Fear? Of course, I was afraid.
But the master had risked his life for me. How could I let him sacrifice himself while I cowered in safety? Sliding to the side, I made room beneath the altar.
"I've already faced scarier things," I said firmly. "If we came here together, we'll leave together. I can't let my fear make me abandon my conscience."
The master patted my head, his expression softening. "Good kid. At least my efforts weren't wasted."
We huddled together under the altar, our nerves on edge as a tattered cloth swayed in the draft. Every time the cloth moved, I feared it would lift, exposing us completely.
"How can you be sure the Shadow Soldiers have left?" I asked, crouched in the cramped space. My legs were already stiff, and it was hard to hold the position.
The master peeked out from under the cloth, scanning the area. "You noticed the black mist earlier, didn't you? That mist accompanies the Shadow Soldiers, a mark of their authority in the underworld. Once the mist clears, it means they've left. That's when we can move."
As we whispered, the sound of clanging armor suddenly echoed nearby. My body stiffened, and I quickly clamped my mouth shut to stifle any noise.
The master's expression turned grim. He barely breathed as the sound grew louder.
A column of Shadow Soldiers entered the room. Leading the group were two soldiers carrying a woman. From my vantage point, I couldn't see her face, but her figure seemed eerily familiar.
The soldiers dragged her to a corner of the room, out of my line of sight. Then, a louder and heavier clanging announced the arrival of another figure. This Shadow Soldier wore more ornate armor and stood taller than the others. It was clearly their leader.
These soldiers weren't human; that much was obvious. Their suits of armor were empty, their forms insubstantial, as if their bodies were nothing but shadows.
"Ning Manwan, do you admit your guilt?"
The name hit me like a thunderbolt. My heart leapt, and I instinctively started to move, ready to rush out and confirm if the woman was indeed Ning Manwan.
The master grabbed my shoulder, holding me back. He shook his head, silently urging me to stay hidden.
"I don't believe loving someone is a crime," Ning Manwan's familiar voice rang out. "I only wanted to be with the one I love. If that is a sin, I'll accept it without regret."
Her voice sent shivers through me. It was undeniably her.
So, this was why she had volunteered to divert the Shadow Soldiers. She had been caught.
"You are a soul that should have passed on. Remaining in the living world violates the laws of the underworld. You must face the punishment of flaying and tendon extraction. Are you prepared?"
Her response was firm and unwavering. "Do it."
Hearing those words, my resolve broke. I was ready to rush out and stop them.
But the master's grip tightened. "Don't be foolish!" he hissed. "She's already half-ghost, half-corpse. Flaying and tendon extraction are nothing to her. But if you go out there, they'll do the same to you—and you won't survive it."
"How can we just sit here and watch a woman endure such torture?" I whispered fiercely.
Ning Manwan had once been the goddess of my school days, and even if I now doubted her intentions, I couldn't bear the thought of her suffering such agony.
The master sighed, his tone heavy. "Do you think she was caught by accident? She's been hiding for years. If she was captured now, it's because of you. Everything she's done has been for your sake. If you go out there, you'll ruin her sacrifice. Do you want to make her pain meaningless?"
His words hit me like a slap. I clenched my fists, anger and helplessness warring within me. I had no choice but to stay hidden, biting my lip until it bled.
The scene that unfolded was a nightmare. The Shadow Soldiers stripped the skin from Ning Manwan's face and body while her screams of pain filled the air. They didn't pause for a moment, their movements cold and methodical.
After flaying her, they took a pair of pincers and began extracting her tendons, pulling them from her fingers one by one.
Unable to bear it any longer, I turned away, tears streaming down my face.
By the time the torture ended, the black mist had lifted, and the Shadow Soldiers were gone. I ran to where Ning Manwan had been, but she was nowhere to be found.
A crushing sense of powerlessness overwhelmed me. I had never felt so useless, not even when facing life-threatening danger. This time, it wasn't fear but hatred—hatred for my own weakness. If I had been stronger, I might have been able to save her.
Ghost or not, my feelings for Ning Manwan were real.
The master noticed my despair and sighed again. "If you'd shown this kind of determination earlier, we wouldn't have ended up in such a mess. You wouldn't have needed me to bail you out."
"…" I couldn't even muster a retort.
"Alright, stop wallowing," he said gruffly. "The black mist is gone, and the Shadow Soldiers have left. Let's get out of here. I promise, once we're back, I'll help you find her."
Clinging to that promise, I followed the master out of the cursed village. What was supposed to be a journey to cure my half-human, half-ghost condition had turned into a harrowing ordeal, leaving me physically and emotionally drained.
Back at the funeral home, my boss summoned me to his office. I had been absent for two weeks, a period that would have gotten anyone else fired. But instead of terminating me, he simply scolded me and then let the matter drop.
The whole situation struck me as strange. Why was my boss so lenient? Anyone else would have been fired on the spot, yet I still had my job, and my pay was unaffected.
The more I thought about it, the clearer it became: he was keeping me around for a reason. But what that reason was, I couldn't yet figure out.