Chapter 967: Meeting

"Me?"

"That's right. If I'm not mistaken, the other soul within you is also of the 'Witch God Path'," Shen Nan said calmly. "The combination of 'performance' and 'witchcraft' forms Nuo... This path is open to me, and it must be open to you too. So, theoretically, as long as you create a special Nuo mask that can house his soul and nourish it with witchcraft, the problem of having two souls in one body will naturally be resolved."

Previously, Chen Ling wouldn't have understood these words. But after witnessing Shen Nan's past firsthand, he seemed to grasp Shen Nan's idea. Shen Nan became a Nuo because his father had transferred both his soul and his 'Witch God Path' into a Nuo mask, thus combining performance and witchcraft. And Yao, being without a physical body, might also be able to transfer into a Nuo mask if one were made for him.

"If Nuo masks can house souls, why go to the trouble of making a special one? Couldn't we just use an existing one and transfer the soul into it?"

"Not all Nuo masks can house souls. There's a certain connection between a Nuo mask and the 'deity' it represents... For example, a rain-summoning Nuo mask is different from an exorcism Nuo mask. Different masks represent different personalities, and wearing different masks elicits different responses or granted wishes... To house his soul, the Nuo mask must have an absolutely close connection to him—either made by his own hands or specifically for him. Therefore, no existing Nuo mask will work."

As Shen Nan spoke, he arranged the tools on the table. "Originally, our family had a complete set of tools, but they were all damaged in an earthquake... Only here do they still have some old-fashioned tools."

"So, I need to make this Nuo mask myself?"

"You know the soul within you best. You can't expect me to make it for you, can you?"

"But I've never made one before."

"I can teach you." Shen Nan pointed to the door lock he had just reshaped. "Given your abilities, you should learn to make a Nuo mask very quickly."

Chen Ling fell silent.

It wasn't that Chen Ling was unwilling to help Yao make the mask; rather, he lacked the confidence to create a mask that truly belonged to Yao. He knew too little about Yao. Ultimately, he was just an outsider who had been dropped into Zone 3, and he hadn't even truly met Yao more than a few times. How could he make a mask that would be closely connected to Yao?

"Yao..."

"Just try," Yao's voice echoed in his mind, seemingly with a hint of helplessness. "You can't exactly expect me to make it myself... can you?" As it was, Yao had no physical body; even if he could manifest, he couldn't hold tools. Moreover, with Chen Ling on the stage, he couldn't let Yao take over his body. Indeed, there was no one else who could do it besides Chen Ling.

Chen Ling took a deep breath. "Alright, I'll give it a try."

A car slowly came to a stop in front of the road.

"...Is this it?" Lu Xun turned to Yang Xiao in the passenger seat.

"According to the phone's GPS, this is indeed the place," Yang Xiao said, pointing to the fork in the road. "Just keep going straight here."

"Okay."

Lu Xun drove the car towards the village.

"How did Director Chen end up in a place like this?" Su Zhiwei asked, looking around from the back seat.

"I don't know, maybe it's Director Chen's hometown?"

"Is this where he's from?"

"I don't know... He's never mentioned it himself," Yang Xiao paused. "Come to think of it, we don't know anything about Director Chen, besides his name being Chen Ling."

"He's a mystery himself," Lu Xun's eyes narrowed slightly. "When we were in Shennongjia, I knew he wasn't simple. With us... how should I put it, it felt like he knew certain things were going to happen, always guiding everything."

"And it seems he already knew that some kind of change would happen to us," Su Zhiwei added thoughtfully.

"In any case, he bears us no ill will... As for anything else, we can always ask him more. If he's willing to answer, that would be for the best."

The vehicle slowly drove into the village, drawing curious stares from the villagers. They drove around the village once, finally pulling into the open space in front of the old house where Chen Ling and Shen Nan were staying, under many bewildered gazes.

Lu Xun and the other two unbuckled their seatbelts and got out of the car one by one, falling into thought as they looked at the two-story old house before them. Meanwhile, a figure emerged from the house.

"Who are you?" Shen Nan eyed the uninvited guests with suspicion.

"...Shen Nan?"

Su Zhiwei took a few steps forward. When Shen Nan saw her, she looked somewhat familiar.

"You are..."

"I'm Su Zhiwei."

"Su Zhiwei??" Shen Nan stared at her in surprise. "You've changed quite a lot after all these years... What brings you here? Did Elder Xiao come too?"

"No, Elder Xiao didn't come, but she's always been concerned about you."

"You two know each other?" Lu Xun naturally joined the conversation.

"Yes, Shen Nan is Master Shen Li's son. Years ago, something happened to their family, and they stayed at Teacher Xiao's house for a while... So, we were neighbors."

"So you're Shen Nan, a pleasure to meet you."

Lu Xun naturally extended his hand. "I'm Lu Xun. Although we haven't officially met, I've often heard your name mentioned at Bureau 749."

"So it's you..."

Lu Xun had dealt with Bureau 749 for years, and even Shen Nan had heard of him, but seeing someone connected to Bureau 749 at this moment still made his heart clench.

"Are you here to catch 'World Ender'? Or me?"

"Neither. I no longer work for Bureau 749. We're Director Chen's friends."

With Su Zhiwei present, Shen Nan wasn't overly wary of them. After all, Su Zhiwei was Elder Xiao's person, and Elder Xiao was indeed helping Chen Ling... So, Shen Nan's gaze fell on the last person.

"And this is..."

Yang Xiao was not as outgoing as Su Zhiwei and Lu Xun. He simply stood silently at the back, extending his hand. "My name is Yang Xiao."

"Hello."

"So, where is Chen Ling?" Su Zhiwei finally asked.

Shen Nan turned and pointed into the distance.

In the desolate field, a figure sat on a small stool, seemingly brought from nowhere. One hand held a piece of wood, the other a carving knife, as he sat with his head bowed, lost in thought. A moment later, he raised the carving knife and lowered it to the edge of the wood, quickly carving out the outline of a human head in just a few strokes. But he examined it for a long time, then shook his head. Wisps of electric light flickered from his palm, and the wood in his hand instantly reshaped and restored itself, as if it had never been carved at all. After a long period of contemplation, Chen Ling once again raised his carving knife... This process was repeated six or seven times. After more than ten minutes, he still held a perfectly intact piece of wood, sitting in the field like a statue.

"..." Lu Xun was baffled. "What's he doing?"