We've been silent for who knows how many days now. The five of us—except for Mr. Chen, who always wears a smile—the rest of us look perpetually worried and downcast.
"Ethan..."
Lily Wu called out to me. I didn't know how to respond to her. Maybe I just didn't want to talk to her.
"Are you angry with me?"
Lily Wu's gentle voice drifted into my ears, impossibly soft, knocking at my heart again and again.
My head was buzzing. At that moment, Nathan Li walked over and suddenly grabbed me, pulling me up. I glared at him—Nathan and I have known each other since middle school.
"That night, I asked you, Ethan. If you don't want her, then let me have her. Don't drag her down. But you said nothing. You clearly like her, yet you refuse to make even the smallest compromise. Ethan Zhang, look at me."
Nathan Li's expression made me angry, but it also hurt.
I hung my head, but inside, my anger only grew stronger. Suddenly, I shoved Nathan Li away.
"You know—You know exactly why. Why I did it, why... I just wanted..."
You want to prove yourself, right? Prove you can do it on your own, show you're no worse than anyone else. You refused my help, refused Howard Zhang's help—who do you think you are, Ethan Zhang?
Suddenly, Nathan Li threw a punch, hitting me in the face. Instantly, black blood started flowing. I raised my fist and punched him back. His head snapped down with a crack, hanging by a strip of skin.
"Stop fighting!"
Lily Wu cried out. Mr. Chen also came over to stop us, but Nathan Li and I were already brawling. I was furious—furious at him for taking advantage of me, for what he did with Lily Wu after our big argument.
During the fight, I was no match for Nathan Li. He easily pinned me to the ground, punching me again and again. No matter how Mr. Chen, Lily Wu, or Rainie Mo tried to stop us, we kept grappling and beating each other.
"You were the one who gave up. If you really wanted her, you should've solved all the problems. Ethan Zhang, can you really say you did nothing wrong?"
Nathan Li roared. I struggled, my anger building until I suddenly screamed. Black energy erupted from me, flinging Nathan Li aside with a bang. The dark surge slammed into the cell bars, blasting a huge hole.
For a moment, all of us ghosts felt hope. With a whoosh, Mr. Chen floated out through the hole, brushing the cell bars. He grimaced as a sizzling sound erupted—his left arm instantly charred black.
"Be careful when you get out. If anything happens, we'll deal with it once we're free."
One by one, we squeezed through the small hole—only big enough for one person at a time. Outside, the narrow corridor stretched into darkness, with no end in sight.
"Mr. Chen, I remember we walked left, but somehow, even though there was a road ahead, I suddenly ended up in front of a house."
"Let's go right."
Mr. Chen said, leading the way to the right. He explained that the Ghost Syndicate uses magic to create invisible passageways—real, but unseen. Each member has a curse mark that lets them enter these special paths.
"Mr. Chen, you seem to know a lot about the Ghost Syndicate."
Nathan Li asked, puzzled. But Mr. Chen just looked melancholy.
"After all, I died so long ago, your combined ages can't compare. I used to be a barefoot Taoist, you know."
I gasped, staring at Mr. Chen in surprise. He walked on, explaining: a barefoot Taoist is someone without a master, relying on their own skills to learn some Daoist arts. They can use them, but they're not very powerful—certainly not enough to handle fierce ghosts.
We walked for a long time, at least half an hour. All around us were cells, some packed with ghosts, some empty. It felt like we were traveling down a passage that stretched on forever.
"Is this place some kind of maze?"
Rainie Mo asked. I sighed. Mr. Chen stopped and looked at me.
"Ethan, you're special. What you just released was Deathbane Aura. It's food for ghosts, but ordinary ghosts can't touch it. Try using your Deathbane Aura to break open the other cells, then we can go back inside and blast through the walls. Give it a shot."
I responded, but I had no idea what to do. Figuring out how to use Deathbane Aura was a huge problem. No matter how I tried, I couldn't summon it.
Everyone's hopes seemed pinned on me. I was scared, conflicted inside. I raised my hand, trying to recall everything that had just happened.
"Think carefully, Ethan. How did you release the Deathbane Aura just now?"
Mr. Chen waited patiently nearby. Suddenly, Nathan Li grabbed Lily Wu from behind, giving me a contemptuous look.
All at once, my eyes widened and Deathbane Aura surged out from my body.
"Is it anger?"
Nathan Li let go of Lily Wu. I was startled—he'd always been clever. I focused on the feeling of anger, on Lily Wu and Nathan Li. Suddenly, I raised my hand and released the gathered Deathbane Aura toward a nearby cell.
With a thunderous crash, the cell next to us was blasted open, even the wall shattered, revealing the moonlight. Instantly, all five of us cheered and floated inside.
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One by one, we slipped through the hole in the wall and emerged outside.
It was strange. In the distance, a brightly lit mountain loomed, while all around us stretched a dense forest. Farther off to our right, I thought I saw an ancient city.
We entered the woods, and immediately, all of us started shivering.
"It's Yin Energy—very strong here. Adjust your breathing and don't inhale too much, or your ghost soul won't be able to take it. You'll die."
It kept getting colder. The chill made every step difficult as we struggled through the forest of twisted trees. The ground was treacherous, and there were pools everywhere. Mr. Chen warned us that the pools were formed from excess Yin Energy—never step in them.
Just then, Lily Wu stumbled and, with a cry, stepped into one of the pools. Instantly, it grabbed her, pulling her down. I grabbed her and pulled with all my strength.
"Help me!"
Mr. Chen called out, and the others rushed over. After a frantic struggle, we finally dragged Lily Wu out of the black pool. But her feet had turned pitch black—and then, with a crack, they vanished.
"Let me carry you."
I said, lifting Lily Wu onto my back. It felt just like old times—back in college, after a day of walking in high heels, she'd be exhausted, and I'd always carry her home.
Lily Wu gently leaned against my shoulder. Somehow, the resentment in my heart faded away, replaced by happiness.
"Ethan Zhang, don't get too happy. Watch your step."
Nathan Li warned me. I stopped just in time, almost stepping into another black pool. Here, we couldn't float—everything felt heavy, almost suffocating.
Suddenly, black winds whipped around us, eerie and strange. We stopped, and white shadows appeared all around.
"Ghosts."
Mr. Chen said, looking around anxiously before shouting.
"Get up in the tree!"
We scrambled up two twisted, intertwined trees. The branches were huge, tangled together.
Strangely, once we were in the trees, the feeling of black Yin Energy invading our bodies disappeared. Everyone noticed. I held onto Lily Wu, looking down at the white ghosts below, standing motionless in the forest.
"I'll go down and try."
Nathan Li spoke, but Mr. Chen immediately stopped him.
"Better not. Who knows what's up with this forest—it's weird."
Just then, sounds echoed from afar. We moved closer to the thickest branches. In the night, our vision was sharp—we spotted two figures in black hats heading our way.
"Ugh, my client is such a hassle. But the price is good—six million. I need to find quality materials."
"You're lucky. My client is a cheapskate, only willing to pay two million. Two million for a good ghost? What a joke."
The two Ghost Syndicate members lingered near us, weaving through the ghosts before finally leaving. We breathed a sigh of relief, all eyes turning to the brightly lit mountain.
"Let's head over there. Maybe we'll find a way out."
Mr. Chen said, and we all nodded. At this point, it was our only option.
Once we were sure the Ghost Syndicate members were gone, the white ghosts on the ground slowly vanished. Then, in my mind, I suddenly heard a cold, sinister laugh.