She was deeply asleep, completely undisturbed.
Ye Siheng stood up and opened the door. Seeing Xuanyuan Che’s earnest and pleading expression, he narrowed his eyes and said, "Reviving the dead is a major taboo."
Xuanyuan Lan quickly said, "Brother, don’t do this."
But Xuanyuan Che was firm, "The ruler is skilled in Taoist arts. Surely, he knows how to bring the dead back to life. No matter what price must be paid, I’m willing to bear it."
He only wished for the siblings to be reunited.
Ye Siheng’s expression darkened further. "Reviving the dead is a forbidden act against the heavens. If you want to pursue such madness, I won’t stop you. But if you drag A’Li into it, you better give up now!"
Although he valued talent, A’Li’s wellbeing was always his top priority.
Xuanyuan Che’s lips trembled.
Xuanyuan Lan was furious, saying urgently, "Brother, the new ruler has already done us a great favor. Instead of thinking about repaying that, you’re asking for even more? Are you still my brother?!"
She would rather reincarnate than watch this mess unfold!
Xuanyuan Che panicked as he saw his sister’s anger. "A’Lan, we’ve been separated for more than twenty years. I just want us to be reunited for a few days..."
Xuanyuan Lan understood her brother’s thoughts, but their fate was harsh...
She began to cry softly, "It’s fate. What can we do? Brother, I only hope we can be siblings again in the next life..."
The saddest part was that one was living, and the other was a ghost. They could only look at each other and cry.
"How noisy..." A voice, full of annoyance, came from the bed.
Ye Siheng’s heart sank. He glared fiercely at the siblings and turned to see Nanli, who had sat up, rubbing her drowsy eyes, grumbling, "Can I not get a decent night’s sleep around here?"
Xuanyuan Che, sensing an opportunity, immediately pleaded, "Ruler! Please, bring my sister back to life. From now on, my life will be yours! I will serve you in this world and beyond!"
Xuanyuan Lan frowned, "Ruler, please ignore his nonsense."
Nanli blinked at them, taking a moment to fully comprehend their relationship. "Oh, so you’re siblings."
"Yes! The ruler saved my sister’s soul, and I’m deeply grateful. Now I beg you, please show mercy once more and help her return to the living!" Xuanyuan Che’s voice was filled with urgency and desperation, as if afraid Nanli couldn’t hear him clearly.
Ye Siheng was already greatly displeased. A’Li had been exhausted after an entire day and night, and now these siblings had woken her up, which only fueled his anger. Xuanyuan Che, lacking any sense of awareness, dared to make such a request.
With a cold tone, Ye Siheng ordered, "Guards, drag him out."
Xuanyuan Che’s body trembled.
"Wait," Nanli, still appearing groggy from sleep, spoke again, her voice weak with exhaustion. "Your sister’s body has long been buried. Even if someone were willing to defy the heavens, it would be impossible to bring her back to life."
Xuanyuan Che’s face turned pale. But immediately, a new idea sparked in his mind: find another body and place his sister’s soul in it!
His eyes lit up with hope.
But Nanli continued, "Reviving her isn’t possible, but I can make a scarecrow body for her. Other than being afraid of fire and sunlight, she’d be almost like a regular person."
This meant A’Lan could stay by his side?
Xuanyuan Che was overjoyed. He immediately knelt before Nanli, bowing repeatedly. "Thank you, ruler!"
Ye Siheng interrupted, "A’Li, humans and ghosts are meant to follow different paths. She should reincarnate, not linger in the living world."
Nanli nodded, looking seriously at the siblings. "Indeed. You were not even supposed to reincarnate. It was I who repaired your souls and opened the path to the underworld. If you choose to stay in the living world, your soul will gradually erode under the sunlight, eventually vanishing completely." Her tone was calm. "Do you want to stay here and reunite with your brother or reincarnate in the underworld? Think carefully."
Xuanyuan Che felt a chill run through him. His mouth moved slightly, "Ruler... isn’t there... a better option?"
Nanli chuckled lightly, her eyes mysterious. "No. Whether human or ghost, you can’t have everything."
You can’t take advantage of both sides.
"I want to stay in the living world."
"Send her to reincarnate!"
Their voices rang out almost at the same time.
Then, the two stared at each other, Xuanyuan Che furious. "A’Lan, what nonsense are you saying?! Listen to your brother and go reincarnate!"
"I want to be with my brother. Even if it means eventually fading away, I have no regrets," Xuanyuan Lan said with firm resolve.
"You’re being foolish!"
"Don’t try to persuade me. We’ve been separated for so many years. I just want a few more years with you. What’s so wrong about that?"
At first, Xuanyuan Lan had been worried that Nanli might anger the heavens. But since a scarecrow body wasn’t considered an act against the heavens, her mind was at ease.
The siblings continued arguing.
Nanli yawned, clearly tired. "Go argue elsewhere. I’m going back to sleep. When I wake up, let me know your decision."
They immediately fell silent.
Nanli lay back down to sleep.
Ye Siheng shut the door, his face darkening even more.
He tossed the spiritual bag to Xuanyuan Che. "When A’Li wakes up, I’ll have someone notify you."
Xuanyuan Che could feel Ye Siheng’s growing fury, so he didn’t dare lift his head. He quickly opened the spiritual bag, allowing his sister’s soul to enter, and hurriedly left.
As he left, he saw Qing Feng still miserably sweeping the snow. Snow had piled up on Qing Feng’s head and body, and he was shivering from the bitter cold. His hands were blue and purple, but he stubbornly continued sweeping, even though the snow he had just cleared was quickly covered again.
Xuanyuan Che remembered Qing Feng’s earlier words and felt moved. He kindly reminded him, "Brother Qing Feng, the prince only said to clear the snow from the estate. He didn’t say when. You could wait until the snow stops before sweeping."
Qing Feng paused, clutching his broom tightly.
Right! Why didn’t he think of that? He had stubbornly been sweeping for over half an hour!
But if he thanked Xuanyuan Che, it would mean admitting his foolishness. So, he stubbornly replied, "The prince ordered me to sweep immediately. I won’t resort to clever tricks, as that would show disloyalty!"
Xuanyuan Che admired his loyalty and cupped his hands. "Indeed! I’ve learned a valuable lesson!"
From now on, he would be loyal to the ruler and the prince. He would no longer resort to clever tricks or disloyalty.
With a serious expression, Xuanyuan Che resolved to return to the Supervisory Office and work hard, determined not to let down the prince or the ruler!
But as soon as Xuanyuan Che left, Qing Feng quickly abandoned his broom and ran inside to escape the cold.
He was freezing to death!
Just like the princess had said, this year was going to be especially cold.
When Ye Siheng learned that Qing Feng had delayed sweeping until after the snow stopped, he was furious.
Qing Feng knew to wait for the snow to stop but hadn’t thought to use the time spent sweeping to strengthen his body. What a missed opportunity!
But no matter. The lake in the estate had already frozen over.
Ye Siheng ordered Qing Feng to kneel on the ice for three days.