Chapter 524: Farewell to the Mortal World

In Song Kingdom, in the wilderness, at a geomantically auspicious location, there was a public cemetery.

Song Kingdom previously had no public cemeteries, but after the arrival of the Human-Ghost, a geomantically auspicious location was found to construct a public cemetery, ensuring that those buried there would not transform into resentful ghosts or specters, and could properly enter Reincarnation.

After all, if burials were haphazard, it would easily breed various specters, which would then require various forces to clear them out, and it also didn't align with the Human-Ghost's stubborn concept of rules.

Upon finding the public cemetery, the Paibo Gang members still had a conscience; Sixth Uncle's tombstone was quite luxurious. Although the Human-Ghost restricted the land area of the tomb, at least the tombstone was custom-made and carved by a master craftsman.

Li Qi stood before the tombstone, silently holding a memorial ceremony.

The Ninth Transformation of Music states that a Human-Ghost may be honored with rituals. Setting out wine and food in the nearby suburbs to offer sacrifices to unattached ghost entities is called 'remote enjoyment'.

Originally, such sacrificial matters were handled by Invoker of the Human-Ghost lineage. As a Di Qi (Earthly Qi) lineage member, Li Qi should ideally interact with various Mountain and Water Deities and natural spirits.

However, it wasn't strictly necessary for a Invoker of the Human-Ghost lineage to perform it. Di Qi (Earthly Qi) were simply a different specialization.

Mortals are easily misled by various divine phenomena; when they see responses from spiritual temples, they assume them to be shrines of heroic and sacred spirits, believing the ghosts and gods worshipped within must be intelligent and upright beings.

Little do they know, there are many twists and turns involved: some are like wealthy and powerful individuals, such as Bo You becoming a malevolent spirit, or what Zi Chan called: “When material essence is abundant, the soul and spirit are strong.”

But in reality, these types of Human-Ghost vary greatly.

Some are full of heroic spirit, dying in their prime by stepping onto a blade, thus their heroic souls do not disperse. These specialize in the Ghost Dao, making their cultivation very simple, and the Yin Messengers also like to recruit such newcomers.

Some are born with abundant Qi and strong, vibrant spirits, not easily dissipating after death. These are also types favored by the Yin Messengers.

Some are created when people sculpt human figures, capturing a fierce, predatory living creature, such as a monkey or crow, and burying it alive within the statue's belly. This creature dies by being cruelly sacrificed, its soul and spirit do not disperse, and when people offer incense and prayers day and night, it will become spiritual. Its spirituality is that of the creature, not a matter of ghosts or gods.

Others become spiritual purely by human intention; when everyone's spiritual energy gathers on a divine statue, it naturally becomes spiritual, like the White Shark King.

Some are lingering souls and spirits in the Heaven And Earth who did not die a proper death and have not dissipated. Sometimes they can cause mischief, but they will eventually disappear.

However, there are also some who hold grievances that have not been avenged, repeatedly causing trouble, such as the female ghosts in inns in some legends, and various vengeful specters seeking lives; all are like this.

Still others are established as shrines, and then lingering souls and spirits attached to plants and trees come to secretly possess them. This is a common method for mountain spirits and wild monsters who wish to cultivate the Divine Dao.

And then there are the spirits of mountains and rivers; temples located in majestic and powerful mountain and river areas, where the Qi forms spirits. These are the true Mountain and Water Deities .

The Human-Ghost lineage emphasizes that if the human Heart-Nature is extremely sincere and reverent, then the spirit gathers, and the matters it focuses on will naturally have interconnected脉络, leading to natural感应, with no discrepancy in fortune or misfortune, simply because all are of one principle and one Qi. The saying “Fasting and purification to enlighten one’s virtue” means this.

And Sixth Uncle…

Did not belong to any of the above categories.

He was just an ordinary old man; after he died, his soul resided in his body until nightfall, when the arriving Yin Messengers took him away.

Because his soul couldn't even leave his body, it would be blown away by external Yang Qi and wind, unable to see light, and could only be taken by the Yin Messengers at night.

Even if Li Qi gave him a complete <Zhu> book, he couldn't cultivate; his talent was insufficient, and his Heart-Nature was also lacking.

Finding him any Heaven And Earth Treasure to improve his body was merely a drop in the bucket. His bone marrow had already failed, and his Physical Body was withered. In such a situation, even at Shaman God Mountain, they would simply create a new Physical Body, as the cost of repairing it would be higher than making a new one.

And for Li Qi, what was the point of forcefully extending Sixth Uncle's life?

Li Qi's ability simply couldn't help him Breakthrough the limit of his lifespan. Even extending it by a few decades with Heaven And Earth Treasure would only prolong his suffering, and such an act would be considered 'Heaven-Defying'. Li Qi didn't like such things.

Let everything be natural. Sixth Uncle's life passed away so naturally, which was good.

