I Can Reincarnate Infinitely

The negotiations lasted for over two months before all the details were finalized.

All in all, the Four Principles Sect definitely came out far ahead.

Whenever Master Shi Shitao expressed dissatisfaction with a certain clause during the negotiations, Zhou Muzhi would just say, "Well, in that case, let’s put the talks on hold. We can all go home, and Elder Sui will surely pay the Binyin Sect a visit."

Master Shi Shitao had no choice but to yield.

Thus, the final terms of the agreement were incredibly frustrating for the Binyin Sect.

This was the prestige Du Youqian had won through battle, and no one could say a word against it.

But the Binyin Sect gained the Inner Core.

The Binyin Sect and the Four Principles Sect formed a defensive alliance, with the pact lasting for two hundred years.

This would allow the Binyin Sect to safely navigate its recent crisis.

As for the Four Principles Sect, they reaped even greater benefits. For instance, the most important clause stipulated that when the Four Principles Sect’s merchant caravans passed through the nearby region, the Binyin Sect would be responsible for their safety... If any goods were lost or stolen, the Binyin Sect would be responsible for full compensation.

Du Youqian, naturally, didn’t concern himself with the details of the negotiation.

’If I had to worry about every little detail, it would interfere with my Cultivation time. What would be the point of having a Sect Leader (a tool) then?’

This trip out, with its series of battles, had cost Du Youqian some of his Essence Blood. Fortunately, it wasn’t enough to affect his potential or create difficulties for his future advancements.

It also cost him nearly a hundred years of his lifespan, but that was nothing. He was still young, only in his nineties. Besides, a Golden Core Late Stage cultivator had a lifespan of eight hundred years, and upon advancing to Nascent Soul Early Stage, it would increase to twelve hundred.

’A hundred years of life is just a drop in the bucket.’

Trading a hundred years of life for a large pile of Tier Four Treasures was truly worth it.

Once the negotiations concluded, Du Youqian returned to Four Principles Mountain.

Du Youqian had already had Li Fei acquire the Bi Fang Gravel.

Normally, he would now be considering sending Ruihan City back with the goods the Four Principles Sect had procured.

However, because Li Fei’s time was coming to an end, Du Youqian decided to stay.

Making money was important, of course.

But staying with someone who was truly loyal was even more important.

"Have you made up your mind?" Du Youqian gently stroked Li Fei’s long, gradually withering and graying hair.

It was the gesture of an elder stroking a junior, devoid of any romantic sentiment.

Li Fei enjoyed it comfortably.

Her condition was much worse than when Du Youqian had first returned.

One could say she was deteriorating by the day.

Yet her spirit was more fulfilled, happy, and peaceful than ever before.

Ge Sheng privately expressed his regret, saying that if Li Fei had possessed such a mentality earlier, she would have succeeded in her Core Formation and not fallen at the final hurdle.

But Du Youqian didn’t think much of it.

’Every sip and every peck is preordained.’

Although he often motivated himself with the phrase "My fate is my own, not heaven’s to decide."

In truth, however, he really hadn’t reached a Realm where he was powerful enough to "make his fate his own, not heaven’s to decide."

’Perhaps only a Great Power at the Unity Realm would be qualified to say such a thing?’

A long while after Du Youqian asked his question, Li Fei finally answered softly, "I made my decision long ago. Brother Zong, in my next life, and the life after that, I will follow you."

"Following me... won’t necessarily be a smooth path. You might need to make great sacrifices. It’s not that I want to make things difficult for you, but if you want to keep up with my pace and walk this road with me, the path ahead will surely be fraught with hardships," Du Youqian reminded her.

Li Fei just smiled.

She said nothing, but her smile was so clear and understanding.

It allowed Du Youqian to feel her unshakeable will.

"Alright, then," Du Youqian said. "After you die, I will preserve your soul and keep it safe within a special Array. In the future, when I have the power to send you to a specific place for Reincarnation, I will do so, and then I will perform the Guiding to bring you back."

Li Fei’s eyes, already somewhat clouded, were naturally not as beautiful as in her youth, but they were filled with wisdom and acceptance.

"Brother Zong, I leave everything to your arrangement. No matter what, I... have no regrets."

