"I really did witness something interesting, John Chou."
Ronan Wu sat comfortably on the ground, as if the fierce battle just now hadn't affected him at all. When he stood up, all the green fragments on his body shook off, and in a daze, he returned to his original appearance—a white suit, with a rose pinned to his chest.
John Chou sat on the ground, having returned to his normal state. His expression had softened considerably, and there was even a hint of a smile.
"You weren't fighting with your full strength. What exactly are you trying to do?"
At that moment, Ronan Wu suddenly glanced at me.
"Of course, it was to go along with what you and that girl said. Heh, the body is right here. If you want it, I can hand it over to you right now."
At this moment, I noticed that the Undying had all gathered around, staring at us with vacant eyes. Uncle Lee nervously stepped forward and knelt on the ground.
"Young Master, please let us go. It's been two thousand years—these years have been punishment enough for all of us. There are many children here, and others who know nothing, especially the children. They've never seen the world beyond this place."
Uncle Lee lowered his head, his voice tinged with sobs. I stepped aside, looked around, and found a shabby box to sit on.
John Chou said nothing, his gaze icy as he stared at the Undying who had come over and knelt on the ground one after another.
"Young Master, we truly know we were wrong. Back then, the kindness of the Henderson Family toward us, we..."
"There's no need to say anything extra, Uncle. From the moment you betrayed John Chou, you should have expected the worst. This outcome is what you deserve—no one else is to blame. Think about it: you're already better off than you could have been. If I hadn't come here centuries ago, you wouldn't even have food or the stars above your heads. You'd be wandering this island endlessly. Be content!"
I quietly watched John Chou. He still hadn't said a word, but remembering what Ronan Wu mentioned earlier—that John Chou's ghost soul was naturally curse-based—I could now confirm it was true, and that it was indeed connected to him.
At this moment, John Chou turned his head and slowly walked over to me.
"What do you think I should do?"
I smiled casually, raising a hand.
"If it were Qingyuan, maybe she would let you spare them. But this is your own business, isn't it? You big liar—don't you feel guilty at all? Tricking a girl like me."
John Chou chuckled, then turned away.
"I can let you go, but I need soldiers right now."
I tensed up, glancing at Ronan Wu. He was still smiling, and that smile sent chills down my spine.
"Young Master, we..."
As Uncle Lee spoke, John Chou drifted over to him, crouched halfway down, and placed a hand on Uncle Lee's shoulder.
"After the war is over, I'll set you free. Until then, you must serve as my soldiers."
I felt uneasy as I looked at John Chou. Uncle Lee nodded slightly.
"John Chou, you..."
"Aren't you hungry, Rachel Lan!"
Just as I called out, my abdomen suddenly cramped violently, and my stomach growled loudly.
The village grew lively. The Undying here were completely different from before, but something still felt off to me. At least now I could eat the food here without any problems, thanks to the awakening of my Coexistence Instinct.
"You've been outmaneuvered, Rachel Lan. Didn't you notice at all?"
I looked at John Chou in confusion, but then my eyes widened as I saw groups of the Undying gathering in the street outside. It felt like there was something I still hadn't remembered.
"Those people, could it be..."
"You're really naive, little girl. Anyone you meet here is at least ten times your age. Did you ever wonder why they didn't attack you when you arrived?"
I swallowed. I had already eaten quite a bit of the food on the table. Ronan Wu was sitting just beside me, and I never let my guard down around him.
"So that's how it is?"
I pressed a hand to my forehead. The Undying had all belonged to John Chou's family before their deaths, so how could they not sense his presence? I had entered with John Chou's Specter Web—they must have felt it as soon as I arrived, but still watched my every move without showing it.
"You were placed here by John Chou from the very beginning, weren't you?"
I turned to look at Ronan Wu. He rested his chin on his hand and smiled faintly.
"That's right. I was originally here waiting for John Chou to bring Ethan Justice over. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned and you, little girl, showed up instead."
I picked up the soup on the table, drinking it through gritted teeth, glaring fiercely at Ronan Wu.
