Chapter 83: Audience with the Sect Leader

I was utterly surprised; Lady Bai came forward and knelt down immediately. What was the meaning of this? I glanced at Weiyang, but she offered no explanation. After Lady Bai finished kowtowing, she remained kneeling and bowed with her hands clasped. "Lady Bai greets the Master. Just now, I failed to recognize the true identity of the Master and offended you. Please, Master, punish me!"

Her words left me even more bewildered. Lady Bai addressed me as "Master"—what did she mean by that? So I asked her, "What Master are you referring to? I don't understand."

"The Master must not jest. Lady Bai has sinned; please punish me," she continued to kowtow.

I looked at Niu Dahuang, who shook his head, indicating he knew nothing either. I could only turn to Weiyang. At last, she came over and said, "What Lady Bai calls the Master is actually your true self."

To refine the soul and return to the void—success means the true self returns to the void. What Weiyang spoke of must be this true self.

"You mean... my true self is tied to this title of Master?" I asked at once, certain that both Lady Bai and Weiyang knew the connection.

Lady Bai looked up at me, puzzled, and asked Weiyang, "Miss Ye, what’s wrong with the Master? How does he not know this?"

Weiyang replied, "To be candid, the Master in this lifetime has not yet awakened his true self. So, he remembers nothing of the past."

"How can that be? In every lifetime, the Master has stunned the Daoist world as a youth. How has he not awakened his true self now?" Lady Bai found it incomprehensible.

"If everything remained as in previous lives, with the Master dazzling in youth, then the fate of the Ghost Path would never change. For this reason, in this life, before reincarnation, the Master altered his own destiny. In fact, before turning eighteen, he had not touched any cultivation; only now has he just begun," Weiyang explained.

Her explanation was not only for Lady Bai, but for me as well. These things were unknown to me. I had thought the events beneath the Thirteen Streams of Yunmeng were the whole truth, but it turned out they were only part of it.

Weiyang said that Lin Yuan was also a reincarnation of the Master, left behind in the Minor Underworld by the River of Forgetfulness, serving as its ferryman. Thus, in this life, the Master had to borrow another fate to be born.

This must be the change that occurred after the Master altered his destiny.

I recalled the black-robed figure in the ghost coffin, who had asked me to make a choice. He must have been the Master they spoke of, though only a lingering shadow. I couldn't see his face then, but now, thinking back, I realized he looked exactly like me.

Could it be that I truly was the Master Weiyang and Lady Bai called me?

Though it felt distant and unreal, perhaps it was as Weiyang said—I had yet to awaken my true self.

The true self is linked to refining the soul and returning to the void. Awaken the true self, and the journey begins; succeed, and the true self returns to the void, the soul and essence no longer bound by the body. For example, when Niu Dahuang and I had our souls drawn out earlier, mine was powerless, like any ordinary person. But if I had refined my soul and returned to the void, even if the soul was taken, my power would remain unaffected, as both soul and essence would have returned to the void.

This was why Lady Bai found it hard to believe I was the Master she had been awaiting.

The ignorant are blameless. Lady Bai kept kneeling to apologize; now the misunderstanding was cleared, I naturally wouldn't trouble her and allowed her to rise.

Yet she refused, insisting that since she had offended the Master and was not punished, she must kneel to atone. Even with forgiveness, she must kneel until sunrise to be absolved.

I was at a loss for what to say to make her stand, so I spoke with Weiyang. But Weiyang said, "Lady Bai's temperament is such; if you don't let her kneel until morning, her heart will remain unsettled."

Lady Bai nodded in agreement.

Then Lady Bai said, "To be honest, Master, you have not reincarnated for nearly a thousand years. I thought you had returned to the void and would never reincarnate again. I believed the Ghost Path would disappear from the world after the battle in the Forest of Return. Never did I expect to see the Master again today—Lady Bai is truly overwhelmed..."

I hadn't expected Lady Bai to burst into tears as she spoke. Weiyang too was moved, and I couldn't help but say, "You've waited long enough!"

"Master!" Lady Bai bowed again.

