"Old Moe, what exactly do we have to do to break this thing?"
I stared at the Trial Marriage Stone before me and asked, but Old Moe simply shook his head. He walked over and stood before the crowd, took a deep breath, and spoke in a loud, clear voice.
"Today, I came here for my daughter. I don't want to get involved in your Hades Circle affairs, but since I'm already here, I want to tell you: that thing, Hades' Will, is real. And as long as you are part of the Hades Circle, you cannot defy its will."
Old Moe said this as he swept his gaze over everyone.
"And the reason it summoned everyone from the Hades Circle is because it sensed danger."
"Why are you so certain?"
Lan Yin stepped forward and asked. Old Moe shook his head.
"I've investigated repeatedly before and confirmed one thing—it has a tremendous connection to your Ghost Syndicate."
As soon as Old Moe finished speaking, Poison Dreadstar let out a playful protest.
"Oh, don't go dumping such a huge mess on me! I'm no longer involved in worldly affairs. These days, the Ghost Syndicate is basically run by Dreadstar and Ghoststar. I haven't done anything at all, you know."
As Poison Dreadstar spoke, John Chou sneered, and Jason Su stood up.
"What exactly is going on, Martin Lane?"
"A few months ago, a guy wearing an iron helmet escaped from the Ghost Syndicate. He's special—I’ve seen him several times. Qingyuan, you must have seen him plenty of times too, right?"
Old Moe said this and looked at me. I nodded.
"Old Moe, are you talking about Ironmask?"
Old Moe nodded and continued.
"Ever since Ironmask escaped from the Ghost Syndicate, they've been completely powerless against him. The last time I saw him was in Mona Ouyang's dream. Seeing him filled me with fear—his strength is beyond imagination. So the Ghost Syndicate can't handle him, and as for his true purpose, I honestly don't know."
"Wait, kid, what does that guy have to do with Hades' Will?"
Lan Yin couldn't help but ask. Speaking of Ironmask's power, I've witnessed it many times. Each time I saw him, he was stronger than before. Suddenly, I remembered—the last time I saw Ironmask, he was on Ten Tribunal Road. Could he be heading toward the Hades Circle?
"All of you know, I'm the only one in the Hades Circle who can defy Hades' Will. That means I can communicate with it. Lately, I've truly sensed Hades' Will is afraid—afraid of a certain individual's existence."
"Kid, you're hiding something, aren't you? I know it."
Lan Yin said this, a strange smile curling at his lips. Old Moe just smiled, neither admitting nor denying it.
"Martin Lane, you've always been ambiguous. Putting everything else aside, today, you must make it clear—which side are you on?"
Jason Su stood up, his eyes flashing with anger at Old Moe. Old Moe just laughed, not responding right away, simply gazing at me quietly.
"Qingyuan, which side do you think I should choose?"
I looked at Old Moe quietly, then smiled, clenching my fist and speaking each word deliberately.
"Stand on the side of what matters most."
Old Moe gave a weary smile and looked at Lan Yin.
"Lan Yin, I'm grateful to you. Whether before or now, as long as you remain in the Hades Circle, no matter what it becomes, I'll always watch quietly from the sidelines. It's not easy, is it, these hundreds of years in the Hades Circle?"
"Kid, it's not your place to lecture me. It's tough, sure, but at least we've finally found a breakthrough. Maybe, in the near future, the Hades Circle will have to change. Poison Dreadstar, if you know anything about Ironmask, I hope you'll tell us the truth."
Lan Yin said this, slowly rising and drifting toward Poison Dreadstar. At that moment, Poison Dreadstar looked helpless and sighed.
"All I know is that a few months ago, one of Ghoststar's subordinates brought back a certain soul. After that, they got busy refining ghosts. I don't really know the specifics. The only thing I do know is that Grandpa Crybaby found some exceptional material while out and recommended it to Ghoststar. The thing they refined seemed mentally unstable and ended up escaping."
I remembered that Ironmask had been completely deranged before, not knowing who he was and killing many people. Later, the Ghost Syndicate caught him, but he escaped again—at least, that's how I recall it.
"After they caught him again, Ghoststar used some technique, intending to make him her ghost, but it failed. Ghoststar herself suffered for it too. Ironmask escaped once more. I heard Ghoststar's subordinates were chasing him, but for some reason, they had to give up. And all of this, somehow, is connected to Zhang Qingyuan."
