Chapter 217 Resurrection
Chen Yanqing felt as if he had just walked through the gates of hell, his consciousness as hazy as if he had fallen into a bottomless swamp, and he had just had a deep dream.
In his dream, a vague voice kept calling to him, urging him to wake up quickly.
"Li Yuanzhao stole everything from you! Go and take it back! Otherwise, this world will be completely out of my control..."
The voice was sharp and urgent, full of exasperation.
No matter how much he pressed, the other person only repeated the same sentence and refused to say another word.
He didn't understand what else Li Yuanzhao had taken from him besides his heart.
And what can he possibly take back now?
Is it that heart that Li Yuanzhao had long ago discarded like trash and crushed?
Before he could figure it out, the surroundings suddenly changed, and the voice vanished instantly.
He suddenly found himself back on the cliff edge outside the Great Ci'en Temple.
The biting wind, carrying snow, stung his cheeks.
Li Yuanzhao stood before him, his red robes like fire, a familiar smile on his face, and asked, "Are you afraid of death?"
He opened his mouth, wanting to say: I'm not afraid of death, I'm only afraid that you won't want me.
Before he could finish speaking, Li Yuanzhao's smile vanished abruptly, and he pushed him off the cliff!
The cliff was so high, with endless darkness below. You couldn't see anything, only the howling wind whistling in your ears.
He looked up at the top of the cliff, hoping to see that familiar figure leap down, just like before.
This time, however, she did not jump down with him.
Li Yuanzhao remained standing there, his eyes cold, letting him fall into the abyss without the slightest emotion.
Even after watching him fall, she turned and left without lingering for a moment.
This scene overlaps with the final scene in the snow where she turns and leaves without looking back.
His body plummeted rapidly, a mixture of despair and fear nearly suffocating him.
He could only reach out in vain, hoarsely crying out, "No...no..."
Chen Yanqing suddenly opened his eyes.
His heart was still pounding wildly. The weightlessness and despair of falling and being abandoned in his dream still gripped his nerves, making him tremble uncontrollably.
After a long while, his heavy breathing gradually subsided.
He slowly came to his senses and used all his strength to barely sit up.
As soon as I moved, I felt aches all over my body, as if my bones were falling apart, probably because I had been asleep for too long.
What comes into view is a small, dilapidated meditation room.
The walls are a mottled grayish-brown, with the plaster peeling off in many places, revealing the rough bricks and stones underneath.
In the very center stood a chipped eight-immortal table, on which sat a lone, rough porcelain teapot with a chipped spout and two water cups, the spout seemingly still emitting a faint wisp of steam.
Beneath him was a narrow, old couch covered with a coarse cloth mattress that had been worn white.
He was covered with a cotton quilt that had been patched in several places.
Although the quilt was old, it was washed clean and had a faint scent of soap and sunshine.
Although the meditation room was simple, it was spotless, and even the cobwebs in the corners were cleaned up.
A new layer of straw paper was pasted on the window, blocking out the howling wind and snow outside; only the faint whistling sound of the wind passing through the window frame could be heard.
Chen Yanqing stared blankly at the unfamiliar surroundings, her mind filled with confusion.
Where is this?
He had thought he had died in the snow, so how did he end up here?
Who saved him?
Just then, the door creaked open from the outside, and a cold wind carrying a few snowflakes rushed in.
A figure walked in.
Chen Yanqing subconsciously turned his head to look, but unexpectedly saw someone who shouldn't exist at all?
Or rather, people who are already dead!
Liu Jinzhang?!
He wore a gray-blue Taoist robe and held a steaming ceramic bowl in his hand.
He must have just come in from outside, because there were a few snowflakes on his shoulders and a few specks of white on the ends of his hair.
Chen Yanqing rubbed his eyes in disbelief, and when he opened them again, the person was still standing in the same spot.
It really is Liu Jinzhang!
What the heck?
No, it's a ghost?!
Is he... dead?
So he encountered Liu Jinzhang, who had already died, in hell?
The mottled mud walls, the peeling paint on the eight-immortal table, the worn but clean cotton quilt...
Is this what hell looks like?
Isn't that a bit too "simple"...
When Liu Jinzhang saw that he was awake, he gently placed the ceramic bowl in his hand on the table and slowly walked towards him step by step.
Chen Yanqing's breath caught in his throat, and the hairs on his body stood on end.
Could it be that Liu Jinzhang died unjustly, and his resentment lingered, leading him to become a ghost and come specifically to claim his life?
Isn't it said that if you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear?
Why?
He did countless good deeds throughout his life, but he did a few bad things, and now Liu Jinzhang is demanding his life?
But that wasn't his intention! He didn't want to kill him either!
But... no, I'm a ghost now...
There's no need for those two ghosts to settle scores, right?
When will this cycle of revenge end?
Liu Jinzhang stopped just a step away from him and asked, "Young Master Chen, you're awake? How are you feeling?"
Seeing that he was stiff and pale, he subconsciously reached out his well-defined hands and gently touched his forehead.
"Looks like your fever has subsided." Liu Jinzhang withdrew his hand, his tone natural. "Would you like something to eat? I just cooked some millet porridge."
Chen Yanqing felt that fleeting, slightly cool yet warm touch, and his confused consciousness instantly cleared up.
This isn't some ghost, it's a living, breathing person!
His tense body relaxed slightly, but in an instant, it tensed up again.
Liu Jinzhang clearly burned himself to death by himself, and he even saw the Imperial Guards carrying his charred body out of the ruins.
Why is he standing here alive and well again?
What exactly happened?
Why are you standing here alive and well now?
What exactly happened?
Seeing his expression, Liu Jinzhang cut to the chase and asked, "Are you curious about why I didn't die?"
His tone was calm, as if he weren't discussing himself.
Chen Yanqing was startled, but before he could speak, Liu Jinzhang continued to ask.
"I'm still curious, since you were the one who did it, why am I still standing here unharmed?"
Chen Yanqing looked at him in disbelief, her pupils filled with shock and panic.
How did he know that he was the one who killed him?
Liu Jinzhang seemed to see through his thoughts and continued, "I not only know that you killed me with your own hands, but I also know that it was Li Yuanzhao who gave the order, right?"
Chen Yanqing felt as if a thunderbolt had exploded in his mind, and all his thoughts were thrown into chaos.
He opened his mouth, wanting to explain something, but the words stuck in his throat.
Explaining why you killed someone you "killed" is absurdly ridiculous.
Moreover, since Liu Jinzhang had already guessed that it was Li Yuanzhao's order, any further explanation from him would be superfluous.
The meditation room fell into a deathly silence, with only the sound of wind and snow howling outside the window and the two people breathing.
Looking at the person who had "come back to life" in front of him, Chen Yanqing felt a chill run down his spine, as if he had returned to that night when the flames soared into the sky.
He stood outside the fire, watching the thick smoke billow and listening to the faint cries for help coming from inside. The struggle and guilt in his heart surged up again.
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