Love & Redemption
Chapter 157: Volume 4: The Splintering Dream of China - 14: Soul and Spirit (Part 6)

Chapter 157: Volume 4: The Splintering Dream of China Chapter 14: Soul and Spirit (Part 6)

As news spread that someone could resurrect Linglong, the Shaoyang Sect became abuzz with emotion. Before long, her small courtyard was packed with waiting people. When Xuanji pushed Ting Nu over, she was startled, struggling to squeeze through the crowd to the doorway.

Just as Chu Lei was about to speak and ask the crowd to leave, he heard someone inside exclaim, "Wow, did you all come here!" He hurried inside, only to see Tengshe holding his hands full of pastries, his mouth stuffed too, innocently widening his eyes.

No wonder they couldn’t find him earlier; he had run here to eat. Xuanji felt embarrassed and sighed, "Why did you come here? What’s with these pastries?"

After swallowing the pastries, Tengshe laughed and said, "I saw these pastries on the table, untouched and such a pity. So... The person inside wouldn’t eat them anyway, might as well let me enjoy them."

So it turned out that Linglong had lost her two souls and six spirits, no different from a dead person, and thus there was a shrine in her room where people regularly replaced the fresh pastry and fruit as offerings. Somehow, Tengshe had found his way here, hungry, and unapologetically ate everything.

"Never tell others you know me again," Xuanji glared at him, pushing Ting Nu to the bedside. Yu Sifeng drew back the layers of curtains, revealing Linglong lying on the bed with her eyes closed, her breathing steady, seemingly just asleep, her eyelashes trembling slightly as if a simple nudge could awaken her.

"Linglong, we have come to see you," Xuanji said as she sat down, gently sweeping the hair from Linglong’s forehead. Tengshe, seeing an opportunity for excitement, hurried over and scrutinized her, commenting, "Oh, so this is Linglong. Not bad, indeed soulless, just needs them restored. Hmph, she looks much prettier than you, probably gentler too."

Being prettier was a given, but gentler? Both Yu Sifeng and Xuanji exchanged a look and smiled without speaking. Tengshe would definitely regret saying that.

"Would you need the help of others?" asked Chu Lei and the other elders, approaching to inquire. After all, dealing with souls is no trifling matter; one wrong move and she could remain asleep forever.

Ting Nu shook his head: "No need, just don’t make noise and disturb the process."

"Is he the one capable of casting the spell?" Tengshe whispered to Yu Sifeng. Ting Nu had caught his attention upon arrival with an unusual aura; evidently, he wasn’t human but a very old demon. Though Tengshe, as a Divine Beast, held no grudges against demons, considering all beings equal, unlike Chu Lei, it still irked him that, despite being an immortal, he was not versed in soul summoning spells, and today a demon would outshine him.

But... why does he look so familiar, as if I’ve seen him somewhere before?

Yu Sifeng whispered, "He’s a Merfolk named Ting Nu. Just to be clear, this is very serious, so don’t interfere halfway. If something goes wrong, you know how Xuanji can get."

Tengshe visibly blanched and stayed quietly still thereafter.

Ting Nu took out Linglong’s soul from his sleeve, tilted the bottle, picked up the lid, and opened it, releasing clusters of lively flames immediately onto Linglong’s chest, flickering softly. Everyone held their breath, watching his next move. Ting Nu stretched a finger, drew circles on Linglong’s forehead, and chanted softly, "O soul, come back! forsake the constant haunts of men, what business have you therewith? Forsake the place where joy doth blend, and join us, freed from woe henceforth."

He chanted this for about half an hour, and the clusters of flames started to stir, scattering over Linglong, some on her forehead, some on her chest, and some on her abdomen. Ting Nu immediately ceased chanting, twisted his wrist, and the flame he held between his fingers also gently landed on her, slowly moving, passing over her forehead, and burrowing in through her fontanel.

Linglong on the bed suddenly frowned slightly, as if about to wake, murmuring something. Overjoyed, Xuanji moved to ask her something but was restrained by Yu Sifeng, signaling her not to interrupt the ongoing spell. Ting Nu picked up the flame on her left shoulder, repeating the chant, and finally, with a flick, the flame drilled into her left shoulder. Linglong’s eyelashes trembled, and she suddenly shed tears.

The remaining six clusters of flames were each dealt with in the same manner, chanting and then entering her body. Her facial expressions varied wildly—now joyful, now despondent, now melancholic, now angry. Everyone understood that as the soul returned to the body, all kinds of desires and emotions were also returning. Finally, with the last cluster of flames, a visibly exhausted Ting Nu forcefully embedded the most crucial soul into her chest. Linglong abruptly opened her eyes with a cry, sobbing aloud, shouting, "...better to kill me first!"

Before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly realized she was in her room at Shaoyang Peak, dumbfounded, not knowing what year or month it was.

Ting Nu, drained, patted her head, and finally smiled, "It worked."

