Chapter 331: Zhou Yi

Thirteen years ago.

Sanqi Orphanage.

The moon looked like a fox's eye, indifferently gazing down at the human world, watching this orphanage hidden in the desolate wilderness of a lonely mountain.

A black wind rose, clouds drifted in disarray, the surroundings were overgrown with pale trees, and cold crows stood alone on the branches.

Inside the dim, dilapidated room, there was not a shred of light.

Only the moonlight shone through the window, reflecting upon those thin, small figures.

"Newcomer, did your mom and dad die too?"

Just then, a friendly greeting came from the upper bunk, followed by a small head poking out to look at the newcomer who had just entered the lower bunk.

"Your mom and dad are the ones who died!" Young Zhang Fan rolled his eyes, quite displeased.

"Yeah, my mom and dad did die," the boy affirmed.

"..."

"This is an orphanage; everyone who comes in has lost their mom and dad," the boy added.

"My mom and dad died too."

"Me too."

A chorus of agreement came from the side. This dormitory housed a total of six people, with three bunk beds.

"My mom and dad didn't die..."

Just then, a discordant voice came from the lower bunk in the corner.

"But I just pretend they're dead."

"Good one, Luo Sen!"

The boy in the bunk above Zhang Fan gave a thumbs up, his eyes lighting up with approval.

"..."

Zhang Fan remained silent.

"Our orphanage is located in the Si-Fire position, but the main gate faces the Hai-Water, violating the taboo of the Si-Hai clash. It's a great omen of disaster."

"The Yin position generates Wood Qi, but that place is covered in grave mounds, belonging to the Shen-Metal chaotic burial ground, violating the great taboo of the Yin-Shen clash. It's ominous."

"It's over, we'll never be able to escape this place in our lifetime."

Just then, Zhang Fan looked up and saw a boy sitting cross-legged on the opposite lower bunk, wearing broken black-rimmed glasses, holding a dirty compass in his hand, and muttering incessantly.

"Ji Suan, can you shut up? You're so noisy my soul is leaving my body."

An impatient voice came from the upper bunk of the boy holding the compass.

Zhang Fan looked up and saw a boy lying horizontally on the bed in the opposite upper bunk, his soul already having left his body.

That soul floated in mid-air, but it was like wild Qi, constantly changing—sometimes expanding, sometimes compressing—showing extreme instability.

"Is... is he okay?"

Zhang Fan's eyes widened. He had never seen such an unstable soul; it was like a ball of fire, without a fixed form, changing at every moment.

"That's Chen Ji. He's just like that. His soul is a freak; you'll get used to it."

The boy's voice came again, his head poking out to stare at Zhang Fan: "I'm Ge Shuangxiu. What's your name?"

"Zhang Fan!"

Zhang Fan laid his head back on the pillow. Facing this strange new environment, he felt very displeased and cursed his parents in his heart.

"How can we get out?" Zhang Fan suddenly asked.

As soon as these words were spoken, the dormitory suddenly went quiet, and eyes from different angles turned toward him.

"Dying would work. No, wait, even if you die, you have to be buried here," Luo Sen said flatly.

"Wait until I finish my research, and I'll take you with me. There must be a hidden path to life."

Ji Suan pushed up his glasses, staring at the compass in his hand, completely immersed in his own world.

Hum...

Chen Ji's soul became even more frantic, as if it could explode at any moment.

Zhang Fan watched with his heart in his throat, but the others were accustomed to it.

"You see that stone statue at the entrance, right?"

Ge Shuangxiu's voice came, pulling Zhang Fan's thoughts back.

Zhang Fan subconsciously looked out the window. In the plaza of Sanqi Orphanage stood a stone statue, headless, with eight arms, palms supporting the void, empty and containing nothing.

"If you want to get out, you have to offer incense to the statue," Ge Shuangxiu said flatly.

"Incense?"

"That's right. Offer your body to the statue, and your soul to the incense," Ge Shuangxiu said solemnly.

"Offer the soul to the incense?" Zhang Fan raised an eyebrow.

"Unfortunately, we are all just children. Our souls are too weak; no one's soul can ignite the incense for that statue," Ge Shuangxiu shook his head.

He paused, then said in a deep voice: "If you fail, your soul will be eaten by that statue."

"Eaten?" Zhang Fan's eyes widened, revealing an expression of disbelief. He couldn't help but look out the window again; in the hazy night, a shadow seemed to be hidden in the orphanage plaza.

"Since I arrived, eight children have already tried," Ge Shuangxiu sighed.

"And then?"

"Luo Sen, how many did you bury?" Ge Shuangxiu suddenly asked.

"Three."

