Who knew that upon arriving at the hospital room, there was not a single trace of Qiao Xiaoyun to be found?
Without a second thought, they knew she must have gone to the morgue.
"What should we do now? If Mom continues like this, how are we going to manage?" Lin Qianxi shook her head and sighed, tears of sorrow falling.
"Don't think too much, Aunt Qian will definitely get better, believe me. Let's go find her!" Ye Xiaofei comforted Lin Qianxi and, gathering her courage, grabbed Lin Qianxi's delicately soft hand and ran towards the morgue.
As he held Lin Qianxi's hand, Ye Xiaofei felt immensely satisfied, pitying only that he wasn't in some other place like a shaded path or a pedestrian street where everything would have been perfect.
Alas, that was just wishful thinking.
The two hurried to the morgue, and from a distance they could hear Qiao Xiaoyun's pitiful, heart-wrenching sobs, causing Lin Qianxi to tear up as well, her eyes becoming blurred with tears.
She was like a puppet on strings, letting Ye Xiaofei lead her forward as if the moment he let go, she would lose all direction and strength.
"Madam, this is really causing us a lot of trouble, okay? You've already violated the hospital's regulations, and if this continues, we'll all be fired," said the morgue attendant with a helpless expression, looking at the disheveled, teary Qiao Xiaoyun, not knowing whether to pull her back or leave her be, obviously distressed.
He could only try to persuade her with good intentions, but the self-enclosed Qiao Xiaoyun simply wouldn't listen.
"Uncle, you go ahead with your duties! Leave it to us. Sorry for the trouble," Ye Xiaofei stepped forward and apologized.
"It's not too much trouble. Anyone who has lost a family member would feel terrible, we understand that. But this lady really is too... If this goes on, losing my job is the least of my worries. She might seriously harm her health with all this crying. You family members should really try to persuade her, talk some sense into her, this can't continue like this," the morgue attendant said with a sigh, then left reluctantly.
"Mom, Mom, please don't be like this, okay? I'm scared! Get up, let's go back to the hospital room, shall we?" Lin Qianxi cried, trying to lift up Qiao Xiaoyun, but she was too weak to lift her.
Ye Xiaofei also came forward to help, but even with great effort, they couldn't pry Qiao Xiaoyun's hands from the cold storage clasp.
Qiao Xiaoyun had fallen into a state of self-isolation. No matter what anyone said, her expression remained blank, with tears streaming down her face like a doll's.
"Mom, Mom, wake up, Grandpa, Grandpa's already gone. If you keep this up, Grandpa won't be able to leave in peace. Mom, please wake up, I beg you!" Lin Qianxi shook Qiao Xiaoyun with all her might, trying to rouse her, but the only response was Qiao Xiaoyun's vacant, unfocused gaze.
Listening to the heartbreaking cries of mother and daughter, Ye Xiaofei's eyes also reddened.
He felt he had to do something, to stop his beloved Lin Qianxi from being so sad. Her pain was a pain in his own heart.
"Oh, right, the Soul-capturing Magic Pearl, the Soul-capturing Magic Pearl, how could I have forgotten about it? It can replicate a person's memory and capture souls, so could it create an image, one that seems like a recording with the essence of a soul from before death?"
Suddenly, Ye Xiaofei had an idea that seemed feasible.
He had replicated Professor Qian's lifelong memories, and although many segments had been deleted, it had not affected much. Using these memories to create an image of Professor Qian shouldn't be a problem.
Moreover, with Qiao Xiaoyun now closed off and refusing to communicate, ordinary means would hardly be effective.
The only way was to use the powerful soul-capturing ability of the Soul-capturing Magic Pearl, a treasure of the Demonic Path, to directly interact with Qiao Xiaoyun's soul, to create a dream to persuade Qiao Xiaoyun. If Professor Qian "personally" came to persuade Qiao Xiaoyun, it would certainly be more effective than if someone else did it.
Action was needed for extraordinary circumstances, for if Qiao Xiaoyun's depression turned into sickness, it would be bad if her crying and grieving led to long-term illness.
After all, she was to be his future mother-in-law; this effort had to be made.
"Lin Qianxi, do you believe in me?" Ye Xiaofei suddenly asked seriously.
Lin Qianxi nodded subconsciously, surprised by the question and unsure of what he meant.
"Good, if you trust me, could you step outside for a bit? Leave me alone to talk to Aunt Qian. Although I can't guarantee success, there's a very good chance I can bring back a normal mother for you," said Ye Xiaofei, his voice grave and earnest.
"Really?"
"When have I ever lied to you?"
"Okay, I believe you. I will go out then!" Lin Qianxi looked at Ye Xiaofei with gratitude, glancing back worriedly as she took three steps at a time and left.
During this process, Ye Xiaofei was silently circulating the Celestial Demon Divine Art, accumulating Primordial Qi, channeling magic power to communicate with the Soul-capturing Magic Pearl, preparing it for operation.
His subject was no other than Lin Qianxi's mother, and this was his first time doing such a thing, so he racked his brains and put forth his utmost effort.
"Soul-capturing Magic Pearl, come forth!"
Ye Xiaofei silently uttered a command, and the Soul-capturing Magic Pearl was summoned forth. He held it in his palm, preventing its brilliance from escaping, and then powered the Soul-capturing Magic Pearl with his intention, following Professor Qian's memories, he crafted a "Professor Qian."
He originally thought the process would be very difficult, but to his surprise, it turned out to be unexpectedly easy.
Almost as soon as his thoughts moved, the Soul-capturing Magic Pearl produced a result—success.