Everyone burst into ecstatic jubilation, all crowding around Linglong, bombarding her with questions of all sorts, but she remained confused, still unable to grasp how she had suddenly returned from Gao Mountain to Shaoyang Peak.

Chu Lei and his wife then took her in their arms, explaining the cause and effect of everything. Although Xuanji was overjoyed to the utmost, she did not act rashly; seeing Linglong awake was better than anything else. Many things could be discussed later. She moved Ting Nu aside, smiling, "Ting Nu... thank you." Before she could finish, tears involuntarily fell from her eyes.

Ting Nu gave a faint smile and patted her hand in reassurance. Meanwhile, Tengshe stared at him for a long time. Seeing him smile, his mind flashed like flint on steel, and he jumped up exclaiming, "It’s you, it’s you! The Merfolk from the Heavenly Pond! I have seen you!"

His shout startled everyone in the room, making them all turn their heads to look at him. Tengshe felt a bit awkward, touched his ear, and laughed, "Uh... it’s nothing... carry on. I was just speaking off the cuff."

After he finished speaking, he squatted in front of Ting Nu, looking straight at him, and said, "It’s you, isn’t it? The one who lost his divine status because of guilt by association, that Merfolk."

Ting Nu said indifferently, "It is me... so what? It’s been a long time, Lord Tengshe. It’s surprising you still remember such an insignificant Merfolk."

Tengshe shouted angrily, "Enough of your nonsense! You know him, don’t you? He still owes me a fight!"

Ting Nu remained unmoved, replying calmly, "Lord Tengshe, you fight with someone every day, I don’t know which him you are referring to."

"Him! Yes, him! The one locked up in the Netherworld! Wuzhiqi!"

Ting Nu lowered his eyelashes, speaking softly, "I do not know him. Wasn’t it you from the Upper Realm who imprisoned him? Why come to ask me?"

"Hey, you..." Just as Tengshe was about to lose his temper, someone yanked his hair hard, causing him to cry out in pain. Xuanji, holding onto his hair, said angrily, "Your voice is too loud! What are you trying to do to Ting Nu?!"

Furious, Tengshe cursed, "Nosy brat! Mind your own business! That’s right! It was you who stole my fight last time! I haven’t settled that score with you yet!"

Before he could finish, she kicked him up, "I don’t know what nonsense you’re spouting! Just shut up!" She smiled at Ting Nu, sighing, "Sorry about that, this is my spiritual beast Tengshe. He has a nasty temper, so if he bullies you, be sure to tell me. I’ll punish him severely later."

"Nosy brat..." Tengshe, being stepped on under her feet, tried to resist, but the binding contract left him powerless to fight back, only able to curse profusely.

Ting Nu asked, surprised, "He... has become your spiritual beast?"

Xuanji nodded, "Yes. But he is really annoying, I’m almost fed up with him."

Ting Nu paused for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter. Xuanji, puzzled by his laughter, asked, "What’s so funny?"

"Nothing..." Ting Nu covered his mouth with his sleeve, still unable to suppress his amusement. He remembered past events, Tengshe was Heaven’s number one belligerent, always thinking himself the best in the world. When he heard that not only was the War God General a woman but also incredibly formidable, capable of facing thousands of troops without fear, he spent his days in the Heavenly Court looking for her, always shouting about wanting to fight the War God General.

In the end, when the War God was punished to descend to the Lower Realm to face trials, he had no choice but to give up his grand ambition. By some twist of fate, he ended up encountering Xuanji; surely, he must have provoked the fight, and after a grand battle, he undoubtedly lost and became her spiritual beast. One could imagine his reluctance.

Tengshe, stepped on by Xuanji at her feet, finally gave up resisting, saying, "I only found out about Wuzhiqi being captured afterward. When I went to reason with the Heavenly Emperor, he threw me out and even locked me up for a hundred years."

He spoke calmly, and Ting Nu was somewhat moved, speaking softly, "How tough for Lord Tengshe... to actually plead for him..."

"Plead my ass! He still owes me a fight! To hell or high water, at least wait until after we’ve had our fight to talk about it!"

He shouted with righteous indignation, apparently not feeling the least bit sheepish. Ting Nu laughed, "Even so... I still have to thank Lord Tengshe for his care on behalf of Wuzhiqi."

Xuanji, listening to their talk of Wuzhiqi and fighting, felt something familiar but couldn’t quite remember what it was. As she tried hard to think, she suddenly heard someone calling her from behind, "Xuanji!"

It was Linglong’s voice. Startled and delighted, she turned around, stepping unapologetically over Tengshe’s face, and rushed to the bed. She saw Linglong looking at her with affection and excitement. She called out, "Linglong," her voice suddenly choked, and she embraced her, unable to speak another word.

She was alive again, and she had finally brought her back. Xuanji held onto her tightly, as if she hadn’t seen her for a lifetime, just holding each other, neither wanting to let go first. (To be continued. For more details, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)