Twenty-five years ago, on that rainy night, Helen Chen was asleep when the local thug covered her mouth and violently assaulted her.
Note: The translation of '清源' should be 'Ethan Zhang' according to the glossary, and '兰若曦' should be 'Rachel Lan'.
When her father returned and found out, he didn’t think of calling the police. Instead, he gave Helen Chen two choices: a bottle of pesticide or a marriage certificate.
No matter how Helen Chen screamed, there were only these two options. For the sake of reputation, the family’s shame could not be exposed. In the end, lacking the courage to choose the pesticide, Helen Chen married the thug.
“So annoying. Just disappear already. Staring at me won’t change anything. You were used by others in life, and in death, it’s the same. I despise fools like you the most.”
At the lowest point of her suffering, a man stepped forward—Roy Chen. Naively, Helen Chen thought he could save her. Roy told her that to escape, they needed money. Helen Chen secretly took the village’s collective funds and ran away with Roy Chen.
The good times didn’t last. Roy Chen kept deceiving Helen Chen, draining the money she’d given him. He used it for bribes and eventually entered the education sector. To become a principal, Roy Chen forced Helen Chen to make another choice—to offer herself to an influential figure. As a result, Roy Chen became the principal of a middle school.
Helen Chen thought Roy Chen would finally treat her well, but at this time, Roy found another woman. News of Helen Chen’s father’s death arrived, and once again, Roy Chen forced Helen Chen to make a choice.
“Alright, it’s time to refine ghosts. Haha, Ethan Zhang, I have no personal grudge against you. This time, I’ll let you go. After all, I’m not Howling Elder’s subordinate.”
Suddenly, I saw Ms. Yan Chen crouch and chant an incantation. With a thunderous rumble, the ground shook, and a green light circle appeared. I was shocked—it was the Soulbinding Altar, rising from beneath the earth.
This time, the Soulbinding Altar was different from what I’d seen before—it was red, and inside was a ghost, that corpse, staring blankly.
“Ethan... Ethan... Ethan...” Hot tears rolled down onto my face. I barely opened my eyes—it was Rachel Lan. She was sobbing, her hands pressing firmly against my stomach.
“Why would anyone do something so stupid—stab themselves? Hurry up and finish off that wraith so we can get out of here.”
Hugh Thompson spoke as I suddenly widened my eyes, staring at Helen Chen writhing in pain on the ground. Her face was twisted, and there was a gaping hole in her body, with pitch-black liquid constantly flowing out.
“I’ll kill you all! I won’t let any of you go!”
I straightened my body a bit. Ms. Yan Chen was chanting with her eyes closed, and a Deathbane Aura Blade gradually formed in my hand.
Howard Lee spoke. I glanced at Hugh Thompson—his exposed bone was visible, and though the bleeding had stopped, he acted as if nothing was wrong.
I shouted and got up, raising the Deathbane Aura Blade and slashing at Ms. Yan Chen.
I let out a cry, cold sweat pouring from my forehead.
“Kill you... I’ll kill you all...” Helen Chen’s voice was filled with hatred, and she continued to struggle in pain.
“I can't disappear. I need revenge—I need revenge!” Helen Chen suddenly staggered to her feet, but collapsed again, the black liquid from her body now just a slow trickle.
“Help me... Help me, please! I don't want to die—I don't want to die!”
“That's enough, Helen Chen. Hurting others again and again—how is that any different from what they did to you? Stop, please...”
Before I could finish speaking, I saw Helen Chen reach out, two streams of black tears flowing from her eyes. She raised her hand toward the entrance.
“Old woman who won’t die, what’s wrong? Does it feel good?” A woman in her twenties—Ms. Yan Chen—walked in, smiling, holding a money bell in one hand.
“You...” Helen Chen glared at her with hatred.
“You’re useless now. I’ve never seen such a foolish ghost. You’re useless—just disappear already.”
Ms. Yan Chen spoke, suddenly tossing aside the money bell and crouching, raising her hand.
“Boil the stone, spit fire, swallow the blade, see the mark—Dragon Awl.”
Suddenly, several green beams of light shot over. Instantly, agonized screams rang out—Howard Lee and Hugh Thompson were pierced by something and collapsed.
Then I saw two bloody holes in their legs, and a green beam of light pinned them to the ground.
“They’re from the Ghost Syndicate!” Rachel Lan exclaimed. I stared at Ms. Yan Chen, who wore a sinister smile and tied up her hair.
