Chapter 191: "I Need to Get Stronger (1)"
Jun Wu Xie returned to Lin Palace immediately and had a meeting with Jun Xian and Jun Qing in the study, to have them tell her all about the Soul Jade.
Jun Xian's expression grew grave as he heaved a sigh and said: "The Soul Jade has been buried together with your father."
Jun Wu Xie remained silent, as she observed Jun Xian's and Jun Qing's expressions. She gathered both father and son were reluctant to disturb her father's rest.
From Jun Xian, she learnt that people of this world would place a piece of jade into the mouth of the deceased to ward off evil, and believed that this would allow the soul to rest in peace. Having a piece of jade put in the mouths of deceased persons and buried was a practice Jun Wu Xie had heard of in her previous life as well. It was an ancient custom from a long time ago.
The Soul Jade was bestowed to their family by the founding Emperor, and a symbol of the glory of Qi. When Jun Gu was killed in battle, Jun Xian was devastated and things linked to his past glories achieved from his own battles only served to remind him painfully of his loss, and he decided to bury the Soul Jade with Jun Gu.
Who would have expected that after so many years, Qing Yun Clan would come searching for the very same Soul Jade?
"With regards to this, your uncle and I will settle the issue." Jun Xian sighed, having come to a decision in his heart.
The deceased was no longer here, while the living continue to suffer the tribulations of life. The might of the Qing Yun Clan was not something that Lin Palace could stand up to. Even if they refused, the fact that the Soul Jade was buried together with Jun Gu was widely known among the people, and with the slightest probe, the Qing Yun Clan would easily find out about it.
Knowing Qing Yun Clan's tyrannical ways, they will disregard any protest the Jun Family put up.
Instead of having the Qing Yun Clan dig up the grave forcefully, they would rather carry out the task themselves.
Jun Wu Xie, remained silent, as she saw the look of helplessness and grief on the faces of Jun Xian and Jun Qing, as she gripped her hands tightly.
Their disparity in might, showed her clearly how harsh reality could be.
The law of the jungle, the weak stands at the mercy of the strong. However reluctant they might be, there was no other way.
So what if she could forced the Emperor into abdication? As large as the world was, the were many powers that could coerce the Jun Family into submission.
The current situation being an example. The Qing Yun Clan had forced the Jun Family to have no choice but to desecrate Jun Gu's grave, or if Qing Yun Clan were to find out what Jun Wu Xie had done to Bai Yun Xian, the whole Jun Family would be annihilated.
Even with the hundred thousand strong Rui Lin Army defending them, the delegation of over twenty from Qing Yun Clan, had many highly skilled exponents among them. With Jiang Chen Qing's prowess, if he wanted to kill the family of three in the Lin Palace, the whole of Rui Lin Army might not be able to stop them!
Jun Wu Xie gritted her teeth, she didn't want the Jun Family so helpless.
"You should go rest up." Jun Xian sighed heavily. He was feeling very reluctant, but he was not prepared to risk the lives of his son and granddaughter.
Persecuted though no fault of theirs.
The noble Jun Family had to suffer such injustice.
If the Qing Yun Clan was aware that the other half of the Soul Jade was in the Jun Family's possession. The Qing Yun Clan will come knocking in demand if the Jun Family did not surrender it.
Jun Wu Xie stood up, and left without a word.
She walked out of the study and looked up into the night sky. The bright round moon and the star studded sky could not stir up any feelings of appreciation.
"What's on your mind?" A bemused voice rang out.
Jun Wu Xie did not turn her head, as she knew who that was.
"Jun Wu Yao." She called, eyes fixed to the sky.
"Hmm?"
"Are you strong?"
The steps that were going towards Jun Wu Xie stopped. He did not rush up as he usually did, to put her in his embrace. He narrowed his eyes, and looked at the solitary back before him.
"I would think so."
Chapter 192: "I Need to Get Stronger (2)"
"How strong?" Jun Wu Xie asked still staring at the night sky.
Jun Wu Yao laughed, "How strong do you want me to be?"
"Strong enought to kill all those people, can you do it?" Jun Wu Xie finally turned, her clear eyes flashed with determination.
No one would understand, what she had felt when she saw the looks of helplessness and despair on Jun Xian and Jun Qing, and how much it had hurt her.
Her family, should not live so compromised.
Jun Wu Yao raised an eyebrow, this was the first time Jun Wu Xie had asked him to kill someone and he was surprised. He had always thought the little girl was not too interested in him.
