Take the Soul

Xu Yuan went back to his room to sleep. After a while, he listened carefully and heard no sound from his stepmother's side. She should have been fast asleep, so he quietly got up and slipped out of the courtyard.

Lin Wanmo stood behind the bed, watching.

Her eyes were filled with deep worry. What a reckless little fool.

Her first instinct was to go straight out, grab the boy by the scruff of his neck, and haul him back.

But after a change of heart, she decided against it.

Xu Yuan left the courtyard and headed straight for the east end of the alley. He gently knocked on the door. "Uncle Mao."

Uncle Mao clearly wasn't asleep yet. He asked in a deep, muffled voice, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Uncle. Xu Yuan."

Uncle Mao opened the door. Xu Yuan was just about to step inside when he noticed a chisel gleaming with cold light pressed against his forehead.

Uncle Mao quickly pulled the chisel back. "So it really is you, brat. I thought some evil spirit had come knocking, using this call-and-response trick to fool me into opening the door."

Xu Yuan chuckled and went in. "If an evil spirit tried to fool you into opening the door that way, it'd be walking straight into its own grave."

Uncle Mao closed the door and scolded him. "It's the middle of the night. Why aren't you sleeping at home? What are you running around for? It's too dangerous."

Xu Yuan said, "I need to ask you for a favor, Uncle. Lin Wanmo and I just killed someone..."

Uncle Mao glared at him. "You should call her 'Mom'!"

Xu Yuan pouted. "All right, all right. Let's hurry. If we wait any longer, I'm afraid the soul will be taken away."

Uncle Mao asked, "What kind of person did you kill?"

Xu Yuan replied, "That's exactly what I don't know, which is why I need your help. I want you to interrogate the soul."

Uncle Mao hesitated. It wasn't that he was unwilling to help; he was worried Xu Yuan might get dragged into some kind of danger.

Xu Yuan pleaded, "You've always been the one who doted on me most, Uncle. When I was three or four, you even let me ride on your shoulders at the temple fair."

Uncle Mao grunted. "That was weird, all right. Every time you rode on my shoulders, you'd pee all down my neck. But you never did that to Grandpa Shen or your father..."

Xu Yuan blushed. "That just proves I'm closest to you."

A smile spread across Uncle Mao's usually sorrowful face. He picked up a few woodworking tools. "Let's go."

A short while later, the two returned. Uncle Mao had a ghost clutched in his hand. It was Ghost Ding Qian.

Uncle Mao was a Divine Cultivator.

Once inside, Uncle Mao lit an oil lamp, then gently blew toward the flame. With a whoosh, the orange-red light turned dark blue.

A chill filled the entire little room.

Uncle Mao held the ghost up to the light and examined it. Old Qian's ghost wore a cold expression, seemingly unmoved by everything that had happened to him.

Uncle Mao shook his head. "No need to ask. Souls like this are rare. No matter how you torture them, they won't say a thing."

Xu Yuan nodded. "Then do it your way, Uncle. I only want to know who's behind him."

Uncle Mao nodded. The fingers gripping the ghost rubbed together, and Old Qian's soul shattered. The vast memories of his life became countless fragments and images.

Then they quickly began to fade.

No one could seize so many scattered images all at once.

Uncle Mao could only make a quick judgment. His hands flew as he plucked out several fragments from the most recent moments.

Then he showed them to Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan saw a sprawling rear garden.

He saw Old Qian diligently refining Shade Souls into Yin soldiers.

He saw Old Qian going to Qilipu.

He saw Old Qian cooking dinner by himself in a row of secluded houses. After eating, he had headed straight for River Worker Alley.

"That's enough," Xu Yuan said.

He had a rough idea where Old Qian had come from.

Xu Yuan thanked Uncle Mao. "I'll head back first."

Uncle Mao waved his hand, dispersing all the remaining traces of the soul. "I'll walk you back."

"It's such a short way..."

But Uncle Mao wouldn't hear of it. He grabbed Xu Yuan by the arm and escorted him home.

Xu Yuan carefully slipped back into his room and listened again. It was still quiet on his stepmother's side. She hadn't noticed his little outing, so he finally took off his clothes and went to sleep.

After seeing Xu Yuan home, Uncle Mao had just reached his door when he suddenly realized something. He turned his head and saw Lin Wanmo standing nearby.

Uncle Mao grinned sheepishly.

After all, he'd just helped Xu Yuan keep a secret from her.

