Everything around me gradually faded away. I saw the dark clouds above Lan Yin's head slowly disperse, sunlight pouring down. Suddenly, Lan Yin turned his head, and I stared in shock, my mouth agape.
"Are you the same? One with instinct... Ethan Zhang..."
I looked at Lan Yin intently. Of his golden eyes, only one remained; the other had returned to normal, its black depths flickering with hope, while the golden one still held a trace of despair.
Gradually, I returned to that interwoven black-and-white space; everything around me had already vanished.
"Ethan Zhang, I told you to mind your own business, but you just wouldn't listen, damn it."
It was my shadow. He moved closer, those golden eyes filled with helplessness.
"Don't listen to him, Ethan Zhang. What are you afraid of?"
"Yeah, you've got us. There's nothing to be afraid of."
The Resentful Ghost and Tong Ghost immediately started jeering from the side, moving closer. Seeing the three of them about to start fighting again, I shouted harshly. They stopped, and my shadow walked over.
"Something's got its eye on you, Ethan Zhang. You'd better be careful."
I nodded, and then everything around me began to slowly disappear. My consciousness gradually faded in this space.
When I regained consciousness, the scent of tea filled the air. I heard two familiar voices—Vincent Swallow and Wang Su—talking. When they saw me wake up, Vincent Swallow came over and waved his hand in front of my eyes.
"What are you doing, Master?"
I hurriedly brushed his hand away, and at that moment, I was surprised to find that after such a long, heavy memory, only half an hour had passed on my phone.
"Ethan Zhang, do you understand now? Why those from the Hades Circle cannot be with outsiders?"
It was Wang Su. He came closer. The Wang Su now was completely different from the stern Wang Su I saw in my memories, the one who was always serious no matter the weather. Thinking carefully, if Wang Su had known about Mo Yu and had not reported it, maybe Lan Yin would have had more time to prepare.
"Maybe so, Ethan Zhang. I used to be rigid and by the book, but after Miss Mo Yu passed away, I've spent decades pondering what she told me—what burden do those of us from the Hades Circle truly carry?"
Wang Su stood up and began to speak. Ever since what happened between Lan Yin and Mo Yu, the Hades Circle started to change. Basically, when men and women reach marriageable age, they're sent to Hades Village to live for a while. After confirming their partner at the Trial Marriage Stone, they're allowed to freely develop their relationship.
And once a woman becomes pregnant, she must come to Hades Village to give birth before she can leave. I remembered—tomorrow is Rachel Lan's wedding day.
I immediately looked at Wang Su and asked.
"Did the Trial Marriage Stone show something?"
I asked, and my guess was correct. After seeing so much, Wang Su nodded.
"You'll know tomorrow, Ethan Zhang. I won't tell you to give up or go back—after all, you brought so many formidable people with you, you surely won't leave empty-handed. Even my old friend, Vincent Swallow, is here."
Vincent Swallow stood up and nodded.
"I share a deep bond with Ethan Zhang, and I will always maintain it. So, old friend, if a fight really breaks out tomorrow, don't blame the weapons for being blind to friendship."
Wang Su chuckled and nodded.
"Do you want to meet him? Lan Yin."
As Wang Su spoke, I suddenly sprang up from my chair, unable to contain my excitement, looking at Wang Su.
"Lan Yin—is he still alive?"
"Yes, he's still alive. Lan Yin has not changed at all since he turned twenty-one."
I nodded immediately. I really wanted to meet this person—I wanted to know what this time was truly for. Thinking back, Rachel Lan would never easily compromise with these rules. Even before meeting me, she had willingly become involved in all kinds of ghostly matters time and again.
Wang Su told me that it was precisely because of Lan Yin's existence that, after Rachel Lan was born, Martin Lane defied strong opposition from the underworld denizens and took Rachel Lan away from Hades Village. The other nine soul collectors also didn't dare stop him, all because of something Lan Yin once said.
But now, this marriage is happening because Lan Yin requested it, so Rachel Lan was summoned back. Although the Lan Family only holds one seat among the Thirteen Fates of Hades—that is, Rachel Lan's mother, Rachel Lan—Lan Yin, as the strongest in the Hades Circle, has survived until now.
"Why?" I asked, puzzled by Lan Yin's actions.
"Go ahead, Ethan Zhang. Lan Yin probably wants to see you too."
I nodded, then Vincent Swallow and I said goodbye to Wang Su. We left the Ninth Tribunal and headed toward a central spot.
"Ethan, you go on ahead. I'll head back—I need to tell everyone what I've learned."
I nodded, then arrived at the steps beneath the Fifth Tribunal Yama's archway. Vincent Swallow left, and I looked up, still unable to see anything. Step by step, I climbed the stairs, getting closer to the archway.
As I crossed the archway, I was stunned. Before me lay a lake, and across from it, I saw a mountain range—the exact place called Little Sky Shelter I'd seen in Lan Yin's memories. I walked over, standing at the lakeshore.
"Excuse me, Mr. Lan Yin, are you here?"
I shouted, but there was no response. I spread my wings and slowly rose into the air, flying across the lake.
As soon as I landed, I was stunned. Everything here was exactly as I'd seen in Lan Yin's memories. In the shack, a young man lay there—it was Lan Yin. He truly hadn't changed at all. I walked over, excited.
[Irrelevant system message skipped.]
Lan Yin opened his eyes. Just like in his memories, one normal black eye shone with hope, while the other, golden, brimmed with despair. The mix of these two intense emotions was deeply unsettling.
"You've come, Ethan Zhang."
I walked over and nodded.
Lan Yin smiled—a strange, eerie smile. He climbed off the simple bed in the shack, stood up, walked over, poked at the campfire with a stick, and sat down beside it. Something was cooking inside.
"What exactly is Hades' Will?"
Lan Yin gave a bitter smile, then opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue. I stared in surprise, not knowing what he was doing—his expression was mischievous and odd.
"What is that?"
I asked, confused, and Lan Yin retracted his tongue.
"Why so clueless? Use your Specter Web and give it a try."
Lan Yin spoke, sticking out his tongue again. I immediately released my Specter Web, which gradually linked to his tongue. Suddenly, I sensed something strange—a yellow light flashed, and a Forbidden Mark appeared on Lan Yin's tongue.