"Whatever you long for, there is not much that can stop me." Jun Wu Yao smiled.
"They want something from the Jun Family, but if we give it to them, my grandfather and uncle will be heartbroken." Jun Wu Xie said, biting on her lip. She might still not understand much on the emotions involved in relationships between people, but the prickling pain in her heart could clearly be felt.
Jun Wu Xie did not know, why she was telling all this to Jun Wu Yao.
The man was mysterious, dangerous and savage. But somehow, she had a feeling that she just needed to ask, and he would deliver.
This inexplicable trust, confused her totally.
"If you don't feel like giving it to them, then just keep it." Jun Wu Yao saw a different Jun Wu Xie tonight. Her eyes showed confusion with the myriad emotions within, like she was thinking, and learning at the same time.
"The other party is too strong, much stronger than Lin Palace. If we refuse, they will strike at Lin Palace." Jun Wu Xie was certain, Lin Palace was nothing in the eyes of the Qing Yun Clan. In fact, not just Lin Palace, they thought nothing of the whole Kingdom of Qi.
You could tell, from the way Jiang Chen Qing had treated Mo Qian Yuan, the Emperor of Qi.
Rise up in protest, or cower in subservience?
"Then, just kill them all." Jun Wu Yao's laughter was almost devilish, his easy tone of voice made it seem killing people mattered little to him.
"You are thinking whether to endure the pain to avoid the heavy repercussions that will come?" Jun Wu Yao asked when Jun Wu Xie remained silent.
Jun Wu Xie hesitated further before nodding slightly.
She acted as she did with the former Emperor and the Second Prince as she had complete confidence to root out the evil completely, without having to fear for any consequences. But she was not so sure with the might of the Qing Yun Clan.
It would not be difficult to kill the delegates here in the Imperial City, but the repercussions from their vengeance will be impossible to deal with.
Jun Wu Yao walked up to stand beside Jun Wu Xie. He raised his hands and held Jun Wu Xie's shoulders and turned towards him to look at her straight into her misty eyes.
"To give in, will always be the choice of weaklings. You concede a step now, and you will get used to giving in. You do not feel like giving in one bit, right?"
"Right." Jun Wu Xie nodded. The Jun Family had endured too much the past ten years, and she was not willing to allow her grandfather and uncle live under any form of suppression anymore. Handing over the Soul Jade might buy them some temporary peace, but the confidence the Jun Family won from the people after the tribulations fighting for the regime change, will be for naught and sink back into negativity.
"Then do not give in, I owe you a debt. So..... make use of me whatever way you like." Jun Wu Yao gave her a wide smile, bowed deeply and took her small hand in his, and laid a gentle kiss on it.
"I can be the blade you wield, and be your shield from your enemies, you can choose to use me in whatever way you want."
Jun Wu Xie stared at him, "Why?" They did not owe each other anymore, why was he willing to help her to such an extent?
Chapter 193: "I Need to Get Stronger (3)"
Jun Wu Yao laughed at her question: "It's my pleasure."
What an wilful and arrogant answer!
Jun Wu Xie stared silently, trying to fathom the man's heart and guess what he was thinking.
"Just do what you want to do. I will be with you at all times protecting you. I am your brother, protecting my sister is to be expected. Right?" Jun Wu Yao raised a hand and ruffled her head and a thought came into his mind. If this little girl would speak to him civilly all the time like today, even without the embrace and kisses, it felt rather comforting.
Jun Wu Xie was surprised.
Brother?
That qualifies as family as well right?
Jun Wu Xie stood in front of Jun Wu Yao for a moment more, her eyes different from before. She nodded at Jun Wu Yao, and turned away, running to the study.
She was rushing to tell Jun Xian and Jun Qing, she didn't want to dig up her father's grave.
Even if it meant going against the Qing Yun Clan, the Jun Family will not bend their backs an inch!
Seeing Jun Wu Xie back disappearing from his sight in the distance, Jun Wu Yao could not stop smiling.
"This was the first time the little devil had spoken in such an amicable manner to me, it felt rather good." Jun Wu Yao was in the courtyard alone, as if talking to himself.
A shadow appeared beside him, barely visible standing within Jun Wu Yao's shadow.
"The Missy sees you treat her well, my Lord." The man in black replied in a low voice, having witnessed everything earlier. He stole a peek at Jun Wu Yao, and felt that something seemed not right.
