Chapter 19

Translator: Larbre Studio  Editor: Larbre Studio

“I am Xu Yi, please take care of me in the future, Captain Gu!”

Ever since slaughtering the Zhou family, Xu Yi firmly intended to hide his original name.

Initially, being able to flee far away was naturally the best. But now, since he could somehow join the ranks of the officials, it would still fulfil his purpose of going into hiding.

After all, by continuing to stay in Guang’an, it would follow the logic that the most dangerous place is often the safest place.

Gu Jianming laughed out loud. “Good, good. How about this? After you have your lunch, Brother Yi, go to the east of town and collect your uniform and equipment from the patrol station. But for now, I suggest that you head to the west of town and buy a gourd of the finest Bamboo Leaf Green wine!”

“What do you mean by this, Captain Gu?” Xu Yi could roughly guess the answer.

Gu Jianming said, “I heard about what happened at the lecture. Brother Yi has great ambitions but has yet to meet a good teacher. Today, your meeting with Master Zhou must be like receiving rain after a long drought. But with so many people in the hall with questions for the master, you must have left with some unanswered questions. Although Master Zhou was not originally from Furong Town, he has taught here at the Martial Lecture Hall many times over the last twenty years; thus, I have some understanding of his personality. His favourite wine is Bamboo Leaf Green, which he is sure to purchase every time he visits Furong Town. Right now, he is definitely alone enjoying his wine at the Blue Wave Pavilion by the side of Dragon’s Beard Creek. Brother Yi, if you have any more questions, you could buy a gourd of Bamboo Leaf Green and head over there.”

How understanding! How incredibly understanding!

Kicking off the ground, Xu Yi’s feet danced into action as he sped out the door.

Dragon’s Beard Creek was one of the tributaries of Nielong River which got its name from being situated where the beard of Nielong River would be.

The waters were clear, with a gentle meandering flow of water. With good waters, good scenery naturally followed. Both sides of the creek were lush with green trees.

Xu Yi was carrying two large gourds, racing along the river.

“Over here!”

While Xu Yi was looking around for a pavilion, he suddenly heard a shout.

Looking towards the source, he saw Master Zhou sitting on a rock not far away, waving his arms at him.

Xu Yi halted, then quickly walked towards him. Before he could get close, Master Zhou had leapt forward, snatching the two gourds of wine from his hands. Pulling out the soft cork, he took a hearty swig and smiled from ear to ear. “Good wine, good wine. The very best Bamboo Leaf Green indeed. They were enticing my old nose from far away. With my meagre salary, I really can’t afford such good wine. Today must be my lucky day.” With those words, he took another large swig, even getting his beard all wet.

Xu Yi did not speak, and just quietly watched him drink his fill.

After finishing half a gourd of wine, Master Zhou finally remembered that next to him was the one who had brought him the wine. But thick skinned as he was, there was not even a hint of redness in his old face. He pointed to the rock beside them and invited Xu Yi to take a seat.

“Boy, of your intentions, I am well aware. Earlier in the lecture hall, I had already noticed you. You are a man with ideas. Now, you come chasing after me as though your butt is on fire, even bringing my favourite Bamboo Leaf Green. Someone must have advised you on this. But, whatever! I can’t defeat my love for good wine. Two gourds of wine, two questions!”

The old man was a straightforward person. After receiving the gifts, he will do what is expected.

And that was exactly what Xu Yi wanted. Cutting straight to the chase, he said, “Earlier in the class, there was a concept that I remember clearly, which was to use one’s essence to command souls. This is referring to cultivation at the Soul Sensing stage, where the physical body is at its limits and where one can develop supernatural senses. I would like to ask, do humans really have souls? When do souls appear? What does a strong soul do for a practitioner?”

The question regarding souls had been kept in his heart for a long time.

He had seen Liaochen’s departed soul with his bare eyes!

His eyes can ignore the darkness!

His ability to sense his surroundings was astonishing. Within the forests, no matter what beast was lying in ambush, no matter how far away they were, he could sense them all!

And the most amazing of all, is that he is far better than any normal human at overcoming fatigue!

Just take the example of his cultivating. If not for his body aching too much for him to bear, he could continue practicing night and day. With only a few hours of sleep each day, all of his fatigue would vanish.

By relying on this “natural gift”, he had managed to endure a cultivation method that no one would normally stand and had achieved what he had today.

The reason for why his body had such a special transformation was something that Xu Yi never had a proper answer to, even after all this time.

But he had a guess! From what he thought, the reason for such a change was not because of his body, but probably because his soul that had transcended space and time to get here.

Of course, this was only his guess. Today, meeting such a learned teacher, it would claw at his heart if he still could not find answers.

“This question of yours is very special. How did you think to ask this?”

Master Zhou’s blurry eyes suddenly lit up, as he stared at Xu Yi and asked his question.

“I’m the kind of person that has a wild imagination. I think too much, that’s why I have so many questions. I hope Master can still answer my doubts,” Xu Yi calmly replied.

Master Zhou stroked his messy goatee and said, “Very well, I shall not ask anymore. I have to fulfil my promise anyway, since I drank your wine! That question of yours was in fact three questions, but I shall not be too calculative. I’ll will answer them all together.

“The first question: do humans have souls? The answer is, of course! Humans definitely have souls. Without souls, they would just be walking corpses!

“Second question: when do souls appear? I think what you really mean is: when can souls leave the constraints of a physical body and exist on their own? To answer this question, we should look at two different scenarios. The first is, when someone dies, then the soul would naturally appear. The second is, when one’s cultivation is at an extremely high level, and when one’s soul is trained to be extremely resilient. Perhaps, at that stage, the soul could leave the physical body and can wander freely. The saints that were spoken of in legends should all possess this type of ability.”

He did not expect the old man to be so crafty, by trying to answer with some superficial knowledge to confuse him. He immediately cut in, “Souls appear when a person dies, but why is it that ordinary people do not see that? And I have also heard that priests who have unlocked their Yin eyes can see the souls of individuals proficient in the Martial Way; why is that so?”

This is one of the questions he wanted answers to the most. He had seen Liaochen’s soul, and had thought that a soul would materialise once a person was killed. However, when he butchered Elder Feng, Young Master Zhou and the rest of them, not a single soul had appeared.

“We agreed, two gourds of wine for two questions! Why are you asking more questions!” Master Zhou retorted with his goatee quivering, but his murky eyes flashed a hint of craftiness.

“One more question for another gourd of wine, would that be alright?” Xu Yi definitely knew what was going through the old man’s head, but he cared little for the cost of a few gourds of wine.

“It’s a deal!”

Master Zhou was overjoyed. The creases on his old, skinny face began to show. But then, he sighed and said, “If only I had your enthusiasm for learning when I was young. Perhaps the disaster that would have befallen me could have been avoided… Forget it, enough of that. Back on topic. The reason why the soul is so difficult to see is because the soul is a spiritual entity. How could a physical eye see it? As for those who unlock their Yin eyes, that is a different case, but not all souls can be seen.

“For instance, for an ordinary person whose cultivation is not at the Qi Ocean stage, the body and soul are both weak. When such a person dies, before the soul can come together and assume a form, it would already be dissipated by the wind and become part of the nether realm. But for one who has reached the Qi Ocean stage, the soul is much stronger in comparison. Even after dying, the soul can still condense to assume a human form. Furthermore, a strong practitioner who has cultivated secret Martial Techniques to develop the soul can have a soul remaining in the mortal realm for years after death. This is indeed a miraculous skill!”