Leaves turning to mud, birth, old age, sickness, and death are all part of the natural cycle. Besides, he also enjoyed a good life.

Let him pass away like this, with this ceremony as the final farewell.

This memorial ceremony took all of Sixth Uncle's Karma onto Li Qi's shoulders. Thus, after he fell into Hell, he would no longer endure torment, but could directly enter Reincarnation, and in his next life, he could be reborn into a good family.

After doing all this, Li Qi turned and left.

The matter with the Paibo Gang was concluded. That was it.

Flying in the sky, the old horse snorted and trudged along, Li Qi and Shen Shuibi sat on his back, the two of them and one Dragon chatting to pass the time during their normal journey.

Li Qi had finished his business in Song Kingdom. Afterwards, he planned to visit the Lingxiao Flower Goddess… Oh, she wasn't the Flower Goddess anymore, she should be called the Lingxiao Kingdom Lord.

After the visit, he could go home.

However, as the two chatted, the rabbit suddenly realized something. She looked down.

Li Qi followed her gaze.

He saw… a Merchant road.

On the Merchant road, there was a Merchant caravan.

The eyesight of the two and one Dragon was very good, and they could clearly see the sign hanging on the caravan.

The sign read: 'Jing'.

“A familiar aura, Jing Family people.” Li Qi immediately said, he had already sensed that there were acquaintances below.

It really was fate.

Shen Shuibi also nodded: “Do you want to go down and take a look?”

“It wouldn't hurt to look, let's go.” Li Qi nodded, then jumped down from the old horse.

Shen Shuibi also floated down gracefully, and the old horse also remembered what had happened before, so he transformed into thumb-size and hastily followed.

The two landed by the side of the road, waiting for the caravan to arrive.

After a while, the caravan came walking towards them.

Dozens of vehicles, both horse-drawn and ox-drawn, heavily loaded with goods, were heading towards the interior of Song Kingdom, clearly having brought in a lot of good merchandise from outside, preparing to sell it inside Song Kingdom.

The caravan was not very vigilant; even the guards were chatting and laughing, very relaxed.

Indeed, Song Kingdom had now been taken over by the Human-Ghost, albeit only a very small part. But common roadside robberies or various demonic and ghostly entities were gone, so the guards were very relaxed.

If they were in Great Deer Kingdom, they would certainly be on full alert, afraid of something rushing out.

Li Qi stood by the roadside, not concealing his figure. In fact, he wasn't even planning to go up and talk.

He just wanted to get closer and see what was going on. After all, they had only met by chance back then. Now that he saw them again, he was merely curious to take a look.

If fate allowed for a few more words, that would be good. If not, he would just leave after looking.

Li Qi stood by the roadside, with Shen Shuibi beside him.

Li Qi's original intention was to be inconspicuous and watch silently, but unfortunately, Shen Shuibi also wanted to watch. When she stood there, as the convoy passed, everyone in the convoy looked over, as if they had seen something rare and interesting.

Li Qi rubbed his forehead.

He should have thought of it. When the rabbit dispelled her invisibility, she was indeed very eye-catching in the Mortal world.

Moreover, there were old acquaintances in this caravan, so they recognized her immediately.

Then, a chubby middle-aged man walked out from the caravan, smiling broadly, approaching Li Qi and the others.

Li Qi also approached, cupped his hands, and said, “Manager Jing, I never thought we'd meet again today. What a coincidence.”

The chubby Manager Jing laughed heartily: “Oh, isn't it? When I saw you on the road, I rubbed my eyes. I never expected it to be you, but your sister is truly dazzling, I couldn't help but look.”

As he said 'your sister', he even winked.

Only then did Li Qi remember that he had referred to Shen Shuibi as 'sister' back then, when their relationship hadn't been confirmed yet.

It was a bit nostalgic, though it had only been about ten years or so.

Li Qi looked contemplative, not speaking, so Manager Jing immediately continued: “By the way, do you still call her 'sister' now?”

“Hahaha, not anymore. Now I call her my wife.” Li Qi put his arm around Shen Shuibi, indicating their relationship.

“Since we've met again by chance, why don't you come sit in my caravan? Young man, you are a master. You were already a Ninth-Grade before, and now your cultivation must be even more profound, right?” Manager Jing said with a smile, “When we parted back then, young man, you already had the demeanor of a master. Now that I see you again, I only feel you are unfathomable.”

He scrutinized Li Qi, indeed feeling an unfathomable aura. This was the discerning eye he had developed from years of traveling as a Merchant.

It wasn't cultivation, because he couldn't see through Li Qi's cultivation; he was only an unranked cultivator. But Li Qi clearly didn't pay much attention to the caravan behind him.

One should know that his caravan had several Ninth-Grade escorts, traveling across several countries without incident, and among them was a master like Jing Yan.

