The next morning, before dawn, Xiao Fei rushed to the entrance of the Lin family manor on Lingquan Mountain without even eating breakfast.
Xiao Fei squatted on a rock outside the gate, chewing a dry ration biscuit with no taste, and kept glancing at the main gate of the Lin family manor.
He waited until the sun rose, but still no one from the Lin family came out.
Xiao Fei couldn't help but want to knock on the door and inquire several times, which annoyed Lin Dagou. Eventually, he was simply ignored.
He waited until after noon when the main gate of the Lin family manor suddenly creaked open.
Xiao Fei hurried forward and saw two Lin family servants carrying a plank out.
Lying on the plank was a human body that was almost mummified.
Xiao Fei's heart sank. At this moment, he truly wished this wasn't his second sister; he would rather wait a little longer.
"Is Xiao Fei here?"
A Lin family servant shouted loudly. Seeing Xiao Fei approach, he placed the wooden plank heavily on the ground.
"The person has been sent out for you. Take her away."
"This is Xiao Lan's deed of sale. We are now even."
The two servants threw down a deed of sale and left haughtily.
"Second Sister!"
Xiao Fei walked to the wooden plank, trembling as he squatted down, not daring to touch the person before him who looked like a mummy.
The entire body was shriveled, with only a layer of skin wrinkled and wrapped around the bones.
He tested with his hand and felt a very faint heartbeat.
Xiao Fei quickly picked her up and rushed down the mountain like crazy, storming into the inn.
"Senior, save her!"
"Please, Senior, save my second sister!"
As Xiao Fei spoke, he put Xiao Lan down and immediately knelt on the ground, kowtowing.
"Thump, thump, thump..."
Green-bean eyes were startled by Xiao Fei's sudden action.
"What's going on? Get up first!"
Green-bean eyes threw down the large golden rat in his arms and got up to examine Xiao Lan on the ground.
Green-bean eyes examined her with his divine sense, stroked his beard, and remained silent.
"Senior, how is my sister?"
Green-bean eyes shook his head.
"She had her Yin essence absorbed by an evil technique. Her physical body has become an empty shell, unable to carry her soul. Please accept my condolences!"
"There must be a way!"
Xiao Fei carried Xiao Lan back to his bed and laid her down. He took out a ginseng root and squeezed out drops of juice, dripping them into Xiao Lan's mouth.
He had heard that ginseng could prolong life and wanted to try it.
He pulled out the remaining few ten-year-old ginseng roots from his space. Without time to decoct them, he squeezed out all their juice and fed it into Xiao Lan's mouth.
After the ginseng was gone, Xiao Lan's condition did not improve; instead, her heartbeat became even weaker.
Xiao Fei remembered he still had an Enlightenment Fruit that he hadn't eaten. Last time, the small tree produced four, and he had only eaten three before advancing to the fourth level of Qi Refining.
He quickly took out the remaining Enlightenment Fruit, bit open a small gap, and the flesh inside turned into juice, flowing into Xiao Lan's mouth.
However, Xiao Lan had already lost her ability to swallow, and the juice spilled from the corners of her mouth.
Xiao Fei wanted to help her up and use his magic power to send it into her stomach.
But he discovered that Xiao Lan's heartbeat had also completely stopped.
Xiao Fei remembered that he knew cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in his previous life. He quickly laid Xiao Lan flat, cleared her mouth, and loosened her clothes.
He pressed down forcefully on the second to sixth ribs on the left side of her sternum.
"One, two, three, four!"
After pressing four times, he immediately pinched her nose and blew air into her mouth.
Then he pressed on her heart again!
"One, two, three, four."
...
Xiao Fei didn't know how long he had been performing CPR, but it was definitely more than the half-hour rescue time.
"Little brother!"
Suddenly, a voice softly sounded behind Xiao Fei.
At first, Xiao Fei thought it was an illusion until the voice sounded again.
"Little brother!"
He turned around and saw a phantom standing behind him, exactly like his second sister, Xiao Lan.
"Second Sister!"
Xiao Fei turned to embrace her, but his arm passed through her body.
"Little brother, I think I'm probably dead!"
At this moment, Xiao Lan also couldn't understand what was happening to her, as most people lacked experience with death.
"But I'm content to see you one last time.
You must live well.
Don't seek revenge from the Lin family; the power of these cultivation families is beyond your imagination.
As long as you can live well, I will be at peace."
As Xiao Lan spoke, her illusory figure began to dissipate.
"No! Second Sister, wait!"
"Senior!"
Since Xiao Fei brought Xiao Lan back, Green-bean eyes and Huang Feifei had been paying attention to the situation. There were even several mice peeking from the window.
However, Xiao Fei was in a state of extreme grief, so no one disturbed him.
At this moment, Xiao Fei once again sought help from Green-bean eyes, who appeared beside him in an instant.
Shopkeeper Green-bean eyes glanced at the dissipating Xiao Lan, extended a hand, and countless magical powers surged out, filling the entire room.
"Condense!"
With a loud shout from Green-bean eyes, Xiao Lan, who was dissipating, reformed into a human shape, though she was much more illusory and transparent than before.
"This is your second sister's soul!"
"The souls of most ordinary people dissipate into heaven and earth the moment they die, re-entering the cycle of reincarnation."
"Only a very small number of people with strong执念 (执念 - lingering obsession/attachment) in their hearts will appear in soul form."
"This is not a normal state; they usually dissipate quickly or turn into vengeful spirits."
Green-bean eyes explained to Xiao Fei, using his powerful magic to stabilize Xiao Lan's form.
"What should we do now?"
Xiao Fei was more concerned about what to do next.
"There are two options now."
Green-bean eyes held up two fingers.
"One is to let the soul dissipate and re-enter the cycle of reincarnation. This is a natural practice that conforms to the Way of Heaven."
"And the other?"
The first option was almost unthinkable; it meant death and reincarnation, and who knew if they would even be human in the next life.
"The other is to cultivate the path of a ghost through the soul.
However, this method goes against the heavens and is not tolerated by the world. The cultivation process is fraught with difficulties."
"Please, Senior, guide me. How specifically should I proceed?"
Since this was the only way to continue living, he had to do it, even if it meant overcoming numerous obstacles.
"I can use my magic to seal her soul for now, putting it into a temporary slumber, but it cannot be maintained for too long.
You need to find something for her soul to reside in as soon as possible, a place where her primordial spirit can dwell peacefully."
"What kind of dwelling is needed? Please elaborate, Senior."
"As far as I know, there is a magical artifact refined from Soul Nurturing Wood in the Ten Thousand Treasures Chamber of Commerce in Star Moon City, called the Soul Nurturing Pearl. It is suitable for a soul to reside in.
However, Soul Nurturing Wood is quite expensive and rare. Although this artifact is only the size of a finger, its price is extremely high.
You should go and see for yourself!"
As Green-bean eyes spoke, he had already gathered Xiao Lan's soul with his magic into a mass, forming a black bead about the size of a fingertip.
"Thank you for your guidance, Senior!"
Xiao Fei took the black bead and cupped his hands in thanks to Green-bean eyes.