I was stunned, watching as words continually appeared before my eyes, then began to disintegrate like sand, transforming into golden dust that pressed down toward Tammy Blade on the ground. The dust kept purifying the ghostly aura on Tammy’s body. The Old Eccentric’s writing grew faster and faster—I could barely make out what he was writing. The characters seemed to crumble into powder as if blown by the wind, falling and covering Tammy Blade.
Vincent Swallow rolled backward, landed on the ground, pressed his palms together, and his eyes flashed with golden light. Tammy Blade was now completely covered in shimmering golden sand, unable to move at all.
"Looks like it's resolved."
I was just about to go over when I noticed both the Old Eccentric and Vincent Swallow looked extremely grave. John Chou called out to stop me.
"Only half resolved. Those two have merely temporarily sealed that woman, and her consciousness has likely already been devoured by that evil ghost."
I swallowed hard. The Old Eccentric and Vincent Swallow walked over with sighs of resignation.
"Two beliefs represent two different powers. The reason Tammy Blade helped that Blue Wraith named Sharon Young in the Forest of Desire is because of Goddess Tara’s power, while her bravery in battle comes from Sager’s power. These two powers conflict on the surface and cannot truly merge. Not everyone has Serena Qing’s instincts. Over the years, Tammy Blade has been caught between these extremes, suffering greatly, unable to fully use her powers. Naturally, she couldn’t defeat that special ghost. Your mindset affects your strength, Roxie."
John Chou smiled as he came over; Vincent Swallow nodded, and the Old Eccentric sat heavily on the ground, looking gloomy. The sky was now gray, night was falling. I saw the two of them shivering in the cold wind, but I felt no chill at all.
Night had fully fallen. I switched on the car’s roof light and turned on the heater, returning Vincent Swallow’s Monk’s Vestment. Suddenly, I felt an intense chill, as if I were inside a freezer.
I asked. Vincent Swallow sat on the ground, drinking silently, the helplessness on his face turning to anger.
Tammy Blade was placed on the car hood. Vincent Swallow and the Old Eccentric sat in the back seat, arms crossed, passing a wine gourd between them. John Chou and Isabelle Frost remained in Sky Burial Valley, apparently investigating something. I couldn’t bother with it—I was human and needed sleep. After eating a little from the insulated box, I lay down with my hands behind my head, ready to sleep.
"Is there really no way at all?"
I asked. Vincent Swallow nodded.
"It's related to what she believes in. To be honest, the reason the lamas of the Lama Order locked up Tammy Blade has a lot to do with her faith."
Soon, accompanied by blood-red particles and drifting Red Spider Lily Petals, John Chou and Isabelle Frost appeared before me.
"Why didn’t you try to rescue Tammy Blade earlier?"
I asked. The Old Eccentric sighed helplessly. At that moment, Isabelle Frost slowly approached the subdued Tammy Blade, placing a hand on the layer of golden sand covering her, as if sensing something.
"How is your great-grandson Ken Wang doing?"
I asked. At least Ken Wang had joined the Ghost Burial Squad and experienced the same things as the others—being abducted by the Immortality Society.
John Chou shot a sideways glance at the Old Eccentric.
"Telling Roxie Lan all this is as good as saying nothing."
I looked at John Chou, who explained.
"Simply put, at first she served the faith of battle, but battle only led to tragedy. Such unwavering faith is hard to change. In the end, she found a faith of pure redemption, without fighting. The two beliefs intertwined and clashed violently. To put it simply, she wanted to kill her enemies, but deep inside, she knew that killing them wouldn't change anything—the most important people wouldn't come back because of their deaths. Yet she still took action and killed her enemies. Do you understand now?"
I nodded, finally understanding, but can such complex feelings really coexist?
"What happens when these beliefs intertwine like that?"
Vincent Swallow held up two fingers.
"Two beliefs represent two different powers. The reason Tammy Blade helped that Blue Wraith named Yang Xiaowen in the Forest of Desire is because of Goddess Tara’s power, while her bravery in battle comes from Sager’s power. These two powers conflict on the surface and cannot truly merge. Not everyone has Serena Qing’s instincts. Over the years, Tammy Blade has been caught between these extremes, suffering greatly, unable to fully use her powers. Naturally, she couldn’t defeat that special ghost. Your mindset affects your strength, Roxie."
