Chapter 7: The Symbiosis of Soul Seals

"Rumble." The mountain waterfall cascaded down like a silver galaxy, sending spray flying and mist swirling. Under the light of the violet sun, the scene, while colorful, possessed an eerie and unsettling stillness.

Behind the waterfall, through a small cave, lay three thatched cottages. What should have been a paradise was now shrouded in an atmosphere as suffocating as death, silent enough to make one's skin crawl.

Following the little white snake to this place, Ling Xuan was taken aback. Ye Ziyan was filled with disbelief; how could such a place exist behind the mountain?

As he reached to push open the door of a cottage, Ling Xuan quickly stopped her. "Don't."

"Why?" Ye Ziyan asked, confused.

Images of his grandfather’s teachings surfaced in his mind: the Taiji Needle Technique, the interplay of the void and the substantial—the void is substantial, and the substantial is void. If his grandfather had truly arranged this, there should have been a water vat in front of the cottages. Yet, there was no sign of one.

If there was water, it was only the waterfall outside. Ling Xuan felt a moment of vertigo. "What else did Grandfather tell you?"

"Grandfather only told us to come to the back mountain," Ye Ziyan affirmed.

Hearing this, Ling Xuan quickly backed away. "Get out of here."

"Do you think you can leave?" A cold laugh echoed from the cave as Uncle Gou leaped out.

*Whoosh.* A black arrow was fired instantly.

Uncle Gou chuckled, swinging a short black blade in an arc that cut the arrow in two. "Little girl Ziyan, your archery is useless against me."

"The Great Heavenly Cycle?"

The atmosphere shifted abruptly as energy surged through Uncle Gou. Ling Xuan was stunned. He clearly remembered that when he treated Uncle Gou, he hadn't detected any internal energy at all. How could he have reached such a level of cultivation in less than a day?

"You fake grandson, shouldn't you be thanking me?" Uncle Gou grinned, his mouth twisted. "Elder Chu sealed my cultivation, and you just happened to unlock it for me. To show my gratitude, I'll leave your corpse intact."

"Then pay me for the consultation!" Ling Xuan laughed, pulling out a copper coin. "Dog-Nose, keeping old coins from a previous dynasty—are you planning a rebellion?"

Seeing Uncle Gou momentarily stunned, Ye Ziyan shouted angrily, and a black arrow wreathed in purple light shot out. "You're courting death!"

"I told you it's useless against me." The black blade swept out again, its dark energy swelling instantly to shatter the arrow into dust.

Before the words faded, Ye Ziyan leaped forward, her purple jade phoenix hairpin flashing through the air.

Ling Xuan was left dumbfounded. In a battle between Great Heavenly Cycle experts, he was merely at the Pulse-Opening stage—a tiny figure who couldn't intervene. He could only see shadows dancing, two streaks of cold light entwining, and black radiance flashing; he couldn't even tell who was gaining the upper hand.

Even worse, another figure emerged from the cave, speaking in a raspy voice. "Dog-Nose, good. You found a way."

"Village Chief, hurry! Don't let the fake grandson get away," Uncle Gou said without hesitation. "Grab that copper coin back for me."

"Another Great Heavenly Cycle expert!"

Ling Xuan was lost. Why were all these people at the Great Heavenly Cycle level?

The Village Chief laughed, his voice as raspy as a cold crow, and suddenly threw a punch.

Tipping his toes, Ling Xuan utilized the footwork he had learned from the little white snake and shifted horizontally. Even so, the force of the punch made him stumble, his ears ringing with pain.

"Huh? What kind of movement technique is that?" the Village Chief asked, puzzled.

"The kind that kills you," Ling Xuan retorted. On a hunch, he realized that if the little white snake couldn't even harm Ye Ziyan's delicate skin, it should be more than enough to deal with a fist. He lashed it out.

The Village Chief was caught off guard, and the little white snake wrapped around his wrist. With a flick of its crimson tongue, two tiny puncture marks appeared on his arm. He recoiled in shock. "A snake?"

He shook his hand violently, but the little white snake performed a mid-air spin and darted back to land on Ling Xuan’s arm.

While the snake’s bite didn't affect Ling Xuan, the Village Chief’s arm turned blue instantly.

"Boy, give me the antidote!" the Village Chief roared.

"Go to hell!" Seeing the snake's attack was effective, Ling Xuan felt a surge of joy. If they wanted his life, he wouldn't make it easy for them. He threw the snake again.

Just as he was about to land the blow, a dark shadow lunged from the side—it was the Squad Leader, who slammed a palm directly into Ling Xuan’s chest, right where the "Spirit Snake Coiling the Moon" mark was.

*Bang.*

Ling Xuan’s body flew backward, crashing into the nearby cliff.

The Squad Leader didn't seem to fare much better, stumbling back. "This boy's chest is strange!"

A searing heat enveloped Ling Xuan’s entire body. His eyes turned blood-red, and a crimson light erupted from his chest, transforming into a red serpent that lunged at the Squad Leader’s face.

In an instant, his vision was soaked in blood, everything turning crimson.

