Chapter Eighty-Six: Reincarnation and Rebirth

“Do you know that there is a distinction between the life of the body and the life of the Way?” After coming to understand this principle, Wang Yuan asked the three of them.

All three shook their heads at once. They had never heard such a saying.

“Our parents give us bodily life; we ought to honor them in filial devotion and never forget their grace, for they have bestowed upon us the gift of existence.” Wang Yuanfeng explained it briefly. Seeing the three nodding without cease, he continued, “But what each lineage bestows upon us is the life of the Way. Once one enters the Great Dao, a bond of dharma is formed, and that affinity endures through lifetime after lifetime.”

“Many sects possess their own blessed grotto-heavens, each a world unto itself. The aura of their disciples’ true spirits is recorded there. So when they die, they are drawn back into those sacred realms, and according to their merit and fortune, arrangements are made for their rebirth. In their next life, someone will naturally appear to guide them once more onto the path.”

Wang Yuanfeng explained what he knew to the three of them.

“Truly? Then can Flower Maiden come back?” This was what Zhang Sangu cared about most. Only two remained of their clan now. Flower Maiden’s life had ended, and after watching her kin die one after another with her own eyes, until even the last was gone, Zhang Sangu had fallen into a death-bound despair. But Wang Yuanfeng’s words had shown her a glimmer of hope.

“Little Qing, is that flower basket still here?” Wang Yuanfeng remembered that Flower Maiden had possessed a magical treasure in the shape of a flower basket.

“It is, it is.” As she spoke, Little Qing took out a small flower-basket treasure.

Wang Yuanfeng saw that it was indeed the flower basket he had once damaged with two strands of sword qi, and said, “Give this to Zhang Sangu.”

After Little Qing handed the treasure over, Wang Yuanfeng said, “Keep the flower basket well, and find a way to repair it. If by fate and chance Flower Maiden is reborn, the basket will naturally respond. And she once held the office of the Star Deity Willow-Earth-Badger. When the time comes, watch the stars closely and you will discover her.”

Holding the flower-basket treasure in her hands, Zhang Sangu gently stroked the lingering aura Flower Maiden had left upon it. Tears streamed down like water, yet the desolation in her gaze slowly gave way to firmness.

Seeing the others all looking like the tattered remnants of a defeated army, Wang Yuanfeng said, “What had to be done here is done. It is time for us to go to the lands of the Southern Continent.”

The two Qings and Little Qing both nodded deeply in agreement. Every year they came once to this shrine-cavern: first to gather stalactite essence, second to offer rites to the generations of ancestors in the Serpent Cave. Both tasks were now complete. Had all these incidents not occurred, they would have returned long ago.

Wang Yuanfeng examined his own condition. Though he had lost his Lesser Returned Elixir, he did not feel the loss was too great. Lost cultivation could be practiced back; but if a person were gone, then all would truly be over.

Though he had told Zhang Sangu that Flower Maiden would be reincarnated, he had no certainty as to where she would be reborn, what form she would take, or how many lifetimes it might take. All he could be sure of was that she would return. As for this so-called chance encounter—who knew when such a chance would come? Still, at the very least, it was hope.

If it were like his own case—using a rebirth method and crossing directly into another world—that would be another matter entirely. Fortunately, Flower Maiden had already occupied a stellar divine office. As the celestial armillary grew ever more complete, it would be possible to find her through that aura.

At that moment, outside the little valley, a group of people stood at the entrance armed with blades, spears, and torches, waiting for something in full battle array. Not far off, before a stone wall, one man was examining it with great care.

“This isn’t right. I clearly remember coming out from here. How can there be no path?” The man was none other than An Youyu, who meant to avenge Flower Maiden. He kept knocking against the stone wall through which he had once emerged from the valley.

After being plotted against by Zhang Xiangzi, he had met Flower Maiden. Though he had been beguiled at the time, he was, after all, a man richly favored by fortune. Once he returned, he came to his senses. But having given his word, he would do what he had promised; otherwise, he would not be An Youyu.

The household retainers he had brought with him all found this deeply strange, thinking perhaps he had taken ill. But his status was not the same as theirs. Since they worked for his family, they could only accompany him in this madness.