Lin Wanmo was indeed a little annoyed with him. She wore a stern little face, but she hadn't come to give him a dressing-down. "Grandpa Shen called everyone over."

Uncle Mao nodded and went with Lin Wanmo to Grandpa Shen's house.

At the corner stood a well.

As the two passed by, something clambered out over the rim. A pair of blood-red eyes snapped open—then quickly shut again, and its claws let go. With a splash, it fell back into the well.

The two couldn't be bothered with it.

Sure enough, when they reached Grandpa Shen's, Aunt Wang was there too.

Grandpa Shen leaned against the head of the bed, smoking his pipe. When the two came in, he said, "Everyone's here. Let's begin."

Lin Wanmo cut in first. "Grandpa, let me ask something."

Then she turned straight to Uncle Mao. "Did you just help Xu Yuan take the Divine Cultivator's soul?"

Uncle Mao grunted. It's not that I didn't want to keep it from you, brat Xu. You're afraid of your stepmother, and I'm a little afraid of this fiery young woman too...

Uncle Mao explained what had happened. Lin Wanmo's eyebrows shot up. "He wants to..."

Grandpa Shen waved a hand. "It's actually the same matter we're about to discuss."

Lin Wanmo said no more. She folded her arms and sat back down.

Grandpa Shen said, "Someone from the Qu Hui Division came by just now. They want Xu Yuan to join the Qu Hui Division. This is a big matter, and I'm an old man who wouldn't dare decide on my own, so I called everyone here to discuss it."

Aunt Wang shook her head so vigorously it looked like it might fly off. "It's too dangerous. I don't agree!"

Uncle Mao hesitated. "Xu Yuan's Fate Cultivator and Pill Cultivator inheritances didn't come from our alley."

Aunt Wang glared. "What are you getting at?"

"He didn't inherit from us, so technically he doesn't have to count as one of our alley's people. He has a chance to get out..."

"So you don't consider Yuan one of us anymore!" Aunt Wang was truly angry now.

Uncle Mao backed away a little. "When did I ever say I don't consider him one of us? I mean, what's so good about being one of the people in this alley? We've been trapped here for generations. It's dangerous, sure, but this is a chance for Xu Yuan. The Qu Hui Division is actually a decent place to go. If he can one day earn an official post, he can completely shed his status as a convict of River Worker Alley."

Aunt Wang snorted. "Easy for you to say. With our status, what kind of future could anyone have after joining the Qu Hui Division?"

Uncle Mao didn't argue with her. He had made his view clear.

"Grandpa Shen," Aunt Wang asked, "what do you think?"

Grandpa Shen puffed away at his pipe. Aunt Wang waved aside the smoke drifting toward Lin Wanmo. "You're smoking the girl out—now say something."

Grandpa Shen stopped smoking. "When Ma Tianshou first brought it up, my first reaction was to refuse too. But after thinking it over, Xu Yuan has become a Fate Cultivator... It seems this was Heaven's will. We ought to let him give it a try."

He hadn't spelled it out, but everyone present understood what he meant by "give it a try."

Lin Wanmo blurted out, "I sent him to Qihetan Town so he could get away from what was happening at home, not so he'd take on such a heavy burden! I never expected him to become a Fate Cultivator in the first place!"

Grandpa Shen sighed. "But by some strange twist of fate, the boy did."

Everyone fell silent.

Xu Yuan's trip to Qihetan Town had actually been arranged by Xu Huanyang before he died.

Lin Wanmo had only carried out his plan.

Could a few grains of Old Year Grain really lure June Bug out into the vast Ghost Witch Mountain? Xu Huanyang probably hadn't expected it to work either.

But somehow, it had.

It couldn't help but remind them of the Xu family's "fate written in the stars"!

After a long while, Grandpa Shen spoke again. "Two are for it, and two are against. So we'll follow the old rule:

Let the elders decide."

The other three nodded.

As for why Sun Ji cheated death, it was because he had relied on a secret technique to hide his aura and evade the Heaven's punishment for hundreds of years. It was not until he was utterly confident that his body and cultivation had been fully restored that he dared to step out of seclusion and resume his cultivation.

But just as he was about to reach the Nascent Soul stage, disaster struck. His nemesis, Chen Xuan, appeared out of nowhere. After a fierce battle, Chen Xuan severely wounded Sun Ji and forced him to flee.

