Daylight broke once again. I was in Elder Quinn's house, and just as he said, I could feel the heat starting to build in this space.
Elder Quinn told me that for a ghost of my level, this heat would keep rising—at its peak, this place would be like a steam cage. Yet Elder Quinn seemed completely unfazed.
Last night, Elder Quinn and I wandered the city all night, asking if anyone had seen the female ghost Cynthia Chung. But not a single ghost had. Maurice Tong searched the city thoroughly and still couldn’t find any trace of Cynthia. Her remains were still in the dried-up well, so she couldn’t go far—she could only move within a twenty-mile radius. But with such a large area, finding her wouldn’t be easy.
"That woman is already a vengeful spirit. More than ten years ago, she was already a force to be reckoned with."
I looked at Elder Quinn, puzzled.
"She just seemed like a shadow to me, so how..."
But then it hit me—Cynthia Chung had been trapped in that dried-up well for thirteen years. With the seal and the talismans at the well’s mouth, much of her Ghost Aura had been refined away.
"You know, Ethan, once a ghost reaches the vengeful spirit level, their Ghost Aura doesn’t dissipate easily. They even generate their own aura; they can survive for ages without food or drink, and even break the limits of their lifespan. Cynthia was trapped at the bottom of the well for all those years, and much of her Ghost Aura was dissipated by the seal. But when you fed her human flesh, things changed. Human flesh is the easiest thing for a ghost to absorb—it’s their favorite food. But not every ghost can eat it. I only let you eat a little because too much is addictive. And a ghost at your level can’t digest much human flesh."
"What did she do, exactly? Why are you all so afraid when Cynthia Chung is mentioned?"
I was starting to sense that things weren’t so simple, but Elder Quinn still didn’t seem willing to talk.
Stop asking, Ethan. Go inside the house; you'll feel a bit more comfortable.
Sweat was pouring down my body, making me feel sticky like glue. I rushed into the house, and immediately felt cooler. Elder Quinn seemed lost in thought.
Judging by Elder Quinn’s expression, it seemed that my involvement in helping Cynthia break the seal might lead to something terrible.
After that, I saw Elder Quinn head straight outside. Although Yellow Page ghosts aren’t high-level, as long as they don’t stay in the sun for too long, walking under sunlight briefly isn’t a problem.
The heat was getting worse, making me feel even more uncomfortable. I crawled under the bed to lie down, which helped a little. With nothing to do, I closed my eyes to rest and tried to summon my instincts, but apart from my memories, there was nothing inside me.
I’d come to accept that I was just an ordinary Ashen Ghost now. I had no idea how long I’d been lying there—even under the bed, the heat started to seep in. I took deep breaths, feeling like I couldn’t get enough air.
I had no idea what was happening outside. The unbearable heat lasted a long time before it finally started to cool down. It must be getting close to evening.
Gradually, I was able to move again and crawled out from under the bed. After a while, I regained my senses and felt my stomach rumble with hunger. I swallowed, and a delicious aroma reached me—because of the heat, I hadn’t noticed it before. In one of the cabinets in the house, Elder Quinn had left some meat he bought yesterday.
I swallowed and walked over slowly. With a creak, I opened the cabinet—the aroma was overwhelming. My eyes widened and I started to drool. Elder Quinn had already prepared the meat, making it even more fragrant. I couldn’t resist and reached out, but then quickly shut the cabinet and shook my head.
I turned and ran out quickly. Although the aroma still lingered, I had no appetite at all. My body craved food, but my mind had absolutely no desire to eat the meat.
Gradually, I felt cooler—the sun must have set. I stepped outside and immediately heard cries and wails. A funeral procession passed in front of me; some mourners wore sackcloth and white mourning bands. Several simple carts carried corpses, and I saw handprints on the necks, as if they’d been strangled to death.
I swallowed and hurried off. Something was wrong in the city. Along the way, I saw many homes with their doors open, white lanterns hanging, white couplets pasted up, and mourning halls set up inside. I looked around—there wasn’t a single ghost in sight.
As I wondered what was going on, I saw a glimmer of light from the west side of the city. I rushed over, and as I got closer, the air was filled with a scent I hated and feared. Along the way, I saw talismans plastered on doors.