I nodded. It seemed this couldn't be resolved any time soon. Then the Old Eccentric wrote the character for 'rise' in midair, took Tammy Blade, and Isabelle Frost took me as we flew out of Sky Burial Valley back to the car.
Night had fully fallen. I switched on the car’s roof light and turned on the heater, returning Vincent Swallow’s kasaya. Suddenly, I felt an intense chill, as if I were inside a freezer.
Tammy Blade was placed on the car hood. Vincent Swallow and the Old Eccentric sat in the back seat, arms crossed, passing a wine gourd between them. John Chou and Isabelle Frost remained in Sky Burial Valley, apparently investigating something. I couldn’t bother with it—I was human and needed sleep. After eating a little from the insulated box, I lay down with my hands behind my head, ready to sleep.
"Can humans and ghosts truly become one?"
I asked. Vincent Swallow smiled and replied.
"It wasn’t uncommon in the past. Some in the occult world sought immortality by dealing with ghosts, using evil arts to force ghosts to drain the living’s lifespan and essence, feeding it into their own bodies. Over time, most would swap for a new ghost to avoid backlash, but eventually, most were devoured by their ghosts. Becoming one with a ghost, they’d end up killed by others in the occult world, because it’s taboo. Still, many secretly use these dark arts to steal lifespans."
I swallowed hard, genuinely shocked.
But then I thought of Tang Cai, who used countless corpses to create zombies and tried to have Little Black eat me to increase its power.
"Actually, since leaving the Forest of Desire, we’ve secretly dealt with plenty of people. They used ghosts for evil, and there are all sorts of unknown dealings between humans and ghosts in this world."
I shot a sideways glance at the Old Eccentric, who sighed helplessly.
"How is your great-grandson Wang Jianhui doing?"
I asked. At least Wang Jianhui had joined the Ghost Burial Squad and experienced the same things as the others—being abducted by the Immortality Society.
For a moment, the Old Eccentric’s eyes filled with helplessness.
"I haven't seen him in years. He's the last bloodline of our Wang Family."
Vincent Swallow's expression grew serious.
"Right now, we can't confront the Immortality Society head-on. War is about to break out—otherwise, the Ghost Lords would have already acted."
I nodded. Indeed, with a major battle approaching, fighting the Immortality Society now would only add to the chaos. But those evil ones must be eliminated.
The car window rattled as the wind picked up outside. I looked out and saw a streak of red light in Sky Burial Valley. Instantly, I sensed it was Isabelle Frost’s power. I didn’t know what she and her brother were doing—probably what John Chou said about gathering strength.
Soon, I felt a wave of drowsiness. I closed my eyes, and in the warmth of the car, I quickly fell asleep.
Suddenly, I heard the cry of an eagle, then a flock of birds circling above a tranquil green mountain. I heard singing in the local language—sorrowful, tinged with sadness. I saw people carrying corpses into the green valley, laying them at stone altars, blowing ox horns, singing, and slowly leaving. White petals drifted through the air.
Soon, the birds swooped down and began pecking at the bodies. I jumped in fright and woke up instantly. The car was filled with the smell of alcohol; the Old Eccentric and Vincent Swallow were asleep, the outside pitch-black except for the sound of stones hitting the window. I sat up, drank some hot water, and wiped away the sweat from the nightmare.
John Chou and Isabelle Frost hadn’t returned. I checked the time—it was past 3 a.m. Feeling the urge to pee, I got out of the car, warmed up my body with some power, and gently opened the door.
After a while, shivering, I headed back to the car, but noticed Tammy Blade was gone from the hood. I panicked and shouted. Vincent Swallow and the Old Eccentric woke up, came out, and Vincent Swallow draped the kasaya over me. They began searching.
"What happened?"
I asked. Vincent Swallow looked troubled, and the Old Eccentric’s face was grim.
"She’s vanished."
I looked around in shock. John Chou and Isabelle Frost were still missing. I had no idea where they’d gone, so I called out loudly.
Soon, accompanied by blood-red particles and drifting spider lily petals, John Chou and Isabelle Frost appeared before me.
"What’s with all the fuss?"
I pointed at the car hood where Tammy Blade had been, now vanished without a trace—right in front of us, and none of us noticed.