I quietly watched Mrs. Blake and Mr. Cooper. They had completely turned into ghosts now—their bodies thick with yin energy, clearly dead for more than just a day or two. I had no idea what they’d been through since passing on, but I desperately wanted to know. Ever since they appeared, this place had been saturated with heavy yin energy. Yet, the energy created in the space they’d made when alive never leaked out to threaten the outside world; instead, it was naturally absorbed by the earth’s qi.
"What exactly happened to you both?"
Confused, I looked at them. Mr. Cooper just smiled and shook his head.
"No need to ask more, Roxie," Mr. Cooper said. "This is simply our fate as husband and wife. Though we’re dead, we’ve escaped the Nether Pit—that’s a small mercy in our misfortune."
Seeing that neither of them wanted to talk about their deaths, I wasn’t sure how to press further. But I truly wanted to know.
"Roxie, you don’t need to ask about our past anymore. We won’t speak of it. Wait here for a moment."
With that, Mrs. Blake floated up, slipped through the black curtain, and returned holding two small clay sculptures—a dragon and a rooster, each lifelike in detail. Immediately, I sensed a burning aura from the statues; Mrs. Blake’s hand began to smolder as she placed them on the table.
"Take these. They’ll guide you to something important. Once you have it, you won’t need to seek out the Nether Syndicate—they’ll come to you."
I nodded and took the sculptures. I could feel a pure force inside them—a power of sorcery. I put them in my pocket and quietly watched the couple.
"What do you plan to do now?"
I asked, and the couple just smiled and shook their heads. Mrs. Blake had me open my phone and type in a place called Snowridge Springs on the map. I glanced at it—it’s a scenic spot in the southern part of York City, famous for its winter views. Every year, crowds of tourists flock there; when winter comes, the snow covers the mountains and rivers, turning the landscape into a beautiful painting. Many visitors go there in winter to soak in the hot springs and admire the snow.
"Do I need to go there?"
I swallowed hard. It was winter—the busiest season. Mrs. Blake nodded.
"Once you arrive, the Dragon-Phoenix Token I just gave you will lead you to what you’re looking for. That’s why, even after decades of betraying the Nether Syndicate, no one there has ever found us. As soon as you have the item, the Syndicate will seek you out themselves."
I nodded and thanked them.
"If I get the chance, and if Qingyuan ever comes back, I’ll visit you with him. You two aren’t leaving, are you?"
I asked, and Mrs. Blake just smiled and shook her head.
"No need. This place will disappear soon, and we’re planning to leave too. It’s time for us to wander for a while."
I saw a look on their faces—something like resignation—so I stood up immediately.
"Can you tell me, please? Why did you die—was it because someone…?"
Before I could finish, Mr. Cooper shook his head.
"We died of natural causes, Roxie. There’s no need to worry—just focus on what you need to do."
With that, Mr. Cooper and Mrs. Blake floated up, clearly ready to leave. I still couldn’t quite believe it; in my mind, they’d never shown any signs of illness, and always seemed healthy.
"Go on, Roxie."
With those words, Mrs. Blake and Mr. Cooper melted into the wall and vanished. I chased after them, searching and calling for a long time, but they didn’t reappear. I returned to the backyard, desperate to know their cause of death. If Zhang Qingyuan ever came back, he wouldn’t let it go—he’d want to know everything about his benefactors.
It was past 9 p.m. and Mrs. Blake and Mr. Cooper still hadn’t returned. With no other choice, I left through the living room’s right wall and stepped out onto the street. There were still people around at this hour. I headed for the intersection, planning to catch a flight first thing in the morning.
Time was running out, but I couldn’t shake my unease. I glanced back, recalling the look on Mrs. Blake and Mr. Cooper’s faces—a look of acceptance. I stopped in the street, then turned and went back. I had to find out the truth about their deaths.
I returned to the shop’s entrance and used my powers to enter directly. The house was empty. I ran to the backyard and sat beneath the big tree, sensing that most of the yin energy was gathering there.
"Mrs. Blake, if you won’t tell me, I’ll just stay here for a while."
A memory flashed through my mind—back when I went to Gourd Village to look for revenants. Zhang Qingyuan had told me exactly what happened there, every detail. Now, unease crept into my heart; maybe I already knew the truth.
But what I truly wanted was a direct answer from the elderly couple. This was something I had to tell Zhang Qingyuan—an event that could not be forgotten.
