Chapter 64: Melody Soul
Han Li felt the giant's icy body temperature with his fingers, staring at his dull and lifeless eyes, but in his heart, he was guessing everything that Zhang Tie had encountered.
It's highly likely that Mo Dafu colluded with Yu Zitong, kidnapped Zhang Tie who had achieved some success in "Xiang Jia Gong" back then, and fabricated a fake image of his escape to deceive the numerous eyes and ears of the Seventh Mystic Gate. Then, in secret, they used some sort of sorcery to make Zhang Tie lose his soul completely, and afterwards transformed his body into such an eerie state, which is very similar to the appearance when "Xiang Jia Gong" is fully mastered.
Han Li's conjecture was quite accurate, and the actual situation was indeed not much different.
At that time, Mo Dafu suddenly had an idea to combine the "Xiang Jia Gong" with the corpse-refining technique provided by Yu Zitong to create a batch of powerful corpses that could both obey orders and sweep across the rivers and lakes. However, within a short period of time, he only managed to create this one giant man, who was considered a treasure by Mo Dafu and was usually hidden in a secret location at the foot of the mountain. It wasn't until last time when he returned to the mountain that he brought him back with him.
But Yu Zitong had no interest in such an incomplete corpse, and even sneered at it. Because when his physical body was still around, there were many ways to subdue this kind of incomplete corpse, and compared to the high-level iron armor corpses of true immortal cultivators, its power was far inferior, so it could only show off in the mortal world. The only advantage is probably that the materials used are simple, the refining process is easy, and anyone with a bit of magical power can manufacture one.
After a long while, Han Li suddenly withdrew his hand from the giant's face and shifted his uneasy gaze away from him, staring blankly at the crumbling stone gate.
At that moment, he felt his heart somewhat chilled, not because of Zhang Tie's miserable experience, but because he was uneasy about his own indifference.
He thought he knew the tragic fate of his good friend, and would angrily raise his head, loudly shouting "Mo Juren" and "Yu Zitong"'s names, with a voice full of hatred and anger towards them.
But in fact, he didn't have much emotional turmoil or anger, only a slight sense of sadness. It was as if the person who had fallen into this situation wasn't his former good friend "Zhang Tie", but rather an unrelated passerby.
Is it because I know that the Zhang Tie in front of me is just an empty shell, not his true self? Or has my heart become extremely ruthless and iron-blooded?
This selfish and apathetic behavior made Han Li himself feel a little fearful. It was only then that he realized, at some point in time, he had become so unfamiliar!
Han Li finally woke up from his stupor and looked at the giant with a complicated gaze, unsure of how to address "him".
He recalled what Mo Dafu said "soul lost" "zombie-like" words, Han Li looked up at the sky and said softly:
"Brother Zhang, I suppose you've already been reincarnated. Your abandoned body is of no use now, so let me make use of it for a bit! I'll definitely use it with care, and I hope you won't blame me."
After finishing this prayer-like speech, Han Li's self-hypnotic heart calmed down a bit, and he said to the giant again:
"Since you are the shell left behind by Zhang Ge, without an independent soul, I'll call you 'Qu Soul' from now on! I hope you can help me in the future."
After hearing Han Li's words, the giant stood still and motionless, with only a hint of his usual docile expression, without any reaction, it seemed that he really didn't have any autonomous consciousness, and could only passively accept commands.
"I'm actually talking to a mindless body, how silly of me!" Han Li shook his head in self-mockery and continued walking towards the stone hut with a relaxed pace.
"Follow closely."
Han Li has fully recovered from his low mood, looking as usual, as if nothing had happened. It seems that he has indeed become the exceptionally iron-blooded and rational person he thought he was, no longer easily troubled by emotions.
This astonishing change, whether it was a blessing or a curse for Han Li who was about to embark on the path of cultivation, remained unknown.
For a period of time afterwards, Han Li was busy dealing with the aftermath, making sure everything was properly taken care of.
He not only wanted to bury the corpse of Mo Dafu under a large tree, but also wanted to destroy and throw away all the objects left in the stone house. He even ordered Qu Hun to smash the entire stone house into pieces, so that it was completely unrecognizable, before he would stop.
After all this fuss, it was already late in the day and the sun had begun to set.
Han Li stood in front of the former stone house, now a pile of rotten stones, and looked around, not finding any omissions, before nodding in satisfaction.
"Qu Soul, let's go!"
"There's still a lot of things to deal with tomorrow! Unfortunately, you're not conscious and can't speak, otherwise, having someone to discuss it with would make me feel more at ease."
Under the fiery sunset, Han Li dragged his elongated shadow, muttering non-stop to the giant renamed "Qu Soul", as if he had finally found a good listener who would not complain about his troubles. At this moment, there was still a hint of coldness and indifference in him, completely like an ordinary big boy next door.
After arranging the tune, Han Li returned to his residence. In the house, he was like a stranger who had not returned for a long time, touching and looking at the tables, chairs, and benches around him, muttering to himself:
"This day is so long! It seems longer than the ten or more years I've lived before."
Then suddenly, he fell headfirst onto the bed and started snoring loudly.
He's exhausted! Both mentally and physically, he's worn out.
"But it's great to be alive!" He smiled slightly at the corner of his mouth as he drifted off to sleep.
