"What is that?!" Qian Jin had discovered Gao Ming's secret. To his astonishment, that tiny seed gave him a sense of threat unlike anything he had ever felt before. "You have something you brought out of that world! You... you're like me!"
Qian Jin seemed to realize something all at once. He no longer wanted to die with Gao Ming; he only wanted to escape.
Grabbing Qian Jin's body, Gao Ming took advantage of his attempt to save himself and climb onto the ice to open the leather pouch at his waist. An ugly, shriveled head rolled out.
Life, memories, and obsession—the three offerings needed to open the door had all been gathered. The complete corpse, the group photograph, and the letters together made up the Dream Owner's life. Now, for the first time, he was whole within his own nightmare.
The "big fish" watching Gao Ming and Qian Jin from the depths of East Lake seemed frightened and began scattering. Terrifying giant shadows swam away into the distance, making Gao Ming's heart pound. He had never noticed how many horrifying "things" had gathered beneath him.
The sheets of ice on East Lake pressed against one another, creaking from every direction. Undercurrents churned at the bottom of the lake, and a bloody glow rose from the darkness.
"You're letting him out! You're about to release the real ghost!" The House Owner's voice came from Qian Jin's mouth. He no longer made any attempt to hide himself. "A pack of crazed idiots! To imprison me, the Dream Owner made me take his place in his body. I've become human. He's the terrifying ghost! Didn't you notice that I've been hiding in the Manor all this time? Hiding in a human's home? Fools! You've awakened the real ghost!"
Qian Jin knew it