Chapter 272 The Afterlife 2
Upon hearing my question, Lu Chan pondered for a moment, then continued writing with his black pen, first asking me a question in return: "How much do you know about Naraku?"
This isn't the first time I've heard the name Naraku. As far as I know, Naraku is the origin of Mount Rasen, and also another name for Hell. And from Lu Chan's previous words, we can also infer that Naraku in Mount Rasen doesn't have any other special meaning; it simply refers to the "afterlife."
In other words, Luoshan was once an undeniable force that existed in the afterlife.
I stated the information I had gathered, and Lu Chan nodded slightly before formally answering: "Your understanding is correct. Long ago, Luo Shan's headquarters was located in the afterlife—that is, 'Naraku'."
"That's history from long before I was born, so I know very little about it, and there aren't many records left inside Luoshan either. All I know is that back then, it wasn't unusual for demon hunters to travel between the world of the living and the world of the dead, and most of the demons that Luoshan dealt with came from the ghosts of the world of the dead. From this perspective, the reason why Luoshan set up its headquarters in Naraku at that time was probably also to monitor changes in the world of the dead."
"Until more than a hundred years ago, around the end of the Qing Dynasty, the divination master prophesied that Naraku would undergo a cataclysmic change in the near future—the afterlife would be destroyed and flow into the world of the living. So Luoshan decided to move the headquarters out of Naraku to prepare for the impending calamity."
"However, subsequent developments did not unfold exactly as the Diviner had predicted. Hell did not actually flow into the world of the living, but an unknown upheaval did occur. Luo Shan could not observe the specifics of this upheaval, only knowing that he suddenly could no longer contact the afterlife."
"The two worlds that could originally communicate with each other have suddenly become unable to communicate. Even the Great Impermanence cannot cross this insurmountable chasm that seems to have come from nowhere, nor can he obtain information from the other side. The same is true for Mingzhuo. He wants to break the contract with Naraku, but he is stuck because he cannot make contact with Naraku."
Honestly, as he was writing on the paper, he suddenly mentioned "Qing Dynasty," and I almost didn't realize it. Sometimes I forget that the history of the common-sense world and the history of Luoshan exist simultaneously. While the historical events in textbooks are happening, Luoshan is also operating in the shadows, only unable to appear on the historical stage due to the mysterious influence of the divine seal.
Perhaps for the witchers of that time, the world they inhabited was the real world, and the history they experienced was the real history. The strange world of that time had a far greater depth than it does today, and the realm beneath the surface was far more diverse and colorful than what is on the surface.
An era in which the world of the living and the world of the dead could communicate with each other... I can't imagine what that was like, and Lu Chan, who wasn't even born at the time, probably couldn't describe it to me accurately either. Although it happened just over a hundred years ago, it's as incredible as a mythical era.
"But you can still resurrect the dead, can't you? Even if you can't resurrect powerful people, you can still learn about the afterlife by resurrecting ordinary people, right?" I asked.
“Luoshan can indeed resurrect ordinary people, but that doesn’t mean he can obtain information about the afterlife. Because after the upheaval, the souls of the dead will no longer go to Naraku, but will be intercepted in the world of the living. They will either be scattered to the winds or become wandering ghosts… Similarly, we cannot summon the souls that entered Naraku more than a hundred years ago to the world of the living,” Lu Chan said.
"Then how did Meiko confirm that Asahi's soul went to the afterlife and then returned?" I asked.
“Because Asaho is a patient with amnesia. And for all patients with amnesia, their souls have disappeared without a trace,” he said. “No trace of their souls being scattered has been detected, nor have any ghosts or phantoms formed by them been found. At the same time, according to the results of numerous divination and magical investigations, their souls are all in a state of death.”
"If no one with the amnesiac were to awaken, that would be one thing, but since someone has awakened, it means that between sleep and awakening, their soul must exist somewhere... What do you think that place would be?"
The afterlife—that's the only speculation I can come up with.
That's why Lu Chan said earlier that "merely an ordinary person who has died and been resurrected" cannot meet a certain necessary condition, which is whether or not they have traveled to the afterlife. However, patients with amnesia meet this necessary condition.
But isn't this just speculation? Wouldn't it be too hasty to take it as a premise for certainty?
No, it's very likely not hasty. Mingzhuo probably has complete conviction that the souls of those suffering from amnesia have gone to the afterlife. Why? Because Mingzhuo came from an era when the world of the living and the afterlife could still communicate.
Even if a Witcher who has never lived through that era obtains relevant information through investigative methods such as divination, he can only speculate with suspicion whether "the soul of the target has gone to the afterlife, which he has never seen." However, veteran Witchers who have lived for more than a hundred years, including Mingzhuo, are likely to be able to make a more accurate judgment based on their own eyesight and experience.
Moreover, Lu Youxun's past attitude seems to corroborate this point.
From Lu Youxun's perspective, although I am a worthy candidate for the Great Impermanence position worth trying to win over, I am ultimately not as important as the Great Impermanence of the Transcendental faction with a clear stance. Kidnapping Ma Zao would certainly lead to a break with me, but it is at least better than losing Ming Zhuo, a key general, to the Transcendental faction within ten years.
But if all of this is based on haste, then this "deal" is not worthwhile. Lu Youxun probably confirmed through his own channels that the souls of those suffering from amnesia go to the afterlife, which is why he believed that kidnapping Ma Zao would greatly help Ming Zhuo, and thus stood on the opposite side of me.
So, was Asahi really in the afterlife in the past?
Actually, I haven't yet determined whether the Asahi I know is the "original soul" of that body. So maybe the original owner of the body's soul went to the afterlife, and Asahi's soul from the apocalypse took over that body.
If the Asahi I know is indeed the original owner of that body, then it means that the "apocalyptic era" and the "afterlife" are likely the same place.
(End of this chapter)
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