"Besides Jun Xian and Jun Qing, she had never spoken to anyone so amicably." Jun Wu Yao was in a great mood, thinking how she had always bossed over the damned Crown Prince all over the place, and remembering the look in Jun Wu Xie's eyes when she left, his stone cold heart gave a seldom seen flutter.
"The Miss places great importance on family." The shadow reminded cautiously.
However, the Lord's mood was almost ecstatic and did not catch it.
"Right."
The shadow looked at the happy smile plastered on his Lord's face and was nervously thinking whether he should remind his Lord, that this Miss change in attitude towards him might be taking a completely different direction from what his Lord is thinking?
The Miss had obviously heard and hung on to his Lord's proclamation of being her 'brother'!
Clearly the Miss had steered the relationship with his Lord toward the direction of being siblings!
His Lord was more inclined to be her lover than a brother.....
"Go find out everything you can about the tiny Qing Yun Clan." Jun Wu Yao exhorted. If Jun Wu Xie decides to retaliate, exterminating the delegation from Qing Yun Clan will only be the beginning. The Jun Wu Xie he knew, will annihilate them by rooting them out completely.
"Yes, my Lord." Seeing his savage and vicious lord, spurred on by this Miss's 'grateful' eyes, starting to plan for her upcoming campaign, he did not know whether to laugh or to cry.
Being so sweet and meticulous, was never a trait he saw in his Lord.
"My Lord, your servant had heard that Qing Yun Clan had some links with one of the palaces. Look....."
The smile on Jun Wu Yao's face faded, and his great spirit balled up into a knot of hate.
"The Twelfth Palace sure has long arms, they are even interfering with affairs in the Lower Three Realms?"
The shadow saw his Lord's face in gloom, and whispered to himself in his heart. 'You claim they have long arms? Your arms are not that short either.'
"No matter which palace they are linked with, those that deserve death, will have death served." Jun Wu Yao laughed chillingly.
Chapter 194: "Unseal the Coffin (1)"
When Jun Wu Xie arrived at the study, Jun Xian and Jun Qing were already gone. Even Long Qi and a troop of guards were missing. Jun Wu Xie went to Uncle Fu, and got to know from him that Jun Xian and Jun Qing had decided to protect the safety of the Jun Family, and had immediately set out to Jun Gu's tombstone.
His intentions were clear to see.
"Let's go!" Jun Wu Xie threw the little black cat outside and it transformed into its black beast form. Its newfound badge of gold extended from its chest into a mane after the transformation, lending it a more majestic and commanding look.
The Jun Family had gone yearly to Jun Gu's tombstone for prayers and Jun Wu Xie naturally knew the way to it. Under the starry night sky, Jun Wu Xie sat upon the black beast, while it sprinted towards Jun Gu's tomb.
The Jun Family shall not bend their backs! And Jun Gu's grave shall not be desecrated!
The beast ran out of the city, and brought Jun Wu Xie towards the graveyard. Many who were buried there used to serve as soldiers and officers under the Jun Family's command. They were martyrs who had sacrificed their lives in battle, and were men of valour.
Jun Xian had said, brothers in arms and comrades of the Jun Family must be buried together, for them to remain together, even in the afterlife.
When Jun Wu Xie got to the graveyard, there stood two guards dressed in the liveries of the Lin Palace. They were shocked to see Jun Wu Xie and the black beast shot past them before the guards could open their mouths in greeting.
The flustered guards stood ramrod straight in salute, at nothingness as the beast zipped by before they reacted.
Deep within the graveyard, ten over Rui Lin Army soldiers stood around a tombstone, with burning torches in their hands, their faces in grief, their motions reluctant.
Long Qi led a team of men to dig up Jun Gu's grave. With every inch of earth they dug up, their eyes reddened more.
Buried right at this spot, was the God of War of their hearts. This man, was the one they all most revered and idolised. And today, they are forced to desecrate his grave with their own hands, disturbing his eternal rest.
Jun Xian stood at the side with his eyes closed, unable to bear the sight, and Jun Qing stood solemnly beside his father.
"My son, for the sake of the Jun Family, I am forced to cause you further grief in your place of rest." Jun Xian said in a low voice, feeling an overwhelming sense of grief.
Jun Qing lowered his head, fists tightly clenched.
Dust flew as the coffin was raised, Jun Xian took a glance and his tall frame staggered back a step.
"My Lord! Are we really....." Long Qi, with his eyes rimmed in red, asked of Jun Xian, whose hands were trembling.
