As Chong Daqing and Ren Ruofeng continued to bargain, Ma Da and Lu Er, who were busying themselves in the clinic exchanged glances with each other.
Discreetly, they called Niu Si who was in charge of the order of the patients, and held a discussion in a storeroom.
“I think there’s more to this matter than it meets the eye…” Ma Da shared his opinion with his brothers.
Lu Er nodded. “Big brother is right, I feel the same way too.”
“Brothers, what’re you babbling about? I don’t understand a thing and I can’t leave my post. We’d better get back to work. I wouldn’t want Lord Insect Prime to find us lazing around…” Niu Si looked at the doorway and uttered anxiously.
“You dumb bull, we’ve only been told to provide assistance. We aren’t actually working here, so the great insect can’t do anything about us,” Ma Da dismissed Niu Si’s concern.
Lu Er was not as bold as Ma Da, but he also expressed his agreement. “Don’t you worry, Niu Si. Lord Insect Prime is busy selling its quota to earn some lunch money. It doesn’t have the attention span for us.”
“Right, I just remembered, we can sell our quotas too!” Ma Da exclaimed exuberantly.
“Eh, Old Ma, what do you mean? How do we sell our quotas?” Lu Er was puzzled.
“Do you know why Lord Insect Prime can sell its quota?” Instead of giving a proper answer, Ma Da posed a question.
“Duh, because it’s the leader of the Spiritual Insects… After the first year of Shenyuan, there was no such thing as a fair election. It was all about might. The mightier ones had a say in important matters,” Lu Er responded in a matter-of-fact manner.
“Exactly. You should all know that Sanmei, who’s a Spirit King, is already a Lake-level champion and she’s fit to lead the Spirit clan. The last time the Divine Gate opened, Sanmei lacked the required cultivation base. Plus, because she had an inner struggle at that time, she was unable to enter the Divine Gate and wasn’t fit to lead the Spirit clan. But this time, she can’t make the same mistake again and lose a great opportunity,” Ma Da explained sternly to the two idiots.
Lu Er had a sudden realization. “Now that you mention her, let’s go find Sanmei.”
He was about to teleport back to the Spirit Valley.
Ma Da grabbed hold of him at once and cautioned him, “Don’t be so impulsive. Do you all know what Sanmei’s inner struggle is?”
Lu Er shook his head while Niu Si displayed a dumbfounded look.
“This is the real reason behind the death of her family members in a fire. When Sanmei was burned to death, she was still very young and couldn’t recall the reason for that incident. The only way to know the truth is to summon her parents’ souls for questioning,” Ma Da summarized calmly.
“Mm, if that’s the case, why don’t I see Sister San seeking help from Bodhisattva who’s experienced at summoning souls?” Niu Si scratched his scalp and asked puzzledly.
“So silly of you,” Ma Da berated him. “This matter has scarred Sanmei, so how could she simply walk up to Bodhisattva and ask for his help? We should be the ones helping her.”
“It sounds like you’ve known about this all along, big brother. Why do you think of helping her now?” Lu Er was somewhat annoyed.
“F*ck off, I didn’t want to help her last time as I didn’t want her to go through the pain and suffering again. However, there’s a good opportunity coming up for her this time. It’ll be a shame if she gives it up. It’s time she learned to confront her past,” Ma Da declared firmly.
“Liar…” Lu Er muttered and told Niu Si, “He’s just trying to reap the rewards for himself, yet he pretends to be so magnanimous. We’ve been brothers for more than a decade. Does he really think we don’t understand his character?”
Niu Si responded with a firm nod. He, too, felt that it was unethical of Big Brother Ma to do so.
“Dammit, I did so out of kindness. It was supposed to be a win-win situation. How come I’ve turned out to be the bad guy now?” Ma Da cried exasperatedly.
“Forget it, what do you say we should do, big brother? Should we see Bodhisattva now?” Lu Er asked immediately.
“No, we shall see someone else, he’s easier to negotiate with,” Ma Da replied confidently.
