Yin Choujian pressed on, the landscape around him growing ever more bleak and forsaken. Everywhere, refugees staggered along jagged mountain paths, fleeing disaster. To reach the ghost city of Fengdu, he would have to cross the basin ahead—a passage shadowed by despair.
Years of relentless drought had unleashed waves of plague, forcing desperate souls from the basin to flee south in search of life. The earth was strewn with the starved dead, their wails echoing through the emptiness. As Yin Choujian passed, he saw ghosts—each with vacant, hollow eyes, unresponsive even when he tried to speak. The living and the dead mingled in misery, but the silence of the ghosts was almost more chilling than the cries of the living.
"I'm telling you, this place is wrong. We'd be wise to take a detour."
Suyuan commented, and Yin Choujian responded with a faint, knowing smile.
"If we take this route, we’ll reach our destination in just half a month."
Suyuan had trailed Yin Choujian for days, haunted by one persistent question: where were Yin Choujian’s remains? He’d probed the matter more than once, but every effort ended in frustration—no trace, no answer, only growing unease.
Ordinarily, ghosts are bound by the circumstances of their death and cannot roam freely. Only Soul-Grabbing Ghosts, whose bones have fused with their spirits, wander unbound—undying, unyielding, a rare and unsettling exception.
But as a Yellow Page ghost, Yin Choujian cannot touch his own bones. How could he travel so far without carrying them? Suyuan remained baffled, the mystery gnawing at him.
"So, where are your bones?" Suyuan’s voice cut through the silence, pressing the question that lingered between them.
At last, Suyuan couldn’t hold back. He asked, and Yin Choujian paused, a faint smile flickering across his lips.
"If you want to know that, you'll have to pay the price..." The words hung in the air, laced with an unspoken threat, the mystery thickening between them.
"Alright, I won't ask anymore. You always manage to take advantage and then act innocent. That ghost weapon I gave you—if you brought it to the Ghost Market, you'd fetch a hefty price. In the world of the living, it'd be worth tens of thousands of taels at least. Hmph, Yin Choujian, don't be so oblivious."
Suyuan's tone was relaxed, almost playful, as if hoping Yin Choujian would willingly reveal how he managed to move freely without ashes.
But Yin Choujian said nothing more and continued walking. For days now, he’d barely found anything to eat. The nearby ghosts seemed incapable of communication, and there was no sign of a Ghost Market. He could only gnaw on tree bark and scavenge for insects in the dirt—just enough to survive.
They passed through several villages, but not a single sign of trade appeared. Yin Choujian found it strange, and Suyuan did too.
They’d crossed numerous towns, all deserted and lifeless. Ahead lay the basin’s main city—Xingyuan. Once, life here had thrived, but after three years of plague, it had become a dead city, empty and forsaken.
This was Ghost Spider’s territory—a powerful Soul-Grabbing Ghost ruled here. As Yin Choujian approached the city gate, he saw scores of fierce ghosts gathered at the entrance, their voices rising in a restless clamor.
Beneath the city gate, a crowd of weapon-wielding ghosts stood, their eyes vacant and hollow. More than a hundred of these fierce spirits, each dressed in garb from distant regions, formed a grim assembly.
Amid the growing commotion, I realized Ghost Spider was preparing to host the Hundred Ghosts Banquet. Many fierce ghosts had come, seeking a powerful patron. Suddenly, a disturbance erupted to the left.
"A look won’t cost you anything."
A fierce ghost with only one eyeball leered, his gaze fixed on a female ghost clad in purple. She wore a sheer violet robe, almond eyes and rosy cheeks, her beauty both elegant and striking. Every movement radiated a fragile innocence. A ghost of ordinary build stood protectively before her—handsome, with sword-like brows furrowed in anger.
"Gentlemen, my name is Ziyuan. My brother Lanjun and I have come seeking a meal. Surely you know that in the south, many Taoists and monks are destroying ghosts. We siblings had no choice but to come here. Please, don't make things difficult for us."
The moment Ziyuan spoke, her voice was ethereal, almost heavenly. Many fierce ghosts nearby drew closer. The young man called Lanjun suddenly drew his sword with a sharp swish, then clutched his mouth, coughing violently.
"So, you're a sickly one, huh? Ha!"
A burly fierce ghost shoved Lanjun aside with brute force, then seized Ziyuan with one hand. Instantly, the surrounding ghosts grew restless and agitated.
"Hey, does anyone have food? Sell me some."
Amid the uproar, John Chou suddenly shouted, his voice cutting through the noise. At once, the commotion stopped, and every fierce ghost turned to stare at him.
