The courtyard where Maggie Mute lived was crowded with members of the Henderson Family. Henry Henderson stood silently, gazing at Maggie's room, from which the sounds of sobbing drifted out.
Early this morning, when Maggie Mute got up, she noticed something was wrong with John Chou. Then she discovered the child was no longer breathing, his body chillingly cold.
"What kind of friend did you bring here, Zane Zhuang?"
Henry Henderson roared, but Zane Zhuang was nowhere to be seen.
Sobs echoed all around. Henry Henderson pressed his head, feeling as if the sky and earth were collapsing—John Chou was dead, and the Henderson Family was doomed to extinction.
This was a blow to everyone in the Henderson Family—some grieved, some rejoiced, some worried. Henry Henderson sat in the courtyard, watching Maggie Mute cry; tears streamed down his face, but not a sound escaped his lips.
Henry Henderson had witnessed death countless times, but seeing his beloved grandson dead, he could no longer hold back—tears streamed down his face. Only Zane Zhuang knew what happened last night, and now he had vanished. Though Henry wondered if Zane ran away because he saw John Chou die, he quickly dismissed the thought. He knew Zane well; Zane wanted the child to live more than anyone. He was a childhood friend of Eugene Henderson, and Henry had watched Zane grow up. Zane was not the kind to run from this.
"Grandpa, don’t cry. You still have me!"
A sorrowful little boy walked up to Henry Henderson, seemingly to comfort him. But Henry saw the boy’s parents smirking in the crowd—they were distant relatives from a branch of the family. To Henry, this child was not of true Henderson blood, and he could never accept him. Now, with age catching up and both his sons dead, the only remaining bloodline was gone.
Henry Henderson gave a miserable smile, clutching his chest as blood oozed from the corner of his mouth. He collapsed, unconscious, sending the whole Henderson Family into chaos.
At that moment, Zane Zhuang was hidden within a shroud of green light in the crowd—no one else could see him. Beside him, Three-Eyed silently stared at the lifeless infant before them.
"You’re saying John Chou’s soul hasn’t left his body yet?"
Three-Eyed grunted, still puzzled. Normally, when a child dies, their soul leaves the body immediately and is easily devoured by other ghosts. Since such children haven’t developed intelligence, they become ghost infants after death and cling to their mothers. But to other spirits, a ghost infant is a rare delicacy, bound to attract wild ghosts.
"So what do we do now?"
Zane Zhuang stared gravely at John Chou in Maggie Mute’s arms. Maggie sat helplessly at the doorway, unmoved by anyone’s attempts to comfort her, clutching the breathless, blue-faced John Chou.
Gradually, Zane Zhuang crouched down. The rest were busy tending to the unconscious Henry Henderson—even the servants had left, unwilling to disturb the grieving mother and her lost child.
"Don’t worry, I’ll find a way. I’m sorry."
Three-Eyed spoke, while Zane Zhuang shook his head.
"Let’s try to save a hopeless case."
Right now, Zane Zhuang was thinking about Eugene Henderson’s last words to him. But now, even Eugene’s final bloodline was about to be lost—he had failed to keep his promise to his friend.
As the seconds ticked by, Maggie Mute, her face pale, stood up and walked step by step toward the well in the courtyard. Zane Zhuang’s eyes widened—Three-Eyed instantly dispersed his ghost aura, and Zane dashed forward, grabbing Maggie just as she tried to throw herself and the child into the well.
"Madam, what are you doing?"
Maggie Mute sobbed silently, beating against Zane Zhuang. Her eyes brimmed with sorrow and resentment. Eugene Henderson’s death had already been a heavy blow to her; the only thing that kept her going was the child in her womb. Now, even that hope had been stripped away.
"Madam, I still have a way. Trust me—I’ll save John Chou."
Maggie Mute stared in shock at Zane Zhuang, who nodded at her with determination.
Just then, Three-Eyed seemed to remember something. He quickly instructed Zane Zhuang to tell Maggie not to bury the child and to return to her room. To keep others out, Three-Eyed used his ghost aura to set up a barrier at the door—anyone entering would only see Maggie sleeping, and Maggie herself could not leave the room.
"What do we do now?"
"I won’t help you unconditionally, Zane Zhuang."
Three-Eyed fixed Zane Zhuang with a cold, piercing stare.
"I understand. Tell me, what do you want from me?"
Three-Eyed lowered his head, thinking deeply for a moment before he spoke.
