Night had fully fallen. Rufina Howard didn’t dare follow too closely. She waited at the mountain road entrance for half an hour before sneaking up using the Ghostworm Technique.
Rufina reached the mountainside after some time, slipping into the woods, weaving through twisted branches as she crept higher.
A wailing sound pierced the air, a biting chill crashing into her. Rufina shuddered, and suddenly, the gray humanoid behind her floated upward, drifting toward the mountain.
She could finally make out the scene. Rufina hid in the bushes, peering out: the three men wearing bamboo hats, one sitting quietly by the lake, the other two half-crouched with palms pressed together. On the lake’s surface drifted dozens of black wraiths, darting into the water and then emerging again, as if searching for something. Mr. Wraithshade had spoken of the Ghostworm Technique—thought lost for centuries.
"Soul Hunter, are you sure there are prime materials for ghost refinement here?"
The man on the right asked, and my heart skipped a beat—weren’t these the Soul Hunters from the Ghost Syndicate, their faces shadowed by the baleful aura?
The man in the middle nodded, his eyes glinting with something dark, and replied.
A roaring sound, and black flames ignited around Rufina, licking at her with sinister intent.
"Malice Wraith Fire—watch out..."
Rufina was growing frightened, but the three men from the Ghost Syndicate seemed unable to see the gray humanoid at all.
"Fourth, what’s going on? All your ghosts are dead."
"There’s something here."
The man in the middle suddenly stood up. With a wave of his hand, a black wraith appeared at his feet, carrying him out onto the lake. He crouched, palms pressed together, muttering something under his breath.
A whistling sound, and several Black Needles appeared around him, spinning as if searching for something, drifting randomly over the lake’s surface.
The gray humanoid began to dodge, clearly fearful of the Black Needles, evading them again and again. Then, one needle pierced it, and it struggled in pain.
I’d seen these needles before—the Ghost Syndicate uses them specifically to deal with ghosts.
Rufina nearly screamed, but quickly covered her mouth, planning to slip away.
"Little girl, have you seen enough yet?"
Rufina let out a sharp cry, instantly pulling out a bamboo tube. With a bang, a black hand shot up from the ground and grabbed the tube in her hand. In an instant, the tube shattered into pieces.
"Ghostworm Technique—ha, something lost for centuries. Didn’t expect anyone to know it."
Rufina trembled as the three Ghost Syndicate men stared hard at her.
"Should we take her back? It’s rare—an almost lost technique..."
"No need, Fourth. I heard Mr. Wraithshade talk about this Ghostworm Technique before. Those who master it can rival us Three Dread Stars. This girl only knows the basics. Take her soul—it might be of some use."
Suddenly, the gray humanoid charged at the Ghost Syndicate men, its body covered in Black Needles.
"Hmph, whatever it is, it’s finished..."
With a bang, the gray humanoid exploded out of nowhere. The Black Needles returned to the man’s body, one of them stabbing into Rufina’s arm. She screamed in agony.
A roaring sound, and black flames ignited around Rufina.
"Malice Wraith Fire—watch out..."
The three Ghost Syndicate men quickly backed away, crouching to prepare a seal, but then all three froze, staring ahead.
"Hold on. If you’re not up to it, don’t follow these strange people."
"Aren’t you already..."
"If you don’t want to die, get lost. Trash, while I’m still in a decent mood."
Redmond’s words sent the three Ghost Syndicate men fleeing without another word. Rufina grimaced in pain, clutching her arm, looking at Redmond.
"Who are you really...?"
Redmond said nothing. With a wave of his hand, Rufina floated upward, then shot through the air. Vivian Maple caught her.
"No need to ask more. Just do what I told you."
At that moment, a gray stream rose from the lake, condensed into a humanoid shape, and drifted toward Redmond.
"Starting to understand now?"
The gray humanoid’s eyes shifted, looking confused. Redmond smiled.
