The passage ahead stretched endlessly, its labyrinthine complexity utterly astonishing. I kept following Susan Zhou, drifting through these corridors, and at the branching points, I saw blocks of many different colors.
"These are markers for each division's entrance. Even if an enemy breaks in, without knowing the way, they can't find us. Many of these corridors are rigged with traps—only the leaders know where each colored passage leads."
I responded with a quiet 'oh' and continued drifting after Susan Zhou. She moved slowly, pausing every so often as if to double-check something. Only after a long while did she finally choose one of the tangled, intersecting corridors ahead.
Susan Zhou told me that these corridors were all a hundred meters underground—a feat almost unbelievable. Crimson Night had spent centuries digging them out.
We had been stopping and starting for nearly two days. Though Susan Zhou possessed a ghost's power, she was still human in this world and needed food and water. By dusk on the second day, I saw a much larger opening ahead, with a beam of intense light streaming in.
"We're here, Fang."
I nodded and followed Susan Zhou, drifting out with her. As soon as we emerged, I realized this was a vast underground space. In the center stood a tower more than ten meters high, with no doors. All around it, buildings crowded together, and there were several large training grounds, packed with people below.
"Lord Zhou has returned!"
A voice blared from a loudspeaker, and the busy people below immediately looked up, cheering. Susan Zhou floated above them, waving, and I followed her, feeling the weight of many curious, suspicious stares on me.
From afar, the tower looked small, but up close, I realized just how massive it was. At the top was a room with glass walls on all sides, with a small opening. I saw Susan Zhou's cheeks flushed, her eyes filled with anticipation.
It was a solitary room atop the tower, its floor covered in dark boards. The furnishings were complete—a broad desk at which a man sat, his back to us, studying something. Beside him stood a wine glass.
As we drew closer, I saw he was a man with white hair falling past his shoulders, dressed in a black suit. The stark white of his hair was striking. We had arrived.
"Night, Fang is here."
Susan Zhou's face was flushed, her head bowed, as she walked over softly.
"Is that so? My apologies. I am the leader of Crimson Night—Night. It's our first meeting, Fang."
At first, I doubted my own eyes, but then I was stunned—shocked, even. The person before me was Luna Quay.
His features were delicate, eyebrows like willow leaves, and his aura was almost feminine. His eyes, dark as obsidian, held a gentle, flowing tenderness, yet his entire presence radiated masculine strength. His voice was magnetic, soothing to the soul.
"Luna Quay?"
I muttered the name. The man before me looked exactly like Luna Quay, his gaze puzzling. He was half a head taller than Susan Zhou, one broad hand resting gently atop her head.
"Xue, you must be tired. Go and rest. You've done well."
Susan Zhou nodded like a little bird, then left happily.
"Fang, this Luna Quay you mentioned—do I really look that much like him?"
I nodded. The devastatingly beautiful face before me could make women blush and men’s hearts race. Aside from Luna Quay, I couldn’t think of another man so elegant, so strikingly handsome and resolute.
As Luna Quay smiled with a gentle breeze-like softness, I shook my head, unable to tear my gaze away from his face, as if being drawn in.
Luna Quay is the chief of the Zombie Moonlight Clan. But the man before me—he isn’t Luna Quay.
"Maybe this isn’t our first meeting, Fang. You always feel familiar to me, and you have a scent about you—very pleasant."
Night spoke as he approached, sniffing the air near me. I stared wide-eyed and quickly stepped back.
"Oh, my apologies, Fang."
Luna Quay spoke as he began to brew tea for me. As I sat down, I pondered—who was this man, really? He looked exactly like Luna Quay: build, aura, face, everything. The only explanation I could think of was that he was Luna Quay’s soul, come here after death.
"Night, do you remember anything from your life before?"
Night smiled faintly, sat down, and nodded.
"Ah, I could never forget. It left a deep mark, you know? Haha. But about this Luna Quay you mentioned—could you tell me more?"
"He’s a zombie."
I answered. Night responded with an 'oh' and gestured for me to continue. I took a sip of tea and looked around; the transparent glass walls seemed to have white flecks inside them.
"It’s to keep Emperor God from finding me. Haha. Fang, to be honest, I was created by Emperor God—I was the first person in this world."
