Chapter 2: Yuan Shen Possession

  The night in Chijiang Town was very quiet, people who had been busy all day rested early. Only occasionally came a few barks of dogs and the crying sounds of children. Under the moonlight, the small town seemed to have forgotten the loud thunder of the daytime, everything seemed as usual.

  A shooting star streaked across the sky, with a small tail and faint light swirling over the town. No, not a shooting star! He wandered in the air, as if searching for something, and finally fell down.

  The little stone slept very sweetly, really tired during the day. Tired to the point of not even having a dream, so comfortable! "Little guy, little guy!" "Who's calling me, can't you see I'm sleeping?" The little stone said gruffly, still half asleep.

  "Besides, I'm not Little Guy either."

  "What's your name?"

  "Everyone calls me Little Stone!"

  "Good, little stone."

  "Who are you? What's up?"

  "Traveler, it's getting too dark now, can I stay overnight at your place?"

  "Alright, one thing at a time!"

  "Is it? Don't regret it later!"

  "Don't underestimate people, it's just sleep, what's there to regret? Come on in!"

  "Really! Don't regret it!"

  "This guy is so long-winded, hurry up!" thought Xiaoshi.

  "Alright, I'm coming in!"

  The little stone didn't hear the door sound and turned over in its sleep. It seemed to be dreaming and even talking in its sleep.

  "Oh oh oh!!! The rooster in Wang's house is so annoying, I'll find a chance to eat it that day. Xiaoshi sat on the bed, stretched and rubbed his eyes. Looking out of the window, he saw that it was already bright outside."

  "How strange, I had a dream that someone was staying over and it felt so real! How could I have such a dream!" Xiaoshi said to himself. "It's not a dream, I'm the one who is staying over!" Someone spoke clearly. Xiaoshi was shocked and quickly hid under the bed. Looking around the room, there was no one. Am I dreaming? He pinched himself hard, it hurt!

  "Stop messing around!" The voice appeared again. Xiaoshi was so scared that his face turned pale, as if he had seen a ghost. Where's the person? He looked under the bed again, but there was no one. "Don't look anymore, it's you who let me in, and I came in." Came in, but where's the person? Xiaoshi pinched himself again to make sure he wasn't dreaming. "It's daytime, how can I see a ghost?" Xiaoshi thought to himself. "I'm not a ghost, listen to what I have to say..." Before the voice could finish speaking, Xiaoshi shouted loudly "Dad, save me! There's a ghost! Save me!" While shouting, he ran towards the outside. But despite his shouting and running, there was no noise. Suddenly, he found himself unable to move. What a powerful ghost! "Listen to what I have to say before you shout again, I'm not a ghost, but I'm also not human anymore." The "ghost" sighed at this point.

  "They're no longer human, what are they if not ghosts?!" Little Stone exclaimed in his heart.

  "So you tell me what is a ghost?"

  "Can you know what I'm thinking in my heart?" Little Stone was surprised,

  "Of course, because I'm already in your body"

  "It's all over, it's really all over. This is what they call being possessed by a ghost. I'm so unlucky!"

  "You still haven't answered me, what is a ghost?!"

  "You're all ghosts now, and you still ask me! When people die, they become ghosts!"

  "The ghost" said "I'm not dead yet, so I'm not a ghost. Don't be afraid!"

  "Can I not be afraid?" Xiao Shi Tou was just a child, and he had already been trembling all over. Not fainting from fear was already giving the ghost face, now he couldn't move or call out. He could only let the ghost do as it pleased.

  It's okay, this ghost doesn't seem to have any terrifying tricks up its sleeve, it just chats with him. "You say you're not a ghost, then what are you?" asked the little stone-sized brave one. "That's right!" The "ghost" seemed quite satisfied with his performance. "Well, I'll tell you how I became like this. To put it simply, humans may be called the spirit of all things, but they still have birth, old age, illness, death, and natural disasters threatening their lives at every moment. So since ancient times, people have tried to escape life and death in order to seek immortality. This led to the emergence of various cultivation sects, who used either mystical techniques or alchemy to achieve the goal of not dying or being destroyed. They can ascend to heaven and descend into the earth, they can keep their youth and beauty forever, and even live for thousands of years. In the eyes of ordinary people, they seem like gods!...