"I need your help. As for what it is, I’ll tell you when I know. You must promise to help me, no matter what."
Zane Zhuang nodded and extended his hand. With a loud slap, their palms met in agreement.
"The only reason I can think of for why John Chou’s soul hasn’t left his body is that he doesn’t want to die."
Zane Zhuang’s eyes widened, then he immediately frowned.
"Who wants to die? Isn’t that obvious?"
Three-Eyed smiled faintly as he continued.
Normally, after a person dies, their three souls and seven spirits leave the body quickly, scattering to different places before reuniting on the seventh day. But a child who dies at birth becomes a ghost infant, clinging to its mother and waiting for a chance to reincarnate. Such ghost infants are filled with resentment, often hoping to consume the soul of the next child their mother bears and take its place. Yet, ghost infants are weak, and their essence is a delicacy for ghosts. Most can’t escape being devoured by malicious spirits, who seek them out to gain power.
But now, Three-Eyed could still see the soul in John Chou’s body—it was sleeping, not yet departed, even though the body was dead and withered. This was the most troubling part. For a newborn to possess such strong willpower, the desire to live kept his soul anchored to the corpse, refusing to leave.
"So what’s the solution?"
Zane Zhuang didn’t wait for Three-Eyed to finish and urged him on.
"We really can’t wait any longer. The only way is to find the Flower of Rebirth."
Zane Zhuang stared at Three-Eyed in confusion.
"That kind of thing only grows by the Bridge of Remorse."
Zane Zhuang’s eyes widened in surprise.
"And I can’t touch it. Only the soul of a living person can. That means you’ll have to go down to the Underworld yourself."
Zane Zhuang gave a grunt of acknowledgment.
"All right."
"This flower has a unique property. I don’t know exactly how it came to be, but among us Blue Wraiths, there are many stories about the Flower of Rebirth. It’s a pure force—if you find it, it should help the infant. The problem is, Hell has changed hands and is now strictly governed. If you go down there carelessly, you’ll be in serious trouble. If anything goes wrong, there’s no coming back, and everything will be lost."
Zane Zhuang grew anxious.
"So what exactly should we do?"
"That’s why you’re so important."
Zane Zhuang looked at Three-Eyed in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"Haven’t you noticed the strength of your soul? It’s far stronger than most people. You must have realized that by now."
Zane Zhuang grunted. Ever since he was a child, he’d been able to see ghosts—and the ghosts always seemed afraid of him. And when he delivered Yixue Han to the Yi family, everything that happened still felt like a dream.
"The only way is to enter the Sanzu Force."
Zane Zhuang looked at Three-Eyed in confusion.
"I once heard from someone who visited the banks of the River of Forgetfulness that the Sanzu Force is now a part of reincarnation—they connect directly to the River. To avoid unnecessary trouble, you must go through the Sanzu Force and reach the Bridge of Remorse, then try to seize the Flower of Rebirth."
"So how do I enter this Sanzu Force you’re talking about?"
Three-Eyed gave a strange smile, then grabbed Zane Zhuang by the shoulder and led him out of the Henderson house. Only when they reached a forested mountain did Three-Eyed finally stop, with Zane looking at him impatiently.
"Tell me, what do I need to do?"
"Dialogue—with the other side of your soul."
Zane Zhuang blinked, completely lost. Suddenly, with a hiss, the third eye on Three-Eyed’s forehead opened, radiating a faint black light.
"You can’t do it on your own, so I’ll help you. From the first time I saw you, I thought you were extraordinary—there’s a power in you I’ve encountered before, back when the Underworld was first established, hundreds of years ago. It’s a unique force, so I remember it clearly."
"Let’s do this!"
Zane Zhuang said, sitting down. Three-Eyed grunted in response.
"Keep your eyes on my third eye."
Zane Zhuang stared intently at the eye on Three-Eyed’s forehead. The black light grew stronger, and Zane felt as if he were falling, his body unable to move.
"Deep within your soul, something is hidden—put there on purpose, I suspect. My job now is to draw it out, and you must do everything you can to make it agree to your plan. If you see it, tell it to find a way to send your soul to the Sanzu Force."
As Three-Eyed finished speaking, Zane Zhuang gradually slipped into unconsciousness.
"You’ve finally come here."
A huge circular platform surrounded by a world of gray. Zane Zhuang looked around, confused, unsure if he was dreaming—his body felt strange.
"Enough with the small talk. Find a way to get me to the Sanzu Force."