Ten Thousand Soul Banner: Deceased, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?-Chapter 960 - 956: Gift

Jiang Yuanliu saw that Shen Siyuan didn’t deny it, which confirmed his suspicions even more, and his hands trembled with excitement.

He composed himself before slowly voicing the questions in his heart: "Mr. Shen, I have lived for most of my life, relying on these eyes to see many lonely spirits, and have helped people deal with some matters of yin and yang. But I’ve always had a question: why are there so many lonely souls in this world? If they let go of their obsessions, do they dissipate or go to the Netherworld... is the Reincarnation real? My wife has been gone for several years, and I always wonder if she’s doing well over there, if she can wait for me until my century is up, to resume our past life together..."

As he spoke the last words, Jiang Yuanliu’s voice choked, and tears welled up in his eyes.

He wiped his tears with a raised hand and quickly added, "I understand that these questions may involve heavenly secrets, and if sir finds it inconvenient to answer, I absolutely won’t press further! It’s just... I’m truly worried about my wife and hope sir can understand my heartfelt concern."

Shen Siyuan was somewhat moved by Jiang Yuanliu’s earnestness.

He picked up the coffee on the table, took a sip, and only then slowly began to speak: "The Netherworld is not as sinister and terrifying as you think, but it’s also not as wonderful as you imagine. It is a transitional place between the yin and yang realms and the transit station for soul reincarnation..."

"Those who pass away enter the Netherworld and are placed according to their lifetime’s deeds, the good enter the land of virtue, enjoying peace; the evil enter the land of evil, repaying sins..."

"As for Reincarnation, it truly exists. Souls stay in the Netherworld for an appropriate amount of time, cleanse the memories of past lives, and then reenter the cycle to begin a new life..."

Jiang Yuanliu held his breath, listening intently, afraid to miss a single word.

Upon hearing "the good enter the land of virtue," his tense body relaxed noticeably, and the tears in his eyes showed a bit more relief.

"Then... then my wife, she was a kind person in her lifetime, never did anything bad, and always helped the neighbors. Can she live peacefully in the Netherworld?"

Jiang Yuanliu asked urgently, his hands tightly clasped, fearing a negative reply.

Shen Siyuan hesitated upon hearing this, unsure whether to reveal the truth.

This truth might be too harsh for Jiang Yuanliu.

After contemplating, he asked instead: "You’ve been in the yin and yang master profession for quite a while, haven’t you?"

Jiang Yuanliu hurriedly responded: "I was introduced to this field by my elders at a young age, took a hiatus for several decades, and only returned to it in the past few decades. Overall, the time isn’t very long..."

"That’s not short either. In all this time, are you really unaware of the situation in the Netherworld?" Shen Siyuan retorted.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuanliu’s face turned somewhat pale.

He actually knew everything, just unwilling to accept it, and encountering Xiao Yue and others reignited a thread of hope.

"Why... why...?"

Jiang Yuanliu mumbled, his eyes moist, appearing extremely sad and pained.

He refused to believe that his wife had completely let him go, refused to believe that she had dissipated and returned to nature.

"Netherworld... Netherworld is obscured... Reincarnation severed... why... why is it so?"

Jiang Yuanliu, who had weathered many storms, soon composed himself to inquire about his greatest doubt.

"Because the Netherworld is polluted." Shen Siyuan answered without concealing the fact.

"Polluted?" Jiang Yuanliu was quite surprised.

"It’s a long story..."

Shen Siyuan explained the source of the evil to Jiang Yuanliu.

After hearing this, Jiang Yuanliu understood, then nervously asked: "Given this, will the Netherworld ever return, will Reincarnation restart?"

"Of course, that day will come." Shen Siyuan smiled.

Jiang Yuanliu suddenly realized something, the figure before him might be tasked with restarting Reincarnation.

Upon realizing this, he immediately stood up and bowed deeply to Shen Siyuan, who was somewhat bewildered emotionally.

"No need to be so courteous."

"I represent humanity in thanking Mr. Shen, hoping that on the day I die, I can witness your restarting of Reincarnation..."

Shen Siyuan nodded ambiguously.

When Jiang Yuanliu sat back down, his fingers still trembled slightly, indicating that he hadn’t fully recovered from the news of "pollution."

He picked up the water glass from the table, took a large gulp, and as if reaching a determination, looked up at Shen Siyuan with a probing and somewhat anxious gaze.

"Mr. Shen... I have one more matter to inquire about, unsure if I should ask."

His voice was lower compared to before, carrying a hint of tension.

Shen Siyuan put down the coffee cup and looked at him placidly: "Speak freely."

Jiang Yuanliu took a deep breath, as if fearing he might touch a taboo, he slowly spoke: "Are you... are you from Bin Hai?"

Upon hearing this, a trace of astonishment flashed in Shen Siyuan’s eyes.

He had traveled to Xi’an quietly and never mentioned his origin to Jiang Yuanliu, how could the other party know? He didn’t directly deny it, opting instead to nod slightly: "I am indeed from Bin Hai, how did you know?"

At the moment of confirmation, Jiang Yuanliu’s face turned pale, his hands tightened fiercely, knuckles turning white, even his breathing subconsciously lightened.

The gaze initially filled with anticipation was instantly replaced by fear, his body even slightly retreated, as if realizing whom he was facing.

"It... it really is you..."

Jiang Yuanliu’s voice trembled, and he hurriedly rose to his feet, attempting to bow again but stumbled in his anxiety, nearly hitting the table.

Shen Siyuan lifted an eyebrow upon seeing this: "What’s the matter with you? Just being from Bin Hai warrants such a reaction?"

Jiang Yuanliu steadied himself but dared not sit back down, only stood tall, his tone filled with reverence and even a hint of fear.

"Mr. Shen, you may not know! Your reputation has long spread throughout our community! Though no one knows your full name, anyone with knowledge as a yin yang master knows your title!"

He swallowed, as if recalling an astonishing rumor, and his voice carried an ethereal note.

"Just the other day, you wielded a sword that stretched across the north and south, that mighty power is vivid in my memory to this day..."

Shen Siyuan understood upon hearing this.

"When I saw you, I should have known, for someone like you, there cannot be another in this world..."

"Don’t just stand there, have a seat." Shen Siyuan noticed others looking over and hurriedly motioned for Jiang Yuanliu to sit down.

But the other party still refused to sit down.

Instead, he took off the shoulder bag he had been carrying and placed it on the table, cautiously pushing it in front of Shen Siyuan.

"What is this?" Shen Siyuan asked with curiosity.

"This is my family’s ancestral artifact, though I have yet to ascertain its purpose. Meeting you, Mr. Shen, I present it to you. Perhaps it might find some use..."

Shen Siyuan, hearing this, didn’t decline and curiously opened the cloth bundle.