  "Wow, this is incredible! He's over a thousand years old! The oldest person in our village is only 86, if I live to be that old..."

  The "ghost" hummed, and Xiaoshi suddenly remembered that his life was now in his hands, so it's better to say less, and he immediately shut up.

  "They're not immortals, no matter how many thousands of years they live! They still have to die. What's the difference between 'soldier's dissolution', 'rounding out', 'feathered transformation', and 'ascension'? It's all just nice words, but in the end, it's still death. Immortals? Ha!" The ghost said this with great agitation, as if sighing again: "The path of immortality is unreliable. Little Stone, do you think living to a thousand years old is good?" Little Stone didn't dare speak, only nodding. "You're wrong. When you live to be several hundred years old, you'll realize that you're lonelier than ordinary people, even more desolate, and don't have any friends or family." Little Stone thought: "Ghost talk! Living for hundreds of years is a blessing! Flying through the sky and escaping from the earth, how wonderful!"

  "The ghost" had already communicated with him telepathically, and even if Xiaoshi didn't speak, he knew what was on his mind. He didn't expose it, but instead continued to say: "I'm also a cultivator of the truth, look at me now!" "How did you end up like this?" Curiosity killed the cat, Xiaoshi asked again.

  "You know those few thunderclaps yesterday!"

  "I knew that, so loudly. Even the deaf can hear it. Wasn't that your doing?" Xiaoshi seemed to have gotten used to it and continued asking.

  "It's not me, I'm not that capable. However, it's coming for me. Cultivators also have birth, aging, illness, and death, and there's also the Heavenly Tribulation!" As soon as he mentioned the Heavenly Tribulation, the "ghost" paused for a moment, "Cultivation is actually a move against heaven, when one's cultivation reaches a certain level, the Heavenly Tribulation will follow. The Heavenly Tribulation has two types, among which the most powerful and feared by cultivators is the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation. When this tribulation comes, there are no warning signs, so people naturally have no defense, making it unavoidable. Its power is too great, and it's impossible to block, so when a cultivator encounters it, they're doomed." "You won't be that unlucky to encounter it, will you?" Xiaoshi asked.

  "No wonder, I'm just so unlucky."

  "Still saying it's not a ghost? Isn't that certain death?" He now felt that the ghost didn't seem so scary after all.

  "The ghost" let out a wry smile. What bad luck! "However, I'm slightly lucky and not dead yet, just my physical body is ruined."

  The little stone spirit shivered and stuttered: "Your physical body is destroyed, you can't be interested in me, can you?"

  The ghost smiled slightly, looking very sinister, "Guess?"

  The little stone is not in the mood to guess now, what's not a ghost, it's obviously possessed by a ghost. After saying a lot, it still depends on my body. "Why look for me, there are so many people in the town, oh, next door there is a little fat boy, he is more solid than me, and there is also one at the end of the street who is better than me!"

  "That fatty, at a young age already 150-160 pounds, growing up to be a drunkard. I've taken a liking to you, besides do you think this is playing house, thinking you can come and go as you please?"

  Xiao Shitou is now crying and can't cry anymore. The ghost looks at him like this, guessing that he was scared to death, and says: "Okay, don't be afraid. As I said earlier, my physical body is destroyed, but my yuan Shen (original spirit) has not been damaged. I just borrowed your body temporarily." "What is yuan Shen?" Xiao Shitou became curious again.

  "The original spirit is actually a person's spirit, and the spirit of a cultivator is much stronger than that of an ordinary person. After many years of cultivation, one can leave their physical body behind, which is known as 'soul wandering in the void'. When I was injured by the Nine Heavens Thunderbolt, my physical body was destroyed, and my original spirit would not have been able to survive either. Fortunately, at that time, I had a 'Spirit Gathering Pearl' with me, and after being struck by lightning, my original spirit and the pearl merged into one. Alas, fortune and disaster are indeed intertwined! When I found this Spirit Gathering Pearl in Mount Qilian, I was overjoyed - this pearl can absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and absorb the essence of the sun and moon, making it a treasure for cultivators. But who knew that the Nine Heavens Thunderbolt would also come with it? Is it really an unavoidable fate?"

