87: Resurrection from the dead?

The elder sighed, waved his hand at the surrounding villagers, motioning them to disperse, and then said, "This matter should not be known to outsiders. If the young hero insists on asking, it might be a disaster rather than a blessing. It's for your own good that I don't speak."

Xu Sanyan smiled upon hearing this, "Haha... what, could it be that if I know, I won't be able to leave?"

The elder hesitated slightly, then slowly nodded, "Young hero, don't disbelieve. If you know about this matter, you truly won't be able to leave."

Xu Sanyan's eyes narrowed slightly, "There's such a thing?"

He had never heard of such a bizarre thing; knowing about it meant being involved?

What kind of logic was that?

The elder shook his head, "Every word I say is true. If the young hero leaves now, there will still be no trouble, and besides..."

"It's getting dark..."

Xu Sanyan looked at the sky. In at most half an hour, the sun would set behind the mountains.

"What if it gets dark?"

Seeing his ignorance and fearlessness, the elder sighed inwardly. It's hard to persuade a ghost determined to die. Since he insisted on knowing, he no longer tried to dissuade him, turned and pointed to the village, saying, "Young hero, do you know the name of this village?"

Xu Sanyan shook his head. How would he know?

"This village is called 'Shouguan Village' (Coffin Guarding Village). It originally belonged to the Great Liang Dynasty, Shangyang Commandery. The villagers have lived here for generations, for eight hundred years."

Xu Sanyan looked surprised, "Eight hundred years?"

This small mountain village, with only about a hundred households, at most six or seven hundred people, had actually been passed down peacefully for so many years?

The elder nodded, "I am forty-two this year, and I have lived here for most of my life. Two years ago, everything was normal. This place has enjoyed favorable weather every year, and all natural disasters and misfortunes have bypassed it. It is a rare treasure land."

Xu Sanyan's expression shifted slightly. Forty-two?

Judging by his appearance, this old man must be sixty or seventy years old. Even if he looked old for his age, this was a bit too old, wasn't it?

"Young hero, do you know why this place is called 'Shouguan Village'?" The elder paused slightly, building suspense.

Xu Sanyan guessed from the literal meaning, "Could it be... you are here to guard someone's coffin?"

The elder nodded, "That's right. It is said that over eight hundred years ago, the only daughter of Great Liang's first emperor, 'Emperor Wu,' died prematurely. This daughter was greatly beloved by Emperor Wu, so he was exceptionally grief-stricken and unable to accept it."

The elder looked at the setting sun in the sky, his expression sorrowful as he said, "Just then, an Immortal Master accidentally learned of the news and claimed to have a way to save her. Emperor Wu was overjoyed, declaring that if she were revived, he would honor him as the Imperial Preceptor."

Xu Sanyan asked curiously, "He didn't save her?"

The elder slowly shook his head, "He saved her."

"He saved her?"

Xu Sanyan was astonished. He had already reached Foundation Establishment Completion and knew he didn't have the ability to revive the dead, but that Imperial Preceptor actually possessed such a method?

This was truly bringing the dead back to life, a heaven-defying method.

Immediately, Xu Sanyan reacted, "Since he saved her, then why..."

As he spoke, he pointed to Shouguan Village, wondering why there would be a later story.

The elder gave a bitter smile, "But it only extended her life by three years. After three years, that princess died again."

Xu Sanyan understood, already having some guesses in his mind.

The elder continued, "Emperor Wu ordered the Imperial Preceptor to continue the treatment, but the Imperial Preceptor claimed that the princess's destiny had run out, and he was powerless to reverse it."

"Emperor Wu refused to relent, and thus issued an imperial decree: if the Imperial Preceptor could not revive her, he would be punished for deceiving the emperor. The Imperial Preceptor had no choice but to perform the 'Soul Return Through Borrowed Life'."

Xu Sanyan slowly nodded. He guessed that the "Soul Return Through Borrowed Life" might have some connection to corpse refining.

