I released my hand seal and spoke calmly.
The man’s body trembled violently upon hearing my words, as if doused with a basin of cold water.
From head to toe, he felt a chill.
“Wh-what?”
“No, I can, I can return to life. I’m only twenty-four, how could I possibly die, how could I?”
The man kept talking, trying to get back into his own body.
But no matter how he tried, his soul could not return to his body.
He panicked, mumbling to himself repeatedly; no, no, no, I don’t want to die, don’t want to die, I want to live, I want to live…
I’ve seen many deaths, and seeing this man, Luo Tao, unable to return to life now, I wasn’t greatly moved.
Logically speaking, with my current cultivation and the man’s age, he wouldn’t have been dead for too long.
There was still a good chance of returning to life.
But now, it wasn’t succeeding.
It could only mean that his life was meant to end here.
Even if he hadn’t been dragged into the water and drowned by an evil spirit, it might have been some other form of death.
I didn’t try to console him at this moment.
Emotionally, persuasion would be useless.
Instead, I took out a pack of cigarettes from my bag and lit one.
After taking a puff, I said:
“Brother, life and death are destined, wealth and honor come from heaven. You can’t force life or death. Your colleagues could return to life and their souls return, but you can’t. It only means your life was short. Try to accept it…”
After saying this, I didn’t care if he listened or not, nor did I care about the others who hadn’t woken up yet. I turned and walked out.
After all, there were two more souls waiting to return.
I wouldn’t be overly delayed because of him, wasting the chance for others to return to life and be reborn.
Seeing me leave, the man panicked instantly:
“Daoist Priest, Daoist Priest! Save me, please save me! My father is an official. If you save me, my father will definitely thank you properly, thank you so much…”
After speaking, he knelt on the ground with a “plop.”
I sighed deeply:
“Buddy, to be honest, begging me is useless. I’ve done all I can. Your short lifespan means you have shallow fate in this life, with too little accumulated virtue from past lives.
Try to accept it. Later, I’ll light some incense for you, and you can go back to bid your family farewell properly.”
After speaking, I patted the man’s shoulder and continued on my way without looking back.
The man knelt on the ground, watching my receding figure and his four colleagues gradually waking up. He could only weep and wail.
Soon, I left the area and reached the roadside.
Continuing to drive my tricycle, I headed towards the residences of the other two souls.
They were from the same village and had died together.
Therefore, there was no need to consider the length of time.
Upon arriving at their village, I released their souls.
As soon as the two appeared, they pointed towards the village, indicating they would lead me.
Based on the distance to their homes, I chose the closer one.
This person was named Feng Liang.
He led me, floating forward:
“Daoist Priest, my home is just ahead.”
I grunted in response.
Soon, I saw a mourning hall adorned with white paper lanterns.
It was already deep in the night. A coffin was placed in the hall, and two elderly people were keeping vigil, burning paper offerings.
Cries of grief could be heard from time to time:
“My son! How could you leave us so suddenly! How are your parents supposed to live now!”
Seeing this, Feng Liang couldn’t hold back any longer and cried out, “Dad! Mom!”
He lunged forward.
At that moment, a gust of cold wind appeared in the mourning hall.
His parents could not hear him at all.
They only felt a blast of cold wind coming from behind them.
Before Feng Liang could get close, he was repelled by the yang energy radiating from his parents.
The two elders had strong vital energy, and ordinary souls could not get near them.
However, they sensed something and glanced back.
Seeing me walk in from the main entrance.
Not recognizing me, Feng Liang’s father stood up:
“Young man, are you Feng Liang’s friend?”
He assumed I was there to pay respects.
But I shook my head:
“No, I am a Daoist Priest, here to bring Feng Liang back to life!”
The astonishing statement stunned Feng Liang’s parents.
Seeing their stunned reaction, I spoke again:
“Don’t be surprised, Feng Liang’s soul is right beside you. If you want your son to live, quickly open the coffin lid so I can perform the ritual for his return. If you delay, I might not be able to help him return to life.”
I said this calmly.
But every word struck the parents’ nerves.
Perhaps they didn’t believe me, or perhaps they thought I was too young.
However, the temptation of bringing their child back to life, even if they suspected I was talking nonsense, made them willing to try.
Such is the love of parents for their children.
“Good!”
“Daoist Priest, Daoist Priest, you, you really brought Liangliang back to us?”
The two stared at me with wide eyes, their gazes filled with anticipation and hope.
Although Feng Liang kept calling out “Dad, Mom” beside them, it was useless; they couldn’t hear him.
I nodded:
“Yes, he is here. Please open the coffin!”
With that, I put down my tool bag.
And took out various items for the ritual.
The two exchanged a glance, then quickly worked together to open Feng Liang’s coffin.
I had also drawn a talisman and affixed it to Feng Liang.
Just like by the stream, I began chanting the incantations and performing the ritual.
Everything went smoothly, and as I cast the spell and talisman to bring Feng Liang back to life.
Although Feng Liang was nervous, he was still very polite, respectfully saying thank you to me before returning to his body.
His soul smoothly settled back into his body.
The return to life was successful.
When Feng Liang’s parents felt his heartbeat and breathing once more, their joy was beyond words.
Trembling, they grabbed my hand and cried, constantly thanking me.
They said I had given their family hope…
His mother clapped her hands uncontrollably, repeatedly saying, “Wonderful, wonderful.”
Looking at the happy faces of Feng Liang’s parents, I felt that what I was doing was truly meaningful.
In just one day, I had saved many lives, and even brought new meaning and hope to many families.
I smiled slightly and said I had to go to another house to help another person return to life.
With that, I turned and left the Feng family’s home.
Heading towards another brightly lit rural villa…