I waited quietly for Mr. Brown to arrive. But at that moment, a question struck me—could I really compare myself to Mr. Brown? He takes three or four days to cross that river. But what about me?
The thought left me stunned.
"How about one of you..."
"Don't look at us. No one wants to go. Ethan Zhang, if you want to find that dead woman, you go by yourself."
I looked at Redmond and swallowed hard. At that moment, a powerful wave of ghostly energy surged toward us. It was Mr. Brown—he had arrived, and it only took him about ten minutes.
With a whoosh, Mr. Brown entered the conference room.
"Let's go, Ethan."
I responded with an "okay," then asked a question.
"Mr. Brown, how many days do you think it would take me to swim to Netherhell?"
But then I thought again—why must I swim across? Can't I just fly?
The Sanzu River—also called the Crossing River—is a path every soul must traverse for reincarnation. The banks may look empty, but remember: if you stay ashore for more than one minute, you'll be drawn by the scent of the *Red Spider Lily*. Then you'll fall into a Dream of the Other Shore, and you might never return.
I let out an "okay" and could only sigh. But then I wondered—would I have to swim for ten days or half a month?
Suddenly, Sylvester’s head stretched out from my shoulder. I immediately plunged into the river—the fragrance stopped abruptly. All I could smell now was the mix of sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy river water.
"No time to waste. Let's go, Ethan."
"Ethan, that's the scent of the *Red Spider Lily*. Don't let it confuse you—if you fall into a dream, things will get bad."
Phoebe reminded me, and I replied.
"Come on, Mr. Brown, at least let me prepare a little. My Ghost Soul was injured last night—I'm still not recovered!"
Mr. Brown shot me a glare, then smiled.
"It's just a minor injury, isn't it?"
With a tearing sound, Mr. Brown's hand pierced into my Ghost Soul and yanked. I screamed. In his hand, he held strands of golden light, then blew on them. The golden light scattered and dissolved into particles, disappearing.
The force blocking my Ghost Soul's flow vanished, and my soul began to recover rapidly.
I replied and kept swimming, but now I felt restless. Again and again, I drifted toward the shore, craving the scent of the *Red Spider Lily*.
"Ethan, hold on tight. I'll take you to the end of the Sanzu River."
Sylvester said, and I muttered before replying.
Everything around me seemed to fly past at incredible speed—I could barely keep my eyes open.
"We're here. You can open your eyes now, Ethan."
I responded, climbed down from Mr. Brown's back, and looked ahead. We were far from Netherhell now. Before me stretched a slow-moving, clean, and clear river—so long I couldn't see its end. The water near the source was pristine, but farther downstream, it turned gray and even black.
Both banks were bare—nothing but white clay, looking strangely unnatural.
I sighed and kept swimming. But every time I went ashore, I was bewitched by the *Red Spider Lily*’s scent—and the allure only grew, since I couldn’t swim in the river for long.
"Why?"
"The Sanzu River—also called the Crossing River—is a path every soul must traverse for reincarnation. The banks may look empty, but remember: if you stay ashore for more than one minute, you'll be drawn by the scent of the *Red Spider Lily*. Then you'll fall into a Dream of the Other Shore, and you might never return."
I answered, though I didn't fully understand Mr. Brown's warning. But then I thought of something else.
"Mr. Brown, have you ever had a Dream of the Other Shore?"
Sylvester said, but I was completely lost in the scent of the *Red Spider Lily*. Their words barely registered—my mind felt like melted mush.
"It was Miss Isabelle Frost who did—she almost couldn't come back."
I acknowledged, thought for a moment, and drifted over.
Gradually, the white figure drew closer—it was a ghost. I swam over and stopped, watching the ghost sit on the riverbank, utterly entranced by the scent of the *Red Spider Lily*.
I replied, and as soon as I approached the Sanzu River, a tremendous pressure slammed me into the water with a splash. I choked on the water—it was salty, a little sour, and bitter too. Sweet, sour, bitter, spicy—every flavor was there.
I spluttered and spat out mouthfuls of water, moving my arms and legs to swim.
