"So, what's the game plan, beautiful?" My cousin folded his arms and asked.
"Don't be so impatient, hehe. Zhang Hao, the female ghost you're looking for is in my hands. Her name is Sophie Sun, right? Don't worry, she's fine."
"Crazy woman, what the hell do you want?"
The Blue Wraith holding the giant axe shouted again.
"I'm just more interested in people, you know? In the living world, many people have done incredible things—some even things we ghosts can't do. Like... the Immortality Society. Hehe, I'm really curious to see what these eight people can accomplish in the next four days. A celebration should be lively, don't you think?"
Then Mia Lin continued, "For this game, the eight of us will be randomly scattered across different corners of the city at eight o'clock. We'll be separated. All the Blue Wraiths under Lord Wraith's command are already here, but that doesn't mean there aren't more in the city. There's still a large number of Blue Wraiths attending the feast, along with countless vengeful ghosts, ghost soldiers, and ghost generals."
"Do you all understand now?" Mia Lin said, landing on the ground.
We had no grounds to argue. Coming here was nearly impossible to begin with, but now, we could only follow Mia Lin's game rules and try to win. Otherwise, we'd all die.
"You have four days. Find Rachel Lan's whereabouts and locate the Rakshasa Tree. If you can win this game, I'll let you leave alive. The sooner you find them, the better—use whatever means you like."
"Oh, then let me ask: what if Lord Wraith returns?"
"He'll only return at midnight on the wedding day. On the wedding day, at eight o'clock, the time is up. If you haven't found those two things by then, you lose. That's enough for now—let me see what kind of potential you humans really have!"
As she spoke, the eight of us were swept up in a surge of intense green light, shooting out in all directions like meteors.
With a boom, I shot through a wall of fire. Everything around me was green—I couldn't see a thing. The speed was dizzying, and waves of violent shaking left my head spinning.
I had no idea where I was flying. After a while, I still hadn't landed. My speed began to slow, slower and slower, until I gently descended. With a rush, the green light vanished, and I hit the ground with a thud.
Startled, I suddenly felt a burning pain on my shoulder. I quickly pulled at my collar and saw a string of conspicuous green numbers—it was my identification mark.
My head was spinning. I clutched it and lay on the ground. The sky was already getting bright. It looked like I was on a street, surrounded by ordinary shops.
With a creak, one of the shops opened. I saw a ghost dressed as a shop assistant, yawning as he came out to unlock the door. He spotted me.
"Hehe, what's wrong? Did you get drunk and end up sleeping on the street?"
I laughed along with him. He came over and helped me up.
"Come inside and have a seat. Our inn is pretty nice, you know."
"By the way, do you still have any rooms available?" I asked. I had to use this place as my base, get a sense of the situation, and then move out tomorrow.
I booked a room. The shop assistant ghost brought me a steaming bowl of meat soup. I was hungry, but I knew it probably tasted worse than tap water. Still, I forced myself to drink it. As expected, it was like the water you have to drink before a stomach exam.
Feeling sick, I covered my mouth. After the shop assistant told me my room number, I walked into the courtyard. The rooms were stacked several floors high, and I chose a room on the third floor for a better view.
I hurried upstairs and entered Premier Suite 1. The room cost me a fortune. I heard the view was excellent, and it was close to the courtyard. I rushed to open the door with my key.
Inside, I saw a large bed covered with golden bedding, a white mosquito net, a big wooden basin, a vanity, a table, and soft mats on the floor. Ignoring all that, I hurried to open the window.
Looking out, I realized I couldn't see the white avenue. I grew anxious, but I could make out some hazy gray mountains. After thinking it over, I decided to change rooms and move to the opposite side.
After negotiating with the shop assistant, I moved to Premier Suite 2 across the hall. It cost a lot, but I couldn't worry about that now. The shop assistant called two burly ghost helpers to help me move my things.
That room originally belonged to someone else—a guest here for Lord Wraith's wedding. I saw a long white cloth bag, stuffed with something, along with other bags and packages. As the two ghosts lifted the white cloth bag, it moved, as if someone was inside.
Then I heard sobbing from inside. It sounded like a woman.
"What's inside this?"
"Ah, guest, best not to ask too much. We servants don't know either. Just rest for now."
The bags and packages were carried out. I quickly shut the door and opened the window. Soon, I figured out my location—north side. Looking out, the white wedding avenue was just a thin strip now. I must be far away from it.
To find Rachel Lan, the best way now was to locate Miles Mao and have him use that spell again. Maybe he could find her, but no one knew where he'd end up.
So I decided to ask the ghosts on the nearby streets about the Rakshasa Tree.
After making up my mind, I lay on the bed, feeling completely exhausted. I needed to rest for a bit. Gradually, I closed my eyes.
Amid the noise, I woke up. This side was close to a street. I rubbed my sore eyes, opened my backpack, ate some canned food, then opened the window. Down on the street, ghosts bustled back and forth.
I went downstairs and stepped outside, wandering around. There were lots of vendors on the street—not just shops, but stalls selling clothes and trinkets, both ancient and modern.
I didn't have time for these flashy things. I looked around and spotted a teahouse, where plenty of ghosts were chatting and laughing. I went in.
I'd seen in TV dramas that teahouses were reliable places to gather information.
"Ah, the women in the Red Palace are just gorgeous."
"Yeah, but all we can do is look. Those beauties belong to Lord Wraith. We're lucky we get to see them at all."
The ghosts in the teahouse were all talking about this year's wedding of Lord Wraith. The festivities were bigger than ever before.
I glanced around and saw a few old ghosts sitting at a table. Carrying my bowl of tea, I walked over.
"By the way, has anyone seen the Rakshasa Tree?"
I suddenly asked, and the whole teahouse fell silent. Then laughter erupted, and the ghosts started pointing at me.
"Ah, young man, the Rakshasa Tree is just a legend in our city. You must be new here—it's been rumored for hundreds of years," one old ghost said, and another chimed in.
"That's right, it's a legend. Lord Wraith supposedly planted a Rakshasa Tree, and it grows Rakshasa Fruit. If a beautiful female ghost or woman eats one, she'll become Lord Wraith's possession. Haha, isn't that how it goes?"
I gave an awkward smile.
"Is that wrong? Have any of you seen it?"
"Like I said, it's just a legend. Even the oldest ghosts in our city have never seen it. Lord Wraith uses it to trick newcomers. It's not to be trusted, hehe."
The teahouse crowd resumed discussing Lord Wraith's wedding. I looked around, confused about what was really going on, but Mia Lin had personally told us to find the Rakshasa Tree.
"Young man, come here." Suddenly, a ghost with a broad smile, dressed in black and looking middle-aged, waved at me from a seat near the window.
I replied and walked over, sitting down.
"May I ask?"
"Aren't you looking for the Rakshasa Tree?"
I gasped and looked at him excitedly.
"Do you know?"
"I don't know."
I looked at the ghost in front of me with resentment. He smiled and reached out his hand.
"I may not know, but there's a ghost in this city who has seen it."
The ghost gestured, and I recognized the sign. I took out a 100-yuan spirit banknote and handed it to him. He kept gesturing, so I counted out bills one by one until I'd given him dozens. Only then did he accept them.
"Listen, in the north, there's a little beggar ghost who says he's seen it."
He told me the address, but I didn't understand it. So he grabbed paper and pen, and drew me a map. It's more than ten streets away, at the northernmost edge.
I took the map and rushed out of the teahouse. Laughter erupted behind me.
"Haha, you conned him out of a lot of money! Share some with us."
"Don't rush, I'll treat everyone to something good later."
I turned and glared at those ghosts. Had I just been swindled?