With a loud bang, Justin Huang and I spun around and rushed over, while Hugh Thompson just kept smiling calmly, saying nothing. I found it odd—Hugh Thompson’s attitude tonight was unusual.
“Ha! The Buddha Statue of Visions—I'm taking it with me.”
As soon as I entered, I saw Victor Chen clutching my cousin in his hand. I roared, clenching my fists, and in an instant, flames erupted over my entire body.
“Give me back my cousin, damn it!”
A burst of golden light flared beneath Victor Chen’s feet. I vaguely saw strings of Sanskrit, and in a flash, he vanished from sight. I charged forward, the flames on my body surging higher—my rage was about to make me snap.
“Ethan, it’s fine. That’s a fake.”
In that instant, I heard Hugh Thompson’s voice and calmed down a little. The flames on my body extinguished.
“That hurts like hell! Ethan, watch it, will you? You’re human again now—I can’t handle your yang energy.”
I let out a surprised sound and looked at Justin Huang with resentment. Why was he, like Ruo Fei Huangfu, saying I’d turned human again?
“Damn it, I am human, all right?”
Master Jianyun walked in slowly. Hugh Thompson pushed up his glasses and smiled.
“Ethan, do you really think the real thing would be so easy for them to get? As soon as your cousin’s body arrived at the Ghost Burial Squad, I got the master craftsman to work overnight and made several identical golden Buddhas, coated with gold powder and nearly the same weight.”
I let out a sound of surprise, staring blankly at Hugh Thompson.
“Oh, this benefactor is truly sharp-minded. You must have guessed already, right?”
“Master, indeed. After all, the Buddha Statue of Visions isn’t just coveted by your Buddhist sect—even some ghosts want it.”
What Hugh Thompson said made me recall—the Ghost Insect Monk wanted it too.
We sat down. Everyone looked at Hugh Thompson, puzzled, waiting for his explanation.
“Just now, though I was far away, I could feel the yang energy coming from Chongsheng. Was it just an illusion?”
“It’s just a simple trick. With Howard Zhang in this state, the only thing that makes him seem human, besides his yang energy, is probably his soul, right?”
I looked at Hugh Thompson, even more confused. What he was saying made no sense to me.
“This old monk would like to hear the details.”
“You should know, the Mount Mason Order has techniques for creating fake souls to confuse ghosts. That’s why I had Miles Mao and Howard Lee use a straw doll at your house, Ethan, where your cousin stayed, to collect his hair. Afterward, they used magic to fix it in the dummy. It’s weak, but you can sense Howard Zhang’s soul. Then, by adding a Spirit Lure Orb, the aura is bright enough to fool most ghosts—unless someone inspects closely, it’s impossible to tell.”
Justin Huang and I both dropped our jaws, eyes wide, staring at Hugh Thompson.
“Also, the weight of Howard Zhang in that state was measured down to the milligram. The counterfeit is exactly the same.”
“So what about my cousin? My cousin…”
Hugh Thompson smiled.
“He’s in your apartment building. I had Vivian Ouyang deliver him secretly—it should be safe. That place is the most secure. If someone tries to snatch him, we’re not a match. But your house, Ethan, is full of Blue Wraiths. If anyone tries to steal him, there’ll be heavy casualties. Plus, there’s a Ghost Sovereign inside.”
I nodded happily, then burst out laughing.
“So, according to Benefactor Hugh, my disciple Chongsheng is now at Master Zhang’s house?”
“Master, do you have any way to save my cousin, please?”