Huang Mingfa’s home was located in the western corner of Desolace, far from the bustling city center. It took me nearly an hour of following him before we finally arrived.
Ah, miss, you’ve got a real eye for quality. These little trinkets are all handmade by me. Folks around here don’t appreciate them at all, but I’ve sold plenty elsewhere. I didn’t expect to come here and not sell a single piece. Sigh.
All along the way, Huang Mingfa kept praising my taste. What he sold were just children’s toys, hardly what you’d call carefully crafted. Judging by his appearance, his ghostly aura was unstable, likely from long-term hunger.
On the way, Huang Mingfa bought some food. Before we even got home, he was wolfing it down, clearly starving for a long time.
Here we are, miss. Sorry, the place is a bit messy.
We entered a small courtyard and a dilapidated house. The yard was cluttered with junk used for making toys, and several unfinished pieces were scattered around. Huang Mingfa hurried to tidy up.
No need to clean up, Huang Mingfa.
I said, and Huang Mingfa looked at me in confusion, eyes wide. I spoke in a male voice, and he stared at me, puzzled.
Excuse me, miss…
I walked over, grabbed Huang Mingfa by the neck, and shoved him into the house. I shut the door behind us. He looked at me in terror and curled up.
Miss, I know I’m quite handsome, but you—
I immediately realized what Huang Mingfa was about to say and slapped him twice, hard.
Who are you calling miss? Do you even know who I am?
I glared furiously at Huang Mingfa. He thought about it for a long moment.
Ethan Zhang… That voice, it must be…
I clamped a hand over his mouth and pinned him against the wall.
Keep your voice down. If you want to die, I’ll make it happen right now.
Huang Mingfa nodded. The dullness in his eyes suddenly flared with intense light.
We really are fated, Ethan Zhang. Once again, I have to ask you to save me.
With a sharp smack, I slapped him again.
I’m not the Ethan Zhang you know. I’m another one.
Huang Mingfa covered his mouth, nodded, and then broke into a smile.
So you’re Ethan Zhang’s Earthly Soul, huh? Heh, I heard about you back at Hidden Falls Temple. Can you save me? Please, have mercy—save me.
I said nothing and glanced out the window. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Tell me, why did you end up in the Ghostrealm? Didn’t Ethan Zhang save you back then?
Huang Mingfa sighed and began to speak.
Back then, Abbot Fortune and Elder Frank Yuan helped purify the malevolent energy, freeing me from the grip of that cursed waterfall. But when I woke up, I was here in this wasteland, and still a ghost. I thought I’d be reincarnated, but instead I ended up here.
You really think you deserve reincarnation? After all the wicked things you did in life? You must be out of your mind.
Huang Mingfa let out a bitter sigh.
I never really expected reincarnation. I figured being a free ghost wandering the living world wouldn’t be so bad. At first, things were fine here, but a few months ago everything changed. I regret not going to the living world, especially since Cao Wanzhi is there—if he saw me, he’d kill me for sure. So I spent most of my time in the Ghostrealm. Sigh. Then the ghost market closed, and life got hard. I used to sneak up to the living world for food, but lately I’ve been starving. You…
Enough. Shut up. I don’t care about your situation—I want to know what’s going on in this city. Is there anything unusual here?
Huang Mingfa looked confused for a moment, then blinked and started making faces at me.
Alright, I get it. I’ll figure out a way to get you out of here and back to the living world.
Huang Mingfa bowed repeatedly, thanking me, but then he fell silent.
Heh, Earthly Soul, since you’re here—and sneaking around—I bet the Underworld Court sent you. I’ll tell you this: they’ve already caught a bunch of Underworld Court agents and executed them on the spot. You aren’t working for the Underworld Court now, are you?
Come with me.
I took Huang Mingfa and left his house, planning to meet up with John Chou and Lord Shenyan. This guy was good at reading people—much better than the average ghost. Rotten as he was, he probably knew more than most.
Soon I was back in the alley, where I found John Chou and Lord Shenyan.
Who are these two?
The moment they saw Huang Mingfa, John Chou and Lord Shenyan’s eyes went wide. I’d heard Lord Shenyan mention the situation before, but he was there in person—he should know more about Huang Mingfa than anyone.
