Conquering That Great Demon Lord [Xian Ni Fan Fiction] - Chapter 60: Soul Search

Chapter 60: Soul Search

Li Muwan held a pinwheel as she walked until she grew tired, then Wang Lin carried her on his back. The bamboo forest path arched with hanging bamboo forming emerald arches, flanked by blooming flowers and lush grass. The rapeseed fields of Wang Family Village stretched in golden splendor, where sparrows hopped among the crops and cranes soared along mountain ridges.

Mountain breezes swept through, spinning the pinwheel in her hand. Leaning against his back, Li Muwan extended the whirling toy for Wang Lin to see.

Lost in thought, Wang Lin failed to notice her gesture. When she realized his inattention, her smile faded. Head drooping with disappointment and hurt, she withdrew into sullen silence.

Burying her small face in his hair, she let her arms slip from his neck and gradually fell asleep, the pinwheel dropping into Wang Lin’s grasp.

Turning his head slightly, he noticed she had drifted off.

Being a light sleeper, Li Muwan stirred at the shift in his breathing and blinked awake.

Remembering his earlier neglect, her face remained puckered in a pout. Though Wang Lin couldn’t see her expression, he sensed her discontent.

“What troubles Wan’er?” he asked softly.

“Would you like to play with the pinwheel?” He raised the toy. Still draped over his broad back, she reached for it.

The wind had stilled, leaving the pinwheel motionless. Even when she shook it, the blades refused to spin as before.

A faint smile touched Wang Lin’s lips as he channeled a wisp of Spiritual Power, setting the pinwheel whirling again. Li Muwan’s eyes widened, her gloom vanishing like mist. This time when she showed him the spinning toy, he responded properly.

Resting his cheek against her hand, he murmured, “Mm, Wan’er’s pinwheel.”

“Do you like it?”

Her drowsiness forgotten, she studied the spinning blades throughout their journey home.

Back in the courtyard, Wang Lin tidied the grounds before presenting newly purchased picture books to Li Muwan.

They settled into rocking chairs, Li Muwan nestled against his chest as Wang Lin slowly turned the pages. She would curl her lips in delight at amusing illustrations.

Wang Lin never let her read for long. When sunlight slanted through the peach branches, he closed the book. “That’s enough for today. Wan’er should rest.”

Over the years, Li Muwan’s constant drowsiness had eased, her waking hours growing longer.

Butterflies flocked to the courtyard blossoms. Seeing the book close, she pushed herself from his chest and scrambled down, chasing butterflies perched on camellia stamensthough none let her catch them.

Wang Lin watched her movements with rapt attention, yearning to remain in this peaceful coexistence forever, free from the conflicts of the World of Cultivation.

Above the peach grove, an elderly man stood upon auspicious clouds, observing the courtyard scene with leisurely interest.

The Barrier Wang Lin had erected would escape mortal detection, yet this stranger perceived it instantly and disregarded its presence entirely.

Moreover, Wang Lin remained unaware of the observer’s prolonged vigiluntil the old man stepped within the Barrier’s perimeter. Wang Lin immediately sensed invasive Spiritual Power fluctuations.

Sensing the threatening aura, Wang Lin teleported to Li Muwan’s side, shielding her with his left arm while his right hand formed seals to layer multiple Restrictions. Yet the elder dissolved them all effortlesslywith mere thought, without employing any Mystical Power.

“Peace, little one,” the old man’s voice resonated from above.

Wang Lin kept his fingers poised in defensive seals, uncertain of the intruder’s intentions. “He followed us all this way undetected. His Cultivation level must be rare even on Vermilion Bird Star.”

“What guidance does Elder offer?”

Startled by the stranger, Li Muwan hid her face, turning her back to the old man. Peeking over Wang Lin’s shoulder, her attention soon drifted to the colorful butterflies dancing in the distance.

The old man surveyed the courtyard, sweeping it with his Divine Sense, then noticed the memorial tablet standing in the main hall. Wang Lin’s gaze sharpened, his hair stirring without any wind.