"From here on, you and Rachel Lan will explain things, Xiao Rong. I need about thirteen days."
Ronan Wu raised a hand and waved it.
"Just go ahead and relax. I'll make sure she is properly trained..."
I shot to my feet and quickly walked behind John Chou.
"How can there be someone as vile as you in this world, John Chou? What exactly did you bring me here for?"
After a while, John Chou finally turned around, sat down, and started talking.
Long ago, John Chou was trapped on this island and became a wandering ghost. The people here refused to let him go, driven by greed. They planned to use the money they gained for big things, even recruiting soldiers to carve out their own territory during the chaos.
All of this was supposed to be accomplished by the Henderson Family, but because of John Chou's death, generations of the family's efforts vanished, becoming someone else's gain.
At the time, Uncle Lee and the others hired a Taoist with some skill, paid him generously, and managed to seal John Chou. But fate is never absolute—on this island, that Taoist tried to use the power of the living world to gradually purify John Chou.
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Unfortunately, that Taoist didn't know John Chou was a naturally curse-based ghost. The sun had no effect on the curse, and as the seal weakened over the years, John Chou emerged. During the sealing process, he managed to sever the connection between his soul and body completely.
After that, John Chou left behind a single sentence and departed. From then on, no one here could ever leave again. The curse used John Chou's body as a medium, and once activated, no one could enter the island, nor could anyone on the island ever leave.
Under the influence of the curse, the people here became the Undying. The island was filled with both life and death energies, gradually forming a strange pattern—a natural balance of life and death.
All of this was caused by the Undying themselves. Their bodies mutated: inside, their souls brimmed with life energy; outside, their flesh was saturated with death energy. This provided an endless supply of both energies, making the curse grow even stronger.
After John Chou sealed the Sanzu, he suddenly remembered this place and sent Ronan Wu over. This place was very similar to Ronan Wu himself—caught between the boundaries of life and death.
"What do you mean?"
I looked at Ronan Wu in confusion.
"Simply put, just like the Undying here, this feng shui treasure land can really help Xiao Rong increase his power. Long ago, he was just a Blue Wraith without even a Shadow Realm. Because of the special nature of his ghost soul, he couldn't grow stronger through ghost energy—only through life and death energies."
I rested my chin on my hand, already full, and looked at Ronan Wu.
"What a farce. You two bastards."
Although I said that, during the battle just now, I really saw that Ronan Wu wanted to kill John Chou. There's no doubt about that, but both of them were testing each other.
"So what are you planning now? What do you need thirteen days for? That's way too long!"
John Chou chuckled and stood up.
"It's more than enough time for me, but for you, it's far too short. The reason I brought you here is because your Yang Fire body is very special—it's not something you can just get anywhere. So you need to treasure it, Rachel Lan. Now you have two instincts, and they can support each other, helping you grow stronger. Bringing you here is meant to train you. For the next thirteen days while I'm gone, Xiao Rong will be responsible for teaching you a few things."
With that, John Chou slowly floated up, then vanished in a flash of red light.
The atmosphere became awkward for a moment. I stared at Ronan Wu, who rested his chin on his hand, watching me.
"How am I supposed to train?"
Ronan Wu pointed outside the shop.
"Pick any of the Undying here. When you can defeat them completely, then we'll talk."
I glanced at the Beauty at my waist. I really did need to get used to wielding this weapon.
"Curses really are incredible. It's been over two thousand years."
I sighed and stood up.
"Once you truly understand life and death, you'll know what a curse really is!"
I stood up, smiled, and walked outside. At that moment, some of the Undying approached. Uncle Lee stood in front of me, and I punched him square in the cheek without hesitation.
"Sorry, little girl, we used you. If you hadn't become like us, the young master might have kept watching from outside, and wouldn't have come in directly."
I shook my head and waved my hand.
"Forget it, it doesn't matter. I feel great right now. Uncle Lee, be my opponent!"
Uncle Lee nodded, then slowly floated up and pointed toward the distant shore.
"Let's go over there—the place is wide open. But little girl, you might not be my match!"