Lu Er and Niu Si stole glances at each other and realized at once that Ma Da had been harboring this thought for a long time. Or else, how could he have come up with an idea in such a short span of time?
…
At Vigilante A’s farm villa.
Vigilante A had just returned from slaying a devil when he bumped into the three individuals from the Association of Spirit Kings. They were the same ones whom he had punished last time.
They were drinking tea in the living room and they looked like they have been waiting for a long time.
“What’s the purpose of your visit?” Out of respect towards the Bodhisattva Spirit King, Sir System behaved cordially towards them.
“Oh, Venerable One, it’s like this.” Ma Da took the lead and summarized their purpose of visit.
“Oh, so apparently you want to seek the location of two souls, but it’s quite inconvenient. Based on what you’ve said, the two individuals had died many years ago…” Vigilante A shook his head.
Fang Ning scowled. “What do you mean by ‘inconvenient’? The Heavenly Axiom of the Land of Sanguinity could be seized by you and you could look for whoever you wanted. Last time, when you helped Bai Ruocang with investigating the souls of his clan members who died in vain, you were able to look for them at once. I remember it very clearly.”
“Stop bothering me! Don’t talk the talk unless you walk the walk!” Sir System shooed Fang Ning away.
Fang Ning could only retreat to a corner and brood. Although he matched with the Heavenly Axiom of the Land of Sanguinity, with his current powers, he was still incapable of using the Heavenly Axiom to search for any kind of soul. Only a weirdo like Sir System was able to do so easily.
When Ma Da heard Vigilante A’s response, he clenched his teeth. “It’s like this, once we resolve Sanmei’s inner struggle, she’ll then be fit to lead the Spirit clan in the form of a Spirit King. If you’re able to help us, Venerable One, we shall give you a huge reward.”
“In that case, I have no choice but to help you just this once. However, please don’t tell anyone else about this matter. After all, not everyone will understand the relationship between humans and spirits.” Vigilante A finally agreed to this request.
“Sure, sure. We’re very grateful for your assistance, Venerable One,” Ma Da thanked him.
Instead of pleading to Bodhisattva, he went out of his way to look for the Venerable Dragon God for this outcome. Vigilante A had always exchanged things with the same value. He neither troubled or looked down upon others as long as they did not commit any evil deeds.
It was much more inconvenient if he sought assistance from Bodhisattva as Ma Da’s true intention was not that straightforward… If he could not be firm and uncompromising, he had to go farther to seek help.
After they finished conversing, Vigilante A drew a stroke across the air and a light gate appeared. He then gestured to the three visitors to follow him.
One by one, the four individuals passed through the light gate and arrived at the bank of the River of Blood in the Land of Sanguinity. However, the River of Blood had already been transformed into a clear stream, or better known as the Mother River.
“Wait here, all of you. I’ll be back very soon,” Vigilante A informed them and disappeared with a swoosh.
The three individuals waited obediently beside the river and dared not to make a move. This was someone else’ territory after all.
“This hero is quite easy to negotiate with, no?” Niu Si chirped after a while.
“He has always been like that. As long as you don’t do bad things, this hero will treat you equally, unlike those deities with their haughtiness,” Lu Er mused.
While the three of them were chit-chatting, Sir System had already located the souls of Zhu Hongying’s parents.
System Notification: [The System has searched all souls within the arcane realm’s Heavenly Axiom and discovered the souls of Zhu Hongying’s parents.]
“Sigh, we’re lucky this time. When they died, the Heavenly Axiom’s Maxim began to change and they could turn into souls,” Fang Ning remarked.
“What do you mean by lucky? It’s normal. The fact that Zhu Hongying can become a Spirit King after her death proves that her parents had good genes. The whole family died at the same time, hence it’s impossible for one to end up as a Spirit King while the other two couldn’t even become spirits,” Sir System ridiculed his Host.
“Yeah, Mr. Know-It-All,” Fang Ning snorted.
“It’s the truth.” Sir System grinned.
Thus, Vigilante A led the souls of the middle-aged couple to the three men.
