusion. I smiled and nodded.
"Maybe."
I quietly watched the Spider Wraith in the photo. A thousand years had passed, yet the Spider Wraith remained unchanged—always attempting to devour and control other ghosts to strengthen itself. Its ghostly aura was powerful, but inside, it was chaotic and disordered.
"Hey, Fang, do you have time to tell this story to an old man like me? Let me write it down."
Ghost Painting Book Immortal, looking quite excited, came up to me. I nodded and smiled.
"If there's time. Spider Wraith, tell us—where exactly is the passage to the Underworld Court?"
A sinister laugh echoed from the photo as the countless spiders gathered together, gradually taking the form of the Spider Wraith. Head drooping, it sat on the ground and laughed loudly.
"I told you before, let's make a deal. But you refused. Heh, I'm a Blue Wraith—not as strong as you, but if you want to know, you'll have to kill me first."
With one sentence, the Spider Wraith made its stance clear. Its eyes burned with resentment and anger as it glared at me.
"I've looked all around this place. Long ago, I lived here for a while, but the ghostly aura from back then has completely vanished. Maybe the passage disappeared with it. My consciousness has been trapped for countless years."
As Wraith Enforcer spoke, Black Moon clapped his hands and burst out laughing.
"Wraith Enforcer, that's not necessarily true. Let's probe this guy's mind. Cao Wanzhi, let him out—after all, we're all ghosts here."
"You'd better not."
Isabelle Frost spoke. I glanced at her; her expression was cold, her smile faintly sinister.
"If you want to probe a ghost's memories, use the ghost network. But you should know: ghosts can erase their own memories. If they're threatened, they can swallow those memories into their ghost soul and make them vanish."
"Oh, Miss Isabelle, that's the first I've heard of it."
Victor Duan muttered, looking puzzled.
"Heh, let me explain. It's just as Isabelle said: any ghost, if they wish, can use their ghost soul to devour and erase their own memories."
I swallowed. Ghost Painting Book Immortal began his story. Long ago, something happened: a weak ghost loved listening to stories among the living, always drifting from place to place, eating and mixing in.
At the time, Ghost Painting Book Immortal had finished writing story after story, but he’d hit a creative block and hadn’t written for ages. By chance, he heard about this ghost and easily found the story-loving spirit.
Ghost Painting Book Immortal asked the ghost to recount every story it had heard. Many were strange, but none inspired him to pick up his pen.
Gradually, Ghost Painting Book Immortal lost interest. He tried to use the ghost network to absorb all the stories the ghost had heard, but then something strange happened—the ghost mysteriously erased all its memories.
It even erased everything about itself. Curious, Ghost Painting Book Immortal investigated and found that part of this ghost’s memory storage had vanished—a piece missing from its ghost soul. This wasn’t the first time; it had happened many times over the ages.
Soon, word spread. Many ghosts learned of this ability. Some who had wandered the world for ages simply erased their memories, allowing them to start anew in the living world—what once felt dull became fresh and exciting again.
"So, in other words, you can begin a brand new life."
Victor Duan laughed; it seemed this was the first time he'd heard of it.
But now, with Ghost Painting Book Immortal’s explanation, it seemed there was no way to deal with the Spider Wraith. A vague uneasiness stirred inside me.
Blackfang... you're not thinking of erasing your own memories, are you?
Isabelle Frost muttered, her red eyes fixed on me. I smiled.
"Absolutely not. Even if I could start over, every memory—sweet or bitter—is the scenery I’ve seen along my path. I will never forget any of it."
After a while, I got off the bus and handed the photo containing the Spider Wraith back to Cao Wanzhi. As I stepped down, Coco Wu came over, beaming.
"I didn’t expect you to be so amazing. Thank you."
Her words warmed my heart. Wilson Wu still looked defiant, but I didn’t blame him. Even when controlled, he’d stepped up in Coco Wu’s moment of crisis. It reminded me of John Chou and Isabelle Frost.
False things may never compare to what’s real. Now, I was more concerned about Coco Wu—her ghost soul was unique, marked by a curse-killing constitution. Why hadn’t the Spider Wraith controlled her? Even the Curse Ghost couldn’t find anything unusual.
"Sigh, looks like joining you isn’t possible for someone like me."
I grunted in response, nodded, and glanced at Roy Luo, then smiled.
I slowly raised my hand and pointed east.
"In H City, near the university town to the south, there’s a place you can go."
Roy Luo and Wilson Wu stared at me in surprise.
"It’s just an ordinary apartment building, but it’s a place where humans and ghosts can coexist, with no restrictions. You can enter anytime you wish—I guarantee it."
I spoke slowly and clearly. Coco Wu clapped her hands and laughed with joy.
"By the way, your name is Fang, right? I’ve heard about the passage you’re looking for."
I was startled and looked at Coco Wu. She grinned and beckoned me to follow.
Our group followed Coco Wu into the ancient city of Fengdu. After wandering for a while, we arrived at a place called the Hall of Judgment. Inside, Coco Wu peeked around, looking mischievous.
"Back when my brother and I joined the fake Fengdu Emperor’s faction, he’d recently become a Sheqing Ghost, so everyone respected me. I often wandered the streets alone, playing tricks and having fun."
Coco Wu continued, saying she’d once seen several ghost attendants come here. She’d watched them sneak into this ancient Hall of Judgment in their red-and-blue Underworld uniforms and do something secretive. Naturally, Coco Wu didn’t let it go and followed them.
"Strange, where did it go? I clearly saw them messing with a multicolored little box."
Coco Wu searched around the Hall of Judgment’s statues for a long time but found nothing. I walked over and tried to use the ghost network to check Coco Wu’s memories, but suddenly, my ghost network bounced back, almost piercing into her body.
"What exactly is it?"
In that instant, Isabelle Frost walked over, placed a hand on Coco Wu’s forehead, and smiled. She stepped up to a statue of the King of Hell, raised her hand, and a red light glowed.
Gradually, a red spider lily appeared, and soon, the entire Hall of Judgment was filled with them.
Vaguely, I saw some parts of the space begin to distort, and crooked characters started to appear.
"Looks like it’s a powerful formation."
Ghost Painting Book Immortal stepped up, took out a large brush, and began to wave it. Suddenly, sizzling sounds rang out. Yasha suddenly reached out and pulled Ghost Painting Book Immortal back. The red light immediately released crimson chains that bound everyone.
"It’s a trap. Everyone be careful—this is a Wraith Box."
As Wraith Enforcer spoke, I felt an intense suppressive force crushing my ghostly aura. Coco Wu cried out; her body began to emit wisps of blue smoke—she was reaching her limit. This power came from the Underworld.
At that moment, I saw a multicolored, gold-edged little box appear before us, covered in ornate patterns.