By 5 a.m., the Ghost Burial Squad had mostly finished their investigation and began to leave one after another. I sat in the living room, stunned, lost in thought.
"Ethan, don't worry. In a bit, I'll try to summon their souls for you. If there's any reaction, it means your parents are still alive."
Howard Lee said this as he sat down beside me. I nodded.
"Ethan, you should get some rest. You haven't slept since you got back, have you?"
I shook my head and said nothing, feeling deeply agitated. My eyes were dry and heavy with sleep, but I just couldn't fall asleep.
Finally, after Rachel Lan's gentle persuasion, I lay down on the bed in my room. She looked at me with concern, while I remained silent.
"Ethan, it'll be okay. I used to worry about my parents a lot when I was little too," Rachel Lan said softly. I looked at her, and thoughts of Uncle Mo resurfaced, sadness crossing my face.
In an instant, I pulled the blanket over myself. I had to stay strong. My parents' disappearance was a huge blow, but now, everyone was working hard. I needed to take care of my health.
"Get some sleep, Ethan."
"You should sleep too," I murmured. Rachel Lan nodded, walked to the door, said goodnight, and closed it behind her. I shut my eyes.
The sound of smacking lips echoed, and a biting cold wind swept by. Surprised, I looked ahead—under the chilly moonlight, a range of undulating mountains stretched before me.
This was a cliff, towering into the clouds. Ironmask sat at the edge, his mouth moving, both feet dangling over the precipice.
Alarmed, I asked him a question.
"What are you eating?"
Ironmask turned his head, holding a bird torn to shreds in his hand, eating as I stared in shock, covering my mouth and stepping back.
"A bird. Didn't you say I couldn't eat people or ghosts? I need something to fill my stomach."
I responded with a simple "Oh." After finishing, Ironmask wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and suddenly moved forward. I cried out, watching him fall straight off the cliff and rushed over in panic.
Ironmask slowly floated upward, looking at me with a smile.
"What is it, Ethan Zhang? Worried about me?"
I gave Ironmask a resentful look. Come to think of it, I still didn't know his name.
"By the way, what's your name?"
Ironmask raised a finger and shook it.
"It's a secret, Ethan Zhang."
I responded with an 'Oh' and didn't press further. Ironmask slowly floated over; the massive black wings on his back dissolved into wisps of black smoke and vanished.
"Earlier, I asked you to teach me."
Ironmask shook his head again.
"You can't use Deathbane Aura right now."
I replied with an 'Oh,' but suddenly widened my eyes, raising my hand, trying to summon Deathbane Aura. After a long while, nothing happened.
"What's going on?"
Ironmask chuckled, looking at me. With a wave of his hand, a black longsword appeared, identical to the one I used against the Rakshasa Ghost.
"What's this?"
"It's yours, but I took it."
I looked at Ironmask in confusion as he walked over and pointed a finger at my chest.
"The other one was taken by that guy. Remember this—be careful lately. Without Deathbane Aura, you're as helpless as a baby."
I jolted awake, drenched in sweat, my mind filled with Ironmask's worried gaze from before I woke up.
Panting, I stared blankly at my hands, trying everything I could, but the Deathbane Aura wouldn't come out at all. My whole body started trembling—I didn't know what was happening, just staring at my hands.
Then I grabbed the utility knife from the desk and slashed my palm. I screamed as a deep red gash appeared—but no blood came out.
I pressed on it with my hand, but felt nothing.
"Ethan, what's going on?"
Rachel Lan suddenly burst into the room, her hair still wet, towel in hand. I stared at her blankly, then told her everything that had happened to me.
Rachel Lan held my wounded hand, examining it carefully.
"It's definitely strange, Ethan. You should go ask John Chou about it."
I nodded. At this point, all I could do was go ask John Chou.
It was already 2 p.m. When I went out, I saw Howard Lee still sleeping on my sofa. As I walked over, Rachel Lan went to his side and gently patted him.
Howard Lee woke up with a start, then stretched.
"Ethan, you're up."
Howard Lee said he'd already tried the soul-summoning ritual. My parents' souls responded, but there was no movement. The so-called soul-summoning means calling the ghost of the deceased.
When a person dies, the three souls first report to the underworld. After judgment, they separate: the heavenly soul temporarily stays on the Heavenly Path, the earthly soul suffers in Hell, and the human soul remains at the grave. Usually, only the grave soul can be summoned.