Jun Xian took a deep breath to calm the raging emotions within, and closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "Open!"
Wu Xie had, in order to protect the Jun Family, even gone against the former Emperor. In this matter, he did not want to involve the poor child. Although when Jun Gu died, that child had been very young. But it was her father's grave after all, he could not bear to make the child see her own father's grave defiled and dug up from its place of eternal rest.
Jun Xian and Jun Qing had set off immediately after Jun Wu Xie left the study, and they had not intended to tell her about it.
Long Qi clenched his teeth together and pushed the heavy lid of the coffin with the soldiers around him.
The lid creaked loudly from the movement when a massive shadow suddenly pounced out of the shadows.
"Do not open the coffin!" Jun Wu Xie's voice rang out. Jun Xian and Jun Qing looked up at the voice and saw Jun Wu Xie sitting atop the magnificent beast, her face tinged with anxiety.
"Wu Xie? Why are you here?" Jun Xian looked flustered and gave Jun Qing a look.
Jun Qing caught the glance and walked up to stop Jun Wu Xie from taking another step.
"Wu Xie! What are you doing here!? Go back now!" Jun Qing admonished Jun Wu Xie sternly for the first time. He did not want her to witness her father's grave defiled like that.
Chapter 195: "Unseal the Coffin (2)"
Jun Wu Xie jumped off from the black beast, looked at Jun Qing who had on a stern expression, and said: "Uncle, I will not hand over the Soul Jade, don't touch the grave."
"What?" Jun Qing asked in shock.
At that moment, Long Qi let out a shout of surprise!
"My Lord! Come look!"
He had opened Jun Gu's coffin, and he was in shock.
The three Jun Family members rushed over to see.
What they saw when they looked into the coffin left them speechless in astonishment.
"How is this ....." Jun Xian was still in shock and the trembling did not stop.
A handsome man laid within the coffin, his face at peace. The moment the Rui Lin Army soldiers around the tomb saw the face, all of them felt a strong surge of emotions deep within and almost fell to the ground.
Ten years!
Ten whole years!
They had not seen that face for ten long years. They had all bemoaned that they will never be able to lay their eyes on that face they had respected and revered ten years ago when they laid his body to rest, and will only forever become a memory.
None of them had expected, a decade later, when they unsealed his coffin, he would lie there looking exactly just as he did when they laid him to his eternal rest, like he was just asleep.
If they were not at the graveyard, and Jun Gu was not lying in the coffin they had just dug up themselves, they might very well believe he was alive and well and was just fast asleep.
A decade long, the ageing would show even on people alive, but time had not touched this man who laid dead, and buried deep underground after all this time.
Jun Gu who lay before them looked just as he had ten years ago at his burial. His bronze skin full and taut, his jet black hair stretched out beneath his body, his eyes closed, his brows as striking as ever. Below his straight sharp nose was his mouth, slightly open, holding half a piece of clear green jade. His hands were overlapped on his abdomen, holding the sword that had won him countless battles and slain countless enemies.
The sword glowed coldly under the moonlight, though hidden for ten years, it was still as sharp as ever.
Jun Xian and Jun Qing held back their tears at the sight.
Time left no trace on Jun Gu's body, in fact he looked younger than Jun Qing, who was several years his junior.
"How did this happen? Jun Gu's body..... Ten years..... Why is the body kept so well?" Jun Xian had a lump in his throat, as he was brought back to the time ten years ago at the funeral.
They had suffered the ravages of the past decade but Jun Gu had been frozen in time.
It was unheard of to see a body untouched by rot and decay over a decade, unless it was kept in extreme cold, under the freezing snow and ice the day they died.
Jun Gu's body was buried in the ground.
The stifling oppression they felt having to unseal the coffin to retrieve the jade melted away when they saw Jun Gu looking the same from before. The Jun father and son, and all the Rui Lin Army soldiers included, wiped away tears that slipped out from their eyes.
The man might have left the world, but he had not left from their hearts.
Jun Wu Xie looked at Jun Gu who lay in the coffin, her eyes a mix of emotions.
Jun Gu and Jun Qing shared only a slight resemblance in looks, and was better endowed with his handsome features. If Jun Qing had taken more after his father in terms of looks, Jun Gu must have taken after more after his mother.
Sharp distinct features, sharp nose, handsome looks.
Jun Wu Xie looks, was definitely passed down from her father, distinct features, beautiful.
When Jun Gu passed on, he was only twenty eight, a young man.
