Chapter 47 – The Forty-Seventh Ray of Light

The car window opened just a crack, and a cold winter breeze rushed in, ruffling Si Nuocheng’s hair, which had grown a little over an inch, making it flutter and swirl in the air.

The air was dry and chilly, characteristic of the northern part of Zhongzhou. When the wind brought a scent of soil and the fragrance of grass and trees, Si Nuocheng knew they had reached the borders of the Ningyuan Mountains.

Almost without needing any navigation, he instinctively turned the steering wheel, taking a shortcut. His actions were so smooth, it was as though he had driven this route hundreds of times before.

Si Nuocheng clearly felt that, in a very subtle moment, he and the off-road vehicle had fused into one, extending along the highway in all directions. The structure of the vehicle and the twists and turns of the road transformed into a faint golden stream of data that surged into his mind, settling comfortably in his brain without causing any discomfort, as if it were as natural as eating and drinking.

It was as though his soul inherently understood machines, allowing him to master these primitive transportation tools very quickly.

However… primitive civilization?

Si Nuocheng was surprised that the term “primitive civilization” appeared in his mind, but in terms of perception, it felt entirely correct, even carrying a sense of “this is how it should be.”

How strange. When did he develop such an arrogant temperament?

“Since the awakening, I’ve been having strange dreams continuously. Every time I delve deeper into a layer of the dream, I wake up with a little more power,” Si Nuocheng said calmly. “In the dream, I am a different person. I know clearly that I’m not them, but I also feel like I am them.”

“The most intriguing part for me is that the power they possess is the same as the power I can have.”

Si Nuocheng casually steered the wheel and turned his head to glance at Ji Si. The latter was leaning against the passenger seat with his eyes closed, breathing long and steady, exuding a peaceful aura as if he were asleep. But Si Nuocheng knew he was awake, perhaps sensing the flow of qi between heaven and earth, communicating with both the upper and lower realms, and listening to the words of all living beings—very divine.

“Can you understand? The swordsmanship that would take decades of practice, I just learned from a dream. The combat skills to slaughter a million monsters, I can integrate them into my body with just a blink. Even the archery skills that would normally take thousands of years to master, I’ve already reached perfection.”

“Can you… imagine? My eyes now can see a sparrow perched on a tree several kilometers away. Oh, another one just flew in… No problems with night vision. I can see in total darkness.”

“I can even hear the faint sound of seeds sprouting, just by concentrating.”

Si Nuocheng spoke these seemingly fantastical things in a serious tone, and Qi Xinli, sitting in the back seat, listened in complete numbness. To be fair, they were both dreaming, so why was it that he only learned how to quickly form hand seals and chant mantras?

Si Nuocheng continued, “Apart from the fact that my body can’t quite keep up with my brain and soul, I feel like I’m almost beyond the realm of being ‘human’ and have become like them. And you once said, ‘The soul is eternal.’ You also said, ‘The power of the soul is something inherent in humans,’ and ‘Dreams are multidimensional, and so is the universe.’”

Si Nuocheng turned his head and asked seriously, “So, can I understand this as ‘their power is the power I inherently possess’?”

“I am the same soul as them.”

At this moment, Ji Si opened his eyes.

He gazed at Si Nuocheng, truly “recognizing” him for the first time—acknowledging that he was an independent and powerful soul, not the sheltered cabbage he had once thought needed his care.

Piecing together the truth from scattered fragments of information, and reaching such profound understanding and clarity, truly surprised Ji Si.

He lazily turned around, adjusted himself to a comfortable position in his seat, and said, “Of course, people have past lives, and they also have future lives.”

The off-road vehicle veered slightly off course but quickly regained its direction.

“The soul is eternal, but the body is fleeting. One life follows another, and this cycle is as normal as the blooming and falling of flowers or leaves returning to the roots.”

Ji Si continued, “The soul is a divine life form, and its birth can take many forms. It could arise from a thought, be born from a spirit, or come from the collision of qi and the merging of forces. In short, when the time comes, the soul is born.”

It can begin with a thought, from faith, or from the natural union of male essence and female blood. It is an abstract and difficult-to-understand concept, as complex as the “which came first, the chicken or the egg” debate.