“So it’s you. I heard last time Grandpa Kuina suffered a big loss. Ha, I didn’t expect you to get involved.”
“You, Ms. Yan Chen, you—save me. Have you forgotten who made it possible for you to stay young forever?”
Helen Chen looked at Ms. Yan Chen with hope.
“I’m not Ms. Yan Chen, you know. Ha, you can call me The Executioner.”
“Ha, so you’re one of the Elite Ghost Operatives from the Ghost Syndicate. You people really show up everywhere.”
Hugh Thompson laughed and kept signaling to me with his eyes.
Ms. Yan Chen walked up to Helen Chen, grinning. Suddenly, I saw her cheeks and skin begin to change, and she transformed from a woman in her twenties into an elderly woman of sixty or seventy.
“My eternal youth has nothing to do with you. A ghost of your level is useless to me. I only approached you to refine ghosts. Actually, if you want to leave, it’s not difficult—just have someone take your remains out, and then use some special methods, you can get out.”
“You lied to me! You lied to me! You said...”
“Yes, I said I needed three people born on Ghost Festival. But that was just for my ghost refining ritual. As for you, you were just a way to pass the time. I heard something happened at the school, so I came over. Coincidentally, the little ghost you caught was born on Ghost Festival. I figured, with a school this big, eventually I’d have a chance to find three people born on Ghost Festival.”
As Ms. Yan Chen spoke, her appearance gradually reverted to that of a woman in her twenties. Then she grabbed Helen Chen’s hair.
“So annoying. Just disappear already. Staring at me won’t change anything. You were used by others in life, and in death, it’s the same. I really hate idiots like you.”
Suddenly, Ms. Yan Chen’s voice rose. I saw her pull out a black needle and stab it into Helen Chen’s forehead. Helen Chen screamed, shot into the air, and her long hair spread out, wrapping around Ms. Yan Chen.
“Didn’t expect you’d still have so much strength. But it’s pointless.”
As she spoke, I saw the hair retract. Helen Chen dropped to the ground, screaming in pain, her form gradually becoming blurred.
“Alright, it’s time to refine ghosts. Haha, Ethan Zhang, I have no personal grudge against you. This time, I’ll let you go. After all, I’m not Grandpa Kuina’s subordinate.”
Suddenly, I saw Ms. Yan Chen crouch and chant an incantation. With a thunderous rumble, the ground shook, and a green light circle appeared. I was shocked—it was the Soulbinding Altar, rising from beneath the earth.
This time, the Soulbinding Altar was different from what I’d seen before—it was red, and inside was a ghost, that corpse, staring blankly.
“Need some food.” Ms. Yan Chen looked around, then at us. She walked over and grabbed Rachel Lan’s hair. I shouted.
“What are you doing?”
“Just watch, Ethan Zhang. Even if John Chou is behind you, he can't get here in time. Just watch—an Underworld soul is the finest delicacy for a ghost.”
With a crack, a green chain shot out from the Soulbinding Altar. I saw Rachel Lan’s soul pulled out of her body. With a thud, her body collapsed to the ground.
I straightened my body a bit. Ms. Yan Chen was chanting with her eyes closed, and a Deathbane Aura Blade gradually formed in my hand.
“Ah.”
I shouted and got up, raising the Deathbane Aura Blade and slashing at Ms. Yan Chen.
Suddenly, the Deathbane Aura Blade vanished, and a ghost appeared before me—exposed bones, one eye missing, mouth wide open. It bit my shoulder and flung me against the stone wall.
With a thud, I crashed to the ground, clutching my lower abdomen in pain.
“I told you, Ethan Zhang—do you really want more pain?”
The green chain binding Rachel Lan was slowly pulling her away.
I tried to get up again.
“Enough, Ethan, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
Rachel Lan gave a faint smile. In a flash, her soul was pulled into the Soulbinding Altar.
“Ah.”
I screamed, struggling to get up. Blood spurted from my abdomen, and two black daggers formed in my hands. I raised them and slashed at Ms. Yan Chen.
“It’s useless, Ethan Zhang. Once someone’s thrown into the Soulbinding Altar, no matter how angry you are, it’s pointless. Go back—I’m letting you off out of kindness!”
Once again, the ghost devoured the Deathbane Aura Blade from my hand, then grabbed my throat and shoved me back. I fell helplessly to the ground.
With a thud, Helen Chen’s head rolled to my feet. The look of a wrathful ghost had vanished from her face; black tears streamed down, and she looked just like a heartbroken little girl.