Chapter 38: Soul-Snatching

Shen Siyuan stared blankly at the spot where the old Taoist priest had vanished, remaining dazed for quite a while before he finally collected his thoughts.

Although this was only their second meeting, the old man had been a tremendous help to him, resolving many of the questions he had about this world, and for that, Shen Siyuan held him in high regard. He had never expected the old man to disappear so completely right before his eyes.

However, there was no undoing what had been done. Setting aside his lingering regrets, Shen Siyuan turned his attention back to the items in his hands. It was a pity; he hadn't even had the chance to tell the old man what the jade seal and the jade tablet truly were before he passed away. The old priest had spent his entire life failing to identify them, but Shen Siyuan knew that both objects belonged to the category of imperial edicts and mandates, serving similar purposes. One appeared to be the seal of a mountain deity, and the other a decree from a river god; both were tokens of identity and symbols of divine status. Shen Siyuan understood this only because similar artifacts existed within the Great Wilderness.

Unfortunately, these two edicts had long since lost their spiritual essence and potency, having been reduced to ordinary trinkets. That was why the old priest knew they were extraordinary in origin but could never uncover their true nature.

Shen Siyuan set aside the "Wind-Holding Sleep" and picked up the final item: a coil of chain. It was only as thick as a finger and about two meters long. While it looked like a metal chain, it was clearly not made of iron. It was pitch black, ice-cold to the touch, and felt almost weightless. As he examined it closely, his surprise turned into delight, and finally, he could not help but let a smile spread across his face.

This was a Soul-Snatching Chain, a tool used by the underworld emissaries of the netherworld to capture souls and lock spirits. While it was a common item in the underworld, it was incredibly useful to Shen Siyuan in his current state. Most importantly, this item did not require the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to function; it only needed to be nourished by the energy of the netherworld to be refined and wielded at will.

And the one thing Shen Siyuan had in abundance was nether energy. With a thought, he summoned the "Ten Thousand Soul Banner," performed a hand seal, and lightly tapped the chain. A wisp of ghostly blue flame coiled around it, and the once-black chain began to glow with a faint, eerie blue light. Suddenly, the chain sprang up from the floor like a hibernating snake jolted awake. It writhed on the ground for a moment before wrapping around the wrist Shen Siyuan used for his incantations, coiling up his arm like a playful, spirited serpent.

That was not all. When Shen Siyuan tugged on the end of the chain, it stiffened instantly, becoming as straight as a javelin, before softening again. Instead of falling, it hovered in the air, circling and spiraling around him. Shen Siyuan pointed his fingers forward, and the chain, seemingly imbued with intelligence, lunged forward in the direction he indicated.

"Good... very good..."

Shen Siyuan was overjoyed. Although every underworld emissary possessed one, it was undeniably practical. Perhaps its ubiquity was why it had been so easy to refine, or perhaps it was because its previous owner had long since perished, leaving no lingering imprint. Regardless, the chain now belonged to him. With another thought, he commanded the chain to coil around the other items on the floor, gathering them into his palm.

***

Shen Siyuan shouldered his shovel and walked out through the damaged gates of the Taoist temple. Standing at the entrance, he looked at the Bodhi tree; a breeze stirred the leaves, casting dancing shadows of light and dark upon the ground like leaping fish and dragons. Despite the beauty of the scene, a faint sense of melancholy welled up in him.

He cast one last look at the ruins of the Listening Wind Temple, his gaze lingering on the statues of the Three Pure Ones in the main hall. He set down his shovel, bowed once more, and then gathered his belongings to head down the mountain. A breeze caught a fallen Bodhi leaf, sending it twirling through the air, circling the statues before finally settling on the dilapidated offering table.

***

"In such sweltering heat, where have you been?" Huang Huijuan asked, stepping out of the house as she heard the sound of his motorcycle.

"I told you, I went to see a classmate."

"Did you bury him?" she asked, eyeing the shovel strapped to the back of his bike.

"Mom, what nonsense are you spouting?"

"Nonsense? You’re the one who never tells the truth. Who goes to visit a classmate with a shovel?"

"We buried a time capsule years ago. I remembered it today, so I went to dig it up," Shen Siyuan said, his talent for lying serving him well.

Huang Huijuan looked at her son with suspicion. "And where is it?"

"My classmate took it home."

"Which classmate?"

"You wouldn't know them even if I told you."

"A boy or a girl?"

"Mom, why are you asking so many questions? Where’s Dad?" Shen Siyuan asked, clearly annoyed.

"Sleeping in the bedroom."

"It’s what time, and he’s still sleeping?" Shen Siyuan wiped the sweat from his brow; he had been busy all afternoon, and his clothes were soaked through.

"There’s watermelon in the fridge. Eat some. I’ll go wake your father up so he can give you a lift," Huang Huijuan said, turning to go wake Shen Jianjun.

Shen Siyuan washed his hands and went into his room. He took out the jade seal and the jade tablet, tossing them into his drawer. Only the Soul-Snatching Chain remained, which he wrapped around his waist like a belt. It was a pity he couldn't access the space within the Ten Thousand Soul Banner yet; once he could, he would be able to store the chain inside it directly.

When he emerged from the room, his father was already up, pouring water into a cup from a bottle. Shen Jianjun glanced at his son but didn't ask where he had been all afternoon.

Huang Huijuan, seeing that Shen Siyuan hadn't touched the watermelon, began to complain again. "You really are a pampered young master. If I don't serve it to you, you won't eat it, will you?"

As she spoke, she took the watermelon out of the fridge, while Shen Jianjun, who had just been pouring water, went to the kitchen to fetch a knife. "You have some too, then take our son to town."

Shen Jianjun nodded, sliced the watermelon, and handed the heart of the melon to Huang Huijuan. She didn't stand on ceremony and took it immediately.

"Anything you need me to pick up on the way back?" Shen Jianjun asked.

Huang Huijuan thought for a moment. "Buy some braised meat."

"Sure," Shen Jianjun agreed. "I'll get some lamb, too. We’ll have a barbecue tonight."

"Then I'll put a few beers on ice for you later," Huang Huijuan said.

Shen Siyuan sat to the side, gnawing on his watermelon and listening to them talk. He felt that the iced watermelon was exceptionally refreshing, reaching deep into his heart. *So that's how it is, huh? Next time, I'm not coming back,* he thought with a pout.

"Mom, I'm off," Shen Siyuan said, straddling his motorcycle and waving at her.

"Go on, go on. You’re such a nuisance," Huang Huijuan said with an expression of feigned disgust. Yet, she stepped forward to straighten his collar and stuffed a wad of cash into his pocket.

"Mom..." Shen Siyuan said, feeling a surge of genuine emotion.

"Alright, that's enough. Take the money, and be frugal."

"That's not what I meant. I was just going to say, could you stop giving me cash? It's such a hassle to go deposit it. Just transfer it via WeChat or Alipay next time..."

Huang Huijuan was so annoyed by his words that she raised her hand to strike him. Shen Siyuan hurriedly tapped his father on the back. "Dad, let's go!"

But even though the motorcycle was running, his father didn't move. It wasn't until Shen Siyuan had taken a few solid blows to his back that his father finally twisted the throttle and drove off.