"I buried two," Ge Shuangxiu said.

"I buried one," Ji Suan said without looking up.

"One."

Chen Ji's soul finally returned to his body, adding his count as well.

"What kind of place is this!?" Zhang Fan said in a daze.

Before he came, he only knew it was an orphanage, but listening to them now, it sounded like a prison.

"As long as you don't try to run, staying here is actually quite nice," Ge Shuangxiu comforted him kindly.

Clang... clang... clang...

Just then, a crisp bell sound echoed through the deep corridor, reverberating in the cold night, appearing extremely eerie.

"Quick, sleep."

Ge Shuangxiu's expression changed abruptly, and he hurriedly pulled his head back.

Beside him, Ji Suan had already dived under the covers, Luo Sen stopped talking, and Chen Ji was like a corpse, not even breathing.

"Wait, why?" Zhang Fan couldn't help but ask.

"Don't speak," Ge Shuangxiu whispered.

Clang... clang... clang...

The crisp bell sound grew closer. Zhang Fan squinted, and through the crack in the door, he saw a faint red light pass along the floor. As the bell sound grew more distant, the red light also dissipated at the end of the corridor.

Hu...

Ji Suan poked his head out from under the covers and started tinkering with his compass again.

Ge Shuangxiu's head also poked out from the upper bunk.

"What was that just now?" Zhang Fan couldn't help but ask.

"The floor patrol," Ge Shuangxiu whispered.

"Whoever doesn't sleep at night, or dares to let their soul leave their body and wander around, will be taken away by that lamp and burned for three days and three nights."

As he spoke, Ge Shuangxiu pursed his lips and looked out the window.

"You see those people under the wall in the northwest corner, right?"

"Those are people? I thought they were clay statues," Zhang Fan said, stunned.

He had glanced at them when he arrived; figures were sitting cross-legged under the wall, seemingly children about his age. In the twilight shadows, they looked exactly like clay statues.

"Those are the children who didn't sleep at night and had their souls taken," Ge Shuangxiu added.

"Once the soul is taken, they are left there and won't be released until they've been burned for three days."

"We've all been burned."

Ge Shuangxiu grinned and said lightly: "If you don't want to seem like you don't fit in, you can try it too."

"What the hell kind of place is this?" Zhang Fan's eyes widened.

He felt like he had been picked up, and his mom and dad really didn't want him anymore.

"I want to get out. I must get out," Zhang Fan clenched his fists, his eyes filled with a longing for freedom.

"Life has no roots, drifting like dust on the road. Scattered, chasing the wind, this is no longer my true body. Landing as brothers, why must we be blood kin..."

Just then, a leisurely chanting sound came from outside the door.

Zhang Fan subconsciously looked up and saw the door slowly push open. A boy walked in. By the moonlight, he saw that the boy seemed two or three years older than him, thin and tall, with a straight nose, bright eyes, and an ordinary appearance, yet one that made people remember him deeply.

"How can he wander around outside?" Zhang Fan couldn't help but ask.

"He hasn't awakened his soul, so naturally he isn't affected," Ge Shuangxiu said casually.

"An ordinary person?" Zhang Fan was stunned.

He knew that this orphanage had about twenty or thirty children, all of whom had awakened their souls.

You have to know, most ordinary people find it difficult to awaken their souls in a lifetime of cultivation. By comparison, this orphanage hiding twenty or thirty children who had all awakened their souls was simply incredible.

At this moment, a child who hadn't awakened his soul suddenly appearing was both normal and eerie.

"A newcomer?" The boy walked up, looked at Zhang Fan, and revealed a gentle, friendly smile.

"Once you come here, we are all brothers."

As he spoke, the boy extended his fist and introduced himself.

"My name is Zhou Yi!"

"My name is Zhang Fan!"

Ten-year-old Zhang Fan settled into Sanqi Orphanage, and in the blink of an eye, a year of autumn passed and spring returned.

He had gradually adapted to this eerie and mysterious orphanage.

This place was like a forbidden zone; not all places could be stepped upon. As time passed, he reined in his curiosity and devoted himself to cultivation, hoping that one day he could leave this hellhole.

The children at Sanqi Orphanage were all very special. Here, besides his dormitory mates, he would also spar and fight with children from other dormitories. As time went on, he inevitably improved.

"Zhang Fan, your soul is indeed powerful."

In the plaza, Luo Sen's figure suddenly stopped, as if trapped in a quagmire. Zhang Fan's figure leaped up, his hands forming seals.

"Earth Burial!"

With a shout, the surrounding soil flew up, gravel kicked into the air, and in an instant, the square area became like rolling giant waves, crushing toward Luo Sen.

