Monarch Night
Chapter 99 - 58 You Deserve the Best Wine in the World

Chapter 99: Chapter 58 You Deserve the Best Wine in the World

Ghosts!

Fang Che had a look of sheer disbelief.

You just said there weren’t any a moment ago.

And were all puffing up with anger about going after my instructor.

Now, look at you.

Suddenly, it’s ghost this, ghost that.

"But you just said there weren’t any..." Fang Che felt a bit aggrieved.

"Nonsense, can humans and demon beasts be the same?"

The old man said angrily, "Isn’t this just nitpicking? Besides, it’s not like there are many demon beasts either; you might not see one in hundreds of thousands of years."

"Uh."

The old man huffed and said, "Let me put it to you this way, humans are the foremost spiritual beings between heaven and earth, understand? Divine soul and physical body are integrated; in existence, there is wholeness, in death, there is nothingness. As for divine soul power, after the death of a highly skilled cultivator, there may briefly exist a divine body that can be seen by others, but it definitely won’t last long."

"It’s like a gust of wind in the world. Once you imprison the space, the wind that blew through the space you’ve confined is naturally trapped inside, but is it still wind?"

The old man said, "Do you understand now?"

"I understand."

"Upon death, the soul turns into a kind of power or an aura and melts into the world. Some soul powers, upon the person’s death, if there is a heavily yin-filled mass grave or Tongyou Spring nearby, might cling to it as a pure force field, but they absolutely won’t have any consciousness."

"And this soul power of the demon beast—it’s the best nourishment for these force fields or auras."

"In simple terms, it’s that these places have too many deceased humans or spiritual beasts, which lead to a strong concentration of soul power, or they are in contact with forbidden places underground that emit ghost-like powers, allowing these lone spirit souls to absorb nutrients and thus exist and grow stronger."

"But such instances are exceedingly rare, perhaps once in ten thousand years. It must be a demon beast, it must reach a certain level, it must die just right, with such a place nearby, and then it must escape into it without any damage, and it can’t be a small graveyard that gets absorbed in a few days..."

"It’s something you come across by chance, not something you seek."

Fang Che nodded silently.

So the spirit soul of the Golden Horned Flood Dragon is actually this valuable?

Truly beyond anything I could have imagined in this life or the past.

"However..."

The old man looked somewhat sheepish, coughed twice, and said, "What I told you before about soul bodies not existing alone, only applies to those below the Lord Level... As for above that, the Holy Level, whether they can exist or not, this... I do not know. I personally believe there are none, but don’t let me mislead you into thinking there are absolutely none."

Fang Che’s mouth twitched: That’s... quite a statement.

"Because this demon beast spirit soul is actually also a legend, cough, but there are more legends about them than humans... I didn’t expect them to really exist!"

The more the old man spoke, the more excited he became, grabbing Fang Che, "Where did you find it? Where? Take me to see it! This thing, it’s like a ghost, damn it... after all these years, who has truly seen a ghost? I’m very interested!"

"..."

Fang Che was a bit dizzy and raised his hand, "Teacher, slow down... Although I have seen it, I can’t tell you."

"Fair enough, I wouldn’t tell you either if I were you."

The old man was quite understanding and asked, "So the cultivation technique you’re looking for is for this spirit soul?"

"Yes. That cultivation technique..."

"There is none!"

The old man said confidently.

"..."

Fang Che almost spat blood.

Talking so authoritatively, only to end with there being none.

"There can’t be one!"

The old man said, "I can tell you very certainly, there’s no such thing anywhere in the world."

"Why not?"

"Why not? You’re a martial artist, and you have the nerve to ask why not? Can the living create that kind of technique? Ridiculous! People are dead, they’ve turned into ghosts, and you still want them to write a book for you?"

The old man tapped on Fang Che’s forehead forcefully, "Is your head filled with shit?"

Fang Che murmured, "Then those legendary ghost cultivators..."

"You know it’s a legend!"

The old man huffed, "How many legends are true!"

Fang Che obediently accepted the lesson and humbly asked for advice, "Then how should this thing progress?"

"It doesn’t need to do much, as long as you find a few more graveyards, Tongyou Springs, and such, they will grow stronger on their own."

The old man looked at him with a strange gaze, "You’ve been in contact with this demon beast spirit soul and are seeking a cultivation technique, have you tamed it?"

"No."

Fang Che said, "If I had tamed it, I wouldn’t be here."

"I don’t think you have the ability either. Such ghosts can survive where they’ve grown, but if you take them out, they’ll dissipate under the scorching sun in no time."

The old man sneered, "Unless you have a Divine Weapon that can house it. Let it go out on its own at night to find burial grounds to absorb energy, otherwise there’s no possibility."

"Ah!"

Fang Che looked downcast, "Isn’t that the truth. If I had a Divine Weapon, I wouldn’t need to look for such elusive techniques."

"Heh heh."

The old man pondered for a while, then said, "If you really have the confidence to tame it, I can suggest you try your luck in a place."

"Which place?"

