Chapter Twenty-eight: Feiyi

During the day, Zhao Gu had helped Chen Fan a lot. To show his gratitude, Chen Fan spent the entire day accompanying her.

Exhausted from the long day, he went to bed before eleven after taking a shower. However, in the middle of the night, when he got up to use the bathroom, he noticed that the light in his mother's room was still on, and he could hear faint voices. Curious, he moved closer and overheard his mother sobbing:

"Fuyuan, ever since your accident, your three brothers have not only refused to offer any help but have treated us with cold indifference. People say, 'They help in emergencies, not in poverty.' Even my sisters have distanced themselves from me for years—they're just afraid I'll ask for money. But through all these years, our son has finally grown up and become sensible...

But when will you wake up? This family… can't go on without you…"

Hearing this, Chen Fan felt a wave of guilt wash over him. His father had been bedridden for five years—how had his mother endured it all alone? He had never truly thought about her struggles before.

Suddenly, an idea struck him—wasn't Zhao Gu an immortal? If she could see through lottery numbers, perhaps she could also heal his father!

With renewed hope, he rushed upstairs and pushed open Zhao Gu's bedroom door without hesitation.

Inside, Zhao Gu was lazily reclining against the headboard, watching a famous horror movie from Sakura Country on her phone. Without looking away from the screen, she casually asked, "Hmm? Your dad? Oh, the one downstairs? What about him?"

"He got into a car accident five years ago and has been in a vegetative state ever since."

"A vegetative state?" Zhao Gu raised an eyebrow.

"He's alive, but he can't wake up or move," Chen Fan explained.

"Oh, a living corpse. I see," Zhao Gu said thoughtfully. "That's called 'Lost Soul Syndrome' in immortal terms. But I can't help you."

"Why not?" Chen Fan asked anxiously. "Aren't you an immortal? You can see through lottery numbers—this should be easy for you!"

Zhao Gu sighed. "I am an immortal, but the laws of heaven and earth dictate life and death. I cannot interfere with such matters."

Chen Fan's heart sank. His hope shattered, and he muttered, "Sorry for disturbing you…" as he turned to leave.

"But…" Zhao Gu suddenly continued, "there might be another way."

Chen Fan immediately turned back, his eyes filled with hope. "What way? Tell me!"

Zhao Gu thought for a moment before saying, "I once saw a strange bird when I was exploring a tomb. It had a yellow body, a red beak, a small head, and a short tail. My master told me it was called 'Feiyi.' It's said that eating its meat can cure many illnesses—even bring someone back from the brink of death. But for us immortals, it's useless, so I never bothered catching one."

"Is that true? Zhao Gu, are you serious?" Chen Fan's heart pounded with excitement.

"My master said so, and I've seen that bird before—in the Firecloud Tomb. But I don't know if it's still there. That place is incredibly dangerous, so you need to think carefully."

"There's no need to think. I'll go!" Chen Fan declared without hesitation. Then he paused and asked, "But… how do I enter the Xiansheng World? Do I need to get hit by a car again?"

Zhao Gu chuckled. "Normally, mortals can't cultivate or enter the Xiansheng World without sufficient fate with the immortals. However, since you've already taken a fourth-grade elixir and have a trace of immortal power in you, I should be able to take you there with my token."

"That's great! Let's leave as soon as possible!"

Zhao Gu stared at him for a moment and asked, "Chen Fan, is that man really worth risking your life for?"

"Of course," Chen Fan replied firmly. "He's my father." After a brief silence, he asked, "Zhao Gu, do you have any family?"

Zhao Gu was momentarily stunned. Then she shook her head. "In my last days in the mortal world, it was an era of chaos. My family had long perished."

"Do you miss them?"

"I did at first, but not anymore. When my mortal shell was gone, my ties to the human world were severed. In the Xiansheng World, the only goal is to cultivate and ascend. Family ties only get in the way."

Chen Fan wanted to say something but hesitated. Seeing that she had already let go of the mortal world, he realized there was no point in persuading her otherwise.

Just then, Zhao Gu patted the bed and said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. Chen Fan, do you want to watch with me? This movie is really good!"

Chen Fan was a horror movie enthusiast, but he had always been too afraid to challenge this particularly infamous film. However, with someone else around, he felt a little more confident.

"This one's not scary at all, really," Zhao Gu assured him. "Of all the movies I've watched in the past few days, this is the least interesting one."

"Who's scared? Bring it on!" Chen Fan scoffed. "What's 'Lingyuan'? I watched stuff like this as a kid and thought it was an animated film!"

He pulled up a high stool and sat by her bedside. On the phone screen, a ghost suddenly lunged forward, accompanied by a shrill scream. At the same time, the room's temperature inexplicably dropped, and an eerie breeze swept through.

Chen Fan shivered. "Zhao Gu, what did you do to this room?"

"Haha, isn't it fun?" Zhao Gu grinned. "I set it up on purpose. Every time the ghosts appear in the movie, the atmosphere in the room changes. That way, it feels more immersive!"

"…" Chen Fan's scalp tingled, but he couldn't deny that he envied her abilities. Remembering that he also had immortal power, he asked, "Zhao Gu, you said I have immortal power, right? Why can't I use it?"

"Hahaha! Use it? You barely have any left. It's already been almost depleted. When we enter the Xiansheng World, you'd better focus on cultivating. But no matter how much you train, you'll never be able to beat me."

Chen Fan pouted but didn't argue.

The cold intensified, making him shiver. Zhao Gu noticed and lifted the blanket. "Still cold? Come on up, I'll share the blanket with you."

As another ghostly figure appeared on the screen, the temperature dropped even further. Unable to endure it any longer, Chen Fan climbed under the blanket. The warmth helped, and he finally relaxed enough to focus on the movie.

After a while, his arm started feeling numb, so he shifted his position. As he moved his hand under the blanket, it accidentally brushed against Zhao Gu's back. It was icy cold.

Startled, he quickly withdrew his hand. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something—her clothes were neatly folded at the side of the bed.

His mind went blank.

"Holy crap… Is Zhao Gu this bold? Did she just go full 'free spirit' because she thought no one would come in at this hour?"

At that moment, another ghost shrieked on the screen, and the room's eerie aura intensified. Just as his thoughts turned improper, two sudden streams of hot liquid trickled from his nose.

Nosebleed.

Panicked, he jumped up and rushed downstairs.

"Chen Fan? Why'd you stop watching?" Zhao Gu called after him.

"Too much! I'm overwhelmed!" he shouted as he fled.

Zhao Gu blinked. "But you didn't drink anything… Whatever. I'll just watch alone."

With that, she lay down, casually tossing her clothes to the floor. Then she stretched out her limbs and sighed in satisfaction.

"Ahh, much better!"