The After-Realm

Even though Weisheng had been assigned to read the scrolls and texts by himself, Xiaoling decided to read them out for him, saying it would be easier for her to explain. She summarized things to save time. She ran her fingers across the text to feel the characters, reading it out loud. 

"There are three realms in this vast world," Xiaoling said, "The Mortal Realm, which is the Earth where mortals live. It's the same world where you completed Law School and work as a Prosecutor now." She explained in the easiest way possible, "Then there's the Underworld. It's where all the evil spirits, demons, devils, and negative energy go once banished from the Mortal and Heaven Realm. And the Heaven Realm is pretty self-explanatory. Celestial beings, immortal sects, daoists, and celestial courts exist in this realm. Any questions?" 

Weisheng hummed in thought, "You mention another realm… What is that?" 

"Oh," Xiaoling gasped, "The After-Realm," She smiled, "It's not a realm. We just call it a realm for simplicity. Pay attention to this now," She said. 

Weisheng leaned forward to hear better. 

"When people die, they are judged based on their doings. If the person has a good life, they become good spirits, like Ru and Hai. If the person does wrongdoings throughout their life, they become evil spirits. Evil spirits aren't capable of thinking. They're masses of negative energy. Good spirits are sent back to the Mortal Realm. They are given Spiritual Weapons to banish evil spirits. They get paid for this as well. 

Good spirits retain a mortal body and have the ability to show themselves in the Mortal Realm on command. You've seen Ru and Hai do that. They must continue their job of banishing evil spirits until it's their turn to reincarnate. If they banish a lot of evil spirits, they may have a chance to reincarnate as a special person! If they slack off at their job, they might reincarnate as a failure." 

Weisheng's eyes widened as he listened to her explanation carefully, "That is interesting. It's like Karma." 

"I know!" Xiaoling smiled, "Better than Law School, right?" 

"Yes," Weisheng chuckled, "Tell me more." 

Xiaoling nodded, "There's a flow of vital energy in all living beings called Qi. What I wanted to teach you was the method to cultivate Qi and control it to suppress the Cursed Eye. However, your damaged Spiritual Roots will keep your Qi from flowing normally." She explained, "So until we can find a way to fix your roots, we will practice normal martial arts to strengthen your body. Body and mind are connected, so I'm sure if we do things the right way, your roots will recover." 

Weisheng nodded, "What about the things your Godmother said?" He asked politely. 

"Those should be taken with a grain of salt," Xiaoling said, "Godmother is a dignified Sorceress. She taught me sorcery. She didn't know the complete story behind you and jumped to conclusions. It was my fault for not explaining beforehand. I'm sure Ru controlled the situation. You can ignore it for now. We'll go and apologize later." She swiftly added as if she wanted to bury the topic. 

Xiaoling smiled, pushing the scrolls and texts to the side. She slowly traced her hands over the table, and multiple things appeared. 

There was a zither made out of glass, which Weisheng had seen multiple times, a parasol, a bamboo fan, a monk staff, a bow and arrows, and a sword. 

"These are my Spiritual weapons," Xiaoling told him casually, "Since I'm a Sorceress, it's easy for me to attain a lot of these weapons. You saw a pipe in my Godmother's hand, right? That was her Spiritual weapon." 

"These look expensive," Weisheng murmured, "Do you have to buy these? Is this why you want money?" 

Xiaoling chuckled, "Oh, Weisheng. Why do I have to buy weapons when I can cultivate them?" She asked, "I need money for different things." 

"Different things like?" Weisheng asked. He was curious to know what made Xiaoling work so hard. She was ready to throw her life for money!

"What else?" Xiaoling asked dumbfoundedly, "I want all the pretty clothes and jewelry, the most beautiful and exquisite ride, the most expensive alcohol, and unlimited money to buy whatever my heart desires!" 

…

Weisheng's jaw fell to the ground. He couldn't believe Xiaoling was so materialistic. 

"Anyways," Xiaoling murmured, "Other than the Guqin, you can pick any weapon you like. Since you can't attain your weapon, I'll just lend you mine." 

Weisheng looked at the weapons with surprise, "This was a Guqin?" He asked randomly. 

"Hmm," Xiaoling nodded, "It looks odd and makes the sound of a Guzheng, but it's a Guqin." 

Weisheng picked the sword up, "This looks like the easiest to use," He murmured. 

"What did you pick?" Xiaoling asked while chuckling. 

"The sword," Weisheng told her. 

Xiaoling chuckled, "You picked the hardest one to use! It's called the Evil Seeker Sword!" She added in amusement, snapping her fingers to make other weapons disappear, "You won't just run into evil spirits. This sword will actively take you where the evil spirits are." 

Weisheng's eyes widened, and he quickly dropped it back on the table, maintaining a proper distance. 

"Sorry, Weisheng. But you already grabbed it. It's yours now," Xiaoling chuckled in amusement. "I don't use it anyway!" 

"Master!" Weisheng complained, "You did this on purpose, right?" 

Xiaoling shrugged cluelessly, "Did I ask you to pick the sword up?" 

Weisheng gulped in fear, reaching out for the sword. 

"Relax," Xiaoling murmured, "What's there to be afraid of when I'm here?" 

Weisheng sheepishly nodded. There was nothing he could do about it. He had already picked a bad weapon. 

"I was joking, by the way," Xiaoling murmured, "This sword is just a regular sword." She chuckled. 

Weisheng sighed in relief, "You scared me…" 

Xiaoling shook her head in amusement, "I'll teach you how to use it when I get my sight back," She murmured, "This blindfold over my eyes is Ru's Spiritual Weapon. Its energy has healing abilities. It will heal me soon." 

"Woah!" Weisheng was surprised, then suddenly, "Why do I get a boring sword…?" 

Xiaoling scoffed, "Would you rather have a sword that brings trouble?" 

"No." 

"Then don't complain." 

Although she was sarcastically smiling the entire time, Weisheng felt assured that she was fine. Maybe his curse wasn't going to hurt her after all.