Chapter 38: Soul Hooking

Shen Siyuan stood dazed, staring at the place where the old Daoist Priest had vanished, only coming to his senses after a long while.

Although he had only met the old Daoist Priest for the second time, the Daoist Priest had helped Shen Siyuan greatly, resolving many of his doubts about this world, so Shen Siyuan held him in high regard.

Yet he never expected the other to vanish so completely before his very eyes.

But it was beyond repair; Shen Siyuan stopped dwelling on it and continued examining the items in his hand.

What a pity; he hadn't even had time to tell the old Daoist Priest what the Jade Seal and the Jade Tablet were before he dissipated and disappeared.

The old Daoist Priest had spent his entire life unable to determine what these two items were, but Shen Siyuan knew: both belonged to the category of imperial edicts, serving similar functions.

One seemed to be the seal of a certain Mountain God, the other an edict of a River God; both represented identity and likewise signified divine positions.

Shen Siyuan understood these matters naturally because similar objects also existed within the Great Wilderness.

Unfortunately, these two edicts had lost their spiritual nature, possessing no effect whatsoever, having completely degenerated into ordinary objects.

That was why the old Daoist Priest knew only of their extraordinary origins but could not discern their true nature.

Shen Siyuan set down 【Embracing the Wind to Sleep】 and picked up the final bundle of iron chains.

The chain was only as thick as a finger, no longer than two meters; called an iron chain, it merely resembled one in form and could not possibly be made of iron.

For its entire body was pitch black, cold to the touch, and it felt almost weightless.

Shen Siyuan examined it closely; the more he looked, the more delighted he became, until finally he could no longer restrain the upward curve of his lips.

For this was a Soul-Hooking Chain, an item of the Netherworld's Ghost Officers, specifically used to hook souls and lock spirits.

Although to the Netherworld it was merely an ordinary object, for the current Shen Siyuan, it was of great use.

Most crucially, this item required no Heavenly and Earthly Qi; it only needed to be nurtured by Netherworldly Qi to be refined and wielded at will.

And what Shen Siyuan lacked least was Netherworldly Qi; thinking of this, Shen Siyuan shifted his mind, summoned 【Ten Thousand Souls Banner】, extended a finger to form a seal, and lightly tapped the Soul-Hooking Chain.

A wisp of ghostly blue flame coiled around the Soul-Hooking Chain, and the originally pitch-black chain began to glow with a faint, eerie blue light.

Finally, the Soul-Hooking Chain leaped violently on the ground, like a hibernating snake suddenly awakening; it writhed a few times on the ground before coiling around Shen Siyuan's wrist where he formed the seal, winding up his arm like a spiritual snake playing with him.

But this was not all; Shen Siyuan grabbed the tail end of the Soul-Hooking Chain, and the chain seemed to shudder, instantly straightening like a javelin, yet soon softening again; however, it did not fall to the ground but floated in the air, circling and spiraling around Shen Siyuan's entire body.

Shen Siyuan pointed forward with two fingers, and the Soul-Hooking Chain, as if possessing spiritual awareness, immediately followed his finger, curling forward.

"Good... good..."

Shen Siyuan was overjoyed; although nearly every Ghost Officer in the Netherworld possessed one, it was indeed useful.

Precisely for this reason, Shen Siyuan was able to refine it so easily.

Of course, another reason was that its original owner might have perished long ago, leaving no owner's imprint behind.

But regardless, this Soul-Hooking Chain now belonged to him.

With a mere shift of his mind, the Soul-Hooking Chain coiled up several objects on the ground, then dropped them into Shen Siyuan's palm.

Shen Siyuan hoisted the iron shovel and walked toward the broken gate of the Daoist Temple.

Upon reaching the entrance, he looked at the Bodhi tree before the gate; a gentle breeze blew, rustling the leaves, while sunlight spilled onto the ground like dancing fish and dragons.

Amidst such a beautiful scene, a faint sorrow rose in Shen Siyuan's heart.

Glancing back at the ruined walls and broken beams of 【Listening to the Wind Temple】 behind him, his gaze fell upon the statues of the Three Pure Ones in the main hall; he set down the iron shovel, bowed once more, then gathered his things again and headed down the mountain.