At this point, Sun Ji's primordial spirit was already in tatters. His physical body had been destroyed, leaving him no choice but to possess another. Yet Chen Xuan chased him relentlessly, leaving him with no opportunity to rest or recover. Once again, Sun Ji was forced to flee.

But the successive blows had left him barely holding on, and the cultivation world was vast. He could not possibly keep running forever. After much deliberation, Sun Ji decided to head to the borderlands, where spiritual energy was scarce and cultivators were few, and hide there while he recuperated.

On top of that, the borderlands were rich in spiritual herbs and other treasures. Even if he could not regain his former cultivation, he might still be able to become a great cultivator who could dominate a region.

And that was exactly what he did. After arriving in the borderlands, Sun Ji found a secluded place to hide and began tending to his injuries. But he had been seriously wounded, and his primordial spirit was damaged. He could not recover quickly, no matter how hard he tried.

To make matters worse, while Sun Ji was still recuperating, the skies suddenly grew dark, and a powerful force descended from above. Sun Ji was caught off guard and struck down.

After that, the whole matter was over. Sun Ji's primordial spirit dissipated, and he vanished from the cultivation world.

Chen Xuan stood there, watching the place where Sun Ji had disappeared. He sighed softly, then turned and left.

This sudden turn of events left all the cultivators present stunned. They never imagined that Sun Ji, who had ruled the cultivation world for hundreds of years, would meet such an end.

For a while, the crowd remained silent. Then someone broke the silence.

"Sun Ji is dead?"

"I can't believe it. Sun Ji was a great cultivator who dominated the cultivation world for hundreds of years. How could he die like this?"

"What's so strange about that? His end was inevitable. If you do enough evil, it'll come back to bite you."

"That's right. Sun Ji was ruthless and killed countless people. This is what he deserved!"

The cultivators discussed the matter animatedly. Some lamented Sun Ji's fate, while others cheered at his death.

As for Chen Xuan, he paid no attention to them. He turned and flew away.

After leaving the borderlands, Chen Xuan flew straight back to the Central Continent. He returned to the sect and went into seclusion to recover from his injuries.

The battle with Sun Ji had left Chen Xuan badly wounded. He needed time to recuperate.

While Chen Xuan was in seclusion, news of Sun Ji's death spread throughout the cultivation world. The news caused a huge uproar, and cultivators everywhere were talking about it.

For a time, the cultivation world was in turmoil. Some cultivators rejoiced at Sun Ji's death, while others were secretly worried.

After all, Sun Ji had once been a great cultivator who dominated the cultivation world for hundreds of years. Now that he was dead, the cultivation world would certainly undergo a major upheaval.

But all of that had nothing to do with Chen Xuan. He was in seclusion, focused on recovering from his injuries.

Several months later, Chen Xuan finally emerged from seclusion. His injuries had fully healed, and his cultivation had improved.

After emerging from seclusion, Chen Xuan learned that the cultivation world had indeed changed greatly in the months since Sun Ji's death.

The forces that Sun Ji had once controlled had fallen apart. Some were swallowed up by other factions, while others had disappeared entirely.

The cultivation world had returned to its former balance, with the great factions once again locked in a struggle for power.

Chen Xuan paid little attention to these changes. He continued cultivating and sought to improve his strength.

After all, in the cultivation world, strength was everything. Only by becoming stronger could he protect himself and the people he cared about.

So Chen Xuan devoted himself to cultivation. Every day, he either meditated or trained his techniques, striving to raise his cultivation as quickly as possible.

Years passed in the blink of an eye.

During those years, Chen Xuan's cultivation steadily improved, and he finally reached the Nascent Soul stage.

After reaching the Nascent Soul stage, Chen Xuan's strength increased greatly. He was now considered one of the most powerful cultivators in the cultivation world.

Even so, Chen Xuan was not satisfied. He knew that the Nascent Soul stage was only the beginning, and that there were still higher realms waiting for him to reach.

So he kept cultivating, striving to reach an even higher level.

One day, Chen Xuan received a message from a friend. The message said that an ancient secret realm had appeared in the cultivation world. It was rumored to contain many treasures and opportunities.

When Chen Xuan heard the news, he was intrigued. An ancient secret realm was a rare opportunity, and he naturally did not want to miss it.

So Chen Xuan decided to go and take a look.

A few days later, he set out for the secret realm. After several days of travel, he finally arrived.

The secret realm was located in a remote mountain range. A huge stone gate stood at its entrance, and strange markings covered its surface.

