Wielding a Rebirth skill required more than the Caster and the Deceased. Master Huaizui also needed people who shared deep emotional connections with Chu Wanning to collect Chu Wanning's Human Soul and Earth Soul. In order to find the souls, the Soul-Guiding Lanterns were needed.
Soul-Guiding Lanterns required the ones who held them to pour spiritual power into the lanterns continuously to keep the fire burning. The lantern light was able to illuminate souls and the lantern holder would then be able to communicate with the souls.
Human Souls went back to the mortal realm on the seventh day after death to collect the Cognizant Souls that remained within the corpses. Merged together, the two souls then travel to the underworld to unite with the Earth Soul. After that, the soul was ready to re-enter the reincarnation cycle.
When Human Souls went back to earth, they often had unfulfilled wishes or remorse in life that they would like to attend to. The key to the Rebirth technique was to find the Human Soul at this junction and coax him into entering the lantern.
After hearing this, the three disciples' facial expressions grew heavy.
Xue Meng, "Master, how do we know what Shizun's greatest remorse in life is?"
The answer merely caused Xue Meng's face to grow some degrees colder.
"You might know, you might not know. You need to go around Sisheng Peak to find the Human Soul."
Mo Ran, "How do we coax him into entering the lantern?"
"For that, this humble monk relies heavily on the close emotional connection between the Shizhu and his Shizun. If Chu Wanning trusts you and is willing to listen to you, then he will lower his guard and automatically enter the lantern before dawn arrives."
That was what worried Mo Ran the most.
"What if I find him but he refuses to...?"
Master Huaizui shook his head in regret.
"Then it is impossible to revive him."
"..."
Shi Mei, "Master, what if we cannot find Shizun at all? What if he had no more regret in life and left peacefully?"
Master Huaizui nodded thoughtfully.
"That is also possible. Then it is impossible to revive him but then all three Shizhus must accept the fact that Chu Wanning left without any lingering attachment to the world. He would not change his mind even if the Shizhus managed to find him and talk to him."
Based on Huaizui's explanation, it seemed that the chance of failing was already higher than 80%. Chu Wanning might have no lingering regret in life. They might fail to find Chu Wanning. Chu Wanning might not want to go into the lantern. And they had not even begun to talk about the Earth Soul yet!
Master Huaizui could see doubt building in the disciples' eyes.
"This monk would like to tell the Shizhus that whoever found and managed to persuade Chu Wanning's Human Soul to enter the lantern must travel to the underworld to collect his Earth Soul. If the Shizhu refused to do so, Chu Wanning's soul would be devoured by the Soul-Guiding Lantern and he would never be reincarnated into another life."
Xue Meng widened his eyes in shock. He turned to Mo Ran.
"Mo Ran, give me the lantern now."
"... Why?"
"I don't want to run the risk. Give me the lantern, NOW!"
Xue Meng grabbed after the lantern in Mo Ran's hand, but he ended up clawing into empty air. Mo Ran shoved him away angrily.
"Xue Meng, don't go too far!" He spat.
"You think of yourself as Shizun's best disciple so everyone else is trash??? If I do not go with the lantern to the underworld, feel free to send me there with your own hands!"
Xue Meng gritted his teeth. Master Huaizui was not done with his explanation yet.
"The journey to the underworld is full of unpredictable dangers. Should something happen to the Shizhu during the journey, then both the Shizhu and Chu Wanning will turn into ashes and forever lose the chance to reincarnate."
"I am ready for that," Xue Meng said while glaring at Mo Ran, challenging him to say the same.
"I also am," Mo Ran said, tightening his grip on the lantern in his hand.
"I am the same," Shi Mei concluded. "Master, what do we do next?"
The elder monk watched the disciples in apprehension. His gaze moved from Xue Meng to Mo Ran and finally landed on Shi Mei.
"In that case, the Shizhus can start. Please infuse the lantern with your spiritual power to find Chu Wanning's Human Soul. Before dawn breaks, if Chu Wanning is willing, his soul will enter the lantern and the Shizhu must come to Naihe Bridge. This old monk will be waiting for the two of you with a bamboo raft to send you to the underworld."
Master Huaizui drew a deep breath.
"Once the lanterns are lit, there is no turning back. The three Shizhus, this humble monk will ask one last time. There is no shame in stepping back. Do not feel pressured to go through with this plan. After hearing what I had to say, are you still willing to proceed?"
"Yes," all three of them answered in unison.
A layer of tears formed over Master Huaizui's eyes.
"Good. Very good.
One more thing. The main purpose of this journey is to grant closure for the three Shizhus over Chu Wanning's passing. If Chu Wanning does not want to be revived, he will not come with the Shizhus. In that case, please come back from the underworld before the seventh day concludes. If you stay in the underworld for a longer period, this humble monk cannot ensure your safety."
