Desolate ruins hid a crumbling village. At first light, Shen Mu and the old netherworld envoy brought Heavenly Venerable Yu to this small village—the place where Shen Mu had once lived, though now it was occupied by crested fire-pheasant dragons. In the village, Shen Mu stewed a chicken, stir-fried a few dishes, and went into the butcher's house to dig out a jar of wine that had been buried beneath the bed. —He had eaten a ghost banquet at the Heavenly Benevolent Sage Manor, and none of it had any taste, so he was craving real food. And now that Heavenly Venerable Yu had just been restored to life, he too was somewhat hungry.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Shen Mu and the old netherworld envoy went to the bank of the Yong River and watched the surging water race past. The old envoy shaped a divine power between his hands and was about to fling it into the roaring waves when Shen Mu hastily pressed down his arm and shook his head. "There are countless living beings in the Yong River, not to mention its Dragon Emperor, the Dragon-Rearing Lord. Are you now so mighty you want to blast every creature in a whole river to death?"

The old envoy thought for a moment, then dissolved the spell. "Is it because part of his soul is missing, or has he truly lost his memory?"

Shen Mu looked back. In the village, feathers flew and chaos roiled; packs of crested fire-pheasant dragons chased Heavenly Venerable Yu this way and that, pecking him until his head and face ran with blood, utterly bedraggled, until they finally knocked him to the ground. Several male fire-pheasant dragons planted themselves on the youth's body and crowed cock-a-doodle-doo at the sun.

The old envoy sighed, shaped another spell, thought about it, and scattered it as well. "Look at him. What trace of his former self is left? The Heavenly Venerable Yu of old was so dashing, so carefree. Now even crested fire-pheasant dragons dare to bully him."

Shen Mu went over and chased the dragons away. Heavenly Venerable Yu scrambled to his feet and patted his clothes, sending a cloud of chicken feathers into the air.

"I cannot make out what caused his amnesia, either. Something is missing from his soul—less than a tenth of it is absent—but his three souls and seven spirits are all still here."

Shen Mu mused, "In that case, I think we should return to Youdu and ask the Lord of Earth to find where his lost soul went. If he is still amnesiac after the soul is found, then there is something wrong with his head."

The old envoy nodded and turned around. Heavenly Venerable Yu had been backed into a corner of the wall by a crowd of fire-pheasant dragons, and was crouching there with his hands over his head.

"If he doesn't recover his memory, how can he survive in this cruel world?" The old envoy shook his head.

Shen Mu walked up, raised his hand, and swept it forward. A tongue of fire turned into a fiery dragon that lunged about in every direction, driving the fire-pheasant dragons away. Heavenly Venerable Yu's eyes lit up at the sight, and he said happily, "That's a wonderful way to do it!" Whereupon he waved his own hand. The fire-pheasant dragons nearby had been edging closer; at his motion they shied away in alarm, but then saw that nothing at all had happened after his wave. Enraged, they lunged at him again. Heavenly Venerable Yu hurriedly waved once more, and a streak of fire like a dragon shot out, shaking its head and lashing its tail. The fire-pheasant dragons fled in every direction, but one was too slow to dodge and was scorched black. A smell of cooked meat drifted through the air.

Heavenly Venerable Yu stood dumbstruck, staring at his own palm in disbelief, then ran to the charcoal-black dragon and cried aloud, grief-stricken at the creature's death. He wanted to bury the corpse, and dug a pit between sobs. Before long he found the smell delicious, secretly took a bite, and ended up eating it with tears streaming down his cheeks, leaving the dug pit abandoned and tossing the bones into it.

Shen Mu and the old envoy looked at each other, each wearing a face of astonishment.

"That art you used just now—was it the Flame Star Lord's fire rune?" the old envoy asked.

Shen Mu nodded. "The Flame Star Lord's fire rune is not complex in structure, but my mastery is deep; I compressed it to the absolute limit, so it was almost impossible for anyone to see its secret."

"Yet he saw it," the old envoy said. "And he learned it."

"And he was even able to cast it."

Shen Mu lowered his voice. "His cultivation hasn't entirely vanished—there is still a portion left; more important, his aptitude and comprehension are simply heaven-defying. I suspect..." He paused, and his expression turned odd. "Heavenly Venerable Yu also has an Overlord Physique."

The old envoy was silent for a while, then said, "It doesn't matter that he has no memories, as long as he isn't stupid. It's just... his mind does seem a little slow. Have you ever seen anyone weep over burning a chicken to death, and eat it while he weeps?"

Shen Mu plucked at the little beard on his chin. "It does indeed seem a little slow... Let's go see the Lord of Earth first."

The old envoy nodded, called Heavenly Venerable Yu over. Yu had eaten half a chicken; with a look of shame, he came over with his head bowed, carrying the other half. Shen Mu and the old envoy felt helpless. The three boarded the little boat, and the old envoy waved a hand. A dark whirlpool appeared; the boat sailed into it, and the whirlpool contracted and was gone.

"Heavenly Venerable Yu, why aren't you eating?" The old envoy looked at him. "Is it because you burned to death a little playmate, then ate your friend, and now you are desolate with sorrow?"

"I'm full," Heavenly Venerable Yu said honestly. "I really can't eat any more. I want to wait until I'm hungry, then eat it."

Shen Mu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and thought to himself: the Heavenly Venerable Yu of old was such an astute man, and now he is a fool. Carrying this foolish elder brother along will make Heavenly Venerable You taste bitter hardship. He couldn't help but gloat a little.

"Heavenly Venerable You, in the Dragon Han Heavenly Court back then, who won?" Shen Mu asked.

The old envoy hesitated, then took down the mask at the back of his head and put it away. He shook his head. "I truly am not sure. At the end of the Dragon Han era there were three heavenly courts, each claiming to be orthodox. Which one finally won, there's no way to know. I stayed in Youdu all along and rarely went out; the wars among the three courts and the harvesting of souls were already enough to make my head ache beyond measure in those days. But—" He paused. "Heavenly Venerable Yue once came to see me, and told me the Heavenly Alliance had been defeated, that Heavenly Emperor Yun was dead, and that she was ready to retire into seclusion as well."

"Heavenly Emperor Yun?" Shen Mu asked. "Is that Heavenly Venerable Yun?"

The old envoy nodded.