The monk's arrival was suspicious, so Yi Shuihan naturally wouldn't risk letting him see Xiao Qingyin.

He simply instructed Yi Wu to lead the people to the banquet hall.

Upon meeting, before he could even speak, the other party asked, "Has Benefactor Xiao's dzi bead left his person?"

Dzi beads?

Yi Shuihan's heart skipped a beat.

He was in a hurry to take Xiao Qingyin back to the manor that day and didn't have time for anything else. However, the coachman wouldn't touch anything in the carriage without his permission.

That string of dzi beads should still be in the car.

How did this great monk know that Xiao Qingyin's dzi bead had left her body?

Could it be...?

A bad thought immediately flashed through his mind.

The next moment, the great monk said, "Without the dzi bead to suppress it, Benefactor Xiao's soul will dissipate."

Yi Shuihan was startled.

"The soul dissipated?"

"Yes." The head monk nodded. "She is a soul from another world. She can only attach herself to this body because of the Heavenly Pearl. If she leaves the body, her soul will leave the body and dissipate into the world."

Upon hearing this, Yi Shuihan didn't bother to discern whether his words were true or false, and immediately went to the carriage to find Tianzhu.

Seeing the string of dzi beads lying there intact, his tense heart finally relaxed a little.

He then took the dzi bead string back to the bedroom and put it on Xiao Qingyin.

One moment, two moments, three moments...

He held Xiao Qingyin's hand tightly, waiting anxiously.

After a while, she didn't change. Just as he was about to leave and settle accounts with the head monk, she finally opened her eyes.

"Hmm—"

Xiao Qingyin covered her forehead, her head throbbing with pain.

There was a vague feeling that my consciousness was being forcibly stripped away.

Yi Shuihan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're finally awake."

finally?

Xiao Qingyin asked through gritted teeth, "How long was I unconscious?"

"Almost two days."

So long?

Xiao Qingyin was taken aback.

She felt like she had only been dizzy for a short while.

"What exactly is going on?"

As she spoke, she began to take her own pulse.

But then Yi Shuihan said, "The abbot of Lingyun Temple said it was because the soul left the body after the Heavenly Pearl was removed."

Xiao Qingyin: "???"

Why is even metaphysics being mentioned?

"The abbot of Lingyun Temple? That high monk? How did you get in touch with him?"

Yi Shuihan recounted everything that happened during her coma, and Xiao Qingyin became even more confused after listening.

"My soul needs to be suppressed by the dzi bead? But I used to not wear the dzi bead occasionally, and nothing happened to me."

Yi Shuihan couldn't answer her question.

Xiao Qingyin sat up and said, "I'll go and meet him. He said before that I could go back after accumulating enough merit. I don't know if he was just fooling me."

The word "go back" instantly darkened Yi Shuihan's face.

They're already married, does she still want to go back?

He tried so hard to change the world, wanting to keep her here...

Xiao Qingyin noticed that the man's grip on her was getting tighter and tighter. Just as she was about to tell him to let go, she saw the storm brewing in his eyes.

A thought flashed through my mind and I knew what was wrong with him.

She patted his hand with her free hand: "Don't take it to heart, I was just saying it casually, I didn't mean it that way."

"A woman follows her husband wherever he goes, whether he's a chicken or a dog." Since she's married to this ancient man, she'll naturally stay in ancient times with him.

Unless he is heartless and betrays her.

Yi Shuihan came to her senses and realized she had lost control, so she quickly let go.

"Did you hurt yourself from squeezing so hard?"

"I'm alright. Help me up."

Xiao Qingyin helped him stand up, feeling a little dizzy and lightheaded.

He paused for a moment before taking his first step.

"Let's go and hear what that big monk has to say."

Yi Shuihan helped her to the banquet hall.

The senior monk seemed unsurprised by her awakening, but as she sat down, he said meaningfully, "Benefactor Xiao, it would be best to collect all the Heavenly Beads as soon as possible."

Xiao Qingyin stared at him intently: "Is there a problem with not collecting them all?"

Although only one dzi bead remained to be found, her desire to collect the rest had indeed diminished considerably since she decided to stay.

Instead of answering, the senior monk asked, "Has Benefactor Xiao considered why he had this extraordinary encounter?"

The extraordinary encounter he was referring to was, of course, the matter of time travel.

Xiao Qingyin thought about this question when she first arrived.

When asked at this point, without thinking, he blurted out, "Because of doing good deeds and accumulating merit?"

The senior monk nodded: "That's right. Heaven cherishes life. Benefactor Xiao saved lives and accumulated good deeds, which is why you have this wonderful encounter. But good fortune is not inexhaustible. If you fail to accumulate enough merit, when the time comes, you will return to dust."

Xiao Qingyin: "..."

The heavens are really cunning; they gave her a time-traveling cheat code, and she has to do good deeds to prolong her life.

How did the senior monk know these things?

Could he be an NPC sent by heaven?

She looked at him with a face full of suspicion.

The senior monk looked completely calm.

Yi Shuihan asked in a deep voice, "How long do you mean by 'when the time comes'?"

The senior monk replied, "This old monk has only made a rough estimate; it may not be accurate."

"Please feel free to speak."

Nine years.

Does that mean she only has four years left to live?

Xiao Qingyin silently complained.

Yi Shuihan's expression changed.

"What does merit have to do with dzi beads? Does collecting all the dzi beads mean you've accumulated enough merit?"

"Merit and Heavenly Beads are not the same thing. I only know that only by collecting all the Heavenly Beads can you completely fix Benefactor Xiao's soul. However, perhaps the process of collecting Heavenly Beads can accumulate merit, like the time in Bei'an City."

Xiao Qingyin frowned.

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