"I'm bullying you, so what?"
"Oh, is that so? Eleventh Judge, if you insist on bullying us, we have no choice but to submit. But aren't you afraid word will get out and you'll become the biggest joke in the ghost world?"
"Bullshit, don't try to fool me with that stuff. I used to be a mountain bandit."
"Haha, boss, let me handle this one. I'll teach this punk a lesson."
A voice rang out. I looked up—it was Rotface. He laughed wildly and landed with a thud beside Dreadstar, his huge body gripping a hook.
"Oh, isn't this the Carrion Ghost King? My apologies."
"You punk, aren't you Ghost Syndicate people a little too much? Boss..."
"Fatty, get over here! It's not your turn to speak." Redmond shouted, and Rotface hurried over. Redmond slapped him twice, loudly.
Then Redmond slowly landed beside Basil Bertram. All around, faint green lights began to glow, and Redmond's Blue Wraiths appeared one by one.
"You'd better not move. If any of you move, I'll have your heads off."
It was Vivian Maple. That slightly gloomy voice spoke coldly, and the blade with the purple scabbard in her hand was already half drawn, gleaming with a cold light.
"Basil Bertram, you've always let yourself be chained by things that don't matter. Enough of that. Get up, damn it..."
Redmond grabbed Basil Bertram's head. At this moment, Basil's eyes were closed, and he seemed to have lost consciousness.
"What are you doing? You..."
Just as I was about to say something, Huangfu Ruofei covered my mouth. She shook her head at me.
Redmond slapped Basil Bertram several times across the face.
"I don't know what burdens you carry, what obsessions you have, or if any of it really matters. Take a good look at your daughter—really look at her! What kind of father are you, huh? Snap out of it! Damn it..."
Redmond covered his mouth, smiling, as he walked over.
"Shut the fuck up."
Redmond roared viciously, and Dreadstar smiled and closed his mouth.
Then Red Hair placed Basil Bertram's head on the ground and walked toward us, step by step.
"Think carefully, Basil Bertram. Are you going to cling to those useless things and die here with your daughter, or will you remember your instincts? When will you finally let go of your so-called noble pride? It's been over a thousand years, and you're still like this? Remember your instincts."
Red Hair spoke as he reached us.
"Let's go. His fate is none of my business. Whether he lives or dies, whether his daughter lives or dies, it's not my concern."
"You..."
Just as I was about to speak, Red Hair glared at me. Then Huang Jun picked me up, and Hu Tianshu smiled. To my surprise, I discovered that both of their injuries had already healed.
"Well then, Lord Yanluo, we'll take our leave. Could you have your men step aside? At least, this battle is a victory for the Ghost Syndicate. Or do you want..."
Dreadstar spoke, and with a wave of Redmond's hand, the Blue Wraiths turned into streaks of green light, gathering behind him.
"Then, we'll be leaving, Eleventh Judge." Dreadstar said, and with a whoosh, drifted to Old One-Eye's side.
"Ah, don't be so quick to leave. The fight might not be over yet." Red Hair said. Murder Star stopped and smiled.
"You must be joking. Mr. Bertram has completely vanished. The fight is over..."
"Don't be so quick to say that. You should know, for each Ghost Sovereign, as long as their stone isn't destroyed, they can't die. That's what most in the occult world believe about us. But, heh, unfortunately, that's wrong..."
As soon as Redmond finished speaking, Dreadstar's eyes widened and he screamed. I saw tender green buds sprouting all over his body.
"What... what's happening... ah..."
Murder Star screamed in terror. I watched as his body slowly withered, and Grandpa One-Eye shouted.
"Lord Dreadstar!"
"Instinct, haha, maybe so. Something I've long forgotten. Yes, my instinct won't allow me to do this. Instinct, called proud bones..."
A creaking sound rang out. Basil Bertram suddenly opened his eyes. I saw young branches twisting together, supporting his head, slowly lifting him from the ground.
Dreadstar lay dying on the ground, the small branches growing out of him turning to dust. His whole body looked like a shriveled corpse, skin and bones, mouth agape.
Suddenly, I saw Grandpa One-Eye take out a small packet of black powder and pour it into Murder Star's mouth. With a pop, Murder Star exploded into a mass of reddish-brown liquid. Then, a fat red leech appeared on the ground, squeaking as it tried to burrow into the earth.