Withdrawing his gaze, the old man fixed it on Wang Lin and remarked, “Young man, with your God Transformation Stage cultivation level, you’ve been residing here for a long time with a mortal whose soul is incomplete. You’ve set up a Spirit Gathering Array and multiple Restrictions, all just to nourish and rebuild the deficiencies of her physical body.”

“Senior, with your vast Mystical Power, since you can see through the mysteries surrounding my wife and have followed us all the way here, what exactly is your purpose?”

“My passing through this place is purely coincidental.”

“Young man, guarding this physical body and tending to it so meticulouslyshe only has a hundred years of lifespan. A hundred years is a long lifetime for a mortal, but for a cultivator, it’s but the snap of a finger. When that time comes, won’t you just have to watch her dissipate again?”

“Why torment yourself so?”

A wave of sorrow washed over Wang Lin’s face, and he tightened his embrace. Li Muwan tilted her head slightly, her hand that was wrapped around his waist sliding to his back, cradling the ends of his hair.

“However…”

Wang Lin’s tightly furrowed brow relaxed slightly as he lifted his eyes.

The old man continued, “In this world, there are indeed methods to gather scattered souls.”

Wang Lin let down half of his guard. Regardless of the visitor’s intentions, given the old man’s cultivation level, if he had meant harm, Wang Lin likely wouldn’t have had a chance to act.

“This junior is willing to listen attentively.”

The old man put on airs, saying, “Having been here for half a day, I am rather thirsty.”

“Please.” Understanding the hint, Wang Lin gestured for the old man to take a seat. The tea on the stove in the courtyard had just finished brewing.

He poured a cup and moved it in front of the old man.

Yet, he never let Li Muwan leave his embrace. He couldn’t discern this person’s intentions, nor could he ensure that he wouldn’t harm Li Muwan. Without absolute safety, he wouldn’t let her stray even a step from him.

Wang Lin sat in the host’s seat, with Li Muwan sharing the same long bench with him.

The old man took a sip and said contentedly, “This tea is fragrant, brewed with Dewdrop. It can cleanse the impurities from a mortal’s body.”

He held the teacup in his hand but didn’t drink. Instead, he waited until the tea had cooled before handing it to Li Muwan.

Li Muwan, somewhat bewildered, took the cup, holding it with both hands. She tilted her head to look at Wang Lin, who nodded at her, and only then did she take a drink.

“If we speak of an incomplete three souls and seven spirits, it’s no different from being a living corpse. Although her seven spirits are present and her five senses intact, the seven spirits are not consolidated, so she cannot speak.” The old man shook his head and took another sip.

Wang Lin felt a pang of heartache. Every time he recalled the scene of Li Muwan dissipating in his arms, it felt as though his heart were being sliced by a knife. This was also why he suspected Li Muwan couldn’t speak.

“There are signs that her Soul of Life has been drained. This old man is curious, young man, how did you manage to return the Soul of Life to her body?”

Wang Lin remained silent.

“The lack of a Soul of Life causes the physical body to dissipate, and the three souls and seven spirits cannot coalesce. How did you manage to consolidate the seven spirits?”

Wang Lin still did not speak.

The old man stroked his beard and laughed heartily, “It’s fine if you don’t wish to speak. However, retrieving the three souls is truly not easy.”

“Does Senior know how to retrieve the three souls?”

The old man looked at the empty teacup, and Wang Lin poured another cup for him. Then, his gaze fell on Li Muwan’s hands as she took small sips, savoring the taste. Even with an incomplete soul, she still loved tea so much.

The old man also played coy, feigning profundity.

“Even if we know where the souls are, retrieving them is no easy task.”

“As long as I can find where Wan’er’s souls arThe camellia on the table attracted a butterfly. Li Muwan hastily set down her cup and reached out to catch it, but the butterfly didn’t flee, merely hovering before the bouquet. At first, she was exuberant in her attempts to capture it, but after repeated failures, her small face fell. Dejectedly, she retrieved her cup, looking utterly disheartened.

