"Ethan, where did you go?"
Rachel Lan threw herself into my arms. I held her gently, feeling her whole body trembling with fear. The fact that I could physically touch her was enough to prove what Redmond and the others said was true.
They couldn’t touch her, but I could. Perhaps it really is because of my innate ability of Coexistence.
"Don’t cry, Rachel. It’s all right."
After a while, Rachel finally calmed down a little.
"Ethan, you clearly already gave them..."
"I don’t even know where I’ve been taken. It seems they made a mistake. Look at my body now..."
A warm hand pressed against my cheek as Rachel leaned into my embrace.
"Did something happen? You’re actually smiling—something good must have happened, right?"
But I immediately realized: I could never hide anything from this woman. Even the slightest change, Rachel could sense it.
"Can you listen to me for a while?"
Rachel nodded.
I had originally planned to keep things from Rachel for a while, to wait until I’d found a way to successfully separate the artificial souls imposed by the Dark Banquet, and then bring out the real Rachel Lan. But the Rachel before me wasn’t fake at all. Even if she couldn’t remember the past, she was still Rachel Lan.
Time passed slowly as I told Rachel about everything from before, bit by bit. But she still couldn’t remember anything. I also told her a little about the Ghost Lords.
We didn’t go to the restaurant all day; instead, we stayed home, cooking and talking together.
"So that’s how much happened before, Ethan. Thank you for telling me."
I nodded, looking at Rachel in confusion.
"Do you believe me?"
Rachel nodded.
The restaurant door opened. Quite a few regulars came by, including Xu Fu. But now that I remembered everything, I felt nothing but cold dislike for this teacherly Xu Fu. My aversion kept my attitude toward him icy.
"What’s wrong, Boss Zhang? Haven’t seen you for a few days and you seem like a different person."
Xu Fu offered me a cigarette. I shook my head.
"I don’t smoke."
But then I saw Xu Fu clutching his head, looking confused, as if he was desperately trying to remember something. I quickly took the cigarette from his hand.
"Sorry, I was just with my wife..."
Xu Fu froze for a moment, then smiled.
"Couples argue, it’s normal. Don’t worry, come have a drink after you finish up."
I turned away and let out a cold laugh. I couldn’t let Xu Fu remember. As long as they didn’t recall, and all of us were freed, if I found a way to leave, then the Immortality Society bastards would be trapped in this darkness forever. Maybe that’s the best punishment for these villains. I had to endure.
Just then, I felt a cold gaze. I turned quickly, but Xu Fu was still drinking as usual. Maybe it was just my imagination. I got back to work.
After recovering, I took on almost all the work myself, not feeling the slightest bit tired.
"By the way, Boss Zhang, what were you two arguing about?"
I took Xu Fu’s cigarette, lit it, took a drag, and shook my head.
"It’s nothing, really."
"Forget it, let’s just drink."
Xu Fu and I started drinking. During a break, I told Rachel to head home first, explaining I had something important to do.
The first ones I needed to restore were Yin Choujian and Yi Xuehan.
"By the way, do you know where Yin Choujian lives, Teacher Xu Fu?"
It was closing time. Xu Fu was already drunk, having had quite a bit to drink. He seemed to be in a bad mood.
"Why are you asking about that annoying guy?"
"Doesn’t he have a little sister? There’s a good doctor near my place—maybe he can help her."
Xu Fu, drunk, slumped over the table, smiling faintly and nodding, looking deeply troubled.
"What’s wrong, Teacher Xu Fu? Is something on your mind?"
Xu Fu nodded and let out a long sigh.
"Lately, I don’t know what’s come over me. Every time I look at those kids’ faces, I feel this ache inside, like I owe them something."
I looked at Xu Fu in surprise. He was deeply troubled, even a hint of sadness on his face, as if he’d done something wrong and now regretted it. But in his current memory, everything about the Immortality Society had been erased.
"You know, Boss Zhang, I really love teaching. But for some reason, for a long time now, whenever I look at those innocent, lovely kids, my heart just hurts."
As Xu Fu spoke, he clutched his chest and took another big swig of alcohol. I quietly watched him, placing a hand on his back, patting gently.