These souls are generally invisible, only seen at special times or by special means. The Maoshan soul-summoning ritual targets these souls, so if my parents were truly dead, there should've been a reaction. But after Howard Lee tried, there was nothing unusual.
Once the earthly soul in the underworld has paid for its sins, the three souls reunite and enter the cycle of reincarnation. After Howard Lee explained all this, I felt a bit relieved—my parents were still alive.
"Ethan, worrying won't help right now. The brothers are all helping you gather information—anything unusual in the city, and the one who was in contact with your father, we've found him in the neighboring city, N City. The Ghost Burial Squad branch there is investigating for you."
(This chapter isn't finished yet~.~ Please click next page to continue reading!)
"Thank you, everyone."
"Brother, come outside. I'm waiting for you downstairs."
Suddenly, John Chou's voice echoed in my mind, and my expression changed in surprise.
"Ethan, what's wrong?"
"It's John Chou. He said he's waiting outside."
Rachel Lan and I hurried downstairs. Howard Lee said he'd stay nearby and keep investigating, so he could update me in detail when I got back.
Rachel Lan and I went down and saw, next to her car, John Chou in a black suit with a red tie. His messy black hair fell across his forehead, shiny leather shoes, and a striking, handsome face with a smile. He stood nearly six feet tall, a cigarette in his mouth.
Passing pedestrians, especially women, glanced at him from time to time. I walked over in surprise.
"What's going on—can they see you?"
John Chou blew a smoke ring that floated onto my face. The sharp sensation made me cough.
"Ethan, hurry up. We've been waiting for you two forever. Are you lovebirds getting cozy upstairs? Why not invite me along?"
I coughed violently. Yuna Ji was already sitting in the passenger seat of Rachel Lan's car, dressed in a light green embroidered bodysuit under a red trench coat. Her figure was striking, sunglasses on, looking about twenty-five or twenty-six.
"What are you all doing?" I muttered. I noticed the passing men couldn't help but sneak glances at Yuna Ji.
"Why all the chatter? Let's go—come with me to see Uncle Zhuang."
I let out a noise of surprise as John Chou tossed his cigarette and walked over, patting my shoulder.
"Brother, you should go buy some new clothes. You must've earned plenty from the Ghost Burial Squad."
Embarrassed, I got into the back seat. I was wearing an old, dark gray coat that used to belong to my dad, and some worn-out sweatpants.
Rachel Lan drove us slowly out of the neighborhood.
I told John Chou about my inability to use Deathbane Aura. He sat beside me and smiled.
"It's fine, brother. It'll pass soon. For now, come with me to take care of some business."
I replied with an 'Oh,' but thinking about it, there was so much going on—my cousin's body was still with the Ghost Burial Squad, my parents were missing, and now I had no idea what John Chou wanted me to do.
When the car passed a fruit stand, John Chou called out. We bought a huge pile of peaches, at least twenty kilograms, filling up Rachel Lan's trunk.
"What's this for?"
John Chou smiled.
"Uncle Zhuang loves peaches. He's always been that way."
As Rachel Lan and I were about to leave the city, we stopped at a roadside shop for a quick bite, then headed toward the mass grave.
All the way there, John Chou kept smiling, looking genuinely happy, as if something had made his day.
Suddenly, something occurred to me, and I asked.
"Why are you bringing me along to see Uncle Zhuang?"
John Chou just smiled and said,
"It's nothing, really. Haha, brother, my old housekeeper has a fiery temper. If you're there, you can help calm him down."
A burst of wild laughter erupted. Suddenly, I felt something in my throat—a ball of black flame came out of my mouth.
"Redhair, what are you doing?" I asked irritably. The Flame of Malice only kindled a small wisp, barely revealing Redhair's form.
"Couldn't hold back anymore, John Chou—put your pride aside and go beg Uncle Zhuang."
"It's not begging. Uncle Zhuang is my old housekeeper, I'm just going to visit him."
"You're lying," we all said in unison. Not just me—Yuna Ji, Redhair, and Rachel Lan all joined in. We burst out laughing.
"Visit or beg, whatever. After all, Uncle Zhuang raised me since I was a kid."
It was a rare sight—this was the first time I'd ever seen John Chou show such a gentle expression.