Chapter 73

"Mother." Looking at his deceased birth mother, Xun Yi felt a mix of indescribable emotions welling up inside him.

At the age of eleven, both of his parents passed away, leaving no one to protect him from the storms of life. He and his sister relied on each other for survival, and if not for the care of his grandfather, the people of the clan would have surely done them in long ago.

"Have you grown so big already?" Her black hair fell to her shoulders, and her face, pale and cold due to her spectral form, reached out to touch Xun Yi's cheek. Her long, fair fingers passed through his body, and Xun Yi felt a chill, shivering involuntarily.

Zhao Ying was taken aback, realizing that the path between the living and the dead was insurmountable. As a spirit, she could no longer touch her beloved son. Seeing Xun Yi shiver, Zhao Ying silently took a few steps back.

Xun Yi, seeing this, quickly moved to grab the hand Zhao Ying had withdrawn, but it passed through him again, leaving him with a chill from her spectral form.

"Enough, the path between the living and the dead is indeed insurmountable." Zhao Ying, not wanting her child to suffer, drifted away from Xun Yi. Standing a short distance away, she gazed at her son's face, deeply imprinting his current appearance in her mind. "Have you been well these past years? You look more slender than others your age. Eat well; if you don't eat, how can you be healthy?"

Xun Yi's lips moved, and he finally said, "I know, Mother."

"Drinking too much is harmful to your health. A little is fine, but don't let it interfere with your duties."

"..."

"You were injured in an incident when you were young. In the future, don't be too aggressive. A step back can lead to a broader horizon. Of course, if it's a matter of righteousness and loyalty, a man should fight for what he believes in."

"..."

Zhao Ying continued to nag at Xun Yi, while Duan Xiaotian quietly hid in the corner, giving the mother and son, separated by the veil of death, some time together.

"Mother..." Duan Xiaotian recalled his own memories, but in his decades of life, he had never felt the warmth of a mother's love. As an abandoned child, if not for his adoptive father, he would have long been left to die in the wilderness.

"What was my mother like?" Seeing Zhao Ying with her son, Duan Xiaotian was moved. Was his mother the one who heartlessly abandoned him, or was there some unspoken reason that forced her to give him up?

"When you were nine, you saw the other children at school wearing clothes their mothers had sewn by hand and demanded that I make some for you. However, my skills were not as good as those of the seamstresses. I made two for you, but they didn't fit well, so I had Xue Rou put them away. Now, they should fit you."

"I know, Mother." Xun Yi felt a mix of emotions. When he was nine, the school was teaching "The Song of the Traveler," and it was fashionable to wear "mother's clothes." But given Xun Yi's family background, how could Zhao Ying have been allowed to sew them herself? He threw a tantrum at home, and in the end, Zhao Ying, unable to resist him, began to learn from the seamstresses. She measured him while he slept at night, and worked by lamplight to finish the clothes.

However, during that time, Xun Yi noticed that Zhao Ying's fingers were often wrapped in bandages. After secretly following her for a day, he never asked for "mother's clothes" again. From then on, he never made any excessive demands.

But Zhao Ying still completed the two sets of clothes and gave them to Zhao Xue Rou to store away.

Seeing Xun Yi's expression, Zhao Ying smiled. She lightly touched the wall, and from a distance, the sound of a mechanism turning could be heard. Soon, the sound of bird calls echoed, and a golden bird, like a sun wheel, flew to Zhao Ying and Xun Yi. The bird calls reverberated in the secret vault, and the ghost-headed vultures, hearing the sound, were frightened and prepared to leave with their companions.

"Where are you going?" A woman in white, as pure as snow, stood at the entrance to the dungeon.

Aunt Xue, with a smile that was not quite a smile, looked at the two men. "Were you the ones who attacked the young master?" She extended her hand, and before the two men could react, two white beams shot from her fingers, striking their foreheads, and they both died instantly.

Aunt Xue glanced around the dungeon and thought to herself: That bird call just now sounded like the cry of a golden crow. Was that what frightened them? I should go check it out first, and then come back to save these people.

So, Aunt Xue transformed into a white light and sought the source of the golden crow's cry.

The golden divine bird, resembling a crow with three legs, made Xun Yi exclaim, "A three-legged golden crow?"

"Indeed, the secret incantation my father taught me can summon this three-legged crow." Zhao Ying murmured to herself and then smiled at Xun Yi. "You heard it just now. I am a descendant of the ancient Zhao dynasty, and this ancient Zhao secret vault should be inherited by me. However, as a spirit, I have no hope of doing so. You are my only remaining son, and you carry the blood of the ancient Zhao royal family. The three-legged crow can take you to the core of the underground palace, where the ancient Zhao legacy is sealed. After you awaken the Xuan Yuan bloodline, you can inherit this secret vault." She snapped her fingers, and the three-legged crow flew to Xun Yi's shoulder, transforming into a golden cloak.

The woman sighed, "I am not cut out for needlework. If you really don't like the two sets of clothes I made for you, you can use this golden crow feather cloak instead."

Her son was already handsome, and the golden crow feather cloak made him even more exceptional. Zhao Ying thought to herself and added, "Your grandfather told me that this feather cloak was made from the feathers of a golden crow by one of the ancestors of the ancient Zhao dynasty. It can protect against all evil. Of course, the cloak's spiritual power has diminished, so it may not have that effect anymore." Seeing Xun Yi wearing the cloak, Zhao Ying smiled in satisfaction. She did not ask him to revive the ancient Zhao dynasty; she only wished for him to live a peaceful life.

