Shen Siyuan got up and put his clothes back on. Since this was his Maternal Granduncle's friend, he had to show the proper respect.
His Maternal Granduncle soon led an Old Daoist into the house.
When Shen Siyuan saw him, he too was taken aback.
With his understanding of ghosts, he could naturally tell that the Old Daoist was in a state of extremely abundant Soul Power.
Ghosts also had varying levels of strength.
Besides being related to their Essence, Qi, and Spirit before death, a ghost's strength was also related to their talent.
These people with Extraordinary Natural Talent were born with souls stronger than ordinary people.
Because of this, they were smarter than others, some even being a Heaven-bestowed Extraordinary Talent in certain aspects, whom ordinary people could never hope to match.
The Old Daoist was such a person.
He was born extraordinary.
So even after death, he remained different from the masses.
When the Old Daoist saw Shen Siyuan, his face first showed surprise, then he immediately performed a formal Daoist salute and said respectfully, "This humble Daoist is Qingyun. Greetings, Fellow Daoist."
"Oh? Why do you call me Fellow Daoist? Shouldn't you call me Lay Practitioner?" Shen Siyuan asked with a smile.
"I observe that you, Fellow Daoist, can Grasp Yin and Yang, Breathe Essential Qi, Stand Alone Guarding the Spirit, and your Muscles are as One. You are worthy of the title True Person, so naturally I must address you as Fellow Daoist."
What the Old Daoist said came from the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Basic Questions.
Shen Siyuan naturally didn't understand any of it, so he didn't continue the topic, merely inviting the two of them to sit down and talk in detail.
"Lay Practitioner Yu was worried about you, Fellow Daoist, thinking something was wrong with your body. He asked me to come take a look. I never expected that you had simply achieved success in your Cultivation Practice."
The Old Daoist gazed at Shen Siyuan's eyes, which shone with a Brilliant Divine Light, and couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
In this era of the Decline of Daoist Methods where Deities Do Not Manifest, to be able to cultivate to such a degree, what Extraordinary Natural Talent he must possess. Yet, he also felt a sense of pity that Shen Siyuan was born in the wrong era.
Beside them, the Maternal Granduncle heard the Old Daoist's words and looked Shen Siyuan up and down in surprise, never having expected that this grandnephew of his was also a person who cultivated the Dao. He had never noticed it in the past.
Shen Siyuan, on the other hand, was quite curious about the Cultivation Practice the Old Daoist mentioned. As far as he knew, this world was completely devoid of Spiritual Qi, and the Heaven and Earth Qi was turbid and unclean, making it impossible for cultivators to exist.
But then he thought of the Heaven-bestowed Merit, and it seemed things weren't so absolute.
So he asked, "Are there many people like you, Daoist Master? I mean, are there many cultivators?"
"In the past, there were very few, but many achieved great success in their cultivation.
Now, there are many, but not a single one has achieved success. They're all Fake Cultivators, just using the name of cultivation to accumulate wealth," the Old Daoist sighed, his face full of melancholy and heartache.
"Why were there few cultivators in the past, yet many achieved great success?"
"Because back then, Heaven and Earth were Unchanged, All Things Had Spirit, the World was Orderly, Deities Resided Above, Humans Resided in the Middle, and The Dead Resided Below. All things followed the cycle of Reincarnation…"
"Are you saying that the Netherworld used to exist?" Shen Siyuan pressed.
"Naturally. Otherwise, where did all those myths and legends come from? Were they all fabricated from thin air?"
"Then why doesn't it exist now? I've seen many people whose souls dissipate directly after they let go of their attachments and have no more ties."
"Sigh~"
The Old Daoist shook his head and said, "I'm not very clear on this either."
"A very long time ago, deities stopped descending to the mortal realm.
It's said that the Path of Immortal Cultivation was Completely Severed, and no one could ever become a god or immortal again. But at that time, the Netherworld's cycle of Reincarnation still existed.
After a person died, as long as they let go of their attachments, they could enter the Netherworld and be reincarnated. But a hundred years ago, for some unknown reason, the Netherworld suddenly vanished.
The disintegration of the soul became the final destination…"
Perhaps the Old Daoist's unwillingness to let go of his Attachment to Becoming Immortal was related to this.