Ten years ago, Jun Qing was twenty, and from what they can see now, Jun Gu definitely looks somewhat younger.
Chapter 196: "Unseal the Coffin (3)"
It was the first time she saw her 'father' and Jun Wu Xie had mixed feelings about it.
If his body had decomposed into a pile of bones, her emotions might not be stirred up much. But looking at that face that so closely resembled hers, it was hard for Jun Wu Xie to brush it off completely.
"Let me have a closer look." Jun Wu Xie looked at Jun Qing as she suppressed her raging emotions. They did not have much knowledge or technology on preservation in this age, and Jun Gu had been dead for ten years, buried underground. His body should be a pile of bones by now, but he looked just as he did, unblemished, like he had just passed away.
Jun Qing made way for Jun Wu Xie immediately. After so much that had happened recently, Jun Qing had somehow developed a blind trust to Jun Wu Xie's words.
Jun Wu Xie inspected the body carefully, and she found no pulse, no heartbeat and the body was icy cold. He was dead, but Jun Wu Xie did notice something strange.
Jun Gu's flesh was still soft, and his limbs had not stiffened. This did not correlate to his time of death. The condition the body was in, would only be possible if the person had just died.
Ten years, flesh that did not rot, limbs not stiffened, totally illogical.
Jun Gu's body had nothing else unusual, so.....
Jun Wu Xie's gaze drifted subconsciously to the piece of Jade in Jun Gu's mouth. That must be the Soul Jade that was sought after.
It was important enough for the Qing Yun Clan to mobilize a significant force to come to this distant kingdom to personally to retrieve it. There had to be more than meets the eye.
Could it be that, what kept Jun Gu's body in its untouched condition, was none other than the Soul Jade?
Jun Wu Xie stretched her hand out to the Soul Jade.
The cool clear surface brushed her fingertips. Suddenly, a foreign force shot through Jun Wu XIe's fingertips and directly to her brain.
She heard an explosion in her head, and all her thoughts and considerations were scattered by the force that hit her.
A strong force was pulling at her soul incessantly, feeling as if a huge vortex that had opened up within her, threatening to suck away her soul!
"MEOW!!" The black beast was in torment as well!
The force surged throughout their bodies, growing stronger and stronger!
"Wu Xie!" Suddenly, Jun Qing saw the pained Jun Wu Xie as she fell backwards, as though all strength had been sucked right out of her.
Jun Qing quickly stretched out his arms and caught her firmly in his embrace.
When her fingertips were detached from the Soul Jade, the pulling force stopped immediately. Jun Wu Xie laid in Jun QIng's arms, panting heavily. Her eyes were wide with shock at what had just happened, her heart still beating fast.
The total loss of control of her soul that she felt, that sickening feeling that her soul would be sucked out of her in the next second, was something Jun Wu Xie had never experienced before.
It had been just a light and brief touch on the Soul Jade and it had sucked all her strength from her. Sweat soaked through her clothes, her tiny face pale, drained of colour.
Jun Wu Xie's pale countenance frightened Jun Qian and Jun Qing.
"Wu Xie! Are you alright?" Jun Xian's heart had cringed when Jun Wu Xie had suddenly fallen and she looked pale as a ghost. He remembered what Jun Wu Xie was doing just now and he turned to look at the coffin, staring fixedly at the Soul Jade in Jun Gu's mouth.
Wu Xie had touched the Soul Jade just before it happened. Did the Soul Jade possess extraordinary powers?
Jun Xian turned to look at her pale faced granddaughter, then he turned to look at the untouched body of his son in the coffin, and reached out his hand for the Soul Jade.
"Grandfather! NO!" Jun Wu Xie clasped her hands to her chest, and screamed.
Chapter 197: "Unseal the Coffin (4)"
Jun Wu Xie could not stop him, and Jun Xian touched the Soul Jade. It's cold and smooth surface was felt through his fingers and Jun Xian frowned. He..... did not feel anything unusual.
"Wu Xie, what happened to you? Please don't frighten us." Jun Qing held Jun Wu Xie tightly, eyes filled with deep concern. When Jun Wu Xie had been affected earlier, the black beast had shown signs of torment as well, and the beast was still panting heavily, lying on the ground. In that brief moment, Jun Wu Xie and the black beast seemed to have sustained great injuries and they looked to be in rather bad condition.
With Wu Xie and her contractual spirit struck at the same time, it was rather worrying to see.
