Chapter 134: You are not allowed to listen or watch mind reading!
"But it doesn't seem right that he suddenly lost his vital signs in the hospital." Chang Xile touched his chin and thought.
The nurses come to check on the patients about three times a day. Although the time of each round is regular, they probably know that some patients - especially the younger ones like to sneak back home, or have some temporary arrangements, so they will occasionally come for surprise checks.
If Chang Xile were to be found missing, or suddenly lose heartbeat, breathing, or consciousness, there would be chaos. Even with the most advanced medical technology, doctors can't save a patient whose soul is absent. Therefore, any effort would be futile. We can't afford to waste medical resources, right?
Besides, taking such a group of souls to the underworld is not like taking elementary school students on a spring outing. It will definitely take much more time than usual, so you can't rely on luck and must come up with a perfect plan.
Chang Xile has been troubled by this matter these days.
"Actually, sneaking out of the hospital for a while shouldn't be a problem, right? I see Anping escapes all the time, and the doctors and nurses are used to it." On the other end of the video call, Yang Guisi's background was bustling with people. She and Yang Junyi were traveling, and during this time, she'd been there even if she wasn't, and she'd occasionally call to check on Chang Xile.
Yang Guisi pointed across the screen at the elegant and hard-to-ignore lion cat beside Chang Xile and said, "If I remember correctly, shouldn't he be staying in his own ward right now?"
Chang Xile turned to look at Anping, who was nestled beside her pillow. She gently nudged his head and scolded him softly, "Why don't you just rest in your own room?"
The lion cat didn't move, only meowing slowly a few times. Chang Xile nodded and told Yang Guisi, "He's transformed into an avatar and is staying in the ward. His vital signs are normal, so he's fine."
After the words fell, the air was silent for a few seconds, and then Chang Xile and Yang Guisi said "Huh?" at the same time and looked at Anping.
"Can you conjure up a me? You don't need to talk or do anything, just lie in bed and keep your heartbeat and breathing." After Chang Xile hung up the phone, he discussed with Anping.
As soon as she finished speaking, she changed the subject: "But you've just recovered from your injuries. Wouldn't this kind of spell be too strenuous for you? Or should we think of another way?"
I wonder if Wessel can help? Didn't he say we're all friends now?
Chang Xile was just thinking about this when she saw An Ping transformed back into his human form. He sat beside the bed, reached out and gently pinched her cheek, and said with a subtle hint of dissatisfaction: "If you don't ask me for help, who else are you going to ask?"
Could this guy have the ability to read minds? Chang Xile blinked and said, "There's no need to embarrass you. After all, there are always more solutions than problems, right?"
If you think about it carefully, finding an opportunity to sneak out of the inpatient department is also a solution.
A few days ago, Chang Xile was taking a walk outside the ward when she heard a woman in her thirties politely ask a nurse, "Hello, I'm the parent of the patient in Room 306. The doctor said her condition has stabilized in the past few days. I'd like to ask if I can take her home for a day. She misses home so much, and she can't sleep or rest well without me at night."
"Parent, I understand your feelings very well," the nurse smiled and replied somewhat embarrassedly, "But I'm sorry, according to hospital regulations, this is not allowed..."
The mother seemed a little anxious and assured him, "Why not? It shouldn't be a big deal if she's only gone back for one night. I'll bring her back early tomorrow morning."
Chang Xile didn't listen to what the two people said next, but she understood the nurse's hidden meaning - according to the regulations, if you ask, I will definitely say no.
[But if you just leave without asking, I can't do anything to you.] Is that what you mean?
Chang Xile touched his chin and started thinking about how to sneak out of the inpatient department.
"Let me make a clone for you." An Ping made the decision for her. He couldn't be too far away from the clone in the hospital, but he also felt uneasy if Chang Xile left the hospital on her own.
He comforted Chang Xile, "This spell isn't particularly difficult, it just requires your cooperation."
"Go ahead and tell me." Chang Xile immediately perked up when she thought that Anping could create a person exactly like her. She came forward with a smile, indicating that she was all ears.
To conjure up a physical body, one needs to have a profound understanding of that body. The deeper the understanding, the more similar the conjured body will be – hence, most people are only adept at conjuring up their own clones. Besides themselves, who, not even close friends and loved ones, can truly claim to understand it?
Anping stared at Chang Xile's face and fell silent for a moment.
This face had appeared in his dreams countless times. Even with his eyes closed, he could still sketch it out on paper.
"How realistic do you want it to be?" he asked.
The difficulty of conjuring a sleeping body and conjuring a "person" who could communicate naturally with others was completely incomparable. However, Anping did not explain too much, as if it was really just a simple multiple-choice question for Chang Xile to answer "A" or "B".
Chang Xile didn't understand the ins and outs of this technique. Considering that the nurses would occasionally wake up patients and brief them on their condition during rounds, she hesitated for a moment and said, "How close can you be to a simple conversation?"
An Ping nodded, turned his eyes away, and told her: "Give me a strand of your hair when the time comes."
On the appointed night, hundreds of souls returned to Blue Mountain Hospital as promised. When Chang Xile counted the number of people, Tang You and Yang Guisi were also there.
"Everyone in the temple is here." Tang You said.
Chang Xile paused halfway through counting, but she decided to continue counting. In the end, she found that there was indeed one missing.
"We agreed that we're all going together, so naturally, no one should be left behind," the round-faced nun smiled at the sisters beside her and offered a joke. The initially heavy atmosphere suddenly became lively.