Mo Ran knew that, but he did not plan on letting Chu Wanning off that easily. He was going to succeed in persuading his shizun, whatever it might take!
Master Huaizui formed a hand seal and chanted an incantation. The lanterns in the three disciples' hands started to glow. Mo Ran's and Xue Meng's glowed bright red while Shi Mei's glowed bright blue.
The three disciples threw last looks at each other and then went their separate ways.
At midnight, Sisheng Peak was engulfed in deathly silence. Mo Ran walked in the darkness with only the Soul-Guiding Lantern to guide his way. He focused on the tiniest noise, the slightest movement around him, but all he heard was the pounding of his own heart and the sound of blood rushing past his ears.
Mo Ran walked everywhere and checked every hidden corner for Chu Wanning's soul. The Soul-Guiding Lantern did not even show him Chu Wanning's shadow. After walking around Red Lotus Pavilion, Loyalty Hall, Yanluo Hall, and Mengpo Hall to no avail, panic started to creep into Mo Ran's heart. What if Chu Wanning refused to see him? What if Chu Wanning left with no lingering regret? What if Chu Wanning's Human Soul already took off with his Cognizant Soul???
Mo Ran went across the Naihe Bridge to the disciple dormitory. Then he saw him. A cold, desolate figure stood at the end of the bridge.
"SHIZUN!" Mo Ran shouted excitedly.
But when he saw the face of the ghost, he froze in his track. No. It was not Chu Wanning. So many people died during Heavenly Rift. It must be another poor soul who met with misfortune during that day. The disciple turned to Mo Ran with an empty expression. Half of his face was drenched with blood.
"Sorry," Mo Ran murmured before he continued to walk away hastily. No, Chu Wanning was also not at the dormitory. Mo Ran headed to the back mountain where the heavenly barrier was.
No one.
Nowhere.
The blood in Mo Ran's veins started to freeze. Not from the cold night but from the realization that he might not even be able to collect one, let alone two of Chu Wanning's souls!
It was only two more hours before dawn broke!
Mo Ran ran back to the Platform of Sin and Virtue. He needed to find Master Huaizui. Surely there was something else he could use to find Chu Wanning. Maybe the old monk forgot to mention it.
And then he heard it.
A familiar swishing sound followed by a similarly familiar cracking sound came from the dark platform. A lone figure knelt on the platform while the swishing and cracking sound broke the silence of the night.
Swish.
Crack.
Swish.
Crack.
Someone was being punished on the Platform of Sin and Virtue. When Mo Ran stepped closer, some blood droplets hit his boots. With a trembling hand, Mo Ran lifted the Soul-Guiding Lantern to see who it was.
It was Chu Wanning!
His Shizun knelt on the platform with his head lowered in repentance. Other than the lowered head, his posture remained straight and unyielding as a translucent Tianwen swished in the air and landed mercilessly on his bloody back again and again.
"SHIZUN!!!"
Mo Ran put the lantern down and lunged forward to shield Chu Wanning from Tianwen, but he ended up falling to the ground instead.
Meanwhile, Tianwen continued whipping Chu Wanning. The man was whispering something in low voice.
"72, 73..."
"Shizun!!!"
Mo Ran knelt in front of Chu Wanning and tried to grab Chu Wanning's shoulders, but his hands went through Chu Wanning's shoulders as if Chu Wanning was nothing but air.
"What's this... What are you doing! STOP! TIANWEN, STOP!!!"
"80, 81..."
Mo Ran did not know what to do.
"Shizun, stop... I beg you, please stop... Why? Why are you punishing yourself???"
Blood kept spurting out of Chu Wanning's back and fell to the ground, but the soul's facial expression remained calm. Almost as if he did not feel pain.
But how could someone not feel pain when whipped? Especially with a weapon of Tianwen's caliber?
Mo Ran stared at Chu Wanning's soul in horror.
It was not that he did not feel pain.
This man just never allowed himself to expose his weakness to others. Did he not know it best?
How many times did he torture Chu Wanning in his past life? How many times did he laugh in perverse joy when Chu Wanning finally broke down in front of him?
Chu Wanning did not break down because it hurt him physically.
He broke down because his fortitude could not take it anymore.
Chu Wanning's crying face from his past life flashed before his eyes.
"Mo Ran, please stop," he had begged when Mo Ran raped him for the first time. "Please stop, it hurts..."
"SHIZUN!!!!" Mo Ran cried again in anguish.
He bowed in front of Chu Wanning's soul and bumped his forehead again and again on the ground until it started to bleed.
"I BEG YOU! PLEASE STOP! PLEASE STOP!"
"104, 105..."
Chu Wanning's eyes fluttered open. He looked slightly confused.
"Shi Mei? Why are you here?"
