Chapter 108: Shizun’s Earth Soul

Mo Ran followed the ghost upstairs without a clue as to what was

happening. The worn wooden stairs creaked beneath his feet with every step.

He couldn't resist asking, "You call him Sir Chu?"

"That's right. Lord Yanluo himself sent him up to manage this place.

He's our superior."

Mo Ran swallowed his surprise and said nothing.

"Here we are." The ghost stopped before a half-moon-shaped

doorway on the second floor. The carved vermilion door stood slightly ajar.

The ghost knocked lightly. "Sir Chu, there's an acquaintance of yours here

looking for you."

There was a beat of silence. Then a voice drifted out, gentle like wine

warming on a stove, like silky hair across a pillow. "An acquaintance? Him

again? I've already said I don't wish to see him. Please tell him to leave."

The ghost cleared his throat. "Sir Chu misunderstands. It's not him this

time."

"But who else is there?" Another moment of silence. "No matter, come

in."

The room was simple and elegant. The furnishings were plain, such

that the space seemed a little bare, but the floor was covered by a soft,

luxurious rug. Mo Ran's foot sank into the pile as he stepped inside, and he

caught a whiff of the sharp scent of furs. Completely at odds with that wild

smell was the figure standing before the window, pruning a flower branch.

His long, inky hair draped loose over his white robes and sweeping

sleeves, and the vivid red buds on the branch quivered lightly where he held

it between his delicate fingers. Perhaps it was the rule here in Tailwind Hall,

for he, too, wore a dark blue mask with bared fangs and bulging eyes. Yet, on

this man's face, even such a ferocious mask looked somehow gentler. He

trimmed the excess branches, then gathered them up and discarded them,

before at last turning around.

Mo Ran's throat felt dry. The exchange between the masked ghost and

Chu Wanning a second ago had left him with a vague sense of perplexed

unease. He didn't know what faculties this soul had lost. If Chu Wanning

didn't remember him…

As he stood fretting, the man laid down the pruning shears and stepped

toward him. Mo Ran, a man undaunted by heaven and earth, found himself

flustered and agitated, sweat covering his back.

"Shizun."

The man paused, coming to a stop before Mo Ran. Mo Ran heard

something like a chuckle from behind the mask.

"Shizun?" he asked. "Perhaps the little gongzi has the wrong person?"

Just as he suspected… Just as he feared.

Mo Ran's heart dropped like an enormous rock into an endless abyss,

dragging him down with it. He stared at the man before him, at a complete

loss for words.

When no response came, the man placed his slender, pale hand over

the boldly painted mask and removed it, revealing the elegant and composed

face beneath. Mo Ran felt that thousand-pound rock disappear in an instant.

He stared at the man's bare face, astonished. Without the slightest hesitation,

he blurted, "Chu Xun?"

It was small wonder that the person downstairs had mistaken the

portrait. Chu Xun and Chu Wanning were nearly identical, except that Chu

Xun was gentle where Chu Wanning was cold. Only someone extremely

familiar with one of them would be able to tell the two apart.

Someone like Mo Ran.

The man before him now was indeed Chu Xun, that gongzi of Lin'an

City whom he had seen in the illusion of two hundred years ago. Mo Ran had

spoken his name without thinking. But the real Chu Xun had never met Mo

Ran. He blinked in surprise, then smiled. "You actually do know me?"

Mo Ran waved his hand frantically. "No, no, I got the wrong person.

But I do also know you…" He peered curiously at the man before him as he

spoke. Chu Xun had died hundreds of years ago, but he had yet to be reborn.

Presumably this was due to the task assigned to him by Yanluo, which

allowed him to exist outside of the cycle of reincarnation, at least for now.

Running into Chu Wanning's ancestor here was the last thing Mo Ran

had expected. He found the experience quite bizarre.

"I see." Chu Xun nodded, then continued with a smile, "Who is the

little gongzi looking for? Since fate brought you up these stairs, I will help

you search. Otherwise, who knows how long it may take to find this person?

Nanke Town is a vast place, home to millions of ghosts."

Mo Ran had planned to quickly explain the misunderstanding and then

run back downstairs to ask for a re-do on the divination. He hadn't expected

Chu Xun, as warm-hearted in death as he had been in life, to offer his

personal assistance. He joyfully accepted. "Thank you, Sir Chu! I'd

appreciate that!" So saying, he handed over the portrait.

Chu Xun unrolled it and took a look, then smiled again, "No wonder

the people downstairs were confused; there really is quite a resemblance.

What's his name?"

"Chu Wanning," Mo Ran said. "His name is Chu Wanning."

"His surname is Chu as well? What a coincidence."

Mo Ran's heart leapt. "Could it be that he's related to you?"

"I'm not sure. Investigating matters in the living world requires a visit

to the Ninth Ghost King. And I…have a death grudge against the ninth king

and refuse to beg any favors of him. I know nothing of matters in the living

world."

The ghost king in question was, of course, the very same who had

broken through the barrier at Lin'an and slaughtered Chu Xun's entire family

back then. Even Chu Xun, composed as he was, couldn't help the

complicated expression that rose on his face at the mention of this old

wound.

