"How do you intend to refine them?"
So many years have passed—could my great-grandfather’s soul have finally departed in peace?
"Why? Are you concerned about them?"
"Can you tell me what it actually means to grant them deliverance? I... I want to know."
"The souls I locked away with the Soul-Crossing Incantation just now can be classified as those with wavering will. They have either lingered in the Blue Abyss for too long and forgotten what their obsessions were, or their obsessions were never deep to begin with. Once they hear that the Li Kingdom has been stable for a hundred years, they naturally choose to ascend."
"As for the more stubborn ones, they must be placed into the Soul-Refining Bag—ahem, I gave it that name myself. In reality, it is simply a different method, one that requires more time to persuade them. In short, I must help them understand the Soul-Crossing Incantation and let go entirely."
"But how can you be sure they have ascended safely? What if a soul is just too timid and only dies of fright from your incantation? Does that count?"
"Do not underestimate these old battle-hardened souls. Before they ascend, they must surrender their names to prove they have completely renounced their attachment to the mortal world. You think they are like some people who get startled at every little thing?"
Surrendering their names... did his, too...?
Yan Xiao'er asked urgently, "Among the souls you have captured that ascended, were there any with the surname Yan? The Yan of ‘color’?"
Yu Changmian turned his head to look at her.
"No."
"Are you sure? You must have captured so many; how could you possibly remember them all?"
At that moment, the bag on the platform jumped and shivered, clearly looking quite indignant.
"When you opened the bag, you must not have looked inside."
Everything had been so urgent at the time; who would have had the chance to look inside? Yan Xiao'er did not understand what he meant.
Yu Changmian evidently guessed her thoughts.
"The inside of the bag is engraved with the names of all the warrior souls that have been granted deliverance. One soul corresponds to one name. I would not, and could not, fail to remember them."
"Empty tombstones line the field, the Soul-Refining Bag holds the warriors’ names."
Having said this, Yu Changmian ignored her and began chanting once more.
Yan Xiao'er felt a bit lost. If only she could encounter her great-grandfather’s soul; perhaps an ancestor she had never met could tell her how she ended up as a descendant of the Wulian Clan.
She pulled her knees up to her chest and sat down, not daring to fall asleep for fear that the so-called Inner Demon Soul had not completely vanished. Furthermore, once a nightmare is born, even without the interference of that entity, she feared the appearance of visions she could not bear to witness.
She watched Yu Changmian from afar. Three hours passed, and even while murmuring his incantations, he never closed his eyes.
Yan Xiao'er yawned countless times. Thinking of how he was locked in a struggle against the obsessions of the warrior souls in the bag, single-mindedly fulfilling the task entrusted to him by his master, she wondered if perhaps his ignorance of the schemes of the wretched people in the world was not a bad thing after all.
...
"To be so stubborn."
Yu Changmian took a deep breath and stood up.
"Is it finished?"
"It should have been done long ago, but this fellow... he just won't listen to reason. It’s truly bizarre."
For once, Yu Changmian wore an expression of helplessness.
"What kind of soul is so formidable?" Yan Xiao'er asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Who else? The one who dared to play dirty and ambush me." Despite his accusatory tone, Yu Changmian did not seem truly angry.
The Soul-Refining Bag, which had previously been full of vigor, now slumped down. Yet, there was clearly still something pulsing inside it.
"You, come here."
Yu Changmian crooked a finger at Yan Xiao'er.
As she stepped closer, the bag began to sway more vigorously, clearly powered by the strength within.
"Say a few words to it."
"To the bag?"
Yu Changmian nodded.
Yan Xiao'er was still a bit afraid, but she reached out and gingerly touched it. The bag recoiled as if struck by lightning, lunging upward violently.
"It’s no use. The aura in your soul blood is too potent; it likes you too much and cannot control its emotions. You cannot communicate with each other."
"Then what should I do?"
