Only one day remains. I stare quietly at the food in my hand, the flames flickering before me. Deathcurse hasn't come by these past few days—three days ago, he passed by once, apparently following orders from The Dark Banquet to continue searching the other districts.
I'm starting to lose patience. Black vines have already climbed up the wooden boards behind the counter. Tomorrow will be the thirtieth day, and we'll be able to enter the Moonshadow Refuge together to discuss our next steps with John Chou and the others.
There are only two tables of guests in the shop now—it's nowhere near as busy as before. Although I've gone to the Rocky Plain these past few days to search for those black humanoid figures, and briefly used my instincts, I did sense something different. But for now, I have to endure. Under Deathcurse's cover, The Dark Banquet seems unaware that I've regained my strength—the shackles suppressing me have been completely broken.
I just need to make it through tonight. By this time tomorrow, when the shop closes, I can use this vine to find John Chou.
Deathcurse should have already gathered a lot of information about The Dark Banquet. Everything is proceeding smoothly.
"Boss, give me something tasty."
A voice rang out. I immediately looked over in delight, but my smile froze instantly—it was Xu Fu. The air grew heavier, a chill crawling up my spine as the darkness seemed to close in.
"Don't you have important business to attend to? How do you have time to come here?"
You look pretty happy, Ethan Zhang. What's going on?
Xu Fu tilted his head and chose a table for himself. I snorted coldly and ignored him.
"That's enough, isn't it? We're closing up. I'm heading home to rest."
"Ethan Zhang, you don't even need sleep. Come have a couple drinks."
I shook my head, my reply firm and unwavering, masking the anxiety that churned beneath the surface.
As I spoke, I started tidying up. Xu Fu looked like he wasn't planning to leave. Frustration prickled at me, but I forced myself to stay calm—any slip could be dangerous in front of The Dark Banquet.
I walked out of the shop.
"If you want to stay, drink slowly. Just remember to leave the money when you're done."
I hurried off, and with a bang, the shop door closed behind me. Xu Fu immediately followed.
"What the hell is your problem?"
Xu Fu smiled helplessly.
"Xu Fu, you shouldn't be here. What exactly are you trying to do? Breaking the agreement?"
A deep voice sounded beside me—it was Deathcurse. I immediately felt relieved. Xu Fu stopped, looking at the fake Replicator created by Deathcurse.
"You people are really boring. After searching for so long, you still haven't found anything. Even when threatened, Ethan Zhang doesn't panic at all. Don't you find that strange? Or to put it another way, we have no way of knowing how Ethan Zhang and John Chou communicate."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
I said as I tried to leave, but Deathcurse suddenly blocked my way, staring at me with a fierce look.
"Tell us where John Chou is, Ethan Zhang. Are you really going to just watch your cousin die?"
I started to panic, unsure how to respond. Xu Fu's gaze lingered on me.
"Of course I don't want that. But if you dare lay a finger on my cousin, I won't be polite anymore."
Deathcurse sneered, then walked over and patted me on the shoulder.
"Watch your mouth, Ethan Zhang. You're no match for us."
I felt a push—Deathcurse was signaling me to leave.
"Go home, Xu Fu."
"Why? It's right in front of us. If you let me keep following Ethan Zhang, I could find a clue."
Xu Fu said. By now, I'd walked far away. After entering an alley, I let out a sigh of relief and headed toward home.
Once home, I immediately shut the doors and windows, sat down in the second-floor living room, anxiety gnawing at me. I'm the breakthrough point—Xu Fu and The Dark Banquet probably think so too. To find out where John Chou and the others are, they have to keep a close eye on me.
Even the slightest slip, if they catch a hint, John Chou and the others will be exposed, and we might end up on the defensive again. Deathcurse once said that his method of breaking the curse and removing the Synthetic Soul only works for me—because I have the Deathbane Ghost inside. For anyone else, it's not as simple as just damaging the ghost soul.
I have to come up with a way to get through tomorrow smoothly. Suddenly, my eyes widened—a streak of black death aura appeared. The Deathbane Ghost was already in front of me.
"The plan should work, but Xu Fu is sharp. It's not easy to fool him."
I grunted in response. My plan is to have the Deathbane Ghost take my place, while Deathcurse and I find a way in, meet up with John Chou and the others, and then leave.
"Half an hour should be enough."
The only survivor from that village—Lydia Luo.