"The past is over. Let’s treat this as a new beginning, Xu Fu."
I spoke quietly. Xu Fu lifted his head slightly, looking at me with a heavy gaze.
"Boss Zhang, it feels like we’ve known each other for a long time."
I smiled faintly as I spoke.
"What are you talking about? Haven’t we known each other for ages? I remember back when I was working odd jobs on this street, I’d always see you bringing your new coworkers over for drinks. Then that one time you got drunk, I came over to help, and you pulled me into drinking with you—at that old hot pot place where I worked. Don’t you remember?"
These were memories stored in my body after the artificial soul was implanted. I blurted it all out—the whole process from meeting Xu Fu to knowing him, every detail. It all felt so real. If I hadn’t recalled my true self, as Ethan Zhang the ghost, I might have doubted that my past memories were real.
Looking at Xu Fu now was unbelievable. I almost wondered if this was the real Xu Fu.
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In my memory, Xu Fu had been at this job for over ten years, though in reality it was only five months.
Xu Fu climbed up from the table, ordered more alcohol, and I drank with him again. It was already late, not a soul left on the street.
"I really do love this job—teaching those kids to read and write. It makes me happy, and I feel like it’s the greatest gift heaven could give me."
I could hardly believe these words were coming from Xu Fu.
"All right, Teacher Xu Fu, you’re drunk. Let me take you home."
Xu Fu’s place wasn’t far, just an apartment near District Twelve—three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. The environment was nice. I supported Xu Fu as we walked down the cold street; he was still rambling drunkenly.
Suddenly, I widened my eyes and looked over. Under the harsh streetlights, on the cold street, Ber Ziran was heading home with Jing Le. Both looked exhausted. Jing Le carried a box of food, eating as she walked, looking very happy.
"Dad, I can’t eat anymore. You finish it."
I stopped, dragging the unconscious Xu Fu into an alley, quietly watching. Ber Ziran happily took the food from Jing Le and ate a few bites.
"All right, let’s save the rest for breakfast tomorrow. I’m not very hungry anyway."
Jing Le suddenly climbed gently onto Ber Ziran’s back, wrapping her arms around him.
"Carry me! Once we get home, you’ll be hungry too. Eat up so you’ll have the strength to carry me."
Ber Ziran squatted by the street to eat, laughing happily. Jing Le’s smile matched his.
"They really are father and daughter."
After a while, amid cheerful laughter, Ber Ziran carried Jing Le away. I carried Xu Fu out of the alley, quietly watching the father and daughter disappear into the distance.
"They’ll be next."
Maybe only in this Dark Place, under these conditions, could Ber Ziran enjoy a moment of peace—days with his daughter, hard but filled with hope and laughter.
When I reached Xu Fu’s apartment, I carried him up eight flights of stairs, found his home, fished the keys from his pocket, opened the door, and dragged him inside.
But suddenly, I noticed something on the wall. As I turned on the light, I let go of Xu Fu, eyes wide with shock.
Huge, shocking words were scrawled across the wall—words about death and killing, written in red. Xu Fu’s home was otherwise empty, not even a scrap of furniture. I stared in surprise at one of the rooms.
I pushed open the door and my eyes went wide. Inside were people bound hand and foot, staring at me in terror. I glanced at Xu Fu behind me, recalling the pain he’d just revealed. It wasn’t just the pain of the Immortality Society’s founder—it was a root of evil deep in his soul, overflowing and seeking release. Xu Fu could only take it out on ordinary people.
I stood quietly in the room, rage surging in my chest. Killing intent slowly seeped from my body. Xu Fu stirred slightly.
I’d never seen anything like this before—killing others in the Dark Place. Besides the bound people, there were severed limbs everywhere, brutally dismembered. The remains were stuffed into black plastic bags, like trash.
With a whoosh, a wave of killing intent swept up Xu Fu. My eyes widened, and I had only one thought—to kill him.
With a creak, the door opened and the sound of leather shoes echoed. My eyes widened as Yin Choujian stood at the doorway, tugging at his collar.
"Brother, you’d better not do anything rash. Otherwise, you’ll wake him up. Just keep things as they are, don’t interfere, and act like you didn’t see anything."