Night’s words immediately caught my attention, and I looked at him.
"Tell me first—this zombie called Luna Quay. In my era, zombies already existed, so it’s not strange to me. Does he really look exactly like me?"
I began to tell him some things about Luna Quay, but left out the matter concerning Ji Yun’er.
"I see. A powerful zombie—could it be that he’s my corpse?"
As Night spoke, I suddenly stood up.
"How did you die?"
"I died in battle, protecting the one I loved. Haha, I still remember that little girl—her name was Ji Yun’er, wasn’t it? Sigh."
I couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion. I’d heard Ji Yun’er’s story from Luban. It was true—while Ji Yun’er was alive, there was a general who helped her country greatly, and the two fell in love. But fate is cruel. To protect Ji Yun’er, the general died in battle. From that moment on, Ji Yun’er began her descent into madness.
"You know Ji Yun’er, right? How... how is she now?"
I nodded. Night leaned forward again, sniffing the air.
"It’s true, Fang. You have Ji Yun’er’s scent on you—just a trace, but it brings back memories. My nose is quite sensitive."
Unable to contain my emotions, I recalled Ji Yun’er’s desperate, haunted expression and the tears that spilled out when she unleashed her instincts against Tan Tian.
"She’s my friend."
I said, looking seriously at Tan Tian. Ji Yun’er once joked that if she hadn’t loved someone else, maybe she would have liked me.
"Is that so? She... Is Ji Yun’er doing alright?"
"She’s more than fine—she’s still in the living world, but she’s become a fearsome ghost."
As I spoke, my eyes widened. Tears began to drip from Night’s eyes, falling steadily.
"That’s good. That’s all I need to hear."
Night’s voice trembled slightly. Gradually, his tears fell like broken pearls, dripping down. I watched him in silence. He was the one Ji Yun’er loved—and he loved her, too.
For a long time, neither of us spoke. Only when Night regained his composure did he finally speak.
"Can you tell me—how did Yun’er die?"
"As long as she’s alive, one day, we’ll meet again."
I said with certainty. Luna Quay nodded. Thinking back, with Ji Yun’er’s character, after her death, no matter how many years passed—even if her country and people needed her—she’d still search for Night. But perhaps, in either the underworld or the living world, Night was nowhere to be found, so Ji Yun’er gave up.
"The reason I founded Crimson Night was to find a way out—whether it’s returning to the underworld or the living world, I just want to go back."
What came to my mind was Li Er’s words—he’d told me that Night and I were somewhat alike. Maybe that’s true. For a single goal, we’d both spend a lifetime chasing it.
"Night, you were the first person Emperor God ever created. What is Emperor God, truly? You must know something."
Night nodded, then bowed to me from where he stood.
"Fang, since it’s you, I will. My true name is Jiang Tianci. In life, I was the General Protector of the Jiang Kingdom. Please, tell me what happened to Yun’er after."
"My name is Ethan Zhang."
I said, taking a sip of tea. Jiang Tianci looked at me seriously. I began to recount Ji Yun’er’s story. Luban had only told me once, but I remembered every word.
I didn’t know how much time had passed. The noise below the tower faded into silence. I finally finished telling Ji Yun’er’s story, and tears still lingered on Jiang Tianci’s face. I reached out and patted his shoulder.
"There will be a way. I’m certain."
"Forgive me, Zhang. I must look ridiculous. I never used to cry so much. Since I was born, this is the most I’ve ever wept."
After Jiang Tianci stood up, he flew out of the opening with a whoosh. Not long after, he returned carrying a huge platter, overflowing with wine and food.
"Come, Zhang. When fate brings us together, we must drink deeply."
I nodded. Jiang Tianci and I each grabbed a wine jar and drank happily together.
"I never imagined Yun’er would still be so mischievous. She was like that in life, and even after death, she hasn’t changed. She never forgot me."
Jiang Tianci said with feeling, his eyes brimming with hope.
During our conversation, I told Jiang Tianci more about Ji Yun’er—especially about the first time I met her, in the Brahma Tower. Jiang Tianci burst out laughing.
"Yun’er always loved to tease people. That hasn’t changed. Emperor God and the other two created this world for some vast purpose. That’s what I’ve discovered in over three thousand years of watching."