"I'm fine." Jun Wu Xie shook her head to clear up the dizziness within and tried to focus on the task at hand. The torment the force inflicted on her earlier was not so much pain on her flesh, but a terrifying strike at her soul. She struggled to stand, and looked at Jun Xian.
"Grandfather, you are fine?" She looked at the hand that was still in contact with the Soul Jade.
Jun Xian turned and walked towards his granddaughter and released his hand from the Soul Jade.
"Of course I am fine, are you feeling better?"
Jun Wu Xie nodded, but was feeling rather puzzled. When she had touched the Soul Jade, it had struck powerfully at her soul, but looking at Jun Xian, he had seemed to be totally unaffected. What could be causing it?
"Meowww." The black beast had crawled over to her after it saw Jun Wu Xie struggling to stand and lowered its head while it whined pitifully to rub against the back of her hand.
[It was such a terrible feeling, I had thought I would never want to go through it again.....']
The black beast was feeling rather depressed and melancholy.
Jun Wu Xie was startled. She looked down at the black beast and asked: "Again?"
Black beast nodded.
"Meorrrw"
[Before I merged with you, when my soul was detaching from my body, it was the very same feeling.]
Having heard from the black beast, Jun Wu Xie finally understood what they had experienced earlier. If her guess was right, the Soul Jade was capable of drawing out the soul of a being, but its capabilities were somehow limited.
She was not the original soul that inhabited this body, hence her soul was not entirely stable and complete in it. Jun Xian's soul was complete in his own body thus the Soul Jade had no effect on him.
This piece of Soul Jade here, was capable of absorbing incomplete and unstable souls, and Jun Wu Xie did not like that one tiny bit.
But, the Soul Jade's capability to absorb unstable souls did not explain why Jun Gu's body did not decompose.
Can it be that, the Soul Jade held more untold secrets?
Jun Wu Xie frowned in consternation, she was certain that Jun Gu's body, having been preserved in such a good condition, definitely had something to do with the Soul Jade. If the Soul Jade was taken out, Jun Gu's body would rot and decompose in time.
Staring at the the perfectly preserved body of Jun Gu in the coffin, Jun Wu Xie was reluctant to disturb his peace.
"Grandfather, I have something to discuss with you." And Jun Wu Xie walked towards Jun Xian.
"I do not intend to hand the Soul Jade over to the Qing Yun Clan. Moreover, my father's body could very possibly be preserved in perfect condition by the Soul Jade. If we remove the Soul Jade, I'm afraid....." Jun Wu Xie did not have to finish her sentence and Jun Xian understood the consequences.
Something that could preserve a dead body perfectly for a decade, it must definitely be one of a kind.
If he had not seen the body perfectly preserved, he might still give up the Soul Jade. But having seen his beloved eldest son's face in his peace, he did not have the heart to defile it.
Chapter 198: "Unseal the Coffin (5)"
Jun Wu Xie saw the look on Jun Xian's face and knew he was conflicted. Jun Xian did not want the Qing Yun Clan to lay their hands on Jun Family.
That thought had gone through Jun Wu Xie's mind. Although the matter with Bai Yun Xian had been suppressed and kept hidden, Jun Wu Xie believed every wall has its cracks. Qing Yun Clan would find out the truth of the matter in time.
When that time came, the Qing Yun Clan would come after the Jun Family all the same.
In that case, offence was often the best defence!
"Alright." Jun Xian sighed heavily. He could not make himself say it, to ask them to give up the Soul Jade.
Jun Wu Xie nodded, and spoke to Long Qi standing by their side: "Secretly move my father's body back, and do not be seen."
"Send it back?" Jun Wu Xie's words had shocked the father and son and they looked at Jun Wu Xie, their eyes wide in surprise. "Wu Xie, don't tell me you know of a way to let your father....." Nobody could blame the Jun Family father and son for harbouring hopes in their wishful thinking, as Jun Gu's body had been preserved in such a perfect condition, and Jun Wu Xie had performed such miraculous feats repeatedly, surprising them all.
Jun Qing's legs, Mo Qian Yuan's poison.....
The Jun Family father and son could not help but wished, Wu Xie had a way to resurrect Jun Gu!
"I..... do not know of any ways now." Jun Wu Xie's mind was filled with ways to revive a person who had just died, as at the moment when people breathe their last, most were in a state of suspended animation and the organs in their bodies start to deteriorate before they die. But Jun Gu had been dead for ten years, and even if the Soul Jade had preserved the body in perfect condition, they had passed the critical time period that resuscitation techniques required.
