Volume Two: An Eventful Autumn, A Series of Twists and Turns. Chapter 131: The Fusion of Soul and Life, Utterly Confused.

Under the astonished gaze of Yang Shiqian, the two men arrived at the old Hall Master’s bedchamber. The old man was lying there with his eyes closed in meditation, but upon hearing the door open, he looked toward the newcomers.

After Yang Shiqian introduced Yang Chengzi to him, the old Hall Master was overcome with excitement and sat up. Although he was unsure if Yang Chengzi could cure his son, he was well aware of the prowess of Maoshan disciples. As the senior apprentice of Maoshan, Yang Chengzi possessed a mastery over the realms of yin and yang that ordinary Taoists and sorcerers could not hope to match.

Yang Chengzi got straight to the point: "Old Hall Master, this matter is quite suspicious. While I cannot confirm it is the work of an evil entity, it is highly probable. However, I cannot approach the young Hall Master rashly. I need you to cooperate with me in a ruse to draw him here so that I may discern his true condition."

Hearing that there might be hope for his son, the old Hall Master agreed to anything. After the three discussed the plan, Yang Shiqian went to fetch the young Hall Master, Wu Chengfeng. Hearing that his father was suffering from chest tightness and breathlessness, Wu Chengfeng hurried over in a panic. Upon entering the room, he ignored Yang Chengzi entirely and threw himself onto the side of the bed.

"Father, Father, what is wrong? Should I find a physician to take a look? Is there phlegm you cannot cough up?"

Throughout the questioning and examination, whenever the old Hall Master showed signs of distress, Wu Chengfeng would revert to his true self, only to lapse back into the persona of Xiahou Zhi the moment he stepped away. Sensing the time was right, Yang Shiqian acted according to their plan, walking to the bedside to feign concern for the old Hall Master. He stood between Wu Chengfeng and Yang Chengzi, shielding the young Hall Master from seeing what Yang Chengzi was doing. Taking advantage of the moment, Yang Chengzi closed his eyes and began to sense the situation.

Yang Chengzi’s spiritual consciousness enveloped Wu Chengfeng like a thick mist. The elderly man and the old Hall Master gradually faded from his perception, leaving only Wu Chengfeng sitting by the bed. As he drew closer, the mist penetrated Wu Chengfeng’s body, revealing his acupuncture points like tiny stars before Yang Chengzi’s inner eye.

Going deeper, he reached the foundation of the soul. He would soon know exactly what was wrong with this man. Piercing through the darkness, the Three Souls and Seven Spirits appeared before Yang Chengzi. It was no wonder Wu Chengfeng had firmly held his position as Hall Master; his soul foundation was formidable, and his spiritual power was incredibly overbearing.

There were the Heavenly Soul at the Shenting point, the Earthly Soul at the Baihui point, and the Life Soul at the Tianding point. The Seven Spirits—Tianchong, Linghui, Shanzhong, Tianfu, Zhongshu, Futu, and Xuanzhong—were all carefully scrutinized by Yang Chengzi, who feared missing even the slightest detail. Finally, in the Life Soul at the Tianding point, Yang Chengzi witnessed an incredible sight.

Within the Tianding point, two different faces appeared on Wu Chengfeng’s Life Soul. The soul was almost entirely enveloped by the face on the outside. In other words, like Chen San, Wu Chengfeng’s soul had fused with another.

However, the Three-Tailed Spirit Fox was a spiritual entity. At the time, Chen San’s Three Souls had been on the verge of leaving his body, and the fox had used its tails to bind and forcibly pull them back. It had remained inside Chen San’s body, and only over a long period had the fox’s spirit fused with his soul.

But how could this be the case for Wu Chengfeng? How could two human souls fuse? The other person’s soul had nearly consumed his own; only a small portion of Wu Chengfeng’s original face remained exposed. This was likely why he could revert to his true self whenever his father was in distress.

The problem was identified, but it was completely unheard of. Even Yang Chengzi, who rarely left the mountain and spent his days immersed in spells and ancient texts, had never encountered such a thing, let alone anyone else. He was at a complete loss as to how to resolve it. To his knowledge, once souls fused, they could not be separated. Even if Chen San were to expel the Phantom Demon from his body, the fused tails of the spirit fox could not be removed—a fact Taiyuan Zhenren had already confirmed back in Chen Family Town.

Stunned, Yang Chengzi opened his eyes and sighed. This was their prearranged signal: whenever he sighed, the old Hall Master would relax, close his eyes, and nod to assure Wu Chengfeng that everything was fine. As they expected, once the old Hall Master appeared stable, Wu Chengfeng noticed Yang Chengzi standing aside.

