We put on all the Ghost Syndicate garments. The clothes were snug and sturdy—though we had no idea what material they were made of, they fit surprisingly well once worn.
"Alright, now let me teach you some hand gestures. Don't get them wrong later—remember, we're heading into the tiger's den. As long as you pretend and stay silent, I have my ways to keep Ghost Fiend Star from losing his temper."
Poison Dreadstar began to teach us. There were five of us, so all we had to do was squat in a horse stance, extend two fingers from each hand, and touch them together. For the gestures that needed to change later, Poison Dreadstar personally demonstrated them for us. It wasn't complicated—once we were familiar with it, we headed out of the city.
"Wait a moment."
Poison Dreadstar spoke, and we stopped. The drawbridge leading into the city had indeed vanished, and we all turned to look at Lan Yin.
"Heh, in case the enemy charges over, at least we've cut off their path. That way, we'll have time to react, right?"
"That's not what I meant. At this point, it's better if we don't go out."
A howling wind rose again, and I saw that relentless black gale tearing through the trees. Gradually, patches of white began to emerge within the forest.
One by one, pale ghosts reappeared in the forest. Poison Dreadstar sat on the ground, silently watching them.
"Where exactly do these things come from?"
Lan Yin asked, his eyes filled with confusion. Then he moved to stand beside Poison Dreadstar.
"Of course you're confused. After all, such a massive number of ghosts couldn't exist in the world of the living. Only in the underworld could you witness such a sight."
Then Poison Dreadstar began to explain slowly. This place has always been an Extreme Yin Land, and from the start, the Ghost Syndicate chose it as the perfect place to raise ghosts.
There are many things people can't do, but ghosts can—like killing and stealing in complete silence, causing mysterious deaths. All the conflicts in the human world are the root cause of the Ghost Syndicate's existence.
There was even a time when royal power struggles relied on ghosts. To seize the throne, contenders drove their rivals mad or killed them, finally ascending to supreme power. These are the reasons the Ghost Syndicate continues to exist—we simply do what we're paid for.
As Poison Dreadstar spoke of the Ghost Syndicate's origins, her profile revealed a trace of sadness. She lowered her head as the evening breeze gently brushed her hair, looking somewhat melancholy.
Poison Dreadstar was born during an era of war and famine. Her parents died early, and because she was beautiful as a child, she was sold to a brothel, waiting until she was old enough to serve clients.
At that time, Poison Dreadstar managed to eat her fill because of her looks. She thought this was her way of surviving in a chaotic world.
However, one night, Poison Dreadstar witnessed something strange. As a child, she saw a ghost enter a guest's room. The next morning, the guest—a high-ranking official—was found dead in bed. The authorities shut the place down.
Once again, Poison Dreadstar was forced into a wandering life, following older courtesans to the next establishment.
At that time, I saw a man wearing a conical hat lingering at the courtyard gate. The ghost eventually went to him, and he noticed me as well.
In the years that followed, young Poison Dreadstar was sold many times, eventually ending up somewhere relatively stable. By then, she had reached the age to serve clients.
Poison Dreadstar was prepared—she had fully accepted life in the brothel. That night, the local lord bought her, and again, she saw a ghost enter the room. Terrified, she shrank into a corner, and the next morning, the lord was found dead in her bed.
The next morning, Poison Dreadstar was arrested and tortured. She told everything she saw, but no one believed her. She was thrown into a death cell, beaten until she was barely alive, knowing she was close to death.
At that time, I thought maybe dying wouldn't be so bad in such a world. But for some reason, I didn't want to die. I screamed in the cell for three days, and finally, my leader came.
In just three days, war broke out in the city. At that time, the founder of the Ghost Syndicate was just a practitioner who used ghosts for business. Feeling uneasy, he bribed the jailer and took Poison Dreadstar away.
After that, I always followed my leader. He began to teach me things, and I found a new way to survive—raising ghosts. At least I didn’t have to worry about food and lived freely. Later, our leader picked up another orphan, who is now Ghost Fiend Star. The three of us spent many years together and founded the Ghost Syndicate.