As I got closer, I saw Maurice Tong—he had already set up an altar, and Elder Quinn was there too. From a distance, I saw a stone mill suspended ten meters high, its supporting pole creaking. Below it was a large iron basin full of bones. Next to the stone mill, a bucket was hanging, reeking horribly. I covered my nose and approached slowly.
Ethan, what are you doing out here?
Elder Quinn glanced back at me. Only when I got closer did I realize the bucket next to the stone mill was full of excrement.
Maurice, will this work? What if Cynthia refuses? Are you really going to smash her bones and pour excrement over them so she can never rise again? If you do that, you’ll be finished.
Maurice Tong said nothing, holding his compass and scanning the surroundings. Elder Quinn floated over to me.
You’d better stay away from this, Ethan. One wrong move and you could get hurt.
I shook my head.
Elder Quinn, tell me what’s going on. I saw a lot of people dead in the city.
It was Cynthia. In just a few hours, she devoured many souls and killed a lot of ghosts. That’s why, when they learned Cynthia was out, most ghosts fled. You’d better hurry back.
I stared blankly at Maurice Tong. His expression was grim as I walked over.
Master, can you tell me what exactly happened?
Just then, a fierce wind swept by. Elder Quinn grabbed my collar and dragged me into an alley.
With a whoosh, I saw a flash of bright red—it was Cynthia. She wore a red dress, red lips, her long hair pinned up, nails slightly blackened, and a sinister, gloomy smile as she landed in front of the altar.
With a swishing sound, three glowing copper coins flew toward Cynthia. She casually blocked them, and with a crack, the coins scattered. Maurice Tong raised his peach wood sword, pointing it at Cynthia.
Listen, Cynthia. If you know what’s good for you, stop causing trouble. I’ll pretend last night never happened. Tomorrow morning, I’ll take your bones and help you leave this place. You can choose where to go. Otherwise, tonight I’ll smash your bones and pour excrement over them so you’ll never rise again.
Cynthia kept her eyes on the stone mill suspended behind Maurice Tong, laughing sharply. Then she floated in midair, her gaze icy as she stared at Maurice.
Priest, I’m sure you know my story. So let’s mind our own business. It’s simple—I’m hungry, so I’ll find a few people for a fresh meal. Now, I run this city. If you’re smart, bury my bones properly and I’ll spare your life.
Cynthia looked disdainfully at Maurice Tong. Maurice glanced over at us, signaling with his eyes. With a whoosh, Elder Quinn flew over, hovering by the rope, reaching out as if to break it.
So you have help. Not bad. You two—old ghost, this isn’t your business. You’d better be careful.
In that instant, I felt a surge of malice from Cynthia—clear and unmistakable in my mind.
Cynthia, you’ve already had your revenge. There’s no need to keep doing evil. Even ghosts should act like ghosts. You…
Old ghost, you call yourself a ghost? Don’t make me laugh. I’m not the same as before. Maurice, old ghost, are you two planning to die here tonight?
Cynthia glared viciously at them. I saw Elder Quinn was afraid. Unable to stand it any longer, I stepped forward. I sensed a surge of Ghost Qi right below Elder Quinn, but he hadn’t noticed.
Wait.
Three pairs of eyes turned to me.
Brother, thank you for yesterday. If it weren’t for that piece of meat you gave me, I wouldn’t have gotten out.
Maurice Tong shot me a sideways glare. I stared silently at Cynthia.
Didn’t you get your revenge? Why do you have to keep…
Cynthia played with her hair, twisting it around her finger, looking at us with annoyance.
Yes, I got my revenge. But I’m a ghost, aren’t I? Of course I want to eat people, of course I want to do evil—isn’t that natural? My power has grown stronger, maybe I’m even closer to becoming a Blue Wraith. What do you think? Impressive, right?
As Cynthia spoke, she suddenly waved her hand. A stream of green mist drifted from her body, and instantly Maurice Tong and Elder Quinn looked even more terrified.
I’m not joking. You’d better do as I say, or else…
Cynthia fell silent for a moment, then suddenly vanished.
Do it.
Maurice Tong shouted. Elder Quinn reached for the rope. With a tearing sound, my eyes widened—Elder Quinn whimpered in pain as he turned around. Cynthia’s black nails had pierced his chest, shredding his ghost soul.
Wait…
I didn’t even have time to speak before a blast of Ghost Qi sent me flying. When I stopped, Elder Quinn had already turned to ash.