I remembered the first time I met Zhang Qingyuan. He was missing one of his three souls—already extracted by those from the Ghost Mound—yet he appeared before me as if nothing had happened. I had my doubts, but I kept them to myself.
If a person loses one of their three souls, let alone surviving with a sound mind, they would likely die within days. Later, I learned about Zhang Qingyuan’s unique nature, but even that didn’t explain how he could stay alive. Only then did I discover that the couple had restored his three souls using a certain ritual.
It was the first time I’d heard of such a powerful ritual. I even asked my parents, but they knew nothing. My father once said, if such a heaven-defying ritual truly existed—one that could alter fate itself—then it must come at the cost of the caster’s own life force. (Note: 'Heaven-defying ritual' refers to 逆天改命, a forbidden act in Chinese metaphysics that alters destiny at great personal cost.)
Back in that darkness, when Zhang Qingyuan told me about this, I was suspicious. He naturally possessed the power of ghosts, yet he was not one himself—a unique existence bridging humans and spirits. He couldn’t generate multiple ghost souls like the Fearsome Green Ghost. Those entities that became Zhang Qingyuan’s ghost souls were, strictly speaking, not true ghost souls, but self-aware spirits formed over time, attached to his body and sustained by his instincts in the living world. (Note: 'Ghost soul' refers to 鬼魄, a supernatural soul fragment distinct from ordinary spirits.)
So I kept wondering: what exactly was the first ghost soul Zhang Qingyuan ever birthed? The more I think about it now, the more suspicious it seems.
Restoring all three souls—neither Buddhism nor Daoism could achieve such a feat. Yet this elderly couple did it. To defy the natural order so profoundly, there’s no way they could remain unscathed. (Note: 'Defying the natural order' refers to 违逆天道, a concept of violating cosmic law in Chinese metaphysics.)
I pressed my hand to my forehead. The truth was already clear, forming in my mind. I had a duty to know it, and a responsibility to pass it on to Zhang Qingyuan. This was something to be remembered—if the truth remained hidden, it would bring him great pain.
Just then, a gentle sigh drifted through the air, and a streak of white light flashed. Mrs. Blake and Mr. Cooper stood before me once again.
"Miss Roxie, if you’re part of the supernatural world, you should have guessed by now."
I hummed in reply. I used to think maybe it was Yin Choujian who did something to restore Zhang Qingyuan’s three souls, but on closer thought, that was impossible.
"Back then, it was indeed the two of us—my wife and I—who used up the last of our life force to perform that heaven-defying ritual, restoring all three of Qingyuan’s souls." (Note: The ritual is forbidden because it alters fate at the cost of the practitioners' own years of life.)
My eyes widened. Just as I thought—gaining something always means losing something in return. Especially with a heaven-defying ritual like restoring three souls. I was silent, at a loss for words.
"Don’t feel guilty, Miss Roxie. Back then, my wife and I did it because Yin Choujian convinced us."
I stared in surprise at Mr. Cooper and Mrs. Blake.
"But you knew that doing this would..."
"We made many mistakes in our past. Yin Choujian knew about our connection to the Nether Pit, so he persuaded us to do one right thing before we died. Though it couldn’t make up for our past sins, it could at least bring us peace at the end. (Note: 'Nether Pit' refers to 奈落之穴, a metaphysical sanctuary for souls seeking escape from karmic torment.)
I stared at the couple, then looked off into the distance, gritting my teeth. If not for Yin Choujian’s words, perhaps the couple would never have saved Zhang Qingyuan, and our lives would never have crossed paths.
A wave of sorrow swept through me. I knew it was the couple’s sacrifice that gave Zhang Qingyuan another chance at life. And the ghost soul born within him later took a fatal blow for him and died—the time he entered the Corpse Realm. That was when the couple passed away. (Note: 'Corpse Realm' is a supernatural domain associated with death and transformation.)
"I’m sorry."
My voice was low as I spoke. Mr. Cooper let out a sigh.
"If Qingyuan ever returns, you don’t need to tell him about this, or about us. Even though Yin Choujian threatened and tempted us back then, the choices we made were right. We spent a lifetime in error, but at least did one thing right in the end. Like Yin Choujian said, all we really seek is peace of mind. Without it, we’d suffer even more after death, returning to the Nether Pit. But we escaped it. Soon, we’ll disappear, but knowing what Qingyuan has accomplished is enough."
My eyes widened as Mrs. Blake spoke.
"Fan Xiaoran comes by regularly to tell us about Qingyuan."
I nodded, then solemnly said:
"Thank you both!"