Ji Si skipped over the most controversial part for three-dimensional humans and summarized it simply as “the right time.”

“The soul can be new or old.”

“Those with a new soul are the purest. They have the heart of a child and infinite possibilities. They are simple, and whatever they think in their hearts shows on their faces. They have strong intuition and will give everything for what they love.”

“Old souls are different.” Ji Si chuckled, as if recalling something amusing. “Having lived through many lives, even if the soul has sealed away its memories, the instincts still carry traces of maturity. For example—”

Ji Si tilted his head. “If you meet a young child who is wise beyond their years and has a particular talent, then that child is probably an old soul.”

“Sealing past lives is a self-protection mechanism of the soul.” Ji Si gazed out the window, looking at the clouds shifting in the sky, his mood unusually calm. “But it’s only sealed, not forgotten. Many people dream of extremely vivid scenes, and upon waking, they either shed tears or feel an overwhelming sense of loss, yet they can’t explain why, simply feeling intense emotions swelling in their hearts. It’s likely they dreamt of a fragment from their past life.”

“Some people, though, will feel an inexplicable familiarity when meeting someone for the first time, as if they’ve met them before. That might be someone from your past life. The body is unfamiliar, but the soul recognizes them. It’s just like that.”

“Human connections aren’t always by chance; they’re often fate.”

Gradually, the window of the off-road vehicle closed. Inside the warm, enclosed space, only Ji Si’s voice echoed in the ears of the two men. Each word was powerful, ringing with clarity.

Si Nuocheng asked, “If there is a past life and a future life, and if human encounters are fate, then—” He suddenly turned his head. “Did we know each other in our past lives, Ji Si?”

“No, we didn’t.” Ji Si answered definitively. “I remember every soul I’ve encountered. If I had met you, I wouldn’t have forgotten you.”

After all, the faint golden “star” was extremely rare.

Naming a soul “star” didn’t just refer to powerful abilities and limitless potential, but also to the purity and consistency of that soul.

“Some old souls carry the power of the stars, originating from the center of the universe, natural high-dimensional divine beings.”

“If they choose to be born in a lower-dimensional world, they must carry an innate mission. Only by completing their mission can they achieve fulfillment, such as ‘ascending to the immortal ranks.’ If they fail to complete it, they will continue to reincarnate, like ‘reincarnating into a new life.’”

To some extent—

Ji Si turned his head to look at Si Nuocheng, feeling a little sorry for him.

Counting on his fingers—decades of swordsmanship, thousands of years of archery, combat techniques to slay a million monsters… having reincarnated who knows how many times, yet still not completing his mission. What kind of task did he pick?!

Of course, Ji Si wasn’t the only one who thought of this. Si Nuocheng pursed his lips and furrowed his brow. “According to this, am I a soul that has reincarnated several times without completing my mission?”

Ji Si nodded solemnly.

So the question arose. Si Nuocheng asked his soul, “What exactly is my mission?”

Having had enough of the incessant teasing, Qi Xinli coldly provided an answer. “Maybe it’s to find a partner.”

Si Nuocheng: …

Ji Si: …

“You see, you’ve had so many dreams, and each time you level up. Did you dream of a wife?” Qi Xinli hammered home, “You’ve got the skills, you’ve got the experience, but do you have a wife? No, you don’t!”

“You don’t have a wife!” A perfect strike.

Qi Xinli smiled slightly. “I don’t look at what you have, I only look at what you lack. Si Nuocheng, think carefully. Out of all the dreams you’ve had recently, has any one of them involved you finding a partner?”

“You didn’t find a partner!”

“That’s the most essential, the most fundamental, the most crucial issue! Perhaps your mission in this world is simply to find a partner.”

Alright, Qi Xinli thought, time to go get a date and stop leveling up. Let regular people have a chance to progress! He silently grumbled to himself.

Ji Si stroked his chin. “That actually makes some sense. Want to give it a try? Maybe if you find your soulmate, you’ll ascend to the immortal ranks.”

Si Nuocheng: Hah, try it and die…

This was truly the most hardcore marriage pressure he’d ever seen!