A person dies when the soul leaves the body, even if Jun Wu Xie could restore Jun Gu's body to be like one who was alive, what about his soul?
Without a soul, Jun Gu will remain a perfectly preserved body.
Jun Gu had been dead for ten years, his soul should have reincarnated.
There was one more thing that Jun Wu Xie wondered about.
The Soul Jade was capable of drawing in and absorbing the soul of a person. When Jun Gu had died, and before his soul left the body, did the Soul Jade absorb his soul?
If Jun Gu's soul was really trapped in the Soul Jade, a resurrection might just be possible.
It was too bold an assumption and Jun Wu Xie did not dare share it with Jun Xian and Jun Qing.
Before she ascertained the facts of the matter, she did not want the father and son to suffer any more disappointment.
The Jun Family father and son looked rather crestfallen, but thinking back on it, they accepted it as reality. No one under the heavens had ever heard that resurrections were possible.
"We cannot leave my father here. The Qing Yun Clan knows that the other half of the Soul Jade is with us, they will just have to ask around a little, and they will know that the Soul Jade had been buried together with my father. It's a matter of time for them to come straight to the grave to dig it up." Jun Wu Xie reasoned.
Jun Gu's coffin had been dug up and there was no point in putting in back.
Jun Xian understood Jun Wu Xie's concerns and the reasons behind them, moreover after seeing Jun Gu's body in that condition, he fully agreed with Jun Wu Xie's decision.
The Rui Lin Army soldiers in the graveyard moved, silent as wraiths, loading the coffin onto the horse carriage. They then moved more earth from the surrounding areas to fill up the grave and made it look like the grave had been undisturbed for a decade.
Jun Wu Xie climbed back up atop the black beast, and allowed her thoughts to drift afar. If the Soul Jade can really bring Jun Gu back to life, she would keep not just the half the Jun Family possessed with them, she would not hand over the Soul Jade in Mo Qian Yuan's hands to the Qing Yun Clan as well!
Chapter 199: "Soul Calming Jade (1)"
Jun Wu Xie had asked to leave Jun Gu's body in her courtyard. As she was unable to touch the Soul Jade, Jun Wu Xie could only inspect Jun Gu's physical body.
Her findings were beyond her expectations. Jun Gu's body seemed as though it had been frozen when he died, and all his organs were still completely intact, with no signs of organ failure.
Ten years, not ten days, it could only be due to the Soul Jade. Jun Wu Xie could not think of any other reason that Jun Gu's body could be so well preserved.
She knew from having touched the Soul Jade that it would exert an immense force to draw in unstable souls. When Jun Gu died, his body had been sent back to the Lin Palace immediately and was laid to rest the very next morning. That half of the Soul Jade had been placed in his mouth then and had stayed there ever since.
Jun Wu Xie had good reason to believe, that Jun Gu's soul had not completely dispersed, and could very well be trapped within the Soul Jade.
If she could locate Jun Gu's soul, and with his body in such a perfect condition, resurrection might not be an impossibility.
But she was faced with one big obstacle.
She could not initiate any contact with the Soul Jade, if she were to touch it, the Soul Jade would pull hard at her soul. A thorough inspection aside, she could not even see the back of the Soul Jade.
In regards to the Soul Jade, Jun Wu Xie could only look at it and the exasperation of only being able to guess was depriving her of much needed sleep.
Little Lotus toddled unsteadily on bare feet and came beside the coffin. He tiptoed and stretched his tiny form fully to peer in to look at Jun Gu's face. He looked at Jun Gu and then he turned to look at Jun Wu Xie, his doleful eyes filled with amazement.
"Mistress! This big brother over here looks just like you!"
Little Lotus had seen Jun Xian, Jun Qing and Jun Wu Yao. He had seen all those that had blood relations to Jun Wu Xie, but this was the first time he saw someone that so closely resembled Jun Wu Xie.
Big brother..... Jun Wu Xie looked at the innocent faced Little Lotus and stretched out her hand to ruffle his hair and said: "He is my father."
Big brother..... One was enough.....
"Father?" Little Lotus asked with his head tilted.
"Why does Mistress' father have things from my Spirit World?"
Jun Wu Xie sat up, "Things from your Spirit World?"
Jun Wu Xie was not hearing Little Lotus mention of the Spirit World for the first time. She did not know what kind of place it was, but from what she heard from Little Lotus, it was not difficult to deduce that was where contractual spirits lived.
