By the time I returned to the shop, it was already half past midnight.
Uncle-Master and Old Mo had returned to Wanshou Tang.
Xiao Mei had also gone back to her own place to sleep.
As for me, I lay quietly on the bed at this moment.
My whole body ached and was weary, as I gazed silently at the dim ceiling.
Thinking about the experiences and encounters of these past few days, and all that had happened in the first half of my life...
My life was not perfect.
I was born humble, ordinary, and had faced all sorts of dangers and crises.
But I was also very fortunate.
I had my grandmother, who raised me and loved me.
I had my Master, who imparted all his Daoist techniques to me and whose kindness was as vast as the heavens.
And I had my Uncle-Master, who was like a father and protector, always by my side.
And Old Mo, my sworn brother who would sacrifice anything for me.
And a confidante who had been waiting for me for two thousand years.
And so on.
Now, I had regained my ghost lifespan and could live properly again.
And I also had completely new thoughts and goals.
I wanted to live well, and live even better.
Heaven had given me this damn destiny, making me naturally attract ghosts and Yin energy.
My lifespan was short, and it wanted to claim my worthless life.
But I would not let it succeed.
I wanted to preserve my life, and I wanted to make this worthless life of mine powerful.
I wanted to protect everything I had now.
I wanted to safeguard all that I possessed.
I wanted to carry forward my Master's legacy and fulfill his dying wish.
To avenge my Grand-Master, True Master Jiu Xuan.
To kill the thousand-year ghost cultivator Liang Lin and flatten the Underworld Sect.
For my confidante Qing Dai, to fulfill her long-cherished wish.
To eradicate all remnants of the new dynasty who wished to make a comeback.
At the same time, I wanted to eliminate all the Yin fiends and malevolent spirits who wanted to harm me, or were preparing to harm me and my friends.
Just as Old Mo said, to become a righteous Daoist of the White Sect, walking between Yin and Yang, capable of guarding and maintaining peace in a region.
At the very least, it would not be a disservice to the teachings of my Master and Uncle-Master, nor to the Daoist arts I inherited.
These thoughts began to sprout in my heart and continuously grew, until the day I achieved them.
I didn't know how long it would take, or if they would bear fruit.
But I would not give up.
For this, I would strive tirelessly...
Perhaps I was too tired, too sore, and my spirit and energy were too weak.
Gradually, I fell asleep.
I slept soundly and deeply.
It was not until noon the next day that I stirred.
As I opened my eyes, although my body still ached, I felt my spirit and energy had recovered considerably.
I did not get out of bed immediately, but sat down cross-legged, preparing to circulate my cultivation technique, inhale and exhale, and regulate my breath.
Only by filling my body with sufficient spiritual energy could I accelerate my physical recovery.
Breathing...
I felt wisps of spiritual power being drawn into my body.
Little by little, they entered my Dantian, coiling around the Xuan Dan.
I possessed wood-element spiritual roots, so my inhalation and recovery were stronger than ordinary people.
As wisps of wood-element spiritual energy flowed through my limbs and bones, my entire body felt warm.
However, apart from these things.
I was more focused on my "mutated" Dantian Xuan Dan.
After returning from Black Demon Palace, besides removing the life curse from my body.
The "Yin-Yang Xuan Dan" was my greatest gain.
Or perhaps it was the product of misfortune that turned into a blessing, born from my resolve to die.
Now, I could wield Yin and Yang energy.
Coupled with the Qian Kun True Art, my own strength would be greatly enhanced.
It was just that my body was still very weak, and I could not control it proficiently yet.
After a period of inhaling and exhaling, my body felt slightly warm, and then I got out of bed.
After washing up, I went into the living room.
Xiao Mei was watching television.
Seeing me come out, she said without ceremony:
"Qin Ze, I'm hungry, I want to eat chicken!"
The two yellow chickens in the house last night had been taken to the second factory to be killed.
Xiao Mei had also lost her source of food.
I smiled:
"Alright, I'll buy you some later."
After speaking, I glanced at the television Xiao Mei was watching.
Today, her awareness was high, as she was watching "Xinwen Lianbo" (News Broadcast).
I paid it no mind, but returned to my room, opened the safe.
And took out a small wooden box.
Inside this box was the beard of the Bottomless Old Mother.
I slowly opened it, and a ten-centimeter-long white beard appeared in the box.
It looked ordinary, but it was actually a treasure.
This item was given to us by the Bottomless Old Mother when we first met her, after returning from Xiao Han Mountain.
She gave one to me, Old Mo, and Xia Qiu Xi each.
It had three uses.
First, it could command the rat clan controlled by the Bottomless Cave, one use per beard.
Second, the beard gathered the primordial energy of the Bottomless Old Mother. Once activated, it could unleash power equivalent to the True Light realm.
Third, the beard was a medicine; ordinary people who ate it would prolong their lives.
We did not attach much importance to the first two uses.
Mainly, we treated this item as a medicinal herb for saving lives.
When my Master was seriously ill, I had thought of giving it to him to consume.
However, my Master refused, saying his time was up and that I should keep it.
After my Master passed away, it had remained locked in the safe.
Last night, Uncle-Master had suffered internal injuries due to his immense exertion for me.
I planned to give this item to Uncle-Master to consume.
I closed the box and the safe.
Then, I walked directly outside.
As I passed through the living room, I noticed the television quickly switch from "Animal World" to the news channel...
Then Xiao Mei lazily, with a nonchalant tone, said:
"The chicken should be plump, too thin ones get stuck in the teeth!"
With a smile, I did not expose her.
Xiao Mei had also put in a lot of effort following me.
Eating chicken and watching shows was quite normal...
Waving my hand at her with my back turned:
"Got it!"
After saying that, I directly left the room and walked towards Wanshou Tang opposite.
As soon as I reached Wanshou Tang, I smelled a strong scent of traditional Chinese medicine.
And from the inner room, Old Mo's wails could be heard:
"Ah! No, Uncle-Master, it, it hurts so much. Ah..."