Chapter 20 Memories
"After I cut off your head, what, am I supposed to wander the forests forever carrying it around? That's not exactly how I imagined the life of an immortal…" said Zhen as he entered the cave and sat down with his back against one of the stone pillars, examining the sword's scabbard.
"Not forever. I have a plan. In the chest with the techniques, you'll find the Hun Soul Transference method. With it, you'll be able to transfer my Hun soul into the body of someone recently deceased... As for hiding in the forest from the demons, that's only temporary. I warned you — the path to immortality is hard. One day, you'll become strong enough not to fear their pursuit. But first, you'll need to create the Lesser Inner Elixir."
"And while you're just a head, you'll still be able to talk to me from my backpack?" Zhen asked.
"I'll be able to — but not as often. In this state, energy is spent extremely quickly. The last remnants of Jing I infused into the head from my golden core will last around ten years, assuming careful use."
"And if I don't find a suitable body in ten years?"
"Then I'll die, obviously... I'm not afraid of death. What I fear is that without my help, you might be killed too soon, and the sect will vanish for good. That's why I'll transfer a full imprint of my memory to you. And I intend to do it right now."
"A full memory imprint…" Zhen perked up. To receive the secret knowledge accumulated by the old man over centuries — why not?
"It may be painful, or psychologically unpleasant."
"Hmm... I can endure it."
"Sit cross-legged across from me. The transfer will take time. Look into my forehead with your Heavenly Eye, and when the information starts coming, don't resist."
Zhen accepted that all good things come through pain long ago. He sat across from the teacher and focused his Heavenly Eye right at the center of the elder's brow.
The master's Eye flared with diamond light — and it felt like a stream of molten metal was being poured directly into Zhen's brain. First came golden letters of a mantra, then a spinning mandala, which then unfolded into an entire world — the life of Elder Ge from many angles. There was so much information that Zhen couldn't latch onto anything specific. A kaleidoscope of events, thoughts, fragments of speech, books read, emotions. His head felt like it might explode.
"Don't try to understand anything yet — just receive the information," came the teacher's voice.
Zhen tried to relax and just observe as a detached viewer. The pressure eased slightly. It was tolerable — but only five minutes in, and sweat was already pouring off him in waves.
After half an hour, he was ready to scream.
After an hour, his consciousness began to float, and he lost all sense of his body.
After two hours, the boundary between his own mind and the elder's vanished. Who was he? Zhen, seeing the memories of old Ge? Or Ge himself, transmitting those memories to Zhen?
Twelve hours later, the process of transferring the memory was completed, and Zhen's body slumped onto his crossed legs, unconscious.
He didn't move at all for another full day, lying motionless on the dusty floor, before finally awakening and trying to stand.
His memory of who he was and where he was didn't return immediately. For about five minutes, he looked around, trying to piece together the recent days.
At last, he remembered what had happened before agreeing to receive Elder Ge's memory.
"Did I already receive the memory transfer?" Zhen asked aloud.
"Yes. What do you remember?"
"Nothing. I'm hungry." His stomach rumbled.
"You'll have time to eat. Here — the mantra I gave you first, and the mandala. The mantra opens access to my memory, which is stored separately from your ordinary mind, so your identity doesn't dissolve. The mandala is a map — you'll use it to find what you need."
The golden letters and the detailed mandala reappeared in Zhen's mind. As he focused on the finer parts, he realized they were cells — data nodes. The mandala was multidimensional, with information organized both chronologically and thematically for easy navigation. Zhen couldn't recall the elder's memories directly. He had to attune and unlock the desired cell with the mantra.
Once a memory cell was opened, it became part of Zhen's own memory, and he could recall it like something learned the normal way.
"Good. Open the cell containing information about the Hun Soul Transference Technique."
Zhen focused — and within seconds, his mind filled with knowledge about the technique and all related matters. For several minutes, he tried to organize it and decided to follow a chronological path — starting from when Elder Ge first heard about it.
***
"You probably didn't know: Master Ning Xu Jing (宁虚镜) once managed to transfer the Hun soul of his disciple Xu Bai (虚白) into another body. That was about two hundred years ago," said a man who looked around thirty-five — Ge Xu Huai (葛虚怀), the teacher of Ge Xu Tong. In truth, Ge Xu Huai was nearly five hundred years old at the time. Ge Xu Tong was seventy-one then, and had only recently formed his golden core, though Zhen sensed he looked no older than twenty-five.
"Wait, senior brother Xu Bai isn't in his original body?!" Ge Xu Tong's surprise lit up like a flame in Zhen's chest.
"Exactly. He used to be a scrawny kid — look at him now, ha-ha."
"That's wild..."
Zhen Xu returned from the memory and browsed others in order. He saw how the elder had studied the technique as a disciple, what sources he consulted, and then moved on to another significant memory.
***
"Senior brother, forgive my boldness... I heard you weren't born in this body?"
Xu Bai, a massive muscular man with wavy black hair, sat cross-legged under a jujube tree reading a scroll. He looked up, set the scroll aside, and frowned at Xu Tong. They were in the inner garden of the Ning (宁) clan, among fruit trees and a pond.
"Who told you that?"
"My teacher, Ge Xu Huai."
"That old man talks too much. But yes — it's true. So what?"
"It sounds like a technique that can save your life when there's no other way. I'd like to learn it myself."
"Then why not ask old Ge? I don't know the technique — my teacher performed the ritual."
"I understand, but maybe you could share if there were any complications on your end — details not in the written instructions?"
"Pitfalls? Hmm… Well, one nasty issue was that the body's former Po souls were strong — the guy probably drank and fought a lot. When my Hun entered, it was weakened, and the Po easily tempted the heart. Also, the meridians were badly damaged, leading to strong Yin influence and Qi deviation. If my teacher hadn't helped, the Yin winds would've torn my soul and body apart — I'd have become a wandering ghost."
"Hm... That's about what I expected," said Ge Xu Tong thoughtfully.
"If a cultivator performs the transfer under the protection of a sect, it's manageable. With a Lesser Outer Elixir and pills to strengthen Jing, Qi, and Shen, the risk isn't too high."
"Right. Thanks for the advice, senior brother Xu Bai." The future elder Ge bowed respectfully.
***
The vivid scene faded, and another began… and another… and another...
The memories played much faster than real life. Each one left behind essential knowledge. Within an hour, Zhen knew everything Elder Ge had learned about the Hun Soul Transference over centuries.
Then, unexpectedly, Zhen Xu asked:
"Master Ge, it wasn't demons who destroyed our sect back then, was it?"
He had pieced together fragments from across the elder's memories.