Chapter 266: 266
Chapter 266 The Withering Sakura
Ye Shaoyang gathered his thoughts and took out a small ceramic bottle from his backpack . This was the Garnet Baihua Pill that Tan Xiaohui had given him not too long ago . There were only three pills inside the bottle . Ye Shaoyang took one out and placed it into Teng Yongqing’s mouth . Xie Yuqing pa.s.sed Ye Shaoyang a bottle of distilled water, and he fed the water into Teng Yongqing’s mouth to flush the pill into his stomach .
Nothing looked different from the outside, but to Ye Shaoyang’s surprise, he noticed that the Yang Qi started to disperse at a much slower rate . Soon, the effect of the pill took full control and the Yang Qi stopped rushing out from Teng Yongqing’s body . Ye Shaoyang drew a Soul Binding Rune on a talisman paper and stuck it onto Teng Yongqing’s forehead to stabilize his condition . After all, the latter was in such a weak condition, and his soul could be easily seized by any outside force .
“Okay, now his life is saved . ” Ye Shaoyang let out a sigh of relief before he further instructed, “Get him to the hospital as quickly as you can for a blood transfusion . Do whatever the hospital needs to, but don’t ever take away the talisman paper . ”
Xiao Ma and Old Guo carefully carried Teng Yongqing out of the place . Ma Cheng finally had the chance to prove his worth . He volunteered, “Come with me . My car is fast, and it is outside . ”
Since Xiao Ma and Old Guo were there, Zhou Jingru and Xie Yuqing felt that there was no need for them to follow . They walked over to the sakura garden . As they saw the ground covered with withered flowers, they could not help but feel sad .
Ye Shaoyang was utterly exhausted after using the sword . Now, he sat on the ground motionlessly, as he stared in the direction where Tan Xiaohui had vanished into just now .
“She must have done that for Tan Xiaohui… . The real Tan Xiaohui . She chose to avenge her . ” Xie Yuqing mumbled .
Ye Shaoyang kept quiet for a long while . Finally, he answered, “That is one of the reasons . She also did not want to go to the Underworld . She wanted to stay in the mortal world, hence… . ” As he thought back to Tan Xiaohui’s every little reaction, Ye Shaoyang realized that she had already decided to sacrifice herself . She had already accepted her fate, so she was calm all the time .
However, can anyone really accept their fate without any regret?
Suddenly, Ye Shaoyang noticed something . He approached the spot and picked up a small item . It was a silkworm, flawlessly white in color . But it was dead .
“This is Tan Xiaohui’s remains?” Zhou Jingru asked .
Ye Shaoyang nodded, as he whispered to the dead worm, “Although you are dead, at least you get to stay in the mortal world now . Congratulations, I guess . ”
Xie Yuqing was surprised to hear this, so she asked, “What do you mean?”
“She came from the Underworld but died in the mortal world . So, her Qi of the Underworld has been cleansed . As long as her primordial spirit gathers into a Hun, she can enter the Netherworld Council and start her journey of the Underworld through the six paths of reincarnation, just like a normal spirit in the mortal world,” Ye Shaoyang said as he stared at the lifeless worm .
Zhou Jingru was surprised, “I remember you told me this before, after the primordial spirits gather, it has to be reincarnated into the path of animals . ”
“If she doesn’t undergo the pain of reincarnation, how would she qualify to be reincarnated into a human? I guess this choice would be worth the pain to her . ”
Zhou Jingru and Xie Yuqing could only nod in silence . It was a sad ending, but it was a consolation to those who lived . After all, this was Tan Xiaohui’s own choice . Besides, this was a new beginning for her, rather than an end . The only sad part was that this would take a long time, and they would not be able to see her after this .
A gust of wind blew again, and the petals dropped onto the ground, reminding everyone about the sad event again . Ye Shaoyang stood up and let out a sigh, “Time for us to leave . ”
The trio stood in the sakura garden for a while longer, each bearing heavy thoughts . Then, they finally left without uttering another word .
The next morning soon arrived . Teng Yongqing was now in a stable condition, but he was still unconscious .
Zhou Jingru hired two nurses to take care of him . The group visited him on his bed again before they left for Tan Xiaohui’s grave . It was a spot Zhou Jingru had picked for her . It was a cemetery on a hill with a great view .
Ye Shaoyang carried Tan Xiaohui’s remains in a handkerchief . He buried her with the real Tan XIaohui . Now, both Tan Xiaohui were resting in peace together .
As they left, everyone kept quiet . Finally, Xie Yuqing broke the silence, as she asked Ye Shaoyang where the handkerchief came from . Ye Shaoyang answered without thinking twice . Xie Yuqing asked again, “Do you know what the significance is in Miao culture when a girl presents a man with a handkerchief she knitted?”
Ye Shaoyang shook his head, but the answer was a little obvious .
Xie Yuqing bitterly smiled, “Furthermore, that handkerchief was knitted using the silk she produced . ”
Ye Shaoyang was silent .
Everyone gathered in the afternoon for a lunch . They were in no mood to celebrate, but it was a success after such a long time . They had killed Madam Chee, so it was a burden lifted off their shoulders, especially for Ye Shaoyang .
Ma Cheng joined the group for lunch, and he insisted on paying . He even opened up a bottle of old liquor, but everyone was not in the mood to drink .
Halfway through the meal, Ma Cheng suddenly popped out a question, “Mister Ye, what should I do now with the sakura garden?”
“Burn it to the ground . Those Sakura trees are now demons, so it is risky to keep them . ” Ye Shaoyang then turned to Old Guo, “Senior brother, perhaps it’s better if you could go along with him . Just to be safe . And check out the well, see if the paG.o.da tree is still in there . ”
Old Guo was nervous, “What if I b.u.mp into something powerful?”
“Those powerful spirits are dead in the formation since they came out along with Madam Chee . So, there shouldn’t be any spirits left . Even if there is, you will be able to handle it . Just be careful . ”
On second thought, Old Guo could actually earn some money from Ma Cheng for this . So, he delightedly agreed . Ma Cheng would only need to inform Old Guo after all the diving equipment had been prepared .
Ma Cheng held up his gla.s.s and toasted to Ye Shaoyang, “Master Ye, you really opened up my eyes yesterday . I would not believe it if I had not witnessed it with my own eyes . I can’t believe there is really such thing as a pill to bring back the dead in this world . ”
Ye Shaoyang explained, “There is no such thing . The pill merely blocked the Yang Qi from escaping from his body . This would only buy time for a person until they could be saved by real medical professionals . It’s that simple . ”
This explanation only brought more confusion to Ma Cheng, “What exactly is Yang Qi?”
Ye Shaoyang was not in the mood to explain . He sipped the liquor in his gla.s.s without uttering another word .
In the afternoon . Ye Shaoyang and Xiao Ma went back to the bamboo building . They slept away the whole afternoon and only woke up in evening . Then, they continued their day by drinking beer .
“Now that this has come to an end, what is your plan?” Xiao Ma asked .
“I guess… I will rest for a few days, and then continue living my life . How about you?”
“A date . ” Xiao Ma grinned .
This answer somehow resonated with Ye Shaoyang’s feelings . After dinner, he called Rui Lengyu . They talked for a long time . He recounted the story to her, and she did not comment on anything; she only listened . However, after telling her everything, he felt so much better .
Ye Shaoyang spent the next few days wandering around the city . It was not exactly a vacation, but he felt loosened up . Although he was resting, he was connected to his friends and allies through the phone . So, he quickly received the news that Old Guo had gone down the well but did not find the paG.o.da tree .