Chapter Sixty-Three: The Soul Returns

Zhang Yuan rose with the wind, and in less than a moment, he had arrived at the summit of Red Pine Peak.

It was already midnight. A vast, brilliant moon hung overhead, its cold, clear light illuminating the mountaintop in a snowy radiance.

As Zhang Yuan reached the peak, he saw Lin You had already been seated there, bathed in the luminous glow of moonlight, quietly awaiting his arrival.

“Disciple Zhang Yuan, greets the teacher!”

Zhang Yuan gently placed Guo Yuanlin on the ground, then respectfully performed a grand salute before Lin You.

“No need for such formality. You have returned, and come at such a late hour—are you here because of this child before us?” Lin You’s expression was gentle, nodding as he asked.

Zhang Yuan quickly nodded, saying, “Teacher’s insight is like a blazing torch!”

He proceeded to recount everything that had happened earlier in detail to Lin You, including their identities, revealing all without reservation.

Finally, he apologized, “I did not mean to conceal my identity before; I beg teacher’s forgiveness!”

Lin You laughed softly and shook his head. “Here, in my humble abode, there are no distinctions between princes and paupers, merchants or laborers. All who arrive are guests, drawn by fate. When fortune brings them, they arrive; when it fades, they depart. That is all.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuan felt a transcendent impartiality, a sense of equanimity toward all beings. His heart filled with reverence; his teacher’s realm was indeed lofty, far beyond ordinary men.

Thinking this, he bowed once more and pleaded, “Teacher, please, save my nephew!”

With that, he quickly presented the golden soul banner to Lin You, along with the box of Eight Treasure Merit Clay.

Lin You nodded slightly and took the soul banner from his hands. Examining it carefully, he discovered a blood-colored lotus imprint burned into its base.

This was the soul imprint of a cultivator, signifying that this spiritual treasure was already bound to its master and could not be refined by another. In other words, to use the soul banner, one must either kill its original owner and reforge it, or have the owner imprint their power upon it, using the imprint to activate the treasure.

He then turned his attention to Guo Yuanlin, lying on the ground, and scrutinized his condition.

“Teacher, can Lin’er still be saved?” Zhang Yuan, seeing Lin You silent for a long while, grew anxious. Lord Guo had once saved his life, and little Yuanlin had always been close to him; how could he bear to see the child suffer?

Lin You smiled gently and nodded. “To save this child is not difficult. But afterward, you will inevitably be entangled by his fate, beset by various tribulations.”

“What does teacher mean by this? Your disciple is dull—please enlighten me!” Zhang Yuan asked, perplexed.

“This child’s destiny is extraordinary, blessed with great fortune, which has drawn the covetous gaze of demonic cultivators. But immense fortune also brings immense trials, and those close to him will inevitably be drawn into these hardships,” Lin You explained.

Though he could not discern the child’s exact destiny, the little jade tree in his sea of consciousness had given its feedback: to bond with this child would bring considerable benefits in the future.

But great benefits also meant great danger.

For instance, the cultivator’s imprint on this spiritual treasure was most likely left by a formidable practitioner. By choosing to save this child, Lin You would thus be forging a karmic bond with that powerful figure.

Yet Lin You did not fear this. The soul imprint’s aura was strong, but no more than the foundation stage. Moreover, its energy was tangled and impure, likely achieved through some demonic method, forming a lesser foundation.

Such a person, even if they could find him—and that was unlikely—would be powerless before him in his spiritual domain.

Furthermore, Lin You’s own path was to cultivate in harmony with heaven and earth; tribulations were already destined to be greater than others’.

Though the child’s fortune and destiny were remarkable, compared to Lin You, it was insignificant.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuan did not hesitate. He bowed again. “Teacher, please save my nephew!”

Lin You waved his hand, lifting Zhang Yuan from the ground with a surge of power.

“So be it,” he nodded.

Zhang Yuan had indeed found the right person. Had it been anyone else, faced with a spiritual treasure, they would have been at a loss.

To refine a spiritual treasure without harming the attached soul required either power of the same origin or the intervention of a true master to erase the imprint.

Others could not do this—but Lin You could.

With a mere thought, he communicated with the little jade tree.

In the next moment, its roots pierced fiercely into the golden soul banner, and in an instant, the banner disintegrated into ashes.

Within his sea of consciousness, the jade tree’s branches soon bore a new soul-path seed of a dusky blue-gray hue, three clusters of golden souls, and a soul-path technique named Soul Summoning and Spirit Capturing.

Lin You clicked his tongue in admiration; it was the first time he had encountered such a seed, and he wondered what changes it might bring to his domain.

He did not hasten to mature this seed, but instead infused the Dao essence from the low-grade spiritual treasure into the nearby sword-path seed.

For him now, the peerless sword-path seed was more suitable for defending his philosophy.

As the Dao essence flowed in, the blue-gray sword-path seed began to show faint traces of purple, though it was still far from perfection.

The seed had come from an ancient sword master, its quality extraordinarily high.

Therefore, the Dao essence from a single low-grade spiritual treasure was insufficient to fully mature it.

This was as Lin You expected; he glanced at it briefly and then turned his attention to the three soul clusters atop the soul-path seed.

Of these, two clusters' golden light had dimmed considerably, seeming dull and confused.

The smallest cluster, however, shone with the brightest golden light, retaining some trace of spirit.

“Return, soul, to its vessel!”

Lin You chanted softly as he approached Guo Yuanlin, then pressed a jade-like finger gently to the boy’s forehead.

As the technique activated, the soul cluster with the strongest golden light joyfully darted back into its body, as if a fledgling bird returning to its nest.

Once the soul had rejoined the body, the boy’s expression changed from vacant to lively, showing signs of spirit.

His brows furrowed slightly, as though he had just emerged from a nightmare.

Not long after, he opened his bright eyes, gazing about in confusion.

When his eyes landed on Zhang Yuan, the boy’s gaze immediately brightened, and he called out joyfully, “Uncle Yuan!”

“Lin’er, are you alright?” Zhang Yuan exclaimed in delight, quickly scooping the child into his arms, asking with concern.

“Lin’er just had a nightmare, I think… I dreamed of a bad priest…” Guo Yuanlin’s face was still somewhat dazed, as if struggling to recall.

Zhang Yuan sighed and gently stroked his head, his eyes full of affection.

He then brought Guo Yuanlin before Lin You, letting him kneel.

He solemnly declared, “Yuanlin, express your gratitude for having your life saved!”

The child looked up and saw before him a young Daoist of extraordinary elegance, standing with hands folded beneath the moon’s radiance.

In those eyes, as clear as stars, deep and bright, was a gentle smile directed at him.

Though Guo Yuanlin had never met Lin You, he instinctively felt a sense of closeness.

Thus, without hesitation, he knelt and respectfully bowed three times, earnestly saying, “Yuanlin thanks the Daoist for saving my life!”

As the child bowed three times, the little jade tree in his sea of consciousness gently swayed.