Yang Guisi took a step forward, squatted down, touched Yang Junyi's head, and said, "Sister can't send you there. You have to behave yourself along the way, okay?"
Yang Junyi nodded. She tugged at the edge of Shunian's clothes and said, "I'll follow Brother Shunian closely."
Shu Nian took Yang Junyi's hand and turned to look at Master Nianci. He looked a little confused, but not afraid.
"Master, do you think I can still be a human in my next life?"
Nianci smiled and didn't answer him directly. She just said, "When we pass by the Three Lives Stone, I'll take you to see it in person, okay?"
Shunian nodded and added, "I still want to be a human. If I turn into a kitten or a puppy, I won't be able to read."
After Chang Xile finished counting the number of people, she turned around and looked into the ward through the small window on the door. She was lying on the bed, looking rosy-cheeked and soundly asleep, and she would turn over and mumble a few words from time to time.
"It's really realistic..." she sighed.
At the end of the girl's bed, there was a lion cat lying, which was very dedicated in holding down the corner of the quilt for her.
As for Chang Xile and Anping himself, they are not in this ward at the moment.
Originally, Anping planned to accompany Chang Xile to the underworld, but was stopped by Tang You.
"I'll go with Xile, and you stay in Lanshan Hospital to protect her." Tang You's tone was light, but there was no room for negotiation.
An Ping was about to retort, but Chang Xile stopped him with a look. She whispered in his ear, "It's only been a few days since you caused such a scene in the underworld. If you return to that place again, you might end up being detained by some grudge-bearing people."
Moreover, Tang You also had reasons to see Chang Xile off. Finally, after discussion, Yang Guisi was appointed as Tang You's guardian, while Chang Xile was handed over to Anping.
Anping stayed behind to do logistical work. Apart from himself, no one knew where Anping had taken Chang Xile's body and hidden it. In a sense, it was quite safe.
However, Chang Xile could still sense An Ping slightly. She closed her eyes and called An Ping's name in her heart.
He answered quickly: [I am]
Chang Xile: [How amazing! I can actually communicate with you telepathically!]
As mentioned in the preface, to conjure a living, communicative body, one must have an absolute understanding of that person. Furthermore, one must prepare their personal belongings and then imbue them with one's own spiritual consciousness.
After Anping attached his spiritual consciousness to Chang Xile's hair, a more secret connection was established between the two, and they could hear each other's thoughts.
At first, Chang Xile had a hard time controlling himself, and Anping heard everything he thought. A blush on someone as pale as him was very noticeable, and Chang Xile immediately realized that his terrible thoughts had been heard.
So she ordered herself, "Stop thinking! Stop thinking!" while covering Anping's eyes and ears and ordering him not to listen anymore.
But even if Anping closed his eyes and covered his ears, he could still hear what Chang Xile was thinking.
She screamed like a kettle, Anping thought - kind of cute.
When someone is more shy than him, he can calm down. Anping couldn't help laughing, pressed down Chang Xile's hand, and said patiently: "I'll teach you."
Now, Chang Xile can finally selectively communicate with Anping about his feelings.
[This is my first time bringing so many souls to the underworld, so I'm quite nervous. But with my aunt around, I feel a little more at ease.] Everyone listens to Tang You; even the youngest, Junyi, doesn't run around.
[Well, bon voyage.]
Chang Xile turned her attention back to the people around her. She had been holding back some questions for a long time, and when she finally found the opportunity to ask them, she didn't know how to start.
Tang You stared straight ahead, making sure no soul was left behind. Without waiting for Chang Xile to speak, she instructed, "You lead the way at the front of the team, and I'll follow at the back."
She said it so naturally that Chang Xile didn't have time to think about it and just followed her instructions. When she reached the front of the line, she couldn't help but wonder - who is the real Huo Wu Chang? My aunt seems a little too experienced.
She had one more question in her mind.
This procession was so large that it seemed to attract the attention of ghosts on the way to Naihe Bridge. However, perhaps the stern expression of the "Impermanence" at the end of the procession dissuaded the other passing ghosts from engaging in conversation. As a result, the journey was remarkably smooth, without encountering even a single ghost blocking the way.
When Chang Xile arrived at the Naihe Bridge, there was still some time before her scheduled time. She turned around and asked, "Do you want to take a look at the Three Lives Stone before you leave?"
The already chattering "One-Day Tour to the Underworld" spring outing team immediately became lively. Many Taoist nuns, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately planned to step forward and visit this famous big rock.
"I have to see if I can still be a beauty in my next life."
"I want to be your good sister in my next life..."
"We can't give up on this grand undertaking of cricket fighting!"
But after the person at the end of the line coughed, everyone lined up again consciously.
Shu Nian was pushed by someone and stepped forward first, feeling a little embarrassed. He stood in front of the Three Lives Stone and looked at it for a while, then stepped back with a smile and made room for it.
Chang Xile didn't ask him what he saw, but he seemed satisfied.
She found a big rock by the bridge and sat there with Tang You, waiting.
The nuns lined up one after another to see the Three Lives Stone, and it was actually quite fast. Some were happy after seeing it, some were depressed, and some simply gave up watching it - "I still prefer surprises."
Chang Xile held up his face and looked at these lovely people without urging them.
However, a discordant voice suddenly came from the back of the team.
"What are you all doing here? The dead souls are blocking the way instead of going to reincarnate. Do you believe that I can break you up? Which ignorant ghost is leading this team?" A rough voice came out. If Chang Xile had not used the soul-catching rope to protect them quickly, the souls of several Taoist nuns would have been touched by the ghost's soul-catching rope.
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