Many cultivators had already gathered outside the stone gate. Everyone wanted to enter the secret realm to search for treasures.

When Chen Xuan arrived, the crowd immediately noticed him. They knew that he was a powerful Nascent Soul cultivator, and no one dared provoke him.

Chen Xuan ignored the crowd and walked straight to the stone gate. He carefully examined the markings on it.

After a moment, he raised his hand and pressed it against the gate.

At once, the markings began to glow, and the stone gate slowly opened.

Seeing this, the cultivators outside grew excited. They rushed toward the entrance, eager to get inside.

Chen Xuan did not hurry. He waited until the crowd had entered before following them.

Once inside the secret realm, Chen Xuan immediately sensed the rich spiritual energy. It was far denser than the spiritual energy outside.

He knew that this was a good place to cultivate. But he had not come here merely to cultivate. He wanted to find the treasures and opportunities hidden in the secret realm.

So he began exploring.

The secret realm was vast, with mountains, rivers, and ancient ruins everywhere. Chen Xuan explored for several days, but he found nothing of value.

Just when he was beginning to feel disappointed, he discovered a hidden cave.

The cave was concealed behind a waterfall. If not for his keen senses, he might never have noticed it.

Chen Xuan entered the cave and found a small stone chamber. In the center of the chamber was a jade table, and on top of it lay a jade slip.

Chen Xuan walked over and picked up the jade slip. After examining it, he discovered that it contained an ancient cultivation technique.

The technique was called the "Primordial Spirit Refinement Art." It could strengthen a cultivator's primordial spirit and improve their spiritual sense.

To Chen Xuan, this was an extremely valuable discovery. A strong primordial spirit could greatly increase his strength and make it easier for him to cultivate.

Chen Xuan did not hesitate. He sat down and began studying the technique.

After several days of study, he finally understood the essence of the Primordial Spirit Refinement Art.

He began cultivating according to the technique, and soon felt his primordial spirit growing stronger.

Chen Xuan was overjoyed. He knew that this technique would be of great help to his cultivation.

So he continued practicing it, and his primordial spirit grew stronger by the day.

After a month, Chen Xuan had mastered the Primordial Spirit Refinement Art.

He felt that his spiritual sense had become much more powerful. He could sense even the faintest movements around him.

Chen Xuan was very satisfied with the results. He put away the jade slip and left the cave.

After leaving the cave, Chen Xuan continued exploring the secret realm.

This time, he discovered a valley filled with spiritual herbs. The herbs were extremely rare, and some were even thousands of years old.

Chen Xuan gathered them all and put them away.

After that, he continued exploring the secret realm, searching for other treasures and opportunities.

A few days later, Chen Xuan came across a group of cultivators fighting over a treasure.

The treasure was a golden fruit. It was said to be a rare spiritual fruit that could greatly increase a cultivator's cultivation.

Everyone wanted to claim it for themselves, and no one was willing to back down.

Chen Xuan watched from the sidelines for a while. Then, just as the fighting was about to reach its peak, he suddenly made his move.

With a wave of his hand, he swept the golden fruit into his grasp.

The cultivators were stunned. They had not expected Chen Xuan to snatch the fruit from right under their noses.

"Chen Xuan, what are you doing? Give us back the fruit!"

"That's right! We found it first. You can't just take it!"

The cultivators shouted angrily.

Chen Xuan glanced at them and said calmly, "I found it first."

"You—"

The cultivators were furious, but they did not dare attack him. They knew that Chen Xuan was a powerful Nascent Soul cultivator, and that they were no match for him.

In the end, they could only watch as Chen Xuan put the golden fruit away and left.

After leaving the valley, Chen Xuan continued exploring the secret realm.

He found many treasures and opportunities, and his gains were substantial.

A month later, the secret realm began to close. Chen Xuan and the other cultivators were forced to leave.

After returning to the outside world, Chen Xuan went back to his sect and continued cultivating.

This time, he planned to use the treasures and opportunities he had found in the secret realm to raise his cultivation.

A few years passed in the blink of an eye.

During those years, Chen Xuan's cultivation continued to improve, and he finally reached the late Nascent Soul stage.

After reaching the late Nascent Soul stage, Chen Xuan's strength increased once again. He was now among the most powerful cultivators in the cultivation world.

Even so, Chen Xuan was not satisfied. He knew that the path of cultivation had no end, and that there were always higher realms to reach.

So he continued cultivating, determined to reach an even higher level.