Chapter 589: The Next Life

In late autumn, at Juyan Pavilion, Ji Yuan awoke from a three-month slumber. He opened his eyes, sat up, and stretched comfortably.

"Crackling..."

With a series of crisp sounds from his body, Ji Yuan fully awoke from his lingering dreams. He looked down at the Green Vine Sword propped by his bed, then glanced towards the courtyard, guessing that the little ones were probably still making a ruckus.

As Ji Yuan stretched, all the small characters in the courtyard sensed his awakening.

"Master has awakened!" "Ceasefire!"

"Everyone, stop. Master is awake."

In an instant, all the "battles" under the trees in the courtyard ceased, and every character formation dissipated. By the time Ji Yuan stood, dressed, and walked to the door to open it, a serene calm had already settled over the outside.

As Ji Yuan stepped out of his room, tree branches swayed gently in the breeze outside. The small characters, who had been skirmishing in the courtyard, were now all suspended around the jujube tree. Upon seeing Ji Yuan emerge, they all called out greetings.

"Good morning, Master!" "Hello, Master!"

"Did you sleep well, Master?"

"Oh, you're all being very well-behaved!"

Ji Yuan chuckled and walked into the courtyard, looking around. Although he couldn't perceive the lingering magical energy from the characters, through his spiritual sight, he saw faint imprints on parts of the ground. Some were the character '御' (yù, meaning 'to control' or 'to defend'), others '守' (shǒu, meaning 'to guard'). Various characters either occupied a distinct spot or overlapped, resembling unique projections left embedded in the courtyard soil.

"We're all good!" "That's right, we're all obedient!"

"We weren't noisy." "And Master never said we couldn't be noisy."

"Oh, I guess so!" "Anyway, we're all good!"

After a noisy spell, Ji Yuan simply shook his head with a smile and took out the *Sword Intent Calligraphy*, placing it on the table.

"You've been active for so long, you must be tired. Go rest now."

Ji Yuan could discern, though it wasn't overly obvious, that the ink-light of these characters had dimmed slightly, indicating considerable exhaustion. While they did practice on their own, their playfulness was excessive. Without him, their Master, to keep them in check, the spiritual energy and essence of the sun and moon they absorbed during their transforming battles couldn't replenish their consumption, and they also had no ink to consume. They were, in fact, quite weary.

The moment Ji Yuan finished speaking, all the small characters obediently flew into the *Sword Intent Calligraphy*, reverting to their original content in sequence. They then quieted down, as if the scroll were nothing more than an ordinary calligraphy book. This scroll was the characters' home, their comfortable place for sleep and rest.

From the large jujube tree, the small paper crane, with no more excitement to observe, gracefully flew down and settled on Ji Yuan's shoulder. It made no extraneous movements, simply resting there in quiet stillness.

After sitting in the courtyard for a while, Ji Yuan glanced at the kitchen, then dismissed the idea of boiling water. He stood up and looked towards the City God Temple in the town.

"I should go visit the Old City God."

Half an hour later, in the Netherworld Bureau of Ning'an County, Ji Yuan and Old City God Song were seated at the head of the City God's grand hall. Originally, there was only one seat there, but due to Ji Yuan's arrival, the Netherworld Bureau had specially arranged two chairs. In the hall, besides the City God and Ji Yuan, all the major deities from the various departments of the underworld were also present.

Ji Yuan had been there for some time, primarily explaining to the various deities of Ning'an County's Netherworld Bureau about his previous endeavor to retrieve Bai Ruo and the subtle methods he had secretly employed.

"Mr. Ji, are you suggesting that the bonds formed in this life could be an extremely important factor, such that even if a ghostly form's soul dissipates back into heaven and earth, it might still have a next life?"

Old City God Song of Ning'an County naturally didn't possess the profound cultivation of many higher-ranking City Gods, but Ji Yuan greatly respected his wisdom. After listening to Ji Yuan's discourse, besides marveling at the extraordinary human-demon romance like the other Netherworld deities, he was also the first to grasp the critical point Ji Yuan was making.

Ji Yuan nodded.

"Old City God Song, you are correct. My current hypothesis is precisely this: while other possibilities cannot be ruled out, this should be a crucial factor. Normally, at the moment of a soul's dissipation, both the earthly and heavenly souls should immediately depart and vanish. However, when Zhou Niansheng's earthly soul dispersed, his heavenly soul lingered for several breaths, which was highly unusual."

After a moment of contemplation, the Martial Judge on one side also remarked.

"That is indeed peculiar. So, Sir, you used one of Madam Bai's tears as a guide, inserting it into the heavenly soul, precisely to gamble on that possibility, correct?"

The head official of the Evil Punishment Department also chimed in.

"The wickedness of human nature is unequivocally revealed when facing significant struggles, but if, at such a moment, goodness prevails, it must be the purest form of good. From my many years of experience punishing evil, I believe that a deep love is also a form of goodness, and using this tear as a guide might indeed succeed."

The head official of the Yin-Yang Department, however, asked with some doubt.

"However, ordinary people who haven't cultivated possess extremely weak soul power. Even if a master performs a heaven-defying spell at the very last moment, it might not be enough to reassemble a single soul, let alone when all three souls are dissipating and only a single drop of true emotion is integrated. Moreover, Mr. Ji, why didn't you integrate it into the earthly soul or the life soul? According to the principles of Yin and Yang, the heavenly and earthly souls should be in balance. And considering the emotions of living beings, the life soul should take precedence..."

This was effectively questioning Ji Yuan to his face, something other spirits and deities in Great Zhen might not dare to do. However, the spirits and deities of Ning'an County and Ji Yuan were akin to old friends from the same hometown, understanding each other's temperaments well, and thus felt no inhibition.

