Someone was helping me return my soul!

There’s a saying in the art of術 (shu, magic): if a person dies suddenly before their lifespan is exhausted, and their body hasn’t reached the point of being beyond saving, as long as their soul stubbornly clings to their body and refuses to leave, that person can still live.

If their lifespan hasn’t ended and their soul hasn’t left, even the ghost messengers wouldn’t dare to forcibly drag their soul away.

Conversely, if the person themselves feels hopeless and allows their soul to drift out without struggling, then their body is truly doomed.

However, most people, even if they know this principle, can’t control their soul in the first instance.

If they’re lucky enough to have a kind-hearted術士 (shushi, practitioner of magic) pass by and push their soul back into their body, that person can live again.

In the art of術, this is called "returning the soul!"

Ye Yang and I had clearly already drifted out, so who was pushing our souls back?

When I opened my eyes, I saw an old man in black cloth clothes not far away, sitting in the cave and muttering to a coffin: "Old partner, I feel like something's not right."

"They're all lying to me, right? They must be lying to me. I can feel it."

"But then again, if I let them go like this, then I've waited for nothing."

"Old partner, tell me, should I trust them?"

At that moment, Ye Yang also woke up.

As we looked at each other, we seemed to understand what the old man meant. The "they" he was talking about was probably Ye Yang and me.

When we got up, the old man's ears twitched twice.

He clearly knew that Ye Yang and I were awake, but he ignored us and continued to talk to the coffin: "Old partner, these two are so much like us back then!"

"Weren't we like this back then?"

"It's just that I was more seriously injured than you, and you blocked my acupoints first. I survived, but you left!"

"Old partner, you're really ruthless! Making me live for so many years, guarding this place all the time."

"Old partner, I miss you. I wonder if I'll be able to see you after I go."

"'A smile in the Yellow Springs, we'll meet again!' What a great saying!"

"Will you be waiting for me at the entrance of the Yellow Springs?"

As the old man said this, he rolled up his sleeves and wiped his tears: "Old partner, I know they're lying to me."

"They must know that we're guarding this place, so they deliberately got seriously injured, repeating what we used to do together."

"They can't fool me."

"But, they can fool me too!"

"I can feel that they're not acting. I searched their souls and saw their pasts. The way they went through life and death together is just like we were back then!"

"Old partner, I want to help them, but I'm not willing to be fooled! What should I do?"

The old man paused and said, "The one who brought them in was that little thief I couldn't catch back then, and a fox."

"Those two women aren't good people. They must know about our past, so they brought these people in."

"If I help them, maybe I'll never see you again."

"I'm so torn!"

At that moment, the Nine-Tailed Fox walked out from who knows where: "Senior, I brought them here to inherit your mantle."

"I admit, I intended to deceive you!"

"But, can you deny that the successors I brought you aren't good enough?"

"Aren't you tempted?"

The old man suddenly turned around, and said in a cold voice: "Fox, put away your little tricks. Be careful that I'll make your soul fly away… make you look good."

It was at this time that I noticed that only half of the old man's face had human features. The other half was a wolf's face.

Was the old man a wolf demon?

The Nine-Tailed Fox smiled: "Senior, you should actually thank me for finding such suitable successors for you."

"Li Po and Ye Yang are known as the Wolf King. One possesses the Greed Wolf fate, and the other carries the Heavenly Wolf soul. Aren't they a repeat of the two seniors back then?"

"Senior, you fought the heroes of the demon realm alone back then, seized the land closest to the vital energy, but had to compromise with the demon realm powerhouses, allowing them to approach the demon tomb. Aren't Li Po and Ye Yang similar?"

"Li Po and Ye Yang would rather die in battle than bow their heads to others. But why did they flee all the way here?"

"Others can't understand, but I think senior should understand, right?"

The old man couldn't help but sigh: "I understand!"

The Nine-Tailed Fox said again: "Senior has always wanted to revive his brother, and would rather drag his seriously injured body than absorb the vital energy to heal his injuries."

"But, for so many years, has the other senior shown any signs of recovery?"

"You've known for a long time that it's impossible, so why do you still deceive yourself?"

"Senior, you're probably afraid that you won't see your brother in arms when you enter the Gates of Hell, so you've been unwilling to face reality!"

As the Nine-Tailed Fox spoke, the old man's aura suddenly soared, and the violent aura shattered the Nine-Tailed Fox's soul on the spot. Ye Yang and I were also pushed away and crashed into the rocks in the cave.

I slid down the wall almost glued to it. My first reaction was: my bones are broken.