The old man furrowed his brows, thinking, then said, "Ten jin per jar, Baiyun Martial Academy’s Tiexue Platform, over twenty years old, two jars wouldn’t be too much to ask, right?"

"Not too much, not too much at all."

The old man hesitated again.

For a long while he couldn’t make up his mind, muttering to himself, "You finding that thing, and it being willing to follow you, this is a stroke of fortune... and such fortune, is something you can encounter but not seek. Those who stumble upon such fortune, are usually people with great destiny..."

He went on, "Fortune is both opportunity and risk. It all depends on whether your destiny can withstand the risks you face. That’s what you mean, right?"

Fang Che didn’t know what he was considering, and could only wait.

After a long while, the old man finally spoke with a solemn and weighted spirit, "I can tell you, but you have to promise me, if you’re unsure, don’t go. If you do decide to go, only make the trip in times when everything is going particularly well and you are at a point where your aspirations effortlessly succeed."

"Because at such times, your own destiny is at its richest, often able to turn misfortune into blessing, and hardship into serendipity."

The old man said sternly, "Don’t laugh! This is not superstition or nonsense. It’s a fact!"

Fang Che: I’m not laughing...

"That place is in the Wan Ling Zhi Forest, near the center there is a low mountain called Jinding Peak Mountain. It’s easy to find; from a distance, the entire mountain top is a golden color, shining and glowing, and only seems ordinary when you get close."

"The Divine Attribute Metals are found most abundantly nearby."

"Because that mountain, the entire mountain itself is a natural magnetic field. Any extraterrestrial meteorite that falls, for the most part, lands there; there are several such places on the continent, but the closest one is there."

"That’s why every year, many experts from the Weaponry List make trips there. Those with good luck might encounter Divine Attribute Metal."

"But it’s very dangerous there, and it’s easy for those without sufficient strength to die unnatural deaths. Therefore, we at the Baiyun Martial Academy can only make the trip when the big shots lead a team of experts."

"But every trip ends with nothing found."

"And I... met bad luck on one such trip... and could only read books in the Dian ji Building afterwards."

The old man’s voice carried a hint of desolation.

Fang Che was startled.

Such a large team of experts met with calamity, how severe could that be? Since it was such a misfortune, yet the Baiyun Martial Academy had no news of significant losses.

So... someone must have held their ground. Who it was?

This thought sent a chill through his heart.

It seemed that the old man had once been a person of significance.

"The place has been told to you. Whether you go or not, and when to go, discuss it with your instructor. As for the wine, there’s no need to give it to me now. After you return will not be too late."

"You may go now."

The old man’s face showed an infinite melancholy, his eyes filled with memories.

As if he was recalling the eventful years of the past.

That kind of nostalgia and decline.

"Go ahead, why aren’t you leaving?!"

The old man suddenly started to scold angrily.

But when he looked up ready to shoo away, he was startled to find that Fang Che had already left.

He had already gone!

The old man was instantly furious, "Damn it! Another heartless one!"

He angrily turned around and sat down shakily on the armchair, muttering, "To disappear without a trace after getting the information, not one of them is good! Indeed, not one of them!"

Fuming, he closed his eyes.

Refusing to look any further.

After quite a long time, someone suddenly entered the room, and the old man, with his eyes closed, shouted angrily, "Who is it? Get out! We are closed for today!"

But he heard a familiar voice laugh, "Teacher."

It was the same young man from earlier.

The old man, beside himself with frustration, opened his eyes and stood up, ready to explode.

But then he saw in Fang Che’s two hands, he was carrying a big bag in each, filled with wine jars.

A full ten jars of wine.

"That’s all they had in the shop."

Fang Che said, "Teacher, you drink these first, and we can talk when they are finished."

The old man forced himself to stay composed and said, "I am sending you to your death, why have you brought so much wine?"

"This is my fortune."

Fang Che set the wine down and said, "Meeting the teacher is also my fortune. And it may not be a death sentence. Since my cultivation is currently weak, I won’t take the risk, but as the fortune exists, I’ll leave everything for the future."

"But for now, let me invite the teacher to drink to his heart’s content."

"Teacher, I shall take my leave now, you should rest early too."

The old man muttered, "Too much wine; I only need two jars."

Fang Che bowed respectfully, turned, and headed for the door, softly saying, "In all these years, there was never word from Baiyun Martial Academy of an instructor perishing, a miracle. Only today did I learn, if it’s a miracle, there are those who created it. And those creators, they bore it all."

"Teacher, you are one of those who created miracles."

"You deserve the world’s finest wine."

Fang Che disappeared at the doorway.

The bead curtain at the door fell down, making a clatter, swaying back and forth.

The old man stood there stupefied.

For a long while, he remained motionless.

Feeling like something was stuck in his throat, he couldn’t cough it out.

His heart felt warm in waves.

By the time he came to and wanted to say something, the curtain had stopped swaying.

He sat down heavily in the chair, one hand caressing the wine jars, and after a moment, he cursed, "Damn kid! Intentionally upsetting me!"

While cursing, there was a smile on his lips, but there were tears in his eyes.

......

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