Chapter 653: Resurrection
Slowly life at the Yanluo’s mansion fell into a simple routine. Hui Yue provided pills for everyone as they continued to cultivate, and he, himself, was attacking the bottleneck he was experiencing in the major dao of wind.
Once a month he would go with Yanluo to visit King Chujiang and give him a wisp of the Nirvana Phoenix Flame. Afterwards, his soul was clearly nourished quite a lot from the flame, and his condition improved.
The madame who sat by the king’s side day in and day out had been listless and lacked energy the first time Hui Yue saw her. She had been filled with dread and was worried that she had done the wrong thing by dragging her husband out of the Yellow River, but she came to believe her decision was the right one more and more as she watched her husband’s condition improve and her eyes were sparkling brightly with antic.i.p.ation.
As she saw his soul healing, she felt as if a rock had been lifted off her shoulders and she could allow herself to feel better again, and soon she even greeted Hui Yue in a friendly manner whenever he came to check up on King Chujiang.
Hui Yue was quite busy. He had to concoct pills for everyone to use; he had to revive King Chujiang, and he had to comprehend the dao. On top of this, he also had to accompany Yanluo"s small daughter who often came to visit him to hear about his adventurers through the mortal world.
"I am not father"s real daughter," she lamented one day while seated in Hui Yue"s room. "Black phoenixes are incredibly rare, and anyone who holds one can bring prosperity to their country. Because of this, we are often hunted down, and my family was hunted down too."
"My real parents died while giving me a chance to escape, but unfortunately it was impossible, and in the end, I was caught."
"I was brought here to Youdu to be sold in the black market auction house when father found me. He instantly purchased me at a price way over market value. When I saw that I had been bought, I was very worried. What was I supposed to do?"
"But then he told me his secret that he too was a black phoenix and that we ought to stick together. He was even willing to try and free my parents, but they had already perished."
"When he found out, he did not hesitate to adopt me, and since then he has been my most important person. Father treats me better than anyone, and I want to live up to his expectations."
Hui Yue knew how often Little Sun praised her father, but today was the day he truly understood why. Although it was clear that her past pained her, she stood with her head held high because she had Yanluo to support her.
"How old are you?" he suddenly asked, and the little girl grinned as she looked at Hui Yue. "I am four hundred and seven years old!" she said proudly causing Hui Yue to feel a slight headache.
Did black phoenixes age slowly or was she just doomed to be a child for her entire life?
Guessing Hui Yue"s thoughts, she laughed her unique pearl-like laughter and explained, "Black phoenixes lives for eons. As long as they do not get killed they will never die."
"I am four hundred years old, yes, but I really am just a child in the eyes of other black phoenixes. My body also develops much slower than you humans that grow like bean sprouts."
Hui Yue looked at her and narrowed his eyes. This girl was four times as old as he was, but she behaved like a girl that had not even reached the age of ten.
Unsure of how to respond to her statement, the girl started laughing again at his complicated expression. She could tell just how confused he was, but in the end, she said nothing. She understood that no matter what she said, he would have a hard time comprehending it.
"Don"t think about it too much," Lan Feng cut in. "She is right when she says that phoenixes age differently from humans. Many beasts do. It took me a thousand years to reach maturity, and I was pretty mature for my age," Lan Feng said proudly.
"You reached maturity?" Hui Yue asked surprised, causing the phoenix to scowl with displeasure. "Of course, I did. Do you think I am some sort of p.u.b.erty plagued little boy?"
"My mistake, my mistake," Hui Yue laughed, but he finally got what Lan Feng was getting at. Humans were not made to live for eternity, that was why they matured faster and were weaker than beasts.
Some beasts were made to live for eternity, and those beasts would forever be slower at developing as their lifespan was not as short.
Day in and day out Little Sun would listen to Hui Yue. Although he had lived for much less time than she had, he had experienced so much more than she had. Currently, she would not dare to venture from Yanluo’s mansion before she was incredibly strong. She feared that she would get captured once again, or that she would cause problems for her father.
In this fas.h.i.+on, three months pa.s.sed in a flash. The soul of King Chujiang was almost fully restored, just one visit was left. Both Hui Yue and Yanluo went to give him the final wisp of Nirvana Phoenix Flame.
As the Nirvana Phoenix Flame entered his soul, it was clear that something had happened. His soul jolted as if it had been given an electric shock, but even so, he did not open his eyes.
"I’ve done what I can," Hui Yue said with a smile as he looked at the soul in front of him. When he had first seen this soul, it had been in the shape of a ball with no real features, yet now it looked exactly like a middle aged man.
