Chapter 407: Reincarnation Mystery

Song Shichang entered Jū'ān Pavilion. He instinctively glanced at the well in the courtyard, recalling the evil spirit that had once resided within it, before turning his gaze to the trunk of the jujube tree.

"This jujube tree constantly gathers spiritual energy and is surrounded by a spiritual breeze, capable of purifying impure qi. Master's Jū'ān Pavilion is truly remarkable."

Ji Yuan closed the courtyard gate and replied with a smile.

"It's the jujube tree that's remarkable, not my Jū'ān Pavilion. Old City God, please sit. We are fortunate to be able to share a drink under the stars and moon."

"Haha, with Master Ji's invitation, I dare not refuse!"

Song Shichang stood by the stone table. After Ji Yuan had closed the gate and returned, they naturally sat down together. Ji Yuan had already prepared a wine cup for Song Shichang and poured a glass of richly colored Huadiao wine.

"City God Song, please!" "Master Ji, please!"

After sharing a drink, Song Shichang's slight tension vanished. Ji Yuan was still the same Ji Yuan; it was Song Shichang himself who had been somewhat overthinking.

"Ning'an County has enjoyed peace for decades. Besides the stability of the mortal realm, the oversight from the underworld has been crucial. Old City God, your contributions have been immense."

"Not at all. Solitary yang cannot thrive, and solitary yin cannot endure; they have always been interdependent."

The Old City God replied humbly, then picked up a pastry and began to taste it.

Ji Yuan wasn't entirely sure why the Old City God was visiting today. After all, they were not mortals, and their perception of time differed; not seeing each other for a decade or two was inconsequential. Still, he wasn't in a rush, as the purpose of the visit would eventually become clear. Perhaps it was truly just a casual call.

The two chatted casually for a while. Song Shichang mentioned some minor changes in Ning'an County, while Ji Yuan recounted a few of his less exaggerated experiences.

As midnight subtly approached, Song Shichang looked up at the stars, faintly sensing the descent of celestial power. In a momentary trance, he even felt faint starlight swirling around Ji Yuan, but when he focused his spiritual eye for a closer look, nothing unusual could be discerned.

"Master Ji, my Ning'an County is a secluded corner. As the local City God, I have limited vision and shallow knowledge, knowing very little of the vastness of the world, only glimpsing its myriad wonders. Among all the people I know, you are truly the most powerful."

Ji Yuan did not refute this statement. There was no need for modesty, as it was indeed the truth.

"My purpose in visiting today, Master Ji, is actually to ask you a question."

"City God Song, please proceed."

"Hmm!"

Song Shichang nodded and slowly began to speak.

"I, Song Shichang, have served as the City God of Ning'an County for a considerable time. I was fortunate to survive the downfall of the previous dynasty, and it has now been over three hundred years. Though my cultivation is shallow, I am content in my role, and my aspiration is to protect the balance of yin and yang within Ning'an County."

"City God, your virtue is profound!"

Ji Yuan cupped his hands in a gesture of respect. Song Shichang, not daring to simply accept the honor, immediately returned the gesture at the same moment.

"Master, you overpraise me. This is simply the duty of a City God. I speak of these things not to boast about myself, but to reflect on the passage of time. Serving as City God for these past few centuries, I have witnessed the births and deaths of countless individuals, and the dissipation of numerous souls, gradually leading to a deep confusion within me."

Song Shichang observed Ji Yuan's increasingly serious expression, gathered his thoughts, and continued.

"After ordinary people die and enter the underworld, if they have family members who offer sacrifices, they can live out their afterlife peacefully. Without such care, their existence is somewhat bleak. But unless there are extraordinary circumstances, souls will eventually dissipate. When their afterlife reaches its end, the corporeal soul dissipates first, and the three souls separate. The human soul perishes, while the earth soul and heaven soul return to the earth and ascend to the heavens, dissolving into the cosmos."

"Indeed."

Ji Yuan nodded in acknowledgment, indicating he was listening. In truth, he was listening very intently, for when it came to such specialized knowledge, he was certainly not as well-versed as the Old City God, Song Shichang.

Song Shichang did not immediately pose his question. Instead, he meticulously detailed the underworld's records by citing examples of representative souls he had observed over the years.

Among these were villains, benevolent individuals, and ordinary people, and even many ghost soldiers and officials who ultimately could not endure for long.

This was Ji Yuan's first time discussing ordinary souls in the underworld in such detail with a deity from that realm. Though individuals may die, they still form a society in the underworld, and their lives there remain heavily dependent on the mortal world, yet their ultimate destiny is always the same.

After much discussion, Ji Yuan showed no impatience. In fact, after listening for so long, he could vaguely sense the Old City God's underlying question. "A soul dissipates like a lamp extinguishing. When the human soul perishes, the earth and heaven souls are naturally tethered to the cosmos, and their ascent to heaven or return to earth is normal. Yet, I, Song, have inadvertently discovered that on rare occasions, the heaven soul actually carries lingering traces of the human soul with it as it departs!"

Ji Yuan sat up straight and, for the first time, interrupted the narrative.

"May I ask, Old City God, how many times have you witnessed such an occurrence?"

Song Shichang thought back and replied.

"Such occurrences are exceedingly rare. Since I first discovered one by chance over two hundred years ago, I have continuously monitored the dissipation of souls in the underworld. After witnessing it again, I even dispatched two chief officials to be permanently stationed in Ghost City to specifically oversee this matter. Including the very first instance, there have been a total of seven occurrences over two hundred years. Of course, we cannot claim there have been no omissions."

"Seven times."

Ji Yuan frowned in thought. Over two hundred years, an unknown number of people and spirits must have passed. Given such a vast population base, and with the underworld actively monitoring, finding only seven such cases truly indicated that this phenomenon was exceedingly rare.