  He suffered the tribulation of heaven, although his primordial spirit and cultivation were damaged, he still had to temporarily borrow someone else's body. However, he was always straightforward and upright in his actions, unwilling to make a move that would harm others. If it were someone with an evil heart, they would have taken over long ago. There was no need to bother Little Stone with such a lengthy explanation.

  "Alright, even if you're not a ghost, how long do you plan on staying here!" Xiaoshi was half-believing and half-doubting, but after hearing his reasonable words, he also believed that he wasn't a ghost. However, having an extra person in one's body was still a terrifying thing. In any case, there was a limit to this situation.

  "It won't take long, once I truly merge my divine soul with the Gathering Spirit Pearl, I can then reforge my physical body." He secretly felt ashamed, he could only deceive him, as if reforging his physical body was an easy matter!

  The little stone would have thought of so much, now it's too late to chase him away, can only do this. Asked him: "By the way, what's your name? Can't call you a ghost, right?"

  "Yes! It's about time you knew my name, I'm Zhao Wu Jin!"

  "Zhao Wu Jin, this name is not bad at all, very good indeed!" As for what's so good about it, Xiao Shi Tou couldn't quite put his finger on.

  The little stone now has a calm and peaceful appearance, as if Zhao Wuji is still in his body, which should be a matter of course.

  "Since you're going to be living with me for a while, Zhao... um, what was it again? I shouldn't be calling you by your name either, considering your age. You must be hundreds of years old too, right?"

  "I don't quite remember either, it's about three hundred and sixty years old or so."

  The little stone had made preparations, but also stuck out its tongue. Three hundred and sixty years old, heavens! This isn't even the generation of my grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather! "I couldn't possibly call you Ancestor!"

  "This is a problem! To get along well, you can't be too proud. You must put down your airs. Zhao Wuji thought for a moment and said: "Little Shi Tou, I'm actually a fallen person, it's you who took me in. In my life, I don't have many friends, let alone brothers. How about this? Why don't we become sworn brothers?"

  Brother, with a more than 300-year-old old man, the other family is kowtowing to you, are you not being struck by lightning? Xiao Shi Tou's chin almost fell off, this world is too crazy. I just passed a birthday and it turned out so many things. First, it was possessed by a ghost, then said something about the yuan Shen attached body, now even came up with a more than 300-year-old big brother.

  Zhao Wujin was very nervous, "How is it?" He waited anxiously. Alas! The world is unpredictable, I, Zhao Wujin, have been carefree all my life, but now I've fallen to this point, having to ask a 12-year-old boy to be sworn brothers, and still worried that he won't agree.

  "Alright, but with one condition."

  Unexpectedly, there were conditions. Calm down, must calm down. "What conditions?" Zhao Wuji was able to control his emotions after all.

  "Heh heh, nothing much. Just don't bully me."

  "Alright, no problem!" Zhao Wuji let out a sigh of relief.

  "Brother Zhao, since you're over 300 years old, you must know a lot of things, right?" Little Stone suddenly thought of something.

  "Of course, what would you like to ask?"

  "Do you know about the Jiutian Yuanyang Stone?"

  "Jiutian Yuanyang Stone!" Zhao Wujin was very surprised! After a moment's thought, could it be that he had met... and asked "Are you telling this because of a little girl in red clothes?"

  "How did you know?! Do you know her?!"

  "I know her old man, how did you meet her?"

  Xiao Shi Tou repeated what he said yesterday, "Zhao Da Ge, what did you say her illness was? And who exactly is she?"

  Zhao Wujin secretly sighed, this child was originally an orphan. "She is the daughter of Lian Tianyuan, the master of the Heavenly Fire Palace, and her name is Lian Qingtian."

  "What's that place, Fire Palace?"

  "The Tianhuo Palace is located on Zhurong Peak of Southern Mountain Hengshan and is one of the largest Taoist sects today."