About this place that contractual spirits lived in, she had asked Jun Xian and Jun Qing about it when she first heard about it from Little Lotus, but they had never heard anything about it.
It was to be expected. Although many people had contractual spirits, they were usually either spirits of weapons, or spirits of animals. They were able to establish a form of bond through their link, but they very not able to communicate verbally. Little Lotus might have been a plant spirit, but he had the ability to transform into a human. This ability, had enabled Jun Wu Xie to be privy to information not known by others, from a contractual spirit.
"Isn't that the Soul Calming Jade?" Little Lotus clambered clumsily up the coffin, needing all four of his limbs. His little finger pointed at the Soul Jade in Jun Gu's mouth. "Ehh..... this Soul Calming Jade is broken. Why is it broken in half?" Little Lotus scratched his tiny head, baffled.
Chapter 200: "Soul Calming Jade (2)"
"Soul Calming Jade? Not Soul Jade?" Jun Wu Xie looked at Little Lotus, the name he had called it by had one word added to its name.
Little Lotus blinked his big innocent eyes, and replied hesitantly: "What is Soul Jade, I have not heard of it. I have seen a picture of the Soul Calming Jade in the Spirit World and it looked just like this one here. And..... within that jade, there is soul energy of the Spirit World."
"What is soul energy?" Jun Wu Xie was getting confused. Little Lotus had used too many terms used only in the Spirit World.
Little Lotus looked at Jun Wu Xie's confused expression, and put on a smug smile. He hopped down onto the ground and put his tiny hands behind his back and proudly proclaimed: "My Mistress does not seem to know much about the spiritual domain. Alright, I'll explain it slowly to you."
"Soul energy is the power that contractual spirits attain after training and cultivation, also known as spirit energy. We contractual spirits are actually souls, and our power form part of our souls. The Soul Calming Jade is one of the seven treasures of the Spirit World, it possesses the ability to protect and heal souls. No matter how unruly a soul is, under the power of the Soul Calming Jade, it gradually regains its calm and restores its core. But..... I have never seen the real thing, a Soul Calming Jade. I heard from the others, that the seven treasures were lost in a war, and all that is left in the spirit world, are just pictures of them. The Lord of the Spirit World has sent many contractual spirits out to locate the whereabouts of the seven treasures."
After his lengthy explanation, Little Lotus was so proud of his achievement, he gave Jun Wu Xie his toothiest grin.
"I did not expect to be so lucky, that I actually found the Soul Calming Jade! If I brought the Soul Calming Jade back to the Spirit World, I will be very very very well rewarded." Little Lotus was happily talking to himself, oblivious to the gradually darkening look on Jun Wu Xie's face.
A goofy little contractual spirit, was gleefully proclaiming he wants to bring his Mistress' treasure back, in front of his Mistress.
Besides saying that he was playing with death, there was no other way to describe it.
[Mistress, can I squash him now?] The little black cat's eyes narrowed to a slit, staring at the bumbling Little Lotus.
It finally dawned on Little Lotus and he hurriedly hid his smile and blushed shyly at the little black cat.
"You..... You stay away....."
[Can you be anymore dumb? I would have left it alone if you have just been useless, but you are now eyeing my Mistress' treasured artifact, what a wretched ingrate. It is no good to have you around anyway, might as well let me eat you!] Little black cat had devoured a contractual spirit before and it licked its fangs expectantly.
This dumb flower was becoming rather foolhardy!
Little Lotus froze, and looked blankly at the little black cat. In the next moment, a huge bean sized tear rolled down his face, and he fell by Jun Wu Xie's feet and wailed, his small fleshy hands grabbing the hem of her dress to wipe his nose between his sobs and tried to explain: "I..... I did not mean that. I..... would never take your things! I..... meant..... after you have passed on, then will I bring the Soul Calming Jade back."
He was a loyal flower, and would never steal from his Mistress!
Jun Wu Xie's face darkened further.
From wanting to conveniently pilfer from his Mistress, this dumb flower had just moved it up a notch to curse his Mistress to suffer an early death.....
Little black cat sharpened its claws and leaped towards the dumb flower.
In that moment, the fragrance of lotus flowers hung usually heavy in the air in the room, and accompanying the heavy fragrance, were the cries of pain from Little Lotus.
Jun Wu Xie rubbed her temples as she looked at the blur of a black cat and flower.
Will she be able to find the answer that she seeks?