Young Master Bai — Chapter 19
Chapter 19: Brotherhood
In his early years, the Ghost Tactician apprenticed under Ghost God Fusang of the Ghost Realm, and now he has also become a disciple of the Demon Sect’s sect master Cun Jie, learning the strongest demonic cultivation technique Heart Returning Art. In the art of Spirit Communication and Soul Control, he was already considered the best in the world. He pulled out a stack of spirit money from his sleeve and tossed it into the snow. It ignited without fire, and its ashes turned into gray snowflakes that fell and opened a path of yin and yang. Where the snow fell, the two realms overlapped, and the footprints of ghosts appeared before everyone.
A human soul must become a fierce ghost to interfere with the affairs of the living world. Seeing that Lu Ren Wang’s steps still fell in the Netherworld proved he was still a wandering soul. Everyone followed the footprints, and sure enough, at the foot of the mountain, they found his soul slowly walking forward step by step.
He was an ordinary young man, dressed just like Lu Ren Yi, but his eyes and brows carried the gentle look inherited from his mother, often so kind he didn’t seem like a demonic cultivator at all. The freshly dead soul had no awareness and even forgot he had died, still clutching his stomach wound, staggering toward Yinrong. Yet his soul was trapped in the endless snow; even if he walked a hundred years, he would never have made it back.
In such a situation, the Ghost Tactician had the most experience. He glanced at the soul’s spiritual pressure and calmly said, “His spiritual pressure is already between that of a wandering soul and a fierce ghost. If he wakes up, he might still reincarnate. If he never wakes, he’ll continue on like this, confused, turning into a fierce ghost, perhaps one day awakening only to find himself a blood-drinking monster, or maybe never waking at all, just killing by instinct until purified by a cultivator.”
How could Lu Ren Yi bear to see his brother become that kind of ghost? Unafraid of the unknown ahead, he rushed forward, sorrowfully calling out, “Brother!”
“He died horribly, and it’s easiest for him to turn into a fierce ghost. Don’t act rashly — ”
Seeing this, Lin Kaitian tried to stop him, but the Ghost Tactician pulled him back, shaking his fan and saying, “Let him go. This is the only chance of waking Lu Ren Wang.”
Lu Ren Wang’s wandering soul still kept the appearance of his death: the horrific wound in his abdomen, his blood soaking the fur coat, each step leaving a bloody footprint. When he descended the mountain, he had already been mortally wounded, his yao core taken and his cultivation gone, relying solely on willpower to walk out of the snow beyond Yinrong. The place he fell was where the two brothers used to patrol. Unfortunately, that day, Lu Ren Yi, punished for causing trouble while drunk, was cleaning the streets and missed their final meeting.
Most demonic cultivators were people whom ordinary sects couldn’t tolerate. They were long used to licking blood off the blade and had no tears. But seeing his brother stumble past him, Lu Ren Yi’s eyes turned red again. He blocked his brother’s path and cried out, “Brother, don’t go!”
Wandering souls had no consciousness, only repeating a certain act from life over and over. Yet when his brother’s voice sounded, Lu Ren Wang stopped walking. Just like countless nights in the past when they relied on each other — whether after being pelted with stones by villagers who hated yao, or having his tendons cut and blood drained by demonic cultivators — as soon as Lu Ren Yi whimpered, he would wake from sleep and comfort his frightened little brother.
Sixty years had passed, but even though they both grew into fearsome demonic cultivators, in Lu Ren Wang’s heart, Lu Ren Yi was still the little brother who curled up in a corner waiting for comfort whenever hurt.
“I…
“Don’t want to go with you…
“Want to go back…
“A’Yi… is waiting for me…” [endearing form for Lu Ren Yi]
The ghost spoke very slowly, the words unclear. After a long time, he uttered these few ambiguous sentences. Everyone was confused, but Lu Ren Yi understood. “That bastard wanted to take you away, but you refused, right?”
Yet, as soon as the topic touched on their father, Lu Ren Wang fell silent, continuing to walk forward, muttering, “Can’t show a flaw… A’Yi wants to be human…”
He knew how much his brother hated being a yao, so he absolutely couldn’t expose their identities. Even his dead soul kept human form, so no one could tell he was a half-yao.
The dead no longer felt pain, and his expression was calm, but Lu Ren Yi’s tears wouldn’t stop. He tried to grab his brother but watched as his fingers passed through the soul, only able to hug himself and sob softly,
“I knew, from the moment I understood what a name means to a yao, I knew. He liked you, even wanted you to become king of the yao clan. And I was just a child meant for counting, just one of many Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding [T/N: the traditional Chinese ordinal markers, meaning "one of many, insignificant"] — not worth any affection. He was good to you once, so you wanted to see him, to ask him why. I understood it all. I was just afraid. We lost our mother together, but you still had a father, and I didn’t. I was afraid to see him still holding expectations for you while ignoring me completely. I’m sorry — ”
Many things Lu Ren Yi never told Bai Chen, like how at first the Nine-colored Deer didn’t know that children of humans and yao struggled to awaken yao power. He took the firstborn child as his only kind and was quite affectionate to young Lu Ren Wang. But this child never awakened, and thinking they were just ordinary humans, the deer became cold, so that Lu Ren Yi never felt a father’s love.
