"Where's Claire Zhang's photo?" I asked anxiously. With a sudden rush, my shadow stood upright, and I began searching everywhere. I found many photos scattered on the table, but throughout my search, I never found Claire Zhang's photo.
"Those photos shouldn't be here. When I came in, I didn't see any at all."
I searched carefully, turning the room upside down, but still couldn't find the photo. Just then, I realized there was no photo of Hugh Thompson here, which puzzled me.
If Hugh Thompson killed his childhood friend, Dr. Liam Chen, because Cao Wanzhi created an illusion for him to carry out the act and take the blame, then there should be a photo of Hugh Thompson here. For a moment, I couldn't make sense of it.
Why isn't there a photo of Hugh Thompson here? Instead, I found a photo of myself. I held it in my hand and looked closely. The more I looked, the more unsettling it felt, because this photo was taken years ago, before I ever encountered John Chou. It was a student portrait taken at a photo studio. I stared at it carefully.
In the photo, I looked extremely young, my face still naïve. I remembered it was taken when I started university. Why was it here?
"Heh, finally found it, Zachary Young. Heh."
My shadow started laughing. This photo was found by accident on the shelf while searching for Claire Zhang's photo.
"What's going on?"
"You've always lacked the most important part of being a ghost."
I stared in shock at my shadow. His eyes glimmered with light, fixed on the image of me in the photograph.
"What on earth is happening?"
At that moment, I saw my shadow, and in those golden eyes, there was a surge of excitement.
"Let's wash away your photo first, Ethan Zhang."
I nodded, glancing once more at the photo. I couldn't recall where it had been taken; my memory was hazy. Stepping to the white bucket filled with green liquid, I tossed my photo inside.
"Go inside now, Ethan Zhang. Heh heh."
Without hesitation, I focused my mind. Gradually, darkness crept into my vision. Suddenly, I snapped awake, and as I opened my eyes, I was stunned.
As soon as I entered, I felt a surge of power restored within me. The Wailing Ghost and Resentful Ghost danced with wild abandon, leaping about. Then, rain began to pour from the sky—black and white droplets fell to the ground, but when they struck my body, I felt nothing at all.
"Finally, I've returned. Heh heh, now I understand why it all happened."
My shadow burst into wild laughter, throwing his hands in the air as if reveling in a harvest of rain. He somersaulted with joy.
Spirit Snake and Vermilion Bird seemed uncomfortable, especially Vermilion Bird. The black and white raindrops fell on him, and he looked visibly displeased.
"Zachary Young, control your instincts. Take a good look for yourself."
Vermilion Bird spoke, but I didn't notice any change.
"What's going on?"
"Hey, look closely at the raindrops."
Spirit Snake sighed and spoke from the side. I glanced around, sensing something was off—the black raindrops far outnumbered the white ones.
"Hurry up. Though we've temporarily become your ghost spirits, we're still fundamentally yang in nature. Your ghost side is so heavy with Yin energy that, if this continues, we won't be able to stand it. So, get moving."
I replied with an awkward "Oh" and scratched my head.
"What should I do?"
Just then, a hand pressed down on my shoulder—it was my shadow, its eyes filled with expectation as it looked at me.
"Well, Zachary Young, why not take this chance and decisively kill yourself? Just become a ghost—wouldn't that be great?"
"Forget it."
I blurted out the two words without hesitation.
"By the way, you said I was missing something important for a ghost—what exactly is it?"
I asked, looking at my shadow. At that moment, my shadow pointed to Vermilion Bird behind me.
"Ask him. He should know."
I turned my head and looked at Vermilion Bird, searching for answers.
"It's Yin energy, Zachary Young. Your innate Sha energy comes from your unique fate—the Sevenfold Sha. So you naturally carry Sha energy. But your ghost side isn't that strong; haven't you noticed? All this time, you've never harmed your friends, right? Ever since university."
My heart skipped a beat in shock. It was true—when I was a child, I had almost no friends, and my childhood was full of ghostly encounters. Even after Zhang Wuju, my father's friend, prayed for me and gave me a golden talisman, saving me, I could no longer see ghosts.