After pondering for a while and not understanding why, Ye Xiaofei eventually cast the matter aside: who cares! Maybe it's because I, Lord, am handsome! I, Lord, have good character; anyhow, as long as everything goes smoothly, that's great.
"Whew—"
Ye Xiaofei let out a long sigh of relief; the first step was completed, now the second step was to figure out how to transfer this "Professor Qian" he had created into Qian Xiaoyun's Inner Realm to communicate with her.
He hesitated for a moment, then moved forward to block the door of the morgue with his body, pressed the Soul-capturing Magic Pearl against Qian Xiaoyun's forehead at the Niwan Palace, and commanded in a low voice, "Soul-capturing Magic Pearl, send 'Professor Qian' into her Inner Realm and communicate with her in a dream."
The Soul-capturing Magic Pearl flashed a slight red light, and the next moment Ye Xiaofei found the scenery before his eyes changed—he was now in a gray, barren world with red cliffs and yellow sands everywhere. Even the sun hanging in the sky was dim and dull, casting a sallow light.
"Is this Qian Xiaoyun's self-closed world? Indeed dark and lifeless, completely devoid of vitality. Continuing like this is really not the way; if she doesn't rejuvenate, the energy of death will emerge, and that would be dangerous."
Ye Xiaofei was covered in a cold sweat, not expecting that the Soul-capturing Magic Pearl had sent his Spiritual Consciousness in. He murmured a couple of words, and with the thought of being able to fly, he indeed started to fly, searching for Qian Xiaoyun's self-closed location.
This inner world was truly desolate and treacherous; the further he flew inward, the more hostile it became, gradually encountering quicksand, magma, storms, and erupting celestial fires—a place of extreme danger. Fortunately, Ye Xiaofei had the protection of the Soul-capturing Magic Pearl, which ensured the safety of his Spiritual Consciousness.
"Found it, there she is!" Finally, Ye Xiaofei cried out in delight and hastened towards Qian Xiaoyun.
As he flew closer, Ye Xiaofei grew more alarmed. He saw that Qian Xiaoyun had locked herself away on a precipice, with a raging storm of thunder overhead. Countless bolts of lightning hung down, and the sky above was like a thunder lake, resembling a scene of world destruction.
And just a foot away from her feet lay an abyss; beneath the abyss, there flowed a blood-red river of magma, with heatwaves rolling and spewing magma waves a hundred feet high.
Qian Xiaoyun stood there, only a step away from the cliff, while countless fierce ghosts howled, rebuking her unfilial actions and sins, tempting her to jump into the deep abyss.
"This is truly terrifying, like hell itself, by far superior to any cheap special effects. Good thing my heart is strong, anyone else would have been scared to death coming in here. Aunt Qian, you really blame yourself too much, trapping yourself in a hell of your own making!"
Ye Xiaofei landed and shook his head with a sigh.
Without further hesitation, he instantly had the idea to control the Soul-capturing Magic Pearl and transform his appearance into Professor Qian; after all, it was safer if he did it himself.
He also controlled the Soul-capturing Magic Pearl to change his aura to be exactly like that of Professor Qian, entirely exuding the intelligent and humble aura of a scholar.
"Xiaoyun, what are you doing here? Won't you go back? This is not the place for you to stay; hurry back, Lin Qianxi is waiting for you! Your mom is waiting for you too!" Ye Xiaofei coughed twice and said, his tone slightly stern.
Upon hearing her father's voice, Qiao Xiaoyun's closed-off self loosened, and turning around in confusion, she finally saw her "father" standing before her, her eyes focusing at last.
"Xiaoyun, the incident from back then was dad's fault, and dad wants to apologize to you. Dad has passed away; I beg for your forgiveness. But dad can't bear to see you like this, so I came to visit you in a dream, especially for this reason."
Ye Xiaofei squeezed out two tears, looking utterly sorrowful and with tears streaming down uncontrollably.
This wasn't all an act; since he had Professor Qian's memories, half of it was getting into character and coming from the heart.
"Dad, dad, is it really you?" Qian Xiaoyun opened her mouth, her voice hoarse beyond measure. She took a step forward.
But the force of the abyss behind her suddenly intensified, trying to drag her into the depth.
"Daughter!" Ye Xiaofei exclaimed, grabbing Qian Xiaoyun, and at the same time, he controlled the Soul-capturing Magic Pearl to exert its power, stealthily shattering the force of the abyss—Qian Xiaoyun's own inner guilt and remorse.
"Daughter, it's dad. Dad has come to visit you in a dream, and I hope you can live well in the days to come, live peacefully, and let go of these troubles. Only when you are happy can dad rest in peace. Otherwise, watching from heaven, dad can't be at ease."
Ye Xiaofei held Qian Xiaoyun in his embrace, feeling somewhat inappropriate; calling her "daughter" this way felt a bit too strange.
"Dad, I've wronged you! I'm sorry to you, for all these years I haven't returned home to see you. I clearly knew that the incident back then wasn't your fault, I knew it, yet I was so heartless. I am guilty, dad, dad, punish me! Scold me, that way I might feel a little better," Qian Xiaoyun cried out, sobbing uncontrollably, utterly heartbroken.
"Don't say that! That incident back then was indeed dad's fault. But over these years, dad also held a grudge against you, never taking the initiative to explain, and that led to today's tragedy. Dad is sorry! Sorry to Lin Wenjiang, sorry to Lin Qianxi, sorry to your whole family," Ye Xiaofei lamented.
"No, it's not, dad! It's all my fault, I shouldn't have been like this…" Qian Xiaoyun sobbed inconsolably.