Tammy Blade's expression reverted to her usual playful, carefree look. She walked over, helped me up, and together we slowly made our way toward the stone table. Dawn was about to break.
"Lost, after all. Lost to a desire I had so long ago. I thought, after all these years, I’d forgotten it."
Tammy Blade said this with a trace of sorrow. I smiled and shook my head.
When I reached the stone table, I saw everyone gathered around it, anxious and waiting for dawn so they could eat.
I sat down next to the stone table. Vincent Swallow kept scratching himself restlessly.
"Weren't you off drinking?"
"Sigh, it's not morning yet—even though it's only half an hour away."
For a while, none of us spoke much. After a moment, I noticed a few people's expressions seemed off—awkward, hesitant. Old Ray was the first to run over and stand before me.
"Thank you, Ethan Zhang. This time."
I shook my head, and then the other five walked over, heads bowed, their bodies slowly bending in a gesture of respect.
"Thank you, Ethan Zhang," they all cried out in unison, their eyes filled with sincerity. I looked at the five of them in surprise.
I started to laugh.
"No need. I should be thanking you instead. Thank you for teaching me so much." As soon as I finished speaking, a sudden thunderous boom sounded from the sky, and we all looked up.
A fireball plummeted straight toward us.
"Is it coming?"
Vincent Swallow muttered. The fireball sped toward us, then with a crash, landed right in front of us. The fallen leaves on the ground caught fire, and as the flames gradually faded, Lord Shenyan appeared, bare-chested, before us.
"As promised, I have come. Ethan Zhang, you have managed to endure for a month."
Lord Shenyan spoke coldly. Suddenly, the five people's gazes all fixed on his left chest, where a tattoo of Quentin Kue was inked.
"Is something wrong, everyone?"
"May I ask, Lord Shenyan, is the tattoo on your left chest Nathan Chung—Quentin Kue?"
Vincent Swallow clasped his fists and stepped forward to ask.
Lord Shenyan glanced at him and nodded.
"Ah, I've long heard the rumors that Quentin Kue disappeared. Never thought I'd find him here." Old Eccentric muttered, then walked up to Lord Shenyan and carefully examined the tattoo of Quentin Kue.
"That old bastard is sleeping now. Have you stared enough?"
Lord Shenyan said, and suddenly daylight broke. Mr. Blackmask came up behind me, dragged me back to the stone table.
"You have a lot to ask him, don't you? Eat up first—once you have your strength, then you can ask."
I nodded gratefully. After eating a big bowl of noodles and two fried eggs, Mr. Blackmask helped me up and led me over. Vincent Swallow had already gone to the riverbank, and Old Ray was the second to start eating.
Lord Shenyan walked toward the woods opposite the stone table. Mr. Blackmask supported me, step by step, until Lord Shenyan stopped and Mr. Blackmask placed me beside a tree before quickly leaving.
"Between you and John Chou, is it...?"
"Enemies," Lord Shenyan replied coldly, then turned around, a look of desolation in his eyes.
I couldn't help but recall—the first time I met Lord Shenyan was when the Twin Reapers tried to take Rachel Lan away. As soon as we met, he asked where John Chou was and told me to pass a message: he was John Chou's enemy and wanted John Chou to come kill him.
Even back at Yvonne May's place, I saw the seven Ghost Sovereigns sitting together. Every time Lord Shenyan faced John Chou, he would bow his head in silence, as if he owed John Chou a great debt.
"Why do you have that look on your face?"
I asked again. Lord Shenyan shook his head and sat cross-legged in front of me.
"I sensed it—the female ghost named Yvonne Yang, you tampered with her, didn't you? In this world of desire, only you could do such a thing. She was just a normal white-robed ghost, dark only in her heart, but you gave her the power to control this world."
I looked seriously at Lord Shenyan, hoping for an answer.
"Indeed, I tampered with her," Lord Shenyan admitted without hesitation.
"Was it John Chou who told you to do it?" No sooner had I spoken than Lord Shenyan stood up, grabbed me roughly by the collar, and whisked me off toward the camp.
Once at the camp, Lord Shenyan picked up my right foot, which had turned to stone. "Once we're out, I'll take you somewhere that should be able to heal your foot."
"You still haven't answered me—was it John Chou who ordered you?"
Lord Shenyan seemed troubled; he neither shook his head nor nodded.
"Imagine for yourself. On this matter, I have nothing to say. Come, let's go—I'll take you back."
"Wait!" I shouted. Oddball Moe was the first to return to the camp.
"What about them? Could you take them out with us as well?"
I asked. Oddball Moe looked at me, his face anxious.
"No."
Lord Shenyan replied decisively.
"Lord Shenyan, we helped Ethan Zhang quite a bit. Could you, perhaps, take all six of us out together?"
Vincent Swallow and the others returned. The outside world was their biggest concern at that moment. Old Ray ran up to me, looking agitated.
"Don’t you want to stay here and pursue your own strength?"
Lord Shenyan asked, and Vincent Swallow shook his head.
"No matter how strong we get, it's useless. What happened this time has taught us all a lesson. I just hope I can get out and see what the human world has become."
Lord Shenyan turned away, seemingly deep in thought, pacing back and forth. After a while, he finally spoke.
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"This place may be made of desire, but the most important thing here is to know your own instincts. The five of you still don't understand what your instincts are, yet you want to leave already?"
"Sigh, of course! We've had enough. Who cares about some damn instincts? I just want to hurry back and see if the Wang family line has died out or not."
Old Eccentric said, and suddenly everyone looked at him. I stared at him in surprise as well.
"Oh, so your surname is Wang? Heh, what's your full name?"
Oddball Moe asked softly.
"The Wang family is a big clan. How could you possibly find your descendants?" Vincent Swallow added.