Grandpa One-Eye began chanting an incantation, and a huge black vortex appeared behind him.
Suddenly, with a whoosh, I saw an arrow fly over. Then came a flurry of whooshing sounds as arrows glowing green shot through the air. One pinned down the leech that Murder Star had become, and four more pinned Grandpa One-Eye's hands and feet.
"Uncle, are you alright?"
A woman's voice came from above. I looked up—it was the glasses-wearing ghost girl who often followed Basil Bertram, though now she wasn't wearing glasses. She carried a massive emerald-green bow and a quiver of arrows.
With a swoosh, she landed beside Basil Bertram. His form gradually recovered, though he still looked weak.
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"Jingyu, why are you here? I told you, no one can know about this..."
"Uncle..."
Jingyu lowered her head and said nothing. Just then, the sky above split open with a creak, revealing a star-filled night.
"Ziran, what the hell is going on? Tell me everything, right now."
An angry woman's voice echoed from the sky, and then a fashionable woman with long hair, beautiful as a flower, dressed in a purple down coat, descended from above.
"Oh ho, Basil Bertram, you'd better explain yourself clearly, or your shrew of a wife might just eat you alive."
Red Hair smiled and spoke. Suddenly, countless green lights lit up in the sky, and Blue Wraiths descended from above.
I was stunned. As soon as the woman landed, Jingyu quickly stepped aside. Basil Bertram looked like a child who'd done something wrong, head down, silent.
"Well, aren't you something. You lied to me for over a thousand years. Tell me, where did that illegitimate daughter come from? And you even put your entire life and soul into her body—are you out of your mind? Huh?"
The woman's stance was fierce. Basil Bertram just hung his head, not daring to say a word.
"That's his wife?"
Red Hair covered his mouth, smiling, as he walked over.
"Alright, alright, you two can argue, but pick a better time and place. Maybe we should..."
"Red Hair, I'm talking. It's not your turn to butt in. Get lost."
The woman shouted viciously, and Red Hair backed away.
"Say something, Ziran..." she said, grabbing Basil Bertram's ear and looking around.
"Let me see, where are you hurt?"
Then I saw the woman's black hair, gleaming green, stretch out and circle around Basil Bertram's body.
"Oh my, Ziran, when did you end up like this? Your ghost soul is almost gone... Jingyu, tell me, what happened?"
I saw the Blue Wraiths under Basil Bertram's command looking at him suspiciously.
"Auntie, please don't be angry. Mr. Bertram was injured during the battle of the Seven Sovereigns, and because he's proud, he didn't tell anyone. Please don't blame..."
"Is it your turn to speak?" Basil Bertram's wife roared.
I saw an elderly Blue Wraith quickly retreat, and then a wave of murmurs spread through the crowd.
"Sigh, Mr. Bertram really is something. Actually, we've known all along."
"Yeah, we noticed centuries ago. Mr. Bertram's power is gone."
"I saw it myself. Basil Bertram secretly went to the Bridge of Remorse and put the Wooden Contract Stone into his daughter's body."
"All of you, shut up! If you knew, why didn't you say anything sooner?"
Basil Bertram looked bewildered, staring at his subordinates. After a long moment, he muttered:
"You... you all knew already..."
"We knew..." came a chorus of voices. Basil Bertram looked at them, embarrassed.
"Sigh, Mr. Bertram, everyone knows you're proud. That's why all of us ghosts kept quiet, sticking to tradition. But, Mr. Bertram, why didn't you bring Jingyu or me along? This time was dangerous. If it weren't for the Eleventh Judge's help, you might have..."
"Shut up, all of you." Basil Bertram's wife said, drifting over to me and glaring.
"You're Zhang Qingyuan, right? Thanks for saving my husband. The Bertram family owes you one."
Faced with this woman, I felt extremely nervous. Then she grabbed Jingyue.
"Wife, ma'am, what are you doing?" Basil Bertram hurried over.
"What are you standing around for? Isn't this your daughter? I'm her stepmother, right? I'm treating her wounds—her hand's broken. Let's go. If we don't hurry, she won't heal."