At this point, Poison Dreadstar stood up and waved her hand. Black thorns flew out, forming a bridge they could cross. The pale ghosts gradually disappeared.
"Let's go. We can talk as we walk."
The five of us followed. As soon as I entered the forest, I was surprised. Although I could still sense the Yin Energy, the feeling of it corroding my body was gone. Everyone noticed it.
Although we spend our days among ghosts, we're still human. These clothes are made of special materials that block Yin Energy—they're very useful. Come on, we have a long way to go. It'll take at least four or five hours to get there.
Now, even if we step on these small puddles formed by concentrated Yin Energy, we won't feel anything.
You still haven't explained—what's the deal with these ghosts?
I've said before, this is an Extreme Yin Land. In the past, we'd go to the Yellow Springs Road or sneak into the underworld to bring back ghosts, but that was too dangerous. Later, Soul Hunters emerged—they'd go out and collect high-quality souls everywhere, whether from the dead or the living.
Lan Yin looked at Poison Dreadstar with a hint of anger.
"After all, business requires capital."
"You imprison the souls of the dead like this—aren't you afraid the underworld will retaliate against you?"
Lan Yin asked, and Poison Dreadstar pointed to the city behind them.
"See? That's the result. When we used to go to the underworld to collect ghosts, there were always casualties. The attacks on this city by Yin Choujian and Yuna Ji were partly due to the underworld's interference. So now, we just capture souls from the world of the living—they gradually become ghosts. The ghosts here are all raised by the Ghost Syndicate, and they're the best food."
My heart skipped a beat as I looked around. This place was similar to the Forest of Wailing, but the Yin Energy was even heavier. For centuries, ghosts unable to transcend could only remain quietly in this forest.
Poison Dreadstar continued, saying that this place occasionally produces extremely powerful ghosts. Whenever they're found, the Ghost Syndicate takes them back, refines them into ghosts for use. Generally, Ghost Syndicate ghosts come in two types: refined ones, which are more obedient, and those bound by magic. If the user's power wanes, the latter can turn on them.
Members who refine ghosts must have sufficient cultivation, so most new Ghost Syndicate members can only rely on capturing fierce ghosts to get things done.
This reminded me of when I first met Li Susu. The Ghost Syndicate member there controlled a fierce ghost with its own will. Earlier, the three Soul Splitters who tried to capture my soul used ghosts without self-awareness—the three ghosts attacking Yin Choujian were probably refined ones.
Long ago, I tried to persuade our leader, but since this is the world of the living, even the top ten commanders of the underworld can't match us. So our leader didn't care. Eventually, disaster struck, and the Ghost Syndicate was nearly wiped out—its foundation shaken. Our leader is still missing.
After walking for a while, we decided to rest—there was still a long way to go.
Heh, suffering the consequences. There are still so many ghosts here—this is the world of the living, not the underworld. Someday, this place won't be able to hold so many ghosts.
Lan Yin said, and Poison Dreadstar nodded.
That's true. This Extreme Yin Land has lasted so long that its energy is starting to leak out. Most ghosts here are neglected, since now the Ghost Syndicate has begun cooperating with the Immortality Society. I've heard their methods of raising ghosts have changed again.
I stood up and looked at Poison Dreadstar.
What about the Immortality Society members—what's the story behind the fiend ghost inside them?
I'm not sure. That fiend ghost was refined for the Immortality Society by Ghost Fiend Star and Savage Fiend Star—I wasn't involved. It's a bit special; I'm sure you've seen it.
I nodded. After an Immortality Society member dies, the fiend ghost leaves the body, carrying all the intelligence back to the Society. I learned this from Black-Faced Horseman Yongjie.
Just now, when those two black-faced men died, their fiend ghosts were absorbed into this forest. What's going on?
Hugh Thompson asked, and Poison Dreadstar glanced behind.
"Oh, that's strange. Heh, let's keep moving. Lan Yin, you'd better figure out how to suppress the Vermilion Bird's power in your body, or you might become a burden when we get there."