When the pitch-black figure appeared at the corner of the wall, the candles surrounding the coffin suddenly flickered.
Through the flashing sparks, Shen Bai saw the figure's true face amid the mottled light and shadows.
It was an old man barely five feet three inches tall, with silver-white hair atop his head and a beard reaching his chest, carrying the air of an immortal sage.
Especially that Daoist robe, which lent his aura an even more mysterious quality.
The Old Daoist Priest held a whisk in his right hand. As it swayed, waves of chill continuously spread and echoed from it, dropping the temperature of the entire room by several degrees.
"Get in."
The Old Daoist Priest spoke only three words.
Under Shen Bai's watchful gaze, Miss Sun crawled into the coffin on all fours and closed her eyes.
The wavering candle flames around her returned to normal.
The Old Daoist Priest slowly paced over to the coffin, then laid the whisk in his hand across it.
The whisk began to swell wildly. Through the gaps above the coffin, strand after strand plunged into Miss Sun's scalp.
The next instant, the cold air surged continuously into Miss Sun's head, and the temperature in the room dropped once more.
Shen Bai stroked his chin and thought, The inn waiter said Master Sun believed a Daoist's words, bought that enormous sophora tree at a great price, and had it made into a coffin. Now this Old Daoist Priest has appeared too. It seems this man is the same Daoist Master Sun encountered.
This guess filled Shen Bai with doubts.
He knew the Old Daoist Priest meant no good. The state of the room at this very moment was simply too sinister and bizarre.
Yet Shen Bai could not figure it out.
"Miss Sun may be the daughter of a wealthy merchant, but she is still only an ordinary person. The Old Daoist Priest is clearly a cultivator, so why would he strike at Miss Sun with such viciousness?"
With this strange question in mind, Shen Bai intended to keep watching.
But before he could move closer to the window, he heard another set of footsteps.
"Looks like tonight is rather lively."
Shen Bai turned around and hid again in his previous spot, continuing to observe the owner of those footsteps.
As the footsteps drew nearer, someone even Shen Bai had not expected appeared outside the room.
Master Sun, dressed in his sleeping clothes and jutting out his round belly, looked around in every direction like a thief before arriving at the door.
The lock on the door had already been opened.
If it had been daytime, Master Sun would surely have flown into a rage and cursed the servants for failing to lock the door.
But at night, though the door stood open, Master Sun seemed utterly accustomed to it and showed no expression at all.
Accompanied by three dull knocks, Master Sun lightly knocked on the door.
Before long, the Old Daoist Priest's aged voice came from within.
"Come in."
From Shen Bai's angle, he could see a trace of excitement and agitation on Master Sun's face as he directly pushed open the tightly shut door before him.
Once the door was opened, cold air poured out from inside, and a thin layer of frost appeared on the ground.
Master Sun rubbed his arms, feeling a wave of cold, but still gritted his teeth and walked in, closing the door behind him.
The moment the door shut, the surroundings fell silent once more. No one else approached the room.
Shen Bai stepped out of the darkness. His curiosity grew stronger and stronger as he quietly came to the door and peered into the room again.
After entering, Master Sun hurried toward the coffin and inspected his daughter.
Yet his eyes held none of the grief and fury he had shown during the day. Instead, they brimmed with a hidden excitement.
"Daoist priest, how is it?" Master Sun asked anxiously.
The Old Daoist Priest glanced at Master Sun and said calmly, "The Sophora Tree Longevity Borrowing method has already been performed. Your daughter will come lie in this coffin of her own accord every day. Rest assured. Every few days, this Daoist will come to draw away the lifespan from your daughter's body, and that lifespan will naturally be given to you."
"Thank you, Daoist priest, thank you, Daoist priest." Master Sun hurriedly expressed his gratitude. "Daoist priest, why not give me some lifespan first? These past few days, illness has tormented me until I no longer have the strength to withstand it."
"You have a terminal illness. Though this Daoist is a cultivator, it would not be easy for me to remove it for you."
The Daoist pinched one end of the whisk.
"Very well. Today, I shall spare you some lifespan. With this lifespan, though your terminal illness still clings to you, at least you will remain alive."
After saying this, the Old Daoist Priest raised his hand and pressed it against Master Sun's brow.
The next instant, cold air rose from Master Sun's body as well, even colder than the chill around them.
Shen Bai witnessed the entire scene. Once he connected the cause and effect, he finally understood what had happened.
He had once heard the story of Sophora Tree Longevity Borrowing from some of the people of Ascending Cloud County.
But in the past, he had only listened to it as a story.
So-called Sophora Tree Longevity Borrowing meant making use of the sophora tree's property of drawing yin, borrowing the tree's own lifespan to extend one's life.
But judging by the present situation, Master Sun had not drawn lifespan from the sophora tree. Rather, he was using the sophora tree to seize his daughter's lifespan.
What a wicked method, Shen Bai thought.
There was no one in this world who did not fear death. Even Shen Bai himself feared it.
The wish to live to a hundred was one no person could refuse.
Yet Shen Bai had not expected Master Sun to be so utterly heartless as to lay hands on his own daughter.
As Shen Bai thought this, there was movement on Master Sun's side as well.
The Old Daoist Priest withdrew his whisk and draped it over his wrist. "How is it? Feeling better now?"
Master Sun nodded urgently. "Much better. Thank you, Daoist priest. How many more times can I borrow lifespan from my daughter?"
The Old Daoist Priest looked at Master Sun, then revealed a cold smile. "As many times as you wish. Sophora Tree Longevity Borrowing borrows the lifespan of your relatives. As long as they still have lifespan remaining, you can obtain it in an endless stream."
Master Sun hurriedly nodded. "Then I ask the Daoist priest to draw more of my daughter's lifespan. As long as it is enough, that will do. I still have some brothers and sisters. When the time comes, they can all be sent into the coffin."
The Old Daoist Priest raised his head and gave a calm grunt. "This Daoist will leave first. In a few days, I will return to draw lifespan and place it in your body."
Master Sun wore a fawning expression. "Thank you, Daoist priest. Take care on your way."
The Old Daoist Priest flicked his sleeve, turned around, and walked toward the door.
Master Sun maintained his bootlicking manner and silently followed behind him.
Just then, Master Sun's footsteps suddenly stopped. His body trembled violently, as though he were suffering some terrible pain, and his gaze lowered.
The whisk in the Old Daoist Priest's hand had pierced through Master Sun's chest.
"Th-this... what is going on?"
Master Sun abruptly raised his head, his face full of disbelief.
"What is going on? You are merely a jar in which this Daoist stores lifespan."
Before you continue