บท 1: The pursuit of True Immortality
Time had not been kind to Ling Yun.
Like the white clouds sparkling upon the blue sky that he had been named for , his presence hadn't lasted for ever .
His work , his legend , the footprint that he had left upon the world had slowly began to drift away like the rain-bearing clouds which never stayed anywhere for too long.
All that was left of a strong , impetuous youth who had gone on to use his exceptional wit and grit to establish an 'empire ' for himself when cruel time had its way with him was an aged man with a shrivelled up body , shackled to his bed throughout , a mere hollow shell ; a mockery of his past self.
He coughed spewing blood into the cup that had been placed conveniently to take care of such a situation.
"How long ? " he asked calmly looking at his physician a doddering and bumbling man advanced in years with a robe and beard of a length to match his age.
Back in his youth a man like that very obviously a quack would have been flogged until he dared not to raise his head as a punishment for scamming the affluent in the name of treatment that was as worthless as his own countenance.
Unfortunately he was not young any longer.
Just like how his body had rotted more and more with the progress of age each successive generation of his appeared to be more foolish than the previous .
Foolish enough to believe the 'suggestion' of the Imperial Family to hire one of their 'best' physicians to treat the Patriarch of the Ling Clan.
Suggestion , his foot !
His gullible sons and grandchildren would not only sell themselves into slavery but would even help the slaver count the money for the trade !
Long ago he might have had an aspiration to unseat the Imperial Family and rename the entire country however his aspirations had dwindled away with time as he realised the impossibility of such a desire especially when he had no able support forthcoming from ambitious descendants .
What was the point of taking a throne only to have it snatched back just a decade later ?
All he had desired then was to ensure the continuation of his bloodline but looking at the current scenario even that possibility was not unlike the proverbial chicken counting its eggs before they hatched .
Unwilling !
So unwilling was he to watch his legacy fade away into oblivion .
Watch his body which he had used to roam unhindered under the sky slowly being consumed.
Watch his sense of self , his identity tying him to existence disappear piece by piece.
The torture that he felt couldn't be expressed in words for the limitations of language could not contain it !
It was an emotional experience ,one beyond compare and one not understandable unless it had been experienced personally .
He sighed calming his meaningless emotions and stared pointedly at the clumsy fool before him.
The physician recoiled sharply as if he had been bitten by a viper.
"How Long ? ", he asked once more his tone just as calm as before yet carrying a dignity that conveyed a feeling of unmatched dominance .
"Two..two w..weeks ", the physician stammered in reply clearly cowed, even if the Patriarch of the Ling Clan lay in his deathbed the majesty that he held was still inviolable !
"Two weeks".Ling Yun mused. "Get Out , I have a visitor arriving and I wish to have a conversation in private with him."
Seeing that the physician frozen , did not pay heed to his words he insinuated gently once more ,"Get " , pause ," Out aren't those words clear to you ? "
"N..No , O..Of course, Right away sir !" The physician swiftly scampered away as fast as he could as if the proverbial devil was after him.
"There was no need to frighten the poor man that much was there ? Old Friend !"
A familiar gentle voice reached Ling Yun's ears uttered by a youth who looked to be in his twenties.
Surprisingly the physician had detected no sign of the youth on his way out .
It was as if the youth had emerged from thin air !
A very unlikely assumption but the possibility closest to the actual truth as Ling Yun knew very well.
"You have not changed a bit all these years ." Ling Yun noted replying his rasping voice shaking.
Even though he had expected this result the sight of it still brought turbulent waves to his heart.
"A very untrue assertion , My friend."
"Change , you see is relative. You only see the outside without sparing a thought for the inside."
Ling Yun laughed hollowly in response
"Any inner change however is worthless compared to the ones that assail the exterior."
"How so if a saint turns into a remorseless charlatan ?"
"How so if a ruthless highway robber abandons the path of Evil and instead turns into a monk ?"
"In the end they and everything they ever embodied shall return to the dust once again to be forgotten forevermore ."
"True", the other man began admitting ," But while their hearts and bodies shall perish their soul shall live on both as a legacy and as an existence by itself." he continued in consolation in a bid to drive his point home
"Your words do not sway my heart."
"It would have been fair had all who were fated to born , were fated to die as well ."
"But such is not the case is it ?"
"The very existence of the Immortals seems to defy that notion ."
The other man sighed resignedly in response .
Clearly he had heard this argument many times before.
"The path of immortality is not a path sanctioned by the Heavens."
"It has its own dangers that far outweigh any that you can imagine."
"Rightly so the advantages reaped are greater than you can imagine ."
"Still to walk on this illusory path one must have the fate to do so."
"Many years ago I had told you this when you had asked me and many years later once more I am telling this to you ."
"The path of immortality is impossible for you."
"Because I lack a spiritual root ? "
"That would be the actual reason ,Yes"
Ling Yun sighed in resignation .
"Fine,I understand."
"Good "
"I hope to end this futile discussion as fast as possible so that I can come to the matter at hand."
Ling Yun exhaled however he was unable to finish as his breath ended up in rasps and wheezes.
"Here" , the other man gently waved his hand in front of Ling Yun .
