I watched silently as the last cluster of flying ashes vanished before me. I walked over slowly and saw the bulging bag. As soon as I opened it, a stream of green liquid spilled out, thick with a powerful Ghost Aura.
"Boss, you want to trace the source of these flayed human faces, right? Leave it to Sonny Four. I’ll definitely find out for you."
I nodded with a sly smile. In a flash, I appeared behind the Wraith named Sonny Four. He was still staring, dazed, at the spot where I’d just vanished—only the Yin Ghost remained there.
He then told me that the area north of the city is controlled by a Blue Wraith, who commands four Wraiths. He’s bribed the underworld officials and rules this place, knowing every detail about it, so he should know the answers.
I suddenly spoke from right behind him. Sonny Four shrieked in terror and floated upward. In an instant, black Deathbane Aura snaked through the air all around him.
"Boss, you must be from the ghost realm, haven’t been active in the human world for ages, right? Now, the city’s crawling with tough spirits, and I’ve heard there are ghost sovereigns too. Only the weaklings—so weak you’d lose your appetite—can survive here. The stronger ones, like us, have to live on the city’s edge, can’t risk going in. Lately, Blue Wraiths have been roaming the city, and if you’re not careful, you could die without even knowing how."
Thinking back to the matter of the human skin bags, I wondered why Rotten-Face Ghost Dragon started dealing in them. The night I returned, Red-Haired Ghost explained it to me.
As for the Ghost Tomb Mountain crew, only Poison Dread Star and Ghost Dread Star’s group remained—everyone else had vanished.
I looked toward the distant woods. In the thicket, the Wraith I’d just encountered at the Ghost Market was lurking, spying on us.
Boss, don’t judge me by my looks. When I was alive, I was a street punk, but I died taking a bullet for my boss! Everyone on the streets knew me. Once I call someone my boss, I’m loyal for life.
I muttered to myself, but the Yin Ghost burst into wild laughter.
Dragon was mainly in charge of handling corpses. Since he’d been a chef, he could peel the skin from dead bodies with ease, crafting flawless human skin bags. Business boomed, and Tang Cai split the profits seventy-thirty—Dragon got seventy.
I nodded with a smile. In a flash, I moved behind the fierce ghost named Sonny Four. He was still staring in a daze at where I’d just been—only the Yin Ghost remained there.
"You’ve been following me—what do you want?"
I suddenly spoke behind his back. Sonny Four panicked, screaming and floating up. In an instant, black Deathbane Aura filled the space around him.
Thinking carefully, I was unsettled by these two things. I still didn’t understand the truth behind the human skin bags, or why people’s faces were being flayed and collected.
Sonny Four raised his hands and shouted in fear. I chuckled, and then we arrived at a clearing in the woods.
"Boss, don’t worry. What I saw, I’ll never tell. Even if I die, I won’t say a word, haha."
I sneered, staring at Sonny Four.
"Boss, don’t judge me by my looks. Back when I was alive, I was a street punk, but I died taking a bullet for my boss! Everyone on the streets knew me. Once I call someone my boss, I mean it for life."
I couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised—something about what he said felt off.
"Boss, you want to trace the source of these human face skins, right? Leave it to Sonny Four. I’ll definitely find out for you."
I let out a sound of surprise, realizing I’d been unwittingly dragged into Sonny Four’s scheme.
He then told me that the area north of the city is controlled by a Blue Wraith, who commands four fierce ghosts. He’s bribed the underworld officials and rules this place, knowing every detail about it, so he should know the answers.
Sonny Four led me up. Some Wraiths were guarding the entrance, and when they saw Sonny Four, they looked me over.
"Boss, you must be from the ghost realm, haven’t been active in the human world for ages, right? Now, the city’s crawling with tough guys, and I’ve heard there are ghost sovereigns too. Only the weaklings—so weak you’d lose your appetite—can survive here. The stronger ones, like us, have to live on the city’s edge, can’t risk going in. Lately, Blue Wraiths have been roaming the city, and if you’re not careful, you could die without even knowing how."
A few Wraiths sensed my Ghost Aura was stronger than theirs, so they didn’t stop us and let us pass. Sonny Four grinned and led me to the graveyard at the top, where many ghosts had already gathered, with lots of tables set up. I saw quite a few Wraiths—their numbers were highly unusual.
As for the Ghost Tomb Mountain crew, only Poison Dread Star and Ghost Dread Star’s group remained—everyone else disappeared.
For two and a half years, things had been mostly calm. The arcane practitioners rarely showed up in this city anymore. But deep down, I knew a fiercer storm was about to break.
Then Sonny Four said he’d take me straight there. The Blue Wraith’s lair was on Old Vine Hill to the north. I’d been there before, so I asked him about it.
"Is the guy on that hill named Wu Fei? People call him Brother Fei?"