  "Mount Heng of Nanyue is not far from here."

  "It's too late, yesterday Lian Tianyan took his daughter to the Heavenly Fire Palace. You can't get the bracelet back now."

  Xiao Shi Tuo's face fell in disappointment, unable to see her again. Zhao Wu Jin asked: "Do you like her very much?"

  Xiao Shi Tuo's face turned red and he said, "What nonsense are you talking about? I just wanted to return the bracelet. Besides, she's still so young!"

  "She's much older than you! Little stone, the one with the gentle and quiet nine yin meridian is a congenital terminal illness, almost incurable. Lian Tianyan had a hard time raising her to sixteen years old, if he can't find the Nine Heavens Primordial Yang Stone again, this little girl will surely die!"

  Xiao Shi Tou was shocked, "Zhao Ge, is there no other way?"

  "No, Lian Tianyuan has been searching for the Jiu Tian Yuan Yang stone for over a decade but still can't find it. However, from his tone last night, it seems like he's found it, I don't know if it's true or false." Zhao Wujin thought to himself "How is that possible? Lian Tianyuan must be deceiving his daughter again."

  The little stone heard this and was both delighted and excited. "Why didn't you say so earlier, it must be found!" She said that her father's skills were great, wasn't it just a piece of stone!

  "Stone, you think it's just a small stone. The Jiutian Yuanyang Stone is actually a meteorite from the nine heavens, a treasure of the universe, extremely rare in this world. It's said to be the island's treasure on Longchun Island in Antarctica. But that Longchun Island is shrouded in mystery, who knows if it really exists? Unless Lei Tianyao has incredible luck and one falls from the sky, humph!!! Zhao Wujin seems to get worked up just mentioning Lei Tianyao."

  Xiao Shi thought for a moment and said, "Brother Zhao, you're so powerful and can fly, can you take me to Mount Heng?"

  "It's not that I don't want to help you, but my current abilities are only one-tenth of what they usually are. How can I take you to Mount Heng? Besides, do you know where the Tianhuo Palace is? Who is Lian Tianyu?"

  "What kind of person is it? Isn't it the master of the palace?" Little Stone said in a low voice.

  "The Tiangong Palace has over 10,000 disciples under its gate, with influence spanning the entire Yangtze River region. Lord Lian Tianyuan is more powerful than the current emperor! His daughter is his everything, and you're just a fleeting acquaintance, someone he's already forgotten about. What makes you think you can go find her? Alright, if that child really recovers, I'll promise you this: when you grow up, I'll take you to Hengshan and get your things back." He paused for a moment before continuing, "If not, we'll bring both the person and the item over together, and have Lian Tianyuan be your father-in-law instead. How about that?" Zhao Wujin said all this in one breath.

  Xiao Shi Tou said: "What nonsense are you talking about? If I don't go, I won't go. Big brother, how can you teach me skills and then have me go to Hengshan by myself?"

  "Alright, let's talk about this later. For now, my top priority is to recover my strength as soon as possible." Zhao Wuji's primordial spirit and the聚灵珠 had merged into one, but they hadn't yet achieved true fusion. It would still take time for them to cultivate together; otherwise, if something unexpected were to happen, the consequences would be unthinkable.

  "Little Stone's stomach was growling, it had been such a long time and it was almost noon already. He hadn't eaten well since yesterday. 'Big Brother, are you hungry?'"

  "Hungry! I don't even have a belly anymore, what's there to be hungry about?" Zhao Wuji sighed.

  It's also true that there is no body left, what's the point of being hungry? Little Stone couldn't help but laugh.

  Look at Zheng Lao and Bai Fuzi still snoring away. First, let's have a full meal, it seems that Mr. cannot teach today. Let's go play for a while and relax.

  Just as he was about to go out, Zhao Wuji's voice rang out. "Where are you going?"

  Almost forgot there's another person, "Going out to have some fun, nothing much."

  "Just keep me company then!"

  "Go with you? Do what?" Little Stone asked curiously.

  "Basking in the sun!"

  "Ah!"