I covered my mouth, a wave of sorrow rising in my heart. My emotions were all tangled up, as if I'd knocked over a bottle of mixed flavors—bitterness, confusion, and sadness.
"I didn't... do that, nor anything like that... How could I possibly be pregnant?" Rachel Lan's cheeks flushed as she turned her head, her voice buzzing like a timid bee.
My mind was in utter chaos. Suddenly, Rachel Lan grabbed my hand, lifted her outer garment, and placed my palm flat against her lower abdomen. Instantly, my cheeks burned with embarrassment.
"What... is this...?"
"Be serious, Ethan. Can't you feel it?"
Suddenly, I realized Rachel Lan's belly was swollen, as if something inside was moving. A chill ran down my spine.
Then I carefully felt around. Rachel Lan let out a soft whimper and turned her head away.
Just as I was about to pull my hand back, I touched something—it felt like a tiny hand. I yelped in fright.
Rachel Lan shook her head.
"I don't know either. I just felt something moving in my abdomen, and then I started feeling nauseous."
"Damn, what the hell... It's Lord Wraith."
Suddenly, I remembered. I quickly grabbed Rachel Lan's hand and hurried back into the Hall of Malice. Rachel shrank into a corner, her head lowered, cheeks flushed, looking utterly miserable.
I explained everything that had happened to Rachel Lan to the others.
"Well, brother, looks like you're a dad now."
Someone immediately glared fiercely at Yin Choujian.
"Young lady, forgive our rudeness."
Basil Bertram spoke as he reached out, slipping a soft branch into Rachel Lan's clothes. Then Basil closed his eyes.
"It really is Lord Wraith's doing. Do you remember, Ethan? When this young lady ran over, she caught Lord Wraith's eye."
"Huh? Just a glance and she got pregnant? How is that possible..."
Before I could finish speaking, Rachel Lan suddenly cried out.
"Ethan."
I quickly covered my mouth, looking at him apologetically, clenching my fists and gritting my teeth.
"What exactly is going on?"
Basil Bertram withdrew the branch and sighed.
"This young lady is, in a way, pregnant—but it's a false pregnancy. All I know is, it's Lord Wraith's doing. Want to hear about it?"
I nodded.
Lord Wraith is a very special kind of Blue Wraith. His greatest obsession is with all kinds of women, and he constantly captures ghosts to make them his wives—sometimes even humans. It's said his harem is larger than that of any emperor in history.
Every so often, when the Underworld Court's surveillance weakens, Lord Wraith transforms into a handsome young man and comes to the mortal world in search of women. If he finds one he likes, he'll approach her, gaze at her passionately, and then leave.
But it's not as simple as just a look. Any woman who catches Lord Wraith's eye will find her belly gradually swelling, as if pregnant. And inside, there really is something. As her stomach grows day by day, she'll endure endless torment.
"So what do we do?"
Basil Bertram shook his head.
"The worst part is, once a mortal woman is targeted by Lord Wraith, when the time is right, what's inside her will burst out, looking exactly like the woman who was seeded. It will grow, and eventually return to Lord Wraith, soul and all, completely obedient to him, never to reincarnate."
I jumped to my feet with a gasp, staring at Rachel Lan. She looked back at me—and then, unexpectedly, she smiled.
"It's fine, Ethan. It's not really my child anyway... There will be a way out."
"Wait, didn't Lord Wraith send me a female ghost?" I suddenly remembered.
"Ethan, what are you planning?" Rachel Lan shouted. Rufina Howard walked over and took Rachel's hand.
"Sis, come to my room first, okay? Let me take a look and try a sealing technique, see if it helps."
Then Redmond raised his hand, and Rufina Howard and Rachel Lan floated into the air.
"Let me take you over. With that big belly, how could you walk?"
As Redmond spoke, I noticed Rachel Lan's belly was swollen.
After Rachel Lan and the others left, Yin Choujian stretched out his hand, and a red vortex appeared. The female ghost he'd taken in emerged, immediately kneeling before me as soon as she saw me.
"Thank you, sir. Thank you for your great kindness."
I hurried over and squatted down in front of her.
"Tell me about Lord Wraith. You should know, right?"
The female ghost looked up, tears streaming down her face, and nodded.
What was planted inside Rachel Lan is Lord Wraith's seed—a special power carried by his ghostly essence. This seed can impregnate not only women, but even men.
I gasped, staring blankly at the female ghost before me.
"Sometimes, my lord even toys with men—or with people who aren't quite human. He'll visit the mortal world now and then, searching for handsome young men. The outcome is always the same. Like us, women become pregnant, and when our bellies burst, we become Lord Wraith's property."