Mo Ran lifted his head. Chu Wanning was looking at him, but his eyes were unfocused.
"Shizun? You..."
Mo Ran waved a hand before Chu Wanning, but he did not show any reaction. Chu Wanning's Human Soul was blind. It seemed that his hearing was also not very good.
"Shi Mei...?"
Did Chu Wanning want to speak to Shi Mei? But Shi Mei was not there. What should he do???
"S-Shizun..."
"Didn't I tell you to deliver the wonton soup to Mo Ran...?" Chu Wanning asked with a frown.
Mo Ran's mouth fell open.
-What?
"Is he feeling better?"
-What are you talking about... Chu Wanning...
-No. The most important thing right now is to stop him from whipping himself.
"He is! He is! Shizun, please stop so we can talk, alright?? Please stop whipping yourself..."
Chu Wanning sighed.
"I can't. I fail as a shizun. I hurt my disciple unknowingly, causing him to go astray... I deserve to be punished."
Mo Ran was close to losing his mind. Although he knew that he could not touch Chu Wanning, he still clawed into the air desperately. Grabbing his shoulders didn't work so he tried catching Tianwen instead. But that also didn't work. He whipped around and started to shout at Chu Wanning's soul.
"Shizun, what are you talking about??? Who did you..."
And then it dawned on him as if a thunderbolt just ripped through the sky and hit him.
"The first time he made it was when Shizun punished me so hard after I plucked that one haitang flower from Auntie's garden," he had told Xia Sini within the illusory realm while he reminisced about the past.
Xia Sini looked at him and asked.
"Did it hurt very much? When you were punished?"
"Oh yes, it was brutal," Mo Ran had answered. "But what hurt me the most was not Tianwen. It was Shizun."
"He took Xue Meng by his words and did not even bother to listen to me to the end."
"Although I picked the haitang flower for him. I thought that it looked beautiful."
"I regret," the cold soul on the platform whispered. Chu Wanning lowered his head again. His voice was as soft as smoke, dissipating only mere seconds after forming. "I regret it very much."
Mo Ran sucked in his breath. He could not believe it.
-No way.
"NO, SHIZUN! YOU WERE NOT WRONG TO PUNISH ME! IT WAS MY FAULT! YOU WERE NOT WRONG! YOU WERE NOT WRONG!"
It turned out that what Chu Wanning regretted the most in this life was the very incident that first formed a crack in the shizun-disciple relationship.
Every person was bound to make a mistake. And it was only right to receive the proper punishment. But why must Chu Wanning be punished for punishing Mo Ran??? Chu Wanning did not do anything wrong!
"Shizun, please stop!!! PLEASE STOP!!!!"
Chu Wanning merely tilted his head backward and sighed.
"145, 146..."
Mo Ran cried and howled in distress, but Chu Wanning could not see him. Mo Ran felt like the most useless person in the world. He was unable to stop Chu Wanning. He was forced to witness Chu Wanning whipping himself, slowly painting the ground with drops of his blood.
"199, 200..."
Another soft sigh escaped Chu Wanning's lips before his ethereal body hit the ground without a sound. Chu Wanning lay there in the pool of his blood.
"Shizun... Shizun..."
Blinded by tears, Mo Ran clawed at Chu Wanning's hand. He tried to hold it but he only managed to scratch at the floor instead. The skin around his fingernails was torn and his fingers started to bleed, but he did not care.
Chu Wanning lay on the ground with his eyes slightly open. He only had one question to ask.
"Shi Mei, did Mo Ran like the soup...?"
Mo Ran bowed his head and sobbed.
"Yes, he did. He liked it very much."
A smile appeared on the ghostly face.
"That's good. Next time, please help me deliver it to him again."
-What...?
Mo Ran's crying stopped abruptly. He reached out and let his hand hover on the spot where Chu Wanning's cheek was.
"Shizun, what...?"
-What did you just say?
"I knew it," Chu Wanning whispered. "It is better if he never knew that I made it for him."
Chu Wanning's smile faded as his eyes fluttered gently before they fell shut.
"Thank you... Shi Mei."
Chu Wanning slowly moved a hand close to his chest. The hand opened and revealed a white haitang flower. The same haitang flower that Mo Ran had plucked to give to him that very day.
Chu Wanning's soul dissipated into a wisp of smoke and entered the lantern.
Mo Ran was left alone on the Platform of Sin and Virtue. All traces of Chu Wanning had disappeared into the night, including the pool of blood. Only the truth remained.
Mo Ran's bloody fingers clutched at his chest. It hurt so much. He struggled to breathe.
-No...
-No, it's impossible.
-Chu Wanning, you...
"Ah... Ah..."
Mo Ran's sorrowful scream broke through the night, but it could no longer reach Chu Wanning.