Yang Shiqian introduced Yang Chengzi to Wu Chengfeng, claiming the old Hall Master had invited him to inspect the feng shui of the Leiming Hall and burn incense for blessings. But in the time it took to turn around, Wu Chengfeng had already changed. The warmth and concern were gone, replaced by the cold, indifferent, and extreme demeanor of the man he had become. He merely glanced at Yang Chengzi, grunted an acknowledgment, and walked out.

Yang Chengzi did not take offense. The three men exchanged looks, and the old Hall Master nodded, closing his eyes to rest, leaving the rest to Yang Chengzi and Yang Shiqian. Yang Chengzi wandered around the Leiming Hall, making a show of inspecting the layout and offering a few casual remarks about the decent feng shui before Yang Shiqian saw him out.

On the way, Yang Chengzi told him about the state of Wu Chengfeng’s Life Soul, leaving Yang Shiqian too shocked to speak. Yang Chengzi said he needed to return and think it over, as he had no immediate solution. Yang Shiqian had no choice but to pin all his hopes on him; after all, he had actually identified the root of the problem, something none of the many others they had consulted could do.

After bidding farewell to Yang Shiqian, Yang Chengzi returned to the Cuiwei Tower just in time for dinner. Chang Yu told him that the door had barely been closed all afternoon due to the number of people looking for him. They were only eating now because it was quiet, otherwise, he would surely have run into a few.

Over dinner, Chen San asked about the situation at Leiming Hall. Chang Yu, unable to bear Chen San’s voice—which was even more feminine than her own—bluntly told him to shut up. Since Chang Yu and Chen Xin were also curious, they took over the questioning on behalf of a pouting, disgruntled Chen San, who toyed with his food while gesturing with a delicate "orchid" finger.

"What exactly is wrong with that Hall Master? In such a large town, why must they come to you for a bizarre case? Are there no other Taoists here?" Chang Yu asked, looking at Yang Chengzi in confusion.

Yang Chengzi smiled and replied, "I thought the same at first. But there really are no Taoists from Maoshan or Longhu Mountain in this town. There are only lay disciples who perform rituals and look at feng shui. The Hall Master’s condition has been dragging on for over half a year."

"That can't be right, can it? Even if this place is far from Maoshan and Longhu, it shouldn't be completely devoid of them. Who is supposed to handle evil manifestations?" Chen Xin wondered.

"According to Steward Yang, while there are no Maoshan or Longhu sects here, there are three major martial sects. Even though they are branches, they have many experts capable of slaying fierce ghosts and great demons. Evil spirits cannot easily cause chaos here."

"Then why not let those experts look at him? If they can slay demons and monsters, surely they can examine a person?" Chen San couldn't hold back any longer and asked, risking a beating from the women.

Yang Chengzi nodded. "You hit the nail on the head. They can sense demons and ghosts, and they can slay them, but they couldn't find anything wrong with the Hall Master. Moreover, his recent conduct has become so extreme and unconventional that those people didn't dare to examine him rashly."

"Then how did he agree to let you look?"

"He didn't. I looked in secret. Setting that aside, do you know what I found?"

"What?" The group stared at him, waiting for the answer.

Yang Chengzi took a bite of rice and continued, "It’s the same as Chen San."

The three were stunned. Chen Xin asked skeptically, "He’s become as妖里妖气 (effeminate and irritating) as him?"

Chen San looked indignant and pouted haughtily, while Chang Yu reached for her sword as if to cut him down.

Yang Chengzi shook his head. "Not effeminate. I mean, like Chen San, his soul has fused with another. But while Chen San’s fusion with the Three-Tailed Spirit Fox was a matter of chance, I have no idea how the Hall Master’s soul fused with another human's."

"Can human souls fuse?" Chen Xin asked.

"In the past, it was certainly impossible. Maoshan texts describe why it cannot happen, but it seems there must be a way—I just don't know how they achieved it."

"Could it be some kind of evil sorcery? Only those wicked practitioners would do something like that," Chen San said, nodding and gesturing delicately.

"That is a possibility. But the Hall Master is young, his soul is incredibly powerful, and his martial arts and swordsmanship are top-tier. Ordinary sorcerers wouldn't stand a chance against him. I truly cannot fathom his motive for practicing such dark arts."

"He’s that strong? He can slay sorcerers and demons with just swordsmanship, without using spells?" Chen San was shocked.

"Yes, he is that strong. They can sense ghosts and demons, and even without opening their 'Heavenly Eyes,' their weapons are inscribed with runes and incantations that make them devastating against evil. Compared to Taoists like us, these martial arts masters are so fast that a sorcerer would be dead before they could even react. They are truly formidable."

After speculating on the various possibilities, the group fell into a heavy silence.