Mo Ran had thought to use this opportunity to confirm the relationship

between Chu Wanning and Chu Xun. But coming up against this, he could

only shake his head. "That's a pity."

Chu Xun smiled wanly and said no more. He turned to fetch a goldplated compass engraved with a yin-yang pattern from the shelf, then invited

Mo Ran to take a seat.

"This thing can tell us where he is?"

"Eight or nine times out of ten, yes."

"What about the other one or two?"

"The energy of some people's souls can be strange," Chu Xun

explained, "so there's always a possibility the compass can't locate them.

But it's rare; the little gongzi would have to be quite unlucky."

The divination was set up, and the little golden needle within the

compass spun to point shakily toward the north—but a moment later, it

swiveled to point south, then suddenly east, suddenly west, and in the end,

settled on spinning round and round.

Chu Xun eyed it, speechless.

"So…" Mo Ran asked cautiously, "what does that mean?"

"Ahem," Chu Xun cleared his throat, looking a little embarrassed.

"I'm afraid the little gongzi…is indeed quite unlucky."

Mo Ran eyed it, now also speechless.

Truth be told, Mo Ran had always had rather bad luck. He just knew it

wouldn't go so smoothly. He sighed and thanked Chu Xun, preparing to wade

back into the sea of people and resume his search for Chu Wanning.

But just then, the compass stopped its mad whirl. Its needle pointed

shakily in one direction, as if not too sure, then, a fraction of a second later,

nudged itself a hair more to the side.

"Little gongzi," Chu Xun called out, "just a moment!"

Mo Ran stopped in his tracks, holding his breath as he stood by the

table and stared at the compass. The needle swiveled left and right, refusing

to hold steady, but it more or less pointed out a general direction.

Chu Xun knitted his brows. "What's going on…"

"Is it that weird?"

"Not weird, exactly, but it is rather unusual." Chu Xun gazed at the

compass, his brows drawing tighter still. "He seems to be in two places at

once."

Mo Ran was startled. How could that be?

At present, Chu Wanning's cognizance soul was still within his body,

and his human soul was inside the soul-calling lantern. That meant there

should only be one—his earth soul—left in the underworld. How could Chu

Wanning appear in two places simultaneously?

"In any case," Chu Xun continued, "the compass is picking up one to

the southeast and another to the northeast. I recommend the little gongzi check

in both directions. It's possible some magic is affecting the compass and

preventing it from pinpointing the right location."

Heart filled with anxiety, Mo Ran thanked Chu Xun again and sped out

of Tailwind Hall, heading east. He ran eastward from some time, until he

came to a fork in the road. His footfalls screeched to a halt. Southeast or

northeast?

Mo Ran lifted the soul-calling lantern anxiously. But after a few

moments, as he stared into the lantern that held Chu Wanning's human soul, he

felt a vague and peculiar feeling in his heart. It seemed to vacillate, drawing

closer and then retreating, sometimes strong, sometimes weak. He followed

it down narrow roads and dark alleys, and the farther he walked, the stronger

it grew.

He felt as though Chu Wanning's earth soul was calling the lantern in

his hand—or rather, calling him—toward a certain place.

At last, Mo Ran came to a stop before an old, two-story wooden

building. He looked up, his gaze sweeping across the massive plaque above

the door.

AILING SOULS SANITARIUM.

Exposure to sun and wind had peeled away the plaque's black paint,

and the red on the raised lettering had fared no better, flaking off to reveal the

moldering wood beneath.

Mo Ran frowned, and his heart stuttered in his chest—these three

words only increased his unease. Ailing souls… What did that mean? Was

this why Chu Xun's compass hadn't worked?

He pushed open the door and went in, stepping over the tall threshold.

He got his answer soon enough.

Inside were hundreds of beds filled with hundreds of unconscious

souls. A dozen-some ghosts wearing white masks were making rounds,

channeling spiritual energy into the beds' occupants. This so-called Ailing

Souls Sanitarium was, it seemed, an underworld infirmary.

Mo Ran searched for the ghost doctor overseeing the sanitarium and

found him in the inner rooms. He cupped his hands respectfully toward him.

"Doctor, I…"

The doctor was tremendously busy and cut him off impatiently.

"Prescription pickup is on the second floor, examination queue is to the left."

"Then where do I go if I'm looking for someone?"

"Looking for someone's over…huh? Looking for someone?"

Mo Ran showed the doctor Chu Wanning's portrait. "Have you seen

him?"

The ghost doctor reached for the painting and looked it over, then

peered back up at Mo Ran. Through the holes in his white mask, his eyes

were filled with pity. "A relative?"

"Mhm, that's right."

"His earth soul is damaged." The ghost doctor pointed up the stairs.

"He's in the innermost bay up there. I'm afraid this type of illness can't be

treated; the most we can do is delay the inevitable. You should go see him."

Mo Ran started. "Damaged? Damaged how?"

"Who can say? The cycle of reincarnation is an agonizing thing. It's

possible his soul was damaged during his last few reincarnations. Or, since

he was a cultivator this lifetime, perhaps he had a qi deviation that damaged

his soul. Whatever the case, it's no longer whole—how am I supposed to

know how it happened?"