Wang Lin, who had been conversing with the elder, had been monitoring her mood all along. Noticing this, he directed a thought, and the butterfly obediently landed on the back of her hand.

The gloom on her small face dissipated, replaced by a blossoming smile.

Tilting her head, Li Muwan cautiously touched the butterfly’s wings. Though it fluttered its wings, startled, it couldn’t escape, restrained by a controlled strand of Spiritual Power.

The elder observed all of this, further confirming the resolute words Wang Lin had spoken earlier.

Perhaps he truly could venture into that Secret Realm.

“If you wish to glimpse the whereabouts of the soul, there is one place. There, if you can request the guardian to employ their Mystical Power, you may locate the whereabouts of your wife’s soul.”

“Where?”

“The Void Secret Realm.”

“The Void Secret Realm?”

“How can one reach there?”

“This Secret Realm is not on the Vermilion Bird Star but in a void beyond it. To reach it, you must first possess the ability to leave the Vermilion Bird Star.”

“Leave the Vermilion Bird Star…” Wang Lin pondered for a moment. “If I can leave the Vermilion Bird Star, how do I proceed to the Void Secret Realm?”

The elder shook his head. “Young one, even if you can leave the Vermilion Bird Star and journey to the Void Secret Realm, only cultivators can reach it.”

Wang Lin understood the implication, his eyes filling with desolation. “I must bring her with me. I cannot leave her alone in the mortal world.”

The elder expressed regret. “If a mortal sets foot there, they will be subjected to the Law of the Void Realm.”

“What would happen then?”

“Physical form dissipates.”

Wang Lin clenched his palm, his brow tightening.

“Eighty thousand li east of the Vermilion Bird Star, there is a peach forest. The peach forest is but an illusion; crossing it leads to the entrance of the Void Secret Realm.”

The Law!

Having returned to the present world from the extraterrestrial battlefield, Wang Lin had also experienced the constraints of the Law of the Realm, yet he had emerged. The void’s law was likely similar.

If he could withstand the law’s assault and reach the Secret Realm, he might learn where Li Muwan’s missing three souls had drifted.

He only needed to find a way to ensure Wan’er’s physical form suffered not the slightest harm under the law’s constraints.

“Have you been there before, Elder?”

“Does this law affect cultivators?”

The elder shook his head. “Cultivators passing through the void need only evade the attacks of void creatures. But for mortals to cross this placein over ten thousand years, it has never been done.”

This law restricted mortals from passing through the Secret Realm. Wang Lin clenched his fist.

“Why did you tell me all this, Elder?”

The elder let out a long sigh, finished the last of his tea, and vanished from the courtyard in an instant.

Only when the presence of others had completely faded from the courtyard did Wang Lin release his hold around Li Muwan. The Spiritual Power on the butterfly dissipated, and it spread its wings, flying into the flower bushes.

Li Muwan rose to chase after it, but Wang Lin drew her back into his embrace. His arms encircled her tightly, one hand stroking her back, the other cradling the back of her head. His cheek pressed against hers, his eyes reflecting boundless sorrow.

He had to make a choice.

He murmured, “If I cannot find the three souls, Wan’er will still depart after a hundred years. Venturing to that Secret Realm offers a sliver of hope. I want to try.”

Suddenly, he cupped Li Muwan’s face, pressing his forehead to hers, his eyes glistening. “Wan’er understands me, doesn’t she?”e, I will retrieve them at any cost.”

“There might be things in that place that could harm Wan’er, but with me here, even at the risk of my Nascent Soul dissipating, I won’t let you suffer the slightest injury.”

“Wan’er, let’s go to the Void Secret Realm together to retrieve your soul, alright?”

A teardrop fell onto Li Muwan’s lips. She pursed them and tasted the saltiness, then curiously lifted her eyes to see Wang Lin weeping, his cheeks wet with tears, his expression filled with bitter sorrow.

