Chapter 27: Ready for Rebinding

In truth, this had become a habit for their predecessors. Whenever those who came before them encountered a fallen acquaintance, they would kill them while doing their utmost to preserve the body. They all held onto the hope that one day, they might be able to bring their loved ones home. But if the body could not be preserved, or if it was too difficult to transport, they would cremate it and carry the ashes with them. Perhaps this was for the best; after all, not many would wish to become a monster, would they?

"Most of those seniors ended up falling as well, in the end," Gu Yuanyuan said, his eyes rimmed with red, shrugging as if he didn't care. But now that he had met Qin Yueran, he thought, perhaps this time they really could bring them home.

Gu Yuanyuan bowed his head in supplication. "I will pay any amount of points; I beg you, Boss Qin, please try."

Qin Yueran agreed. Perhaps it was because she had been using her purification ability so frequently lately that it had leveled up. However, she still refused to give a definite promise or guarantee that she could certainly cure them or restore them to their original appearance. If she failed, it would be better to have made it clear from the beginning that success was not guaranteed.

The body was still on the shore where they had landed; Gu Yuanyuan had enough sense not to bring it directly into the inn. Qin Yueran teleported there and saw the elder Gu Yuanyuan had spoken of, along with the two junior disciples he had left behind. As for the others, they had already been taken to familiarize themselves with the inn. The two junior disciples recognized her, greeted her, and then tactfully retreated to a distance.

"Hiss—" Qin Yueran drew a sharp breath as she stepped closer. She felt that the shock she had received today was simply too great; she had thought that after seeing Zong Anze, she would be invincible. It appeared now that... well, she still needed more training. Heaven knows, when she had seen Zong Anze’s wretched state back then, she had been screaming silently in her heart, her legs had gone weak, her hands had trembled, and her stomach had been churning... Yet, she had to maintain an air of detached calm on the surface, feigning the composure of an expert who had seen it all.

As for now... Qin Yueran glanced at the two men in the distance out of the corner of her eye, then turned her body to put her back to them completely, a look of agony crossing her face. "That was a close one!" she muttered to herself. "It’s fine. From now on, I won’t even be afraid of ghosts, right? Just consider it training my courage. I’ve officially stepped into the path of cultivation, so I’m bound to encounter similar things in the future. After all, Gu Yuanyuan and the others didn't seem to think anything was wrong, which means it’s quite normal."

"Damn it!" After comforting herself for a long while, she couldn't help but crack. "But I’ve only been in this cultivation line for half a month!" Qin Yueran shook her head and sighed.

In the distance, the two men saw her shaking her head and, assuming it meant the elder couldn't be restored, their hearts sank to the bottom. "It seems Elder Liu cannot be restored," one said. "Actually, that makes sense. After all, she had turned into that... we are making things difficult for Boss Qin."

"Boss Qin is so kind; she never refuses us anything immediately."

"Indeed. Perhaps we should recruit more guests and earn more contribution points? I’ve noticed she seems quite happy when we spend them."

"You’re right!"

"What’s right?" Gu Yuanyuan, who had just run out, heard this as he approached the two juniors. After they explained, Gu Yuanyuan joined the conversation, which grew increasingly strange, eventually drifting toward how they could better "woo" her.

Qin Yueran knew nothing of this. After long psychological preparation, she finally began to attempt the restoration. She chanted a spell, her fingers dancing as she formed seals, before softly uttering a single word: "Purify!"

A green light, brimming with vitality, burst forth. Once the light settled, a simple, ancient formation was revealed beneath where Elder Liu lay, spinning slowly. Strands of green light drifted from the formation, seeping into the elder's body and spreading throughout, until the light grew increasingly faint.

"What a comfortable feeling! It makes one feel so drawn to it!" one disciple remarked, while the other closed his eyes to savor the sensation. Gu Yuanyuan agreed, though his anxiety about whether the attempt would succeed remained. He felt deeply unsettled, yet the green light seemed to possess a soothing quality; simply watching it from afar and feeling its fluctuations was enough to calm his heart. *What an incredibly powerful technique!* Gu Yuanyuan marveled.

*Oh, boy! Oh, boy! Oh, boy! This is draining so much spiritual energy!* Qin Yueran’s small face turned deathly pale as her energy plummeted. *It’s over! My image as an expert is going to be ruined!* Panic-stricken, she quickly pulled up her interface and spent 200,000 points to boost her mana and health values to twenty. Her depleted spiritual energy surged back, becoming even more profound, and the light of the formation flared brilliantly once more.

A few minutes later, Qin Yueran withdrew her hands and looked at the person again. It was a kind-looking middle-aged woman, her eyes closed peacefully as if she were merely sleeping. She was dressed in robes provided by the female disciples who had traveled with her, having changed before they even reached the island. Although the clothes had been stained by the black blood that had leaked from her body, there was no other choice; her original garments had been far too tattered. How could they have the heart to let her remain in such rags?

Seeing that the woman had been restored to her original state, Qin Yueran cast a cleaning spell on her soiled robes. Having finished, she turned and beckoned to Gu Yuanyuan and the others. They rushed over, and upon seeing the restored elder, they jumped for joy. They bowed to Qin Yueran, saying, "Thank you, Boss Qin."

"I could not restore the parts of her body that had already been destroyed. My apologies," Qin Yueran said.

"This is already more than enough," Gu Yuanyuan replied. "How many points do we owe for this?"

Qin Yueran kept her hands behind her back, twiddled her fingers, and looked down with a faint smile. "It’s free this time."

"Ah?" Gu Yuanyuan panicked. "T-that wouldn't be right, would it?"

"There’s nothing wrong with it. If you really feel bad, just spend more points elsewhere," Qin Yueran teased. She added, "I’m leaving. Please make yourselves at home."

Once back in her bedroom, Qin Yueran collapsed onto the bed, and Huhu lay down gently beside her. "It’s actually quite heartbreaking, isn't it?" Qin Yueran said softly. Huhu patted her with a small paw, keeping her company in silence.

After a moment, Qin Yueran sat up abruptly. "Huhu! Not charging points was a huge loss!" She slumped, her face full of woe. "I regret it."

Huhu asked, "Huh? Then should we go back and ask for them?"

"But I’ve already said it. A word once spoken cannot be overtaken by a team of four horses," Qin Yueran lamented, feeling a pang in her heart. "Forget it. I’ll just start my daily routine and try to forget about it."

"Oh," Huhu said, not quite understanding, but going along with whatever she said. "Then good luck, Xiao Ran."

"Oh, by the way," Huhu suddenly announced, "because your strength has reached the required standard, the passage to the Immortal Island can now be bound to you!"

"What? My strength reached the standard?" Qin Yueran was surprised.

"Because the passage belongs to this world’s Heavenly Dao and the auxiliary system, even after I merged with it, I couldn't handle it. The limitation on the door was that it could only be bound to you once you reached a certain realm. It was actually meant to ensure you spent more time in the early stages planting and cultivating on the island. Once you have the ability to protect yourself, exposure won't be a major issue," Huhu explained.

Qin Yueran nodded blankly. "Oh, I see."

"So, Xiao Ran, do you want to bind it to yourself now?"

Qin Yueran shook her head. "Let’s not bother for now. I’m not going out anyway. I’ll wait until I have to travel far in the future."

"Understood," Huhu nodded.