Night.
In a wilderness, Lin Zhao and Wang Yue walked side by side, with Xu Ming'an slightly behind. He frowned, not expecting Lin Zhao to bring a female ghost with him. The legendary "traveling with ghosts at night" was something ordinary people wouldn't even dare to think about. Recalling Lin Zhao's methods in subduing the female ghost Chu Meiren before, Xu Ming'an's mood became complex. He secretly guessed that this wandering swordsman beside him might be a legendary Sword Immortal, and a genuine one at that.
He had tried several times to suggest, "How about I help you transcend the young lady Wang Yue by your side as well?"
But he didn't dare to speak it out. After all, Wang Yue and Lin Zhao had been chatting all the way, discussing things like the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, Tianchi Town, and the Great Chen Dynasty. Xu Ming'an didn't understand any of it. He had been cultivating alone in a Taoist temple. After his master died, he was the only one on the mountain. He had no connection to the martial world and never paid attention to its affairs. As for legends like "Lin Baiyi of the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, who is known by everyone under heaven," he had never even heard of them. Therefore, even when Lin Zhao introduced himself, Xu Ming'an remained unfazed, as he truly didn't recognize him.
"Xu Ming'an, are we heading in the right direction?" Lin Zhao asked.
"Yes, it's correct."
Xu Ming'an held a Taoist artifact in his hand, a bronze base with a pointer on top. The pointer was currently indicating a direction ahead. He said in a deep voice, "I have already affixed Yin Hua's name and birthdate to the base, so the direction it points to is where Yin Hua's soul resides."
"That's good then."
Not long after, the three of them entered a gloomy mountain forest. It was pitch black all around. It was at this moment that the artifact in Xu Ming'an's hand began to hum. He frowned and said, "Lin Zhao, we must be close, but the spiritual energy here is chaotic, so I can't pinpoint the exact location."
"Is that so..."
Lin Zhao took out a golden talisman paper and Qianqi Juanxue from his embrace. He immediately drew a soldier's tracking talisman. At that moment, Xu Ming'an was stunned. He had also learned Taoist talismans and could draw some simple ones, but the talisman Lin Zhao drew clearly belonged to two completely different paths. It lacked the Yin-Yang harmony of Taoism, yet it was filled with the killing aura of the military.
Lin Zhao held the tracking talisman and said, "This tracking talisman can track nearby souls, ghosts, demons, and the like, but it cannot directly lock onto Yin Hua's aura. Do you have any ideas?"
"Like this..."
Xu Ming'an also took out a talisman from his embrace and quickly wrote Yin Hua's birthdate below it. He said, "This is a Taoist soul-summoning talisman. It has a mutual attraction effect with souls of the same birthdate. How about... we use them together?"
"This works too?"
Lin Zhao couldn't help but chuckle.
Xu Ming'an scratched his head, "Shall we try?"
"Alright."
Lin Zhao took the talisman from Xu Ming'an, smeared some tree resin from a tree to stick the two talismans together, and then channeled a wisp of spiritual energy to ignite them. Instantly, the burning radiance of the talismans drifted forward, flying at an extremely fast speed.
"Follow me!"
Lin Zhao sprinted after them.
Xu Ming'an and Wang Yue also followed.
A short while later, as the two talismans were about to burn out, they landed at a new grave. In front of the tomb mound was a wooden tombstone, marking the remains that Lin Zhao had buried not long ago.
"It seems this is the place."
Xu Ming'an formed a hand seal with one hand and uttered a command. Immediately, the soul of a Yunzhou soldier, clad in armor, stood up from the grave. His eyes were vacant, and he murmured, "Who are you?"
Lin Zhao asked, "Is your name Yin Hua?"
"Yes." The ghost's voice was very ethereal.
Lin Zhao nodded, "We passed by your hometown. Your sister Qing Liu has been killed by demons, and her soul is left without support. So we've come to see if we can bring you to your sister. Afterwards, this Taoist cultivator will perform a ritual to transcend the souls of you both, allowing you to reincarnate sooner. Are you willing?"
"Qing Liu... Qing Liu, she..."
The soul finally seemed to recall something, and couldn't help but shed tears. "Please, take me to see my sister. I've always been worried about her. I..."
Xu Ming'an felt a pang of sadness as he watched. "Come with us."
"Yes..."
Thus, two living people, accompanied by two souls, returned to the hill. When Yin Hua saw his sister Qing Liu, they embraced and wept without a word. Then, under Xu Ming'an's incantations, some Taoist talismans were burned, and the souls of the two were transcended. Soon after, Yin Hua and Qing Liu's appearances became much clearer, and the pain on their faces gradually lessened. Both of them smiled and nodded gently at Lin Zhao and Xu Ming'an, "Young Master, Daoist Priest, thank you. We're leaving now?"
Lin Zhao smiled and waved his hand, "Go then."
The souls of the two flew into the sky, transforming into a golden glow, heading towards a gate that Lin Zhao and Xu Ming'an, being alive, could not see. In a blink of an eye, they were reincarnated.
Wang Yue looked up, her beautiful eyes filled with a faint melancholy. Would she also eventually have to walk this path? In fact, her heart was filled with reluctance. She was reluctant to leave the people who treated her so well at the Mountain Peak Villa, reluctant to leave her Master Chu Yu, reluctant to leave Mountain Lord Lin Zhao, and also reluctant to leave Tong Yu, who was growing stronger on the path of sword cultivation, as well as Dongcang, Zhuxue, Chen Ben, and Muge. She was reluctant to leave everyone.
