Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

There's nothing to complain about. We can't let a little girl who knows nothing get sucked into this Yin-Yang Stone for no reason.

He understood the preciousness of life. Even though she had become a ghost and had never enjoyed anything good since childhood, Xiao An never gave up. She still wanted to live.

The world didn't love her, but her father did.

The world doesn't like her, but she likes the world.

Judging from how happily she floats around the village, constantly looking left and right, you can tell that in every dark and lonely night, she longs for the light.

"Young Taoist priest, you...this..."

The bearded man released his grip; he dared not hold Zhuang Xing's arm any longer. He was so surprised that he was speechless and could not utter a single word.

The red pandas were terrified; they were afraid of blood, terrified of blood.

Blood always reminds them of terrible memories; in the mountains and fields, the smell of blood signifies danger.

This reminded them of the day their mother was bitten by the throat by a leopard. They could only watch helplessly as the leopard dragged their mother away because she had told them not to go out.

They never disobeyed their mother's words.

"Your Majesty, you've lost so much blood..."

"Waaaaah...waaaah...Your Majesty, please don't die..."

The little panda burst into tears, and they frantically ran around in circles.

Zhuang Xing couldn't explain to the little panda what he was doing with words. The panda's little head couldn't hold too much information, so it was difficult for them to understand what the New Year meant.

He simply bent down, stroked the panda's head, and whispered, "It's alright."

Zhuang Xing's blood soaked the soil beneath his feet. The bearded man's face was even paler than Zhuang Xing's, but looking at Zhuang Xing's bleeding arm, he finally believed that Zhuang Xing was not a demon in human form, but a chivalrous Taoist priest from Xuanqing Temple.

The boy's expression remained unchanged, but due to the rush of blood and qi, he felt a little dizzy.

The pandas surrounded him, and even though he tried to comfort them gently, they kept putting their paws on them and wailing as if Zhuang Xing were already dead.

Zhuang Xingzhen was at a loss; the crying was deafening and made him dizzy.

As they cried, Zhuang Xing saw the ghost of the panda mother.

Perhaps it was just a cold breeze, and that ethereal, misty soul came to his side, as if licking his wounds.

It was a very warm feeling.

He seemed to understand why the panda had never encountered any ghosts in the bamboo forest during the years it had lived in the mountains.

While the five little bears tiptoed through the bamboo forest, listening to the rustling of the grass, their mother was actually watching them from behind.

Only those who have lingering attachments before death can become wandering spirits.

The starving beasts want to fill their stomachs, Xiao An wants to survive, but what about the panda mother?

She probably just wanted to see her children a few more times and hoped they would be safe.

Now that I've seen the little panda crying loudly and healthily, my obsession has dissipated.

His soul has also scattered.

The little pandas' cries stopped abruptly. Zhuang Xing didn't know what they had seen or felt; he only saw them looking up at the moon, staring blankly at the stars and the night sky.

The commotion caused by the Yin-Yang Stone subsided.

Zhuang Xing no longer needed to bleed. He breathed a sigh of relief, applied some medicine, and took out a fine cloth to bandage his wound.

Xiao An stared intently at his older brother. The skeleton beside the fire was shattered, with the bones scattered on the ground and the skull rolling twice.

It's unbelievable that Xiao An no longer has any connection with that skeleton. Zhuang Xing, a living person, actually has a faint connection with Xiao An, this ghost.

We can no longer call her the little ghost; she is now a completely different being from the ghosts.

Chapter 169 A Strange Event

The bamboo grove was quiet, with sunlight filtering through the sparse bamboo leaves.

A gentle breeze rustled through the forest.

At dawn, Zhuang Xing walked through the dense bamboo forest and followed the path down the mountain.

The bearded man took off his robe, wrapped his daughter's bones in it, and carefully held them in his arms.

As they left the bamboo forest, the red panda looked back reluctantly, and only after seeing Zhuang Xing take a step forward did it quickly follow.

Yesterday, the ascent was slow and took almost a whole day, but the descent was quick today. In just half a day, Zhuang Xing arrived at the deserted village at the foot of the mountain.

The place remains desolate, but a thatched hut still stands, a testament to human presence.

As soon as Zhuang Xing came down the mountain, he saw Wu Zhui. Sometime during the day, a hen hopped out of the yard, and Wu Zhui was following the hen around.

The foal walks slowly. When the hen stops, it stops too. When the hen goes to peck at insects, it follows her in a few steps.

However, once Xiao Ma saw Zhuang Xing and the panda coming down the mountain, he stopped looking at the hen.

The red panda is much more interesting than a hen that only lays eggs and clucks.

The panda and the pony started playing together while traveling.

Zhuang Xing let them chase and play. He returned to the courtyard, sat cross-legged, took a few Qi-gathering pills, and circulated his Qi to regulate his blood and Qi.

The bearded man dared not disturb the young Taoist priest. He put away the robe containing his daughter's remains, went outside to the courtyard, grabbed the hen by the throat, and brought her back inside to bleed and pluck her feathers.

This hen can jump out of the yard; it looks very nutritious and is perfect for making chicken soup.

