In a daze, the scenery around me spun rapidly. I had already followed Ethan Zhang into a gray, misty forest, where the ground was covered in white, fine sand.
I immediately recognized this place—it was the Spectral Boundary that Master Zachary Wu had just mentioned. This is a blurred frontier between life and death, inhabited by countless Starving Wraiths. They go mad searching for the spectral remnants of anyone who enters, the only connection between body and soul, retaining a faint trace of life. Once the spectral remnant is devoured, the person dies completely.
The female teacher had died only five days ago and still retained some vitality. Following Master Zachary Wu's instructions, Zhang Qingyuan brought a wooden sword and a small jar into the Spectral Boundary. As long as he recovered her spectral remnant within an hour, she could return to the living.
Sure enough, as soon as Zhang Qingyuan arrived, he saw many ghostly figures. Sensing the vitality emanating from him, the ghosts slowly gathered. Zhang Qingyuan shouted desperately, calling out again and again in the forest.
But as more and more Starving Wraiths appeared, whimpering as they lunged at Ethan Zhang, he swung his sword faster, turning wraith after wraith to ashes. I watched silently from the side, unable to help, but judging by his posture, he was still frantically searching for the female teacher's soul.
I remained silent, pondering how I might escape the Law of Karma.
Suddenly, Ethan Zhang seemed to hear a faint response. I looked over and immediately saw a woman clinging to a tree trunk, trembling. Upon seeing people, she cried out desperately.
I quickly followed, staring in disbelief at the woman before me. The vitality in her was almost gone, yet she still gripped the tree trunk with both hands. Marks had already appeared on the bark—who knew how long she had been holding on. She was nearly at her limit.
"Come down quickly. I'll take you away."
As he spoke, the female teacher climbed down. Ethan Zhang carried her on his back and began to run. I was still full of doubts, and behind us, Starving Wraiths surged forward like a tide.
"This isn't your past—just one of its possible outcomes."
Startled, I turned around, eyes wide. A hundred meters away stood another version of myself—my spectral remnant.
With a rush, I flew toward him.
"What exactly is going on?"
"This was Master Zachary Wu's contingency plan from the very start. After consulting with Martin Lane, only the Spectral Boundary could save you. If you died, I've been waiting here for a long time."
I stared in shock at this version of Ethan Zhang. I didn't remember the two people he mentioned, but their names sounded familiar.
"Why did all this happen? Is it because of Karmic Reversal, so the possibilities of the past are appearing?"
I asked, and the spectral remnant before me shook its head.
"Possibilities exist only within your body, because perhaps you also long for this kind of life—helping some ghosts—but deep down you fiercely reject it. You pretend not to see, though you clearly do. It's always been this way, ever since you were a child. So this is a true reflection of the possibilities in your heart."
I swallowed hard as the spectral remnant slowly approached me.
"If you want to recover your memories, you must possess the vitality of Ethan Zhang before his death. That's why John Chou and Martin Lane sent me here together. Martin Lane used his last soul-gathering privilege, and he gave it to you."
"What do you mean?"
I was a bit confused. The spectral remnant pointed into the distance, where a white light had appeared. I glanced back—Ethan Zhang and the female teacher had already found their way back to the living world.
Ethan Zhang no longer rejected ghosts. Whenever he had time each week, he would go to Master Zachary Wu to learn and understand more about ghosts. He even started helping them, intentionally or not.
I gasped, and the scene around me spun instantly. I found myself back in the morgue. At that moment, Master Zachary Wu was already performing rituals for the female teacher. Soon, I saw her move, though she was still very weak. Ethan Zhang quickly wrapped her in his clothes and hurried out.
"Maybe you've already forgotten everything, and you don't even know if you can recover these memories. But does it really matter? To you?"
Master Zachary Wu smiled, shaking his head helplessly, though joy was visible in his eyes. I looked at Master Zachary Wu, and an unspeakable sadness welled up inside me. Soon, I followed Ethan Zhang.
I replied seriously. The spectral remnant nodded.
"Thank you, Ethan. Really, thank you."
I swallowed again, then quietly watched the spectral remnant. I seemed to understand what he was saying. Suddenly, my eyes widened, and my mind became much clearer.
"So that's how it is!"
