In the darkness..........
I sat quietly, drinking my wine, feeling a heaviness settle over me. Through Old Cat, I learned about the current state of the two realms—Yin and Yang—and it was far from optimistic. What surprised me most was that Lord Shenyan had taken the vanguard, capturing more than twenty cities in succession, each one cleansed in a brutal massacre.
"Qingyuan, is it hard to understand?"
Heavenly Soul asked. I murmured a response, and Rachel Lan sighed, pressing my hand gently.
"Perhaps war is far crueler than we imagine, Qingyuan. What do you plan to do when you return?"
I shook my head.
Honestly, I had never given it any thought. What could I possibly do in this war? Maybe nothing at all—just watch, helpless, as this madness unfolds.
At this, Old Cat smiled and shook his head.
"You still have some time before you can go back. Think about these things later, Qingyuan."
I shook my head again.
"It's hard not to think about these things. Old Cat, you must have seen your share of wars, haven't you?"
Old Cat gave a bitter smile.
"How can I put it, Qingyuan? Sometimes it's for food, sometimes for land, sometimes for faith, and sometimes for power. War is just that—a mirror named cruelty."
"So what does Old Hell want?"
Rachel Lan asked just then, and we all turned to look at Old Cat.
"Meat pies."
Suddenly, Qi, who was lying behind the counter, shouted out. I turned and gave a helpless smile—it had been hours, and clearly she was hungry again. I stood up and rolled up my sleeves.
"There's a little left. I'll make you something to eat!"
I started grilling some food. Old Cat continued speaking—he'd recently gone to Old Hell, the world of Yin. The Emperor God and his followers were completely enraged. The Underworld Court's sudden actions had shattered several verbal agreements, just like that.
It was inevitable. Once the Emperor God and his followers gathered their full strength, the Underworld Court wouldn't be able to resist. The imbalance of power led to what looked like reckless but actually reasonable aggression from the Underworld Court. For some reason, the Emperor God and his people couldn't leave the world of Yin for now.
So we could only watch helplessly as Lord Shenyan launched a sudden assault and the Underworld Court began building fortifications in Blazing Fields.
With the outbreak of war, something happened in the Living World. Old Cat wasn't sure what exactly, but people there suddenly began attacking each other for no reason, resulting in several deaths. Most disturbing of all, the souls of the dead vanished without a trace.
At this, my eyes widened in shock.
"Are they targeting ordinary people now?"
Old Cat nodded.
"That's the only explanation. The people who went mad have since returned to normal, but now the Living World is in utter chaos."
I glared out the door, gritting my teeth.
"This is outrageous. The people of the Living World have nothing to do with this war."
Rachel Lan came over as she spoke. She knew I was in a foul mood, especially after hearing about Lord Shenyan and Old Cat's news from the Living World.
The Underworld Court can't send large numbers of people to the Living World, or it would cause even more disruption. Yet incidents of people going mad and attacking others are growing more frequent.
The Arcane Society has mobilized everyone to try and stop it, but there just aren't enough people. In only a few days, tens of thousands have died, and things are only getting worse.
"Isn't there anything we can do?"
I glared at Old Cat, gritting my teeth. He shook his head.
"This is the price of starting a war first. The Underworld Court must have anticipated this, but said nothing."
I sighed helplessly. There were still so many unresolved issues in this darkness, and I couldn't go back. My heart was filled with unease.
Old Cat stood up, looked at me, and sighed.
"Qingyuan, you really don't need to dwell on war. No matter what slogans are shouted, there's no justice in war—only the victors remain standing. I think Lord Shenyan understands this, which is why he wants to end the fighting as quickly as possible."
"What about John Chou?"
I asked. Old Cat shook his head.
"Oh right, Earthly Soul asked me to pass on a message: Uncle John is currently missing. When you get back, he has something to give you."
Old Cat left. It was already morning, and people were on the streets. I took Rachel Lan and Sylvia Blue, planning to send them home first, then return to the shop with Heavenly Soul to buy food.