A gentle breeze swept up a Bodhi leaf, which drifted lazily into the hall, circling the statues of the Three Pure Ones in a spiral before finally landing on the broken offering table.

"In such scorching heat, where have you been?"

Hearing the sound of a motorcycle, Huang Huijuan came out from inside the house to greet him.

"Didn't I say? I went to see a classmate."

"Did you bury him?" Huang Huijuan looked at the iron shovel lying horizontally behind his motorcycle.

"Mom, what nonsense are you talking?"

"Nonsense? I think you never speak the truth; seeing a classmate and bringing an iron shovel along."

"We buried a time capsule before, and today I remembered it, so I dug it up." Shen Siyuan's skill at lying was not small.

Huang Huijuan looked at her son with a face full of suspicion.

"Where is that thing?"

"The classmate took it back."

"Which classmate?"

"Even if I told you, you wouldn't know him."

"Male classmate or female classmate?"

"Mom, why are you asking so many questions? Where is Dad?" Shen Siyuan was also annoyed by her questioning.

"Sleeping in the bedroom."

"What time is it, and he's still sleeping?"

Shen Siyuan wiped a layer of sweat; after working all afternoon, his clothes were long soaked through with sweat.

"There's watermelon in the refrigerator; eat some. I'll go wake your father and have him take you." Huang Huijuan said this, then turned and went back into the room to call Shen Jianjun.

Shen Siyuan washed his hands, returned to his room, took out the Jade Seal and the Jade Tablet from his pocket, and tossed them into the drawer; only the Soul-Hooking Chain he tied around his waist, using it as a belt.

Unfortunately, the space inside 【Ten Thousand Souls Banner】 could not be opened yet; once opened in the future, he could directly store the Soul-Hooking Chain inside the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.

When he emerged from the room again, his father was already awake, holding a water bottle and pouring water into his own cup.

Shen Jianjun glanced at Shen Siyuan but did not ask where he had gone in the afternoon.

Huang Huijuan, however, seeing that Shen Siyuan had not eaten the watermelon, began to complain again.

"You really are a young master; I tell you to eat watermelon, and if I don't bring it, you won't eat it, is that right?"

As she spoke, she took the watermelon out of the refrigerator, while Shen Jianjun, who had just been pouring water, had already gone to the kitchen to fetch a knife.

"You eat a couple of pieces too, then take your son to the town."

Shen Jianjun nodded, casually cut the watermelon open, and handed the middle portion to Huang Huijuan.

Huang Huijuan was not polite at all and took it directly.

"Is there anything you want to buy? I'll bring it back on the way," Shen Jianjun said.

Huang Huijuan thought for a moment and said, "Buy some braised dishes to bring back."

Shen Jianjun nodded and said, "Alright, I'll buy some lamb too; we'll have barbecue tonight."

"Then I'll chill a few bottles of beer for you later," Huang Huijuan said.

Shen Siyuan, munching on watermelon nearby, listened to the two of them talking.

He felt the chilled watermelon today was exceptionally refreshing.

"Playing it this way, huh? I won't come back next time," Shen Siyuan thought angrily.

"Mom, let's go."

Shen Siyuan swung his leg over the motorcycle and waved to Huang Huijuan.

"Go, go, I'm annoyed just seeing you," Huang Huijuan said with a look of disgust.

Yet she stepped forward, adjusted Shen Siyuan's collar, then pulled a stack of cash from her pocket and stuffed it into Shen Siyuan's pocket.

"Mom~" Shen Siyuan called out, deeply moved.

"Alright, stop talking. Here's money; you must spend it sparingly."

"That's not what I meant. I'm saying, could you stop giving cash in the future? I still have to deposit it into the card; it's such a hassle. Just transfer it to me via WeChat or Alipay..."

Hearing this, Huang Huijuan was so furious she reached out to strike him.

Shen Siyuan quickly patted Shen Jianjun's back.

"Dad, let's go."

But although the motorcycle had clearly started, he simply wouldn't move.

Only after Shen Siyuan received a few punches on his back did he finally twist the throttle.