…

On February 14, Valentine’s Day, Ji Si and the others arrived at the outer city of Qu Kang Province and temporarily checked into a hotel.

Due to the constant threats from the Deep Abyss, the Gate of Realms, and the relentless attacks from monsters, the year 2222 didn’t start off well. Cities near the Ningyuan Mountains had been placed under martial law, and rumors said the devil’s cave had cracked open a little more. The military was organizing evacuations for the residents.

Though the outer city was crowded, the atmosphere was tense. Many people leaned against windows, gazing toward the mountains, especially the elderly, whose eyes were filled with worry. They truly didn’t know how long they would have to live like this, constantly fleeing and avoiding disaster.

“Now that I think about it, the times when we used to take our daughter to the park after work were really happy.”

“Yeah…”

At that time, it felt ordinary, but now it had become a luxury. Ever since the official announcement of the zombie photos a few days ago, they truly dared not venture out anymore. The monsters had taken on human-like forms—who could defend against that?

“I really can’t believe it. Just half a month ago, I was an atheist,” the young man swiped through his phone and said to his buddy, “Now, I pray to the home guardian god every day, just hoping for some peace so I can survive this year.”

“Who isn’t like that?” His friend pulled out a jade pendant from his neck, showing off the obsidian on his right hand, and proudly displayed a little Peppa Pig tattoo on his arm. “I’m the strongest kid on this street! Immune to a hundred ghosts!”

The young man replied: “…Impressive.” Clearly, he wasn’t in good health.

As it turned out, the “ill” ones were not just limited to him. Yu Mingyang, whom Si Nuocheng had taken away from Juwang City, was also one of them. In his left hand, he held a peach wood sword, in his right, five emperor coins, draped with pure silver crosses, wearing genuine black dog teeth, eating garlic, and even learning the art of cedar—he called it a “fusion of Eastern and Western exorcism methods.”

Seeing this, Si Nuocheng sneered: “A man over 1.8 meters tall, can you have a bit of backbone?”

“No!” Yu Mingyang said, looking miserable. “Although I can’t stay in Juwang City anymore, I don’t want to come to the Ningyuan Mountains either! I just want to go back to Yanjing to recover and preserve my life. Boss Si, why are you stopping me?”

Si Nuocheng replied: “If you go back to Yanjing, things will get much worse.”

“Huh?”

“Do you remember Zhang Yan? He was grabbed by a flying zombie and had five holes in his body. The corpse poison spread, and even though he survived, he can never eat cooked food again.” Si Nuocheng weighed the gun he had borrowed from Shen Yunling and continued, “And he was one of the rare people with a physique that could neutralize the corpse poison.”

“If Zhang Yan was like that, what about you, who have consumed corpse poison? Fortunately, you washed your stomach in time and ate sticky rice for several days. Otherwise, just think about what you’d be like now.”

Yu Mingyang’s face turned pale instantly.

“The toxins have been cleared, but the aftereffects remain,” Si Nuocheng looked at his severed leg and said, “Your recovery speed will be three times faster than an ordinary person’s. If I let you go to Yanjing, you’ll probably be in a laboratory within three days.”

Hearing this, Yu Mingyang immediately “knelt” in gratitude: “Boss Si, I was wrong! You’re my lifesaver! You’re my rebirth parents! I… I didn’t see it, I…”

“Shut up.”

“Oh…”

Si Nuocheng said: “Take off all that nonsense hanging on you. Instead of relying on these external forces, you’d better focus on your awakening.” It was the first time he spoke so kindly, without a hint of mockery, as if sincerely advising Yu Mingyang.

However, Yu Mingyang refused: “It’s not about being messy or not. The key is that the Ningyuan Mountains are cold, and having all these things on me helps keep me warm!”

Si Nuocheng smiled: “It also makes it easier to set you on fire. That way, if something happens to you, it’ll be easier to cremate you.”

Yu Mingyang: …

After finishing off Yu Mingyang, who was just trying to survive, Si Nuocheng turned around and took over the new swimming pool. But this time, they didn’t avoid Shen Yunling’s team; in fact, they were joined by them.

Zombies over three thousand years old have already been unearthed—what’s impossible in this world?

