Chapter 0022

“Now that we settle the red peacock, what is your story?” Aria Se Jivock addresses the duo from the Ethereal Depths. Hailing from the Ethereal Depths herself, how can she not recognized the unique style of clothing. Since the Ethereal Depths focus on the soul, which has no gender, their style of clothing reflect their belief. Both men and women wear loose fitting pants with a sleeveless v neck shirt covered by a long, thick robe.

The man is handsome with thick blond hair and glistening red eyes. Adorn in the thick blue fur coat embroidered with leaves and vines, white inner tunic and loose fitting black pants, the man cut a fitting figure to behold. No doubt women swoon when the man walks by. He is that handsome.

The woman had the same thick blond hair but her eyes was a dark violent instead of red. She wore the same style of clothing as the red eyed man, indicating familiar relations.

“My name is Verack De Nunick and the woman beside me is Cercicity De Auvent.”

“Ah.” Aria Se Jivock hailed from the Ethereal Depths. How can she not know the name Verack De Nunick, the curse man.

“What ah?” Xing Zhi Hui was confused and like an ignorant child, ask questions expecting answers right away.

Her naivete was another aspect of her personality, her master worried about. Killing and scheming in the cultivation world is common. A straightforward innocent woman like Xing Zhi Hui will be used and abused before someone killed her and throws her in a ditch somewhere.

Luckily, Xing Zhi Hui had great instinct which allows her to differentiate between lies and truth as well as sensing their true character.

It is her instinct that stayed her hand when Aria Se Jivock annoyed the hell out of her because she knew Aria Se Jivock wasn’t lying nor was she being malicious. Despite her ability, Aria Se Jivocks run circles around her verbally. Her schemes are deep. Where cultivators take one step to get to their destination, Aria Se Jivocks takes six steps in two different directions.

Staying around Aria Se Jivock opens Xing Zhi Hui eyes to the darker side of human nature and allows her mind to somewhat mature. There are instances where Xing Zhi Hui ignorance shows. This is one of them, though it is more lacking in information rather than ignorance.

Aria Se Jivock decided to explain the situation since she needed Xing Zhi Hui’s cooperation if she wanted to prevent a tragedy from happening.

“Anyone from the Ethereal Depths with Younick, Ginick, Senick or Nunick in their names are really stupid and cursed. Younick means four lifetimes, Ginick means five lifetimes, Senick means six lifetimes and Nunick means seven lifetimes. The idiot over there met and bond with his soul mates for last six lifetimes and she died every lifetime.”

“If he met her for six lifetimes then how come his name means seven lifetimes?”

Aria Se Jivock laughed, knowing her partner would pick up on the mundane while missing or ignoring the important parts. “This is his seventh lifetime and he senses her soul in this world.”

“Wait, he is lucky enough to meet his dao companion for the last six lifetimes and he mess it up every single time? How stupid is he?”

The insult stabbed at Verack De Nunick heart but he can’t refute it. He was given six chances to love and cherish his soulmate, yet every lifetime they meet, he failed. He failed to protect her as he should a soulmate.

“Soul curses extending through lifetimes are rare but it does happen.” Cercicity De Auvent tried to defend her relative. Verack De Nunick is a brilliant cultivator whose soul went through six lifetimes of tempering achieving a high soul force many soul practitioner envy. Great power invites criticism and his blunder with his soul mate is a source of pain for the formidable man. They can’t attack his power or his talent, so they attack his non-existent blunder with his soul mate, a situation where the current him has no control over.

“He’s not cursed.”

Cercicity De Auvent was angered by Aria Se Jivock’s statement. Who does she think she is?

“How do you know?” Xing Zhi Hui, ever the verbal dunce, asked the question on everyone’s mind.

“The Se clan second most powerful Soul Liner here.” Aria Se Jivock proudly announces her title in an arrogant manner. “Curse, especially those that remain after reincarnation leaves powerful karma lines tying the cursed with the soul that cast the curse. There is no curse karma attached him.”

“So,” Xing Zhi Hui continued her line of thought, “he’s either a playboy with dozens of wives or an emperor with a harem of 3000 beauties.” Xing Zhi Hui nodded confidently, expressing her judgement as law. “No one is that lucky to become an emperor every lifetime, so he’s an unscrupulous playboy messing around with a woman’s heart.”

“My cousin in an honorable man!” Verack De Nunick wanted defend himself against the mud thrown on him but his cousin jumped in first. He was grateful for her defense. No one would believe him if he were to defend himself, however, if a beautiful woman said he was respectable gentlemen, then most people were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Xing Zhi Hui is known as the emotional klutz. She acts like a five-year-old kid, questioning norms accepted by most people, however her words strike at the heart of the matter, not allowing any room for the people to refute. “He might be now, but in his last lifetimes, he has to be a playboy. Think about it, what other reason could he have to mess up his love life six times. The common denominator in each life time is him and his soul mate. When a man has many wives and flouts in the face of his soul mates, of course she’s going to get jealous and ultimately die of sadness and grief.”

“Actually, souls are not sex specific. One life time they can be male and another they can be female.”

“Uh.”

“Your theory of him being a playboy isn’t valid.”

“Then Aria you damn know-it-alls, what is wrong with him?”

“I would appreciate your insight to my situation.” Verack De Nunick knew his situation was dismal at best. There is a saying, those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. He has made the same mistake over and over again. Judging from history, he’s going to lose his soulmate this lifetime as well. Though the bonds of souls is eternal, it can be damaged. Some cultivators believe after seven lifetimes of damage, soulmates can never bond again, while some believe it is nine lifetimes.

If he messes up this time, he might never ever meet his soulmate again. Heaven might be merciful and he be forever reincarnated as a mortal and never set foot on the cultivating path.

Soul mate, life companion, dao companion or true love is important to cultivators, but to mortals who can’t sense the energy of the world nor activate the power of their souls, the idea of lifelong partners is merely a myth created by lonely old immortals as a spark of hope to cling to.

No one wishes to live their life alone.

“No one wishes to live their life alone.” Aria Se Jivock words gave hope to Verack De Nunick. If she can see his heart demon, she might have a solution. As suddenly as she gave him hope, she crushed it with her next statement. “If the bond with your soulmate is damage, then find someone compatible with you, marry her and treat her as if she was your soulmate. If you can’t have your perfect soulmate bond, then settle for second best, a faithful eternal companion to be with you during this lifetime.”