The Transaction Between John Chou and Quentin Henderson

It had been a long time since I last returned to City A. Over a year had passed, but for us, it felt like only a few seconds. The journey back to City A took more than three hours, but in the reality of Compound 001 where I lived, only that much time had truly passed.

"How's it going over there?"

I asked, and John Chou beside me shook his head.

"The specifics aren't clear, but he might have run into a bit of trouble. Maybe it's already resolved by now."

Standing atop a building on a crowded street, I was surprised that John Chou had followed me to City A. It seemed he had his own reasons, but I didn't ask. Even though I knew most things about John Chou, he still remained an enigma to me.

"You said the former chief of the Ghost Burial Squad, Chief Stone, is in this city, right?"

I responded with a hum.

"He seems to be working for some organization now. That group holds immense power in the living world, and Compound 001 probably has some ties to them."

"Earthly Soul, help me get in touch with Chief Stone. I need to meet him tonight."

John Chou spoke with a grave expression. I could guess what he was planning, and nodded.

"Finally planning to make a move?"

"Not yet. This is just basic preparation before any action. While I'm in City A, I'll teach you as much as I can—especially about the boundaries."

I widened my eyes in surprise.

"I didn't expect you would..."

John Chou looked at me with a half-smile, shaking his head.

"Back when I taught the three of you, didn't I always teach each of you seriously? The smartest one was Heavenly Soul, you were the most adaptable, and the hardest worker was Ethan Zhang."

I nodded, tilting my head to gaze at the sky. Right now, Ethan Zhang and the others were still trapped in that darkness. Before I returned, I sensed a strange change in Ethan Zhang—he seemed to have completely merged with that darkness.

And Heavenly Soul is also in that darkness. When the time comes, he should lend Ethan Zhang a hand. After all, he's always favored Ethan Zhang since long ago.

I sneered and let out a cold hum, slowly floating upward. John Chou was still watching the distance. It was close to dusk now—the sun was beginning to set.

"What's wrong? Did something come to mind?"

Watching John Chou's nostalgic expression, I asked. He smiled faintly and shook his head.

"It's nothing. It's just been a long time since I've seen the sunset, hasn't it?"

I hummed in surprise, landed, and sat down, quietly staring at the dim yellow sun in the distance. In that darkness, I was probably the most oppressed, the most irritable, because I was never suited for those monotonous, dull days. Now that I'm back, I feel nothing at all.

"If there's any change in that darkness, their return time will probably shift as well."

John Chou suddenly spoke. I looked at him in surprise.

"Can you tell me? What exactly do they want? Maybe you've already guessed—the purpose of the Dark Banquet, summoning us straight over and then sending us back, what are they really after?"

I've never understood the Dark Banquet. What are they planning? In the end, they even helped Ethan Zhang, and quickly sent us back.

"Only the darkness knows these things. Don't dwell on it, Earthly Soul. That darkness may have nothing to do with us anymore. Maybe they've already confirmed something."

"Always speaking in half-answers—it's a bad habit. Let's go, John Chou. I want to eat some food from the living world and drink a good glass of wine."

A few hours ago, at the time we left, we returned at noon, right as the solar eclipse ended. We found ourselves back on the rooftop of Red Hair Company. Nothing had changed. In just over an hour, seven Ghost Sovereigns gathered for a brief meeting. I didn't ask about the details, but I could guess it was related to the Immortality Society.

Last time, they wreaked havoc in the Underworld, angering its inhabitants and causing many low-level members of the Immortality Society to die. But it barely affected the Society at all. In this age, there are too many people willing to be slaves for money and power, willing to do evil. It takes almost no time for them to replenish fresh blood in their now fully developed society.

We floated straight to the courtyard where Compound 001 and 007 were located. In less than ten minutes, we landed in the yard. Ma Yongjie was there, looking at John Chou in astonishment.

"What..."

"Who is this? How come you were only gone for a few hours and already came back?"

I gave a brief explanation, without going into specifics.

"Do me a favor—buy some groceries and bring back some wine."

007 nodded, eyeing John Chou who was sitting directly in the courtyard with a strange look.

"Hey, who are you? Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

001 walked right up to John Chou, who smiled with his hand propping up his chin.

"Little sister, who I am doesn't matter. What matters is who you are. Your family probably wishes you would go home, right?"