She raised her hand, imitating Wang Lin as she cupped his face, gently touched the teardrops, and kissed his eyelids as if comforting him not to cry.

“Wan’er?” Wang Lin grasped her wrist tightly, choking back sobs, “You understand me, don’t you?”

“You’re willing to go, right?”

Li Muwan widened her eyes and looked at him blankly, a perpetual smile playing at the corners of her lips.

Deeply moved, Wang Lin held her tightly in his embrace again and chuckled to himself, “Wan’er once said she would support me in whatever I do. Why should I even ask again?”

The two sat for a long time under the peach blossom tree. Wang Lin leaned against the wooden chair while Li Muwan sat on his right leg, her back against his chest. His large hand rested protectively around her slender waist.

The setting sun cast its rays into the small courtyard, making the thatched roof of the cottage appear hazy. A few petals had fallen on their white garments.

Distant mountain peaks were bathed in colorful clouds as a line of egrets crossed the sky. Li Muwan excitedly pointed at the distant scenery, turning back as if urging Wang Lin to look together. Wang Lin gently rested his chin on her shoulder.

“This is called sunset,” his voice was so soft that his breath tickled Li Muwan.

She shrank her neck and leaned back. The evening glow made people drowsy. Having been awake since early morning until dusk without rest, she was now utterly exhausted.

She then shifted position, still sitting between his legs, and skillfully wrapped her arms around Wang Lin’s neck. Soft and pliant, she found a comfortable position and fell asleep in his embrace.

Wang Lin scooped her up horizontally and carried the sleeping figure back to the low bed.

As twilight descended, a gentle breeze stirred outside the window. He sat by the bedside for over an hour until the room was completely dark.

When Li Muwan woke up wanting dinner, he reluctantly shifted his gaze away. Rising to light the candles, the room gradually brightened. The warm light fell on her soft contours as she breathed lightly, a few strands of hair sticking to her cheeks. Wang Lin closed the door and headed to the kitchen.

The sleeping figure could hear the distant clatter of pots and pans from the kitchen.

The candlelight by the bed flickered gently, slowly registering in her eyes. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, the darkness in the room gradually came into focus.

Li Muwan propped herself up and scanned the room, finding no trace of him.

She threw off the quilt and got out of bed, slipped on her embroidered shoes, and pushed open the door.

The lanterns under the corridor swayed in the wind. The post-nap drowsiness left her body feeling weak as she dragged herself slowly from the corridor to the kitchen. Wang Lin’s back was busy before the stove, an oil lamp enveloped in steam.

Though Li Muwan couldn’t speak, she knew how to make sounds with objects. She knocked on the doorframe. Wang Lin turned, his long hair flowing over his loose inner garments. Still not fully alert after waking, her eyes were only half-open.

Wang Lin instinctively scanned her entire body, worried she might have come out barefoot again without shoes or socks.

“Wan’er’s awake.” Wang Lin put down the spatula, his rolled-up sleeves revealing bandages wrapped around his arm.

Li Muwan shifted her gaze to the cooking pot. Wang Lin gently ushered her out, “The meal will be ready soon. Wan’er, wait in the courtyard. The kitchen is too smoky – don’t stay here.”

The night wind was chilly. He took off his outer robe and wrapped it around her, settled Li Muwan comfortably, before returning to the kitchen.

After dinner, Wang Lin washed her body, changed her into clean clothes, and brought her a picture book. She then wrapped herself in the blankets and obediently read on her own.

In the main room, Wang Lin lit incense and knelt before the memorial tablets. “Father, Mother, Tie Zhu will be taking Wan’er away for a while. Only by going there can we find Wan’er’s soul. I will definitely bring her back.”

After the incense in the main room had burned out, Wang Lin returned to the bedroom. Li Muwan had already shifted positions, lying down while holding the picture book high above her. Her legs swung cheerfully, the fallen hem of her trousers revealing half of her fair calves. A constant smile graced her small face.