The next day, Rufina lay in bed with a persistent fever. Vivian Maple had already treated her wound the night before.
The process dragged on until dusk. Redmond opened his eyes, his smile fading into the gathering shadows.
"If there’s something you want to ask, go ahead."
"That guy is incredible. Those three last night weren’t good people, but you’re all ghosts, and yet..."
"Ghosts are people, too. We were human once."
Vivian Maple paused, then continued.
"Before and after death, there isn’t much difference. We’ve always been this way."
Redmond led them along the road, stopping by a mist-shrouded mountain. It was oppressively quiet—no insects or birds could be heard. At the foothill, there were scattered graves, marking it as a burial ground steeped in gloom.
"Tell him thank you for me."
Time flew by. Half a month passed, and Rufina worked even harder to teach the three humanoids to speak. They gradually learned words like morning, noon, and night, and could now recognize them.
It exhausted all of Rufina’s energy every day, but finally, she made progress.
But the key question was why the gray humanoid knew the name John Chou. Rufina began to ask while teaching each day.
A surge of ghostly energy erupted from Redmond, its malignant aura sweeping outward and dispersing the thick fog. The ground began to crack. Just then, under the cold moonlight, a man in white stood behind Redmond, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Rufina asked again, but the three humanoids looked at her in confusion. She tried various metaphors, reminding them that they came from the mountain.
"Underground..."
Suddenly, the gray humanoid spoke. Vivian Maple’s face changed instantly and she floated out.
"Boss, the formation of these three is closely tied to the earth energy here. He said 'underground,' and the only thing I can think of is..."
"Earth energy."
Redmond smiled, then covered his forehead and burst out laughing.
Dense black ghost threads began to extend underground, and a tangible surge of ghostly energy started to blanket the entire county.
The process continued until dusk. Redmond opened his eyes, his smile fading.
"Alright. Vivian will tell you what you need to know. I have something important to take care of now."
"Can I... come along and see?"
As Redmond was about to leave, Rufina voiced her thoughts.
"Alright."
Vivian Maple led Rufina, following behind Redmond and Nameless. The group headed west, passing towns and villages before arriving at a muddy main road—the county's main thoroughfare to other places. There were still many footprints and hoofprints on the road.
Redmond led them along the road, stopping by a mist-shrouded mountain. It was eerily quiet—no insects or birds could be heard. At the foothill, there were scattered graves, marking it as a burial ground.
"Boss, do you really think John Chou would be in a place like this?"
Nameless asked, and Redmond floated up directly.
"I know you're here, John Chou. If you know I've come, then come out quickly."
Redmond shouted, his voice echoing through the forest. Not even a wandering wraith could be seen, except for a dilapidated hut at the connection between the foothill and the mountaintop.
"Looks like you won't show yourself without a little persuasion, huh..."
A surge of ghostly energy erupted from Redmond, its biting aura sweeping outward and dispersing the thick fog. The ground began to crack. Just then, under the cold moonlight, a man in white stood behind Redmond, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Redmond, enough."
It was Mr. Brown. I stared in surprise as Mr. Brown stood right behind Redmond.
"Oh, isn't that Mr. Brown? Looks like my hunch was right, ha."
"How did you find this place?"
Redmond pointed at Rufina behind him. Mr. Brown turned to glance at Rufina.
"Mr. Brown, where's John Chou? I came here myself—doesn't he plan to show up?"
Mr. Brown shook his head helplessly, then with a whoosh, floated in front of Redmond. With a wave of his hand, the burial ground transformed into a circular clearing, with stones and strange symbols below. The words 'Blade,' 'Fire,' and 'Blood' stood out on the bizarre formation.
This formation was identical to the one John Chou used to seal things before—the very city where I grew up. I understood immediately.
"You really dared, John Chou. Serves you right—now you'll never turn things around."
Redmond squatted beside the formation. Nameless walked over.
"Indeed, Boss. Such a powerful thing doesn't exist in this world—the Three Infernos, is it?"