“They are Zhu Hongying’s parents. They’re incredibly lucky that their souls haven’t been torn apart. They were supposed to be reincarnated as mechs, but since you’re early, I shall hand them over to you and let them reunite with their daughter.”
“Thank you very much, Vigilante A.” Ma Da expressed his appreciation.
“Just keep to your promise. Alright, I have some other things to attend to and I shall leave now.” Vigilante A disappeared at once after he finished speaking.
After that, Ma Da greeted the two souls, “Little nephew Ma is pleased to meet you, Uncle Zhu and Aunt Liu.”
“You, you are Lil Ma?” The soul of the middle-aged man seemed to recognize him.
“Yes, yes, I’m Lil Ma. We’ve not seen each other for over twenty years but you still remember me. Praise the Heavens!” Ma Da wiped a tear from his eye.
“Argh, it’s fate. I still remember the tragedy that befell our family…” The middle-aged woman also recognized the three men as the descendants of the village and wept.
“Uncle, Auntie, don’t be sad. Sanmei has already received enlightenment from Bodhisattva and bringing both of you back to life is no problem. Your family reunion is just around the corner,” Ma Da comforted the couple.
The five individuals chatted for a moment before they left the Land of Sanguinity through the Divine Gate.
Concerned about the two elders’ safety, Ma Da took out a Soul Preservation Jar and had them stay in it. He then brought them back to the mountain.
Lu Er witnessed the whole process and exhaled a pent-up breath. How could he not think about that?
The Era of Mythology reigned the world, yet his thinking process was still restricted by the old ways. He should have done that a long time ago.
What did a human have to fear about death? As long as one had a soul, was not one still able to reunite with his or her family after reincarnating as an insect or a mech?
The belief that humans and spirits walked distinctly separate paths was rather true. After all, humans could not stand the abundance of Yin Energy while spirits needed it to survive.
However, this problem would not exist after reincarnation. Both Spiritual Insects and mechs could live without Yin Energy. In other words, they were actually brought back to life.
He had a nagging feeling that he could do much more with his teleportation skill which he had learned for two years.
As Chong Daqing and Ren Ruofeng continued to bargain, Ma Da and Lu Er, who were busying themselves in the clinic exchanged glances with each other.
Discreetly, they called Niu Si who was in charge of the order of the patients, and held a discussion in a storeroom.
“I think there’s more to this matter than it meets the eye…” Ma Da shared his opinion with his brothers.
Lu Er nodded. “Big brother is right, I feel the same way too.”
“Brothers, what’re you babbling about? I don’t understand a thing and I can’t leave my post. We’d better get back to work. I wouldn’t want Lord Insect Prime to find us lazing around…” Niu Si looked at the doorway and uttered anxiously.
“You dumb bull, we’ve only been told to provide assistance. We aren’t actually working here, so the great insect can’t do anything about us,” Ma Da dismissed Niu Si’s concern.
Lu Er was not as bold as Ma Da, but he also expressed his agreement. “Don’t you worry, Niu Si. Lord Insect Prime is busy selling its quota to earn some lunch money. It doesn’t have the attention span for us.”
“Right, I just remembered, we can sell our quotas too!” Ma Da exclaimed exuberantly.
“Eh, Old Ma, what do you mean? How do we sell our quotas?” Lu Er was puzzled.
“Do you know why Lord Insect Prime can sell its quota?” Instead of giving a proper answer, Ma Da posed a question.
“Duh, because it’s the leader of the Spiritual Insects… After the first year of Shenyuan, there was no such thing as a fair election. It was all about might. The mightier ones had a say in important matters,” Lu Er responded in a matter-of-fact manner.
“Exactly. You should all know that Sanmei, who’s a Spirit King, is already a Lake-level champion and she’s fit to lead the Spirit clan. The last time the Divine Gate opened, Sanmei lacked the required cultivation base. Plus, because she had an inner struggle at that time, she was unable to enter the Divine Gate and wasn’t fit to lead the Spirit clan. But this time, she can’t make the same mistake again and lose a great opportunity,” Ma Da explained sternly to the two idiots.
