Chapter Twenty-Five: Life After Life

In the mystical land of the East, where yokai and cultivators coexist, there is a concept of past and present lives.

Ordinary people likely wouldn't believe it. However, Luo Qiu was the kind of person who would believe without needing proof.

You Ye said he would be able to read people's minds in the future. Luo Qiu wasn't sure if that would happen, but at the moment, he could tell the man wasn't speaking.

Just as he had felt no malice when he met the man's eyes at the auction, he felt none now.

He reached out and helped the man up, touching the other jade token in his hand, and began to listen to the man's story.

The man was thirty-four years old and named Su Houde. He was originally a courier for a local shipping company and unmarried.

Since childhood, he had a strange recurring dream. In a grand palace, he saw the Emperor's furious dragon-like face and the fierce expressions of his armed guards.

When the child had nightmares, the elders used ancient methods to ward off evil spirits, but the effects were not significant. As he grew older, Su Houde's dreams became more frequent and increasingly vivid. Finally, in the year he turned thirty, he understood what this long dream meant and who he truly was.

"So... you are the maker of this pair of jade tokens?" Luo Qiu looked at Su Houde in surprise. "That master jade carver from the Ming Dynasty?"

Su Houde gave a wry smile. "You don't believe me, do you? I didn't believe it myself at first. But it's not just these two jade tokens; I remember, recognize, and know all the other artifacts that have been unearthed!"

Su Houde caressed the white jade token in his hand, a look of obsession on his face. "How they were made from raw stone, how they were polished, carved, and inscribed... I remember every single step clearly."

Luo Qiu pondered, "Since Mr. Su knows this is about past and present lives, and the past life is over, why are you still so attached to this white jade token? You were born in modern times, you have family and friends. Taking such a risk... aren't you afraid?"

"I don't know..." Su Houde shook his head, his expression pained. "I've been lost and hesitant... always hesitant. But when I saw this white jade token at the venue, it was like I was possessed, I couldn't control myself at all. I know clearly that I am Su Houde, not some ancient person from five hundred years ago. But another voice told me that I couldn't just stand by and watch San Niang be bought by someone else. We've been separated for five hundred years, and I don't know when we'll meet again."

"San Niang?"

Su Houde let out a bitter laugh and sighed deeply. "I was a master jade carver in my time, obsessed with jade, and quite arrogant about my talent. That year, Emperor Xianzong summoned me to the palace and ordered me to create a pair of white jade tokens, and to inscribe a Taoist scripture within them. But I wasn't allowed to view the scripture directly; someone had to read it aloud beside me. And San Niang was the one Emperor Xianzong assigned to read it to me."

"Later, I found out that San Niang wasn't an ordinary palace maid, but one of Emperor Xianzong's consorts. Furthermore, before entering the palace, San Niang had gone to the mountains to study Taoism. Emperor Xianzong, desiring longevity, had also sought out an immortal on the mountain. For some reason, the immortal agreed to the Emperor's request and had San Niang accompany the Emperor into the palace. In the eyes of outsiders, San Niang was the Emperor's consort, but in reality, she was the one teaching the Emperor the ways of cultivation."

"The past life of this pair of white jade tokens came from a strange stone discovered in the East Sea, possessing mystical abilities. San Niang had the Emperor carve the strange stone into jade tokens and inscribe a scripture she practiced, the Supreme Jade Emperor's Heart Seal Subtle Scripture. The Emperor wore them and often recited it while meditating, which greatly accelerated his cultivation."

Su Houde's voice suddenly deepened. "During those days, San Niang kept me company. She was originally from a world beyond the mortal realm, but she encountered me... It was my fault for disturbing San Niang's Taoist heart. But those were the happiest times of my life. Unfortunately, good times don't last long; the jade tokens were eventually completed."

"I knew that once the jade tokens were finished, San Niang would have to return to the Emperor's side. I knew even more clearly that no matter how much we loved each other, we could not be together." Su Houde sighed deeply. "All I could do was secretly carve San Niang's name and mine into these two jade tokens, hoping San Niang would find some comfort when she saw it."

Saying this, Su Houde spread out the white jade token in his hand. "This one uses intaglio carving, my usual signature. The one in your hand is more hidden; it requires light to be revealed, and it's San Niang's name. It was most common for a jade craftsman to sign their work. Especially for me, I treated my signature as the most ordinary thing, because I was the best craftsman at the time... But I overlooked that this was for the current Emperor. How could the Emperor wear another person's name on him at all times?"

"The Emperor not only discovered my name but also San Niang's name, and he was furious." Su Houde's voice became hoarse. "Only then did I realize that the Emperor desired longevity, but he had also fallen for San Niang at first sight. The Emperor wanted to kill me, and San Niang desperately pleaded for my life. In his rage, His Majesty summoned a demonic priest, who struck San Niang's three souls and seven spirits into this pair of white jade tokens respectively. Then, I was beheaded outside the palace. My body and head were separated and sent to the southeast, truly a case of being torn limb from limb..."

"I hated him so much. I swore that even if I became a vengeful spirit, I would never let this go! Even if I was reborn, I would personally kill the Emperor and find my San Niang."

"But the Emperor is already dead, and the jade tokens disappeared somewhere."

"I've been searching, generation after generation."

"I don't know how many times I've reincarnated."

"But I finally found them!"

Su Houde's gaze suddenly changed. He grabbed Luo Qiu's arms with both hands and said ferociously, "Give me the jade tokens! I want to free San Niang! Five hundred years! A full five hundred years! Her soul is separated, sealed within two small jade tokens! Do you know her suffering!!"

Such actions did not anger Luo Qiu; he could feel Su Houde's genuine anger and grief.

However, these actions did provoke You Ye.

She directly intervened, pushing Su Houde away. He fell to the ground, and the jade token he was holding slipped from his grasp and rolled to the side.

Su Houde was startled and scrambled to pick up the jade token. Unexpectedly, the jade token suddenly rose into the air and flew towards the other side, eventually landing in the hands of an old man.

The old man had a younger man beside him.

As the white jade token entered his hand, the old man said in a deep voice, "This... this should be an item from my sect. It seems the records were not wrong."

"It's you!"

Su Houde clearly recognized the old man, who was the one who had helped him at the auction.

Luo Qiu also recognized him.

The old man's face suddenly flushed, and he said in a stern voice, "Hand over the one in your hand to me as well!"

Almost at the same time, Luo Qiu felt his body become extremely heavy, and the surrounding air seemed to press in on him, making it difficult to breathe.

"How dare you touch my master, you... you're seeking death!"

You Ye, standing beside him, her voice turned cold, her eyes glowing blue, and her hair standing on end as if in a windless environment, began to float.