001's eyes widened in surprise, then her gaze drifted uncertainly toward me. She had never told me about her past, and I hadn't asked, but from her demeanor, it was clear she was an important member of some family.

"That's enough, John Chou. Don't bring up unnecessary things."

John Chou nodded, leisurely floated over to the chair where 001 used to lie, settled in comfortably, and smiled, closing his eyes without another word.

"Acting like some big shot, hmph."

001 muttered in annoyance. I walked over and grabbed her hand.

"Let's go. I'm taking you somewhere—might as well give you a change of scenery."

001 happily grabbed my hand, her eyes bright with excitement as she smiled.

"Why are you so nice today?"

"It's not kindness. I was stuck in that ghostly place for over a year—always darkness, nothing else."

On Jinming Road, I hailed a cab headed to Zhonghai Road, less than five kilometers away. That was the address Old Stone had left behind, where he worked—the center of human authority.

Sure enough, the taxi stopped two kilometers away. The driver told us he could only take us this far.

At a checkpoint, I said I was looking for Chief Stone—had something important to discuss and hoped they'd notify him. The gatekeepers had strong yang fire, looked like they knew a bit of sorcery, but were too weak.

Under the gaze of many eyes, I waited quietly. Soon, more and more people gathered—hundreds, maybe more, converging on us.

Soon, 001 and I were surrounded. I stared coldly at the crowd as a man who seemed to be in charge approached.

"Please go back, Mr. Zhang. We've already notified the authorities."

"No need to be so nervous. If I really wanted to cause chaos here, even kill everyone inside, you wouldn't be able to stop me—not even with a hundred times your numbers."

A sizzling sound erupted as black lightning flickered across my skin. After a moment, I saw Old Stone jogging toward us.

"Sorry about that, old buddy Qingyuan."

"You've got the wrong person, Old Stone. I'm not Ethan Zhang. Please don't call me that anymore."

Chief Stone looked at me in confusion, then smiled and patted my shoulder.

"I understand. Sorry, Earthly Soul."

We got into Chief Stone's car. He smoked a cigarette, looking puzzled.

"John Chou wants to see me?"

I responded with a hum.

By the time we returned to the residence, it was already eight in the evening. 007 had prepared a table full of food and wine, chatting happily with John Chou.

"Long time no see, John Chou."

As soon as we entered, Chief Stone sat down with a delighted smile and greeted John Chou.

"You've changed a lot, Old Stone."

Time smiled helplessly. After we began eating, the atmosphere grew tense. John Chou just drank his wine while Old Stone kept asking questions. John Chou only nodded or shook his head, never saying a word.

"Go ahead, John Chou. Why did you ask me here?"

After a few rounds of drinks, Old Stone looked drunk but was still clear-headed. I glanced at 007, who took 001 back to their room, leaving just Ma Yongjie and me, still watching.

"You should know the exact whereabouts of my Hundred Ghosts."

After John Chou finished speaking, his gaze turned icy. Old Stone froze for a moment, then finally nodded.

"How do you know?"

John Chou didn't say anything, just smiled quietly.

"I'm not going to force you to give up the whereabouts of my Hundred Ghosts. Times have changed. I want to negotiate directly with your superior."

"So you saw through it after all, John Chou."

John Chou sneered.

A large part of the underground archive in the Ghost Burial Squad was missing. Actually, it was sealed by a certain spell—he told me so. I hadn't had time before, so I temporarily put it aside to search for my Hundred Ghosts.

A flash of pink light appeared—Beauty was already placed before John Chou.

Chief Stone nodded.

"I understand, John Chou. When I get back tonight, I'll pass your wishes up the chain. But I just hope there won't be any bloodshed. After all..."

"I understand."

Suddenly, I sensed two powerful ghostly auras. I turned my head, and in an instant, two green lights landed in the courtyard—it was Zhang Xiaochun and Li Jiayuan. I stared at them in surprise.

"How did you two get here?"

Zhang Xiaochun shook his head.

"We arrived before you went to the Dark Banquet. It was Suyuan who contacted us."

Li Jiayuan sat down, poured himself a drink, and took a sip.

"Please inform your superior—three of my Evil Ghosts are here. If you plan to do anything, you'd better not. Those three alone are more than enough to deal with you."