"Bro, did you see anything tonight?"
John Chou walked over and asked, and I just let out a surprised sound.
"What?" I stared at him in confusion. He patted my shoulder, sighed, and then glanced at Rachel Lan beside me.
I turned my head and saw Rachel Lan looking dazed, clearly lost in thought.
He patted my shoulder, sighed, and then glanced at Rachel Lan beside me.
"Alright, we're here." As we talked, we arrived near Skyview Technical University. After parking, we headed to Drunken Alley Barbecue, where the street was packed with people.
Hugh Thompson invited me to grab a bite to eat. Howard Lee would be there too, and the place was near Skyview Technical University, not far from us.
Rachel Lan and I left the apartment building. She still looked serious.
"What's wrong?"
"Ethan, after such an intense battle, you didn't feel anything at all?"
I let out a surprised sound and looked at Rachel Lan.
"It was intense, sure, but at our level, we'd never reach that in a lifetime, right?"
"Experience, thought, tactical analysis—those two didn't miss a thing. John Chou said Yuna Ji had forgotten her combat instincts, but I don't think that's it. Her power hasn't recovered yet. Tonight, Yuna Ji had the edge. She's a woman, but she seems used to fighting."
Rachel Lan said this, but I couldn't see any of it. All I felt was amazement and surprise.
"If those skeletons had attacked together, John Chou wouldn't have stood a chance with his current strength. Even from outside the ghost domain, I could clearly sense those nine skeletons were formidable."
"Alright, we're here." As we spoke, we arrived near University Town. After parking, we headed to Drunken Alley Barbecue. The street was crowded.
On the third floor, Hugh Thompson and Howard Lee were already waiting, sipping tea.
"Ethan, is your injury alright?"
I twitched.
"After a nap, I feel much better."
Today, Howard Lee and Hugh Thompson escorted Lily Qian and her family back home. Once there, they spoke candidly with my teacher, James Qian, about Lily, holding nothing back.
"What are you guys doing?" I glared at them angrily.
"Ethan, that girl is a bit special," Howard Lee said.
"I've checked her birth chart. She was born on Ghost Festival, and she's been able to see ghosts since she was little. She's an outlier."
I fell silent.
We've already spoken with her parents. She'll join the Ghost Burial Squad before finishing high school, and after graduation, she'll enter the squad directly.
I sighed and said nothing.
"What did Mr. Qian say?"
"Your teacher is reasonable. He said to let his daughter choose for herself. So we're waiting here to see if the girl wants to accept this or return to a normal life. If she pretends not to see, over time, except during Ghost Festival, she probably won't see those things anymore."
Howard Lee said this. I lowered my head. It was undoubtedly a hard choice. Thinking of myself, I felt Lily should live a normal life and forget about all this.
Tonight, my appetite was especially good. I even had some beer and couldn't stop eating.
"Ethan, how many days have you gone without eating?"
Rachel Lan started laughing and brought up the story of the human meat buns—an old urban legend about buns supposedly filled with human flesh. Hugh Thompson and Howard Lee burst out laughing too.
"Didn't expect that Blue Wraith is with you now. But it's fine; under the eyes of two Wraith Lords, it won't cause trouble."
Howard Lee said, and I nodded. Thinking of Evan Zhao made me smile—he'd become John Chou and Yuna Ji's errand boy, always running errands, serving tea, and cleaning rooms whenever they called.
Time ticked by. Midnight was the deadline. If Lily Qian came, it meant she wanted to step into this world. If not, it meant she wanted a normal life.
We kept waiting. At 11:30, Lily Qian suddenly rushed in.
"Sorry, Ethan, uncles, I'm late."
Lily Qian said, sitting down.
"Xiao Ling, are you really planning to..."
Lily Qian looked up at me and nodded seriously.
"Ethan, do you remember when you came to my house as a kid? I asked why you brought someone else in, but you had no idea and said I was just groggy from sleep."
I made a sound of surprise and remembered. It was my third time visiting my teacher's house after starting college. As soon as I entered, Lily looked at me in panic. Thinking back now, she was actually looking behind me.
