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墨書 Inktalez
I was waiting for Chen San to tell me the truth; otherwise, there was no way I would risk my life following him to such a place. I wanted to live, not die.
Chen San took a moment before saying, "Saning, have you heard the story about that monk?"
I replied that I had heard it before; Wang Wei had told me about it. But I only knew a little on the surface and didn't really understand what the Dead Monk was all about.
I wanted to tell Chen San to cut to the chase and get to the point.
But before I could say anything, Chen San surprised me with a statement that left me utterly astonished. He said, "That monk is me."
Wait, did I hear that right? Chen San is the Dead Monk? He certainly didn't look like one, especially since he had met the Dead Monk in person.
I asked Chen San, "Is that true?"
If Chen San really was the Dead Monk, then what kind of deal had he made with him? He could have simply let us go without any fuss.
Or perhaps Chen San could have threatened Wang Wei and me before releasing us.
Yet, I still vividly remembered how bloody Chen San looked when he emerged from that dilapidated temple.
Chen San said, "I am him; he is me," using his claw technique.
I was confused, thinking to myself: Could it be a split body? Does Chen San have two bodies? But looking at him now, he still appeared to be in a Soul Detached state, his body and soul separated, yet his soul seemed to cling to him.
Chen San is the Dead Monk; the Dead Monk is Chen San.
But then I recalled how the Dead Monk looked back then—his stomach was empty, and crucially, his skeleton lacked a soul. Suddenly, it struck me: no soul.
The Dead Monk has no soul, but Chen San does.
I thought to myself. Could it be that the Dead Monk's soul is now within Chen San? The realization left me stunned.
But in what state does the Dead Monk exist? He has no soul, nothing at all—how is he still alive?
As I pondered this, I was about to speak, but then I felt it would be inappropriate.
According to Wang Wei, the Dead Monk only spent a few decades in cultivation before achieving enlightenment. Yet Chen San once mentioned that the Evil Being had attempted to bury him but failed. The Evil Being has existed for hundreds of years.
Chen San's existence must also span a considerable time.
Moreover, if Chen San and the Dead Monk are indeed the same person, then why did the Dead Monk initially act so harshly towards Chen San? Damn it, the more I think about it, the more confused I become, so I decided to stop trying to make sense of it.
I waited for Chen San to explain.
He looked at me for a few seconds without speaking. I finally said, "Just say what you need to say; don’t waste time."
Chen San replied, "Saning, are you curious about how that monk could be me?"
I responded, "Isn't that obvious?" Chen San continued, "Because my soul once resided in that monk's body. Before my soul awakened, I was that monk. Once my soul awakens, I will revert to my true self. There has never been a mistake before, but this time something went wrong."
I never expected that this monk had actually achieved enlightenment.
As a result, when my soul awakened, I found that I could not leave his body. Saning, can you imagine? My soul is in the monk's body, yet I can still communicate with him.
"Chen San's" words truly astonished me, for a soulless monk had somehow attained enlightenment. It was akin to a stone achieving enlightenment.
I couldn't help but ask, "How did he attain enlightenment?"
A look of surprise flickered in "Chen San's" eyes before he finally replied, "He achieved enlightenment in his physical form. After he attained enlightenment, my soul could actually leave the body, but what I didn't expect was that this monk wouldn't let me depart."
I thought to myself, Damn it, your soul is within the monk; whose soul it is remains uncertain. What gives you the right to leave whenever you please?
Yet this "Dead Monk" truly amazed me—a monk without a soul who ultimately attained Buddhahood in his physical form.
Surprisingly, "Sarira" had even manifested within his body. I must admit, this "Dead Monk" was indeed an anomaly.
However, "Chen San" still claimed that the "Dead Monk" was him, which didn't seem right. He himself had said that the "Dead Monk" achieved enlightenment and that his own soul had emerged.
Logically speaking, they should have been separate by now.
Yet "Chen San" insisted that the "Dead Monk" was him. Why was that?
"Chen San" quickly provided an explanation: after my soul left the body, I found I couldn't return to my original form. It was then that I discovered a secret about that monk.
I interjected, "Isn't that monk's secret also your secret?"
"Chen San" paused for a moment, momentarily at a loss for words. After a long wait, he still didn't respond; it seemed he had no intention of elaborating.
At that moment, "Ke'er" asked "Chen San," "Since you say you and that monk are one and the same, why can he live without a soul?"
"That's because I'm still alive," Chen San said, sending chills down my spine.
It seemed that Chen San had no intention of revealing the final secret to us. Just the fact that he and the Dead Monk were the same person was shocking enough.
Moreover, the Dead Monk had actually achieved enlightenment in his physical form. Thinking about it was truly impressive; no wonder I had seen the Buddha's light that day.
At this moment, Chen San was Soul Detached, which shouldn't be considered truly alive. Only when his soul returned to his body would he be considered alive. He simply wanted to bring his soul back into his body.
This might require taking action against the Dead Monk. I didn't need Chen San to say it; I already knew what the secret was, though I didn't know the specifics.
I asked Chen San what he needed help with.
"I need a soul," he replied.
The moment he said that, I immediately realized what it meant. He needed a soul for some kind of ritual.
I could obtain a soul; countless souls were hidden within my eyes. If Chen San wanted a soul, I could give him one, but handing over so many souls to him would surely be a grave sin.
After a moment of silence, I told Chen San that I needed to think it over.
Chen San understood what I meant and said, "I just need an unconscious soul, or..." He paused for a moment before continuing, "You can hand over the Evil Being to me."
Our eyes met in the dim light of the night, and I felt the atmosphere grow heavy.
Xiaoru, fearing that I might refuse, finally spoke up: "Saning, you have to keep your word."
My name is Shang Ke'er, and I turned to leave, feeling an impulse to hit Xiaoru. Don't ask me why; I just wanted to.
I took five or six steps and then said, "Let me think about it."
Chen San reminded me that there was only one night left.
I responded with a hum and then took Ke'er's hand as we walked away. Ke'er was wearing a white dress, her long black hair falling to her shoulders, exuding a faint fragrance.
In the night sky, the stars twinkled beautifully, but was it darkness or light?
Did light and darkness coexist?
Suddenly, I asked Ke'er, "Ke'er, does it hurt now?"
Ke'er looked at me in surprise and said, "It doesn't hurt; Ke'er doesn't hurt, Husband."
I was asking about Keer's soul. The soul of an Eternal Abyss Dweller would continue to rot away. I said, "Isn't your soul rotting right now?"
Ke'er replied, "Husband, the speed of my soul's decay has been controlled. Do you remember that soulless entity?"
I nodded.
Ke'er continued, "She is now rotting in my place."
Upon hearing this, I was clearly taken aback. I said, "Isn't that soul a part of you?"
Ke'er shook her head and said it wasn't.
I asked what that was, but Ke'er said she didn't know. That faceless soul surprisingly wasn't Ke'er's own. I remembered that this faceless soul had stood by, watching with an indifferent expression while Ke'er consumed her own essence.
However, that decayed soul was long gone. Perhaps before finding the River of Despair, I needed to find a soul with a similar aura to replace the one that had rotted away from Ke'er.
But where could such a soul be found? I gazed up at the starry sky, countless stars scattered across the vast expanse, impossible to gather in one glance.
I sighed.
Ke'er nestled in my arms and asked, "Husband, will you save Chen San?"
I replied that I didn't know. These souls were like the stars in the night sky; each had its own destination and could not be sacrificed for someone else's sake.
Yet, for Chen San to live, a soul ritual burial was necessary. But this soul...
You just can't bear to part with it, can you? Suddenly, a voice echoed in my ear.
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