Building a car behind closed doors is meaningless. The only real solution is to awaken more people. Once the authorities verify that the “awakening” method works, and it spreads through official channels, humanity will soon be able to turn the tide, shifting from passive to active.

Unfortunately, the ideal was perfect, but reality was harsh. When the group of men entered the water together, they were all trembling uncontrollably, their teeth chattering, while Laki was the only one happily swimming around.

The familiar setup, the familiar taste, made Ji Si chuckle in disbelief. He stopped paying attention to them and turned to rub the little girl’s head, smiling, “Do you really like staying with me so much?”

The little girl held onto his sleeve tightly, not letting go. She couldn’t understand the words, but her heart knew. She nodded.

“Hmm? Seems like your spiritual insight is opening up.” Ji Si squinted his eyes. “You’re a good candidate for learning metaphysics.”

A five-year-old with the ability to see with her “heavenly eye” and “heart eye,” her spiritual platform clear and pure, could excel at anything she tried. Unfortunately, the earth was no longer an age of great abilities. It was now spiritually weak, and the child’s talents might go to waste.

However, if she could awaken, that would be another story.

“What’s your name?”

“Ting, Tingting…”

“Her name is ‘Shu Yuting,’ her nickname is ‘Tingting,’” Jiang Ziying said softly. “Her mother loved the sound of rain when she was pregnant with her, so she gave her this name. The child is five years old and still doesn’t speak much.”

Ji Si nodded slightly: “Little girl, what do you want to learn from me?”

Shu Yuting looked confused, and Jiang Ziying chuckled, “Quickly call him ‘Master.’”

“Xi fu…”

The homophone for “wife” stunned the men in the swimming pool for a long time. Jiang Qining was dumbfounded, his face full of disbelief. “Damn, kids these days really are impressive!”

Qi Xinli murmured: “She’s an old soul, no doubt.” Then, he immediately took the opportunity to tease Si Nuocheng. “We’re both old souls. You should learn from her—she’s already completed her mission at five.”

Si Nuocheng wasted no time firing back: “We’re both old souls, but she already has a full head of hair at five.”

Qi Xinli: … I’m done with you!

Ji Si lightly waved his finger, signaling that there was no need: “I don’t take apprentices, so that ‘Master’ title is withdrawn. The master-apprentice relationship is also a karmic one, so I can’t easily agree to it.”

Shu Yuting turned to look at Jiang Ziying, who smiled and said, “Then just call him ‘Uncle.’”

The little girl nodded and sweetly called out: “Ji Uncle!”

Silence. The swimming pool was silent today. The adult world is so dirty, but only the voice of a child remains, pure and innocent.

“You should call me ‘Master’ instead.” The High Priest sighed.

…

Around 3 PM, in the inner region of the Ningyuan Mountains, near the edge of the devil’s cave. Scientists had tried several times and found that the eighteenth section of the devil’s cave was the most populated by rodents and had the greatest flow.

They revealed the latest research they had gathered over the past half month—milky white, hazelnut-shaped spheres, containing a virus specifically targeting rodents. If one rodent was infected, it would rapidly spread to the entire group, killing them all within 24 hours.

Humanity never sits idly by when faced with a threat; they will seize every opportunity to fight back against the species that threaten them, willing to bear the consequences of failure.

“Old Jin, we’re ready.”

The old man nodded seriously and ordered, “Release it!”

At the command, the milky white sphere rolled into the eighteenth section of the devil’s cave and disappeared into the darkness.

Looking at his assistant’s sweaty face, Old Jin’s voice was eerily calm: “Tomorrow, the cracks in the devil’s cave will widen enough to allow the second batch of rodents to emerge.”

“Not releasing it means death. A 30-kilogram rat swarm can destroy a city, and a 50-kilogram swarm can kill an entire province. I’d rather they mutate one of them than let them all come out.”

“Let’s poison as many as we can.”

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

PS: I’ve been super busy lately. I’ll write more when I have time【Soul Vomiting.jpg】

PS:

Si Nuocheng: If my mission on Earth is to “find a partner”…

Qi Xinli: If my mission on Earth is to “grow hair”…

Together: Oh, it seems like neither of us can complete our mission!