"A hundred years ago, is there a specific time?" Shen Siyuan asked.
Hearing this, the Old Daoist frowned and pondered, "It was probably the year the Foreigners invaded our Land of Huaxia."
The Old Daoist said Foreigners, not the Little Book People, and it was over a hundred years ago.
Shen Siyuan instantly understood.
"1900, the Eight-Nation Invasion?"
"I think so."
The Old Daoist had lived a long time. Although it was over 120 years ago, he had already been in his sixties back then, so he was naturally clear about those events.
"You don't know the reason either?" The Old Daoist shook his head.
"Back then, I and a few Fellow Daoists traveled to Famous Mountains and Great Rivers, to Visit Immortals and Worship Fox Spirits, just to seek an answer, but we found nothing in the end," the Old Daoist sighed.
But the Old Daoist had long since come to terms with it. He continued, "However, heaven and earth have their own rules of operation.
Although ghosts no longer enter Reincarnation, it hasn't had much of an impact on the human world."
"No, there is an impact," Shen Siyuan said.
"Oh? What impact?" The Old Daoist showed a curious expression.
"Ghosts entering Reincarnation, aside from conforming to the Heaven and Earth Rotation, is also because with every cycle, the Physical Body Nourishment makes the soul more spiritual.
A hundred years ago, countless astonishingly talented individuals were born. Are there any now?"
"Moreover, without the Six Paths of Reincarnation, what difference is there between good and evil? In the end, everyone will just dissipate between heaven and earth."
"That is indeed the case."
The Old Daoist showed a look of admiration.
Then he said, "Do you have time tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow?"
Shen Siyuan thought for a moment and slowly nodded.
He had a blind date in the morning, but he would still have time in the afternoon.
"Then come to my temple tomorrow. I have some things to give you."
"Things? What things?" Shen Siyuan asked curiously.
"When my fellow Daoists and I visited Famous Mountains and Great Rivers, it wasn't entirely without gain. But our cultivation bases were shallow, and we couldn't make any sense of it.
For you to achieve something in today's world means that not only is your talent extraordinary, but your Fortune and Destiny are also profound. If I give these things to you, perhaps you can figure a thing or two out…"
Hearing this, Shen Siyuan understood and grew even more curious about the things he mentioned.
Just then, his Maternal Granduncle, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke.
"Your Daoist Temple has already collapsed.
It's overgrown with weeds, with Rats and Ants Running Rampant. And it's been so many years, can the items still be hidden there?"
The Old Daoist shot him a sideways glance.
Then he said, "When I passed away, the Human Path was Greatly Prospering, and there was a movement to smash all kinds of Ox Ghosts and Snake Spirits. I was worried those things would be lost, so I buried them underground long ago.
Over these years, few people have visited my Daoist Temple, so those things naturally wouldn't be lost."
"In that case, thank you very much, Daoist Master.
I'll go take a look tomorrow afternoon. Where is your Daoist Temple located?"
"It's on Little Wind Ridge, called the Wind Listening Temple.
I'll wait for you at the foot of the mountain tomorrow afternoon and take you there," the Old Daoist said.
"Alright, thank you very much, Daoist Master," Shen Siyuan said his thanks.
He knew of Little Wind Ridge. It was a nearby peak.
Calling it a mountain was a bit of an exaggeration; it was really just a large earthen mound. Shen Siyuan had even gone there to play with his friends when he was a child.
The Old Daoist stood up and said, "In that case, we won't disturb you any longer. You should rest early."
Seeing this, the Maternal Granduncle also stood up.
Shen Siyuan had some things he wanted to say to his Maternal Granduncle, but he didn't know what to say. Just as he himself had said, everything was in the past.
Humans and Ghosts Follow Different Paths, so what was the use of saying those things now?
The reason his Maternal Granduncle had been lingering in the mortal world without disappearing was probably because he was waiting for his Qiaozhen.
Since that was the case, he would let him wait.
At least he had something to hope for. Once he figured out why the Netherworld had disappeared, he could see if he could help him enter Reincarnation again.
Of course, before that, he could have him enter the Ten Thousand Souls Banner first to prevent his body from dissipating.
But there was no rush for now.
So he escorted them to the door and watched the two of them float away.