"Yellow Page?"
A chorus of puzzled voices rose, quickly followed by bursts of mocking laughter.
"A puny Yellow Page like you dares crash the Hundred Ghosts Banquet? Hahaha..."
John Chou ignored them and shouted again.
"Anyone got food? Sell me some—I'm starving here."
At that moment, the ghost restraining Ziyuan strode over and stood before John Chou, gripping his head with one hand.
"Kid, this isn't a place for you..."
With a sudden slash, John Chou drew his ghost weapon and chopped off the fierce ghost's hand. Instantly, the surrounding ghosts bared their fangs, vicious and bloodthirsty. The brute howled in pain, but aside from his size, he was just an ordinary fierce ghost.
"You want to die, kid..."
Suddenly, John Chou's ghost weapon pierced the fierce ghost's spectral aura, its tip pressed against his throat. One thrust, and the ghost would be obliterated.
"I give up! I give up! Please—don't..."
John Chou smiled faintly. The surrounding fierce ghosts stared in astonishment at the ghost weapon in his hand.
"How did that kid get his hands on a ghost weapon?"
"That's right, how could a mere Yellow Page wield a ghost weapon?"
A wave of doubt rippled through the crowd. Many fierce ghosts stared in confusion as John Chou sheathed his ghost weapon and, for the third time, shouted.
"Anyone got food? Sell me some."
Many fierce ghosts eyed the ghost weapon in John Chou's hand, their mouths practically watering, yet something held them back. Hesitant, they slowly began to encircle him.
Suddenly, John Chou's body radiated a green glow. The ghosts who had drawn near recoiled in terror, scattering in all directions.
"It's a Soul-Grabbing Ghost!"
Someone shouted, and in an instant, the other fierce ghosts fled. Within moments, only Ziyuan and Lanjun remained at the city gate.
"Looks like I helped you out."
Soren Black suddenly appeared behind John Chou. Earlier, I'd seen Soren use ghost threads to envelop John, releasing the unique aura of a Soul-Grabbing Ghost and scaring off the others.
"Thank you for your help, sir. I, Ziyuan, am deeply grateful."
Ziyuan stepped closer, her eyes full of gratitude as she gazed at John Chou. He simply smiled back at her.
"Do you have any food?"
Ziyuan covered her mouth, laughing softly, then produced some steamed buns. John Chou grabbed them and devoured them hungrily.
Ziyuan watched John Chou with a smile, almost entranced, until Lanjun came over and pulled her away.
"Sister, don't get involved with a trickster like him. Strength is strength, weakness is weakness. Hmph, relying on weapons and help from behind—what's that worth?"
After eating, John Chou pulled out some money and offered it to Ziyuan. She reached for it, but Lanjun blocked her.
"A mere Yellow Page—this money must be..."
Suddenly, John Chou raised his hands and stretched.
"Once I get through here, just half a month's journey remains. I'm heading on—what about you?"
John Chou asked, but Soren Black had already vanished. A faint smile appeared on John's lips as he walked toward the city gate.
"Why the panic, everyone?"
A chill wind swept through the gate, accompanied by a strange, raspy voice—old, yet laced with malice.
A flash of green light revealed a hunched old man, hair tied up, leaning on a cane. His left eye drooped with a fleshy tumor, while his right eye gleamed with cruelty. A cold, sinister smile twisted his aged face as he stared at John Chou.
At that moment, the ghosts who had fled returned.
"Master Ghost Spider, this guy is a Soul-Grabbing..."
"Are your eyes on your backsides? Heh, yes, there was a Soul-Grabbing Ghost here, helped this kid, but it's already gone. As for you, boy, heh..."
The Ghost Spider chuckled, stepping closer to John Chou.
"I'll make an exception and let you join my Hundred Ghosts Banquet. Heh."
John Chou gave a cold smile and waved his hand.
"No need—I'm just passing through."
With that, John Chou ignored the Ghost Spider and walked right past him.
The Ghost Spider laughed, his voice dripping with mockery.
"That way leads to a dead end."
John Chou stopped, then with a swift motion, drew the ghost weapon from his back.
"If there's a dead end, I'll carve out a path."
The Ghost Spider burst into laughter, then grinned.
"Kid, do as you please after the Hundred Ghosts Banquet."
John Chou smiled and nodded.
"Alright, since you're so insistent, it would be rude of me to refuse."
With that, John Chou entered the city. The other fierce ghosts looked on, seething with frustration, but with the Ghost Spider's word, none dared act. Yet I saw a glint of malice in the Ghost Spider's eye—directed straight at John Chou.