The footsteps were slow but quick.
The door to the room was pushed open, and there stood Yu Xiu, her eyes unusually vacant.
She was extremely weak, as if she could barely stand, with Chongying supporting her beside her.
My intuition tells me that I heard the footsteps of Yu Xiu, not Chongying's.
Chongying's face was filled with confusion and bewilderment, as if she didn't know why Yu Xiu would come up here.
I was equally confused and bewildered.
Yu Xiu waking up is a good thing, but why is she here, why... does she give me that feeling of longing?
In the next moment, Yu Xiu raised her hand and pulled something out from her collar.
It was a jade pendant, with a faint fluorescent green, like moonlight, exquisitely jade-like.
The longing in my consciousness became stronger.
"Give... give me..." I whispered again.
But a resistance and rejection also rose up in my heart.
Desire is instinctual.
Not wanting it is the true essence.
The jade pendant is something that Lu Han gave to me, holding a trace of Yu Xiu's soul.
Later, Chongying used Zongshan white glue to solidify and thicken that trace of soul, and found Yu Xiu herself through it.
Yu Xiu became more spiritually animated because her soul had been compensated.
Mao Yousan lightly exclaimed, seeming to have some doubts as well.
Then, Yu Xiu's other hand suddenly clenched tightly around the jade pendant.
In an instant, Yu Xiu suddenly coughed lightly, as if she had become increasingly weak and her eyes had become more vacant.
Her hand threw the jade pendant forward with great force, and at the same time, she knelt down stiffly.
Chongying gasped and immediately supported Yu Xiu.
Just before the jade pendant struck me, it was suddenly caught by a hand!
That was clearly Mao Yousan's hand!
Then, Mao Yousan hung the jade pendant around my neck.
A faint coolness emanated from the jade pendant, filling my entire consciousness...
The feeling of complete disintegration disappeared...
Mao Yousan's hand began to rapidly move around my body.
With each touch, I felt a stinging pain, as if there were wounds on my body, but they were being sealed.
My consciousness gradually turned into a white blur, I couldn't see or hear anyone.
Until the pain was all over my body, and the sensation of flowing disappeared, my consciousness fell completely silent...
...
I didn't know how long it had been, but after a slight thought, I managed to open my eyes with difficulty.
The first thing I saw was the yellow ceiling.
The ceiling was yellowed, with dirty cobwebs in the corners, though most of the webs were broken, hanging with dried-out spiders.
My head felt heavy, but my body had a sense of ease.
I can't describe it, but it's definitely different from before.
It was as if something had been torn apart and gained something else.
Lifting my body, I leaned against the head of the bed, looking around in confusion.
The room was familiar, still my family's villa.
The room Mao Yousan cleared earlier was my parents' room, by mistake, it happened to be my childhood room.
Bringing my hand up, I flexed my fingers, making a faint popping sound.
I moved my limbs around, feeling that I was much more agile than before.
The sense of ease and agility comes from no longer having the pestilence ghost, fewer negative influences, and only having the positive life force restored. Since my life force is relatively pure and lighter, is that why I feel comfortable?
Just, this yang shenming, doesn't seem that special either?
Getting up from the bed, my mind suddenly stopped, and in the next second, I widened my eyes and thought of the last scene!
I rushed towards the door and raced down the stairs!
Upon reaching the first floor, it was quiet. As night deepened, there was no one in sight.
I searched my body, but I couldn't find my phone.
Footsteps sounded from behind me. I suddenly turned around and saw Chongying standing on the stairs.
She stared at me in a daze, her eyes filling with tears instantly.
She rushed down the stairs, like a young sparrow flinging itself into my arms, and she buried her face in my chest, sobbing uncontrollably.
I held her, providing some comfort.
Chongying sobbed softly: "Mao Yousan said that if you don't wake up within seven days, you won't wake up anymore. Your life force and body can't merge, on the sixth day, you finally woke up."
My face suddenly changed, and my body stiffened.
Six days?
The charm can only support Yu Xiu for seven days.
It's already been six days!?
At that time, when Yu Xiu threw the jade pendant to me, she was clearly becoming weaker again.
Could she have lasted six days?
Only one day left. Can I still find the time to find help for her?
"Xiuxiu! Where is she?" I pushed Chongying away, grabbed her shoulders, and asked urgently.
"Xi… Xiuxiu… She's in the room on the rooftop, she's fine."
Chongying's response made me breathe a huge sigh of relief.
"Lao Gong? Has he woken up?" I asked Chongying quickly, thinking thoughts at lightning speed.
"No, not yet. I'll take you upstairs first." Chongying's expression was calm and composed, as if there was really nothing to worry about.
Additionally, I could tell there was something amiss.
It's not that there's anything wrong, but rather something that I've never noticed before.
There was a faint blush on Chongying's face, as if the pink color made her face hazy and gave her a somewhat alluring and sentimental feeling.
That alluring and sentimental look was like a virtual face, as if it were a mask that had been pressed onto Chongying's face.
"Mask?"
In a daze, I murmured a word.
"Ah?" Chongying looked confused for a moment.
"The mask is on me, what's the matter?"
"No… It's nothing…" I exhaled lightly.
"Let's go see Xiuxiu first. There's only one day left, Lao Gong hasn't woken up, we need to come up with a solution immediately." I composed myself.
I could clearly feel the difference.
Before, how could I have possibly seen the mask directly?
In fact, many Taoists couldn't even tell that the mask was on Chongying.
Now, I've been able to see it directly.
Lao Qinhead once said that I lost my companion's wisdom, and couldn't distinguish between humans, gods, zombies and ghosts.
Now, that wisdom has returned, so I can distinguish between Chongying being a human and the mask being a ghost?
Chongying turned around and walked upstairs.
I followed Chongying behind.
My thoughts are incredibly light and agile, different from before.
Before, at this point, I probably would have been in a hurry to seek medical help or rushed up the third floor in a panic.
Now, I have a sense of confidence and assurance.
It's as if the road will appear ahead when you reach the mountain, and I'm certain that I can come up with a way to save Yu Xiu.
We quickly passed through the second-floor hallway, and arrived on the third floor.
There are eight rooms on the second floor, which are quite large, and there are only three rooms on the third floor. One side has two rooms, and the other side has a house that is usually locked.
The two rooms are a study and an extra room for Lao Qinhead when he visits my home. The locked house is where my parents kept some collections, but it was long ago pried open and emptied by Sun Daha.
Chongying stopped at the door of the guest room and was about to reach out to open it.
A faint click, and the door opened first.
Yu Xiu's empty eyes met mine.
She didn't look at Chongying, but only at me.
She seemed very stable, without any sense of weakness. On the contrary, she made me feel that she was better than before.
Just, her eyes were completely empty, without the slightest hint of emotion.
In the next moment, Yu Xiu approached me again, within only a palm's width distance from me. She turned her head, but her head pressed against my chest. She put her arms around me and hugged my waist.
This scene left me stunned, and Chongying was equally bewildered.
"Mao Yousan said... she might get better, she doesn't need another charm, but..." There was confusion in Chongying's voice, and she bit her lower lip slightly.
"Right, why is she like this now? Is it because..."
A deep voice came from the staircase, and I turned my head to see Mao Yousan walking out with his hands clasped behind his back and a slightly hunched posture.
