Chapter 40 Lifebound Spirit Temple

Chapter 40: Chapter 40 Lifebound Spirit Temple A slight shiver ran through Hu Ma as he realized he had already appeared inside the broken temple shrouded in red mist. In front of him, on the incense table, the Life Incense in the incense burner was already lit. A wisp of smoke extended from the mist outside, directly attached to the tip of the incense. "Huh?" Hu Ma was a bit surprised. This time, he hadn’t actively lit the Life Incense, nor had he responded to any calls. How did the connection happen? Moreover, the voice sounded somewhat familiar. Was it Brother Er Guotou? he wondered. "Haha, it’s me." The voice chuckled. "I came specifically to thank you." "How did you connect this time..." "Oh, I forgot you’re a Bai. For those we’ve connected with once, as long as we stay within a certain range, we can directly communicate." Er Guotou seemed to have sensed Hu Ma’s surprise and explained with a smile, "Of course, if you don’t like the disturbance, you can also disengage." Hu Ma didn’t understand these methods, but hearing this brother’s voice made him somewhat happy. "You made it out?" After a brief pause, Er Guotou replied, "Yes." The Reincarnator Er Guotou chuckled and said, "That girl is a bit arrogant and speaks coldly, but she gets things done." "She went to Fox Coffin Village and found the Hundred Corpse Tomb I mentioned. But instead of rushing to take the treasure, she saved me first. Then the two of us teamed up to deal with the Corpse Fox, broke into the Hundred Corpse Tomb, got the item inside, and split it equally." "At first, she didn’t say anything, and I thought I’d gotten lucky, running into such a treasure hunter." "Who would’ve thought, only when we were about to part ways did she reveal her identity. She also said you had passed on the message for me, which saved me from this disaster." "If you had gone with her then, the three of us would have had to split that item." "But since you didn’t, I couldn’t just owe you such a huge favor for nothing. So, after recovering for just a few days, I hurried to connect and thank you for saving my life." "That’s wonderful," Hu Ma said, pleased. After his earlier exchange with Er Guotou, Hu Ma had kept it in mind. However, being new here, he hadn’t learned any significant skills and couldn’t help him. The eldest miss of Grass Heart Hall hadn’t mentioned what happened afterward. Even their carriage, which had been left in Dayang Village, was retrieved by porters who refused to answer any questions. Seeing Er Guotou safe now, Hu Ma felt quite relieved and smiled, "There’s no need to be so polite; it was just a small effort on my part." "Haha, what you consider a small effort was a very big deal for me," Er Guotou laughed. "If you weren’t such a righteous person and instead harbored ill intentions, you could have hidden my information. You could have told no one, waited a few months until I couldn’t hold on and died, then come to take the treasure for yourself. Wouldn’t that have been better for you?" "Huh? There’s even a method like that?" Hu Ma was startled. Careless of me... "I heard from Miss White Wine," Er Guotou’s voice came again, laughing, "It seems you were reincarnated in a village, and things haven’t been going too well for you recently?" "Brother, words can’t express my gratitude for such a great kindness. You helped me avert a disaster. If you ever need assistance, just let me know. I’ve been reincarnated in this damned world for over thirty years; I’ve been through more dangers and experiences than you." Hu Ma considered this. "Help?" Hearing his hearty voice, Hu Ma was slightly moved. First, this person said he had been in this world for over thirty years, which meant he had been here longer than Hu Ma had been alive in this world. Does that mean we all came from the same era? With this in mind, he quickly asked. Er Guotou laughed and replied, "You really are a Bai. These are basic facts; I can teach you about these things." ""I’ve discussed it with other Reincarnators many times. Indeed, we’re all people from the same world and the same era. In fact, our birthdays are mostly concentrated within a close span of ten to twenty years. "But no one knows how it happened; we were reincarnated into this world, but at different times. "The oldest Reincarnator I know has been in this world for over eighty years. But in our original world... let’s just say, if we actually met there, he’d have to call me brother..."" Hu Ma listened carefully, becoming increasingly astonished as Er Guotou spoke. Meeting this elder brother is convenient for asking questions I didn’t understand before. he thought. But the most crucial of these is that my own method of reincarnation is indeed different from others. However, this question was not suitable to lay bare so openly. He pondered silently and simply said, "I grew up in Old Yin Mountain village, and I haven’t stepped far outside the village gate. Before connecting with you, I even thought I was the only one who had transmigrated to this uncanny world. I’m truly clueless about everything..." "Does every Reincarnator have this connecting ability?" "Yes," Er Guotou laughed. "The incense burning in our incense burner is essentially a manifestation of our Life Qi." "You can also understand it as our very life force, our ’xingming.’ The ’xing’ in that word refers to our essential nature or vitality, not the ’xing’ that means surname." "This life force is vitality. The stronger the vitality, the higher the cultivation. Once this vitality is exhausted, we die." "Usually, whenever we light the Life Incense in our Lifebound Spirit Temple, we can search for other Reincarnators by consuming our Life Qi, allowing us to exchange information and assist each other." Hu Ma listened carefully; these were things he had long wanted to understand. Last time, Miss White Wine hadn’t been very forthcoming, so he couldn’t ask in such detail. Catching the main points, he quickly asked, "When you say Lifebound Spirit Temple, do you mean..." "You should be in a dream right now," Er Guotou laughed. "Haven’t you noticed that your surroundings closely resemble a temple?" "We’ve just gotten into the habit of calling it our Lifebound Spirit Temple." ""Every Reincarnator has a temple. We don’t know if this represents a mental space, a dream, or something else. Inside the temple is that peculiar incense burner. When the Life Incense burns, it can search for other Reincarnators within a certain area. "Typically, it covers about the range of a city. If there are other Reincarnators in the city also burning Life Incense and willing to respond, then the two can connect."" Compared to Miss White Wine, this Brother Er Guotou was willing to answer anything. He even seemed a bit talkative. He clearly assumed Hu Ma had been reincarnated in a remote mountainous area and, lacking Tai Sui essence, hadn’t developed the ability to connect until now, hence his unfamiliarity. So, he patiently explained: "And behind the incense table is our Lifebound Stone Statue." ""I heard from a senior that this is a reflection of our spirit. The skills we learn and the cultivation we achieve in this world are all reflected on the stone statue. "Even some issues concerning cultivation or our own selves can appear as corresponding reflections on the stone statue, allowing us to identify our problems more directly... "...This is also why Reincarnators often have decent cultivation talent."" "Ah?" A sudden thought struck Hu Ma. It was a good thing he’d diligently honed his acting skills in front of Granny; otherwise, he might have revealed his true situation. He was indeed different from other Reincarnators. In their temples, behind the incense table, can they all see a stone statue? And does that statue resemble them? He abruptly lifted his head, looking behind his own incense table. The incense table was dilapidated, surrounded by swirling, ominous red fog. Beyond it, there was only darkness. Vaguely, he could perceive the outline of a Divine Statue, but it was enveloped in a thick, dark red fog, completely preventing him from seeing it clearly, unlike Er Guotou described. He stared at the Divine Statue, feeling as if it were gazing back at him. An inexplicable feeling struck him. After a long pause, he tentatively asked, "So, you also recalled your previous life after turning three?" "Isn’t that how it is for everyone?" Er Guotou chuckled when Hu Ma asked such a simple question. ""Most recall around three years old. Of course, some exceptionally talented individuals might remember earlier or later. "Generally, they are in a dazed state between the ages of three and ten. Then, they’re suddenly awakened by some voice, recalling events of their previous life. As they grow older and their vitality strengthens, they discover their Lifebound Spirit Temple and find other Reincarnators."" "A voice..." Hu Ma listened intently. He hesitated slightly, then cautiously asked, "The voice you heard, was it also that kind of..." "Yes, a very peculiar voice," Er Guotou sighed. "We don’t know who it was, nor do we remember exactly what was said. But it vaguely warned us to be careful about our circumstances and not to expose our identities." "We’ve discussed it with others, but no one knows what it is. We just call it the ’awakener.’" It’s confirmed... Hu Ma thought, his heart trembling. He had confirmed the ways he differed from others. Other Reincarnators were like actual Reincarnators. He, however, seemed to be a latecomer who joined midway. Others had Lifebound Spirit Temples that could reflect their cultivation, but his Lifebound Spirit Temple looked dilapidated and long abandoned. Others were awakened by a certain voice, but he... he was awakened by Granny... Having confirmed his differences from other Reincarnators, he felt even more hesitant to directly ask some of the questions on his mind. But Er Guotou, noticing Hu Ma’s contemplative silence and understanding that a newcomer like him had much to process, laughed, "Our experiences are bizarre, but there’s nothing we can do but accept our fate. Brother, take your time to digest all this. But if you ever need help, just let me know." "I’m eager to repay this big favor of yours." Hu Ma could tell Er Guotou wasn’t just being polite or perfunctory. He gradually came to realize that no matter how different he was from others, things were already as they were, and he could think about it slowly later. However, an important question still troubled him. So, he pondered for a moment, organized his thoughts, and slowly said, "Speaking of which, I do indeed have a question I’d like to ask your guidance on..." "Have you ever heard of the people who stoke the furnace?" "Stoking the furnace?" Brother Er Guotou, who was indeed widely experienced, chuckled upon hearing this. "That’s a skill of the Shousui man, isn’t it?"