"Still can't let it go? Qingyuan, tell me what you're thinking."
Once we got home, Rachel Lan suddenly asked. Sylvia Blue, looking confused, ran to her room and quickly fell asleep.
"I don't know, Ruoxi. In the past, I always had a reason to fight, but for this war, I can't find any reason—any justification—to fight at all."
Rachel Lan sat beside me, leaning against me with a gentle smile.
"True, but shouldn't the answer already be in your heart, Qingyuan?"
Rachel Lan pointed to my chest. I stared in surprise as she got up, nuzzled my cheek affectionately, and then went into her room.
"It's alright, Qingyuan. I'll be with you."
I walked to the window, clutching my chest.
"Yes, none of that concerns me. All along, this side has been for people, and that side for ghosts."
My steps, once heavy, now felt lighter. I quickly returned to the shop, where Heavenly Soul had already tidied up most of it.
"Thank you for your help."
"It's nothing. Let's go, Qingyuan."
We locked up the shop and walked onto the street. Seeing all kinds of people out there, I felt much better.
(This chapter isn't finished yet~.~ Please click 'Next Page' to continue reading!)
"Instead of worrying about why you fight, just follow your own feelings. As long as you don't betray your original intention, isn't that enough? Everything else has nothing to do with you, right?"
I hummed in agreement.
When night fell and the shop opened, Sylvia Blue and Rachel Lan came over, and we all got busy again.
"Sylvia, hurry up and stop sneaking food!"
I shouted sternly. Sylvia stuck out her tongue at me, grabbed more food from the plate and stuffed it in her mouth, right in front of the customers. But the customers didn't mind—they even invited Sylvia to sit and eat with them. I could only smile helplessly.
Just then, someone entered the shop—Elder Peach. I looked at him in surprise; his expression was grim, and Poison Dreadstar was with him.
"If you have something to say, wait until after closing."
I told them to wait and kept busy without saying another word.
Finally, when it was closing time, I started making food for Sylvia Blue. Poison Dreadstar and Elder Peach sat silently in the shop, as if they already knew what had happened.
"Do you know what's happened between the two realms—Yin and Yang?"
Elder Peach nodded.
"The Ghost Syndicate has betrayed Mr. Wraithshade."
Poison Dreadstar spoke suddenly, and I stared at her in disbelief.
"How do you know?"
"Dao told me what happened. When I told her, she said the Ghost Syndicate had betrayed them."
It was only after I asked several times that Poison Dreadstar finally began to explain.
A long time ago, after Mr. Wraithshade returned from the Yin-side world, he learned where ghosts go after death. He started investigating because he was intrigued by how ghosts would turn to ash after dying.
To unravel the mystery, Mr. Wraithshade kept investigating and testing. Eventually, he discovered the truth, infiltrated the Underworld Court, and went straight to the Yin-side world to confirm the destination of dead ghosts.
Years later, Mr. Wraithshade returned, excitedly announcing that ghosts are actually immortal—or at least, that they can be resurrected endlessly.
Over the next few years, Mr. Wraithshade found a new direction for his research. After many experiments, he finally created a special ghost that could revive within days of being killed—even if it had turned to ash. Poison Dreadstar was baffled at the time.
But before the research was finished, the Ghost Syndicate was destroyed by Ji Yuner's undead army, who hated Mr. Wraithshade. He escaped into this darkness.
The research was interrupted. Originally, Mr. Wraithshade wanted to use the Dark Banquet as a chance to return to the Living World and continue his work. If he succeeded, he would be immortal, because the substitute ghosts in his body could never die.
Elder Peach learned the news from special sources: the souls that Dao had once helped pass on have actually come back to life.
"Only Mr. Wraithshade and the Five Elders of the Ghost Syndicate knew about this technology. But now, the only explanation is that the Ghost Syndicate gave this top-secret technique to the rulers of Old Hell. With their vast research teams and facilities, they've probably cracked it."
"Isn't that bad? We're facing enemies that can never be killed."