Rose's advice was wise. For an ordinary person, staying in Moonlight Alley too long was anything but a smart choice.
But Pan Long was no ordinary person. The unnaturally bright moonlight, the twisted scenery deep in the alley, the shadowy figures drawing near—
He cared about none of it.
Such things were hardly rare in the Nine Provinces World. Mountain Spirits and River Demons could stir them up, and so could skilled Sorcerers.
Even Pan Long could use the Replica Classic of Mountains and Seas he carried to create a real-life maze of ghosts, trapping an enemy in a boundless Illusory World until they died.
"Are you scared?" he asked.
Rose nodded like a chick pecking at grain.
Pan Long smiled. "I'm here. You don't need to be afraid."
Rose pursed her lips. "Some big shot used to say that too."
"What happened to him?"
"One day, he suddenly vanished and never showed up again," Rose said. "Lots of people say the Suppression Bureau took him."
"Is the Suppression Bureau that vicious?" Pan Long asked.
"Vicious doesn't begin to cover it!" Rose's voice rose at once. "They're terrifying!"
Perhaps because she had spoken too loudly, the phantom figures abruptly began closing in much faster. Rose jolted in fright and ran for the exit of Moonlight Alley.
Pan Long shook his head. He made no attempt to stop her and walked out with her.
They stood at the entrance to Moonlight Alley, chatting as they watched the strange street twist into grotesque shapes.
"People from the Suppression Bureau always appear out of nowhere. Every time, they take someone away without a word of explanation—sometimes several people. Anyone who resists gets killed on the spot. And almost everyone they take vanishes for good," Rose said quietly. "They say the Bureau keeps a