A moment later, the Sect Leader began to speak, his voice calm and slow.
“Bai Xiaochun was an Outer Sect disciple of Fragrant Cloud Peak in the Spirit Stream Sect. He was a blazing sun in the Dao of medicine, a Chosen among disciples. In his battle against the Luochen Clan, he killed numerous Luochen traitors, and sacrificed himself to save his fellow disciples. He was loyal to his sect, and gave his life in the most tremendous display of meritorious service. Disciples of the Spirit Stream Sect will remember his name for all eternity!”
His voice was filled with grief, and as his voice echoed out, Du Lingfei’s tears flowed even harder. Hou Yunfei, Big Fatty Zhang, and countless other people were all weeping.
“On this day, I confer upon Bai Xiaochun the title of the Spirit Stream Sect Prestige disciple!” In response to the Sect Leader’s words, countless disciples were shaken. To hear the term Prestige disciple left everyone moved.
That position was a matchless honor within the Spirit Stream Sect, and there could only be one Prestige disciple within the sect within any generation. It was a position higher than the Inner Sect, and on equal standing with Successor disciples. There was no greater honor for the dead.
Throughout the ten-thousand-year history of the Spirit Stream Sect, there had only ever been nine disciples with such a title, each and every one of whom had been conferred with it after dying in battle for the sect. As of this moment, there were now ten such disciples in the history of the sect.
Not a single person present felt the honor was inappropriate. Bai Xiaochun had earned it with his life.
“From the time he joined the sect until he sacrificed his life,” continued the Sect Leader, “Bai Xiaochun never had a Master. Having given his life for the sect, I refuse to allow him to wander alone in the underworld. Therefore, I shall represent my dead teacher, Daoist Master Spiritsieve, to accept Bai Xiaochun as his apprentice. Henceforth, he can continue to pursue the great Dao in the underworld.” In response to the Sect Leader’s words, Li Qinghou nodded, pain flickering in his eyes as he looked at the gravestone.
“And now everyone… shall observe a moment of silence!” With that, the Sect Leader closed his eyes. Looking at the gravestone, he bowed his head, as did all of the other disciples present.
After a few breaths of time passed, the moment of silence ended. Du Lingfei couldn’t hold her feelings in any longer, and began to wail.
In the same moment that everyone was observing the moment of silence, back in the nameless mountain range, Bai Xiaochun slowly opened his eyes and sneezed.
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Chapter
65: The Gravekeeper
The moment of the sneeze was the same moment that Bai Xiaochun woke up. His mind was still in the same state it had been when he was seriously injured and fallen into a coma, so as soon as he woke up, he subconsciously cradled his left arm and let out a miserable cry. However, as soon as that cry left his lips, he looked down in surprise at his arm, and then at the rest of his body. He began to poke and prod himself, and even opened his garments and looked at his soft, white belly.
“Eee? No injuries?” Suddenly, his eyes flickered with fear as he recalled something that the old folks back in the village used to say. Supposedly, when someone died, their soul would enter the shadows of the underworld. At the moment, he obviously had no injuries, which meant that he must only be a soul.... Shivering, he looked around and realized that everything around him was dead. Even all the plants and grass were withered up. Chen Heng’s corpse was nowhere to be seen.
As he looked around, he also noticed fog everywhere. He couldn’t see much at all, and everything past a certain distance was a complete blur. A faint aura of death pulsed in the area, causing a cold sensation to wash through his body.
“That’s it. It's over.... I was so careful for most of my poor little life, only to end up losing it....” Bai Xiaochun was now even more certain that he was now a lost soul. His face twisted bitterly, and he let out an anguished moan.
“I never even got to give Du Lingfei a chance to pay me back with all her heart.... Elder Brother Hou still has his promise to keep.... People still don’t know that I'm Lord Turtle, and there are still lots of spirit tail chickens to eat in the world. I... I haven’t lived forever yet....” The more he thought about it, the more it hurt inside. Tears began to well up in his eyes.
However, even as he began to wail loudly... someone cleared their throat behind him.
The sound came so suddenly that it startled Bai Xiaochun.
“Who’s there?!” he shrieked, scrambling forward across the ground and then spinning around, a wooden sword appearing in his hand.
He saw an old man standing over by where he had just been laying. He wore a long black robe and looked almost like a corpse as he stared at Bai Xiaochun in a very ghastly manner.
His body radiated a strong aura of death. Coupled with the copious amounts of wrinkles which covered his pale face, he seemed like he had just climbed up out of the grave. He perfectly matched his surroundings, and looked utterly horrifying.
As soon as Bai Xiaochun laid eyes on him, all the hair on his body stood on end, and he suddenly recalled countless scary stories about murderous ghosts. But then he realized that if he himself was dead, then he didn’t have anything to worry about. Sticking his jaw out, he gave a cold harrumph and then slowly rose to his feet.
“Alright then. You’re a ghost. I’m a ghost. Since we’re both dead and both ghosts, then who’s afraid of who, huh?” He walked up to the old man, then circled around him with a low-pitched, quizzical whistle.
“You must be a ghost who lives in these nameless mountains. No need to be nervous. I was just passing through and happened to die. I’ll be on my way in a moment. Ai. I wonder if I can continue to live forever and practice cultivation now that I’ve become a ghost. Maybe I can become a ghost that lives forever.” Suddenly, grief rose up once again in Bai Xiaochun’s heart, and he sighed.
The black-robed old man looked at Bai Xiaochun and frowned. Then, he spoke in a raspy voice: “How come you’re not dead?”
Bai Xiaochun started in surprise, then suddenly seemed to think of something. He bit down hard on his tongue, and when the pain coursed through him, he almost couldn’t believe it. He bit down again, this time until tears poured down his cheeks. His expression lit with delight, and he literally began dancing up and down. He even threw his head back and laughed loudly.
“I'm not dead!! Hahaha! I, Bai Xiaochun, have a matchless cultivation base! I am invincible in heaven and earth. How could I possibly die!?” He was so excited that he reached out to grab the old man’s arm, except that his hand passed right through the man, and grabbed nothing but air. At the same time, his hand suddenly felt extremely cold.
“Uh....” Bai Xiaochun suddenly went stiff all over. He stared blankly at the old man, eyes wide, before screaming and leaping backward. “A ghost!!”
Back when he thought he was dead, he didn’t think much of seeing a ghost. But at the moment, he was terrified, as the stories of murderous ghosts once again began to flash through his mind.
Soon, he reached the area where the fog grew thick, where he encountered some sort of invisible barrier that he could not pass through. Backing up to the barrier, he gripped his little wooden sword and stared at the old man, countless thoughts fluttering through his mind. Finally, a miserable expression filled his face.