The Nine-colored Deer didn’t want his kind to die out. When he discovered Lu Ren Wang’s bloodline had awakened, he actually wanted to take his son away. But Lu Ren Wang couldn’t leave his brother and knew too much, so he was silenced.
Lu Ren Yi had long suspected these things, and now finally confirmed them. He didn’t know whether to regret or to hate, until Lu Ren Wang’s wandering soul heard his crying, habitually reached out and touched his head, and, ignoring his wounds as always, smiled faintly, “A’Yi… don’t cry… I’m… back.”
Even though he found his brother’s soul, his tears wouldn’t stop. A demonic cultivator known for his fierceness was trembling as he cried, “Tell me where that bastard is. I’ll kill him! I will kill him!”
Lu Ren Wang never refused his brother’s requests. Hearing this, his wandering soul gently raised a hand, and the bloody footprints behind him became clearer and extended step by step into the snow-covered mountains, pointing the way for them.
His brother’s crying pointed the lost Lu Ren Wang home. He seemed to understand what Lu Ren Yi wanted to do, trying his best to make the footprints clear, and then left his last words in this life, “Snowy nights… slippery roads… watch your step… wear more clothes…”
When a wandering soul regained its senses, it could reincarnate. Seeing this, Lin Kaitian quickly threw out a yellow paper umbrella inscribed with talismans, quietly reminding Lu Ren Yi, “Put him into the Soul-gathering Umbrella, or it’ll be too late.”
Life and death were a final farewell. Lu Ren Yi knew he had burdened his brother all his life and couldn’t delay his reincarnation any longer. Though reluctant, he slowly opened the Soul-gathering Umbrella. Having been sheltered from wind and snow by his brother all his life, it was finally his turn to shield his brother. He could only wipe away his tears and choke out a calm farewell, “Brother, I’ll remember. You… take care too.”
The Soul-gathering Umbrella was a treasure for nourishing the soul. When the umbrella was closed, Lu Ren Wang’s soul fell aleep. The Ghost Tactician took the heavy umbrella from Lu Ren Yi, still speaking blandly, “Seems his desire to go back to see you suppressed his resentment, so he hasn’t turned into a fierce ghost yet. That saves the trouble of dispelling the evil aura. I’ll personally deliver him to the Gates of Hell and come collect the rest of the payment afterward.”
Seeing them, Lin Kaitian thought of his own father and brother and even secretly wiped his eyes, dissatisfied with the Ghost Tactician’s indifference. “You heartless old ghost, what kind of mood do you think this is, saying such things?”
The Ghost Tactician didn’t argue with him, following the bloody footprints as he continued forward, only saying, “Let’s go, before the footprints disappear.”
The ghostly yin-yang techniques were indeed formidable. Bai Chen watched everything silently, saying nothing, and merely ordered Chenzui to carry the severely weakened, bled-out Lu Ren Yi and follow them up the mountain.
Lu Ren Yi had no strength to speak now. Chenzui, witnessing such a scene for the first time, only felt stifled and didn’t know what to say, so he asked Bai Chen, “Ancestor, will we also become like this after we die?”
Bai Chen intended for him to experience all kinds of people and trials, so he didn’t guide him but simply answered, “The yao have no concept of reincarnation. Once dead, the soul returns to Heaven and Earth with the body. We have this life and no next.”
Bai Chen spoke the truth. As he finished, Li Wuming tightened his grip on his hand, making him look up in surprise, “What’s wrong? You’re so quiet — not like you.”
Li Wuming was never one to brood, but today he unexpectedly didn’t joke to lighten the mood, only sighed. “Nothing, just suddenly thought of my big brother.”
Bai Chen knew he had a brother but had never met him. Seeing Li Wuming downcast, he softly asked, “I’ve never seen my parents nor had a brother, so I don’t know what it feels like. Seeing you miss him like this, I suppose your relationship was very good.”
Unexpectedly, Li Wuming’s expression became complicated at those words. “My brother treats the world like a chessboard, and everyone is just a piece. We used to get along and not get along; now it’s hard to say.”
His Dao companion was like a deep pool — mysterious and dark as far as the eye could see. Bai Chen didn’t know when he’d reach the bottom. Leaning on the man’s chest, he couldn’t help but sigh, “Sometimes I feel like I still don’t really know you.”
Li Wuming was indeed strong of mind. Facing the wind and snow, he forgot all the past, and seeing the little fox so interested yet unable to figure him out, he instead returned a light smile. “We have a lifetime anyway. Just stay by my side and figure me out slowly.”
~ Chapter End ~
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