In the past, Mao You San always stood with a straight back, but now he was hunched over, giving off an oddly unsettling vibe.
He's getting old.
It wasn't evident on his face, but he was definitely aging by more than a decade.
"Are you really going to hold on without letting go?" Mao You San suddenly asked again.
Just then, I realized it and pushed Yu Xiao away from my arms.
Yu Xiao didn't resist, she retreated two steps and still looked at me with a hollow expression.
“Whether it's a mistake or fate, or countless calculations, I took another step forward,” Mao You San sighed softly, as if yearning and sighing.
Yue Mei and I exchanged glances, not daring to interrupt Mao You San as we waited for him to explain.
"The talismans placed by Qin Wei Zi were not merely on the body of the corpse; there were two layers. One was the outer talisman, which would take effect when you were in trouble, about to be possessed by the pestilence ghost. It would compel her to use a talisman to maintain your vitality and protect your body. The other was an inner talisman, unseen by anyone, but it should have been placed in your soul. When you were on the brink of death, Yu Xiao would use any method to help you."
"Actually, after the outer talisman takes effect, it becomes useless and loses all value. It wouldn't be able to sustain her for even a day, let alone seven days. It's not me who would do this, but rather the talisman itself."
"However, due to a series of unfortunate coincidences, I used a talisman to subdue her soul. What's more, there is indeed something valuable on her that can nurture the soul - the jade pendant. She not only gave you the jade pendant but also stripped herself of a part of her soul. She was specifically processed, and that part of her soul should be outside the refinement process, allowing her to have an additional fraction of her own consciousness."
"After she extracted her soul and gave it to you, it made your consciousness strong enough. The jade pendant also nourished your soul, effectively creating a double lock. You didn't collapse, allowing me to use some methods to lock your vitality."
"What I meant earlier when I said you were useless is just that, a body full of holes and a soul teetering on collapse. Even if I filled all the holes in your body, if your soul is shattered, it would be meaningless."
"Oh, perhaps it has some significance. It's still a good thing that I took this corpse of yours."
Mao You San paused for a few seconds, his eyes filled with sighs and regret.
I stood still.
My heart was filled with complex emotions, but then I felt gratitude towards Mao You San.
The moment their eyes met, Mao You San suddenly smiled and said, "Oh? Why this sudden expression of genuine emotion? It's not like before when you thought I was cold-hearted and indifferent?"
Yu Mei seemed even more bewildered, as if she didn't understand.
For a moment, I didn't know how to answer.
Mao You San didn't let me feel embarrassed for long. He looked back at Yu Xiao and said, "She gave you a part of herself, and your soul was sustained by it. What's strange is that the remaining part of her soul went to the underworld by its own will, not because I extracted it forcefully or with violence. It was natural for her body to be better off without it. Plus my divine abilities, I naturally sealed all the holes in your body. Once the yang spirit is injected back into your body, it will be like water flowing down a river."
"You, Luo Xian Shen, now seem like a real person."
"As for this eight-defeated widow, due to some twists and turns of fate, a strand of her soul has been assimilated with yours. She gained benefits from it. The remaining part of her soul may be a bit dumber, but it is also more stable."
"So... Yu Xiao won't have any more accidents, right? Master Qin's calculation, which utilized her, also indirectly helped her in a way?" Yu Mei murmured, picking up where Mao You San left off.
Mao You San gave Yu Mei a blank look and said, "Why Qin Wei Zi? I just hadn't seen this method before and found it curious. Someone who is curious can't help but do something, like filling her with the appropriate vitality."
"A person who has transformed into a cicada, even if they plot something as vast as the sky, doesn't have the divine abilities of the old man."
Yu Mei pursed her lips, her eyes filled with astonishment but didn't say anything.
"Thank you very much," I said with genuine gratitude, bowing deeply to Mao You San.
"Hmm, it's much better than before. Before, you had eight hundred wits, but wits are also full of flaws."
"Remember, Luo Xian Shen, sincerity is the ultimate move."
"Come with me."
Mao You San turned to go downstairs.
Yu Mei wanted to follow me, and Yu Xiao also wanted to follow me.
Mao You San stamped his feet and said, "You two, stay together, don't come."
Yu Mei looked slightly embarrassed and stopped, then pulled on Yu Xiao's arm.
As I passed by another door that had been tampered with and unlocked, I suddenly felt my heart racing for no reason, as if there was something attracting me.
I paused and looked at the slightly ajar door.
"What's wrong?" Mao You San asked suddenly.
"There's something here." I didn't hold anything back. Mao You San's reminder had an impact on me.
If it were before, I wouldn't have said anything and would have just followed Mao You San.
"Oh, maybe. But I checked inside and it didn't seem like there was anything there. It's not out of the question that Qin Wei Zi is cunning and left something behind that can only be perceived by your yang spirit. You have plenty of time to look at it slowly. Now, come down with me first."
I nodded, no longer making unnecessary detours, and followed Mao You San to the second floor.
He stopped outside the room opposite the one where he had performed the ritual for me, where he drew life and filled it back in. He pushed open the door and went in.
The bedclothes in the room were somewhat messy, clearly not tidied by Mao You San.
However, there were quite a few things on the chair by the bedside.
There was Lao Gong's urinal, my other items, and several other items containing souls.
What particularly attracted me were the two very thick books.
There was something resting on top of the books.
A four-prism mirror.
I unconsciously reached out and touched my chest, where it felt empty.
There is only one four-prism mirror. The object must be there, so it's natural that I don't have it on me.
"Go, take a look in the mirror first," Mao You San gestured.
I went over and picked up the four-prism mirror, looking at my face in it.
Unlike before, I always had a chill in my appearance, with a whiter complexion than sickly, but in reality, I felt quite sickly.
Now my skin was more ruddy, with a hint of yellowish tinge.
And just like what Mao You San said, it really feels like I'm starting to look more human.
The black aura that had been lingering around me was gone, and there were no signs of the pestilence ghost.
I felt exceptionally relieved.
"How do you feel?" Mao You San asked me.
I was momentarily stunned, shook my head and said I didn't know, but just felt great.
"He's still holding the four-prism mirror, right?" he asked again.
I realized it and murmured, "It feels like there's a sense of longing that I didn't have before. Before, it was still intimidating to me."
"Hmm, go ahead and turn to the first page of the book on the surface."
"Mao You San repeated."
I bent down and looked at the book. The cover read: "Four-prism true method."
My heart suddenly raced.
Not only did my heart race, but my breathing also became rapid.
I reached out and opened the first page, and I saw densely packed words arranged together.
If it were before, I would have thought of this as unintelligible sacred texts, but at that moment, they neatly leapt into my mind, as if they were in perfect order.
Of course, the words aren't actually jumping around.
Just in a form that I can understand.
"Alright, cover it up," Mao You San said in a deep voice, breaking my train of thought.
