Chapter 968: Convergence

Convergence

"Me?"

"That's right, if I'm not mistaken, the other soul in your body is also of the Path of the Witch God," Shen Nan spoke calmly.

"The combination of 'Drama' and 'Witchcraft' is [Nuo]... Since I can walk this path, you definitely can too. So theoretically, as long as a special Nuo Mask is created that can carry his soul, and nurtured with witchcraft, the problem of one body and two souls will naturally be solved."

If it were before, Chen Ling wouldn't have been able to understand these words. But after witnessing Shen Nan's past with his own eyes, he seemed to understand Shen Nan's thoughts...

Shen Nan became a [Nuo] because his father transferred his own soul and Path of the Witch God into a Nuo Mask, which brought Drama and Witchcraft together. And Yao himself didn't have a physical body; as long as a Nuo Mask was made, perhaps he could also be transferred into it.

"If a Nuo Mask can carry a soul, why go through the trouble to make one? Can't we just take a ready-made one and transfer the soul into it?"

"Not all Nuo Masks can carry a soul. There's a certain connection between a Nuo Mask and a 'god'... For example, a rain-praying Nuo Mask is different from an exorcism Nuo Mask. Different masks represent different personalities, and wearing different masks responds to different wishes...

To carry his soul, this Nuo Mask must have an absolutely close connection with him. It must either be made by his own hands or specially made for him. So any existing Nuo Mask won't work."

"Originally, our family had another set of tools, but they were all damaged in an earthquake... Only here are some old-fashioned tools preserved."

"So, I need to make this Nuo Mask myself?"

"You understand the soul in your body best. You can't expect me to make it for you, right?"

"But I've never made one."

"I can teach you."

Shen Nan pointed at the door lock that Chen Ling had just reshaped. "With your abilities, learning to make a Nuo Mask should be very quick."

Chen Ling fell silent.

It wasn't that Chen Ling was unwilling to help Yao make a mask, but he lacked the confidence to make a mask that truly belonged to Yao... He knew too little about Yao. At the end of the day, he was just an outsider who dropped into District Three, and hadn't even truly met Yao many times. How could he make a mask that had a close connection with Yao?

"Yao..."

"Let's try it." Yao's voice rang out in his mind, seemingly somewhat helpless. "You can't let me make it myself... right?"

The current Yao had no physical body; even if he drifted out, he couldn't hold the tools. Moreover, Chen Ling was standing on the Stage, and couldn't let Yao take over the body. Right now, besides Chen Ling, there was truly no second person who could do it.

Chen Ling took a deep breath. "Alright, I'll try."

...

A car slowly stopped on the highway.

"...Is this it?" Lu Xun turned his head to look at Yang Xiao in the passenger seat.

"Judging from the mobile phone signal location, this is indeed the place," Yang Xiao pointed at the fork and said. "Just keep going straight here."

"Okay."

Lu Xun drove the car toward the village.

"Why did Director Chen come to a place like this?" Su Zhiwei sat in the back row, looking around while asking in confusion.

"I don't know, maybe it's Director Chen's hometown?"

"Is his hometown here?"

"I don't know either... he never mentioned it himself." Yang Xiao paused for a moment. "Speaking of which, apart from knowing Director Chen's name is Chen Ling, we don't know anything else."

"He himself is a mystery." Lu Xun's eyes narrowed slightly. "When we were in Shennongjia, I knew he definitely wasn't simple. His attitude towards us... how should I put it, it feels like he knows certain things are going to happen, and has been guiding everything."

"And he seems to have known long ago that some kind of change would happen to us." Su Zhiwei thought for a moment and added.

"Regardless, he has no ill intent towards us... As for the rest, we can ask more. If he's willing to answer, naturally that's for the best."

The vehicle slowly drove into the village, again arousing the curious gazes of the villagers. They drove around the village in a circle, and finally, under many puzzled gazes, drove into the open space of Chen Ling's old house.

Lu Xun and the other two unbuckled their seatbelts and got out of the car one after another. Looking at the two-story old house in front of them, they fell into thought...

At the same time, a figure walked out of the house.

"Who are you?" Shen Nan looked at this group of uninvited guests suspiciously.

"...Shen Nan?"

Su Zhiwei took a few steps forward. Seeing her, Shen Nan felt she looked somewhat familiar.

"You are..."

"I am Su Zhiwei."

"Su Zhiwei??" Shen Nan sized her up in surprise. "After not seeing you for so many years, your changes are really not small... Why are you here? Did Elder Xiao come too?"

"No, Elder Xiao didn't come, but she's always been thinking about you."

"You two know each other?" Lu Xun naturally joined the conversation.

"Yes, Shen Nan is Master Shen Li's son. Back then, some things happened to their family, and they stayed at Teacher Xiao's house for a while... So, we were also neighbors."

"So you are Shen Nan, pleased to meet you."

Lu Xun naturally extended his hand. "I am Lu Xun. Although we haven't formally met, I often heard your name over at Bureau 749."

"So it's you..."

Lu Xun had dealt with Bureau 749 all year round, and even Shen Nan had heard of him. But at this juncture, seeing people related to Bureau 749 still made his heart tighten.

"Are you here to catch 'World-Ending'? Or are you here to catch me?"

"Neither, I no longer work for Bureau 749. We are Director Chen's friends."

With Su Zhiwei around, Shen Nan wasn't too wary of them. After all, Su Zhiwei was Elder Xiao's person, and Elder Xiao was indeed helping Chen Ling... So, Shen Nan's gaze fell on the last person.

"This is..."

Yang Xiao wasn't as sociable as Su Zhiwei and Lu Xun. He just stood silently at the back and extended his palm. "My name is Yang Xiao."

"Hello."

"So, where is Chen Ling?" Su Zhiwei finally asked.

Shen Nan turned around and pointed into the distance.

Above the barren field, a figure sat on a small stool brought from who knows where, holding a piece of wood in one hand and a carving knife in the other, his head lowered in deep thought.

A moment later, he raised the carving knife and brought it down on the edge of the wood. In two or three strokes, he carved out the outline of a human head.

But he carefully looked at it for a long time, then shook his head. Streaks of lightning flashed across his palms, and the wood in his hand instantly undewent [Reshape] and was restored, as if it had never been carved at all.

After pondering for a long time, Chen Ling raised the carving knife once more...

This process repeated a full six or seven times. Over ten minutes later, he still held a complete piece of wood in his hand, sitting in the field like a statue.

"..." Lu Xun found it bizarre,

"What is he doing?"