Within the void, the fleshly body was the ship, with the soul on board. The ship sailed onward.

It was a very, very long journey. Memories of the past were there, including those of a government official, a businessman, a ruffian, a doctor, a commoner, and a young man…. It seemed very ordinary. This was how things worked. This was reincarnation. This was life.

But it would only seem ordinary to someone caught up in it, because they wouldn’t be able to see deeply into what was really happening. If one could step back and look at things more objectively, they would see the five elements.

Xu Jinfa had been the prime minister, which meant he was nothing more than a government official. But for his entire life, he had used astonishing methods to promote the interests of the royal dynasty, and commanded countless troops. His honor was like metal, his power was like metal, his military strength was like metal, and his destiny was like metal. His life represented metal.[1]

Then there was Xu Hong, who dreamed of becoming extremely rich. He was kind and charitable on top of being wealthy, and he even traveled the world. But in the end, fate is a fickle thing, and his money disappeared. His wealth was like water. Water flows between two extremes: floods and droughts. And there is also the saying “the ideal is to be like water.” And thus, his destiny was like water. His life represented water.[2]