After speaking, the woman's spirit gradually lost its form. Just as she was about to dissipate, a woman suddenly ran around the corner.

"Miss!" Aunt Xue, seeing Zhao Ying, was both surprised and delighted, and quickly moved to catch her spirit.

Xun Yi could not touch his mother's spirit, but Aunt Xue, being a celestial fox spirit, used her mystic arts to grasp Zhao Ying's hand.

"Xue Rou, I never thought I would see you again before I pass on to the afterlife." Zhao Ying's face was complex as she looked at the celestial fox who had repaid her kindness. From childhood to adulthood, Zhao Xue Rou had always been by her side, even when she married.

Tears formed from her spiritual energy rolled down her face as she reached out to touch Zhao Xue Rou's face. "Thank you for helping Yi grow up safely all these years."

Aunt Xue's eyes reddened. Who said celestial foxes were emotionless? They just hadn't found the right person to care for.

"I'm sorry, if I had... " If she had arrived earlier, Zhao Ying and Xun Yuan might not have met their fate.

"Everything is as it should be." Zhao Ying was very composed and continued, "But in the future, I will need you to continue to take care of him."

"You do it yourself!" Aunt Xue used her powers to forcibly shift the space, returning from the ancient Zhao secret vault to the Xun family's small building. Duan Xiaotian was taken aback but continued to play the background role.

Aunt Xue hurriedly took out spirit stones and other items from her room to set up an array, placing the soul-storing stone at the center to try to maintain Zhao Ying's spirit.

However, all of this was in vain. Zhao Ying had killed a demon cultivator and used her spirit to activate the ancient Zhao mechanism, leaving her with very little spiritual energy. Even if Aunt Xue managed to restore her spiritual energy, it would quickly dissipate from her damaged spirit.

Zhao Ying softly said, "I won't be able to see the day when he starts a family and builds a career." Her form became blurry, rapidly losing its human shape as she spoke her last words. "Seeing you like me, help him start a family, marry, and have children. I can rest in peace in the netherworld."

Turning to Xun Yi, she said, "Xue Rou is my closest friend. If I am not around, treat her as you would me, and do not neglect her."

"I understand, Mother."

Seeing her two closest people together, Zhao Ying smiled, "Seeing you both, I can finally fulfill my greatest wish." She gradually turned into white light, her spirit drifting toward the netherworld.

Aunt Xue and Xun Yi were stunned. Suddenly, the Azure Dragon spirit within Xun Yi emerged, roaring, "Damn! Damn! I hate seeing such partings and deaths!"

It spat out a dragon breath to stabilize Zhao Ying's spirit.

"Brat! This is your mother. Use your heart's blood to mark the soul-storing stone." The Azure Dragon, while guiding Xun Yi, was frustrated. Why did it run out to help? It wasn't its parents, just the normal cycle of life and death for mortals, right?

I'm just too soft-hearted! The Azure Dragon sighed, guiding Xun Yi to save her.

Xun Yi, hearing this, placed his hand on his chest, preparing to use his sword qi to force out his heart's blood.

Aunt Xue's face changed dramatically, "No!" She knew Xun Yi's condition better than anyone. He didn't even have a heart, so where would he get heart's blood? If he really needed to use it, it would have to be the essence blood from the fragment of Xun Tan's heart.

Aunt Xue stopped Xun Yi and looked at the Azure Dragon floating in the air.

The Azure Dragon cursed, "Are you a dumb fox? Your mother didn't die naturally; she died unexpectedly. Using his heart's blood to guide her spirit, and then finding a way to重塑肉身, can bring her back to life."

"Xun Yi doesn't have heart's blood, how can he revive her?" Aunt Xue was angry but couldn't explain to the Azure Dragon spirit. She cut her nail into Xun Yi's wrist, and a stream of blood splashed onto the soul-storing stone.

Then, a fox tail extended from behind Aunt Xue. She gently touched it, cutting off her fox tail and forcing it into the soul-storing jade.

"Xun Yi's heart's blood won't be effective; let me do it."

Seeing the celestial fox cut off her tail, the Azure Dragon spirit was taken aback, muttering, "This works. A celestial fox's tail contains five hundred years of cultivation, which is indeed more effective than this boy's heart's blood. It didn't waste my true dragon essence."

"Boy, aren't you on the path of virtue?" The Azure Dragon said to Xun Yi, "Once you master the virtue power of resurrection, you can bring your mother back to life." Then, it returned to Xun Yi's body, transforming into a pattern.

"Virtue?" Xun Yi silently picked up the soul-storing jade. After the efforts of the three, Zhao Ying's remaining spirit was sealed within the jade. The jade was blood red, with a dragon shadow wrapping around the core of the spirit. A layer of white mist covered the surface, which was the seal Aunt Xue had placed using five hundred years of cultivation.

"To bring my mother back to life, I must strive to accumulate virtue." Xun Yi held the soul-storing jade, determined.

At this moment, a space channel suddenly opened above them. A white figure fell through the channel, holding a gemstone and crying out to Xun Yi.

"Master, save us! Something has happened at the City God's residence!"

Xun Yi, feeling down, ignored him. Aunt Xue asked what had happened, and the white figure quickly explained the situation at the City God's residence.

Aunt Xue, hearing this, immediately looked at her young master.

Given Xun Yi's warm-hearted nature, he would normally rush to help if something happened.

But now, Xun Yi was in a low mood and covered in wounds. Aunt Xue tactfully said, "This is a matter of the Heavenly Court. We are just spirit cultivators and should