At noon, he prepared a table full of food.

Because he lived alone, he honed his cooking skills to perfection.

When a person has nothing to do, they can only think about how to eat delicious food.

After lunch, the bearded man began packing his belongings.

He packed a few clothes and shoes that were still wearable, took his most handy chicken-killing knife and kitchen knife, and packed all the silver coins he could find in the house.

But most importantly, there are Xiao An's bones. The young Taoist priest said that although Xiao An's soul and bones have separated, she had existed as a white bone demon for a long time before. These bones have acquired demonic energy and cannot be easily buried.

Burning them would solve everything, but the soul would find it difficult to find a place to rest. Although Xiao An had established contact with Zhuang Xing through the Yin-Yang Stone and was no longer afraid of the yang energy of the living, it was uncertain what would happen in the future. Leaving these bones behind would at least provide a way out.

If one day Xiao An and Zhuang Xing are separated, she can still find refuge in her own body, a place to hide, so that a gust of wind or a ray of sunlight won't blow her away and extinguish her.

Upon hearing these words, the bearded man naturally treated the pile of bones as a treasure, wrapping them carefully in layers of cloth and protecting them in his arms.

Finally, he went to the chicken coop and made a ruckus of the chickens, tying their feet and wings together with straw ropes. Then he had packed up all his belongings.

He looked like he was covered in things, but if you considered that this was all the savings he had accumulated over his thirty-plus years of life, it wasn't much.

He let out a long breath, looked around the small thatched hut, finally closed the door, secured the threshold with a wooden bolt, and went outside.

Zhuang Xing helped him put some unimportant things on Wuzhui's saddlebag, and a few chickens were also hung on both sides of the horse's body.

"Uncle Wei, let's go," Zhuang Xing said.

"Okay." The bearded man nodded.

The bearded man felt a little uneasy; he hadn't seen anyone else in a long time.

But now that his daughter's matter is settled, he has no reason to live there alone anymore.

He couldn't describe how he felt, but the next day, as he was about to reach the town, he pulled up his clothes, trying to cover his face.

Seeing his evasive manner, Zhuang Xing couldn't help but find it a little funny.

It would have been better if he hadn't hidden; by covering his face, he looked even less like a good person.

But Zhuang Xing didn't remind him that this wasn't something he could change with just a few words. If he said more, and the person actually showed their face, it might make them even more embarrassed.

Hide it if you want; covering your face might make you feel a little better, and that's one way to do it.

Back in town, Zhuang Xing led Wuzhui back to the stable.

Wuzhui ran over to its horse friend and neighed a few times. The surrounding horses gathered around to listen to it. Seeing the way it tilted its head back, Zhuang Xing thought it was bragging and showing off.

Young ponies of this age love to show off. Perhaps in their stories, they are the ones who display their great power, carrying Zhuang Xing and fighting the White Bone Demon for three hundred rounds before bravely leading the young Taoist priest back in triumph.

Who knows?

Zhuang Xing couldn't understand what the horse was saying, and seeing the little horse talking so enthusiastically, he just ignored it.

Little Horse has its own life.

After settling Wuzhui in, Zhuang Xing immediately headed back to Guan.

The bearded man followed him. The stone steps were very long. Most people would be panting and sweating profusely by the time they reached the Taoist temple from the foot of the mountain, or at least their legs would be sore. But this stretch of road was not particularly difficult for the bearded man.

He used to go up the mountain alone often. The green mountain next to the village didn't even have stone steps. In fact, the muddy path covered with moss and weeds was more difficult to walk on. You could easily slip and fall on that kind of path. He fell many times before he learned how to walk more steadily.

Walking on the bluestone steps, you don't need to worry about these things; you can just focus all your energy on climbing up.

Zhuang Xing only left Xuanqing Temple for three and a half days on this trip.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the Taoist temple, the bearded man finally revealed his face.

He revealed his face halfway there.

This is to see the Taoist priest of Xuanqing Temple; covering one's face is rather impolite.

But he still didn't dare to look at others, and just kept his head down as he walked.

Zhuang Xing returned to Qiluzhai and went to see Daoist Qingxuzi.

He had investigated the matter of the panda becoming a spirit thoroughly, and he reported everything to the old Taoist without hiding anything. He also took out the Yin-Yang Stone that he had obtained by chance and showed it to the old Taoist.

Xiao An obediently crawled out and stayed quietly in the dining hall, not daring to make a fuss at all.

The old Taoist stroked his beard, his gaze drifting towards the bearded man.

"Master Wei, may I take a look at your daughter's bones?" the old Taoist priest said softly.

The bearded man stiffly placed the skeleton he was holding on the table and slowly peeled back the strips of cloth.

The old Taoist priest's hand gently brushed over the jade-like white bones, which were not at all like the withered and yellow bones of ordinary dead people.

“This is truly a strange thing…” the old Taoist priest said.

The bearded man pursed his lips, scratched his ear, and wondered what fate awaited him.

He's so ugly, he probably can't stay in the Taoist temple; he'll have to go down the mountain to find a way to survive.