Chapter 46: Little Luo Gives Him a Task
In spring, he heard the sound of growth beneath the earth.
Crack, crack…
A new bamboo shoot emerged from the soil, not yet clothed, milky white and tender.
In summer, what he heard was endless, relentless storm wind.
Rumble, rumble…
The climate here seemed far from gentle, with raindrops the size of beans beating everything to the ground.
Nature sometimes appeared this proud, demanding that everything bow before it.
In autumn, he gradually developed a vague sensation – the wind came.
The wind carried a damp warmth that made one feel blessed.
In winter, everything within his sight was covered in silver.
The snow here was thick yet gentle, a bridal gown for the earth.
Wearing it, the earth heralded the rebirth of another cycle.
Gradually, who knows how many springs and autumns passed.
The place where he stayed became a bamboo forest, with fresh bamboo fragrance filling the air after rain.
The wind passing through stirred the bamboo leaves into a rustling dance, like a lover’s intimate caress.
Luo He felt a slight chill and slowly opened his eyes.
He awoke in a snow-covered bamboo forest.
His consciousness was muddled and complex; he couldn’t yet figure out what was happening.
Luo He looked down, saw his somewhat transparent body floating halfway in the air… and quickly organized his thoughts.
It seemed he had succeeded.
“You’re awake.”
A voice came from beside him.
Luo He turned his head and realized that within this bamboo forest stood a small courtyard that seemed to have merged with the surroundings.
There sat a woman in white clothes, but he couldn’t see her face clearly or distinguish her voice.
She beckoned Luo He to sit opposite her and poured him a cup of tea with her slender hands.
“This tea is no ordinary brew. Even a ghost without flesh can taste its flavor. You should try it.”
A ghost, is it…
It seemed things had turned out as he’d hoped. His spirit had survived that fatal strike.
Now, he might be considered reborn.
Luo He tried to pick up the teacup, but his hand repeatedly passed through it.
“Use your soul power to interact with it. Imagine you have hands.”
Following her guidance, Luo He slowly grew accustomed to controlling his soul body. Finally, he swallowed a sip of hot tea.
The tea didn’t spill on the ground but entered his body like steam.
He indeed tasted an exceptionally sweet flavor spreading on his tongue, and at the same time, he felt his previously floating soul become somewhat more solid.
“How does it taste?”
“Very nice.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Luo He sensed that the woman in white smiled.
“For others, becoming a ghost spirit would be a sorrowful and hateful matter… but for you, I must offer congratulations.”
“Though a ghost form has many inconveniences, from now on, the world opens itself to you.”
“Wherever you wish to go, you may go.”
“…”
Luo He gazed at the tea in his hand.
His reflection wavered on the water’s surface.
He saw his own face – unfamiliar.
He heard his own voice – also unfamiliar.
But this unfamiliarity stirred a wave of emotion in his heart.
Yes, he had finally, in the truest sense… arrived in this world.
He looked at the mysterious woman in white who sat drinking by herself and asked:
“May I ask who you are…?”
“Just a passing name, better you don’t know.”
“Then… may I ask if you know the Water Lord Miaoyuan?”
“…Is that so, she also…”
The woman in white fell silent for a moment, then shook her head.
“I don’t know. Any other questions?”
“No more.”
“You really are straightforward.”
The woman in white spoke with a hint of amusement. She lightly tapped a finger on Luo He’s forehead and continued:
“It’s currently the 303rd year of the Xuanxiu Calendar, six years since Tianzhen Sword Sect lost two swords in one day.”
“Beyond this bamboo forest is a small mortal city called Xianfeng City.”
“The immortal seal in your spiritual platform guided you to this small stream, where you began to nurture yourself using the earth’s veins.”
“You could say that this land, this small stream, has nurtured you.”
“Without this, you might have taken several more decades to naturally awaken.”
“This mountain stream is called Deer Drinking Creek.”
Luo He looked in the direction she pointed and faintly heard the crisp sound of flowing water.
“Also, you have a ghost body, but you’re not a ghost cultivator. Therefore, you often need to absorb soul power to maintain your existence.”
“Either find corresponding spiritual treasures or stay near living people, nourished by their human energy…”
“Even so, don’t appear randomly before others, lest someday you’re captured as a harmful ghost.”
“At the very least, keep these things in mind.”
“Thank you for your guidance, senior.”
“…”
The woman in white watched as he respectfully bowed to her and smiled slightly.
“Take this.”
“This is… an umbrella?”
An entirely dark cyan umbrella with a red tassel at the end was handed to Luo He.
As soon as he touched it, Luo He immediately sensed the umbrella’s extraordinary nature… even without using soul power, he could hold it.
“This umbrella is named Ajiao. It’s a soul tool.”
“Ghosts cannot walk in daylight, exposed to the breath of the blazing sun – it would burn you to nothing. But as long as you carry this umbrella, you can walk in daylight.”
Ajiao…
The name of an umbrella, yet it sounded like a girl’s name.
“You need not thank me. This umbrella was meant to be given to you.”
The woman in white waved her hand. She suddenly looked toward the horizon, then continued:
“Well, I won’t say more idle words. From now on, choose your own path forward.”
“I sincerely wish that you may live the life you desire.”
She gazed at Luo He as she finished speaking.
Then she, and the courtyard, vanished from the bamboo forest.
Only the sounds of insects and birds remained.
Luo He stood in place for a moment, then followed the water vapor to the Deer Drinking Creek.
Along the way, he heard sounds, smelled flower fragrances, and noticed curious small animals resting their gaze upon him.
Everything seemed to welcome his arrival.
Luo He sat beside this ordinary small stream. He couldn’t touch its cold water or feel its moist vapor.
Yet Luo He had a strange feeling, like returning home.
Whoosh…
A swift current hit a protruding rock at the bottom of the creek, sending a spray of water droplets flying toward him.
“…”
Luo He chuckled silently.
Following Deer Drinking Creek downward, the bamboo forest grew increasingly sparse.
Sunlight gradually filtered through, and Luo He opened the Ajiao umbrella.
He now stood on a small mountain peak, watching birds flying past, snow rabbits hopping about, and wisps of smoke rising in the distance.
He was a ghost drifting in this world, supposedly rootless and lonely.
But compared to before, these simple scenes moved and delighted him.
An inexplicable emotion filled his chest, and he suddenly wanted to shout out his existence to the world.
Just as he was about to do so, his peripheral vision caught a figure.
“…”
“…”
He noticed a clean-faced young girl carrying a basket on her back, dressed in practical clothes.
She held a small hoe, seemingly digging for winter bamboo shoots.
The two… more accurately, one person and one ghost, locked eyes.
The girl looked at the strange man holding an umbrella in broad daylight, and an eerie feeling welled up inside her.
Looking more carefully…
Despite the bright day, his whole body seemed so transparent.
Despite walking through snow, no footprints could be seen… wait, footprints…
He, he wasn’t even touching the ground!!
“Ghost!!”
Terror filled the girl’s face. She hurriedly dropped everything in her hands and on her back, then immediately fled.
The basket fell to the ground, spilling fresh winter bamboo shoots everywhere.
“Ah…”
Luo He patted his forehead, immediately understanding what had happened.
He didn’t know how to hide himself yet.