I smiled and said, and the spectral remnant nodded, then slowly pointed into the distance—Ethan Zhang and the female teacher were already surrounded by Starving Wraiths.
"As long as you still consider yourself human, you can't transcend the Law of Karma. Humans aren't gods, nor ghosts, nor anything else. Humans are..."
"Ordinary."
I muttered, turning my head. Ethan Zhang, carrying the female teacher, broke through the Starving Wraiths' encirclement and rushed into the white light.
"It's good that you understand. No matter what kind of karmic possibilities existed in the past, you can't transcend the Law of Karma like the Earth Soul or those others. Whether it's Karmic Reversal, total suppression, or even destruction of karma, these methods are only possible for those who have long since rejected their humanity. But you're different—you've always known you were human from the start."
I grunted and nodded. Everything around me started to blur.
"How do I search for the possibilities of karma?"
The spectral remnant slowly raised a hand and pointed downward.
"Karma only falls downward. If you want to search for other possibilities, just let yourself fall—until you've found every possibility, every outcome for Ethan Zhang."
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"I understand."
I smiled and nodded. Everything around me was already beginning to blur. I knew I would disappear from here along with this version of Ethan Zhang. I glanced at the spectral remnant once more.
"I'll always be here waiting for you. The day you return to the living world will be the day all your memories revive. Since you can't transcend karma, go master it. Only then can you move forward."
I gasped, and the scene around me spun instantly. I found myself back in the morgue. At that moment, Zhang Wuju was already performing rituals for the female teacher. Soon, I saw her move, though she was still very weak. Ethan Zhang quickly wrapped her in his clothes and hurried out.
"Why are you in such a hurry? Oh, this child."
Zhang Wuju smiled, shaking his head helplessly, though joy was visible in his eyes. I looked at Zhang Wuju, and an unspeakable sadness welled up inside me. Soon, I followed Ethan Zhang.
The female teacher's resurrection shocked all the major TV stations in the city. Many came to interview her, but she couldn't remember anything. The only thing she recalled was the boy who brought her to the hospital, but she didn't know who he was.
"Thank you, Xiao Zhang. Really, thank you."
After everything was over, Chen Bin tearfully thanked Ethan Zhang over and over. At that moment, I noticed Ethan Zhang seemed to have changed. Although this experience had been dangerous for him, the old look of disgust toward ghosts was gone from his face.
At this moment, ripples stirred in my heart. I seemed to fully understand the karmic possibilities of Ethan Zhang's existence—what he would do next. But just as my state of mind shifted, the scene around me spun like a whirlwind.
Fragments of memory flashed before my eyes, one after another flooding into my mind. I kept moving forward, following this version of Ethan Zhang.
After this incident, Ethan Zhang helped Chen Bin find his wife and daughter. In the end, with Ethan Zhang's help, he received their forgiveness.
Ethan Zhang no longer rejected ghosts. Whenever he had time each week, he would go to Zhang Wuju to learn and understand more about ghosts. He even started helping them, intentionally or not.
All of this seemed incredible to me, and I realized why these memories felt so unfamiliar.
These memories should have existed in the past, in everything Ethan Zhang experienced. But at that time, he chose to ignore them. He chose not to see ghosts. The first ghost who came to him for help, Chen Bin, perhaps sensed that Ethan Zhang could see him, so he clung to him. But time and again, Ethan Zhang ignored him, treating him like air.
Gradually, I also began to understand the possibilities that existed in the past. But I never took a single step—the most crucial step for a human. I backed away.
So I shaped everything, and in the end, I died. Gradually, the images stopped, freezing on a single scene. I stared in shock— the whole city was already ruined, and Ethan Zhang was now middle-aged, smiling contentedly at everything before him. In the distance, there was an evil ghost.
"No matter when or where, I am always human. That will never change. If you want to harm the human world, I will never allow it. But if you want to be friends, I can sit down and have a drink with you."
I smiled faintly. In the end, facing ghosts was inevitable—not just for myself. I raised my fist, eyes wide, and landed on the ground. With a crash, the ground split open. At that moment, I noticed something behind me. When I turned, I saw Ethan Zhang on the rooftop, seemingly watching me.
"No matter the outcome, the only way is forward."