Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Che was overjoyed.
However, Nanli continued, "But the time limit won’t be long; even with my talisman, at most it’ll be two months."
Xuanyuan Che shook his head, feeling a bit disappointed.
But Xuanyuan Lan had already floated out from the Spiritual Bag, bowing deeply to Nanli, filled with gratitude: "Thank you, Ruler. Being able to reunite with my brother for two months is a tremendous blessing."
Seeing his sister , and Ye Siheng’s cold, threatening gaze, Xuanyuan Che dared not wish for more.
He too prostrated on the ground, his voice trembling: "Thank you, Ruler."
In the future, he would surely do his utmost to repay the Ruler!
Nanli then went to the room on the left, starting to bind straw into the shape of a person, making it female since this was the body Xuanyuan Lan would use.
Though Ye Siheng couldn’t help much, he enjoyed watching her work diligently.
He asked, "Why not use wood or lotus roots to make the body?"
"Wood and lotus roots are durable but not very flexible," Nanli replied.
Her hands moved skillfully, and in no time, she created a scarecrow with slender, graceful limbs.
She sent Ye Siheng and Xuanyuan Che outside to wait, then formed seals to place Xuanyuan Lan’s spirit into the scarecrow. After drawing a talisman with the Heaven Star Brush and chanting a spell, countless rays of light gathered and slowly bloomed around the scarecrow.
Nanli tossed the scarecrow aside, and the light converged again, causing the scarecrow to grow to the size of an ordinary person.
When the light faded, a woman appeared.
She did not look like a ghost, pale and ghostly, but rather had good color, just like an ordinary person.
However, having just used this scarecrow body, she felt a bit unsteady, stumbling slightly.
Yet she could feel a chill.
Since the scarecrow was without clothes, she was also completely bare.
Nanli looked her over and said, "How do you feel? This body is slender; if you prefer something fuller, I can make you another."
Xuanyuan Lan, feeling flustered, replied, "Ruler, I am already very grateful to have a body to use."
She truly dared not have too many requests.
Moreover, this slender, fair body suited her perfectly.
Perhaps the Ruler had practiced binding many scarecrows, which was why she could make it so well.
Unexpectedly, Nanli stroked her chin and said, "This second attempt wasn’t that great; the third should be perfect."
Indeed, the Ruler was remarkable; no wonder she could command the Evil Bee.
Nanli then took out some clothes she had prepared earlier and helped her put them on.
Xuanyuan Lan was initially a bit clumsy, as it was hard to control her new body. Seeing this, Nanli lent a hand, carefully dressing her.
"Ruler..." The little details moved Xuanyuan Lan to tears, sparkling with gratitude, "The Ruler is kind and considerate; you will surely have peace and joy in this life, with many children."
"You have a sweet tongue; I appreciate your kind words," Nanli said, glancing at her tears, "The talisman I drew this time is really good; the scarecrow has what the living should have."
At that moment, Xuanyuan Lan didn’t take this to heart.
She thought of her brother and thanked Nanli repeatedly before going to open the door and step outside.
Xuanyuan Che had been anxiously watching the wooden door from outside.
Suddenly, he saw a graceful woman open the door, her complexion rosy, and he was momentarily stunned.
Xuanyuan Lan rushed over, but as she walked quickly, still unaccustomed to the scarecrow body, she stumbled and fell forward.
Xuanyuan Che hurried forward instinctively to catch her.
He was incredibly surprised, looking at her with joy, "Sister, can you see? I can hold you!"
Xuanyuan Lan gradually adapted to this light, floating body and, seeing that they could make contact, began to cry tears of joy: "Brother..."
Even her tears felt warm.
It was as if she were truly alive, never having died.
The siblings embraced, crying together for a while before expressing their thanks to Nanli again.
Nanli reminded them of some precautions: "Although this scarecrow body feels similar to a living person’s, you cannot be exposed to direct sunlight. It’s best to stay indoors during the day, and if you must go out, use an umbrella. Water is fine, but the scarecrow is afraid of fire, so be extra careful."
As they left, the snow continued to fall heavily.
Xuanyuan Che naturally held an umbrella, leading his sister back to his small house.
The Border Nation rarely sees snow, so this was Xuanyuan Lan’s first time witnessing the white snowflakes.
She reached out to catch them, and the snowflakes melted slowly in her palm.
"Brother, look..." she exclaimed excitedly, sharing her joy like a child.
Xuanyuan Che watched her, a look of amazement crossing his face, then touched her hand, discovering it was warm.
"Brother?" Xuanyuan Lan didn’t understand his reaction.
"The Ruler is truly impressive," Xuanyuan Che murmured.
"Of course, the Ruler is amazing! She can command the Evil Bee; she is the true dragon of the Border Nation!" Xuanyuan Lan declared.
Xuanyuan Che shook his head gently:
"Not just that. I consulted some priests at Xuanzheng Temple; they can also use scarecrows to give ghosts a body, but the scarecrows they create only provide a dwelling for spirits, which is different from a living person. Perhaps the Ruler’s scarecrow is made more exquisitely?"
Xuanyuan Lan recalled Nanli’s earlier words and blinked, "It’s not just that. While making a good scarecrow is one aspect, the Ruler said that being able to cry and have tactile sensations is due to the talisman."
Xuanyuan Che’s expression changed slightly; he had read relevant books and knew that the talisman merely placed the spirit into the scarecrow and did not make it the same as a living person.
In other words, this talisman was newly created by the Ruler!
He sighed, "The Ruler’s talisman technique is truly unparalleled!"
Feeling grateful, he turned and knelt, knocking his head three times towards the direction of Liuli Pavilion.
Though it seemed a small gesture, it was enough for Xuanyuan Che to remember it for a lifetime.
After the Lantern Festival, the heavy snow continued.
Because Chu Shuo and Ming Ying had previously d money for charity, distributing winter clothes, the people in the capital were managing. However, other states were not faring as well.
The continuous snow left some citizens without clothing or food, and many huts collapsed under the weight, causing deaths from freezing during the night.
With the snow blocking the roads, these messages couldn’t be conveyed promptly to the capital. Xuanyuan Che had sensed something was amiss and had sent snow eagles out early.
These snow eagles were fearless in the storm, flying thousands of miles daily. Once the message reached the Supervisory Office, he immediately reported to Emperor Muwu and Ye Siheng.
Ye Siheng looked at the statistics in the report; among the twenty-five states of Mu Nation, twenty-one were experiencing snow disasters, with a shortage of cotton clothes and food, leading to many freezing or starving to death.
The ministers in the cabinet had grim expressions.
After all, just last year there were heavy rains affecting the capital and surrounding states. If it weren’t for the Ninth Princess’s early warning, the impoverished would have suffered even more.