diff --git a/fs/namei.c b/fs/namei.c
index 37b2f82e6f2c..84ce7ccd944e 100644
--- a/fs/namei.c
+++ b/fs/namei.c
@@ -1628,9 +1628,9 @@ static struct dentry *__lookup_hash(const struct qstr *name,
 	return dentry;
 }
 
-static int lookup_fast(struct nameidata *nd,
-		       struct path *path, struct inode **inode,
-		       unsigned *seqp)
+static struct dentry *lookup_fast(struct nameidata *nd,
+				  struct inode **inode,
+			          unsigned *seqp)
 {
 	struct dentry *dentry, *parent = nd->path.dentry;
 	int status = 1;
@@ -1645,8 +1645,8 @@ static int lookup_fast(struct nameidata *nd,
 		dentry = __d_lookup_rcu(parent, &nd->last, &seq);
 		if (unlikely(!dentry)) {
 			if (unlazy_walk(nd))
-				return -ECHILD;
-			return 0;
+				return ERR_PTR(-ECHILD);
+			return NULL;
 		}
 
 		/*
@@ -1655,7 +1655,7 @@ static int lookup_fast(struct nameidata *nd,
 		 */
 		*inode = d_backing_inode(dentry);
 		if (unlikely(read_seqcount_retry(&dentry->d_seq, seq)))
-			return -ECHILD;
+			return ERR_PTR(-ECHILD);
 
 		/*
 		 * This sequence count validates that the parent had no
@@ -1665,30 +1665,30 @@ static int lookup_fast(struct nameidata *nd,
 		 *  enough, we can use __read_seqcount_retry here.
 		 */
 		if (unlikely(__read_seqcount_retry(&parent->d_seq, nd->seq)))
-			return -ECHILD;
+			return ERR_PTR(-ECHILD);
 
 		*seqp = seq;
 		status = d_revalidate(dentry, nd->flags);
 		if (likely(status > 0))
-			return handle_mounts(nd, dentry, path, inode, seqp);
+			return dentry;
 		if (unlazy_child(nd, dentry, seq))
-			return -ECHILD;
+			return ERR_PTR(-ECHILD);
 		if (unlikely(status == -ECHILD))
 			/* we'd been told to redo it in non-rcu mode */
 			status = d_revalidate(dentry, nd->flags);
 	} else {
 		dentry = __d_lookup(parent, &nd->last);
 		if (unlikely(!dentry))
-			return 0;
+			return NULL;
 		status = d_revalidate(dentry, nd->flags);
 	}
 	if (unlikely(status <= 0)) {
 		if (!status)
 			d_invalidate(dentry);
 		dput(dentry);
-		return status;
+		return ERR_PTR(status);
 	}
-	return handle_mounts(nd, dentry, path, inode, seqp);
+	return dentry;
 }
 
 /* Fast lookup failed, do it the slow way */
@@ -1874,19 +1874,18 @@ static int walk_component(struct nameidata *nd, int flags)
 			put_link(nd);
 		return err;
 	}
-	err = lookup_fast(nd, &path, &inode, &seq);
-	if (unlikely(err <= 0)) {
-		if (err < 0)
-			return err;
+	dentry = lookup_fast(nd, &inode, &seq);
+	if (IS_ERR(dentry))
+		return PTR_ERR(dentry);
+	if (unlikely(!dentry)) {
 		dentry = lookup_slow(&nd->last, nd->path.dentry, nd->flags);
 		if (IS_ERR(dentry))
 			return PTR_ERR(dentry);
-
-		err = handle_mounts(nd, dentry, &path, &inode, &seq);
-		if (unlikely(err < 0))
-			return err;
 	}
 
+	err = handle_mounts(nd, dentry, &path, &inode, &seq);
+	if (unlikely(err < 0))
+			return err;
 	return step_into(nd, &path, flags, inode, seq);
 }
 
@@ -3302,13 +3301,12 @@ static int do_last(struct nameidata *nd,
 		if (nd->last.name[nd->last.len])
 			nd->flags |= LOOKUP_FOLLOW | LOOKUP_DIRECTORY;
 		/* we _can_ be in RCU mode here */
-		error = lookup_fast(nd, &path, &inode, &seq);
-		if (likely(error > 0))
+		dentry = lookup_fast(nd, &inode, &seq);
+		if (IS_ERR(dentry))
+			return PTR_ERR(dentry);
+		if (likely(dentry))
 			goto finish_lookup;
 
-		if (error < 0)
-			return error;
-
 		BUG_ON(nd->inode != dir->d_inode);
 		BUG_ON(nd->flags & LOOKUP_RCU);
 	} else {
@@ -3383,10 +3381,10 @@ static int do_last(struct nameidata *nd,
 		got_write = false;
 	}
 
+finish_lookup:
 	error = handle_mounts(nd, dentry, &path, &inode, &seq);
 	if (unlikely(error < 0))
 		return error;
-finish_lookup:
 	error = step_into(nd, &path, 0, inode, seq);
 	if (unlikely(error))
 		return error;