The wooden door opened, and behind the screen, her wiggling little feet were visible. The gloom between Wang Lin’s brows dissipated as he stepped toward the screen.

His figure cast a shadow over the candlelight, the wind from his steps causing the flame to flicker. Li Muwan’s light was partially obscured, but she merely glanced at Wang Lin’s silhouette before returning her attention to the book.

Wang Lin leaned down, bracing his arms on the bed. “Wan’er is so happy?”

Li Muwan set the book aside, cupped Wang Lin’s face with both hands, and brushed aside the hair half-covering his clear phoenix eyes. She loved his eyes, her fingertips gently pushing back his hair before letting her hands fall.

Her small face showed a hint of dissatisfaction, so she tilted her head up, wrapped her arms around his neck for support, and lightly pressed her lips to his eyelids. Wang Lin closed his eyes.

When she liked something, she would touch it with her lips or the tip of her nosewhether it was her clothes, her small portraits, or the flowers Wang Lin brought back daily.

Including Wang Lin himself, whenever she made these gestures, it conveyed her feelings and emotions.

She never lingered too long, her movements always gentle. As she pulled away, Wang Lin captured her chin and kissed her lips, deepening the kiss.

Over the years, he had only dared to go this far. Yet she never learned to respond, merely blinking innocently at him. Once he released her, she would smile at him again.

Wang Lin’s heart was a mix of conflicting emotionsbitterness and sweetness intertwined. He could no longer distinguish the flavor: a semblance of solace in sorrow, a fragment of joy amidst suffering, making him cherish it all the more.

After tucking Li Muwan back under the blankets, he sat again at the dressing table, packing her frequently used items for the journey, hoping they might comfort her along the way. Opening the innermost cosmetic case, he discovered a hidden compartment. Wang Lin hadn’t intended to pry, but with a light press, the partition fell away, revealing a faint Formation protecting its contents.

Inside was a piece of paper, its creases suggesting it had been there for years.

This cosmetic case belonged to Li Muwanso what was this paper?

He glanced toward the low bed and saw her turned on her side, drowsy and half-asleep.

Wang Lin unfolded the letter, recognizing the familiar handwriting.

Tear stains were evident on the paper, likely shed by his Wan’er as she wrote. As he smoothed it, a corner revealed what seemed like traces of red blood.

She had coughed up blood midway through writing, accidentally smearing it without notice when she heard his approaching footsteps outside.

“Wan’er’s letter?” Wang Lin’s heart jolted, his eyes moistening as they fell upon the three prominent words”Letter to My Husband”!

Wang Lin carefully traced the characters on the page, softly reading, “My husband Wang Lin, reading this is like seeing you in person…”

“By the time this brush meets the paper, my life will have reached its end.”

…

“May you find smooth paths and fulfilled wishes, with gentle breezes and bright moonlight ever watching over you.”

Wang Lin’s eyes were already blurred with tears. She had left this letter long ago. Clutching the paper, he whispered hoarsely, “Wan’er…”

“Wan’er, I miss you so much…”

He stood by the windowsill for a long time, repeatedly reading the words in the letter, feeling the affection and reluctance between her lines. His heart felt shattered, the pain beyond words.

After a long while, he carefully put away the letter and sat down at the desk.

Li Muwan was sleeping peacefully on the low couch, her small face still resting on the storybook, soft snores drifting from her.

Wang Lin dipped the brush in ink and began to write.

Letter to My Wife

My dear wife Wan’er, may these words find you as if we were face to face.

As the brush touches the paper, thoughts of you overwhelm me, my heart feels as if cut by knives. This letter is hard to beginbefore the words could form, tears have already soaked the page.

When replying, you were no longer as you once were.

Witnessing your flesh and soul scatter in my arms remains vivid as if it were yesterday. My heart has turned to ashes, my spirit restless. In this life that remains, my heart is dead like cold ashes, both form and spirit hollow.

Recalling the times we spent together, filled with laughter, hand in hand wandering through mountains and waters, our love deep and tender. Who could have foreseen the merciless ways of Heaven, snatching away my beloved.