I remembered—when I first returned from Exile Town, Yin Choujian had me and Rachel Lan infiltrate the Filthy Ghost Squad to steal the Soulreaver Blade I use now. Back then, we were searching for the blood needed to break the Grand Celestial Annihilation Array, so I’d visited that place once. There really was a formidable Blue Wraith named Wu Fei there. I saw him again during the Red-Haired Ghost’s Banquet of Ten Thousand Ghosts and even greeted him.
"Oh, boss, you know about him? But Old Vine Hill’s Brother Fei isn’t around anymore. Something happened—he got into a fight with someone and then vanished. I only found out later."
Old Vine Hill isn’t far from here, only about thirty kilometers. As far as I know, it really was Wu Fei’s territory for a long time. I planned to go myself, but Sonny Four said the situation there was delicate—outsiders are strictly forbidden from going up the hill now.
"Boss, I get by pretty well over there. Let me take you."
Sonny Four said this and flew up first. I had no choice but to follow, since I didn’t want to cause too much commotion for now.
Thinking back to the matter of the human skin bags, I wondered why Rotten-Face Ghost Dragon started dealing in them. The night I returned, the Red-Haired Ghost explained it to me.
Dragon’s not too bright. He was a chef when alive—great at cooking, but clueless about business. Red-Haired Ghost gave him a small company to try out, but he lost several times the investment in just a few months.
Dragon used to just cook for everyone, but later he had to work too. Red-Haired Ghost got angry and said if Dragon couldn’t earn ten million, he shouldn’t come back. But he couldn’t steal, rob, or use ghost powers to exploit humans for money.
Dragon was suddenly in a fix. He tried all sorts of jobs—moving bricks at construction sites, working at restaurants—but saving up like that, he’d never reach ten million in a lifetime.
With nowhere else to turn, Dragon met the black-hearted Taoist Tang Cai. Listening to his scheme, they went into business together and started a low-cost funeral parlor—the same place Rachel Lan and I visited when we first met, where we found Little Black.
Dragon was mainly in charge of handling corpses. Since he’d been a chef, he easily peeled off the skin from dead bodies, making perfect human skin bags. The business flourished, and Tang Cai split the profits seventy-thirty—Dragon got seventy.
Now I realized why Tang Cai looked so baffled when he saw Red-Haired Ghost—he didn’t recognize him at all. After Red-Haired Ghost learned about me through Dragon, he wanted to embarrass Yin Choujian and began plotting his own entrance.
I was speechless at Red-Haired Ghost’s tactics. Later, Dragon quit the business, and Red-Haired Ghost forgave him, making him a company errand boy and cleaner. Dragon didn’t complain, except for never getting a break.
I’d asked Red-Haired Ghost about the source of the human skin bags. He said he didn’t know—Dragon handled the transactions through the old Taoist Tang Cai and just counted the money, ignoring everything else.
Thinking carefully, I was surprised by these two things. I still didn’t understand the truth behind the human skin bags, or why people’s faces were being skinned and collected.
By now, daylight had broken. Sonny Four wasn’t feeling well, so we had to travel through the woods—he couldn’t be exposed to direct sunlight, or he’d be annihilated.
Even though I said I’d go alone, Sonny Four insisted on taking me.
Unable to refuse Sonny Four, I just smiled. Then I used the Shedding Skin technique—a layer of black drifted across my eyes, and a piece of cloth appeared on my hood, covering half my face and leaving only my eyes exposed.
After several stops and starts, by noon we reached the foot of Old Vine Hill. Ever since the last haunting incident, nobody dared come here, and I’d even heard people had gone missing.
But we had to wait until nightfall to go up. Sonny Four crawled into a tree hollow to rest—he’d been exposed to sunlight a few times and was in bad shape. Bored, I checked my phone. Online, everything about Jingle was going great, and this time, even more guests were added to the Jingle concert—many company chairmen would attend.
That put my mind at ease, but I still had a vague sense that something was wrong. After all, there was a powerful Ghost Aura on the mountain, and a Blue Wraith too, but it was a low-level one—not a threat to me. Yet one presence, vast and overwhelming, filled the entire mountain.
But it was only Ghost Aura—I couldn’t find the source Blue Wraith. That detail bothered me deeply.
Finally, night fell. I saw many ghosts, carrying food and drink, making their way up the mountain in an orderly procession.
Sonny Four led me up. Some fierce ghosts were guarding the entrance, and when they saw Sonny Four, they looked me over.
"Relax, this is my boss. He wants to meet your leader."
A few fierce ghosts sensed my Ghost Aura was stronger than theirs, so they didn’t stop us and let us pass. Sonny Four grinned and led me to the graveyard at the top, where many ghosts had already gathered, with lots of tables set up. I saw quite a few fierce ghosts—their numbers were highly unusual.