Chapter 46 - Little Luo, He Really Comes Alive
Spring. He heard the sound of things lurking and growing underground.
Crack, crack…
A new bamboo shoot broke through the earth; it had not yet put on its outer layer and was a tender, dewy white.
Summer. What he heard was the endless, incessant violent storm.
Boom, boom...
The climate here seemed not at all gentle; bean-sized raindrops pelted the ground, making all things unable to raise their heads.
Nature sometimes appears arrogant like this, demanding that everything submit to it.
Autumn. He gradually developed a vague sensation—the wind had come.
The wind carried a damp and blissfully warm feeling.
Winter. Everywhere his gaze reached was clad in silvery white.
The snow here was thick, and also gentle; this winter attire was the earth's wedding dress.
Wearing it, it heralded the new life of another cycle of reincarnation.
Gradually, an unknown number of springs and autumns passed.
The place where he was had transformed into a bamboo forest; the air after the rain was filled with the fresh fragrance of bamboo.
The wind passed through here, bringing the rustling sound of dancing bamboo leaves, like a lover's intimate caress.
Luo He felt a trace of gentle, cool chill and leisurely opened his eyes.
He awoke in a snow-covered bamboo forest.
His consciousness was very muddled, very chaotic; he still couldn't quite figure out what exactly the situation was.
Luo He looked down and saw his own somewhat transparent form, saw himself half-floating in the air... He quickly sorted out his thoughts.
It seemed he had succeeded.
"You're awake."
A voice came from the side.
Luo He turned his head, only then discovering that within this bamboo forest, there was actually a small courtyard that seemed to be integrated with this place.
There, sat a woman dressed in white, but he couldn't see her face clearly, nor could he distinguish her voice.
She beckoned Luo He to sit opposite her, and with her fair hands, brewed him a cup of tea.
"This cup of tea is no ordinary item. Even a ghost without a body or flesh can taste its flavor; you might as well try it."
A ghost...
It seemed the outcome of matters was just as he had hoped: his spiritual soul had survived that finger flick.
Now, perhaps, it could also be considered a new life.
Luo He tried to lift the teacup, but his hand repeatedly passed through the cup.
"Use your soul power to interfere with it; imagine you have a pair of hands."
Following her guidance, Luo He slowly familiarized himself with controlling his soul body. Finally, a mouthful of hot tea was swallowed.
The tea did not spill on the ground but instead entered his body like steam.
He indeed tasted an exceptionally clear and sweet flavor blooming on the tip of his tongue.
At the same time, he also felt his originally somewhat ethereal soul body become a bit more solidified.
"How does it taste?"
"Very good."
"As long as you like it."
Luo He felt the white-clothed woman opposite him smile.
"If it were someone else who had turned into a ghost spirit, it would presumably be a rather sorrowful and resentful matter... But for you, I must offer a word of congratulations."
"Although being a ghost body has many inconveniences, from now on, this world is open to you."
"You can go wherever you wish."
"......"
Luo He gazed at the tea in his hand.
The water's surface reflected his appearance.
He saw his own face; it was very unfamiliar.
He heard his own voice; it was also very unfamiliar.
But this unfamiliarity made a trace of emotion surge in his heart.
Yes, ah, he had finally, in the truest sense... arrived in this world.
He looked at the mysterious white-clothed woman before him, who was pouring and drinking by herself, and asked her:
"May I ask, Your Excellency is..."
"A mere superficial reputation; it's fine if you don't know."
"Then... may I ask if you recognize Water Lord Miaoyuan?"
"...Is that so, she also..."
The white-clothed woman was silent for a moment, then shook her head.
"I do not know. Is there anything else you wish to ask?"
"Nothing more."
"You really are quite a naive young fellow."
The white-clothed woman's tone carried a hint of a smile. She lightly tapped a finger on Luo He's forehead and continued to speak:
"It is now the 303rd year of Xuanxiao. Six years have passed since the Tianchen Sword Sect broke two swords in one day."
"Outside this bamboo forest is a small mortal city named Xianfeng City."
