C22 Returned from the Dead

After seeing Yang Zhangzhen off, Xia Yi sat at his desk, gazing out the window in silent contemplation of the words his friend had brought him.

When Wu Liang inquired about the subsequent chapters of the "Tao Te Ching," Xia Yi didn't hesitate for a moment before shaking his head, denying any completion of the text.

Clearly, the Xia Yi who withheld the complete "Tao Te Ching" was the most crucial and valuable one. If he wanted Dragonflight Cloister to serve as a sanctuary for himself and his sister, the "Tao Te Ching" was undoubtedly his greatest asset to date.

"Living at the mercy of others without any real power is truly vexing." Xia Yi wasn't naturally inclined to be calculating, yet his current predicament left him no choice but to leverage everything at his disposal to ensure the survival and protection of himself and his sister.

Yang Zhangzhen was a reliable friend. If Xia Yi hadn't tasted the pinnacle of his past and simply wished to settle into a peaceful existence, Yang Zhangzhen would have been a solid support. Xia Yi was confident that even if he never reclaimed his status as a warrior, Yang Zhangzhen wouldn't let him down.

But the legacy of "Xia Yi" was so extraordinary that even hearing about it set his blood on fire with an irresistible urge to embark on adventures and recapture the glory of his former days.

And besides—

"I am the reincarnation of the Demon-suppressing Divine Lord!" Xia Yi whispered to himself, his emotions a complex tapestry.

"Brother." A gentle voice called from the doorway. Xia Ye entered, cradling a bowl of soup with utmost care.

Xia Yi felt a pang of sadness; he hadn't even noticed her approach, a sign that he was now less perceptive than even the youngest warrior at Dragonflight Cloister.

"Brother, this is the medicinal soup Hua Shi instructed me to prepare for you today." Xia Ye gingerly set the bowl on the desk, making sure it didn't make a sound.

Yang Zhangzhen had not yet departed when he asked Hua Shi to check on Xia Yi's condition and prescribe a new remedy, emphasizing to Xia Ye the importance of ensuring her brother took his medicine correctly to avoid any further mishaps.

Xia Yi nodded, his gaze falling on the medicinal soup, which brought to mind Hua Shi's earlier words.

"My formula, along with the Spirit Increasing Pill and the Spirit Cleansing Powder, shouldn't conflict. The discomfort you're feeling is likely due to the strong effects of the soup and pill combined. Yet it's odd—after taking those, your body should be brimming with spiritual energy, but for some reason, you're completely devoid of it."

Xia Yi vividly recalled the moment Hua Shi finished speaking and gave him that peculiar look, as though he had noticed the absence of Xia Yi's 'Spirit Seed.' The 'Spirit Seed' served as the vessel for storing spiritual energy. Despite consuming numerous pills to boost his spiritual energy, his body remained devoid of it, suggesting that the warrior's 'Spirit Seed' might have become ineffective.

Hua Shi had kept his suspicions to himself at the time, much to Xia Yi's relief. It spared him the trouble of having to explain the situation to his sister.

Noticing Xia Yi lost in thought and failing to respond, Xia Ye, who was by his side, gently reminded him to take his medicine on time.

"Oh, right." Xia Yi nodded, lifted the bowl, and downed the medicinal soup in one gulp.

As he was about to hand the bowl back to Xia Ye, a sudden, intense pain shot through his consciousness, feeling as if countless fine needles were furiously pricking his brain. The agony was so severe that he clutched his head with both hands, desperately trying to quell the pain.

The bowl slipped from his grasp and shattered on the floor with a loud "crash."

The sound stunned Xia Ye, as if it were a bolt from the blue. She had never anticipated her brother would suffer such an episode again.

"Could the medicine be poisoned?!" Xia Ye's immediate thought was that there must be an issue with the medicine he had taken twice. She couldn't help but grow suspicious of Hua Shi.

A loud "buzz" erupted in Xia Yi's head, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed once more.

In a panic, Xia Ye watched as Xia Yi lay motionless on the ground. She quickly moved him to the bed before dashing out to seek Yang Zhangzhen's assistance.

Xia Yi's body felt as limp as cotton, his legs weak and wobbly without purpose. Soon, he saw a bright light ahead and staggered toward it with urgency.

The light was within reach, and Xia Yi extended his hand, moving slowly to grasp it.

As the first ray of light touched his fingertip, a searing pain exploded in Xia Yi's head. Instinctively, he clutched his head and let out a heart-wrenching scream.

He felt as though his heart was on the verge of coughing itself out of his chest. Abruptly, a beam of light pierced through the darkness, and Xia Yi, with his eyes tightly closed, felt its warmth envelop him. It was as if he were cocooned in warm water, with every pore radiating a soothing sensation that involuntarily elicited a moan from him.

"Ah! This is so comfortable."

Xia Yi's eyes fluttered open, and he was startled to find himself floating within his own consciousness, surrounded by a soft luminescence. The light caressed him like a gently flowing stream, wrapping him in its embrace.

"Hmm?" As he took in his surroundings, a puzzled hum escaped Xia Yi's lips.

Near the source of the gentle light, he spotted a white, trembling mass, no larger than a puppy, curled up into a quivering ball.

Xia Yi decided to momentarily disregard this mysterious entity and turned his attention back to the soft light source, swallowing hard.

"Could this be... a 'spirit seed'?" he murmured, rubbing his eyes in disbelief, his entire being frozen in shock.

He knew all too well what a 'spirit seed' should look like. Before it vanished, it resembled an oversized sesame seed, radiating a similar luminescence to what he was seeing now, though not as mellow.

This subtle difference led Xia Yi to suspect that what he was seeing was indeed a 'spirit seed,' yet he was hesitant to accept it, fearing the resurgence of a hope that could be dashed once more.

The agony of such a loss was too much to bear, and Xia Yi was loath to go through that pain again.

The light source before him remained unresponsive, continuing to emit its soft glow, the warmth permeating the space around Xia Yi.

After a long silence and seeing no change in the light source, Xia Yi gathered his courage. With a thought, he drifted towards it.

The distance was short, and as Xia Yi approached the light source, he found that it didn't dazzle his eyes. It seemed as though the light could automatically adjust to his vision.

Upon closer inspection, Xia Yi discovered that the light source was the size of a mung bean, but it wasn't the complete form of a 'spirit seed.' Instead, many fragments floated within the 'mung bean.' After observing for a while, Xia Yi concluded that these floating fragments had originated from a single entity that had shattered.

"Is it possible that my spiritual seed hasn't vanished but has instead shattered, taking on a different form?" Xia Yi pondered, furrowing his brow as he considered the most plausible explanation.

Xia Yi gazed at the fragment of the spiritual seed before him with a mix of hope and concern. He wanted his theory to be correct, yet he couldn't help but wonder: does this fragmented spiritual seed still qualify as a true spiritual seed?