Chapter 17: The Soul

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As the days pass, the rolling hills give way to tall, lush trees. There are so many trees around them, it looks like they could swallow the narrow road at any moment. Along the way, Liu Jin and Xiao Nan talk about a variety of subjects. Liu Jin tells Xiao Nan of amusing anecdotes that happened at the clinic and things Old Jiang has put him through. Xiao Nan tells Liu Jin of things that happen in the Xiao Sect and uses the opportunity to teach him about the balance of powers between the various factions in the Empire.

Like that, they reach the fifth day of their journey.

“Elder Brother,” Liu Jin starts, “is there anything special I should know about the situation in New Moon Town? I do not want my ignorance to inconvenience you.”

Xiao Nan is quick to wave his concerns away. “There is nothing to worry about, Little Brother. This visit is more of a formality than anything else. New Moon Town is not a significant place. As such, our branch there is no big deal. The founder of the New Moon branch is a cousin of Uncle who was never all that good at cultivation by the standards of the main branch. We’re giving them plenty of face just by having me be the one to visit.”

“Even so, the town was deemed significant enough to open a branch there, wasn’t it? Surely, there must be something to it.”

It would be foolish of the Xiao Sect to open branches without rhyme or reason. Sects open branches in order to expand their influence. In other words, a place where a Sect opens a branch must either provide a valuable resource or offer an advantageous location. For example, Eastern Port City’s closeness to Poison Fang Canyon is a boon to the Xiao Sect as it lets them harvest the canyon’s resources with relative ease.

If the Xiao Sect decided to open a branch in New Moon Town, then surely there must be something of worth there.

“Well, you are not exactly wrong, Little Brother. Right now, we are in the Whispering Woods.” Xiao Nan gestures to the many trees around them. “This area is rich in Steel-Skinned Trees. They provide very durable wood, useful for construction and certain weapons. Our Xiao Sect harvests them and sells them in other cities across the Empire.”

Liu Jin nods as he digests the information.

“However, Steel-Skinned Trees are not a high-priority resource for us. As big as the Whispering Woods are, there are bigger forests with greater resources across the Empire. For those reasons, our New Moon Town branch is not all that important. Our Xiao Sect just happened to notice an opportunity here and opened a branch. In fact, beyond our Xiao Sect, New Moon Town only has two other major powers: The Hu and Lun Clans.”

“Are they important?” Liu Jin asks. Xiao Nan snorts.

“How could they be?” Xiao Nan shrugs his shoulders. “They are simply the two major clans of a small town. Compared to our Xiao Sect, they might as well not exist. Originally, they were the ones who controlled the harvest of Steel-Skinned Trees in this area, but then our Xiao Sect moved in. Little Brother can imagine what happened next.”

Two clans of a small town cannot possibly compare to a Sect that is ranked among the Top 100 of the Empire. Liu Jin understands Xiao Nan’s meaning quite clearly. The Xiao Sect had come to New Moon Town and quickly established itself as the dominant power.

“Elder Brother seems to know a lot about the situation already,” Liu Jin says with some admiration. Though Xiao Nan treats this visit as unimportant, his knowledge is certainly not lacking.

Xiao Nan scratches his cheek. “Since I am someone who is going to become an Elder one day, I am expected to know these things.” He sighs. “If I had my way, I would focus only on cultivation, but Uncle would pull me by the ears if I skipped my lessons. Having too much responsibility is a tragic thing, Little Brother.”

Liu Jin chuckles as he imagines Xiao Nan being pulled by the ears by Xiao Zheng. Before he can reply, however, Xiao Nan lets out an excited cry.

“Finally!” The teen says as he looks out into the distance. “I almost thought we were out of luck for a moment there. What a waste this trip would have been, if so.”

“Elder Brother?”

“Look!” Xiao Nan points to the road ahead. Liu Jin squints but can see nothing but the road and the trees. There is not even a small animal to be seen. Liu Jin is about to say this to Xiao Nan when he notices it.

A glint. A tiny flicker in the distance.

It is coming towards them, Liu Jin realizes. No, he corrects himself, it is flying towards them. As it grows closer, Liu Jin is able to discern its shape. It’s a bird, a very small one, probably no bigger than one of his fingers. However, that is not the most remarkable thing about it.

The bird is completely transparent as well as devoid of any color, giving it a glass-like look.

Liu Jin watches as Xiao Nan extends his hand and the bird lands on the tip of his finger. It lets out a happy chirp.

“Good boy,” Xiao Nan says, gently petting the glass-like bird with one finger. “Now, let’s see what you found.”

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Before Liu Jin’s eyes, the bird shrinks and is absorbed into Xiao Nan’s body. The child’s eyes widen at the sight. Xiao Nan closes his eyes and hums thoughtfully.

“Hm, so that’s how it is.”

After a moment, he opens his eyes and is met by Liu Jin’s stunned face.

“Elder Brother, what was that?”

“Could it be Little Brother has not learned about this yet?” Xiao Nan asks, puzzled. “Well, since your training is mostly focused on the medical arts, I suppose it makes sense. It is something you will learn eventually anyway, so there is no point in rushing it.”

Seeing Liu Jin is still staring at him, Xiao Nan decides to elaborate.

“This,” Xiao Nan says making the glass-like bird appear on the tip of his finger once more, “is a piece of my soul.”

“Your soul?”

Xiao Nan nods. “Once you reach a certain level of cultivation, you will realize the soul is a lot more malleable than you may think. By shaving off a piece of my soul and giving it will, I am able to create this bird. I am not yet at the level where it can do much, but it is useful for simple tasks. This is something any high-level cultivator can do.”

Liu Jin supposes he should not be surprised. High-level cultivators can supposedly do all sort of things. As one keeps climbing higher, the body is cleaned of all impurities. This leads to longer lifespans, but it does not stop there. One stops being just human and becomes more than just physical, more than just spiritual. One becomes eternal.

A True Immortal.

Yes, Liu Jin should not be surprised, but he is. Knowing is one thing. Seeing something like this so plainly displayed before him is another.

However, Liu Jin has never once seen Old Jiang do such a thing. Why?

No, that’s not a question that needs to be asked. When Nine-Headed Snake God talked about his master’s condition and when his master revealed it to Liu Jin, they both said the same thing. The problem with Old Jiang is not limited to his flesh and blood.