484: Chapter 484 Rebirth from the Ashes

To save or not to save? Han Jingyang was conflicted.

If he didn't save her and just sat by waiting for Old Taoist Kun to die, he could take away Hua Zhenzhen—that innocent, lively, and charming little beauty—directly. Besides, the fact that he appeared in time to save Hua Zhenzhen's life already made him her savior. Without him, Hua Zhenzhen wouldn't just die; she might meet an even more miserable end. In the vastness of Zhongnan Mountain, no one would know if one person went missing, and Deng Faxin was not exactly a Mind-Clearing recluse.

Therefore, even if he didn't take action, he was still Hua Zhenzhen's savior. Surely, Hua Zhenzhen couldn't deny this debt of gratitude just because he only saved one of them, right?

Hua Zhenzhen was not that kind of person.

But doing so would be a bit against his conscience, and it carried the suspicion of taking advantage of someone's misfortune.

Yet saving her—well, it was easy to say and easy to do; one skill would settle it.

But the cost was high, and the risk was equally high.

The cost aside, the biggest risk was potentially getting nothing in return, ending up with only some material compensation and verbal gratitude.

These were very realistic considerations.

However, these conflicts only flashed through his mind.

After that, he quickly made his choice.

Save her!

He would treat it as making two friends—friends from Zhongnan Mountain.

As for Hua Zhenzhen... well, that would depend on fate.

No one could say for sure what would happen in the future.

Thinking of this, Han Jingyang nodded slightly and patted Hua Zhenzhen on the head: "I will do my best, but I cannot guarantee success. If I fail, don't blame me."

Hua Zhenzhen was instantly overjoyed: "That won't happen. Regardless of the outcome, I will never blame you. If it weren't for you, I... both my master and I would have been killed by that bad guy..."

"Alright, stop crying. Lay your master flat on the ground."

"Okay!"

Han Jingyang gritted his teeth and pulled a circular jade pendant with openwork carvings of two phoenixes chasing the sun from his storage bag.

This jade pendant was carved from the highest quality mutton-fat jade.

It was extremely white and extremely lustrous.

The entire piece showed not a trace of impurities or jade texture; it was flawless.

The patina was also perfect—rich, clean, and thick.

Just looking at the material, it was incredibly valuable. A small piece like this would fetch over ten million on the market because this level of mutton-fat jade was a true rarity, something that might not be dug up along the entire upper and lower reaches of the Kashi River in decades.

Moreover, the craftsmanship was superb, utilizing pure openwork carving techniques. The finest details were as thin as a hair; even a slight touch could break them, and daily thermal expansion and contraction could also cause them to snap.

Yet this plaque remained intact, which was not just a matter of exquisite craftsmanship and top-tier material, but also required incredible luck. A slight bit of bad luck would have turned it into a damaged piece over hundreds of years of inheritance.

This was from the Jiajing era.

Given this quality and theme, Han Jingyang estimated it had been used by an empress. It was too top-tier.

Therefore, he estimated the market price started at twenty million.

Of course, after being appraised by him, the price would be another matter.

"Name: Ming Jiajing Mutton-Fat Jade Openwork Double Phoenix Chasing the Sun Plaque."

"Grade: Level 5."

"Attribute: Evil-Warding +8."

"Skill: Reborn from Fire."

Although it was only Level 5, this skill was truly awesome.

Reborn from Fire.

As long as the body and primordial spirit had not yet decayed or dissipated, this skill could bring a person back to life.

At this moment, Hua Zhenzhen laid her master flat and looked at Han Jingyang with teary eyes: "Mr. Han, is it ready?"

Han Jingyang nodded: "Move further away."

Hua Zhenzhen hurriedly retreated.

"Further."

Hua Zhenzhen retreated again.

Han Jingyang nodded in satisfaction. He began to form hand seals and perform the Yu Step, putting on a show of serious spell-casting. He acted as if it were very strenuous, and after a few circles, he even forced out a face full of sweat.

He looked as miserable as could be.

If he hadn't been unable to bring himself to do it, he would have bitten his tongue to spit out a mouthful of blood.

Of course, he had to save her, but he couldn't just foolishly wave his hand and bring her back to life.

Not only would it be too shocking, but it would also be easy for others to look down on him, thinking he hadn't put in much effort.

In reality, it was just a matter of social nuance; when helping someone, you had to make the person being helped realize your contribution, otherwise, they might not take your effort seriously, which would be very frustrating.

