Chapter 1432 - 720: Sensing Something Amiss
Seeing this, Lin Beichen hurriedly stepped forward to support the old man. The moment he touched him, he felt the old man’s body was unusually rigid.
With a sinking heart, Lin Beichen nervously placed his hand in front of the old man’s nose to see if he was still breathing.
At that moment, the old man suddenly experienced a momentary lucidity and weakly said, "Tha...thank you for taking me home, allowing me to die with dignity at home. My biggest worry is my wife. I hope you can..." Before he could finish, he passed away.
While Lin Beichen was fighting the Red-haired Fox, the old lady hid to the side, fearing she would be caught up in the fight.
She only dared to come out and walk to the old man’s side after seeing Lin Beichen subdue the Red-haired Fox. However, she didn’t expect this to be the last time she would hear the old man’s voice.
"Old man, wake up! Don’t leave me alone! Didn’t we promise you would let me go first? How can you break your word!" The old lady shook the old man desperately, hoping to wake him, but it was all in vain.
Lin Beichen’s heart was full of guilt. If he had discovered earlier the presence of the Red-haired Fox on the old man, perhaps this tragedy could have been avoided. He bowed his head and said to the old lady remorsefully, "It’s all my fault for not noticing the Red-haired Fox’s presence in time, otherwise, he wouldn’t..."
The old lady, although heartbroken, was understanding: "It’s come to this, it’s not your fault. He was destined for this ordeal; none of us could have done anything."
As she spoke, she gently supported the old man’s body, her eyes full of reluctance. From now on, there would be no one to argue with her, and life seemed to lose its color.
Although the old lady often complained about the old man, their feelings had grown deep over the years, like glue and lacquer.
This kind of affection cannot be measured by anything in the world.
"I will make sure he’s properly buried," the old lady said softly.
Lin Beichen decided to help, preparing a coffin, buying a grave plot, and more.
"Let’s move him to the bed first; the ground is too cold. Although his body is gradually getting colder, I don’t want him to lie on the cold floor during the short time he’s still with me," the old lady said.
Lin Beichen followed the old lady’s instructions and moved the old man to the bed.
At that moment, he unexpectedly discovered the old man still had a trace of breath.
This meant the old man’s life had not yet come to an end!
Lin Beichen couldn’t help but show a smile. The old lady noticed his expression, her mood discontent. Immersed in the pain of losing her husband, she was indifferent to whether Lin Beichen was sad or not, considering the old man was just a passerby to him. Yet, Lin Beichen dared to smile in front of her!
"Why are you so happy?" the old lady asked discontentedly.
"You misunderstood. Just now when I supported the old man, I found he still had a sliver of breath. This means his life isn’t over, and he can still live for a long time," Lin Beichen explained. But the old lady couldn’t comprehend what he was saying.
"What about it?" she asked.
"This means I can take his remaining soul back to the Daoist Temple for cultivation, thereby saving him," Lin Beichen said.
A glimmer of hope appeared in the old lady’s eyes, but it quickly dimmed: "Are you sure this will save my husband? What if it doesn’t work? Wouldn’t that be a waste of effort?" She had never heard of such a thing.
"You have to believe me. We can’t just bury him like this, can we? We have to at least try to save him," Lin Beichen said.
"Alright, then let’s treat a dead horse as if it’s alive," the old lady finally conceded.
Lin Beichen used his Daoist skill to collect the old man’s soul. Before leaving, he specifically instructed the old lady: "Remember, during this time, don’t let anyone else near him. If others find out about his death, no matter how much I cultivate, I won’t be able to save him."
Although the old lady didn’t understand why Lin Beichen asked her to do this, she believed he must have his reasons, so she agreed and promised to strictly follow the instructions.
Lin Beichen returned to the Daoist Temple, intending to focus on cultivation, when a disciple informed him that an outsider wished to see him.
Lin Beichen knew full well that the soul disperses shortly after death, and if he went to see the outsider, it would delay the precious time needed to heal the old man.
If the old man missed the opportunity to be resurrected because of this, it would be very regrettable, and the old lady would be extremely disappointed in him.
Therefore, he told the disciple: "Tell him I don’t have time these days and to come back later. If he insists on seeing me, then don’t let him come to our Daoist Temple again."
The disciple originally wanted to plead on the outsider’s behalf, but seeing Lin Beichen’s firm attitude, he had no choice but to convey the message word for word to the outsider.
The outsider, upon hearing this, also expressed understanding and left.
Lin Beichen told everyone in the Daoist Temple that he needed to focus on his cultivation for the next few days and should not be disturbed unless it was urgent; otherwise, they would face punishment according to the house rules.
The disciples all knew this well because Lin Beichen had previously punished a disciple who made a mistake in front of everyone, and the scene was shocking; even those watching felt the pain.
Since then, no one dared to make mistakes again or disobey Lin Beichen’s orders, for everyone knew that although Lin Beichen was good, he could also be truly harsh when necessary.
After emphasizing these points, Lin Beichen began to immerse himself in cultivation. The system tasks came due, but he really couldn’t spare the time to complete them.
Fortunately, the system was very humane and canceled the tasks. Coincidentally, the system upgraded, Lin Beichen completed his cultivation, and successfully saved the old man.
The old lady, seeing the old man wake up, was so happy she danced in joy, almost twisting her back and falling to the ground due to lack of activity for too long and her excitement.
Fortunately, Lin Beichen entered the room in time to support her. The old lady, overwhelmed with gratitude, said she wanted to kneel down to Lin Beichen because if it weren’t for him, she would never have seen her old man alive again.