Orien and Wisp continued to talk well into the night, mostly about the information that was just revealed, and Orien didn't really have any more questions that could be answered right now, so he eventually left it alone.

  "So, what was the Castillo Clan like in the Imperial Capital?" Orien asked.

  Wisp turned to Orien and asked, "Do you really want to know?"

  "Of course I do!" Orien replied.

  Kekekeke, Wisp laughed.

  "Truth be told, brat, your clan was nothing special. They ranked towards the bottom in terms of strength and background in the city,” Wisp replied seriously.

  Orien was neither surprised nor disappointed, as he felt little connection to these people.

  "Is that so? Huh... I was sort of hoping I'd have some hidden power that would make cultivation super easy. I guess stuff like that only happens in books,” Orien laughed it off.

  Wisp, who was already laughing, merely continued to laugh.

  "Haha well, you're not totally wrong. You are slightly physically stronger than the average person, although not by much, that is largely due to your lineage. While it isn't particularly useful for most, it will be useful for you. Many people don't cultivate the body beyond a certain point because of the range that it demands. You need to be close to an opponent to utilize it. What you don't know is that I have many, many hidden techniques and scriptures memorized from the Vermittler Family library,” Wisp stated proudly.

  Wisp then added, “I was never really into those loose banquet girls. Well, I did play around with them in bed when I had the time but that’s beside the point. I loved to savor the intelligent, diligent girls that would frequent the library, hehehe... That is, until I met my wife there."

  Wisp’s tone got a bit quiet towards the end, understandably.

  Orien was about to start cursing the lecherous Wisp again, but his gaze softened somewhat towards the end of that statement.

  ‘I know this is a sensitive topic for Wisp. After that one time, I said that I wouldn’t bring it up again myself, but I am quite curious. Since he’s brought it up, I should ask,’ Orien thought.

  "Can you tell me, Wisp? About your relationship? You know I'm quite interested in romance, so..." His words trailed off, mentally prepared for Wisp to decline.

  Wisp floated there, seemingly debating whether to talk or not. This was unlike his usual self.

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  Wisp sighed and began to speak, "There's really not much to it, lad... I pursued her like anyone else, but the pursuit was unlike any other. Eventually, I realized she was a bit different. My type was always the intelligent, diligent type, but she was that and more. She had a very strong, unique individuality that let her stand out from the pack. I thought to myself, if I could be with her, my playboy days would be behind me. It took significant courting and even a life or death situation before she came around. I meant to never let go of her until the end, but when I was tasked with guarding a vessel heading to a random dog shit island, I expected to return to the mainland to participate in war with her. I didn't know that I would never leave this island and that I would never see her again or any of my friends and family again..."

  “They lied to me,” Wisp fumed, still clearly upset when speaking about it, “It could very well be because they thought I was disposable trash, or maybe they thought I wouldn’t have been of much help in the war efforts. The painful truth is, they were probably right. They needed trusted individuals to guard the vessel of the various family members and their brats, but they also needed a lot of manpower to fight the war. I’ve thought about it for a long time, kid. I’m afraid that even if they did know I had a high affinity for light, they would have still sent me away. I was still an Earthen Path cultivator, after all. I would have been one of many individuals killed in droves by an enemy Skycloud Path cultivator. This is just a painful truth that I've had to live with in my final years. This uninspiring, dog shit island didn’t exactly make me want to cultivate either, but I will admit, it’s changed a little bit since I was alive. What hasn’t changed is the thoughts and memories plaguing me, even now that I'm a ghost.”

  Wisp seemed to be truly haunted by these memories.

  Orien shook his head and tried to pat Wisp, causing his hand to pass straight through him.

  "Hey, don't get all bummed out on me. I'm sorry to hear that, Wisp, but it isn't your fault. My words may not hold much weight, but..."

  Orien struggled to articulate himself, largely due to his lack of experience in the matter.

  Wisp chuckled and tried to swat Orien's hand away, but he passed straight through as well.

  "Haha, I must have fallen really low for a brat to be pitying me! Don't you worry about this old man. I've got my own plans, but they largely hinge on you, though,” Wisp mentioned their previous agreement.

  "I got it, Wisp. Leave it to me. Also, it's gotten quite late, huh? You should probably stay hidden inside of my body when I'm sleeping. I don't want you getting caught roaming around the sect, they’ll probably turn you into a sword spirit like that ghost story you told me on Alnilam Peak,” Orien referenced an old conversation they had.

  "No need to tell me twice. I want to be caught even less than you don't want me to be caught,” Wisp laughed heartily.

  He then sunk into Orien's chest and went quiet.

  A few moments passed by before Orien said,

  "Hey, were you actually a bard or musician in your past life? Is that why you can hum so well?" Orien couldn’t help but ask before he went to sleep.

  Wisp didn't emerge but answered anyway.

  "'Twas but a hobby of mine, satisfied?" Wisp grumbled.

  Hehe, Orien chuckled to himself.

  He thought about many things before eventually thinking about the tournament in two years and his own strength.

  ‘I don’t know what sort of trials and tribulations I'll experience by that time but for now, I better get some rest so that I'm ready to take on the day tomorrow,’ he turned over, pulled his blanket over his head and smiled to himself.

  ‘I sure am glad cultivators still use blankets.’