After expressing endless gratitude, I told her she could leave, but she refused. Yin Choujian then returned her to the Shadow Realm.
"What should we do, Basil Bertram? Think of something!"
"Brother Ethan, it's a pity that young lady isn't a ghost. If she were, it'd be much easier. But she's human."
A burst of elderly laughter rang out. I turned to see Old Man Naylor from the Nether Syndicate, sitting below, chuckling nonstop.
"Grandpa, do you have a solution?"
"There is a way, actually. My talents are limited, but at least I'm human—just lived a bit longer, that's all. But there's a ghost who might know what to do, if you can find that female ghost."
As soon as Old Man Naylor finished speaking, Yin Choujian, Basil Bertram, and Ouyang Wei all looked stunned, as if they'd just remembered something long forgotten.
"Kitten, you're something else. If you hadn't mentioned it, I would've forgotten all about her."
"Who, who is it?" I asked, seeing Yin Choujian's look of realization.
(This chapter isn't over yet ^.^, please click next page to continue reading!)
"Brother Ethan, that woman is one of the five Ghost Sovereigns at the Feast of Ten Thousand Ghosts."
"Where is she?"
I asked immediately, but Basil Bertram just shook his head and glared at Yin Choujian.
"You'll have to ask Yin Choujian. The last time I saw her was when Yin Choujian personally ended her life."
"Damn." I shouted, glaring fiercely at Yin Choujian.
"Don't blame me. Yuna Ji was involved, and so was that dead demon. If it weren't for the two of them, I wouldn't have killed her by mistake."
"Sigh, fate really plays tricks. Uncle Yin, she was the most mild and peaceful of your Seven Ghost Sovereigns, wasn't she? She only hosted the Feast of Ten Thousand Ghosts because she was forced to. I know this much. She was born with a Buddha's heart, kind and gentle, though weaker than the other six."
Yin Choujian stood up and drifted away.
"It's not my fault, brother. If you want to blame someone, blame that wretch Yuna Ji. She's vicious. That woman was forced to death by her."
"You're lying, Yin Choujian! When did I ever do that? It was you!"
Yuna Ji shouted, but Yin Choujian just laughed and left.
"Yuna Ji, Vivian Ouyang, you two went too far. I was there when it happened, saw it with my own eyes. Yin Choujian was the main cause, but you two started it. You'd better reflect on yourselves."
Basil Bertram said this, and Vivian Ouyang just snickered.
"I told you, I'm not Mona Ouyang. Sorry, but I won't keep you company. I'm still human, and staying up late is bad for my skin. I'm going to bed."
Suddenly, I grew anxious.
"What should we do? Hurry up and think of a way to find her!"
Yuna Ji giggled.
"Ethan, she's been dead for hundreds of years. Where do you expect to find her? Kitten, you'd better think of something else. You've been alive for centuries, at least you're still human."
"Madam Ji, this is the only method I can think of. Because that girl isn't a ghost, it's tricky. If she were, I wouldn't trouble you all—I'd have a way myself."
"What about an Astral Shift Rite? How about separating her soul first, then..."
"That would kill her, Ethan. If you want to see Rachel Lan die right away..."
Yuna Ji said softly.
I let out a cry.
"Don't you know? Once that seed is planted, not only the body but even the soul is entangled. Getting it out is nearly impossible. That's why it's so difficult."
At 11 p.m., I stood anxiously outside Rachel Lan's door, waiting. Finally, Rufina Howard came out, drenched in sweat.
"How is she?"
"It's gotten worse, Ethan. Maybe it's because we're still in the Shadow Realm. We have to get Rachel out tonight. Come on, I'll go with you."
Rufina Howard said, opening the door. Suddenly, I saw Walter Wu carrying Rachel Lan out, while Peter Yao stood nearby, looking anxious.
We headed straight downstairs.
"Ethan, what's wrong? Why do you look so worried? Didn't we find a solution?" Just as we were about to take the elevator, Redmond emerged from the wall.
I shook my head in frustration.
"That Ghost Sovereign is dead. There's nothing we can do."
"Huh? She's not dead! I've seen her plenty of times."
Redmond said, and I immediately grabbed his hands.
"Where? Tell me, please—tell me now!"
"Hey, let go first. It was over two hundred years ago when I saw her, and three hundred years ago..."
"So where is she now?"
"I don't know," Redmond replied. Rufina Howard walked over and kicked him.
"Ouch, girl, I really don't know." Redmond grabbed Rufina Howard's foot.
That night, Redmond and Basil Bertram immediately ordered all their men to leave the Shadow Realm and search for the last Ghost Sovereign. Even outside, Rachel Lan's condition did not improve.