"As long as you have no regrets," Du Youqian said with a smile, making his decision.

~~~~~~~~~~

「One year later.」

After burying Li Fei’s body and safely preserving her soul in an Array, Du Youqian left Four Principles Mountain.

During that year, he had cultivated diligently, and his Cultivation was now approaching Golden Core Perfection.

However, he spent most of his time guiding the Cultivation of the Four Principles Sect disciples.

He took the initiative to select a few disciples who, despite being older and having limited potential, still had a chance at Core Formation—like that Xiaoli. He also chose some younger disciples with good potential and strong willpower.

With the addition of the resources extorted from the Binyin Sect through the negotiations, it was estimated that in the coming decades, the Four Principles Sect could support over a dozen people in attempting Core Formation. Among them, four or five should succeed, making up for the loss of the three who had died in battle earlier.

Sha You, the chieftain of the Split-Ear Sand Fox Race, also came to the Four Principles Sect to meet with Du Youqian and verbally renew their alliance pact.

A Tier Three Demon King from the Ghost Belly Cat clan also came, asking Du Youqian with great disbelief how exactly he had seen through the Mystery of the Womb to recover his past life’s memories.

These were all minor matters.

The only truly major affair that Du Youqian couldn’t stop thinking about was one thing: Jie Yu.

But now was clearly not the right time to go looking for Jie Yu.

In the eyes of low-level Cultivators, a Core Formation Master was like a god.

But in the eyes of the true upper echelons, Core Formation Masters had no rights to speak of.

Therefore, if he wanted to go to the Taihe Sect to find Jie Yu, he had to at least achieve Nascent Soul Formation first.

First, he would find Jie Yu and get to the bottom of things, learn about the situation in Momenan over these years, and then set out to brave that Death Channel.

On the way back, Du Youqian suddenly had the caravan halt, and he left alone.

The people of the caravan were helpless but could only let him do as he pleased.

Du Youqian arrived at the underground cavern where Xi Mengran and Meng Xiao resided. Nothing had changed; a hundred years seemed to have overlooked this place, making it a space outside of time.

Meng Xiao and Xi Mengran were both doing well. Meng Xiao had become a Core Formation Realm Ghost Cultivator, showing that this place was indeed a cultivation paradise for Ghost Cultivators.

Of course, Ghost Cultivators don’t actually undergo Core Formation... to be precise, he should be called a Tier Three Ghost Cultivator.

He had recalled some things; he remembered more of their past life than Xi Mengran did.

Xi Mengran, however, had truly not changed much. Her mental state was about the same as it had been a hundred years ago.

Although her Cultivation had progressed significantly, she was still an unreachable distance from Tier Four.

’I wonder how they’ve spent the last hundred years. Don’t they get bored?’

’Perhaps ghosts don’t experience boredom. After all, the generation of Emotions requires support from physical organs and endocrine systems...’

This thought flashed through Du Youqian’s mind, but what he said was, "You have been in the Human World for a long time. Have you ever thought about leaving this place?"

In fact, before he came, he had already mentally prepared himself for the possibility of not seeing these two... two ghosts.

To be honest, seeing these two ghosts obediently staying in this underground cavern for a hundred years without taking a single step outside, he was even a little moved.

"We’ve thought about it, but we don’t know where to go," Meng Xiao said respectfully. "Does my lord have any arrangements for us?"

"Come with me. I will send you to a place suitable for Ghost Cultivators, provide you with what you need, and help you establish a foothold. I may have you do things for me in the future, but if I don’t summon you, you can live as you wish." Du Youqian planned to send them to the Ghost Kindom south of the Immortal City Alliance.

"Live? We are already dead," Meng Xiao said, a bit dejected.

Du Youqian gave a slight smile—the kind that looked fake to acquaintances but gentle and kind to outsiders. "I think, therefore I am. Tell me, can you think?"

Meng Xiao’s ghostly form trembled.

Fortunately, he had lost most of his memories, so looking at Du Youqian’s smile, he felt a warmth from the bottom of his heart. "I have been taught! Thank you for your guidance, my lord."

Du Youqian finally couldn’t resist asking, "You’ve been cooped up here for a hundred years. Don’t you find it boring?"

"Boring?" Meng Xiao thought for a moment. "I still remember what boredom felt like when I was alive. Back then, if I was bored, I would read a book. Now, I’m not bored. I’ve never felt bored. My lord, as Ghost Cultivators, we can normally slow down our thoughts to an incredible degree. In a whole day, we might only think a single thought and not even perceive the passage of time. Over decades, even centuries, if nothing happens, the number of our mental activities is merely what it would have been in a few hours when we were alive. Of course, when needed, we can also make our thoughts very fast."

’Alright, that explanation is very reasonable.’

"How are your feelings for Xi Mengran?"

Du Youqian asked this question, on the surface, just to gossip.

In reality, it was to formulate a strategy for controlling Meng Xiao and Xi Mengran in the future, to prevent them from turning into inhumane Fierce Ghosts who knew only Slaughter. At the same time, it was also to gossip a little.

"Feelings?" Meng Xiao fell into thought.

Xi Mengran had been waiting by the side for a long time, not daring to interrupt. Now, she finally pursed her lips and said, "You’re a strange person. Do you think ghosts have feelings?"

Du Youqian retorted, "Don’t they?"

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"Do they?"

"Don’t they?"

"Do they?"

Du Youqian didn’t want to continue this nesting-doll-like exchange with her. He turned to Meng Xiao and asked, "Do you think they do?"

Meng Xiao said, "I remember that when I was alive, I had feelings for her."

Xi Mengran’s expression was priceless.

’And with that, you still say you don’t have feelings?’

’Could someone without feelings have such a priceless expression?’

Du Youqian took out a Memory Stone and started recording.

Meng Xiao continued speaking while thinking, "Yes, I’m certain. Back then, I had feelings for her. Now..."

Xi Mengran stared at Meng Xiao without blinking.

’Heh, it’s not like ghosts need to blink anyway.’

Meng Xiao said, "Now, well, it seems different. But to say there are no feelings? That doesn’t seem right either."

Du Youqian couldn’t be bothered to continue this nonsensical rambling with him and asked directly, "Would you be willing to die for her?"

Meng Xiao looked at him as if he were strange for asking such a moronic question. "I’m a ghost. I’m already dead!"

Du Youqian slapped his forehead. "I mean, vanish. Disappear completely. Your soul scattered to the winds, no longer existing in this world, not entering Reincarnation, with no chance to come back again."

Meng Xiao said without the slightest hesitation, "Do you even need to ask?"

"So, the answer is?"

This time, Meng Xiao did not answer.

This was the first time since becoming a Ghost Cultivator that Meng Xiao had not answered one of Du Youqian’s questions.

He just turned his head to look at Xi Mengran.

That one glance seemed to see into eternity.