"This was a measure of last resort. At the moment the earthly and life souls were dissipating, I had no suitable guiding token on hand. It wasn't until after the earthly soul vanished and the life soul began to dissipate that Bai Ruo shed two tears. In truth, even without integrating the teardrop, their bond was already profoundly deep."

"Then there's nothing more to be done!" "Yes, whether it succeeds or not is up to fate."

"We just don't know how long it will take." "Fortunately, Mr. Ji still possesses one teardrop, so he won't be groping in the dark without any direction."

"Indeed, indeed!" "Precisely!"

Inside the City God's grand hall, the attendees nodded frequently, unable to offer further analysis. The judge continuously took notes, specifically adding Ji Yuan's remarks from today to the previous records.

The gathering in the Netherworld Bureau's grand hall today was both a discussion and an unconventional discourse, exploring a potentially undiscovered aspect of the ghost path. Beyond the earlier frank exchange, everyone also deliberated on how to predict the outcome, appropriate timeframes, and the ultimate extent of the connection between the past life and the new.

By the time Ji Yuan departed from the Netherworld Bureau, it was already past midnight. The Old City God personally escorted Ji Yuan to the outside of the Ghost Gate Pass. It was there that the Old City God suddenly leaned in and whispered a question to Ji Yuan.

"Mr. Ji, I know you haven't revealed everything. Please give me a definite answer: how confident are you about this matter?"

Ji Yuan paused, looked at Song Shichang, and after a moment's consideration, began to answer.

"When the heavenly soul lingered and the tear of true emotion fused, I already had a feeling. As for my confidence, it's likely... at least ninety percent."

Song Shichang's heart jolted, and he looked at Ji Yuan with a surprised expression. He had anticipated that Ji Yuan might be holding back, but he had not expected such a definitive answer. Based on his understanding of Ji Yuan, he knew that Mr. Ji rarely spoke in absolutes; if he stated ninety percent, it likely meant he was almost entirely certain in his own mind.

"Sir, if you speak with such certainty, does it not mean you have already grasped this seemingly heaven-defying principle?"

Ji Yuan smiled.

"Heaven-defying? Old City God, how can you be sure this isn't already heaven's will?"

After speaking, Ji Yuan cupped his hands towards the City God.

"City God Song, there's no need to escort me further. You may stop here."

Song Shichang bowed slightly in return.

"Sir, safe travels. I shall await good news!"

"Hm."

After Ji Yuan nodded, he stepped into the mortal realm and walked away under the late-night starlight. Unlike his relationships with other friends, there had always been a sense of "a gentleman's friendship is as pure as water" between Ji Yuan and Song Shichang.

Ji Yuan did not return to Juyan Pavilion, nor did he consider visiting any other acquaintances in the county. In a few steps, he ascended on the wind, leaving Ning'an County once more. Looking back at the night sky, only the swaying jujube tree in the direction of Juyan Pavilion, bathed in a soft green light, seemed to be bidding him farewell.

Ji Yuan's impression of Zuyue Kingdom was not very favorable. The last time he visited, many parts of the country were quite chaotic. Now, over a decade later, he chose not to travel overland as before, but instead flew directly to his destination: to visit the Wei family in Zhonghu Dao.

As he flew, Ji Yuan observed that many of the regions he passed over were sparsely populated. Only upon reaching Luping City in Zhonghu Dao did the human vitality finally seem to flourish.

Ji Yuan landed outside the city and, guided by memory, made his way to the Wei family estate. It appeared the Wei clan hadn't undergone any major upheaval; the estate was still there, and many people were living as usual. However, the closer Ji Yuan approached, the more he frowned.

The human vitality emanating from the estate's direction was indeed strong, but even before Ji Yuan drew close, his nose began to detect an indescribable scent. It wasn't particularly unpleasant, yet it gave him the feeling of entering a room that had been shut for a prolonged period. Due to this sensation, Ji Yuan fully opened his spiritual eye, and as he observed the Wei family estate, he faintly saw white mist rising.

Typically, when observing auras and colors, the sight of white is often considered a good omen. However, this particular white instinctively caused Ji Yuan a sense of unease.

At that moment, Ji Yuan was not alone on the road leading to the Wei family estate; a few people were scattered, coming and going. Noticing someone approaching, and sensing from their aura that they might be from the Wei estate, Ji Yuan quickly stepped closer, bowed in greeting, and then spoke.

"Excuse me, sir, I've traveled a great distance to reach this place and wish to visit the Wei family in Zhonghu Dao. Could you tell me if the Wei residence is just ahead, and if I'm on the right path?"

The person Ji Yuan stopped, dressed like a household servant, paused and scrutinized Ji Yuan. Seeing that he didn't appear to be a martial artist but rather a scholar, the servant didn't dare to be overly dismissive. He offered a slight bow in return, then pointed in the direction he had just come from.

"Continue along this road for about a *li*, then take the right fork. A hundred paces further and you'll reach the Wei family estate. However, not just anyone can visit. If you don't possess a special identity, sir, you should be prepared to be turned away."

"Oh, so is the Wei clan still led by Senior Wei Xuan and Great Hero Wei Ming?"

The man's expression remained neutral as he answered naturally.

"Of course. Everyone knows that Master Wei's martial arts have greatly advanced. There are countless people who wish to visit him."

Having said this, the man continued walking directly towards Luping City. Perhaps fearing Ji Yuan might try to ingratiate himself or pester him, he didn't reveal that he was from the Wei family estate.

Ji Yuan watched the man depart, then turned his gaze back towards the Wei family estate, a thoughtful expression on his face.