Chapter 23: One Soul, One Spirit

  Why is it that when one strives to get something, they are most likely to lose it? Is it a free arrangement in the midst of fate or is heaven intentionally teasing? Perhaps the purpose of a game isn't to make the player happy but to see how pathetic the player can be. Striving to pursue only to return empty-handed.

  He picked up this small and soft body, suddenly feeling very heavy, as if he was going to suffocate.

  Falling flowers and flowing water have a meaning at this time, but now there are tears without a sound.

  Li Mu held Ao Ning in his arms, staring blankly at her tightly closed eyes. He wished so much that he could see her open them again. Those pure and innocent eyes shouldn't be hidden behind eyelids, unable to see this beautiful world, unable to see the person she most wanted to see.

  It's all my fault! What have I done?!

  Li Mu's mind was in a state of utter confusion. Why did he suddenly possess such an unbelievable power? And why couldn't he control himself all of a sudden?

  "Let go of my daughter, you demon." The Dragon Mother knew she wasn't a match for Li Mu, but she had to get her daughter's body back. Now the only one left who could move in the East Sea dragon clan was her.

  Li Mu picked up Ao Ning and handed her over to Long Mu's hands. He looked at Ao Ran who was unconscious, then looked at the person on the ground who was in pain and groaning, but said nothing and left just like that.

  At a time like this, saying something like that is undoubtedly rubbing salt in the wound. Li Mu had no intention of hurting them, he just wanted to slightly punish Ao Ran for being arrogant, but didn't expect to bring such great pain to Dong Hai once again. The girl who he kept saying he would save ended up dying at his own hands.

  The wind is emotionless, like the wind on the sea surface, unchanged for thousands of years. But at this moment it seems to be mocking Li Mu, mocking this lonely wretch.

  In the sound of the wind, it seemed as if I heard the Dragon Mother's anguished cry.

  Li Mu's heart was in disarray, feeling lost. Too many things had happened during this period of time, so much that it couldn't be resolved with just the passage of time. He needed a safe haven to rely on, not letting himself get so exhausted. Dazed and confused, he thought of his master, the one who cared for him like a father. Along the way, Li Mu's mind kept echoing with a voice "Who are you?"

  What is that black air and why does it have a kind of spiritual connection with him? And why is it in Ao Bing's body?

  This series of questions is printed in my mind, can't find the answer, but can't help thinking about it.

  The majestic Tongyuan Mountain is always shrouded in clouds and mist, as if not allowing people to see its true face, yet seemingly hiding something mysterious and grand. From time to time, a line of immortal cranes fly up to the ninth heaven, and the faint sound of apes' calls echoes through the mountain valleys.

  Everything is still so familiar, and nothing has changed because of my departure. Li Mu let out a light sigh, without any interest in appreciation, continuing to fly towards the great mountain, only the speed of flight unknowingly slowed down.

  "Ah!" The Tongyuan Gate disciple who was guarding the mountain gate looked at the newcomer in surprise, then turned to great joy: "It's Little Brother! Hurry and inform Big Brother."

  Tongyuan Mountain is not like Penglai Island in the mortal world, so it's hard to get a disciple. Since Li Mu, Tongyuan Daxian has not gone to the mortal world to find apprentices, he has not taken a disciple for twenty years. So Li Mu is still the youngest disciple on Tongyuan Mountain, and everyone knows him.

  "Little brother, you're back!" The disciple guarding the mountain gate came forward, looking at Li Mu with great surprise.

  Li Mu glanced at his fellow disciples who had come to welcome him and responded with a simple "Mm."

  Li Mu was not good at hiding his thoughts, and others could tell what he was thinking just by looking at him. Moreover, many people here had watched Li Mu grow up, so it was impossible for him to hide any worries from them.

  "What's wrong, little brother?" asked the disciple guarding the mountain gate, thinking to himself: Could it be that he was bullied and came back to find Master to take revenge?

  Li Mu's magical powers were far superior to theirs in the past, but everyone had heard about what happened before. How much magical power could a small piece of land have? They were worried about Li Mu and feared that something would happen to him.

  "It's nothing, is Master here?" Li Mu replied calmly.

  "In the Qingyuan Hall."

  All the way, Li Mu picked up some quiet small paths to climb the mountain. He didn't want too many people to know he was back, and even except for his master, he didn't want to see anyone. So he simply cast a concealment spell and came all the way to the top of the mountain.

  Just as he walked to the front of Qingyuan Hall, before he could even remove his stealth spell, the large doors "creaked" open by themselves. Immediately a familiar voice entered his ears: "Mù'ér, come in." It turned out that Tōng Yuán Dà Xiān had long known Li Mù would return to the mountain and had been waiting for him for quite some time. Li Mù's stealth spell could deceive his fellow disciples, but it couldn't deceive the all-knowing Tōng Yuán Dà Xiān.