Half a minute later, Han Jingyang pointed his sword finger sharply at the dying Old Taoist Kun.

Manifestation of Holiness!

Reborn from Fire!

Two lifelike phoenixes appeared out of thin air.

They cried out to the sky, then dove toward the dying Old Taoist Kun.

Amidst Hua Zhenzhen's startled scream, they transformed into two balls of bright red flames.

Boom—the two balls of flames instantly engulfed Old Taoist Kun, burning brighter and brighter.

Clearly, there was no heat, yet the crimson flames carried an intense aura.

Intense! Bright! Pure!

It was as if they could burn anything in the world.

However, right within these extremely intense flames, Old Taoist Kun's faintly visible figure actually began to move, as if in pain, yet also as if enjoying it, twisting his body gently within the flames.

Hua Zhenzhen watched, dumbfounded and terrified. Several times she wanted to approach, but remembering Han Jingyang's instructions, she could only helplessly reach out toward her master, who was wrapped in flames.

Han Jingyang quietly moved to Hua Zhenzhen's side and whispered: "Don't be nervous. Even if it's useless, it won't cause any more harm. The flames you see are actually fire-attribute Qi; they are a manifestation of Qi and are essentially different from the flames made by rubbing sticks together."

Hua Zhenzhen remained anxious, staring nervously at her master in the raging fire, but her body subconsciously leaned toward Han Jingyang, her small hand tightly gripping his arm.

The intense flames burned for three minutes.

When the time was up, Han Jingyang waved his hand.

The raging flames quickly peeled away from Old Taoist Kun and condensed into two phoenixes, though their color was fainter and their size smaller than when they first appeared.

He beckoned again.

The two smaller phoenixes chirped softly to the sky, then dove into his embrace like swallows returning to the woods, disappearing.

He canceled the skill effect.

He canceled the "Manifestation of Holiness" attribute.

The scene returned to normal.

The Old Taoist Kun, who had been dying just moments ago, was now sitting cross-legged, meditating and circulating his Qi.

His wounds had all healed, and his condition had recovered.

No, his condition was even better than before.

At this moment, Old Taoist Kun seemed twenty years younger; his face was full and ruddy, his posture was upright and strong, and even the white hair at his temples had miraculously turned black.

In Han Jingyang's eyes, the internal changes in Old Taoist Kun were even greater.

Previously, Old Taoist Kun's true energy was considered pure, but his physical body had begun to decay—a standard state for an elderly person.

But now, Old Taoist Kun's body had miraculously undergone rejuvenation, with his muscles, bones, and flesh returning to the state of someone in their fifties.

Not only that, but the true energy he had cultivated his whole life was also even purer.

Han Jingyang sighed.

The old Taoist got a bargain.

Not only did he come back from the dead, but he also rejuvenated and had his cultivation greatly increased.

Three birds with one stone.

Later, he would have to properly extort Old Taoist Kun and make him bleed a little.

Half an hour later, Old Taoist Kun slowly opened his eyes.

His gaze was bright, soft, and extremely spirited, forming a sharp contrast to his previously dim appearance.

Old Taoist Kun's gaze fell on his disciple, and he smiled: "Zhenzhen, I frightened you."

Then he looked at Han Jingyang, stood up, bowed, and performed a grand salute: "Mr. Han, I will never forget your life-saving grace."

Han Jingyang waved his hand with a chuckle: "It was good timing. If I had arrived a few minutes later, even if I wanted to save you two, I might not have had the chance."

Old Taoist Kun exclaimed in admiration: "I had long heard that Mr. Han possessed the ability to change the heavens and the earth; the reputation is truly well-deserved."

Han Jingyang sighed inwardly.

Get to the point, would you? Rewards, gifts, or something like that. If you don't have money, you can give items. If you don't have items, you can give people. What's the use of just paying lip service?

Lip service doesn't make up for the loss of two high-level skills. No, he had also used two low-level skills while traveling. This loss was not just generally high.

However, he was an expert after all, so he couldn't just ask for it directly. He could only cup his hands: "Taoist Fazing, if there's nothing else, I'll be going back first. There are still some matters to handle down the mountain. I will come to visit again after I finish."

Wang Fazing was not polite either: "Alright, Mr. Han, please go ahead. I will clean up and then thank you in person. This place is truly too dirty and messy to host guests."

Han Jingyang was stunned.

Are you really not going to offer anything at all?