ENG
Immortal rites bestow eternal life,
A body forged in steel, free from strife.
Though sorrow lingers, pain remains,
In cycles of rebirth, truth regains.
Continuing from the previous story, the soul had been a celestial soldier for a thousand years and had risen through the ranks to become a captain of the court. Despite his promotion, he felt lost and uncertain. In life, he had not attained enlightenment, and as a celestial soldier, the highest rank he could achieve was that of a captain. Many former celestial captains, in an attempt to change their fate, had fled to the mortal realm, only to be hunted down and killed, their souls dissipating with no chance of reincarnation.
This time, upon hearing of upheaval at Mount Huaguo, the Celestial Court dispatched celestial soldiers to the mortal realm. Missing one headcount, the celestial captain received orders to select a soul from the underworld.
He approached the judge and saw three kneeling souls. He chose the one who had practiced Daoism and brought him out of the underworld. The soul, seeing the celestial captain's gleaming armor, the cold edge of his blade, and the intricately carved shield of solid iron, was excited. The celestial captain paused and asked something he wasn't supposed to: "If you come with me today, you will have no chance of reincarnation. As a deity, the highest rank you can achieve is my position. Are you still willing to go?"
The soul replied, "Yes, yes, I am willing. I don't know if there will be any other opportunities in reincarnation. I might go through countless cycles of rebirth only to suffer even more." Knowing that the soul would not change his mind, the celestial captain had to take him to the upper realm.
The story opens with the idea that immortal rites can give someone an eternal, steel-like body and freedom from ordinary strife, but they do not remove sorrow or pain. The kernel of the plot continues from a previous tale: a soul that had served as a celestial soldier for a thousand years rose to the rank of captain in the Celestial Court, but he still felt lost and had not reached enlightenment. In that system, captain was the highest rank a celestial soldier could attain.
There is important background about other captains: some former celestial captains tried to change their fates by fleeing to the mortal realm. Those attempts ended badly—those fugitives were hunted down and killed, and their souls dissipated with no chance of reincarnation. That danger frames the choices available to souls and officers in the Celestial Court.
A crisis at Mount Huaguo prompted the Celestial Court to send celestial soldiers to the mortal realm. One soldier was missing from the roster, so the captain received orders to go to the underworld and select a soul to fill the vacancy. He reported to the judge of the underworld, where three souls were kneeling, and he chose the one who had practiced Daoism.
When the captain brought that Daoist soul before him, the soul was excited by the captain’s shining armor, blade, and iron shield. The captain then asked a question he was not supposed to ask: he warned the soul that if he came with the captain, he would have no chance of future reincarnation, and that the highest divine rank available to him as a deity would be the captain’s own position. He asked whether the soul still wanted to come.
The Daoist soul agreed to go. He said he did not know whether future reincarnation would offer better chances and feared endless cycles of rebirth could mean more suffering. Knowing the soul would not change his mind, the captain took him up to the upper realm. The result is that the soul will become a deity with an immortal, iron-forged body but will forfeit reincarnation and its possibilities; sorrow and pain are not promised to vanish, and the captain’s earlier uncertainty about fate and enlightenment remains an unresolved context for these choices.