You should have moved on to the Western Paradise by now.
Lord Shenyan spoke, and Huang Mingfa swallowed, staring at the old man Lord Shenyan had become. His eyes darted around, and he seemed to understand.
You’re Lord…
A hand landed on Huang Mingfa’s shoulder. His eyes went wide, and his face turned ghostly pale.
Since you know, there’s no need to say anything more.
Back in the inn room, Huang Mingfa’s face was ashen.
Something big must have happened… Why would a Ghost Sovereign come in person?
Huang Mingfa’s voice sounded off. John Chou patted his shoulder.
Tell us everything you know.
Huang Mingfa nodded and began to speak.
There are a lot of ghosts here just like me—after waking up, they have no memory of anything. Not just one or two, but many. Most of them suddenly woke up, and some were already dead but suddenly came back to life. Lots of ghosts in this area know about it.
Afterward, Lord Shenyan sent Huang Mingfa out with some money to buy wine and meat. Huang Mingfa, understanding, took the money and left.
They’ve found a way to resurrect ghosts from the shadow side of the world. Is that the intel you were after, John Chou?
John Chou nodded.
That’s just one thing. There’s something even more important to investigate.
That’s all we can assume for now. The Emperor God and his people have found a way to revive dead ghosts. If war breaks out and their troops can be resurrected after dying, it’ll be a huge disadvantage for us.
Just then, a commotion broke out downstairs. Huang Mingfa ran up, looking shocked, and burst through the door.
I forgot to tell you—every ghost here has to be taken somewhere by Hell’s Sentinels. They said it’s for registration or something.
John Chou immediately looked at Huang Mingfa.
Why didn’t you say so earlier?
As we spoke, a group of Hell’s Sentinels came upstairs.
You three just entered the city, right? Come with us. You need to register.
We followed a group of Hell’s Sentinels toward the east side of the city. There, a huge building stood. After reaching it, we were led down to the basement beside it.
We descended into a hall glowing with dim green light. The Hell’s Sentinels left, and we noticed a Blue Wraith sitting before us, his hands resting on a bright white orb. He beckoned us over.
Come register.
We walked over. The Blue Wraith told us to look at the white orb. Suddenly, I felt nauseous and drowsy—something was invading my mind, trying to break into my consciousness.
With a bang, the orb shattered. Lord Shenyan grabbed the Blue Wraith by the throat. His eyes bulged.
Who are you people?
If you want to live, shut up.
The ghostly aura Lord Shenyan released vanished, but the Blue Wraith still looked terrified. Then, he quickly regained his composure.
You’re with the Underworld Court, aren’t you? If you try anything, you know what will happen—the war will break out early.
Suddenly, the Blue Wraith’s eyes went wide. The ghostly aura inside him drained rapidly, and he shriveled up. Lord Shenyan released his grip, and with a boom, the Blue Wraith burst into flames and turned to ash.
The door behind us vanished in an instant, and a sinister laugh echoed through the room.
Damn you, Underworld scum. All those who tried to get information out of me have died in this very room.
It was the Blue Wraith’s voice again. Lord Shenyan said nothing, and John Chou held him back.
Well, since you’ve figured it out, there’s nothing I can do.
With a flash of red light, John Chou transformed into a ghost officer.
You’d better cooperate. If you do, I can put in a good word for you with my superior.
Bah, Underworld scum. You won’t escape. When you’re exhausted, I’ll behead you in front of everyone. This is a special prison given to us by Lord Xiaoyan—it’ll keep draining your ghostly aura until you’re spent.
The Blue Wraith’s voice faded away.
This kind of thing—let me destroy it.
Lord Shenyan spoke, but John Chou held his hand and shook his head.
Wait a bit longer, Lord Shenyan.
I sat on the ground, helpless, recalling the experience of staring at that orb. It really was consciousness—something almost got implanted in my mind. I remembered what Lady Mengpo once said about this: she used a similar method to implant thoughts in the ghosts around Hell, making them fearless even before Hell’s rulers.
That’s the most terrifying thing—soldiers without fear, who only know how to kill.
I have a plan.
John Chou smiled. I leaned against the wall, helpless. This place really does drain our ghostly aura, but it’s not that bad—even if we stay here for months, our ghostly aura won’t run dry.