Many children, many blessings: Stealing the offspring of powerful figures to cultivate immortality.

Fan Chenxin did not argue, but simply placed the Heart-Questioning Buddha Lamp into Jiang Yining's palm. The flame swirled around the Lotus of Shared Karma beneath her collarbone. Her scorched left arm was hidden back in her sleeve and hung down at her side without being raised again.

Jiang Yining carried the lamp out of the old post station and handed the star map bone plate to Pei Yunji: "Go back to the main tomb and repair the Buddhist boundary marker on the ancient ship. The boundary array slot can connect to the ancestral fire and also fix the position of the Golden Gate of the Great Thunder Temple."

Pei Yunji didn't have a bone-setting board; his gaze lingered on Fan Chenxin's left arm: "You plan to send him away first, then use the Myriad Spirit Divine Wood to catch the remaining flames?"

"His Buddha relics have already been recognized by the ancestral fire; if they remain in the city center, they will only become a second ignition point."

Jiang Yining pressed the bone plate into Pei Yunji's palm: "Chu Ling Shuang, send him along the old military road, and bring plenty of Qingling Spring water, meridian-repairing pills and array materials along the way. After the Golden Gate opens, he is not allowed to turn back."

Chu Ling Shuang rushed from the direction of the city gate, carrying a heavy hammer, her shoulder armor still covered in broken bricks: "I have no problem giving it away, but who will take over the ancestral fire in the city?"

"Pei Yunji is in charge of the central command, Lou Xiaotian guards the Green Wood City vein, April uses fox breath to soothe the lingering spirits, I put the name into the Myriad Spirits Divine Wood, and then use the ancient boat to distribute it."

Fan Chenxin watched her distribute the array materials one by one: "Everyone has their place, but where is your own escape route?"

"The ancient boat will be the way out once it is repaired. If the ancestral root cannot withstand the pressure, I will stop the battle and lead April into the main tomb along the blood vines of the mother and daughter."

"Once the 100,000 Heart Flames enter the Divine Tree, if Pei Henian launches a counterattack using the Blood Curse, you might not be able to stop him."

"So you should be fixing the Buddhist boundary markers instead of staying here using Buddhist relics to patch up my loopholes."

Jiang Yining placed the medicine box at Fan Chenxin's feet, and then took out the star map sub-plate and the old military flag corner: "There are seven bottles of Qingling Spring in the box. Use them when the bone seams turn black. The flag corner can help Cen Jin open the main tomb. After you get to the ancient ship, embed the sub-plate into the boundary marker."

Fan Chenxin bent down and picked up the medicine box: "I accept the arrangement and will also travel to the ancient ship along the old military road."

Lou Xiaotian turned around, holding the Overlord Spear: "I can hardly believe that the monk agreed so quickly. When it comes to her affairs, you even dared to interrupt the words of Abbot Faji."

"She has put the medicine, the materials, and the escape route into my hands. If I refuse, I will only waste her efforts in protecting the city."

Fan Chenxin took the initiative to remove the outer seal of the Heart-Questioning Buddha Lamp: "You can check the lamp array. I will not change the fire path before I leave."

Jiang Yining sent her divine sense into the lamp wick, and the dark gold array line passed through the old military road, finally landing steadily on the cross-border ancient ship in the Pei family's main tomb. Each segment retained the same aura as the old Buddhist beads.

Fan Chenxin pressed his thumb under the lamp handle, and the remaining powder adhered to the back of the Buddha flame, covering a thin line that had not yet closed under the outer array.

Jiang Yining withdrew her divine sense: "The lamp array is fine for now. Go to the ruined tower to heal your bones. The main hub can still withstand another round of fire exchange. Your left arm must suppress the scorch marks before we set off."

"I can also heal my injuries by regulating my breathing while on the road."

The purple vine wrapped around his waist and dragged him directly towards the ruined tower next to the North Post Station: "If you can fall asleep in the old military road, I will have Chu Ling Shuang tie you to the hammer handle."

Chu Ling Shuang weighed the crimson hammer in her hand: "The handle is long enough, so once it's securely tied, it won't hinder me from clearing the way."

Fan Chenxin glanced at the two of them, then carried his medicine chest and stepped into the ruined tower: "I will meditate here. If the lamp flame changes, you must wake me."

Inside the tower, there was only a narrow couch. Jiang Yining had Fan Chenxin lean against the inside, and then sat down on the edge of the couch to untie the bandage on his left arm. The lotus flower spread from his collarbone to his palm, and the warm light clung to the blackened bone seams.

"Buddha is not allowed to resist. Let Lianqi heal your bones. Wait for Lou Xiaotian to send back news that the city's energy has stabilized before you leave."

Fan Chenxin wrapped his right arm around her waist, resting his forehead against her shoulder: "If I close my eyes, will you take the opportunity to return to the city and swallow fire?"

"The Lotus of Shared Karma is here; if I leave, you will be the first to know."

"The Lotus Pact can avenge injuries, but it can't stop you from deciding someone else's path to survival."

"You didn't give me a contract that could stop you."

