Afterwards, Kane began to travel with Mr. Wraithshade throughout the mortal world, accompanied by a lively and beautiful girl of about ten years old.
Though Kane spent his days thinking about the matters of the teahouse and Mr. Wraithshade’s words, he could not suppress his craving and impulse to eat humans. One night, while Mr. Wraithshade was away, Kane reached out toward the girl who traveled with them.
The girl’s name was Yara. Kane had heard Mr. Wraithshade call her that. As Yara slept, unaware, Kane gently picked her up. Gazing at her delicate, tender body, Kane could barely restrain himself. Fearing Mr. Wraithshade, he took Yara farther away, intending to claim she’d run off to play and got lost when Mr. Wraithshade returned.
Unable to control his hunger for human flesh, Kane bared his fangs at Yara, wanting to devour her whole, bones and all. But just then, Yara woke up and stared at Kane. Kane, burning with hunger, hesitated, his mind filled with memories of Yara clinging to him, begging for stories.
Along the journey, Kane had told Yara many stories—tales he’d overheard from teahouse chatter. Yara grew fearful, looking at Kane with terror, while Kane merely stared, mouth agape.
Yara had always been beautiful since childhood, her face as enchanting as a fox spirit. Her parents sold her to a brothel for a good sum. Later, she met Mr. Wraithshade and began to follow him.
"Are you going to eat me?" Yara seemed to grasp Kane’s intent, her voice trembling. Kane was torn, struggling inside. He wanted to devour Yara, but something within him resisted. Finally, Kane set Yara down and led her back to their lodgings.
For several days, Kane fought to suppress his urge to eat humans, living in constant fear. Mr. Wraithshade said nothing, and Yara never spoke of that night.
One night, when Mr. Wraithshade went out again, Kane, as if possessed, seized Yara. The urge he’d suppressed for days erupted fully—this time, he opened his mouth, intending to swallow Yara whole.
But as he was about to devour her, Yara wrapped her arms around Kane and started to cry. She kept saying that if he truly couldn’t resist, he should eat her; even if her body died, her soul would remain and she could continue to learn from Mr. Wraithshade. Yara had also heard Kane’s story.
Yet that night, something changed in Kane’s heart. He let go of Yara, did not eat her, and when they returned, Mr. Wraithshade was already waiting.
Kane hung his head in silence. Mr. Wraithshade smiled and told Kane, "This is what it means to be human. You laugh when you’re happy, you cry when you’re sad." From then on, the urge to eat humans remained, but gradually, Kane suppressed it. Now, when he saw people, he felt no attraction at all.
After Kane finished telling this part of his story, everyone among us fell silent. That girl called Yara must have been Poison Dreadstar.
"Was she Poison Dreadstar?"
Kane nodded, nostalgia written all over his face.
"I haven’t seen Yara in so many years. Sigh."
"Let’s go. Let’s hunt those many-handed monsters quickly, then leave. If they still want to act like this, we won’t show mercy."
We reached the edge of the swamp. Along the way, I had already taught them how to use ghost energy. I sat quietly on the ground while the others jostled, eager to take action. But Isabelle Frost stepped forward.
"One is enough for me. Hurry up, Fang."
I responded with an "Oh," and the others stepped back. It was clear Isabelle Frost was in a bad mood.
"Those ruled by desire cannot be called ghosts—not even close. They're nothing but beasts resembling ghosts. But you’re not like them, Kane. You are a ghost."
My Specter Web began to pierce into Isabelle Frost’s body. As the power of coexistence flowed in, a faint green light emerged on her skin. The glow grew stronger, and in an instant, a powerful ghost energy erupted.
A tinkling sound echoed as Red Spider Lilies sprouted in the black mire. But the lilies began to wither, and soon bubbles rose from the swamp—something was stirring both near and far.
It was the Swamp Behemoths. One after another, they emerged—but they were dead. As soon as these Swamp Behemoths reached the edge of the mire, they died, collapsing on the ground.