  "Master, the disciple is unfilial and has caused trouble." As soon as he entered the hall, Li Mu knelt down in front of Tongyuan Daxian, like a child who had done something wrong, waiting for his parent's punishment.

  Tongyuan Dasheng walked down from the couch and helped Li Mu up, asking warmly: "Speak slowly, what happened?"

  Li Mu simply recounted the events of the past few months, including how he met Sun Wukong, how he snatched the Dinghai Divine Needle, and how he injured Ao Ran and killed Ao Ning. However, he omitted the part about meeting Bai Hua and learning the Wei Tian Jing, only saying that his current magical abilities were learned from the other seven great demon saints. As for his conversation with Hei Ying, Li Mu didn't mention it either, feeling that there was some important connection between him and the dark shadow, and his intuition told him not to tell anyone about it.

  Tongyuan Dasheng looked at Li Mu very calmly, as if all of this was no big deal, and only faintly asked: "You said you just punched Ao Ning once, and she died?"

  Li Mu nodded, and when he held Ao Bing in his arms, Ao Bing was no longer breathing, had no pulse. His whole body was icy cold, as if he had been dead for a long time.

  He also mentioned the matter of bringing Ao Bing to see a doctor, and Tongyuan Daxian seemed to have some interest in Ao Bing's illness: "You said she got a strange disease, which can greatly enhance her strength in a short period of time. Logically speaking, at that time she should be much stronger than the injured Dragon King, and it shouldn't be that she died while the Dragon King was fine."

  Calm down and think about it, indeed. Although Li Mu's punch landed on Ao Bing's body, the Dragon King also shared a considerable amount of damage. Why did the Dragon King only suffer minor injuries, while Ao Bing died? Moreover, at that time, he had already withdrawn much of his power, so that punch shouldn't have been fatal.

  "Could it be that black shadow!" As soon as he thought of the black shadow, Li Mu was taken aback. Should he or shouldn't he tell Master about this matter? He hesitated for a moment and decided to keep it secret.

  Tongyuan Dasheng glanced at Li Mu, and with one glance, he saw that Li Mu was still hiding something from him. However, he didn't press Li Mu for an answer; he believed Li Mu had his own thoughts. Since Li Mu came to find him, naturally, he should help share Li Mu's worries instead of adding to his troubles. Tongyuan Dasheng smiled slightly and said, "If I'm not mistaken, you like this girl, don't you?"

  Cultivators are divided into two factions. One faction can get married and have children, and in the future, they will become scattered immortals. The other faction cannot engage in romantic relationships, and in the future, they can go to the Heavenly Court for work. As for who chooses which path, some sects have strict rules, but Tongyuan Sect has never restricted its disciples. So Li Mu likes whoever he wants is his freedom, and as his master, I don't have the right to interfere.

  Li Mu didn't deny it either, nodding and saying: "I did like her, but I also killed her with my own hands."

  Tongyuan Dasheng shook his head and said, "No, in my opinion as a master, Ao Bing is not dead."

  "Really?! Master, are you telling the truth?" Li Mu was shocked. Although Tongyuan Daxian had never met Ao Ning before, Li Mu believed his master's words. Nobody knew how great Tongyuan Daxian's divine powers were, and he didn't need to lie to comfort himself on purpose.

  Tongyuan Dasheng nodded and said, "Yes, I'll accompany you on this trip. As for whether the treatment will be effective or not, I dare not guarantee."

  "Thank you, Master." Li Muxi was overjoyed. Since Tongyuan Daxian was willing to show up in person, it meant there was still a chance.

  "Silly child, still being polite to Master." Tongyuan Daxian affectionately patted Li Mu's head, just like when he was a kid.

  It took six or seven days to come, but it only took a blink of an eye to leave. Tongyuan Dasheng's speed is much faster than Sun Wukong's筋斗云. Even the old three Peng Demon King, who is known for his speed, would probably be left in the dust by Tongyuan Dasheng.

  Jian Li Mu returned to the Dragon Palace, and the shrimp soldiers and crab generals at the gate were suddenly panicked. The carp captain pretended to be calm and shouted: "What are you doing here again? Don't think that the East Sea is easy to bully."

  Li Mu curled his lip and said, "Take me in to see the Dragon King, I have important business with him."