Lu Er had a sudden realization. “Now that you mention her, let’s go find Sanmei.”
He was about to teleport back to the Spirit Valley.
Ma Da grabbed hold of him at once and cautioned him, “Don’t be so impulsive. Do you all know what Sanmei’s inner struggle is?”
Lu Er shook his head while Niu Si displayed a dumbfounded look.
“This is the real reason behind the death of her family members in a fire. When Sanmei was burned to death, she was still very young and couldn’t recall the reason for that incident. The only way to know the truth is to summon her parents’ souls for questioning,” Ma Da summarized calmly.
“Mm, if that’s the case, why don’t I see Sister San seeking help from Bodhisattva who’s experienced at summoning souls?” Niu Si scratched his scalp and asked puzzledly.
“So silly of you,” Ma Da berated him. “This matter has scarred Sanmei, so how could she simply walk up to Bodhisattva and ask for his help? We should be the ones helping her.”
“It sounds like you’ve known about this all along, big brother. Why do you think of helping her now?” Lu Er was somewhat annoyed.
“F*ck off, I didn’t want to help her last time as I didn’t want her to go through the pain and suffering again. However, there’s a good opportunity coming up for her this time. It’ll be a shame if she gives it up. It’s time she learned to confront her past,” Ma Da declared firmly.
“Liar…” Lu Er muttered and told Niu Si, “He’s just trying to reap the rewards for himself, yet he pretends to be so magnanimous. We’ve been brothers for more than a decade. Does he really think we don’t understand his character?”
Niu Si responded with a firm nod. He, too, felt that it was unethical of Big Brother Ma to do so.
“Dammit, I did so out of kindness. It was supposed to be a win-win situation. How come I’ve turned out to be the bad guy now?” Ma Da cried exasperatedly.
“Forget it, what do you say we should do, big brother? Should we see Bodhisattva now?” Lu Er asked immediately.
“No, we shall see someone else, he’s easier to negotiate with,” Ma Da replied confidently.
Lu Er and Niu Si stole glances at each other and realized at once that Ma Da had been harboring this thought for a long time. Or else, how could he have come up with an idea in such a short span of time?
…
At Vigilante A’s farm villa.
Vigilante A had just returned from slaying a devil when he bumped into the three individuals from the Association of Spirit Kings. They were the same ones whom he had punished last time.
They were drinking tea in the living room and they looked like they have been waiting for a long time.
“What’s the purpose of your visit?” Out of respect towards the Bodhisattva Spirit King, Sir System behaved cordially towards them.
“Oh, Venerable One, it’s like this.” Ma Da took the lead and summarized their purpose of visit.
“Oh, so apparently you want to seek the location of two souls, but it’s quite inconvenient. Based on what you’ve said, the two individuals had died many years ago…” Vigilante A shook his head.
Fang Ning scowled. “What do you mean by ‘inconvenient’? The Heavenly Axiom of the Land of Sanguinity could be seized by you and you could look for whoever you wanted. Last time, when you helped Bai Ruocang with investigating the souls of his clan members who died in vain, you were able to look for them at once. I remember it very clearly.”
“Stop bothering me! Don’t talk the talk unless you walk the walk!” Sir System shooed Fang Ning away.
Fang Ning could only retreat to a corner and brood. Although he matched with the Heavenly Axiom of the Land of Sanguinity, with his current powers, he was still incapable of using the Heavenly Axiom to search for any kind of soul. Only a weirdo like Sir System was able to do so easily.
When Ma Da heard Vigilante A’s response, he clenched his teeth. “It’s like this, once we resolve Sanmei’s inner struggle, she’ll then be fit to lead the Spirit clan in the form of a Spirit King. If you’re able to help us, Venerable One, we shall give you a huge reward.”
“In that case, I have no choice but to help you just this once. However, please don’t tell anyone else about this matter. After all, not everyone will understand the relationship between humans and spirits.” Vigilante A finally agreed to this request.
“Sure, sure. We’re very grateful for your assistance, Venerable One,” Ma Da thanked him.