After staring for a long while, An Youyu still could make no sense of it. He wanted to give up, yet could not resign himself to doing so. Flower Maiden had left too deep an impression on him. Perhaps it was only a moment’s impulse—whatever it was, he could not forget her.

“Young master, could it be that you remembered wrongly?” one powerfully built retainer asked after some hesitation. An Youyu had already lingered here for quite some time. This servant was dressed more finely than the others and seemed to hold no low position among them.

An Youyu was already somewhat agitated. Ever since returning, he had brought men here at once, intending first to find Flower Maiden, learn the truth, and then join her in eliminating the demon. Yet after coming out, he could no longer find the place. There was still unwillingness in his heart.

“I couldn’t have remembered wrong. Everything she said was exact.” After knocking on the stone wall a while longer, An Youyu said, “Everyone knows there is a serpent demon on Mount Yin. There can be no mistake.”

The retainer thought this all sounded rather absurd. Their group were no Daoist adepts; if they went up there, they would not be slaying demons—they would more likely be delivering themselves as prey. Besides, the retainers all had work to do. Today they had been dragged out before even finishing their labor. Though Master An would not dock their wages for the day, punishment was surely unavoidable.

Punishing An Youyu was out of the question; those punished would definitely be them. He himself might even lose his position as steward. Sighing inwardly, he said to An Youyu, “Young master, why don’t we first go have a look at the Serpent Cave? Perhaps that young lady who claimed enmity with the serpent demon only appeared in a dream. If you return and sleep, perhaps you’ll dream of her again.”

“Impossible,” An Youyu answered without a moment’s thought. In his memory, Flower Maiden was like an orchid blooming in an empty valley. Though plainly dressed, she possessed an elegance beyond compare. Such bearing was not something one could merely imagine.

Yet even he had begun to harbor some doubts about what he was doing. Then another thought came to him: there was still the Serpent Cave. The serpent demon in that cave could not be false as well, could it? The serpent demon had frightened him so badly that he had fallen from a cliff. Had Flower Maiden not rescued and treated him, he might well have died. Though afterward not a single wound remained on him, his shredded clothes were proof enough.

By now, An Youyu’s thoughts had entered a dead end. Flower Maiden’s face filled his mind. He said to the steward, “Come, we’ll go to the Serpent Cave. So long as there’s a serpent demon there—”

Now that he had a goal, An Youyu led the retainers in a grand procession toward the Serpent Cave.

As he walked, he kept thinking of the serpent demon. Tales of the cave had been passed down for centuries. The story of the snake charmer was known far and wide. It was said that hundreds of years ago serpent demons would often appear by the roadside to terrify travelers. Though there were no stories of people being eaten, several had been frightened into madness.

And he himself had been so terrified that he fell from a cliff. That counted as a grudge as well.

An Youyu secretly found himself a pretext for demon-slaying. By now centuries had passed; perhaps the creature was dead already. But An Youyu was not afraid.

His confidence came from a marvel of his own: whenever he appeared in these mountains, all animals would crawl to the ground and let him stroke them as he pleased. It was for this reason, too, that he had always practiced the release of living creatures.

While An Youyu led his people up the mountain, Wang Yuanfeng and the others had also packed up, preparing to first rest at the Serpent Cave, then cross Axe-Blade Mountain and continue on toward the region of Dongting Lake.

At this moment, all of them bore injuries of one sort or another, though none were grave. The treasure of the Second Qing had been damaged, but it was only one vine among many; with slow repair, it would recover. Little Qing had expended too much of her poisonous mist. Though her face looked somewhat pale, a few days’ rest would put her right. Zhang Sangu had taken a palm strike from Zhang Xiangzi and suffered some internal injury, but the greater wound was the one in her heart, and that was not something easily mended.

Wang Yuanfeng, however, was the very opposite. Though he appeared the most badly injured, in truth he was not harmed at all. On the contrary, he looked bright in spirit and light of step.

Though he had lost the Lesser Returned Elixir he had formed, his flying sword had already transformed into a sword pellet and now dwelled within his lungs, responding to his will in sending and receiving, breathing forth primordial qi and nourishing his inner organs. Thus the injury to his lungs scarcely counted as an injury anymore.

