Yanwang Path, Everyone Keeps Clear

Most of them walked in silence.

Even when they encountered one another, they didn't greet or speak.

Ji Wu realized that if the old man hadn't seen that he had no lamp in his hand and feared he wouldn't make it out of the White Mist, he probably wouldn't have called out to him.

Lantern Bearers carried their lamps as they made their way through the White Mist.

If they came across someone without a lamp, how could anyone tell whether the figure in the White Mist was a person or a monster?

The old man had already shown great courage and kindness by calling out to him.

Ji Wu wanted to thank him, but couldn't find him anywhere.

All he could do was follow the Lantern Bearers, walking without knowing where they were headed.

The surroundings looked a little like reflections on the water, hazy and indistinct.

Even so, he could make out some mottled streets, streetlights along the roadside, shops on either side of the roads, and tall buildings rising into the sky.

It was a city.

A modern city.

But there wasn't a single person or vehicle in it, only these outsiders walking along the roads with lamps in their hands.

Strange. Why did this city seem so familiar?

Wait!

Ji Wu turned to look back the way he'd come.

That bridge connected Fujing District to the road leading to Anyang Island.

Could this be Anyang Island?

But Anyang Island was a famous tourist destination in Anyang City, with visitors coming and going constantly. There was no way it could be as deserted as it was now.

What kind of place was this?

Where was Xu Zhou?

Where had he gone?

Ji Wu was worried. He didn't know where Xu Zhou was, and he wondered whether Bai Zuo would be able to find his way here.

"Supervisor Ji?"

Suddenly, Xu Zhou's voice came from the right.

Ji Wu started and looked to his right.

Xu Zhou had a lot of food in his hands. Grinning, he waved at Ji Wu. Beside him stood a kindly middle-aged woman, gazing at Xu Zhou with affection.

"Xu Zhou, I finally found you. Who is she?"

Though Ji Wu asked, he had already guessed the woman's identity.

Xu Zhou smiled and introduced them. "Supervisor Ji, this is my mom. Mom, this is my supervisor."

"Wonderful, wonderful. Xiao Zhou has grown up and found a job. He can support himself now."

Xu Zhou really did look a lot like her. She was in her forties, but the hardships of life had made her look older than others her age.

Still, you could tell from her features that she must have been a lovely woman when she was young.

Her eyes brimmed with tears, as if she knew how much her son had suffered after she was gone.

Ji Wu greeted her, then discreetly studied her.

Apart from her slightly pale complexion, she behaved just like an ordinary person. She didn't seem to have any strange aura about her, either.

What was going on?

Ji Wu felt that something was very wrong here. The fact that someone who had died three years ago had reappeared was already bizarre.

"Mom, go take a look in that shop. If there's anything you want to buy, I'll pay for it."

"All right."

After sending his mother away, Xu Zhou looked at Ji Wu hesitantly. "Supervisor Ji, have you noticed anything strange?"

Ji Wu asked, "Are you sure she's your mother, and not some strange entity impersonating her?"

Xu Zhou nodded. "I asked her about lots of things only the two of us know. She remembered them all."

"That's strange. Do people really have ghosts after they die?"

"If it's true, then that would be wonderful." One thing Xu Zhou had always regretted was that he hadn't been able to help his mother, who had worked herself to death.

This time, he thought, perhaps he could stay by her side.

Ji Wu saw what he was thinking at a glance. Xu Zhou was still young, and every thought showed plainly on his face.

"Xu Zhou, whether or not she's your mother, the dead can't come back to life, and the worlds of the living and the dead are separate. Staying together won't be good for either of you."

Seeing Xu Zhou's expression change, his face falling with dejection, Ji Wu continued.

"But for now, you can make her happy and do your best as her son. Tell her more about how you're doing so she can rest easy."

"I understand."

Xu Zhou managed a strained smile, but he knew this was the best way.

Ji Wu patted him on the shoulder, encouraging him to accept it.

Ji Wu could understand. Anyone who saw a loved one they thought they'd lost forever would feel reluctant to let go.

Even he, an orphan who had never known who his family was, felt a faint glimmer of hope deep down after coming here.

Could he see the family he'd never met here?

Ji Wu gave a self-mocking smile. Maybe they weren't even dead. Maybe he was just someone they had abandoned.

"Xiao Zhou."

"Coming, Mom!"

Xu Zhou hurried over to help her choose the clothes she liked, telling her whether each outfit suited her and watching her try on one after another.

It was the sort of thing that would normally make a young person impatient, but Xu Zhou wished this moment could last forever.

Ji Wu watched from outside. He couldn't help taking a cigarette from his pocket and holding it beneath his nose to smell it.

Even if this was a Ghost Domain and everything was an illusion, it was still something worth being happy about if Xu Zhou could see his mother.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Yanwang Path. Everyone, keep clear."

A procession of people dressed in black ancient robes and wearing Demon Masks that hid their faces marched past in a great throng, carrying white funeral sticks and Soul-Guiding Banners.

Ji Wu stepped aside.

He glanced casually toward the middle of the procession.

There, among the Funeral Procession, walked a dazed man whose clothes were different from those of the others around him.

He wore a fur coat and warm cotton trousers, dressed like a modern man.

The procession swept him along, and he followed helplessly. There were no ropes on him, and no one seemed to be controlling him.

But—

Ji Wu saw his eyes.

They were filled with sheer terror!

Ji Wu was almost certain at once that this was probably an ordinary passerby who had been caught up in this.

Ji Wu didn't disturb Xu Zhou, who was still shopping with his mother. He carefully avoided the eerie Funeral Procession and approached the man.

The man was Hu Xingde, who had disappeared earlier.

Hu Xingde didn't know what had happened. He had been walking across the bridge when he suddenly spotted a familiar figure. When he went over, he realized it was his deceased wife.

He trembled, terrified, yet unable to stop himself from approaching. She was the woman he had loved so deeply!

But when he drew near, his wife reached out and took his hand in her cold one. He lost consciousness.

When he woke up, he found himself walking in the Funeral Procession, unable to control his body.

He was fully conscious, yet could only watch as his body moved of its own accord, following the procession.

The terror of the unknown was driving him almost mad!

Just then, a warm hand grabbed his arm. "Hey! Can you move?"

Ji Wu pulled hard, trying to drag him out.

Someone! Someone had come to save him!