Jiang Yining turned to the side, letting his left arm avoid the edge of the bed, while her right hand remained on her waist. The narrow bed didn't allow for much space, and their clothes clung together, with the Buddha lamp resting beside the pillow.

Fan Chenxin did not cross the space she had given him, his palm only covering the fabric of her lower back: "I used to cultivate the Path of Ruthlessness, and I would chant scriptures in my dreams. After meeting you, I am always afraid that when I close my eyes, I will wake up and find someone missing."

"There will be many people when you open your eyes today, so first, steady your breathing."

The Lotus of Shared Karma circulated along the intertwined wrists of the two. Jiang Yining listened to the fire outside the tower until the leaf imprint in her palm transmitted Lou Xiaotian's message back, confirming that the city's energy had been stabilized. Only then did she withdraw the Wood Qi of Nourishing Bones.

When Fan Chenxin opened her eyes, his right hand was still protecting her lower back: "It's time to go."

Jiang Yining didn't get up. She held his nape with her fingers, lowered her head and kissed his lips. She didn't stay for long, but she didn't just leave him half-heartedly.

As the white flame of the Heart-Questioning Buddha Lamp brushed against their collars, she released her grip: "Don't take this kiss as a farewell. I still have questions to ask you when you come back."

Fan Chenxin's hand closed around her back, then stopped, avoiding her injury: "After I come back, don't avoid me."

"Come back alive first."

The two walked out of the ruined tower. Jiang Siyue ran over, holding the Fire Spirit Falcon whose left wing was fixed, and stuffed the remaining half of the spirit fruit into Fan Chenxin's right hand: "Uncle Fan, eat it on the way. Siyue checked and the big red chicken didn't secretly bite it."

The Fire Spirit Falcon poked its head out from the child's arms. Jiang Siyue plucked a newly grown short tail feather and tied it to the handle of the Heart-Questioning Buddha Lamp. The crimson tail feather swayed along the broken beaded thread.

"The big red chicken has swallowed a lot of Buddhist prayer beads. Uncle Fan will have to make up for it when he comes back. He will also make a new string of beads for you in April."

Fan Chenxin knelt before the child and carefully put away the half of the spiritual fruit: "When I come back, I will personally select the beads and let you check each one for cracks."

Jiang Siyue reached out her small hand and touched it with his: "You can't forget what you promised. Siyue will be waiting for you by the ancient boat."

Chu Ling Shuang activated the Red Copper Deputy Commander to open the old military road. Every time Fan Chen Xin passed an abandoned post station node, he used the Clear Spirit Spring to wash away the charred ash on the outer layer of his left arm, and then used the Heart-Questioning Buddha Lamp to send the ash into the array pattern. The node then lit up with a white lamp mark.

When they reached the twelfth checkpoint, Chu Ling Shuang noticed that more ashes had fallen from his sleeve. She raised the hammer handle to block his path: "Jiang Yining instructed that medication should be stopped when the bone seams turn black. You've already used two bottles along the way."

"What fell was old ash, and the lamp positions need the same source of energy to guide them. No new cracks were added."

Chu Ling Shuang grabbed his wrist and examined it. The outer layer of the Buddha bone had been cleaned by the Qingling Spring, and the deep cracks were completely covered by the lamp flame. She still did not give way: "If new ashes fall again, I will smash the lamp and drag you back."

A resounding crash of breaking walls came from the west. Chu Ling Shuang's red copper talisman flashed three times in a row, indicating that the Mu family's protective energy outside the Water Mirror Platform had already breached the first layer of city defenses.

Fan Chenxin handed her the secondary version of the star map: "The old military road has been lit up. The road ahead will be guided by the Buddha lamp. Go back and guard the blood sample and the water mirror. Give the secondary version to Jiang Yining."

"If you can't lift your left hand, stay where you are and wait for the Golden Gate."

"I promised her I would go to the ancient boat."

Chu Ling Shuang stared at him for a moment, then smashed a shallow crater in the ground with her heavy hammer: "You'd better remember that you agreed to go to the ancient ship, not to find a place where no one will stop you to die."

She turned and hurried back to the west city. Fan Chenxin waited until the footsteps disappeared before supporting her left wrist, which she could not lift with her right hand, and continued forward along the old post road.

Upon reaching the seventy-second node, the Dark Gold Buddha Bone had lost consciousness. He could only place the Heart-Questioning Buddha Lamp on the wound to draw out the charred ash hidden deep within the crack.

The 108th lamp position closed, and the guiding array on the secondary board still pointed to the interdimensional ancient ship, but a second echo came from the depths of the lamp wick.

Faji's Dharma form emerged from the white flames, and dense lamp patterns were reflected on the edge of his monk's robe: "You altered the last section of the welcoming formation."

"The outer array pattern has not been changed, and Kinmen can still recognize the ancient ship."

"I asked about the final destination, but where have you hidden the true destination?"

Fan Chenxin pressed the Heart-Questioning Buddha Lamp to her chest, its short tail feathers falling against her cold left hand: "It's enough for her to see the ancient boat."