"Five Elements Great Burial Art!"

"Good!"

The surrounding children watching let out cheers.

Zhang Fan's advantage was his soul suppression. Even in this orphanage, he was among the younger ones, but the strength of his soul was among the best, even surpassing Luo Sen in the same dormitory.

At this moment, his soul was affected, and he was a step slow, which was the difference between victory and defeat.

"Ten Thousand Manifestations of the Forest, all return to dust!"

Suddenly, Luo Sen whispered, and the soil surging around them fell one after another, like falling leaves, like breaking through all obstacles.

"Broken!?"

Hu...

Almost at the same moment, Luo Sen moved, his figure appearing like a ghost before Zhang Fan.

"Soul Suppression!"

Zhang Fan formed a seal with one hand, his soul shaking violently. The terrifying frequency made Luo Sen's figure slow down again.

In a split second, he leaped up, retreating more than ten meters to create distance.

"No more fighting."

Seeing this, Luo Sen slowly withdrew his hands, no longer having the interest to fight.

His Dao techniques were stronger than Zhang Fan's, but Zhang Fan's soul suppression was too great; fighting like this would result in neither winning nor losing.

"Zhang Fan, wait until my Dao techniques are further perfected, and these last few life-saving tricks of yours will be useless," Luo Sen grinned.

"You wait too. I'm practicing a pill method. Once I master it, my soul will be able to crush you to death," Zhang Fan didn't give an inch.

Come to think of it, Luo Sen was two years older than him, but he wasn't afraid at all.

"Scatter!"

Beside them, Chen Ji waved his hand, and the crowd dispersed.

Zhang Fan walked to the corner, preparing to rest, when he saw Zhou Yi squatting not far away, not moving, not knowing what he was looking at.

In Sanqi Orphanage, Zhou Yi was an outlier; he was the only ordinary person who hadn't awakened his soul.

Every night, he wandered between the dormitories, like a social butterfly.

According to him, landing as brothers, why must we be blood kin? Everyone gathered here due to fate, and we are all brothers.

Although he was an ordinary person, he had an innate affinity, and everyone was willing to befriend him.

Over time, he became a regular guest in all the dormitories. After all, he was the only one who didn't need to sleep at night but wouldn't have his soul burned.

Zhang Fan had asked him why he, an ordinary person, appeared here.

Zhou Yi said that great souls always meet unexpectedly.

Zhang Fan always laughed and scolded him; he hadn't even awakened his soul, and couldn't even cultivate the Dao.

Every time this was mentioned, Zhou Yi would always seriously reply that the Dao is not for cultivation, but for realization, and perhaps one day he would realize the Dao.

"Zhou Yi, what are you looking at?"

Zhang Fan walked over, looked down, and couldn't help but be stunned.

On the ground, a group of ants were crawling, carrying spilled rice grains.

"What's so interesting about ants?" Zhang Fan couldn't help but ask.

"Don't you think it's very interesting?" Zhou Yi's eyes shone with a different kind of brilliance.

"One ant is very weak, but a group of ants can do many things..."

"They have a clear division of labor: soldier ants defend, worker ants find food and build the nest, the queen ant is responsible for reproducing the species..."

Speaking of this, Zhou Yi paused slightly and looked up at Zhang Fan.

"Zhang Fan, do you think these ants could be one living creature?"

"One living creature?" Zhang Fan revealed a suspicious expression: "What do you mean?"

"It means these ants are actually one body; each one is like a human cell, just a bit looser."

"The queen ant is the brain, those soldier ants are the bones and muscles, and the worker ants are the blood..." Zhou Yi's eyes shone with a different kind of brilliance.

A species, just like one living creature.

It is both an individual and a whole, perfectly unified and harmonious.

"Just like the human soul, same origin... a single soul is so fragile, innately influenced by the consciousness, difficult to awaken, and even falls into the great night without light..."

"What fragile power..." Zhou Yi murmured softly.

"You say, if all souls were like ants, possessing the same brain, how powerful that would be," Zhou Yi said, becoming more excited as he spoke.

"Zhou Yi, you..."

Zhang Fan was stunned. He looked at Zhou Yi, his expression becoming somewhat dazed. Such remarks seemed to plant a seed in young Zhang Fan's heart, a seed that hadn't yet sprouted.

"Zhang Fan, do you think there exists such a method in this world that can link everyone's souls together?" Zhou Yi looked at the ants at his feet, then looked up at the sky. His gaze seemed to fly to a very distant place, a place ordinary people couldn't see, filled with deep contemplation and longing.

"If not, I hope one day I can start this sect," Zhou Yi murmured softly.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 332 =====