"In fact, there's more to it."

Song Shichang once again drained his cup. The alcohol vapor seemed to absorb the ambient moisture and dissipate, leaving him feeling a hint of tipsiness, before he continued speaking.

"About six years ago, I encountered a person at the City God Temple."

"A cultivator?"

At Ji Yuan's question, Song Shichang shook his head.

"No, he was a mortal, a shrewd merchant whose sole pursuit was wealth. There was nothing inherently special about him. However, this person's soul-aspect... was strikingly similar to a particular soul that had dissipated decades earlier..."

Song Shichang paused, looking at Ji Yuan, who had already guessed what he would say.

As expected, Song Shichang's next words did not deviate from Ji Yuan's prediction.

"It was eight or nine tenths similar, or rather, if not for the age difference, the similarity might have been perfect!"

People possess both an outward appearance and a soul-aspect. The former can be altered through disguise or inherited from one's parents, so physical resemblance is not unusual. However, a soul-aspect is unique and is one of the common methods spirits and deities use to discern individuals, somewhat akin to a form of aura-reading without the predictive analysis.

Song Shichang recalled his astonishment at the time, but saw no significant surprise on Ji Yuan's face. He paused slightly, wondering if Master Ji already knew the answer.

"That merchant was staying at an inn in the county town. To confirm my suspicions, I even visited him in a dream that night, verifying that he had no blood relation to that particular deceased spirit from back then. He was a native of the capital, who had come to Ning'an County to collect documents. But that soul-aspect... This incident profoundly shook me. I also seized the opportunity to inquire with the Grand City God of Desheng Prefecture, but he too was unaware."

Song Shichang looked at Ji Yuan, who had been listening intently without betraying much surprise.

"Master Ji is a being of great divine power, who, after awakening from a dream years ago, was unaware of the passage of time in this world. Could you perhaps enlighten me on this matter?"

While there is no widely accepted concept of reincarnation in this world, its reality is not entirely absent. In truth, at a sufficiently profound level of cultivation, it is possible to achieve such things, but it is an exceedingly perilous and difficult feat, let alone for ordinary souls.

Thus, Ji Yuan was not as outwardly calm as he seemed. It was simply that having heard so many tales of reincarnation and rebirth in his previous life, he had developed a certain resilience to the concept.

After a moment's thought, Ji Yuan spoke only after careful consideration.

"I wonder, Old City God Song, if you have heard of the two types of 'water-crossing' for dragon-kind?"

"Water-crossing? Two types?"

Song Shichang frowned slightly.

"If a dragon-jiao's cultivation reaches the point where it seeks to transform into a true dragon, it will choose an appropriate waterway and opportune moment, aligning with heavenly timing and earthly advantages, stirring up wind and waves as it departs. That is one type of 'water-crossing.' Of the other, I am unaware."

"Indeed, the other type can be considered a secret of the dragon clan, though it's certainly not one that must be strictly guarded."

Ji Yuan smiled and began to explain.

Ji Yuan elaborated to Song Shichang, combining his personal experience of witnessing the Black Flood Dragon's water-crossing years ago with the insights gained from his discussions with the Old Dragon on the matter. Song Shichang's expression showed dawning realization.

"Therefore, if a dragon possesses truly exceptional luck and innate talent, it is still possible for it to reappear in the future. Although its dragon body might be different, it would retain its original personality and most of its memories. This is considered a form of reincarnation for renewed cultivation."

"Reincarnation for renewed cultivation, reincarnation for renewed cultivation..."

Song Shichang murmured the new term twice, while Ji Yuan continued to speak.

"In truth, those with exceptionally high cultivation might possess even more profound celestial methods. I will not speculate on immortal cultivators for now, but some demonic beings are adept at this practice. They refer to it as 'bewildering the mind to enter demonic state,' but this term only applies to a fraction of cases. Another small portion... should actually be called 'body snatching.'"

Although the two terms Ji Yuan introduced were new to Song Shichang, they were concise and clear. Combined with the preceding context, he understood their meaning almost instantly.

"So, the situation I observed is analogous to this?"

"Yes, if the soul-aspects are truly similar to that extent, then it can indeed be considered a form of reincarnation."

Ji Yuan did not use the term "reincarnation" (投胎) because what they discussed was an occasional, passive event, whereas "reincarnation" implies an active, volitional choice.

This matter had long puzzled Song Shichang. Now, hearing Ji Yuan's explanation, he understood it to be a "natural phenomenon."

"Does that mean all those spirits whose heaven souls depart with remnants of their human souls are guaranteed a next life?"

Ji Yuan shook his head.

"Dragon-jiao beings can only seize a faint opportunity through their lifelong cultivation. Old City God, do you believe an ordinary spirit, at the moment its essence is depleted and its soul dissipates, could possibly have such a guaranteed chance?"

Song Shichang suddenly understood.

"Indeed. Thank you, Master Ji, for clarifying my doubts."

With Ji Yuan's explanation, Song Shichang felt much more at ease, and their subsequent conversation shifted towards a casual and leisurely tone.

Just before dawn, the Old City God finally rose to take his leave, and Ji Yuan saw him to the gate.

They exchanged bows and parted ways, but Ji Yuan remained standing at the courtyard gate, deep in thought, even after the Old City God's figure had disappeared from view.

A spirit whose essence was depleted, about to dissipate, could, by relying on a wisp of residual human soul energy accompanying its life-soul's ascent to heaven, actually have a next life? This wasn't merely a tale of the Six Paths of Reincarnation from his previous life. The perils involved were undoubtedly extraordinary. If even dragon-jiao had only a faint glimmer of opportunity, how much more so for a human soul?