A milky white glow emerged centred from his palm and washed over the entire parson of Ling Yun giving him a refreshing feeling.
But he was aware that it was only temporary .
Even with the almighty power of the Immortals his condition was untreatable he had found that out the hard way , long ago
"You have come.. come for that ", he whispered in response
"Yes", the reply was in curt .
"In return do you ..."
"honour my promise of protecting your descendants for a period of fifty years .Yes I do ."
"You know me .I am a man of my word."
"In that case I will hand it to you later, Remember don't even think of double-crossing me I have set up arrangements just in case ."
"Don't be foolish. If I had wished to take it by force your clan wouldn't be" , He looked all over the room making a clicking noise from time to time to indicate his appreciation, "here right now ."
"In the presence of overwhelming strength all plans collapse at the first blow."
He leaned forward till his brilliant eyes were inches away from the lacklustre ones of Ling Yun
He smiled before leaning further till his mouth was close enough to Ling Yun's ears.
"Make no mistake . In me you face an overwhelming strength, Old Friend ! I don't take kindly to threats" the meaning implicit in his words being plain enough
"I understand " Ling Yun replied gritting what was left of his teeth .
"Good. I will return at sundown to collect that.Get everything ready by then."
After uttering these words without waiting for Ling Yun's response he waved his sleeve and vanished instantaneously in front of Ling Yun's eyes.
"It seems the Righteous Path hasn't been fair to you , at all !" a delightful silky voice with a sarcastic tone reached Ling Yun's ears.
He turned his head towards the speaker who was still veiled in shadow.
Wait a minute that was no shadow.
The lighting of the room prevented the formation of a shadow anywhere especially now at noonday .
Still there was a mass of darkness situated at one corner with the silhouette of a lone person barely visible inside.
"Is that your idea of a grand entrance ? " Ling Yun asked sarcastically in turn.
"You know how it is , without some precautions it is impossible for any of us to walk abroad freely ."
"Surely you won't object especially..."
"When we are willing to pay a price far greater than what those hypocrites are ."
"Like I believe you ." Ling Yun scoffed ."They may be hypocrites but they are still trustworthy when promises are concerned not like certain maniacs who after getting what they want will massacre the other side just for some fun."
"Well , can you blame us ? We just avoid unnecessary complications that's all.Even the so called 'trustworthy' side would do the same if you were of any threat to them.They just disdain to act against puny mortals such as you."
"Be that as it may the puny mortal would prefer to negotiate with a side that won't rip the agreement to shreds just moments after he is done with his his side of the transaction."
"How about this then ? We agree to a fair trade .You give me what I need and I give you something that you might desire far more than what they promised you."
"What do you mean ? "
Ling Yun could feel his heart racing.Truly the devils really knew how to play the field .
The shade leaned forward towards Ling Yun its voice but a mere whisper that stroked his heart akin to the caress of a lover .
"A way to beat the inevitable fate that awaits you . "
"Isn't that you want ? A way to achieve true 'immortality' one unaffected by the inexorable degradation brought by the passage of time !"
"What do you mean ? " , Ling Yun asked quietly his voice merely a fraction as loud as his heart thumping away in unbearable expectation.
"This " , the shade lifted up what seemed like a right hand . The surface of the hand churned for a moment eventually revealing a white gem on top.
Unlike most gems however this one was not radiating any lustre yet there was a dull brilliance emanating from it.
If Ling Yun had to make an allegory then if gems like the Ruby or Sapphire radiated the aura of 'life' then this one was the exact opposite radiating a bleached lifeless aura akin to a corpse.
The aura radiating from it gave an unpleasant feeling and he felt a subconscious repulsion towards it like one feels from a toxic viper.
However this feeling only served to make him more excited in his experience only such an unearthly treasure could hold the remotest of possibilities of changing his fate.
Even so he needed to be sure.
"What is it ? " he asked succinctly his meaning evident.
The shade tossed the gem upwards and caught it again displaying a frivolity that only served to irritate Ling Yun further.
"This is a Soul Awakening Gem .A natural treasure found in areas with extremely high Yin concentration it can be found only among us members of the Devilish factions. "
"What you're interested in is no doubt the help that it can give you."
"You're body is mortal and it is too late to save it even for a True Immortal in legends .However your soul is different."
"It is untainted.Pure."
"Ordinarily it will be dispersed along with your death and your existence shall vanish forever on the light of this ."
"But having the Soul Awakening Gem presents a different possibility .With the help of this your soul shall be condensed instead of being dispersed and you will be able to live on ."
"As a ghost ? ", Ling Yun asked mockingly.
"As a Yin creature , yes. There are those among us who are called as 'ghost cultivators' who cultivate the Ghost Dao and have achieved varying degrees of success. Given enough effort you might be even able to condense a living corporeal body around you."
"I need to.. think about it ", Ling Yun said , he was terribly exhausted.
"Fine but you don't have much time left , that irritating fellow will be back by sundown .We need to finish our business before then."
"I understand."
"Good , I await your favourable response", saying this the shade retreated to the corner that it had occupied earlier.
Ling Yun sighed sinking back to his bed and pondered on what could arguably be the most important decision in his short lived life
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