Chapter 57 Meeting and Resurrecting the Doppelganger?
Perhaps startled Qingyan by the statue opening its eyes, for the vine in her hand froze in mid-air in a suspended arc, and then remained motionless.
Qingyan stared up at the statue in horror, motionless.
Hua Xun was the first to recover from the shock. She quickly picked up the broken Aurora Hairpin from the ground and took the opportunity to fly out of the room. Like a gust of wind, she crashed into several vine demons outside the door and escaped from Bai Xiang Lou in the blink of an eye.
However, Hua Xun's mind was in turmoil and confusion along the way.
The deity once said that he knew the prayers offered before every statue of a god.
The statue just opened its eyes. Does this mean that the deity also saw her and sensed her whereabouts?
Will the God come looking for her?
Why did the Aurora Hairpin suddenly break?
Countless distracting thoughts filled his mind, churning endlessly, until a soft voice quietly rang out from around the corner: "Little demon!"
Hua Xun paused slightly, looked in that direction, and her thoughts gradually cleared: "What are you doing here? Where's the child?"
“I hid it,” Jin Huan said irritably. “If I wasn’t worried that no one would collect your body if you died, do you think I would want to come back?”
Hua Xun was relieved, but dared not delay any longer. She and Jin Huan found Liu An and flew quickly towards the Liu family.
The Liu family home was brightly lit with candles. Zhu Yun and her family of three were pacing back and forth in the courtyard, looking anxious. Suddenly, they saw a light flying from the night sky and hurriedly got up to greet it.
Upon seeing the child in Hua Xun's arms, Zhu Yun instantly burst into tears, holding the child close to her chest: "An'er, it's my An'er..."
Her mother-in-law and husband glanced at the child, then suddenly knelt down and kowtowed: "Thank you so much, Miss A-Xun and Monk Jin, for finding my son. We will never forget your great kindness!"
Upon seeing this, Zhu Yun hurriedly picked up the child and was about to kneel down.
Hua Xun raised her hand to stop her, and Jin Huan awkwardly helped the two people beside her up: "You're welcome, give us more money..."
Before he could finish speaking about his greed, Hua Xun glared at him.
Jin Huan shrugged and cleared his throat: "...Saving the world and saving the people is the original intention of a cultivator."
"Miss Xun, why isn't An'er reacting?" Zhu Yun suddenly noticed something and asked in a panic.
Hua Xun replied, "I checked on her when I came back. Liu Anxin's soul was damaged, but it had been repaired somewhat before. She just needs to rest for a while."
As if in response to her words, Liu An's eyelashes fluttered, and she barely opened her eyes a crack, weakly calling out "Mother."
Zhu Yun was finally relieved and repeatedly invited Hua Xun and the other person to stay for a meal.
Hua Xun declined the Liu family's kind invitation, saying that he still had important matters to attend to, and then pulled Jin Huan along to board the departing flying boat.
"If you want to leave, then leave. Why are you dragging me along?" Jin Huan said, displeased. "I did help you rescue the child, but where's my Hua Lu? I haven't even seen a trace of it! I was planning to stay at the Liu family's place for a while..."
The complaints stopped abruptly when they saw the two exquisite porcelain vases in Hua Xun's hands.
"This is..." Jin Huan asked in disbelief.
"I took it from one of the vine spirits when I left Baixianglou." Hua Xun sniffed it. Even though the stopper was still closed, he could smell the light fragrance, which seemed to calm his soul.
Jin Huan's expression immediately changed. He chuckled twice and reached for one of the porcelain bottles.
Hua Xun quickly put it away.
"You want to take it all for yourself?" Jin Huan roared.
Hua Xun paused for a moment: "You've traveled all over the country, do you know why Qingyan waited until the child was frightened before absorbing his soul?"
Upon hearing this, Jin Huan pondered for a few moments and said, "I have heard that because young children are pure in nature, their minds are opened after being frightened, and the resulting shock has a miraculous effect."
Hua Xun suddenly remembered that back in Qianying City, Qian Zhichou seemed to like the aura of those men and women who were frightened after their sacrifices, and that must be why she did it.
She paused, then asked, "Did you see clearly how Qingyan restored Liu Anxin's soul?"
Whether it is the immortal race or the demon race, repairing the soul requires a lot of magic power and time.
Just like back in Qingmu Town, when Li placed her son Chen Changyan's soul inside that spirit fox and nurtured it for twelve years.
Even the God Lord took several days to successfully temper the three souls of God Lord Luohe.
Qingyan was able to so quickly restore Liu An's soul...
Jin Huan seemed stumped by her question: "I saw her use floral water," then, as if remembering something, he added, "It seems she also used that child's blood and tears?"
Hua Xun's expression tightened slightly.
Therefore, it wasn't that she misread it.
Hua Xun handed a bottle of floral dew to Jin Huan. He sniffed it carefully, then carefully put it away as if it were a precious treasure. Hua Xun waved the bottle in her hand and asked, "Do you want this bottle?"
Upon hearing this, Jin Huan's eyes flashed with an astonishing light, then he asked suspiciously, "You would be so kind?"
Hua Xun smiled and said, "There are still quite a few children at Baixianglou. Come with me again tomorrow, and I'll give them all to you."
Jin Huan immediately objected: "You saw that thousand-year-old flower demon too; her cultivation level is above ours..."
Hua Xun tossed the dew into the water, and Jin Huan's gaze followed the porcelain bottle. His words of reluctance gradually faded, and finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I'll go!"
Hua Xun happily put the flower dew back into her purse.
Jin Huan added, "I have nowhere to go, and staying at an inn will cost money."
