"Esteemed lord, this humble servant Li Xue bows in gratitude for your life-saving grace," the ghost emissary knelt before Mo Lin, his voice reverent despite the injuries still evident on his body. Though not yet fully healed, his wounds did not hinder him from speaking or moving with decorum.
"Who captured you?" Mo Lin asked calmly, his eyes fixed upon the kneeling figure.
"It was a great ghost from the Ghost Domain."
In the hierarchy of the netherworld, a "great ghost" referred to a spirit with power on par with a ghost emissary, yet unrecognized by official appointment—unbound, yet formidable.
"The great ghost of the Ghost Domain collaborated with a ghost tamer. Together, they laid a trap and captured me," Li Xue added with a bitter edge to his voice.
Mo Lin turned his gaze toward the broken wooden cage he had just split apart with a single stroke of his sword. The craftsmanship was unfamiliar but unmistakably sinister—no doubt another one of the Ghost Domain's devices.
"Do you know anything about my senior, Zi Shang Qingrou's whereabouts?" Mo Lin questioned again.
"She disappeared over a year ago. No news has surfaced since."
Li Xue had once tried to send ghosts to search for her, but the results had been utterly fruitless. Not a single trace remained, as if Zi Shang Qingrou had vanished from the face of the earth.
"The ghosts of the Ghost Domain are working hand-in-hand with the ghost tamers, targeting emissaries from Yedou. My lord, you must exercise extreme caution," Li Xue warned with urgency.
"Oh?"
Bullying Yedou's ghosts?
Mo Lin remained indifferent. He was not a ghost, after all. He was a living man.
Seated on a chair, he began to contemplate the recent events. Slowly, the picture grew clearer—within the Netherworld, the Ghost Domain was perhaps unremarkable. Yet in the world of the living, it had established an impressive presence, even securing its own faction. In contrast, Yedou, while powerful in the underworld, seemed to lack influence among the living.
Even a ghost emissary could be abducted.
"I understand. Go find a place to recover. When I need you, I shall summon you," Mo Lin ordered softly.
"At once."
Li Xue nodded and transformed into a shadowy blur, vanishing within the room.
"Did he leave?" Wang Bing asked, glancing about the room in confusion.
"Yeah…"
"I thought he'd walk out the door…"
"He's still a ghost," Mo Lin reminded him.
Wang Bing chuckled—true, ghosts could pass through walls with ease; walking was unnecessary.
"Qian Yun, can I borrow some money? Just ten thousand ghost coins will do."
Mo Lin still needed that amount to fully heal Li Xue's injuries, so he turned to Qian Yun.
"Of course. I'll return home and see how I can gather the funds."
Without hesitation, Qian Yun agreed, her voice steady and sincere. After exchanging a few more words with Mo Lin, she departed for home to begin gathering the ghost coins.
Mo Lin, meanwhile, was settled into a hotel.
Alone in his room, he lay back on the bed and removed his Judge's Robe. It wasn't that he disliked wearing it—but today, he discovered it had begun to deteriorate.
Indeed, the robe—an artifact imbued with yin energy—was suffering from wear.
He had worn it constantly since arriving in the world of the living nearly a week ago. And without the nourishing ghostly aura of the Netherworld, the robe had slowly begun to fray. In the Netherworld, ghost energy saturated the environment. There, such artifacts would never wear out.
But here, without the presence of ghostly essence, the robe was constantly in use, constantly consuming its own power. While Mo Lin could replenish it using his own ghost energy, it was too taxing and impractical.
After some thought, he decided to put it away. If the robe were truly damaged beyond repair, he wouldn't know how to fix it. Mo Lin knew how to forge ghost tools—but this robe, a high-level yin artifact, was beyond his expertise.
"Li Xue," he called.
A dark shadow slid across the ground and took humanoid form before him.
"My lord, what do you command?" Li Xue bowed respectfully.
He had remained hidden nearby, never more than two kilometers from Mo Lin—ready to respond at a moment's notice.
Mo Lin handed over the robe. "Keep this safe for me."
"As you wish."
Li Xue received the robe with both hands, carefully tucking it into his sleeve, where it vanished.
Mo Lin didn't worry about theft—the robe was bound to him and him alone. No other soul could wear it.
Where exactly Li Xue had stored it, Mo Lin didn't know. It was one of the many abilities unique to ghosts—concealing objects within their essence. As a living being, Mo Lin had no such capability.
"You may go. I'll summon you when needed," he dismissed.
"Understood."
Li Xue turned and passed through the wall, leaving the room without a sound.
Mo Lin raised his hand, and the Ghost-Suppressing Tome materialized in his palm. With a wave, the three ghosts sealed within it emerged into the room.
"Our respects, my lord. May your health flourish," said Chen Xi, the first to appear, flattering him immediately.
"You've advanced?"
"Name: Chen Xi
Rank: Terror-grade
Ghost Skill: Ghost Eye
Daily Ghost Coin Output: 40"
When Mo Lin had first subdued her, she had only been danger-grade.
"The conditions inside the tome are exceptional. I was fortunate enough to ascend."
Indeed, the tome's atmosphere was thick with ghostly energy. Any spirit confined within for long would eventually grow stronger.
In contrast to Chen Xi's enthusiasm, the other two ghosts were subdued.
Chu Xing glanced about warily before offering a polite bow.
"My lord, you summoned me for what reason?"
Mo Lin studied him in silence. This ghost seemed steady—perhaps reliable.
Then, he turned to the third ghost—Zhang Gui, whom he had subdued that very morning.
Zhang Gui was visibly trembling, overwhelmed by fear. The eerie power Mo Lin had displayed had left a lasting impression. A voice echoed in his mind, over and over—Obey him.
Whether this was the tome's influence, Zhang Gui could not tell. But any ill intent he harbored was met with excruciating mental torment—as if his very soul would be torn apart.
Now, faced with Mo Lin, he could feel nothing but terror.
With a thud, he dropped to his knees.
"My lord, how may I serve you?"
His demeanor now was utterly different from earlier that day.
"Tell me what you know of the Ghost Domain."
Mo Lin had summoned him for precisely this purpose.
"The ghosts of the Ghost Domain now control three provinces," Zhang Gui reported. "They've established their own faction and are cooperating with ghost tamers. Their main objective is to oppose emissaries and forces from Yedou."
"They've already slain thirty-two ghost emissaries from Yedou."
"Control?" Mo Lin echoed, brows raised.
"Yes, those three provinces belong entirely to the Ghost Domain. No other ghost may step foot there. Any who dares will face swift and brutal retaliation."
"How do they know where Yedou's emissaries are hiding?"
That was what puzzled Mo Lin.
Emissaries from Yedou would undoubtedly conceal themselves. Given the vastness of the Dragon Nation, it should be nearly impossible for the Ghost Domain to locate them so easily—even within the same city.
"That... I do not know," Zhang Gui admitted truthfully. His strength was modest, and the ghosts he associated with held no power within the Ghost Domain. He could only gather scraps of mundane intelligence.