Vaguely, he saw the Squad Leader’s face rotting, black energy crawling like earthworms across his skin. The man collapsed to the ground in terror, his eyes full of horror. "Demonic... soul?"

The Village Chief gritted his teeth, drew the blade at his waist, severed his own right arm, and turned to flee. "Go!"

But before he could take two steps, the Squad Leader lunged at him, biting down. "If I die, I'm taking you with me."

Ling Xuan felt as if all his strength had drained away. A whisper mixed with a hissing sound echoed in his ears. A flash of purple light appeared before his eyes, then his eyelids grew heavy. His body turned bright red, twisting like a giant python that had suffered a grievous wound.

"Wake up!"

He didn't know how much time had passed when Ye Ziyan slapped him across the face.

"A blow is a sign of affection, and a scolding is a sign of love—is my wife expressing her devotion?" Ling Xuan said, still oblivious to what had happened, a playful smirk on his lips.

His vision had cleared, but black blood trickled from his nostrils. Before him lay two corpses—the Village Chief and the Squad Leader—their faces covered in black bruises and their bodies decaying.

The little white snake was listless, its scales dim as it coiled around his wrist.

Ye Ziyan had blood dripping from her fingertip, which she pressed onto the mark on his chest—the crescent moon birthmark, now covering the vertical pupil of the little snake.

Eerily, the blood didn't run off but seeped into the mark, bringing a trace of cooling relief.

"What happened?" Ling Xuan was confused.

"Shut up," Ye Ziyan said, her eyes filled with exhaustion and a trace of annoyance. "Who told you to use the power of the Shikigami when the timing wasn't right?"

"Yin and Yang were out of balance—did I demonize?" Ling Xuan was dazed. He couldn't remember what he had done; it seemed as though a red light had erupted, consuming all his energy, and then, amidst the whispers, he had lost consciousness.

Yet, it wasn't as if he had wanted to use it; it had been forced out. When the Squad Leader hit his chest, it seemed to have triggered the release of the red serpent.

He looked around. They were still in front of the thatched cottages, but the structures had been destroyed, dry thatch scattered everywhere. As he suspected, there was nothing inside.

Uncle Gou was nowhere to be seen. He asked, "Did my wife sacrifice herself to save her husband and drive Uncle Gou away?"

"He was swallowed by the little one," Ye Ziyan said, at a loss for words. How could Ling Xuan keep such a cheeky demeanor?

When Ling Xuan was unconscious, the little white snake seemed to be stimulated by something; it had expanded instantly, its massive maw swallowing Uncle Gou. It had twisted and thrashed, destroying the cottages and sending thatch flying, before shrinking back down to its current state.

Ling Xuan was more confused than ever. Before he lost consciousness, he clearly remembered a purple glow—it had looked like a purple phoenix, each of its eyes containing seven points of starlight, and its claws were exactly like the giant purple talons he had seen in his blurred vision.

The "Spirit Snake Coiling the Moon" was a great Shikigami, but it was also a curse. Was he truly destined to turn into a crimson giant serpent and die at the hands of those purple claws?

Since Ye Ziyan wouldn't say, he didn't press her. He knew it was her secret, and she didn't want him to know. A wicked smile curled his lips. "Your blood can balance my Yin and Yang—should we try a different method?"

"Get lost. Blood of the same age and extreme Yin can only temporarily alleviate your heat poison," Ye Ziyan said, her ears turning red, her tone dismissive.

Struggling to stand, Ling Xuan smiled faintly. "Uncle Gou's conspiracy isn't fully uncovered yet. Does my wife still recognize me as your husband?"

"Find out the secret of the copper coin," Ye Ziyan muttered, pouting. "Didn't you see that young gentleman with the folding fan?"

"You could see him?" Ling Xuan was startled.

Ye Ziyan glared at him. "Grandfather said this is a soul-bound connection. Did you think we could be separated?"

*A soul-bound connection?* Monthly drinking of her blood—was it to save her, or to suppress the spirit snake within him?

The purple talons had torn through the red serpent, causing the piercing pain in his chest—was he being cornered?

Ling Xuan searched through all his memories. His grandfather had never said anything like that, only once muttering inexplicably: "Taiji Needle Technique, the intersection of Yin and Yang, controlling the soul rather than riding it."

Ye Ziyan needed a drop of his blood every month, and he didn't need to do the same to her—could it be related to the Taiji Wuji?

He hadn't understood it then, and he didn't fully understand it now, but he felt he was beginning to grasp a shred of the truth.

"Do not mobilize your Yin and Yang energy for the next twelve hours," Ye Ziyan warned. "Otherwise, if you want to die, I won't stop you."

"It's already begun to demonize," Ling Xuan murmured, catching sight of a snake-like marking appearing on his arm.

*Clink.* A soft sound caught his attention. He turned to see a black iron token that had fallen from the Squad Leader's body.

The two characters "Yuwen" were clearly visible, leaving Ling Xuan stunned. "Could this be related to Elder Chu's former status as an Imperial Physician? Is that why the Village Chief and Squad Leader were constantly targeting the Chu family, preventing the couple from returning for so many years? But why would the Yuwen family target the Chu family?"