The last rays of the setting sun were slowly fading. I stared quietly out the window—just a few more minutes and I’d be home. This trip with John Chou felt like it had lasted ages, but in reality, it was only a little over a month.
The three Blue Wraiths sitting in the back were still debating where to go tonight. All I wanted after getting home was to question my dad about the matter of that spectral body—he definitely hadn’t told me everything. I needed to know the truth, and I couldn’t wait any longer.
My mom came out, and Jerry Li walked over, looking delighted.
As for John Chou’s Hundred Ghosts, I’d heard a bit about them. From what the three Blue Wraiths said, it seemed that John Chou had abandoned them back then, and afterward, they grew disheartened and drifted apart. Now, finding them again would be very difficult.
If a Blue Wraith stays in the world of the living for too long, unless they use their powers, their presence is undetectable. Because they have physical bodies, most Blue Wraiths living in the mortal world absorb some yang energy, like a membrane covering their skin. That’s why they look just like ordinary people. Besides, most of them are probably tired of the endless strife among ghosts.
I could imagine how deeply they must have revered Ethan Zhang at the time. His sudden disappearance would have been a devastating blow to the Hundred Ghosts who trusted him so completely. I’d heard Ethan Zhang mention before that the first of his Hundred Ghosts he encountered was Bai Changde, but Bai’s attitude toward Ethan Zhang had undergone a profound transformation.
And Bai Changde had sided with the Immortality Society. Just thinking of the Immortality Society sent a chill down my spine—I hadn’t expected them to target me as soon as I got back. On the way, we passed over thirty stops before finally taking a cab, and throughout, Dean Ding kept a vigilant eye on our surroundings, trying to spot anyone from the Immortality Society in the crowd.
Dean Ding said this, looking a bit envious as he gazed out the window. I turned to glare at my dad, cheeks puffed in annoyance.
Gradually, the car came to a halt. After we got out, we headed straight for the café that was already open. Now, the café only served regulars—those from the Hades Circle. At a glance, most of the people inside, busy at their desks, belonged to the Hades Circle. The place had clearly become a base for the Hades Circle now.
The café in the southeast now served as the clandestine meeting place for the Hades Circle sects.
As soon as I stepped inside, the Hades Circle people, busy with their work, all looked up. Some faces were tense—they must have sensed the fierce ghostly aura from the three behind me, sharp enough to feel like it could tear skin. They’d nearly suppressed their powers completely.
"This way, please, you three."
My mom came out, and Li Jiayuan walked over, looking delighted.
"Do you have any wine, ma’am?"
Soon, my mom led the three of them to a window seat on the second floor, ordered them some tasty takeout, and asked someone to buy a few bottles of wine.
"Thank you for bringing my daughter home."
"No need to thank us. We had nothing else to do anyway. You go ahead and take care of your business—we’ll be fine on our own."
Ding Dacheng said this, looking a bit envious as he gazed out the window. I turned to glare at my dad, cheeks puffed in annoyance.
"What’s wrong, daughter?"
"How much haven’t you told me yet?"
I followed my dad up to the fourth floor. My mom brought me a cup of my favorite milk tea—it had been so long since I’d tasted it. Blissfully, I sprawled on the sofa, looking at my dad, who smiled warmly at me from across the room.
"Ruoxi, you look like you’ve lost quite a bit of weight."
My mom sat down beside me, and I gave a quiet "mm."
"It’s good to lose a little weight. Dad, tell me what’s really going on. Why did you and John Chou know five years ago that Qingyuan would die?"
I finally said it. The mood in the room grew heavy. My dad gave me a helpless smile.
"It’s related to the last soul collection."
My dad explained as I stood up, staring at him.
"Since the first generation, the Hades Circle and Ninefold Hades made a pact: 9,999 souls is the number each Hades Circle member must collect in their lifetime. When it comes to the final soul, the collector gains a power—the ability to know the exact date of that person’s death. When I decided to check Qingyuan’s death date, I was shocked. He would die five years later."
I nodded, listening as my dad continued.
