Hu Tangdi and She Jinxing immediately went to find the murderer. Shang Lin reached out and helped "Old Man Chai" up, asking, "How are you? Can you adapt to a living body?"

Ji Xiaoyao leaned most of his weight against the wall and took a while to answer, "Old Man Chai's condition is not good. I'm afraid it will take me a long time to repair him. But human life is limited. Once I'm repaired and leave, he probably won't live for more than a few years."

Shang Lin knew more about the lifespan of ordinary people than anyone else, but even though he knew it all, he couldn't help but fall silent when he heard it. After a while, he said, "I know, but I can't give up until the very last moment."

Ji Xiaoyao poured cold water on Shang Lin's enthusiasm, "Also, a ghost cultivator like me is a double-edged sword for Old Man Chai. On the one hand, I can help him repair his body, but on the other hand, I will shorten his lifespan."

Shang Lin, "..."

After a long silence, he sighed and said, "There's no such thing as a perfect solution in this world!"

Having wandered as a spirit for hundreds of years, Ji Xiaoyao was suddenly thrust into reality and found himself disoriented, especially since Old Man Chai's body was on the verge of death and even more difficult to control. As for the pain, it felt strangely familiar and not unbearable.

However, upon seeing Shang Lin's childlike face, General Ji finally said something heartwarming: "The sect leader is right, and if we don't do this, he could be gone at any moment."

Shang Lin was a resilient person, and after a moment of reflection, he regained his composure. "You're right. We'll stay in a hotel for the next few days. It'll give you some time to adjust, so that no one in the village will notice anything amiss."

"good."

Shang Lin helped Ji Xiaoyao to the main road and took a car to the best hotel in the county. Well, "best" is only relatively speaking. The main advantage was that it had a bathtub, which made it convenient to take a medicinal bath.

First, let Ji Xiaoyao rest in the guest room, and then asked Qiu Niang to watch over him. Shang Lin hurriedly went to buy medicinal herbs. Considering the time constraints, he also asked Huang Li to buy dinner. He was truly racing against time.

There's no other way. In small places, once the time passes, everything is gone. Are we supposed to let Ji Xiaoyao, an injured man, eat bread? Shang Lin's own body isn't up to it either.

During dinner, Shang Lin asked Ji Xiaoyao, "Can you probe Old Man Chai's memories?"

Ji Xiaoyao paused. "No, what does the Sect Master want to know?"

"nothing."

Although Shang Lin was a little curious about the original owner's situation, he didn't necessarily need to know. He just wanted to know so that if he encountered something related to it one day, he wouldn't be caught off guard or even passive.

Around 8 PM, Shang Lin arranged for medicinal baths in the bathtubs of both guest rooms, with different herbs, since Qiu Niang couldn't be watching Ji Xiaoyao at this time. He then changed the almanac.

As for Shang Lin, he was perfectly fine on his own, but Qiu Niang was worried, so she stood guard outside the guest room for everyone.

She Jinxing returned late at night. He never expected that the sect leader wouldn't take "Old Man Chai" to the hospital, but instead stayed at a hotel. But the sect leader hadn't even turned off the bedside lamp—was he waiting for them?

Shang Lin sensed something, immediately opened his eyes and sat up. As soon as he saw She Jinxing, he asked directly, "Have you found the person?"

She Jinxing sat down in front of Shang Lin and replied, "I found it. Senior Sister wanted to investigate the situation, but I was worried about the Sect Master, so I came back first."

Shang Lin wanted to say, "You should stay with Hu Tangdi to prevent her from acting impulsively."

But considering "Old Man Chai's" current condition, he really needed She Jinxing by his side. Moreover, he overlooked one problem: Ji Xiaoyao's injuries wouldn't heal so quickly.

As for the other two who could appear, Huang Ying has not returned yet, and even if she does appear, she is just a little girl, a cute little boy, and it would be a struggle for her to maintain her youthful appearance for even a few hours.

So Shang Lin held back and didn't say anything, only saying, "You should rest first."

After saying that, he called Xing Tian out again, took out his phone and handed it to him, "The bank card and SIM card are all done. Do whatever you need to do. Here's the PIN for the bank card."

As Xing Tian took the phone, he asked, "What's the delivery address for the online purchase?"

Shang Lin thought for a moment before replying, "Write down my school's address for now."

Xing Tian was somewhat disgusted with the phone Shang Lin bought, but considering their sect leader's current situation and the environment they were in, he didn't say anything in the end. He just retreated to a corner and quietly fiddled with it.

She Jinxing immediately leaned closer and whispered, "Teach me too."

"Okay." Xing Tian did not refuse; they were now fellow disciples.

Upon seeing this, Shang Lin felt reassured and went to sleep.

When Shang Lin woke up the next day, She Jinxing had already bought breakfast, and the quantity was quite exaggerated. He subconsciously asked, "Why did you buy so much?" It's like she bought out an entire breakfast shop, isn't it?

She Jinxing smiled a little embarrassedly, "I heard that military officers have a big appetite, so I bought more."

As Shang Lin got up and washed, he praised, "Not bad, very thoughtful." But Ji Xiaoyao was currently occupying Old Man Chai's body, and might not have the appetite of a military general.

While having breakfast, Shang Lin called everyone at home out for a meeting. He was particularly unconventional and bluntly stated, "We don't know how long it will take for Ji Xiaoyao to repair Old Man Chai's current physical condition, so we'll rent a house in the county and not go back to the village. Oh, we need to find an apartment building with a bathtub."

She Jinxing immediately said, "I'll go look for one. Once I find a suitable one, I'll have Old Man Chai sign the lease agreement."

Shang Lin was very satisfied. "Then it's decided."

Xing Tian hurriedly said, "Then you'd better hurry up, so you don't have to write the sect leader's school as the delivery address, otherwise he won't have a good reason to explain." They have a lot of things to buy.

She Jinxing smiled and said, "Okay."

After saying that, he asked Shang Lin, "What is the sect leader's plan regarding the puppetry technique?"

Because of Old Man Chai's sudden accident, Shang Lin had forgotten about the matter. Now, the moment it was mentioned, his good mood vanished instantly. The main reason was that he wanted to know if Meng Zhe knew about the matter and whether he had been involved.

After all, in the past six months, the people Shang Lin had met were all very honest and kind to him. This was the first person to scheme against him like this, so he was a little unaccustomed to it.

He saw clearly how Meng Zhe protected Shang Lin at school, without any pretense, making this betrayal even more unacceptable.

But given their current situation, Shang Lin could only say, "Let's talk about it after we've settled things here first."

After all, whatever he wants to do now, he has to rely on She Jinxing and Hu Tangdi most of the time. With his sickly body, how can he possibly get to the Meng family?

The usually good-natured Qiu Niang suddenly said, "If the sect leader wants an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, I can..."