The Patriarch had said that Jing Yan would definitely reach Eighth-Grade in another ten years, with limitless prospects.

And the Jing Yan of back then had been defeated by this person in front of him. His talent was even more terrifying.

So, Manager Jing blindly guessed that this old acquaintance in front of him had probably reached Eighth-Grade, right? If they could establish a connection, it would be a good thing for the Jing Family.

“No, we won't go. However, I do miss Miss Jing Yan a bit. Her dedication to the Sword truly makes me respect her, which is why I waited for her here,” Li Qi said.

“So that's it, you've come to visit Jing Yan. I knew it, heroes appreciate heroes. Akuan, go call your Aunt Yan and tell her the old acquaintance she's always been thinking about has arrived.” Manager Jing instructed the child who had followed along.

Although the child was curious, he didn't ask further and quickly went back.

Li Qi didn't find it abrupt, because everyone present knew that even if the caravan stopped, Jing Yan probably wouldn't notice. She might still be practicing her Sword, and if there was no danger around, she generally wouldn't come out.

He continued to chat idly with Manager Jing. However, since they had only met once before, they didn't have too many topics. But as a Merchant, he was skilled at making conversation, and Li Qi was not resistant to him, so they chatted quite well and there was no awkward silence.

After some time, Li Qi suddenly stopped talking and looked towards the caravan.

There, a middle-aged woman walked over, appearing about forty years old, with a straight back, sharp eyes, a Sword at her waist, and neat, crisp clothing.

Her hair was short; perhaps she was too lazy to tie it up and just cut it short.

In the Universe, women with short hair were not uncommon, but the aesthetic of Song Kingdom generally didn't favor this style of dress. However, Jing Yan didn't care much about others' opinions now.

Her value lay in the Sword, not anything else.

“Miss Jing.” Li Qi proactively stepped forward, cupped his hands, and greeted her.

Jing Yan glanced at Li Qi, did not reply, and placed her hand on the Sword hilt, seemingly wanting to draw her Sword.

Li Qi smiled, waiting quietly.

But Jing Yan held the Sword hilt, remaining silent for a full three minutes, and then she let go.

“You've become so strong, I can't find your Qi machine.” Jing Yan shook her head, saying with a sigh.

Li Qi, however, put away his smile, his expression changing as he sternly said, “Entering Qi from the Sword is a great step forward, but you've taken the wrong path.”

When Li Qi first saw Jing Yan, she was fully immersed in the Sword, seemingly wanting to pursue the ultimate in swordsmanship, even calling it 'Sword Dao'.

This annoyed Shen Shuibi, who stepped forward and said that it was not the Dao at all.

Yes, the ultimate of swordsmanship is actually very simple, very ordinary.

All swordsmanship, in essence, is merely the movement path of a three-foot-long rectangular object in three-dimensional space. How difficult could it be?

Li Qi could even enumerate all the swordsmanship in the entire Universe, and it wouldn't take him long.

Swordsmanship, by nature, is something too small to be smaller. Even Martial Dao would not specialize in swordsmanship. Even if they use a Sword, they would choose a more advanced Qi Intent, using the Sword merely as a vehicle.

Whether they use a Sword, a saber, or a fist, it only matters if it can carry their Qi Intent.

What is Qi Intent?

Qi, naturally, refers to the components of Li Qi's cultivation. By observing the Qi machine, one can perceive the other party's Qi and, to a certain extent, feel the difference between them or the other party's attributes.

After all, the cultivation method requires different types of Qi to be absorbed. If one is proficient in fire magic, then there must be more fire Qi in their body, as they need to store fire Qi to cast spells.

A Sword can naturally carry these Qi, existing as a type of Spiritual Artifact to enhance certain types of spells.

And Intent is the fundamental basis of a Martial Artist, Martial Dao Divine Intent.

Martial Artist do not have many means, but Martial Dao Divine Intent can suppress many forces. Using the weapon in their hand to display their Qi Intent is the most common combat method for Martial Artist.

However, the Jing Yan in front of him, though diligently practicing the Sword, had taken the wrong path. The Sword in her hand radiated Sword Qi, so much so that even a Ninth-Grade could perceive that Li Qi's internal Qi had no flaws.

But just as she previously specialized in techniques, now she specialized in Qi, neglecting the existence of Divine Intent.

Without comprehending Martial Dao Divine Intent, no matter how much time she invested in Qi, it would be useless.

That's why Li Qi said she had taken the wrong path.

Jing Yan nodded: “I will reconsider.”

“That's good. Then we'll take our leave.” Li Qi cupped his hands and left with Shen Shuibi.

Having seen her was enough. If they were to stay and chat, they weren't really that close.

They were already people from different worlds.

May they each be well.

Thus, Li Qi and Shen Shuibi bade them farewell and rode away on the Dragon.

Leaving behind a caravan of startled horses.