"Then," Mo Ran asked apprehensively, "then how would having a

damaged earth soul affect someone?"

"Affect?" The ghost doctor thought a moment. "It's not a huge issue,

since it's only one of the three souls that's incomplete. It won't affect his

ability to reincarnate. If anything…in his next life, he'll have a shorter

lifespan, worse luck, or a weaker constitution."

Mo Ran listened quietly. He wasn't exactly happy to hear that, but

there was little he could do. He thanked the ghost doctor and headed upstairs.

The second story of the sanitarium was less densely packed than the

first, which had been so crowded it was hard to breathe. The souls here were

those that were unlikely to ever wake up, so perhaps there wasn't much need

to watch over them: only one doctor stood by in the entrance hall, napping

leisurely on a rattan chair. Mo Ran left him where he was and walked

straight in.

Though the space was large, there were no more than twenty sickbeds

in it. The beds were laid out under the rosewood windows, and white

screens between each offered some privacy.

It was silent as the grave.

The floor creaked beneath Mo Ran's feet, and his eyes landed on the

innermost bay. It was next to a half-moon-shaped door that led out to an open

balcony. Moonlight poured in through a thin silk curtain that drifted in the

breeze.

There were twenty-odd ailing souls in this room, yet for some reason,

Mo Ran knew with searing clarity exactly where to go. Perhaps it was the

soul-calling lantern showing him the way. Whatever the reason, he walked

directly to the innermost bed without so much as a sideways glance, and

came to a stop in that pure, hazy moonlight. He lifted the curtain.

The last piece of Chu Wanning's soul lay within. His eyes were

closed, and his face was colorless; he looked no different from the body

resting in Frostsky Hall. Despite having found him, despite the hope of

rebirth that was now within reach, Mo Ran's heart ached and his nose stung

as he gazed down at that frail, bloodstained figure.

He set the soul-calling lantern down at the head of the bed. Then he sat

on the bed and reached out to gently hold the soul's ice-cold hand. But this

soul was unlike the human soul he'd met before. Maybe the damage had been

too severe—Mo Ran's fingers passed right through him to land on the clean

white sheets below. The body was incorporeal. He couldn't touch Chu

Wanning's earth soul.

Mo Ran felt unbearably lost and pained.

If one more thing had gone wrong, if Master Huaizui hadn't come, if

Chu Wanning's soul had been just a little more damaged, if his shizun had

despaired and refused to see him… He bent down, and though he knew he

wouldn't be able to press his forehead to Chu Wanning's, he couldn't help it

when he closed his eyes and leaned over the bed like he was embracing that

faint, fragile earth soul.

"Shizun."

Mo Ran's body overlapped with Chu Wanning's soul, the moonlight

spilling over them. Indistinct and indistinguishable.

Mo Ran heaved a long sigh. His heart was heavy and bitter. He had

seen Chu Wanning's body, then his human soul, and now this sickly earth

soul. Each stirred something different in him. He had knelt before the body,

his sins and guilt nearly tearing him apart. He had repented before the human

soul, had held Chu Wanning's hand and begged him to return.

But the earth soul.

He tried to hold him, yet he couldn't reach him, couldn't touch him. He

was at once gripped by a bottomless dread—this was what he deserved. He

was laden with so many sins. His hands were bathed in blood. What merit,

what right did he have to accompany this man again, to stand by his side?

Mo Ran's eyes remained closed. The tears clinging to his lashes

soaked into the flimsy pillow. He'd once believed the heavens were unkind

to him. Now, that seemed like an absurd joke. That wasn't the case at all. It

turned out that the heavens had been very kind to him indeed; it was his own

heart that was unkind, that rendered everything dark and gloomy.

It was his own fault.

He suddenly realized that he had once walked a path of no return. He

wanted to turn back. He wanted to use the rest of his life to make amends, use

the rest of his life to set things right. But he didn't know if doing all that

would even be enough to bring him back to the start.

Forget Taxian-jun. Forget being Emperor of the Human Realm. He

didn't want any of it. All he wanted was to lead a proper life, to be the kind

of righteous person that Chu Wanning had always hoped he would be.

It was said that recognizing your mistakes and changing for the better

was what counted most. But he had sinned so deeply. How long would it take

to atone for his sins? Perhaps he would never escape this endless remorse,

even until the day he died. After all, a scar cut through water could return to

even smoothness, but a wound carved into a tree would forever remain.

"Shizun." After sitting for a long time, immersed in the light of the

moon, immersed in Chu Wanning's nearly transparent soul, Mo Ran spoke as

though coaxing a child: "Come on, let's go home."

He straightened and picked up the soul-calling lantern. Mo Ran recited

the incantation wordlessly, and the earth soul was drawn inside, its faint

silhouette vanishing into the lantern.

Then Mo Ran waited.

He waited and waited, until the earth soul and human soul had fused

completely. Then he waited some more. But still, nothing happened.

Mo Ran's face paled. What the heck?!

Chu Wanning's earth soul and human soul had merged! Wasn't he

supposed to see the path to bring Chu Wanning back to the living world?

Was Master Huaizui's spell malfunctioning?!