Morning light in the Red Forest filtered through the branches and leaves, falling across Tang San's pale face. His eyelashes trembled faintly, and a hoarse groan escaped his throat before he slowly opened his eyes at last—before him was Lin Zhixia's tear-streaked face, and the little snow-white bundle in her arms, wrapped in the hem of the Starfall Judgment Skirt.
"Xiao Wu... she..." Tang San's voice was dry as sandpaper. The moment he spoke, his heart felt as though it had been viciously clenched—he clearly remembered the pink waves of light from her sacrifice, remembered Xiao Wu's final words: "It was worth it." But the palm-sized Soft Bone Rabbit before him left him afraid to think any further.
Lin Zhixia's body abruptly stiffened. Instinctively avoiding his gaze, she gripped her skirt hem tightly, her voice trembling. "Little San... don't panic yet. Xiao Wu, she..." Before she could finish, Da Ming took over.
"Tang San, calm down and listen to me first." Da Ming shifted his serpentine body forward, gravity in his snake eyes, though a trace of hope was hidden within them. "Although Sister Xiao Wu regressed to her original form after her sacrifice, Zhixia preserved her life force with Lovesick Heartbreak Red. To revive her, three conditions must be met."
Tang San sat upright at once, ignoring the ache in his newly regenerated right leg as he stared fixedly at Da Ming. "Tell me! No matter what the conditions are, I can do it!"
Da Ming slowly listed the conditions. With every one he spoke, Tang San's gaze grew firmer. "First, three medicinal herbs are needed—the Holy Soul Grass to awaken her soul, the Ten-Thousand-Year Nine-Rank Ginseng King to reshape her human form, and an ancient Spirit Beast Inner Core to unite soul and body. Second, your Soul Power