But as I gradually learned more about ghosts and the world of magic, I realized that back then, his method only completely suppressed the ghostly power in my body. That's why I couldn't see ghosts anymore. Yet, I still vaguely remember everything that happened after, and why I had no friends.
From childhood to adulthood, my only friend was my cousin.
When I started middle school, I did have a good friend—Li Nan. But after a few accidents happened to him while hanging out with me, though nothing life-threatening, he often got sick. Eventually, Li Nan transferred schools, but we still kept in touch.
I recalled that after that, I was with many people, but it seemed like bad luck followed those around me. Over time, people distanced themselves, except for my cousin. For him, everything about me seemed to have no effect at all.
Both Master Jianyun and Master Mingde said my cousin had an exceptionally deep Buddhist affinity. If he became a monk, he could become a truly enlightened master. That's why nothing about me ever affected him.
All these things that happened are inscribed on the path I've walked. Thinking about it now, I realize that every time I turned into a ghost, I never really hurt anyone.
Ghosts can use Yin energy from a distance—to create water, move objects, or turn the ground into a mire. But you've never done any of that, Zachary Young. You don't have Yin energy.
I looked at Vermilion Bird in astonishment. It was true—since university, my life had gone smoothly, I made many friends, and even got to know my caring homeroom teacher, Mr. Qian Jiaming. None of them were affected by me, including Wu Xiaoli.
"So, does that mean Cao Wanzhi actually helped me?"
I stared in astonishment, my eyes wide.
"Maybe it was a lucky accident."
Spirit Snake spoke, but my shadow looked disgusted.
"Hmph. Zachary Young, Yin energy is essential for ghosts, but yours unconsciously transforms into Sha energy, making it completely useless. Think about it—why is that? Cao Wanzhi took a part of you, just like he steals normal people's Yang life. Ghosts have Yin life, and that Yin energy is the source of it. No wonder he could become a ghost marshal and master a ghost domain so quickly."
My shadow's explanation made sense. Still, for some reason, I felt grateful to Cao Wanzhi. If not for him, I might have remained lonely in college, knowing no one except my cousin.
"Whether he saved you or not, Zachary Young, hurry and use your instincts."
Vermilion Bird urged me again, and I nodded, sitting cross-legged on the ground. Gradually, I began to sense everything in this place. The white part started to fade—that was my human side. The black part grew stronger.
"What do you truly desire, Zachary Young? Answer me."
"What I hope for is coexistence between humans and ghosts. I've said this before."
I answered, then used my mind to gradually separate the intertwined black and white space, instead of merging them. Slowly, the world around me began to change.
Except for the places where black and white intermingled, the left was all white, the right all black. I began to understand why this was happening—my human right hand and left foot had completely vanished. That was the reason—my body was no longer balanced between human and ghost.
"Let's leave it like this for now, Zachary Young. At least your powers are gathered together—even if you can't balance the darkness, you can at least hold it off."
Vermilion Bird looked relaxed. On the black side, the black rain kept falling, and the Wailing Ghost and Resentful Ghost leapt about more joyfully than ever.
"Now things are much better, Zachary Young. Your ghost side's Yin energy has fully returned. As long as you stay alive, you can keep transforming it into Sha energy as your power. Once you get out, you'll have the strength to face that guy."
I nodded. My strength was gradually returning—slowly, but surely, my ghost soul was being filled again.
"Alright, go out and get used to it, Zachary Young. Your hands and feet might feel a little different now."
My shadow said this, and I nodded, then began to lose consciousness in this space.
The moment I stepped outside, I looked at my hands and feet in surprise—they seemed restored. I was overjoyed, but just as I tried to stand, my left foot suddenly turned to smoke and my whole body collapsed to the ground. When I tried to support myself with my right hand, it was gone too. I landed hard on the floor.
It was fake. I was shocked to discover that my right hand and left foot were only constructs of Sha energy. I stared in disbelief.