The Lesser Returned Elixir was gone, yet not only did Wang Yuanfeng feel no disappointment, he felt instead a strange ease. To cultivate one sword alone was enough. The Dao values return to unity. He himself had studied too much, and too many things in confusion, until he no longer knew what path he truly meant to walk.

If one was not faithful to one’s own sword, the sword in turn might not be faithful to oneself. Sword immortals had always been men of firm resolve and decisive temper. It was because of his own doubts about the way of the sword immortal that his cultivation had lacked purity.

Wang Yuanfeng thought to himself that only now could he truly be said to be cultivating the sword-immortal path. Before this, if he had not carried a sword case on his back, no one would have known he was a sword cultivator; they would likely only have thought he had inherited some broad and miscellaneous tradition. Gradually, Wang Yuanfeng arrived at an understanding: only by abandoning other methods and devoting his mind wholly to a single sword could he continue his own sword path.

“Not good—the Serpent Cave is in trouble.” The cry from the Second Qing startled the silent group back to awareness.

They all looked up at once. From the direction of the Serpent Cave, a plume of yellow smoke was rising, and through it came faint sounds of shouting and killing.

“Not good. Realgar.”

The moment Wang Yuanfeng saw the smoke, he knew it contained sulfur, but with an even stronger yang potency. It could only be realgar.

Both the Second Qing and Little Qing grew anxious. Realgar meant little to most people, but to serpentine beings such as they, it was a deadly bane. Those with greater cultivation could still resist it; those with lesser cultivation would at once reveal their true form. And during the Dragon Boat Festival, no matter how deep one’s cultivation, if one encountered sulfur, resistance was all but impossible—unless one was a great demon of a thousand years.

“Could it be An Youyu?” Zhang Sangu murmured softly, uncertainly.

“What?” Little Qing’s anger flared at once. She turned to Zhang Sangu and said, “Was it you who lured him there?”

“We listened to Zhang Xiangzi’s words. We needed An Youyu’s fortune to destroy you, and then seize the mountain’s root essence.” Zhang Sangu spoke with a face full of guilt.

The expression of the Second Qing darkened as well. However gentle her nature, anyone would feel a spark of fury if their home were being ransacked.

Seeing Little Qing on the verge of exploding in rage, Wang Yuanfeng hurriedly said, “Let’s go at once. The smoke has only just risen. There may still be hope of remedying this.”

With that, he silently set his flying sword in motion, lifted himself into the air, and sped toward the Serpent Cave.

“Hmph.” Little Qing gave Zhang Sangu a cold snort and followed after him.

The Second Qing was anxious too. Though she knew this matter was not truly Zhang Sangu’s doing, she still cast her a deep look before rising and giving chase.

Zhang Sangu’s face twisted in struggle for a moment. Thinking to herself how she could have forgotten this, and feeling deeply ashamed, she clenched her teeth and also flew toward the Serpent Cave.

Wherever An Youyu passed, insects and snakes scattered away. Watching them flee in all directions, he could not quite conceal a certain pride. His confidence in this strange ability of his only grew.

When they reached the Serpent Cave, they saw several great snakes coiled at the entrance, each as thick as a child’s arm and perhaps a full zhang in length, their heads raised high toward the crowd, tongues flickering, their fearsome eyes making everyone’s scalp prickle.

When they saw An Youyu approach, they too seemed wary. Yet An Youyu, though somewhat afraid, thought of his own peculiar gift and forced himself to step a little closer.

The several large snakes, which had looked ready to attack, suddenly dropped to the ground and began writhing in agony.

At the sight, An Youyu rejoiced inwardly and said to the men behind him, “Mix realgar into the firewood and wipe out every snake in this cave. Cleanse this mountain.”

“Yes, young master,” the steward answered with a bow. Then he turned and shouted to the others, “Leave a few men here on guard. The rest, gather firewood, and prepare the realgar powder. We’ll smoke the cave out with fire.”

The retainers immediately split up. Several stepped forward and hacked the writhing snakes at the cave entrance into pieces with swords and blades.

After the snakes were slain, An Youyu suddenly felt a strange loss, as though he had misplaced some small part of himself. The sensation was slight. He shook his head and continued watching the servants at their work.