Chapter 9: Desire

When Shen Siyuan asked him this, Old Man Lu replied with great certainty, "No, he won't."

"Why do you think that?" Shen Siyuan asked, curious.

Old Man Lu dared not hide anything and honestly shared his conjecture. He was a good judge of character. When he first discovered that Doudou and her mother could communicate, he had guessed that they must have encountered someone extraordinary. The reason he assumed it was a person of great ability rather than some strange coincidence was that he knew Doudou well—she was, like him, a spirit lingering near her loved ones. The mother and daughter lived a predictable, two-point routine; if there had been any special stroke of luck, it likely would have happened long ago. The most probable explanation was that they had met someone. This person must have been kind-hearted, unable to bear seeing mother and daughter separated, and thus enabled them to see each other.

When he saw Shen Siyuan flatly refuse Jiang Wenxin’s payment earlier, he became even more convinced that this person was a truly good soul.

Shen Siyuan laughed upon hearing this. "It is true that I am a good person, but I am not a fool. I helped Doudou because she is simple, kind, and her soul is pure. Look at yourself—karmic forces have stirred the desires in your heart, resulting in this repulsive appearance. Do you really think I would help you unconditionally just because you call me a good man?"

"But... no one is perfect... besides a newborn child, who is without desire? Who has never done something they regret?" Old Man Lu argued in a low voice.

"That is true. Everyone has desires; without them, one could hardly be called human. But the greatest difference between humans and beasts is that humans can restrain their desires rather than indulge them. You are bound by karmic debt, which clearly shows that you indulged your desires too much while you were alive. After death, that karma clings to you, fueling those same desires and manifesting in your wicked appearance."

Old Man Lu wanted to say more, but Shen Siyuan turned and headed upstairs. Old Man Lu dared not stop him, so he could only pace outside, left to his own thoughts. In truth, although Old Man Lu was plagued by karmic forces that distorted his face, the debt was not deep, which meant he had committed no great evils in life. Shen Siyuan was well aware of this. On his way home from work at night, he often saw ghosts who could not even maintain a human shape, looking twisted and grotesque.

However, Shen Siyuan was no saint; he did not help everyone who begged him. He had not directly waved his Banner of Ten Thousand Souls to capture the man, erase his consciousness, and use him as a thrall or material for repairs; that alone was an act of mercy.

Shen Siyuan returned home, bathed, and went to sleep. The night passed without incident. The next morning, when he went out to work, he saw Old Man Lu still lingering at the entrance. Seeing Shen Siyuan come out, he greeted him from a distance but did not approach.

"Good morning, Master."

Shen Siyuan glanced at him without replying and rode away. Old Man Lu watched his retreating figure, not following, merely sighing as he continued to pace the same spot. When he was alive, he never had enough time; he never expected that after death, time would be the one thing he had in abundance.

***

"Shen Siyuan..."

While riding, Shen Siyuan suddenly heard someone call his name from the roadside. He quickly braked and looked over to see Lin Manzhi, carrying a bag, jogging toward him from the direction of the bus stop. She then unceremoniously hopped onto the back of his electric scooter.

"Sister Manzhi, why didn't you drive today?"

"Left too late. Driving is slower than taking the bus, but luckily, I ran into you," Lin Manzhi said, her tone tinged with excitement. During rush hour, driving was indeed inferior to an electric scooter—it was convenient, fast, and immune to traffic jams.

"Have you had breakfast?" Shen Siyuan asked.

"I haven't. Want to go together?"

"Sure. I was just planning to grab something downstairs at the office..."

Lin Manzhi seemed in high spirits, chattering away the entire ride. Because of the wind, Shen Siyuan couldn't quite catch everything she said. Although Lin Manzhi was usually uninhibited and spoke her mind, she was actually very tactful. Even though she was sitting on the back, she didn't straddle the seat but sat sideways, one hand gripping the edge of Shen Siyuan’s shirt and the other holding the backrest, maintaining a respectful distance.

Shen Siyuan parked the scooter in front of a shop called "Starry Breakfast." Their pan-fried buns were delicious, and their soups were excellent; he usually ate there on workdays.

"What do you want? My treat," Lin Manzhi said.

"Six buns and a bowl of spicy thick soup."

Shen Siyuan didn't stand on ceremony and went inside to find a seat. After ordering, Lin Manzhi walked in and sat opposite him. She placed her bag on the bench.

"You haven't answered my question yet."

"What question?"

"What I just asked you—do you want me to set you up with someone?"

"Sister, you're so young, why are you starting a career as a matchmaker?"

"Why not? It could save you twenty years of taking the long way around. Don't change the subject; are you interested or not?"

"What interest? I'm doing just fine on my own."

"You're already twenty-six. If you aren't in a hurry, aren't your parents?"

Lin Manzhi hit a sore spot. If his parents weren't in a hurry, they wouldn't have called him home under false pretenses. Seeing Shen Siyuan remain silent, she added, "What, still can't forget your ex-girlfriend?"

"Hardly. I can barely remember what she looks like." Shen Siyuan had dated in college, but they had broken up years ago.

"You don't mean that. Let me tell you, the girl I'm introducing is very beautiful," Lin Manzhi said.

"As beautiful as you, Sister Manzhi?"

Lin Manzhi laughed heartily, revealing two rows of white teeth, looking radiant. "Am I that beautiful?"

"You're asking a question you already know the answer to."

"It's a pity I'm already married, otherwise I'd consider you myself."

"Sister, have mercy on me. Don't tease me. If Brother-in-law hears that, I'll be in for a beating."

"It's not that dramatic." Lin Manzhi didn't press the topic further but persisted, "So, what do you think? Will you consider it?" She pulled out her phone and showed him a photo of her friend. She was indeed beautiful.

"Pretty, right? I'm only showing this to you; I wouldn't introduce her to just anyone."

"Am I really that good?"

"Of course. You don't drink, gamble, or smoke... you're a clean slate."

"Sister, I feel like you're insulting me."

After breakfast, they continued to the office. In the end, Shen Siyuan didn't agree to the introduction. It wasn't that he didn't like her; it was that she was too beautiful. Shen Siyuan was very self-aware—as he was now, he wasn't worthy of such a girl. He had no house, no car, and no savings; what could she possibly want with him? It was better to refuse and save himself the trouble.

At the office, the day was calm and uneventful. He spent the entire day idling. If internal cultivation weren't a dead end, he would have chosen to focus on that. As the end of the workday approached, Shen Siyuan decided to leave late so he could test the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls on the way home, though not for repairs. It wasn't that he didn't want to repair it, but he couldn't. From the memories of the Nine Nether Demon Lord, he realized that souls from the Great Wilderness were generally pure, with simple desires—food, land, a wife, and children. But modern humans lived comfortable lives, and their souls were polluted by complex desires, making their soul energy murky. If he absorbed them into the banner, he wouldn't be repairing it; he would be contaminating it.

Of course, if he had magical power and the banner were intact, he could refine these desires into pure soul energy, but he lacked the power. There were pure souls, like Doudou, but for that very reason, he couldn't use them. It would be a hellish irony to treat a good person, who received no reward in life, to total soul annihilation after death.

So, Shen Siyuan planned to capture a few souls to act as his eyes and ears—a basic ability of the banner that required no magical power. Though he was just a small employee, having eyes and ears might come in handy. It was a new "toy," and he had to try it out.

Just as he was thinking this, Doudou, whom he hadn't seen all day, appeared once again.