Yan Xiao'er was frustrated. He wouldn't let her come near at first, and now that he’d called her over, it didn't work. Was this another one of his tricks to toy with her?
"Biyu, bring it over and try."
Yu Changmian gestured, and the green whip, which had been training diligently on the other side, heard the summons and flew over, hooking Ling'er’s wings.
"Good. It can express itself a little, right? Perfect. Have it press its wings against the bag and ask this wretched soul what it actually wants."
"Ying ying ying."
Ling'er clearly did not like this strange, stubborn soul either, but its teacher was strict, and it had no choice but to obey.
The Soul-Refining Bag reacted to Ling'er’s aura as well, though not as excitedly as when Yan Xiao'er had approached.
"Ying ying ying."
"What is it saying? What kind of person? Searching for what? A soul?"
"Ying ying ying."
With Biyu acting as the translator, Ling'er struggled to piece together the message: "A woman... bring her... go far away... a soul is there."
"Your obsession is to find that soul? You will only ascend once you have found it?" Yu Changmian finally deciphered the complete meaning.
The Soul-Refining Bag jumped in the air, as if nodding, before settling gently back onto the platform and falling silent.
The ordeal was finally over; Yan Xiao'er could almost hear the soul bag heaving a sigh of relief.
Yu Changmian commanded in a low voice, "Biyu, take the bag into the cave immediately. Do not let it see the sunlight."
Yan Xiao'er watched as Biyu transformed into a pair of giant palms and carried the bag into a crevice in the rocks. She asked cautiously, "Are we going to head back now?"
Yu Changmian, looking utterly exhausted, pointed upward. The pitch-black night was fading, and the sky was already turning pale. The gurgling sound of a stream reached her ears; the stagnant water began to flow, trickling downward as if a switch had been flipped.
"I-am-going-to-sleep."
Yu Changmian resumed his staccato tone and sat down cross-legged once more.
Seeing that his eyes remained wide open, his dark pupils appearing even deeper, Yan Xiao'er wondered, *He’s asleep already?*
She didn't quite believe it and moved closer to check. Just as she reached out to wave a hand in front of his eyes to see if he was truly asleep, the green glow that had been faintly circling him suddenly transformed into a brilliant, emerald-light sword, thrusting straight at Yan Xiao'er’s throat.
The strike came so suddenly that she had no time to dodge and stood frozen in place. She felt a cool sensation against her throat.
The sword did not harm her; Ling'er’s pale yellow glow had protected her.
"Ying ying ying ying."
Having done a good job, Ling'er’s yellow light danced joyfully around the green sword.
Only after her heart stopped for a beat did Yan Xiao'er realize what had happened. *So, this is your midnight combat drill to protect the master, is it? You "teacher and student" are using me for target practice!*
Seeing the flooding stream gradually recede, revealing a path to cross, she huffed indignantly, leapt across, and returned to the stone bed to collapse.
*I finally obtained a Guardian Spirit, I must not let it be stolen by anyone else so easily.*
As she rested her head on the stone pillow, a thought struck her. She remembered Yu Changmian saying that Ling'er had been born prematurely and was still weak, yet it had managed to fend off a direct strike from a soul that was under no talismanic restraint. That soul had clearly shown a desperate craving for her aura, and its lack of hostility toward Ling'er further corroborated that.
*Why, exactly, is it like this toward me?*
Her eyes widened abruptly. *Could it be my great-grandfather’s soul?*
*Damn it! Why didn't I think of that? I should have asked Yu Changmian to inquire! Or perhaps the soul wants to take me to find my great-grandfather’s soul?*
Yan Xiao'er felt her blood racing. The Guardian Spirit, the Soul-Refining Bag, deliverance, soul blood... and those massive wings. She had seen too much in a single day. However, she was even more curious to see what Yu Changmian’s own guardian spirit beast looked like.
Lost in these rambling thoughts, Yan Xiao'er forgot to worry about whether any nightmares would appear, and she fell into a deep sleep.