"Ethan, this is the taste of life—sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy. This river is a reflection of the mortal world. Go on, I'll be heading back now."
With that, Mr. Brown vanished from sight in a flash.
I nodded, gazing at the endless river ahead. Luckily, though it was bottomless, the current was slow. I started swimming, moving both arms and legs.
Splashing, I picked up speed, swimming quickly through the river. But in less than a minute, I had to slow down—the river was heavy. To be precise, while the current was slow, the water itself was incredibly dense.
Every stroke, I had to use ghost aura to push the water aside and move forward. In less than a minute, the rate I could generate ghost aura couldn't keep up with the consumption, so I had to swim at a steady pace.
It was so strange—the river sometimes felt easy, sometimes exhausting. Just like life, there were sweet moments and bitter ones.
I couldn't get used to this rhythm at all—it was hard to keep up. I planned to swim for another ten minutes, then rest for one.
"This isn't looking good."
I forced a bitter smile. Mr. Brown, with his massive ghost aura, took three or four days to cross. With my measly amount, would it take me a year or two to swim this river?
The more I thought about it, the more terrified I became—my heart raced. I kept swimming. After a while, I was exhausted; my ghost aura reserves were nearly depleted. I swam to the bank.
As soon as I stepped ashore, I smelled a fragrance I had never encountered before—refreshing and sweet, but not cloying. The more I breathed it in, the more I wanted. I opened my mouth and inhaled deeply, both nose and mouth absorbing the intoxicating scent.
My body felt utterly comfortable. Suddenly, I remembered—I’d smelled this fragrance somewhere before, but couldn’t quite place it. It was so wonderful I couldn’t help but smile.
"Ethan, hurry up—it's almost been one minute!"
Suddenly, Sylvester’s head stretched out from my shoulder. I immediately plunged into the river—the fragrance stopped abruptly. All I could smell now was the mix of sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy river water.
That scent was almost addictive. After just a few minutes of swimming, I went ashore again—there it was, so intoxicating I breathed it in hungrily.
"Ethan, that's the scent of the *Red Spider Lily*. Don't let it confuse you—if you fall into a dream, things will get bad."
Phoebe reminded me, and I replied.
"Just wait one minute—it's too good to resist."
Suddenly, a black fist shot out from my chest—it was a ghost. She punched my cheek, sending me flying into the river. I choked on mouthfuls of water.
"What are you doing?"
I shouted.
"Hehe, Ethan, it’s because I care about you. If you stay any longer, you’ll be drawn in."
I replied and kept swimming, but now I felt restless. Again and again, I drifted toward the shore, craving the scent of the *Red Spider Lily*.
"I'm warning you, Ethan—if you get bewitched again, none of us will go easy on you."
Sylvester said, and I muttered before replying.
"I got it."
When my ghost aura was nearly half gone, I reached the shore again. Instantly, I started sniffing—the fragrance was so enchanting, it felt like paradise. I saw visions: fairies flying, clouds everywhere, sheer beauty.
With a muffled thud, I fell back into the river, spitting out mouthfuls of Sanzu River water.
"Go easy on me, will you? This time you hit me right on the head."
I sighed and kept swimming. But every time I went ashore, I was bewitched by the *Red Spider Lily*’s scent—and the allure only grew, since I couldn’t swim in the river for long.
Helpless, I endured as my companions laughed and took turns knocking me back into the river.
After another stretch of swimming, I spotted something white sitting on the distant riverbank. Though far away, I saw it and, curious, swam over.
But my ghost aura was nearly depleted, so I had to go ashore again. The scent was irresistible—I was once again lost in it.
"This time, let him stay for 57 seconds—to let him recover some ghost aura."
Sylvester said, but I was completely lost in the scent of the *Red Spider Lily*. Their words barely registered—my mind felt like melted mush.
With a smack, I was hit on the cheek and sent flying into the Sanzu River, choking on water. I finally couldn't take it anymore.
"Next time, don’t hit my face."
Gradually, the white figure drew closer—it was a ghost. I swam over and stopped, watching the ghost sit on the riverbank, utterly entranced by the scent of the *Red Spider Lily*.