Back then, in that dreamscape, at John Chou’s suggestion, he gave the final soul collection privilege to Zhang Qingyuan. Unexpectedly, he learned the exact time of Zhang Qingyuan’s death—it was just a few months ago, right on the mark.
Having experienced the cycles of time myself, I knew for certain: the linearity and retroactive correction of time really do ensure there are no errors.
Then my dad continued, saying that at the time, he revealed all this to John Chou and Ouyang Meng, two Ghost Lords. So Ouyang Meng found Zhang Qingyuan and hinted at a few things, hoping Zhang would know when to advance or retreat. But Zhang Qingyuan didn’t consider any of it—he stubbornly kept going, and the outcome was inevitable.
So over the years, John Chou tried countless ways before finally settling on a plan that might give Zhang Qingyuan a slim chance of survival after death.
Of course, Zhang Qingyuan absolutely couldn’t know about this plan—if he did, it might cause unnecessary trouble.
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To give Zhang Qingyuan a chance at survival, they had to extract the vitality generated in his body, a little each day. Although this weakened Zhang’s power somewhat, the effect wasn’t drastic. So John Chou used the Killing Stone to draw out a bit of Zhang’s vitality each day.
This process continued for three years. Zhang Qingyuan’s Instinct of Coexistence was aware of it, and even his ghosts knew, but none of them said a word—they silently helped John Chou with everything.
To survive in the Spectral Realm, powerful strength is essential. My dad tried many methods and finally managed to give the spectral body extracted from Zhang Qingyuan consciousness and awareness. Its sole purpose was to ensure Zhang Qingyuan’s vitality remained alive.
So that spectral Zhang Qingyuan had lived in the forest for many years, securely holding onto Zhang’s spectral body. Later, through the four Spirit Guardians, John Chou conveyed everything to Nüwa, asking her to find a solution. If Zhang Qingyuan died, this unique being—capable of influencing Hell—would disappear, and Nüwa would forever lose her chance to eliminate the threat the gods created in this world.
"Wait—what do you mean?"
I looked at my father in confusion. I had no idea what he meant by the gods’ creation. I’d heard plenty of legends about Nüwa, but she was just a figure from myth—surely she couldn’t really exist.
My dad smiled and nodded gently.
"We thought it was unbelievable too, at first. But when Qingyuan went to help Huangfu Ruofei, Nüwa actually appeared. She had almost no power—only a faint trace of consciousness remained in the living world, because some people still worship the Ancestor of Humanity. That’s the only reason she can see anything in the mortal realm. It’s a bit like the Four Saints our Hades Circle worships."
I sat down and finished my milk tea, then kept listening to my father.
The fewer people who know about all this, the better. Yixue Han also knew and helped a lot—only her power could send that vitality into the Spectral Realm. Back then, it was Yixue Han who delivered Zhang Qingyuan’s spectral body to that forest full of Hungry Ghosts.
But that was just the beginning. Later, Nüwa revealed the existence of the dreamscape. John Chou immediately finalized the plan: after Zhang Qingyuan’s death, he’d enter the dreamscape. It was the only place that could keep him alive, and the only place Nüwa could reach.
They sent Zhang Qingyuan into Nüwa’s body because her power was the only thing in this world that could give him a new physical form.
"As for the Ghost Ancestor, I think you know a bit about that. Anyway, that’s how the plan was put into action. I was shocked too, because Qingyuan would die in five years. I’ve spoken to many dying Hades Circle members—they all knew the exact date of their death after collecting 9,999 souls, and without exception, they all died on schedule. Sorry, Ruoxi, this..."
At last, the weight in my heart lifted. I let out a long breath and smiled up at the ceiling.
"That’s all I needed to know. As long as Qingyuan is still alive, that’s enough."
I said, getting up and pulling my mom along.
"Come on, let’s cook. Those three downstairs probably didn’t get enough to eat—I want a proper meal."
My mom smiled and nodded, following me downstairs. Sure enough, when we got to the second floor, in just half an hour, nearly all the dishes on the table were gone. The three of them were eating and laughing, clearly having a good time.
"You three are eating with us later. Is there anything else you want?"
Ding Dacheng immediately shouted.
"Pig’s head meat!"