Instead of pleading to Bodhisattva, he went out of his way to look for the Venerable Dragon God for this outcome. Vigilante A had always exchanged things with the same value. He neither troubled or looked down upon others as long as they did not commit any evil deeds.
It was much more inconvenient if he sought assistance from Bodhisattva as Ma Da’s true intention was not that straightforward… If he could not be firm and uncompromising, he had to go farther to seek help.
After they finished conversing, Vigilante A drew a stroke across the air and a light gate appeared. He then gestured to the three visitors to follow him.
One by one, the four individuals passed through the light gate and arrived at the bank of the River of Blood in the Land of Sanguinity. However, the River of Blood had already been transformed into a clear stream, or better known as the Mother River.
“Wait here, all of you. I’ll be back very soon,” Vigilante A informed them and disappeared with a swoosh.
The three individuals waited obediently beside the river and dared not to make a move. This was someone else’ territory after all.
“This hero is quite easy to negotiate with, no?” Niu Si chirped after a while.
“He has always been like that. As long as you don’t do bad things, this hero will treat you equally, unlike those deities with their haughtiness,” Lu Er mused.
While the three of them were chit-chatting, Sir System had already located the souls of Zhu Hongying’s parents.
System Notification: [The System has searched all souls within the arcane realm’s Heavenly Axiom and discovered the souls of Zhu Hongying’s parents.]
“Sigh, we’re lucky this time. When they died, the Heavenly Axiom’s Maxim began to change and they could turn into souls,” Fang Ning remarked.
“What do you mean by lucky? It’s normal. The fact that Zhu Hongying can become a Spirit King after her death proves that her parents had good genes. The whole family died at the same time, hence it’s impossible for one to end up as a Spirit King while the other two couldn’t even become spirits,” Sir System ridiculed his Host.
“Yeah, Mr. Know-It-All,” Fang Ning snorted.
“It’s the truth.” Sir System grinned.
Thus, Vigilante A led the souls of the middle-aged couple to the three men.
“They are Zhu Hongying’s parents. They’re incredibly lucky that their souls haven’t been torn apart. They were supposed to be reincarnated as mechs, but since you’re early, I shall hand them over to you and let them reunite with their daughter.”
“Thank you very much, Vigilante A.” Ma Da expressed his appreciation.
“Just keep to your promise. Alright, I have some other things to attend to and I shall leave now.” Vigilante A disappeared at once after he finished speaking.
After that, Ma Da greeted the two souls, “Little nephew Ma is pleased to meet you, Uncle Zhu and Aunt Liu.”
“You, you are Lil Ma?” The soul of the middle-aged man seemed to recognize him.
“Yes, yes, I’m Lil Ma. We’ve not seen each other for over twenty years but you still remember me. Praise the Heavens!” Ma Da wiped a tear from his eye.
“Argh, it’s fate. I still remember the tragedy that befell our family…” The middle-aged woman also recognized the three men as the descendants of the village and wept.
“Uncle, Auntie, don’t be sad. Sanmei has already received enlightenment from Bodhisattva and bringing both of you back to life is no problem. Your family reunion is just around the corner,” Ma Da comforted the couple.
The five individuals chatted for a moment before they left the Land of Sanguinity through the Divine Gate.
Concerned about the two elders’ safety, Ma Da took out a Soul Preservation Jar and had them stay in it. He then brought them back to the mountain.
Lu Er witnessed the whole process and exhaled a pent-up breath. How could he not think about that?
The Era of Mythology reigned the world, yet his thinking process was still restricted by the old ways. He should have done that a long time ago.
What did a human have to fear about death? As long as one had a soul, was not one still able to reunite with his or her family after reincarnating as an insect or a mech?
The belief that humans and spirits walked distinctly separate paths was rather true. After all, humans could not stand the abundance of Yin Energy while spirits needed it to survive.
However, this problem would not exist after reincarnation. Both Spiritual Insects and mechs could live without Yin Energy. In other words, they were actually brought back to life.
He had a nagging feeling that he could do much more with his teleportation skill which he had learned for two years.