The elder said, "As for the specifics of this 'Soul Return Through Borrowed Life', I don't know either. I only learned from ancient texts that it seems to be about transferring the life of others to the recipient."

"However, this technique cannot be completed overnight. It requires selecting a geomantically auspicious place. The Imperial Preceptor spent a long time, and finally chose this location."

A hint of fear was deeply buried in the elder's eyes, "Eight hundred years passed in a flash. Emperor Wu had long since died, and the Imperial Preceptor had long since disappeared, but two years ago... that princess came back to life..."

Xu Sanyan was startled, feeling greatly surprised in his heart, "She came back to life? Did she truly come back to life, or did she turn into a zombie? Is her body stiff? Is her face lively? Can she speak?"

These were key distinctions between humans and zombies. Zombies generally had stiff limbs, a rigid face, were unable to speak, and had a pale complexion.

The elder's expression was unreadable as he said, "I don't know about the rest, but I do know... she can speak!"

Xu Sanyan's heart tightened, and he quickly pressed, "Did the Great Liang Dynasty not send anyone here?"

The elder answered one by one, "The imperial court sent people to investigate, and it is said that an Immortal Master came along, but..."

"How so?"

The elder shook his head, "I don't know. After that, there was no more news. The imperial court stopped asking about it, and the people who came to investigate never returned. It's just that every night, large groups of zombies wander around the village. They don't attack the village, and they disappear at dawn."

"Then why don't you leave during the day?" Xu Sanyan asked.

The elder gave a bitter smile, "We can't get out. That princess won't let us leave. I don't know what method she uses to monitor us, but as soon as we walk ten li outside the village, we will die."

This was the first time Xu Sanyan had heard of someone who could actually come back from the dead and even speak!

Being able to speak proved that she wasn't purely a zombie; some kind of mutation might have occurred.

Xu Sanyan lowered his head and asked, "Where is that princess buried?"

"Right here in these mountains." The elder pointed to the forest Xu Sanyan had walked through when he arrived.

Xu Sanyan turned around, squinting his eyes to examine carefully, but after a long time, he found no abnormalities.

The elder looked up at the sky, "Young hero, it's getting dark. Let's enter the village quickly. I'll arrange a place for you to stay. Coincidentally, some houses became vacant a few days ago. You can live here in peace from now on. We can discuss anything else tomorrow."

The elder seemed to have already concluded that Xu Sanyan couldn't leave and would become a new member of the village.

Xu Sanyan thought for a moment and did not refuse, "Thank you, elder."

"No need to be polite."

The elder led everyone back to the village, and the villagers also returned to their homes, tightly closing their doors and windows.

The elder pointed to a thatched hut in a corner of the village, "Young hero, you can live here from now on. Remember not to go out at night. If you hear sounds outside, you don't need to pay attention. Although the zombies won't actively attack houses, they will be provoked to bloodshed if they see a living person."

Xu Sanyan nodded, "Don't worry, elder."

The elder nodded and left.

Xu Sanyan watched the elder's departing back, narrowing his eyes. He always felt that this old man was hiding something. He would investigate tonight to see what was going on with that zombie, and then ask him tomorrow.

Xu Sanyan entered the house and glanced around. The interior was very simple, with only a stove, a bed, a set of table and chairs, and some miscellaneous items.

Xu Sanyan sat on the bed, waiting for nightfall.

The Fiend stood motionless in the corner, a pale face revealed beneath its cloak.

This face was precisely that of the Qi Emperor.

Because the head for the Life Coffin Technique required official Qi, and who had more official Qi than an emperor, he was naturally the first choice.

From then on, the two were inseparable day and night. Wherever Xu Sanyan went, he would take him along.

Speaking of which, their family was quite tragic. The daughter, after marrying Xu Sanyan, was then drained of her essence by her own father and died. The mother, after Xu Sanyan grew tired of her, was discarded like a worn-out shoe. Finally, the father was killed and refined into a Puppet.

However, upon closer examination, Xu Sanyan was not to blame. Everything was the Qi Emperor's own doing.

What fault did Xu Sanyan have?

He had no fault!