  The carp captain just pretended to be a show, as long as he fulfilled his responsibilities, that's all. To think of it, Li Mu had saved him once before, so he didn't dare to take action against Li Mu. Bringing Li Mu to the Crystal Palace, the Dragon King and the Dragon Prince were already fully armed to greet him. The Dragon Prince saw that Li Mu had brought help, and suddenly became angry: "Li Mu, you're too much! The Jade Emperor has issued a sacred decree to arrest you, yet you still dare to come here voluntarily."

  The Dragon King was not as impulsive as him, but secretly sized up Tongyuan Daxian. Seeing Tongyuan Daxian's immortal aura and crane-like bones, with an air of a transcendent being beyond the world, he immediately raised his vigilance.

  Li Mu furrowed his brow and said to the Dragon King, "Old Dragon King, I didn't come here today looking for trouble. This is my master, Tongyuan Daxian, who has specifically come to see Ao Ning. Take us to see her quickly."

  As soon as he heard the name of Tongyuan Dasheng, the Dragon King was secretly shocked. This was not someone he could afford to offend. He hesitated for a moment before hastily greeting him: "I didn't know the great immortal had arrived, I'm afraid I've failed to welcome you from afar, please forgive my sin."

  Tongyuan Dasheng said with a benevolent tone: "No need to apologize, this humble disciple was reckless and mistakenly injured the young lady. I am here to offer my apologies."

  They exchanged polite words, and seeing the Dragon King being so cautious and courteous, the Dragon Prince and the Dragon Mother didn't dare say anything more. They just hoped that Tongyuan Daxian really had the ability to revive the dead and rescue their two daughters.

  Because Ao Ning's bedroom is in the outer courtyard, the inner palace temporarily does not have her room, so she is now lying in Ao Ran's room. They all thought that Ao Ning had already died and would sink into the deep sea tonight after seven days. Ao Ran also fell unconscious due to serious injury, and although the Dragon King reported to heaven, there was no spiritual medicine to cure his wound.

  Tongyuan Dashen looked at the two women and then walked over to Ao Ning's side, asking Li Mu: "Is she Ao Ning?"

  Li Mu nodded, his face filled with anticipation as he looked at Tongyuan Daxian. He was now like the few dragon tribe members, extremely yearning for a miracle to happen and rescue that gentle girl who was as soft as water.

  Tongyuan Dasheng sat on the edge of the bed, taking her pulse. A stream of immortal energy entered Awu's body, and as it circulated, Tongyuan Dasheng became increasingly shocked. He could confirm that Awu was not yet dead, but only one soul and one spirit remained, while the others had been forcibly taken away. Tongyuan Dasheng thought of Li Mu, but shook his head in denial - without the abilities of Daluo Jinxian, who could extract a living person's soul from their body?

  Suddenly, Tongyuan Daxian saw a thread of aura and was shocked to the point of almost losing his composure. In his heart, he secretly exclaimed: "It's him! I didn't expect him to be hiding in this woman's body!"

  Tongyuan Dashen withdrew his immortal energy, let out a sigh, and said to Li Mu with a not-too-optimistic tone: "Mu Er, this girl isn't dead, she's just missing six souls and two spirits. It'll be very difficult to save her."

  Li Mu was taken aback and hastily asked: "Master, isn't the underworld in charge of souls? Let's go find King Yan."

  Tongyuan Dasheng shook his head and said, "This girl's soul was not taken away by Yan Wang, but rather disappeared into the heavens. I can give her a transplanted soul, but that would be equivalent to changing her into a different person, leaving only this physical body behind. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

  "Is there really no other way?" Long Wang's mother loved her daughter dearly and had already forgotten about Tong Yuan Da Xian's identity, asking anxiously.

  When she learned that her daughter was not dead, a glimmer of hope shone in her heart. For twenty years, Ao Ning had been entangled by the devil of illness, and would she just continue to be in a coma like this?

  "There is a way, but it's said that in the world there is a kind of magical grass called Soul-Searching Grass. With the corresponding soul technique, one can reconstitute their soul. However, the Soul-Searching Grass is extremely rare and nobody knows where to find it. Moreover, the soul technique has been lost for a long time, and now few people know how to do it." Tongyuan Daxian looked at Li Mu with some guilt, not wanting him to be unhappy, but this matter was indeed beyond his power. Even if the Buddha himself were to descend, he wouldn't dare guarantee that it could be cured.

  Li Mu felt somewhat disappointed and inadvertently saw Ao Ran lying on the bed, unconscious. Although he had some past conflicts with her, this innocent girl shouldn't receive such punishment. With a disheartened tone, Li Mu said: "Master, can you save this girl?"

  Tongyuan Dasheng took out a pill and handed it to Li Mu, saying: "Her injury is not serious, after taking this pill, she will be fine tomorrow."

  "Thank you, master."