Chapter Two: Three Souls and One Spirit

The autumn wind stirred the reed curtains, and mist drifted through the main hall.

Once inside, Ling Chenzi shed the restraint he had shown outside, his whole body sinking like soft mud into the rocking chair.

He now appeared less anxious; after taking his seat, he neither spoke further to Su Changling nor showed urgency, but instead leisurely closed his eyes and hummed a little tune.

Su Changling tilted her head, carefully discerning the fragmentary melody her master hummed, and faintly recognized it as a passage from the "Eight Formations Diagram."

"…Master," having identified the tune, Su Changling furrowed her brow, pausing momentarily in silence before finally speaking first, unable to contain her curiosity. "Did you deliberately let the Demon King escape?"

The humming from Ling Chenzi abruptly ceased.

"Such a young one, yet already learning to doubt your master," Ling Chenzi slowly lifted his eyelids, casting a slightly disdainful glance at the young girl.

Su Changling bowed her head. "I would never dare."

"I just feel… you let the Demon King leave too easily today."

"Rest assured, Changling," Ling Chenzi replied in a light tone, "I did not intentionally let him go—only that I did not make a great effort to stop him."

"Why?" Su Changling pressed on unwillingly.

"Because what is meant to come will come." Ling Chenzi’s expression remained unchanged as he leisurely posed a new question, "Changling, how many groups have we already repelled this month attempting to steal herbs from the mountain?"

Su Changling promptly calculated silently, "From the beginning of the month until now, about eight groups."

"See? It never ends." Ling Chenzi pursed his lips. "And the Demon King is a very valuable 'chicken.'"

"We must first force him to reveal all his cards before capturing and killing him."

"But those ghost pearls…" Su Changling hesitated, knitting her brows.

"Those must be dealt with, of course." Ling Chenzi grinned mischievously, and the girl almost instantly grasped his intent.

"Mas—ter." Su Changling folded her arms, the sword cradled in her elbow trembling slightly, almost sliding from its sheath. Seeing this, Ling Chenzi quickly sprang up from the rocking chair. "Don’t be so impatient, good disciple. Don’t you see this is a golden opportunity?"

"What opportunity?" Su Changling asked, expression unreadable.

Ling Chenzi answered evasively, "Changling, if I recall correctly, ever since you triggered the thunder tribulation on Tiandu Peak, it’s been roughly ten years with no progress in your cultivation, hasn’t it?"

The girl pressed her lips. "…I am dull-witted."

"No, no, no, that’s not your dullness, dear disciple," Ling Chenzi waved his hands repeatedly. "You are clever, with great innate talent, but your soul differs from ordinary people’s."

"When Old Ying first brought you back to the mountain, we discovered—you were born with only three souls and one spirit."

"Three souls… one spirit," Su Changling repeated thoughtfully. "Missing six spirits?"

"Yes, missing six spirits." Ling Chenzi nodded. "In other words, your soul is like a large wooden barrel riddled with six holes—hitting a cultivation bottleneck early on was inevitable, and your emotions are consequently slower and more numb than most."

"That’s why I say this is a very good opportunity." Ling Chenzi spoke as he reached for a small carved wooden box wrapped in several layers of coarse cloth on a nearby stand. Opening it, inside lay a pale white jade pendant carved into a seven-petal azalea shape.

"Just now—when the Demon King Jing Shao forcibly broke through the formation array of the mountain’s thirty-six peaks, this once dormant Soul-Seeking Jade suddenly reacted."

"Go down the mountain, Changling," Ling Chenzi said with a smile, pressing the white jade azalea into Su Changling’s hand, and also handing her a dark green stone compass used to locate ghost pearls. "Besides the fleeing ghost pearls and the Demon King’s traces—"

"You should also go retrieve the six spirits you have lost."

***

When Su Changling stepped out from Ling Chenzi’s presence, she was still dazed, unable to fully collect her thoughts.

Since childhood, she had known her emotions differed from those of her fellow disciples on the mountain, once believing it to be her natural prudence. She never imagined it was because she was born lacking six spirits.

Six spirits…

With only three souls and one spirit remaining, how had she managed to live and grow so far?

Unconsciously, Su Changling curled her fingertips inward, pondering, when suddenly she heard someone calling her from behind.

Turning toward the voice, she immediately saw the ancient pine tree that had lived for countless years on the mountain.

He hurried down the stone terrace, a frost prematurely etched across his brow.

"Changling." The young man arrived with a smile, his eyes crinkling warmly, his voice as gentle as a spring breeze.

"Mr. Ying." Su Changling lowered her chin slightly, cupping her hands in salute.

"Ling Chenzi told me you’re going down the mountain to seek your spirits," Ying Wufeng said, his tone pausing briefly as he lifted his left pinky finger. "Now that the Demon King has appeared and Huizhou is in turmoil, it might not be too safe for you to go alone."

"Take this with you, Changling."

At a critical moment, it might save your life." The young man lightly applied pressure at the base of his finger, easily snapping off the tip.

***

The severed finger instantly transformed into a foot-long pine branch. Lowering his eyes, he formed a hand seal and casually transformed it into a jade bracelet of vibrant green.

"Here."

Su Changling didn’t reach for the bracelet immediately. Instead, she quietly fixed her gaze on the young man’s pinky, which had almost instantly returned to its original form.

"So, you’re a tree demon…" Su Changling murmured softly. Ying Wufeng’s hand holding the bracelet suddenly stiffened. "What?"

"Demon King Jing Shao," the girl said succinctly, "he’s a tree demon."

"No wonder he could bypass so many mountain defenses to reach Refining Peak… and simultaneously activate the mountain’s thirty-six main peak defensive formations."

"So he shares the same essence as the mountain’s flora and trees."

Su Changling smiled wryly. "That also explains why he could so quickly restore his severed arm."

"But speaking of tree demons…" Su Changling looked meaningfully at the young man before her.

Ying Wufeng’s head suddenly throbbed sharply. "Changling, do you think it’s possible that when I transformed, that mountain wasn’t even called Refining Peak yet?"

Su Changling was silent for a moment. "Sorry, that was my overthinking."

"No matter, I know that’s your usual nature." Ying Wufeng waved his hand, then offered the jade bracelet again. "Hold onto this. If you run into trouble, remember to contact… the mountain."

"Much obliged." The girl, having carefully assessed her own abilities, did not hesitate. "I will accept this bracelet with gratitude."

"Mr. Ying, I’ll be going ahead." Su Changling bowed her head and, without looking back, stepped down the stone steps.

The autumn mountain haze carried moisture, a fine chill brushing her face. The commercial wind rustled her robes, and from deep within the sea of clouds, the occasional distant call of monkeys echoed.

Passing through Refining Peak, Su Changling mounted her flying sword once more. As she passed White Cloud Stream, her peripheral vision caught sight of the mountain valley.

Two heavy rains had fallen just yesterday, leaving the mountain paths still muddy and treacherous.

Few travelers were on the mountain, and her gaze instantly fell upon a trembling girl climbing a precipice, arms stretched wide, facing the abyss below.