"You did well," Yanluo nodded his head. "I am sure you should stay here and listen to what he has to say," he continued. "You are his savior after all, and King Chujiang might have some knowledge that could prove worthwhile to you. He was an old friend of the Alchemist G.o.d, and now that you are searching for him, any help that could possibly point you in the right direction will be beneficial."
Hui Yue vaguely remembered that Yanluo previously had said something about King Chujiang and the Alchemist G.o.d, but at the time he had not paid too much attention his words, now however, he was listening attentively Thus he would like to hear about anything that could help him get closer to locating that supreme alchemist.
Seeing that he had indeed caught Hui Yue"s attention, Yanluo chuckled slightly before he went towards the madame. He reached out his hand and gently lifted the soul up.
In the room was a bed, but this bed was occupied by a body that had been lying there for as long as Hui Yue had been in the mansion. The body looked like the soul its features were exactly like those of the middle-aged man.
Hui Yue could not help but feel a little sorry for Chujiang. Although he would be resurrected and he would be stronger than the average expert, he would not be as strong as he had been before since his new body was created by Yanluo.
"Even if he is weaker, he will still be strong enough that he could kill us with but a thought," Lan Feng said with a harrumph. "Our cultivation has been delayed because you comprehended the major dao of earth, and if we don"t get the last two major daos completed soon, then I fear we will not have what it takes to look for the Alchemist G.o.d."
Hui Yue nodded his head. He too had a headache from trying to comprehend the major dao of wind. Three months had gone by and from his estimation, Lan Feng should have been able to comprehend the full dao of fire by now. However, he was only halfway there. His current speed of comprehension speed was now less than half what it had been, and this was not because he wasn"t diligent in his training.
"Well, we will stay here until we comprehend these daos. I also need to hear what this King Chujiang can tell us about the Alchemist G.o.d, and it won"t be good to question him as soon as he awakens." Hui Yue decided and stopped worrying about it for now.
His attention returned to the soul which was now hovering above the body, and slowly, it descended upon the body and merged with it.
The process of merging was slow, and everyone held their breaths in antic.i.p.ation. This was a critical moment. If anything went wrong, then his soul would be wounded once more, and the damage might even be worse than what had just been healed.
His soul was no longer visible, but the body that was laying on the bed slowly started breathing. The body started getting color and tremors ran through it constantly as the soul settled in.
The process was many times more difficult than when Hui Yue had switched bodies. This was because Hui Yue had been conscious when he had switched his body while King Chujiang"s merger was done while he was unconscious.
The minutes felt like hours as they went by and the three G.o.ds in the room were staring at the body with bated breath and hoped for success.
Slowly, after what seemed like an eternity, the eyelids of the body trembled and opened. The eyes which were beneath the eyelids were filled with confusion, and they were clouded over.
"Where... Where am I?" a hoa.r.s.e voice asked, and the moment his voice sounded out, King Chujiang closed his eyes and was even more shock.
He turned his head, and his eyes landed on the madame, Yanluo, and an unknown youth. Seeing these three experts present, his confused eyes widened in shock.
"I… I died..." he mumbled to himself as he closed his eyes and with an effort placed a hand over His forehead as if he had a hard time sorting his thoughts.
No one interrupted him, and everyone stayed quiet while he was thinking.
"I’m positive I died," he said, this time his voice was stronger than before, but a slight trembling could be heard in it. This was a feeling that Hui Yue knew all too well.
Every time he had merged with a memory, he had also experienced the death of his past life. Dying was not a pleasant experience for most, and considering the wound King Chujiang"s soul had experienced, it was clear he died a violent death.
"How did you get me out of the Yellow River?" King Chujiang finally asked as he once more opened his eyes and they landed on the madame and Yanluo.
They also briefly looked at Hui Yue, but the more he looked at this youngster, the more confused he became. Who was this boy? And why would he appear here while he was resurrected? Everything was a big mess, and he, who had just been resurrected, had a hard time making sense of it all.
"Try to see if you can sit up first," Yanluo said with a tender voice. It was clear that Chujiang was a great friend of his, and the king did exactly what Yanluo suggested. He did not ask any more questions but took a deep breath and sat up.
"This body is a little stiff," he commented, but there was no resentment in his voice, if anything a bit of excitement had crept into it.
"I know it is nothing like your refined body from before, but don"t lose hope because of this, there are so many things we need to speak with you about." Yanluo smiled and waved his hand. Three chairs flew towards the bed, and he gestured for the madame and Hui Yue to take a seat while he himself took the third chair and looked at the sitting King Chujiang.
"Don"t worry; I will explain everything to you."