Chapter 90: Brushing Past, Returning Home, Admiration

Without hesitation, David got in the car and drove Louis and the others straight to Dallas.

With moonlight and streetlamps illuminating the road, the journey was smooth, and they returned to the city two hours later.

In truth, David’s decision was hard to judge as right or wrong, but at least it avoided potential trouble.

Just as they chose to return to the city, a strikingly elegant Black woman arrived at this nature reserve, closing her eyes as if sensing something.

Moments later, she opened her eyes, and within her pupils flickered a sinister power.

“I hear the wails of my people.”

“He is weeping. A group of vile creatures have exploited him, trapping the souls of countless kin and stealing their youthful bodies.”

Behind her, a group of Black individuals in strange attire roared in unison, “Kill them! Kill them!”

Mary Laven nodded and stepped forward toward the forest—the direction led to… the white billionaire’s town.

…

Near noon.

Dallas, motel.

David yawned with his mouth wide open; beside him, Jenny was equally groggy—they’d slept too late last night, and even after napping, she still felt exhausted.

The table held only ordinary food; David and Louis ate while chatting.

“Leave right after eating?”

“Yes, the longer we stay, the more trouble we risk. This trip has been awful—I feel sick just thinking about what happened yesterday.”

“Alright then, we’ll take turns driving.”

“That’s the only option.”

After finishing lunch, the family set off again, just as before—except this time, it was the return journey.

Though they took the same route, this time they didn’t stop anywhere along the way, so their return speed was faster than before.

Several days later.

The family drove back to Florida, nearing Orlando.

But as they neared Orlando, Louis parted from David and the others, boarding a car arranged in advance by his family, turning off onto a familiar road.

Eden Lake.

The place where Louis first felt fear—and where he formally set his goal and ambition.

The golden-arm corpse’s axe blow still sent chills down his spine when he recalled it; more importantly, the revelation of her origin—the Hell King Mamen—had unveiled to Louis the world’s true face.

Returning to this place, Louis gazed at the sunny, serene scenery for only a moment before heading straight toward the site of the original fire.

Along the way, Louis noticed the town’s residents seemed far fewer: “Where did everyone go?”

The driver immediately replied, “They all moved out. After the incident, our family got involved in the development here. As for the townspeople, they were given a pittance for relocation and kicked out.”

The Cano family originally wanted to privately acquire the land, but Florida is one of the few states that prohibit transferring seized land to private developers, so they settled for partial involvement instead.

Even so, there was profit to be made.

Soon, Louis arrived at the fire site. So many days had passed, yet nothing had been cleared—only shattered walls, blackened ruins, and charred, rotting wood remained.

After dropping two drops of bull’s tears onto the ground, his vision shifted: faint black mists appeared within the house, and faint, charred, gaunt figures could be seen inside, waving their arms as if struggling.

Seeing this, Louis slowly smiled. “Good thing I came. But if this is how it looks, it’ll take a long time for them to fully form. It seems normal spirits are hard to create.”

Thinking this, he sent out his willow-blade golden knife, one after another, without hesitation—cut the grass, uproot the weed!

Huh～ Huh～

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Amid flashes of golden light, an unnatural scream suddenly echoed through the air.

The driver froze for a moment, then calmed instantly—he was an elite member of the family stationed outside the cave on the back mountain, accustomed to Louis’s oddities, so this sight didn’t surprise him.

Soon.

The golden light flickered and faded, taking the souls within with it.

The house, where over a dozen people had died, now once again received the sun’s light.

After carefully inspecting it, Louis went into the Eden Lake forest, visiting the grave where the golden-arm corpse had been unearthed. The place was bitterly cold, buried deep in the woods, perpetually shadowed, and near the lake—perfectly matching the requirements of a yin-sha site.

Louis rubbed his chin and nodded, a plan forming in his mind.

Once he finished everything and confirmed there were no lingering threats, Louis returned to Orlando by car.

…

Squeak!

Tires screeched against pavement.

Car door opened, then closed.

Louis had just stepped out, not yet home, when the house beside him burst open—Jiali rushed out, face alight with excitement and joy, behind her a girl stood bewildered.

Jiali rushed forward, but after two steps, she halted, her expression turning uncertain, slowly retreating.

She’d regained her composure.

Louis wasn’t a clueless anime boy—he instantly understood why Jiali reacted this way. But really? He hadn’t treated her all that well.

Frowning, he studied her, then waved. “Hey, Jiali?”

Jiali smiled faintly and waved back. “Good morning, Louis. You’re… back?”

Good morning?

Louis glanced at the sun directly overhead, twitched his lip, muttered a few vague replies, then walked inside.

Jiali watched until Louis disappeared into the house, then lowered her gaze.

Behind her, Su walked over and tapped Jiali’s shoulder. “Jiali, who was that just now?”

“My neighbor, Louis Cano. A good person—no, an excellent one.”

Looking at her friend, whom she’d just met two days ago, Jiali said this.

Su was surprised.

She hadn’t expected the usually aloof Jiali to hold such high regard for this guy—she even sensed Jiali might be… fond of him?

“Where does he go to school? I’ve never seen him at ours.”

“He was a student at Bolton Middle School—Yulunka’s younger brother. He just graduated this year; after summer ends, he’ll probably enroll in a top high school.” Jiali’s voice trailed off with a hint of sadness—her grades were average, and her family couldn’t afford much.

“Oh, Bolton… wait—middle school?”

Su stared at Jiali in disbelief, then turned to glance beside her, looking back and forth twice, thoughtful.

So you’re Jiali, hiding your cards well—you like younger guys.

But Louis is Yulunka’s brother?

Yulunka was famous at school—powerful, influential, surrounded by followers. Even Jiali had been protected by a casual word from Yulunka; former bullies dared not touch her, only resorting to silent treatment.

If someone like that has a brother who makes Jiali react like this, this family must be extraordinary.

(End of Chapter)