Chapter Fifty-Four: The Return of the Phantom

A thousand steps, each one shattering beneath my feet.

Since there is no way back, why hesitate or look behind? Resolute in spirit, I ascended the thousand stairs, step by step, until I halted before a grand armchair. Upon this chair, dragons coiled and clouds swirled, storms raged, and the sun, moon, and stars shifted in perpetual alternation of light and darkness. At its heart, the character for "ghost" was carved, bold and soaring.

I turned without hesitation and sat down. The moment I did, a strange aura gathered around me from all directions.

It howled like a raging wind, swallowing clouds and spitting out moons.

Looking down, I saw countless shadowy forms stretching for miles; nearby, their silhouettes were distinct, while in the distance, they appeared as ink dots on white paper, seemingly endless.

Near or far, all these dark figures performed the same gestures: hands clasped, then kneeling in worship before me. I did not understand what they were, but the feeling of overlooking the world moved me deeply, stirring desires within, as if storms and waves surged in my heart.

Ahead of the multitude stood five imposing figures, taller and more commanding than the others. Who could they be?

"Ghost is return; to the ancestor of the Way, peace!" came a spectral voice, distant as thunder yet unbroken.

Then, the man in the black robe drifted over and halted before me, bowing in respect before continuing, "The Great Way is fifty, the heavens extend forty-nine; the missing one conceals fate for a thousand years. At last, Lin Yi ascends to the peak, bearing primordial purple energy, and opens the era of the Dao’s legacy."

The sheer spectacle stunned me. I had no understanding of what was happening—who these countless shadows were, or who the five towering figures might be.

"Lin Yi, the reason you do not comprehend is because you have yet to awaken to your destiny. You have two paths before you. The first—do you see the cup of celestial wine on your right? Drink it, and you will understand everything, see my true face, and become someone identical to me. Many crave this opportunity, but you are the luckiest, the one who can choose," he said.

"And the second path?" I asked.

My question seemed to surprise him, but he replied, "The second path is for you to discover yourself. I will tell you nothing, yet you will still obtain this opportunity. However, my cultivation will not be transferred to you."

Beside me, indeed, appeared a golden cup.

I glanced at it, picked it up, but in the next moment, I did not drink; I tossed it aside. Why should I become someone identical to him? I am Lin Yi—I will always be myself! Moreover, his words felt like temptation; who knows what would happen if I drank that strange concoction?

The black-robed man laughed, saying, "You truly are different!"

I remained silent, choosing the second path. Even if it was wrong, I accepted it, for it was the answer from the depths of my heart.

"You have made a wise choice," he said.

"Is that so?" I retorted.

"If you had chosen the first path, you would have become me, walked the same road, and ultimately been doomed to perish, leaving behind a shred of soul to obscure fate and await the next destined one. Fortunately, you chose the second, different path—a path with no return. You are destined to be unlike me. Though the future is uncertain, is that not more interesting?" The black-robed man floated before me, his excitement evident.

"So, if this was merely your test, since I chose correctly, can you give me your cultivation? After all, you have only a remnant soul left, which is of no use, isn’t it?" I ventured boldly. With my current abilities, returning from this netherworld was already an arduous task.

Moreover, my grandfather still needed the Mountain God’s Order, which was yet unfound—my heart never at ease.

The black-robed man paused, then said, "You certainly speak frankly. My cultivation is already useless; if you wish to take it, so be it. But you so casually discarded my cup of celestial wine, I am powerless now. If you didn’t want to choose, you could simply abstain—you needn’t have thrown it away. That cup truly was my entire cultivation!"

I...

I was speechless. I had no idea what came over me—heat of the moment, and I tossed the cup. Now, thinking back, I regret it bitterly. To leave such a great opportunity here, covered by fate, this black-robed man must be extraordinary; his cultivation unimaginable.

He smiled, saying, "Lin Yi, all things are preordained; wisdom comes after the fact, but those involved are always confused. You are destined to walk a path different from mine. Perhaps, on that path, you will shine more brilliantly than I ever did."

Well, whether it was consolation or not, I accepted it.

I had lingered long enough and needed to leave. My greatest worry was my grandfather—the Mountain God’s Order had sunk to the riverbed, and I still didn’t know what to do.

When I entered the waters of Forgetting River, I already lost something. I still didn’t know what I had sacrificed; but with the ancient tomb island sunken, and myself once more plunged into the river, the Mountain God’s Order was left behind in its depths. If the ferryman was correct, who knows what would happen when I returned?

Thoughts whirled, my heart uneasy.

Then, the black-robed man led me out of the Ghost Coffin.

Before leaving, he brought me through the throng of shadows; up close, I still saw only their outlines. The other shadows all seemed similar, but the five figures at the front were distinctly unique.

One wore Daoist robes, gazing far into the distance.

One bore twin swords on his back, holding the hand of another shadow—a woman.

Another was a burly man wielding an imposing axe, muscles bulging, exuding raw power.

In the center stood a slim figure, yet she seemed to embody boundless strength, clad in armor and radiating fierce spirit.

Who were these shadows, why did they stand at the fore—were they leaders of the host? What connection did I have with them?

At this moment, I could not know.

When I returned to the black-sailed boat, the black-robed man stood atop the coffin of black and gold, watching me. The creature bearing the coffin let out a deafening roar, waves surged, and the coffin slowly sank beneath the waters of the Forgetting River.

The surface remained calm; the island of the ancient tomb vanished, never to rise again.

When I turned back,

I saw, upon the deck of the black-sailed boat, the Mountain God’s Order.

Beside it, a black bamboo hat and a blood-red seed.

I searched the boat, but the ferryman was nowhere to be found. Nor was his shadow in the river.

So, my guess was correct: the ferryman had lost nearly everything, remaining only as a soul. This time, he entered the water for me, found my grandfather’s Mountain God’s Order, but lost his last soul in the process.

He disappeared forever, merging with Forgetting River.

I sat and picked up the blood-red seed—the seed of the other shore flower. He lost the one he loved, yet still kept this seed; now, entrusting it to me, he placed his only hope in my hands. I kept his hat.

Then, I rowed away from Forgetting River.

Yet my heart remained troubled. The Mountain God’s Order had been retrieved by the ferryman, but what was the precious thing I lost in this journey?

The ferryman had said it could not be my destiny, soul, body, or lifespan. Indeed, I had lost none of these, for I was still alive and well. So what I lost must be love, kinship, or friendship—or something even more precious, or perhaps more cruel, to me.

I could not guess what it was. But when I left the netherworld, the truth would be revealed. Whether I could accept it or not, it would happen.

There was no time to delay—I had to find my grandfather and return the Mountain God’s Order, or I would lose him forever.

Landing on the banks of Forgetting River, the ghost maiden saw me alone on the boat and knelt in greeting.

She spoke not a word, nor dared to share a carriage with me; I had no mind to ask, and so they escorted me out, back to the foot of the Thirteen Streams of Yunmeng.

Wei Yang’s rope remained; I climbed up, yet did not see her at the cliff’s summit.

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