More and more appeared—eventually, ninety-nine Swamp Behemoths lay dead at the forest’s edge and along the mire. Not one moved. I swallowed and withdrew my Specter Web.
"Let’s go back. It’s done. There’s no need to waste time on these beasts."
Isabelle Frost spoke, and we all followed her.
When we returned to the fortress, Yuki Nightshade and all the Wraith Enforcers were stunned. Everyone gathered around me.
"Let me do it this time, Fang. If anything goes wrong, as long as I use my power, these ghosts—at this level—will turn to ash the moment they approach my curse-killing force."
Deathcurse spoke with conviction. But at that moment, Felix Zhou, who had been taken hostage, and the Wraith Enforcers sent to investigate hadn’t returned yet. Everything was at a standstill.
I was surrounded, and sharp blades were pressed against Felix Zhou’s neck. He looked at us with a mournful expression.
"Hey, hey, how can you go back on your word?"
Black Moon spoke, and Yuki Nightshade laughed—a sharp, piercing sound.
"It was never meant to count, so of course it doesn’t. I just hope we can work together well in the future. Everyone wants the same thing—help us hunt the beasts, and that boy’s life will be your bargaining chip."
The Wraith Enforcers who went to investigate returned, and all of them grew excited, heading to the edge of the mire to haul away the dead Swamp Behemoths.
The scene suddenly fell into deadlock. As expected, the Wraith Enforcers’ words were completely unreliable; communication was impossible. But now the key issue was that Felix Zhou had been taken hostage. The range for using ghost energy was only ten meters, and the Wraith Enforcers, clever as they were, quickly saw through our strategy.
"Fang, I suppose they’re so formidable thanks to you. As long as we don’t get too close, your power can’t reach us."
The Wraith Enforcers are clever ghosts, but there’s no way around it. Beyond ten meters, our power becomes useless. That’s the limit for all of us.
Large groups of excited Wraith Enforcers headed for the edge of the mire, leaving only a hundred or so behind. They surrounded Felix Zhou, keeping a great distance from us.
"So? Not bad, right? If you wipe out everything here stronger than us, you can leave. When I say I’ll keep my word, I mean it."
I glared at Yuki Nightshade in anger, but the air was thick with unease. A large group of Wraith Enforcers returned, terrified, empty-handed.
"It’s bad, Lady Yuki! A swarm of Swamp Behemoths suddenly appeared and left the mire—they’re heading straight for us."
In the distance, thunderous rumbling echoed—the Swamp Behemoths, moving in packs, towering above the spikes. Through the gaps, I could see their numbers were overwhelming. I felt waves of anger in the wind as it swept toward us.
"It seems it’s not just the Wraith Enforcers who have consciousness—the Swamp Behemoths might as well."
Yuki Nightshade was visibly terrified. We could now see the Swamp Behemoths moving slowly, destroying swathes of forest. In at most half an hour, they would reach us.
The Wraith Enforcers grabbed their weapons, and in the distant sky, black dots appeared. They grew closer—birds with crocodile-like jaws and raven bodies, circling in great flocks.
"What do we do, Lady Yuki? The Raven Crocs are gathering. We might be attacked from both sides."
Yuki Nightshade began to command, telling all the Wraith Enforcers to arm themselves and prepare for battle.
Felix Zhou was freed. He ran happily over to us, as if finally safe, letting out a sigh of relief before sitting down.
"Get ready to leave. None of this concerns us."
Deathcurse spoke, and most people nodded, but Kane stayed where he was, fists clenched, hesitating, his face conflicted.
The forest erupted in chaos—beasts of all kinds seemed to awaken and head our way.
"They’re doomed, those wretched creatures."
Cao Wanzhi spat as he spoke.
At that moment, Kane suddenly knelt before us.
"Fang, everyone, please—I beg you, help them."
"Hey, hey, are you out of your mind? These guys..."
Just as Black Moon spoke, I stepped forward, raising my hand to stop him.
"What do you think of them, Kane?"
"They—they’re my kin. No matter how bad they are, they’re still my kin. I can’t just stand by and watch the Wraith Enforcers perish."