Howard Zhang had already left the Shadow Realm. I rushed over to Madam Violet, knelt down, wrapped my arms around her legs, and pulled her down, tearing away the ribbon tied around her body.
Just as I was about to grab Madam Violet and throw her aside, I felt my legs tighten—the ribbon had caught me, and I fell hard to the ground.
"You reckless brat, what are you all still dawdling for? Get out there and bring the groom back!"
Madam Violet barked her command, voice sharp and cold. The ghosts immediately lined up and rushed into the corridor.
"Run!" I shouted, and Madam Violet dashed toward the corridor.
A long, low whistle echoed—"Whooo"—and Madam Violet, who had just run off the stage, froze in place.
"Good child, come back here now,"
Madam Violet turned around, her face once again twisted with that sinister, malevolent energy.
"What did you do to her?"
I turned my head and saw Madam Violet holding a long copper whistle, its surface etched with floral patterns. From its tip, a faint black mist curled upward. Looking at Madam Violet again, from the top of her head, the same black mist floated eerily.
With a sickening crack, I screamed in agony. Madam Violet came over and twisted my arm until it broke. Her face returned to normal, but the left side, where I'd struck her, looked as if it had exploded—flesh and skin turned outward.
The pain was so intense I could barely breathe.
"My face... my face..." Madam Violet wailed, clutching her cheek. Then she moved toward John Chou.
She grabbed his head and bit down hard, gnawing away. In moments, John Chou's throat was exposed, a large chunk of flesh and muscle torn away.
"Ah...!"
Madam Violet shrieked. Her body began to change—her skin shriveled as if all the moisture had been sucked out, her once-plump figure shrank, leaving only skin and bones. Her face was a thin layer of skin stretched over her skull, and her eyes bulged grotesquely.
"Ha! You’ve only just become a Blue Wraith, and you dare consume so much malevolent energy? Now the backlash is upon you. Restoring yourself won’t be so easy..."
Madam Violet whimpered, collapsed on the ground, clutching her throat as if she couldn’t breathe.
"You... you..." Madam Violet staggered to her feet. From the direction of the sedan, waves of ghostly wails echoed—a crowd of ghosts that had just left now came rushing back.
"Madam, it’s terrible! There’s a powerful monk outside. I couldn’t stop him. Quickly—"
One by one, the ghosts crawled out of the sedan. Seeing Madam Violet’s ghastly form, they shrank back in fear.
Madam Violet, furious, grabbed John Chou, slammed him to the ground, and stomped on his head.
"Take him. He’s yours."
Instantly, a horde of ghosts swarmed around John Chou, fighting over his body, tearing him apart.
Madam Violet stepped toward me, grabbing my head.
"Call your cousin in here, or I’ll make you suffer."
I smiled and closed my eyes. John Chou had said, if I died in here, I’d really be dead. Strangely, I wasn’t afraid anymore. Thinking back, if I hadn’t agreed to John Chou’s plan, death wouldn’t have mattered—I just wanted to survive.
"Call him yourself. In your current state, you still want a wedding?"
"You little brat..." Madam Violet’s eyes bulged as if they were about to burst, glaring at me with hatred.
With a sharp snap, I bared my teeth as ribbons shot through both my shoulders, pinning me to the ground.
"Tonight, I’ll torture you to death. Once you’re dead, I’ll forge your soul into a ghost slave—forever my tool."
As Madam Violet spoke, two more ribbons pierced through my feet. I clenched my teeth, drenched in sweat, refusing to cry out. I wouldn’t yield to this monster—not at all. As long as Howard Zhang was safe, that was enough.
"Have you ever heard of the Feast of Ten Thousand Ghosts?"
A hollow voice echoed. At some point, John Chou’s severed head floated in the air, gazing at the ghosts with a mocking smile.
"What? Feast of Ten Thousand Ghosts...?"
The ghosts began to mutter among themselves.
Madam Violet let out a cold laugh.
"Ha! Years ago, I heard about the Feast of Ten Thousand Ghosts, but that’s just a rumor among spirits—a joke. Ghosts of my rank are rare enough. Any higher, and you’d be on par with the Ten Kings of Hell!"
"I, a hungry ghost, hellspawn, beast—crossing the Three Paths, traversing the Six Realms, born of slaughter. Countless sins committed; no hope in past lives, dust in future ones. Heaven is lost, the ghostly way rampant, mortals dream, gods and buddhas abandoned... Since the day of my death, I feast on ghosts, delight in men, roam the Three Paths, slaughter, kill, sever..."
John Chou closed his eyes, his voice low and deep—sometimes anguished, sometimes furious—as if recounting a long, tragic tale.
After we escaped the Shadow Realm, Howard Zhang came running over, ecstatic. But I was nearly spent—even though the bleeding had stopped, I was on the verge of collapse.
"Howard, your daughter was taken away."
"Qingyuan, Qingyuan, I’m just glad you’re back."
"Amitabha. You two have finally returned. I sensed something unusual inside just now—must be because of him."
The house was a mess. Disciples of Master Zhou were tending to the wounded, and I was carried over.
John Chou smiled at Master Zhou.
"Go get some sleep, brother. Next time, don’t go wandering off. You might not be so lucky again."
My vision blurred. I nodded and drifted into unconsciousness.
When I woke up, the sharp smell of disinfectant filled the air. White sheets fluttered in the breeze, and sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains, leaving mottled patterns on the floor.
"Qingyuan, you’re awake. How are you feeling? Any better?"
Howard’s forehead was wrapped in bandages, looking almost like an Indian. I couldn’t help but laugh.
"You’re awake, benefactor," Master Zhou said, sitting in the hospital room, holding a string of prayer beads.
Later, I learned that we’d been pulled straight into the Shadow Realm. John Chou had almost gotten me out, but I went back in. Master Zhou was casting spells outside, working desperately to open a small gap in the Shadow Realm and send in a spirit cat.
No wonder John Chou knew the way out.
"Master, thank you."
I then asked Master Zhou if he could help find Howard’s daughter.
Master Zhou shook his head.
"Benefactor, I’ll do my best. But that ghost woman will never let Howard go. So I’ve written a letter of recommendation. I hope you two can take the child to Universal Temple—only there can this curse be resolved."
As soon as Master Zhou finished, Howard looked sullen.
"Howard, your fortune in this life comes from ten generations of virtue. You have great spiritual potential. If you devote yourself to Buddha, you can break this karmic curse."
Howard nodded unhappily.
My arm was in a cast, my shoulders and feet bandaged—I was miserable.
Master Zhou stood up after speaking.
"Howard, I’ll tell your father about this. Once you’re better, go straight to Universal Temple. Here."
Master Zhou handed Howard a delicate copper jar. Howard took it.
"What’s wrong, Howard? Things are finally looking up. Aren’t you happy?"
"Hah, what’s there to be happy about? That monk wants me to become a monk at Universal Temple."
I gasped. Howard had always loved the pleasures of life—becoming a monk was worse than death for him.
"The monk said I should persuade you to join me—what do you say, cousin? Shall we become monks together?"