When it came to the cause of Boss Chang's death, David Zhao, the Yellow Ghost, began to speak.
At the end of last year, Boss Chang met a woman ten years younger than him, Wu Mei. Claire Zhang knew her father well—he hadn't been with any women for years, having raised her alone with great effort. She always supported her father in these matters.
But there was one thing Claire found odd: Wu Mei was not only beautiful, but also capable and kind. For a woman like her to choose someone like Boss Chang—a soft-hearted, good-natured man—seemed strange.
'My dad, he's suffered a lot because he's too kind. My mom left us early because she had a hard life with him and didn't take care of her health, and she eventually died of illness.'
As Claire spoke, Hugh Thompson jotted down notes in his little notebook.
'David Zhao, did you notice anything unusual at the time?'
The Yellow Ghost, David Zhao, slapped his thigh as if suddenly remembering something.
'That woman—I saw her several times, always with a wandering soul following her.'
'A wandering soul?' I looked at David Zhao in surprise.
'You don't know? A wandering soul is what comes out right after a person dies, before it gets taken away by the people from the Underworld. It lingers for a short while before being captured and collected.'
"Oh, so those wandering souls died because of May Wu, and after death, they resented her and immediately started following her?"
Hugh Thompson asked, and David Zhao shook his head.
"Not really. The ones following her looked pale, not shrouded in dark mist, and showed no signs of resentment."
We all fell silent at this. Looking at the resentment on Claire's face, I thought for a moment and decided to speak about everything that happened with Boss Chang on the Underworld Path.
"I don't believe it."
After I finished speaking, Claire simply replied with that.
"Claire, don't doubt him. Brother Zhang is a big name in the Spirit Realm now. Going to the Underworld Court is nothing for him, right, Brother Zhang?"
I gave an awkward smile. Going to the Underworld Court nearly cost me my life—playful, huh?
"Did my dad say anything before he died?"
Claire asked in a low voice. I nodded.
"He only hoped that you could be a little happier."
I could understand Boss Chang's feelings. As for the matter of inheriting the Zhang family estate, Claire had known about it for a long time. When her father was critically ill, David Zhao secretly told her. But Claire never said a word, just let things take their course.
David Zhao, the Yellow Ghost, and Claire Zhang had known each other for over ten years. Back when Claire was in first grade, Boss Chang was late to pick her up, so she tried to go home alone and got lost on a rainy day. She saw someone rummaging through a trash can—it was David Zhao.
That time, David Zhao took Claire home. Since then, they often met; Claire would offer food to David Zhao, and he would chat with her and help her with small things.
Looking at this person and ghost, I felt a kind of indescribable emotion.
After Hugh Thompson finished taking notes, he took out a business card.
"Here, this is my phone number and address. You can see ghosts, so if you want to step into this world, you can come find us. Of course, now that your parents are gone, think it over. If you need help, call this number."
Claire took the business card and thanked him.
"I've already decided, Uncle. I want to find out the cause of my dad's death myself."
Hugh Thompson smiled, then Claire and David Zhao got out of the car and left. It was already past 11, but the general store was still open.
"Let's go, Qingyuan. I'll take you directly to Hongyun Performing Arts Company."
I made a sound of surprise, and Hugh Thompson smiled.
"Didn't Granny say you'd better find Red Hair, or you won't make it through the night?"
I remembered—the Yellow Spring Token had branded a character on my chest. Leopard Tail also said that if I was summoned, I would lose control and be sent straight to the Underworld Court.
Red Hair's real name is Mao Yiqiu, but I know that's a fake name. Everyone who knows him calls him Red Hair. He's been in the living world for a long time, accumulating wealth and running various businesses.
As for Hongyun, it's said to be a century-old shop with a mysterious background. We're heading to the city's central business district, which will take over an hour.
Hugh Thompson dialed Red Hair's number. After a while, Red Hair said he was busy but told us to come over.
"Qingyuan, you'd better be careful lately. Now that the Immortality Society has found you, I'm afraid there are some ghosts in the Underworld Court who are connected to them."
As the car drove on, Hugh Thompson spoke. Suddenly, I remembered—when I first came out, I was arrested as a pervert for entering the wrong restroom and sent to the police station. In less than half an hour, someone bailed me out.
I left the police station easily. That man named Chen You—who is he? Hugh Thompson had someone check in the afternoon, but there was no record of Chen You in the system. It seems the name is fake, and as Blackface told me, names mean nothing to members of the Immortality Society.