Shen Lan Ni finished speaking, placing her right hand directly on Ren Yuan Hao’s dantian, madly activating the Azure Sea Tide Art. Using this method, she pushed the qi within his body!
Instantly, Ren Yuan Hao was like the eye of a storm. The airflow spiraled counter-clockwise from his body, rapidly forming a violent gust that spread outwards.
"You have practiced the same qi guiding and circulation techniques?"
A trace of surprise flashed across Liu Fu Qu’s face!
Shen Lan Ni nodded slightly, operating the technique without any reservation.
"Giving your all so as not to leave regrets" – this had always been her guiding principle.
Ye Lan, lying limply on the ground, watched Shen Lan Ni, who was still trying, like a puppet. The world that had been shattering around her suddenly rekindled a tiny spark of light, and her sobs stopped abruptly.
She suddenly stood up, like a warrior resolutely facing death, and also placed her hand on him. Although she had been practicing for too short a time, the basic qi guiding method was not a problem.
The Azure Sea Tide of the two women was like adding two drain pumps to Ren Yuan Hao’s body. The speed of qi guiding increased by more than double. The qi that had accumulated in the various acupoints and hadn't had time to be expelled, forming thirty-six lumpy growths, gradually flattened with the efforts of the two.
Everyone held their breath, as if what the two were performing was not a qi guiding and circulation technique, but a spell that could awaken the dead.
Liu Fu Qu reached out to feel his pulse, while Shi Jing Tian tested his breath. After a moment, their expressions remained solemn.
His pulse was almost stopped, and no breathing rhythm could be detected from his nostrils. They didn’t even know where Shen and Ye, the two girls, got their confidence that Ren Yuan Hao could still survive a near-death situation.
Ren Yuan Hao’s dantian seemed to have two magnets. Shen Lan Ni’s internal energy was quite profound, and her face showed no excessive signs of pain. Ye Lan, although she had taken the elixir, showed clear signs of fatigue on her face due to her short practice period.
However, even so, neither of them gave up. This was the last and only thing they could do.
After an unknown period of time, both of them finally exhausted their strength and collapsed beside Ren Yuan Hao.
Time seemed to freeze. Shi Jing Tian and Liu Fu Qu did not have the slightest intention of reaching out to feel his pulse or breath.
This was because neither of them had the courage to tell everyone the unwanted outcome after the Shen and Ye, the two girls, had tried their best and even collapsed from exhaustion.
"Everyone did their best."
As a doctor, as a man, Shi Jing Tian, after a moment of hesitation, finally made up his mind. He tried to comfort everyone in the simplest way, but he was unsure if anyone present heard his words, including the exhausted Liu Fu Qu in front of him.
"Yuan Hao, has he already..."
Yang Ling Xue’s tears seemed to have dried up. She could no longer stand properly. Her expression was unreadable, or perhaps she had no expression at all.
"I know it’s hard for everyone to accept this outcome," Shi Jing Tian slowly stood up, his words carrying unquestionable authority. "However, from a normal person’s understanding, brother has indeed lost all signs of life."
Although this outcome had been decided long ago, when Shi Jing Tian solemnly announced it, everyone still showed expressions of utter despair.
The entire forest echoed with disorderly winds. The birds were silent. Everyone was left with only the mechanical sound of breathing. No one cried, and no one spoke. The atmosphere was as heavy as stagnant water.
But this stagnant water still needed someone to break it.
"Brother is my great benefactor, and I know that you are all not ordinary people, but the greatest respect for the deceased is to be buried peacefully. My Shi family will spare no expense to give brother a grand funeral."
"What nonsense are you talking about, what grand funeral? The person I, Yang Ling Xue, fancied would not die so easily! Did I agree?"
Yang Ling Xue’s usual sharp and strange words, at this moment, sounded to everyone like a surge of immense grief and helplessness. Yang Ling Xue stumbled as she tried to drag her body, which had never been so exhausted, to Ren Yuan Hao. The blood-stained clothes made her recall the scene from that day when Ren Yuan Hao had blocked a knife for her with his bare hands. Afterward, her vision turned red, and the taut string finally snapped, causing her to faint.
...
Ren Yuan Hao’s body was carried to a building in the backyard of Shi Jing Tian’s house, where Shi Ke Xin was looking after it.
It was already close to noon, but a large and heavy black cloud hung overhead. Lightning streaked through the sky, and thunder accompanied the gradually increasing rain, pounding the ground.
Shen Lan Ni, Ye Lan, and Yang Ling Xue were still unconscious. Liu Yu, Qi Da Xian, and others sat on both sides of the hall. Liu Fu Qu had also been carried to the inner courtyard for treatment by Shi Jing Tian due to her severe injuries.
"Since the three sisters are not present, please state your plans." Liu Yu picked up the steaming tea, feeling extremely troubled, and then put it back down.
Qi Da Xian, being the oldest and having experienced the most, was the first to calm his emotions and said, "We finally escaped hell, and we were happily planning for the future. But we didn't expect the changes to come so quickly. Logically, we should find a way to notify our benefactor’s family, but this is a troubled time, and it’s not advisable to disturb his parents."
"That's right. Although this outcome is hard for everyone to accept, benefactor has passed away. As is customary, he should be buried peacefully." Tu Xing Sun whispered.
"I think the feng shui of this place is excellent. If we were to choose a burial site, the mountain formation east of the iron chain bridge, with its sheltered wind and collected water, where the vital energy is condensed and does not dissipate, is indeed a good location." As he spoke, Qi Da Xian’s expression became dejected again. "I didn't expect that the only thing I could do for my benefactor would be to help him find a good burial spot..."
After Qi Da Xian finished speaking, there was a dead silence in the hall again. Outside, thunder rumbled, and the entire sky was so dark and gloomy that it seemed about to collapse.
After a while, Liu Yu broke the silence again, "Do all of you think the same?"
Everyone nodded in unison. After all, it was midsummer. Even if it rained continuously, it couldn't prevent the decomposition of the body. If the body were to decompose before burial, it was considered a very inauspicious event in folklore.
"Alright, Qi Da Xian, you are skilled in feng shui and geomancy. You decide the date, time, and location. The rest of us will help with the miscellaneous tasks of constructing the tomb." Liu Yu took a sip of tea and then said, "Everyone, let’s get to work."
"Wait a moment, aren't we waiting for the benefactor's three friends?" Yu Nu stood under the eaves at this moment. Raindrops fell one by one onto her palm, splashing out crystal clear water droplets, chilling to the bone.
"We won't wait. I believe that even if the three sisters wake up, they will think the same way I do. Moreover, given their relationship with brother, they might delay the burial time."