"Back then, I could sense it—Ethan, you must be like me. Didn't I ask you several times if you believed in ghosts?"
I sighed and nodded.
"It's a long story. Xiao Ling, are you really planning to join the Ghost Burial Squad after high school?"
"Yes. I think it's fate that I can see these things—not just by chance. Since I nearly died once, I might as well face it. Besides, these two uncles told me there are lots of benefits and the pay is good. My allowance is pitiful. At least I'll get an intern wage every month, and on weekends I just need to go to the squad headquarters to learn."
"What about your studies?"
I asked, and Lily Qian laughed.
"Doesn't matter. High school is so stressful—I can't take it anymore. School feels like being a robot: classes, homework, sleep. Seeing ghosts is my strength, so I'll make it my job."
I glared at Hugh Thompson and Howard Lee.
"You two—didn't you tell her about the dangers? You..."
"It's okay, Ethan." Rachel Lan pulled me aside and continued.
"This girl isn't as fragile as you think. She's strong. Don't judge her just because she's a girl. After all she's been through, even bigger storms won't shake her. Isn't that right, Ethan?"
I nodded awkwardly, looking at Rachel Lan. She's a woman too, but far stronger than I imagined. All these years, without parents, dealing with ghosts—she made it through.
Afterward, we escorted Lily Qian to the university gate. I planned to visit my teacher again in a few days.
Around 1 a.m., we returned to the apartment building.
"Tomorrow, I'm going home to see my parents."
Rachel Lan looked at me.
"I'll go by myself."
Early the next morning, around seven, I got up, cooked a bowl of noodles, ate, and left the apartment building.
Yuna Ji was sitting alone in the pavilion, watching her TV series and giggling. None of the others were around. I walked over.
"By the way, about that..."
"What is it? Go ahead, Ethan."
"Can you bring Redmane out of Exile Town?" I asked. Yuna Ji smiled and replied with three words.
"Impossible."
"He's helped me a lot, and..."
"There's no 'and', Ethan. Remember, that guy is no good—he thrives on chaos. It's best not to let him out."
I nodded and walked away. So, there was no hope. Yuna Ji would never go back to bring Redmane out. But then again, Redmane is a Wraith Lord—maybe, given time, there will be a way.
My parents live far away, in the northwest part of the city, at Noble Court Residence—a luxury complex developed by my uncle, Howard Zhang's father. That's how our family could afford a place there at a low price.
I got on bus 113, checked the route and stops—at least twenty-eight stations before I'd arrive.
I spent the whole day on the road, just bought some pastries to eat. I'd already called my father, Jack Zhang, beforehand.
As night fell, around seven, I arrived at the residential complex. It had been ages since I'd come back. The tidy greenbelts and gardens in every block looked almost new, even after eight or nine years.
There were new buildings too—a whole stretch of them. I could hardly recognize the place. Back in college, I only came home during long holidays.
I heard my mom had gone to my uncle's house because of my cousin. My aunt was heartbroken, so my mom went to keep her company for a while.
I found Building 3, took the elevator to Room 509, and rang the doorbell.
"Ethan, you're finally home!" My father came rushing out as soon as the door opened, pulling me inside. I hadn't been home in nearly half a year, but nothing had changed.
"Dinner's almost ready. I made your favorite braised fish. Just wait a bit."
My dad is over fifty now, with gray hair at his temples. He retired two years ago and used to nag about grandkids. Ever since the incident with Lily Wu, he and my mom haven't mentioned it again.
I relaxed on the sofa, then went to my bedroom. It was unchanged—a small bookshelf with lots of novels, a desk, a wardrobe, and my childhood toy box.
I looked around, feeling nostalgic. Then I spotted a thick book on the shelf. I picked it up in surprise—four gold-embossed characters: 'Horror Stories.' The cover was black.
"When did I get a book like this?"
"Ethan, dinner's ready!" The book felt odd, but when Dad called me, I went out.
"Ethan, it's a shame about Lily, but you can't live in the past forever. Isn't it time you found a girl and got married?"
"Dad, let's just eat. Drop it."
"You seem in good spirits, though. By the way, someone came by to return a book they borrowed from you—a horror story."