I rushed to help her, but she still refused to rise. "Master, please do not. Lady Bai was disrespectful just now; if I do not kneel while speaking, my heart cannot be at peace!"

Lady Bai's temperament was indeed as Weiyang said, so I let it be.

Then Lady Bai asked, "Miss Ye, how many followers does our Ghost Path still have?"

Weiyang frowned slightly. "The thirty thousand elite followers of yesteryear were all slaughtered in the Forest of Return. Now, under my command, save for the Flower Maiden, not a single soul remains."

"What? Thirty thousand followers, none survived—were any reincarnated?" Lady Bai was unaware of the truth.

"None. All souls scattered!" Weiyang declared, as she spoke, the gloom around her surged, the wind howled, her red dress billowed like flames.

Lady Bai clenched her fists, trembling.

After a moment, Lady Bai looked toward another part of the courtyard, formed a hand seal, and sent a streak of black mist forth. Soon, sounds rustled from the front yard.

The entire Bai ancestral home was swept with chilling winds, as fog thickened.

Then I saw heads gathering, countless shadows all rushing toward the rear courtyard. Seeing Lady Bai kneeling, they seemed eager to rescue her, but she shouted, "Hold! This is the Master!"

At her words, all the shadows froze, then knelt in unison, calling out, "Ghosts return, greetings to the Master!"

I gestured for them to rise, asking Lady Bai what was happening.

Lady Bai sighed. "These are my Bai clan members. The Ma family, acting without conscience, colluded with the underworld. Any Bai with spiritual roots was either slaughtered or blocked from the living world, unable to reincarnate. That's why the Bai clan declined and Baiqiao Town fell into Ma's hands.

The so-called haunted Bai residence is merely the souls of Bai clan members dwelling here. The Ma family tried many times to destroy these souls, but with the Bai clan's spirits present, they could do nothing. So they spread rumors, slandering the Bai family, turning the ancestral home into a so-called cannibalistic ghost house. Those Bai still alive lack knowledge of occult arts, easily bewitched, their hearts divided—thus the Bai family became what it is today."

I glanced around; among these ghosts, many wore attire from various dynasties. No wonder, upon entering during the day, the gusts of chilling wind were so strong.

Looking across the Bai ancestral home, there were at least several hundred ghosts living here.

Lady Bai spoke again, "Besides the Bai ancestral home, there are still Ghost Path followers in other abandoned homes west of the river, about three thousand, all ready to obey the Master’s command!"

No sooner had she spoken than all the spirits echoed, "Ready to obey the Master's command!"

This scene felt strangely familiar.

I bowed and said, "Very well—ghosts return!"

The words slipped out unexpectedly; even I was surprised. Weiyang paused, staring at me, as if something had occurred to her.

Lady Bai looked at me. "With the Master here, the Ghost Path thrives—there is hope again!"

Afterwards, the spirits in the courtyard dispersed. I asked Weiyang if she had found any trace of Madam Wang.

Weiyang nodded. "Madam Wang is at the Ma residence."

It was as I suspected. But Weiyang added, "Rest assured, Master. Madam Wang’s safety is in my hands—I will ensure she remains unharmed."

With Weiyang protecting Madam Wang, I was reassured. I wondered why Madam Wang had been brought to Ma’s residence, so I asked. Weiyang replied, "Naturally, it’s for the River God’s wedding. Though the Ma family knows some common occult arts, they are clueless about such ceremonies. They invited Madam Wang to Baiqiao Town to preside over the River God’s wedding rites."

So that was it. It seemed Madam Wang would be safe until the ritual was completed.

Thinking of the wedding, I recalled a conversation with Niu Dahuang earlier and asked Weiyang, "Weiyang, do you know who the River God is marrying?"

Weiyang glanced at me coldly. "Master Lin, are you interested in the bride?"

"That's not what I meant." No sooner had I spoken than Weiyang prepared to leave. As she walked away, she said, "You'll find out who the bride is tomorrow. Go and see her beauty for yourself!"

I wanted to say more, but she became a streak of red and vanished into the night.

Still, her voice lingered.

"Tomorrow at midnight, when yin and yang change, do not be late for the River God’s wedding!"