I Am Your Natural Enemy

”You work for the authorities, right?”

”No. At most you could say I’m a professional they occasionally bring in to help.”

Fan Zeyun hunched his back, said nothing, opened the main door directly, and invited Wen Yan in to talk.

The first moment Wen Yan saw Fan Zeyun, he knew he’d found the right person.

”Craftsman (Lantern).”

”Born into a well-off family, but had a particular interest in lanterns. With a sweet tongue as a child, he followed an old master and learned a lot. When the family fell into decline, he took this as his livelihood, and devoted his entire life to this craft.”

With the Spiritual Qi Resurgence, he began making the legendary lanterns recorded in ancient texts.

Soul-Guiding Lanterns, road-guiding lanterns, and so on...

From high-spirited to low-key and quiet, he was already prepared to finish his remaining years here.”

”What you want to know—he’s already prepared not to hide it anymore. Better let him tell you himself.”

”Temporary Ability: none.”

Wen Yan followed him in; when he stepped into the courtyard and looked up, he saw a big rooster standing on the roof’s edge, head held high.

Just from one look, he could tell that this big rooster was a Demon. That unique aura, and even its utterly unhidden gaze, was far too recognizable.

Wen Yan smiled, waved a greeting, and then followed Fan Zeyun into the house.

Fan Zeyun took out a glass cup, steeped a cup of tea for Wen Yan, and sat down opposite him.

”What do you want to know?”

”I’m not interested in why you walked the Nether Path. That’s your business.

Actually, I arrived around here half an hour ago, but when I heard someone had walked the Nether Path right past my door and got caught on the cameras at the Big Intersection, I went back to take a look.

Didn’t expect it really was someone from this place. Saved me the trouble of slowly tracking people down over here.”

When Fan Zeyun heard this, a look of realization appeared on his face.

Before he went down the Nether Path, Wen Yan had already locked onto this area; finding him was only a matter of time. Looks like even without that camera, it would’ve been the same.

”Aside from things related to lanterns, you probably wouldn’t have any other reason to come looking for me, right?”

”Correct. There are some things I want to ask you. For example, what kind of lantern can block Soul Summoning?”

”Soul-Suppressing Lantern.”

”You’ve made them before, haven’t you?”

”Yeah. When I was young, full of hot blood, always felt I was the shit—could make the legendary things, the stuff other people couldn’t.

Back then I made a lot of things, and Soul-Suppressing Lanterns were one of them.

At the time someone gave me an ancient book, and in it was the method for crafting Soul-Suppressing Lanterns.

I read it too. This thing was originally meant for good—some people, after being called back by Soul Summoning, or little children who’ve lost their Soul and been summoned back, are still unstable.

That’s when you use a Soul-Suppressing Lantern to shine on them, helping them get through the period when their Soul is unsteady.

But nothing good stays pure. In the end every good thing gets abused for other purposes.

Later I found out what my Soul-Suppressing Lanterns were being used for.

To suppress Lost Souls who died wrongful deaths.

Even I almost ended up dead.”

Wen Yan thought for a moment and offered a keyword.

”Ghost Market?”

Fan Zeyun lifted his head and glanced at Wen Yan, stayed silent for a long time, and then hatred started to spill into his eyes.

”That’s right, the Ghost Market.”

Wen Yan didn’t rush to say anything, just waited quietly.

Fan Zeyun’s gaze gradually turned somewhat vacant; he muttered to himself.

”What can I do? Someone went to report them, and the person who reported it disappeared.

People died; even their Lost Souls were nearly suppressed.

Someone traced their own family’s disappearance to that place, yet still couldn’t do a damn thing.

What kind of world is that?

Why is it that those bastards, just because they have power and influence, can run wild like this?

I finally met a promising kid, and he ended up turned into a spirit-numb puppet.

You know what he said at the end?

He begged me to kill him. He wanted to trade his life for one chance at revenge.

I was all ready to be arrested; who could’ve thought—no one bothered with me at all.

So many people died, and it just vanished into nothing like that.”