On Souls

"I'm Yi Xu. I hope you'll look after me from now on, Chief Gu!"

Ever since wiping out the Zhou Family, Xu Yi had planned to conceal his identity.

Naturally, it would have been best to lie low somewhere far away. But since he could blend into the government, that also suited the principle of hiding in plain sight.

Besides, staying in Guang'an also fit the saying that the most dangerous place was the safest.

Gu Jianming laughed heartily. "Of course, of course. How about this: after lunch, Brother Yi, go to the constables' office east of town to collect your uniform and equipment. For now, though, I suggest you head to Jianlan Wine House in the west and buy a gourd of the finest Bamboo Leaf Green!"

"What do you mean by that, Chief Gu?" Xu Yi had a vague idea of the answer.

Gu Jianming said, "I heard what happened in class. Brother Yi, you've got a wealth of ideas, but you've never had a renowned teacher. Then today, you suddenly ran into Master Zhou—it must have been like a long drought finally broken by rain. But with so many people talking in the hall, there was no chance to discuss everything. You must be full of regrets. Though Master Zhou isn't from Furong Town, he's lectured at the Martial Arts Hall here several times over the past twenty years. I know a thing or two about his temperament. He's especially fond of Bamboo Leaf Green. Every time he comes to Furong Town, he buys a gourd, and right now, he's sure to be drinking alone at Canglang Pavilion by Dragon Whisker River. If there's anything you don't understand, buy him a gourd of Bamboo Leaf Green and take it there."

How considerate! Incredibly considerate!

Xu Yi sprang up and dashed out, his legs a blur.

Dragon Whisker River branched off from Nielong River. It was named for its location, occupying the place of one of Nielong River's whiskers.

The water ran clear and cold, winding as it carried its ripples along. Good water naturally made for good scenery; on both banks, fine trees grew thickly, their verdant shadows swaying.

With two enormous gourds in hand, Xu Yi sprinted along the riverbank.

"Over here!"

Xu Yi was looking around for the pavilion when a voice suddenly called out.

He turned toward it and saw Master Zhou sitting on a scenic boulder not far away, waving vigorously at him.

Xu Yi paused, then hurried over. Before he could even reach him, Master Zhou rushed forward and snatched both wine gourds from his hands. He pulled out the stoppers, took a long swig, and beamed. "Fine wine, fine wine! It really is top-grade Bamboo Leaf Green. I could smell it from far away—it was practically teasing my nose. Wine this good is more than an old man like me can afford on the meager wages I earn each month. Today, I finally get to indulge." As he spoke, he tipped another generous mouthful down his throat, wetting even his mustache.

Xu Yi said nothing, simply watching him gulp down the wine with gusto.

Master Zhou had drained more than half a gourd before he remembered the man who'd brought it was still standing beside him. Even with his thick skin, his old face couldn't help heating up. He pointed to the rocks nearby and invited Xu Yi to sit.

"I know why you came. I noticed you in the hall earlier—you're a young man with ideas. Now you've come chasing after me as if your backside were on fire, carrying my favorite Bamboo Leaf Green. Someone knowledgeable must have pointed you my way. Well, what can I say? This old man can't resist the wine worms in his belly. Two gourds of wine, two questions!"

The old man was a straightforward sort: give him a gift, and he'd do the job.

That was exactly what Xu Yi wanted. He didn't stand on ceremony. "There was something you said in class that I remember clearly: 'With utmost sincerity, one can reach the Soul and Spirit.' You said that when one reaches the Soul Sensing Stage, the body reaches its limit and begins to commune with Heaven and humanity. So I'd like to ask: do people really have souls? When do souls appear? And what use is a powerful soul to a martial artist?"

The question of the soul had been eating at him for a long time.

He could see Liao Chen's Yin Soul with his naked eyes!

His eyes could see through the darkness!

His perception was astonishing, too. He could tell what wild beasts were hiding in the mountains and forests from far away!

Most outrageous of all, he could endure fatigue far better than ordinary people!

Take cultivation, for example. Unless his body was so sore it could no longer support him, he could train for days and nights without rest. Then, after just a few hours of sleep, all his exhaustion would vanish.

It was precisely this "extraordinary gift" that had let him persist through training no ordinary person could endure, and achieve what he had today.

For a long time, Xu Yi hadn't found a clear answer for the reason behind these changes in his body.

But he did have a suspicion! As far as he could tell, the cause wasn't this body. It was probably his own soul, which had crossed through time and space to arrive here.

Of course, it was only a guess. Now that he'd met a learned man, if he didn't unravel the mystery, he'd be clawing at his own heart.

"Your questions are all rather unusual. What made you think of this one?"

Master Zhou's cloudy eyes cleared in an instant as he stared at Xu Yi.

This young man had surprised him once again.

"I'm the sort who likes to let his mind wander. The more I think, the more questions I have. I hope you'll clear up my doubts, Master Zhou."

Xu Yi calmly met Master Zhou's gaze.

Master Zhou stroked his unruly goatee. "Very well, I won't pry. I drank your wine, after all, so I'll honor my promise! Just now, you asked three questions in a single breath. I won't quibble over that; I'll answer them all at once."

"First question: do people have souls? The answer is yes. Of course they do. Without a soul, a person is nothing but a walking corpse!"

"Second question: when do souls appear? I assume you mean, when can a soul break free of the body's restraints and exist on its own? I believe there are two answers. First, when a person dies, their soul naturally appears. Second, when one reaches an exceedingly high level of cultivation, the soul may grow strong through tempering and perhaps break free of the body, attaining great freedom. The divine beings of legend should all possess this ability."

He hadn't expected the old man to be so crafty, trying to fob him off with a superficial answer. He hurriedly interjected, "When a person dies, their soul appears—so why can't ordinary people see it? And I've heard that practitioners who have opened their Yin Eye can see the souls of martial arts experts. Why is that?"

This was one of the questions he cared about most. He had seen Liao Chen's Yin Soul and had assumed that a person's soul and spirit would appear when they died. But when he killed Elder Feng, Young Master Zhou, and the others, not a single soul had appeared.

"We agreed on two gourds of wine for two questions! Why are you asking more?" Master Zhou's goat beard trembled, but a sly glint flashed in his cloudy old eyes.

"How about I pay for each extra question with another gourd?" Xu Yi could tell what the old man was up to, but he didn't care how much a few gourds of wine cost.

"Deal!"

Master Zhou was overjoyed. His thin, aged face crinkled with laughter. "If I'd been as eager to learn as you back then, perhaps I wouldn't have suffered the calamity I did. Never mind, let's not talk about that. Back to the matter at hand. Souls are hard to see because they're spiritual bodies. How could the naked eye see them? As for those who have opened their Yin Eye, that's different, but even they can't see every soul."

"For instance, ordinary people who haven't cultivated to the Qi Sea Realm have weak bodies and frail souls. When they die, their souls haven't yet gathered into shape before the celestial wind scatters them, returning them to the netherworld. But when someone cultivates to the Qi Sea Realm, their soul is relatively strong. Even if they die, it can gather into a physical form. And for experts who have practiced the Soul Nurturing Secret Method, their Yin Souls can remain in the mortal world for years after death without dispersing. One must say, this is a Miracle of Creation!"