Hua Xun paused, then raised an eyebrow: "So?"
Jin Huan smiled brightly and said matter-of-factly, "You take responsibility."
Hua Xun: "..."
*
Hua Xun finally gave Jin Huan a piece of silver and told him to find a place to stay and meet up with him early the next morning.
Back in her small courtyard, Hua Xun gazed at the dark house, and the image of the statue opening its eyes not long ago resurfaced in her mind.
She thought that all her avoidance had probably been wishful thinking on her part.
Why did the deity come to find her?
Just as gods have compassion for all living beings, the divine ruler may have only regarded her as a responsibility, and now that he sees her safe and sound, he is relieved.
Hua Xun took a light breath; the fragrance of flowers in the courtyard dispelled some of the gloom, and her mood gradually lightened.
She went inside, made a hand gesture to wash away the filth from her body, and lay down on the bed fully clothed.
After a long and tiring day, Hua Xun should have been sound asleep, but she tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep.
Finally, she stared blankly at the slightly swaying curtains above her head, and everything that had happened during the day came flooding back.
Jin Huan said that the Divine Lord was in seclusion.
However, the Divine Lord's soul was not injured by the earthquake caused by the Divine Tree Jianmu, but rather it was to remove the curse from her.
Hua Xun frowned and habitually took out the golden soul bead from his purse.
The patterns embedded on the Soul Bead are very similar to the gilded divine seal between the eyebrows of the Divine Lord's Dharma Image.
However, the patterns had long since faded and lost all their luster.
If the souls of mortals can be restored, what about those of gods?
Can the soul of a deity be restored to its original state?
Will the severed clone be able to reappear?
even……
Hua Xun's hand holding the Soul Pearl trembled slightly. She was startled by her own selfish and greedy thoughts, her breath caught in her throat, and she quickly put the Soul Pearl back into her pouch.
How is her desire to keep the resurrected clone by her side any different from what Qian Zhichou did back then?
Hua Xun forced herself to stop thinking nonsense and closed her eyes tightly.
Before long, Hua Xun felt as if her body was floating in gentle spiritual energy and fell into a deep sleep.
Golden sparks slowly emerged, gathering in the dark mortal houses, and finally condensing into a tall, pure white figure.
The deity appeared quietly beside the bed, and the curtains rose without wind, revealing the sleeping face of the young girl.
The divine light trembled slightly as the divine lord gazed intently at the sleeping girl.
Two hundred and forty-one days is but a fleeting moment for a god who has lived for ten thousand years.
But he found it to be so long.
The wait was so long that even after destroying the ancient artifact with his own hands, he was unwilling to wait a few more years.
Now, it has finally been found.
Just as he had imagined, she was always so at ease and joyful, no matter where she was.
But without her, Baiwu Cliff was just a lifeless Jade Kun Divine Palace, just as it had been for ten thousand years.
The Jade Kun Divine Palace "died" ten thousand years ago.
And he...
The deity lowered his eyes.
He doesn't like it.
He disliked the silent divine realm, disliked the cloud cliffs without Ah Xun, and disliked Ah Xun laughing and joking with others.
He developed a sense of separation and favoritism, yet felt no remorse whatsoever.
The girl's brow furrowed slightly in her sleep.
Are you troubled by the Bai Xiang Lou matter?
The deity reached out, his fingertips awkwardly probing forward, finally resting on her brow.
The jade-like fingers gently smoothed the girl's raised brows, lingering over her eyes and brows until... they landed on her lips.
The crimson lips and snow-white fingers contrasted, causing the god's breath to become momentarily disordered.
"Ah Xun." The voice, like a lingering sigh, echoed softly in the night.
*
Hua Xun had a dream that night.
She dreamt that she returned to the side of the God, who used his divine power to soothe her depleted dantian and gently smoothed her troubled brow with his fingers.
She also dreamed that the god's beautiful fingers were gently and tenderly stroking her eyebrows and eyes.
He even... caressed her lips, murmuring "A-Xun" to her.
Hua Xun suddenly opened her eyes, and upon seeing the empty room, she abruptly pulled the covers over her head and let out a heavy sigh.
It was probably because the idea of the Resurrected God's clone last night was too absurd that she had such a "spring dream".
After lying in bed for a while, Hua Xun remembered that she had to go to Bai Xiang Lou today. She sat up, tidied her messy hair and skirt, and went out of the room.
Then, their steps came to an abrupt halt.
A tall, slender figure in snow-white robes stood quietly in front of the flower bushes at the corner of the wall, silently admiring the swaying flowers.
He was surrounded by a hazy, pristine light, his black hair was gently caressed by the morning breeze, and a few butterflies lingered around him.
He extended his finger, and a butterfly landed on his fingertip.
These figures were so sacred, as if none of what had happened had occurred, and they had merely come to the mortal realm for training.
Hua Xun's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but her throat tightened involuntarily.
Instead, the snow-white figure slowly turned around, and this time Hua Xun finally saw that flawless face clearly.
Her clear and exquisite eyebrows and eyes were like flowing moonlight, but her face was noticeably pale.
This is the true form of the Divine Lord.
And the rumors were true; the injury to his soul had indeed made the God-King weaker than before.
Noticing her gaze, the deity gently brushed away the butterfly from his fingertips. His vast eyes reflected only her, and after gazing at her for a long time, he slowly smiled.
He wanted to say something, but the moment he opened his mouth, he suddenly coughed.
Only a hoarse voice escaped: "Ah Xun, long time no see."
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Author's Note: Did I say this story wouldn't be very long? I almost forgot, haha.
We're entering the final, major plot development!
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