"That Immortal Imprint within your spiritual platform guided you to the side of this small creek; you then borrowed the earth veins here to begin nurturing yourself."
"You can also understand it as this land, this small creek, has nurtured you."
"Without this, you might have had to wait several more decades to awaken naturally."
"And this small mountain creek is called Deer Drinking Creek."
Luo He looked in the direction she pointed and vaguely heard the clear sound of flowing water.
"Also, you are of a ghost body, but you are not a ghost cultivator. Therefore, you will often need to absorb soul power to maintain your own existence."
"Either seek out corresponding heavenly materials and earthly treasures, or follow beside living people and be nourished by their vitality..."
"That being said, you also shouldn't casually appear before others, lest one day you are taken in as a malevolent ghost creature."
"At least these things, you must keep in mind."
"Many thanks for Senior's reminder."
"......”
The white-clothed woman watched him respectfully perform a salutation to her and smiled faintly.
"This, you take it."
"This is... an umbrella?"
An umbrella, entirely dark azure in color with a red tassel tied at its end, was handed into Luo He's hands.
As soon as it was in his grasp, Luo He immediately sensed the extraordinary nature of this umbrella... Even without using soul power, it could be held by him.
"This umbrella is named A'Jiao; it is a soul artifact."
"Ghost creatures cannot walk in the daylight, exposed to the breath of the blazing sun, which would burn you to ashes. But as long as you hold this umbrella, you too can walk in the daylight."
A'Jiao...
The name of an umbrella, yet it was like a girl's.
"You don't need to thank me either; this umbrella was meant to be given to you."
The white-clothed woman waved her hand. She suddenly looked towards the horizon, then continued to speak:
"Alright, I won't say any more idle talk. The path ahead, you choose to advance on your own."
"I sincerely wish that you can live the life you desire."
She gazed at Luo He and finished saying this sentence.
Afterwards, she, and the courtyard, both disappeared from this bamboo forest.
Only the sounds of insects and birds remained.
Luo He stood in place for a moment, then followed the moisture in the air and walked to the side of that Deer Drinking Creek.
Along the way, the sounds he heard, the fragrance of flowers he smelled, and some curious little animals whose gazes lingered on him, all seemed to be welcoming his arrival.
Luo He sat beside this unremarkable little creek. He couldn't touch its ice-cold water, nor could he feel its gentle moisture.
But Luo He actually felt a wondrous sensation, as if his soul had returned to its homeland.
Swash...
A swift current crashed against a protruding rock at the bottom of the creek, and a cluster of water droplets flew gently towards him.
"......"
Luo He couldn't help but laugh.
Following Deer Drinking Creek gradually downwards, the bamboo forest became increasingly sparse.
Sunlight gradually shone in; Luo He opened the A'Jiao umbrella.
He was currently standing on a small mountain peak. He saw birds fly past, saw snow rabbits hopping, saw wisps of cooking smoke rising in the distance.
He was an ethereal ghost soul in this world, who should have been a rootless and drifting, solitary and helpless existence.
But compared to before, these simple sights before him now moved him so much, filled him with such joy.
An inexplicable emotion filled his chest; he suddenly felt like shouting, clamoring to this world about his existence.
Just as he was about to do so, he caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of his eye.
"......"
"......"
He discovered a little girl with a basket on her back, dressed practically, with a very clean face, looking at him.
She held a small hoe in her hand and looked as if she were digging for winter bamboo shoots.
The two... to be more precise, one person and one ghost, their gazes met.
The young girl looked at this strange person holding an umbrella in broad daylight, and a peculiar feeling welled up in her heart.
Taking a closer look...
The sky was clearly so bright, yet his entire body looked so ethereal.
He had clearly walked from the snowy ground, yet no footprints could be seen... Wait, footprints...
He, he wasn't even touching the ground at all!!
"Ghost!"
The girl's face was filled with terror; she hurriedly threw away everything in her hands and on her back all at once, then immediately fled, flying towards her rear.
The back basket fell to the ground, scattering dewy fresh winter bamboo shoots all over the place.
"Ah..."
Luo He slapped his forehead, immediately realizing what was going on.
He didn't know how to hide himself now.