Lin Zhao saw this and smiled, "Don't worry, perhaps we have other ways."
"Mm."
Wang Yue nodded heavily.
...
"Rustle..."
The night wind was biting cold. After the souls of the siblings Qing Liu and Yin Hua had reincarnated, Lin Zhao frowned. Deep within the Spiritual Ruins, there was a buzzing sensation. This feeling was familiar, a premonition of danger. Without looking back, a mere glance was enough to confirm it. Hundreds of meters away, a Nascent Soul stage demon cultivator was lurking. This demon cultivator's target was not him, but the sword inscribed with "Zhenwu" on Xu Ming'an's back.
"Xu Ming'an."
Lin Zhao smiled, "The sword you're carrying is quite interesting. May I take a look?"
"Why not?"
Xu Ming'an smiled, unbuckled the sword with its sheath, and handed it to Lin Zhao. When Lin Zhao drew the blade, although it didn't emit a dazzling cold light, it possessed a majestic aura of "The heavens are vast and bright, and my Dao prospers daily." Instantly, he frowned. This sword was definitely extraordinary, but Xu Ming'an, like a blind man under a lamp, had no idea he possessed such a treasure.
"What is the origin of this sword?" he asked with a smile, returning the sword.
Xu Ming'an put the sword back on his back and smiled, "It doesn't have much of an origin. It was passed down by my master. It's not really a magic artifact, just quite sharp and has some suppressing effect on ghosts and demons. To ordinary celestial masters on the mountains, it would probably be a worthless treasure."
"I see."
Lin Zhao smiled, his mind made up. Since he had encountered this, he might as well act as Xu Ming'an's protector for a while, guarding him on his journey. At least he wouldn't let that Nascent Soul stage demon cultivator harm his life. So he said with a smile, "I'm traveling south with Wang Yue, heading towards Fusu Great Wall. It's a thousand miles away, and a war-torn region at that. Since you're also traveling aimlessly, why don't you join us for company?"
"Alright!"
Xu Ming'an smiled, " I'm heading south after coming down from the mountain this time. My original destination was Fusu Great Wall. My master told me when he was alive that our generation of cultivators should visit Fusu Great Wall once in our lives to witness its spirit."
The two parties hit it off immediately and set off together.
...
Dawn was breaking, with the east turning a pale fish belly white. In about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, it would no longer be suitable for Wang Yue to travel. Coincidentally, a desolate inn appeared ahead. The entire inn was covered in lush vines, and more than half of the buildings had collapsed. However, the entrance section was still able to provide shelter from the wind and rain. So Lin Zhao suggested resting there and continuing their journey at night. Xu Ming'an had no objections.
Lin Zhao built a fire and set up a pot with water. However, the pot was too small, so he prepared the Aohsia demon, took a giant claw and part of the tail, and put them into the pot to make soup. He also roasted some flatbreads. At that moment, Xu Ming'an's mouth watered. This food looked delicious. Having been an orphan since childhood, Xu Ming'an had never even seen such food, let alone eaten it.
Not long after, Lin Zhao ladled a bowl of soup with shrimp meat and handed it to Xu Ming'an, along with a piece of flatbread. He smiled and asked, "Want some wine?"
"I can't drink. I have a very low tolerance."
"It's alright, try it."
Lin Zhao threw a small flask of 10g wine over.
After taking a sip of the incredibly delicious seafood soup, Xu Ming'an immediately took a sip of wine, causing his features to contort from the spiciness. Lin Zhao and Wang Yue couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Lin Zhao, this is the most delicious thing I've ever eaten."
Xu Ming'an said softly.
"Then eat more." Lin Zhao clinked his wine flask with Xu Ming'an's and smiled, "We are friends now. After we've eaten our fill, tell me your story."
"Okay."
Soon, Xu Ming'an, slightly tipsy, used the sword inscribed with "Zhenwu" as a pillow and lay on the grassy meadow. He frowned and said, "There's not much to tell, really. I'm an orphan. I never knew who my parents were from a young age. I was abandoned by the roadside when I was very young. Later, I was adopted by my master and taken into a Taoist temple as a disciple."
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded. "And then?"
Xu Ming'an smiled, "My master was the kindest person to me in the world. He taught me various methods of exorcising ghosts and subduing demons since I was young. But my master's own abilities were only half-baked. When I was four years old, a great demon of the Purple Mansion realm, which was the seventh realm, descended the mountain. My master went down the mountain that night with his sword to kill the demon. But in the end, he failed to kill the demon and was killed by it instead. I was only four that year. I went down the mountain alone and found my master's body nailed to a tree. I didn't know he was dead and stayed by his side until his body rotted. Those days, I ate grass roots and bark when I was hungry and drank spring water when I was thirsty. When I was close to death, I was rescued by a hunter."
His eyes reddened, and he said, "They say that good deeds are rewarded. What about my master? Does having a lower cultivation realm mean you can't hunt demons and exorcise ghosts?"
Lin Zhao also lay down, resting his head on the Dragon-Slaying Sword, and smiled, "Yes, of course you can!"