Poison Dreadstar said this, pointing at me. I blinked, not sure what she was trying to say.
Poison Dreadstar stood up, black mist swirling at her feet. With a wailing sound, she appeared in front of me in an instant, grinning.
"Zhang Qingyuan, there are a lot of people in the Ghost Syndicate who want you right now. You're a hot commodity."
Poison Dreadstar said this as she twisted her body, walking toward the Trial Marriage Stone. She reached out and placed a hand on it.
"What's inside here, Zhang Qingyuan—do you want it?"
I stared at Poison Dreadstar in surprise as she let out a shrill, cackling laugh.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"My coming here wasn't a coincidence. I happen to know the Lan Family's first soul guide, Lan Miu, and we have a pretty good relationship."
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Lan Yin suddenly strode over.
"What do you actually know?"
"If you want me to speak, then I hope everyone here will agree to one thing for me."
In an instant, I saw the soul guides of the Hades Circle grow alert. Grandpa Cat chuckled and spoke.
"Poison Dreadstar, since you know, you must be very confident. In that case, friends of the Hades Circle, why not listen to what Poison Dreadstar wants you all to agree to?"
Lan Yin thought it over for a long while before finally speaking.
"Go ahead, tell us—what do you want us to agree to?"
Poison Dreadstar giggled, but then the smile vanished from her face.
"I want one person's ghost."
As soon as Poison Dreadstar said this, I saw nine soul guides present turn pale with shock, staring at her in disbelief.
"How did you find out about this?"
Lan Yin sounded extremely angry.
"Naturally, it was your ancestor, Lan Miu, who told me personally. You soul guides of the Hades Circle have a certain privilege. As underworld errand-runners, the underworld agreed to grant you a condition: if half of you agree, you can bring up a prisoner from the underworld, even let them reincarnate."
My heart skipped a beat. I stared wide-eyed at Lan Yin.
"Go ahead, who do you want?"
Lan Yin spoke decisively. This matter didn't seem too difficult for the Hades Circle.
"Someone named Wu Zheng—I hope you can bring him up and hand him over to me."
"Wu Zheng?"
It felt like I'd heard that name somewhere before, but couldn't quite recall. At that moment, John Chou stood up.
"Slut, heh, you sure know how to play your cards. If you bring that guy up, you must be after the Seven Techniques of the Yin Scripture."
As soon as John Chou finished speaking, many present were shocked, staring at Poison Dreadstar.
"Boss Yin, after all, I took some risks to come to the Hades Circle. Besides, what I know is extremely important for the people here. Lan Yin, you and the other soul guides should discuss this carefully."
Then Lan Yin gave a signal, and the other eight soul guides stood up, slipped behind their seats, and vanished. Lan Yin also disappeared in an instant.
"Qingyuan, hurry up—while the ten soul guides of the Hades Circle are gone, come sit for a while."
I let out a sound of surprise and looked at Ji Yun'er. Poison Dreadstar came over to me. At that moment, Old Moe had already flown to Lan Yin's seat and sat down, looking perfectly at ease.
"You'd better go sit for a while, Zhang Qingyuan. Soon, you probably won't have it so easy."
"Qingyuan, hurry up!"
Ji Yun'er kept shouting. I remembered that just now, John Chou and Ji Yun'er seemed eager to sit in those ten soul guides' seats. Ji Yun'er even got into a dispute with that pale scholar, Lu Junchi.
I spread my wings and flew over to the chairs, examining them. There was nothing special about the seats themselves, but seeing John Chou, Ji Yun'er, and Old Moe sitting there, they looked perfectly at ease. I sat down next to Old Moe.
Suddenly, the moment I sat down, I felt waves of warmth surge through my body. My body, which had just been greatly depleted, began to recover—an incredible sensation.
"What is this, exactly?"
"Heh, Qingyuan, I've heard that the soul guides of the Hades Circle possess many items from the underworld, some with extraordinary powers. This chair, for instance, can help whoever sits in it recover quickly."
Grandpa Cat explained, and I found it more and more unbelievable. I realized that after John Chou killed that underworld official, he sat down without hesitation. So that's why.