Since your departure, I have been like a lost soul. Separated by life and death, my heart feels empty, with no one to rely upon.

You are my heart, and I am your life. Each time I look back, I feel I have lost my way in this life, left with no support in my remaining years, my soul on the verge of breaking. If only I could turn back time, why did I not cherish you sooner? Little did I know everything would turn to void.

I have repeatedly defied the will of Heaven, striving to reclaim your soul. Heaven’s law is ironclad, fate is hard to alter, yet my heart remains unwilling. I have exhausted all my strength, my only wish being your rebirth, returning to my embrace.

Through years of reflection, I have rebuilt your physical form. Now we dwell together in this small courtyard, yet I regret that your soul is incomplete, unable to play the qin or share wine with me, to admire the wind, flowers, snow, and moon.

In the Sea of Demonic Cultivation, you protected me at the cost of your life. I dared not accept such sincere love, bound by generational enmity. Forced to sever our bond and part without debts was never my true intention.

Had I realized earlier that I would walk this path with you, why would I fear the storms and frosts?

After seeing you at the Cloud Heaven Sect, meeting an old acquaintance, my heart became tangled beyond control. Only then did I understand that deep love, rooted in my bones, was beyond my restraint.

My wife, you taught me love, guided me through blazing suns, and melted my icy cold.

You are the one in this world who loves most deeply, yet I, Wang Lin, have failed you, letting you wait bitterly for a hundred years, wasting your youth.

Losing my beloved is Heaven’s cruel jest, but I refuse to submit to its will.

I can abandon all causes and effects, but you are the one I find hardest to let go.

If my wife’s soul does not return, the slaughter in the world of cultivation will not cease. To embark on this journey, gathering my wife’s soul, is the sole aspiration of my life, Wang Lin.

For your soul, I am willing to fight a thousand battles, tear apart the heavens, and sacrifice my life without regret, until you awaken once more.

If I cannot see you again in this life, living alone would be like being a walking corpsemy body present, but my heart already dead.

Even if fate is difficult to defy, it is my heartfelt wish that your soul may return, that you may be reborn and come back. I vow to remain steadfast, fighting a thousand times for you, pledging my life to restore your soul and revive your heart.

Regarding the matter of the Soul of Life, I willingly become a player in this game. Having given my heart, I ask not of past lives, pursue not bygones, seek not the afterlifeI only wish for the present, to be with Wan’er day after day.

A hundred years ago, I could drench a city in blood to avenge my parents. Today, I can also traverse countless mountains and rivers, brave blades and fire, venture into Secret Realms, defy cosmic laws, and seek your three souls and seven spirits, so that my wife’s soul may return to her body, reuniting with me in spring.

My dear wife Wan’er, wait for me once more. Once your soul returns, we shall never part again.

Your husband,

Wang Lin

He placed the letter and the marriage certificate into a pouch and walked toward the low couch. Li Muwan’s small face wore a smile, lost in some sweet dream. Wang Lin gently kissed her forehead.

When he first wrote this letter, he never imagined that one day she would read it. Those expectations he had for himself after his departure had long been poured into every word of longing and advice during their time together, in every farewell and every welcome home.

His slightly clenched palm held a corner of the quilt. Wang Lin gently spread it open, placed the pouch inside, and said with affection, “This is my reply to Wan’er. I’ll read it to you now, and when your soul fully awakens, you can read it yourself.”

His voice was so soft it wouldn’t disturb her. Seeming to sense the warmth beside her, she shifted forward slightly, fingers tightening around the pouch, then burrowed into his embrace and continued sleeping.

Wang Lin’s murmuring continued intermittently through the night until the nightingale’s song ceased. Holding her, he gradually fell asleep, dreaming of a silhouette sitting in the waterside pavilion, her figure veiled by light gauze.

He broke through the mist, trying to see that face clearly, but could only glimpse the back of the figure playing the qin. Lost in the melody, he spent the entire night this way.