Resurrection

Huang Si connected his consciousness to Xiao Ke, who then relayed his message to Xi Yuan. "I need you to take care of something for me in Fang Mountain, in the Human Race."

Xi Yuan replied that he happened to be nearby and could get there quickly.

So Huang Si instructed him, "Go give Shu Zi an order."

A massive temple had been built atop Fang Mountain in recent years.

It covered an enormous area, and its decorations were as elaborate as the Human Race was capable of making them.

Xi Yuan's voice rang out like a great bell, reverberating across the summit of Fang Mountain and echoing throughout the entire Human settlement.

Shu Zi abruptly looked up. It was one of the Ancestral Deities! The one who had always been the kindest to them. Could it be that...

"Your devotion has been felt by the gods. Bathe, fast, and wait in quiet contemplation. Your wish will come true."

Everyone in the Human Race gazed up at the sky. What did Lord Xi Yuan mean?

Shu Zi was overcome with joy and immediately dropped to his knees. "Thank you, Great Deity! I'll make the preparations right away!"

After explaining what to do, Huang Si's consciousness transformed into a stream of data and arrived at the Cultivation Department in the Earth Realm. He couldn't even be bothered to use his artificial body; he went straight to Xiao Hua.

Huang Si gave his orders:

"Forget all your memories from the time you were resurrected until now. Forget me... No, that probably won't work. Then pretend you don't know me. No one can get any information about me from you."

Under the forceful command from her soul, Xiao Hua's face contorted with a painful struggle, then quickly returned to normal.

Huang Si brought Xiao Hua with him, using his Mental Force Field to block the wind as he carried her forward.

By the time he arrived at Fang Mountain with Xiao Hua, dawn had broken the next day.

Shu Zi didn't dare sleep. He knelt quietly with a group of shamans inside the temple dedicated to the Ancestral Deities.

It was hard to hold the same position for so long. Many of the shamans had fallen asleep where they knelt, but Shu Zi kept going.

When Huang Si arrived, Xi Yuan asked him a few questions, then spoke.

"Shu Zi, raise your head."

Shu Zi was enduring both physical and mental torment when he suddenly heard those words. He hurriedly looked up as instructed.

The shamans were also jolted awake by Xi Yuan's voice, and they all looked up.

A familiar figure suddenly appeared in the sky, then slowly floated down.

It was Xiao Hua!

Xiao Hua was alive! The Great Deity had resurrected her and sent her back!

The shamans erupted with excitement! The Ancestral Deities had truly brought Shu Zi's wife back to life. What an astonishing event!

Shu Zi began to cry as he walked toward her.

That was his Xiao Hua. That expression, those eyes, that delicate body, that face that had appeared in his dreams countless times—it was his Xiao Hua, without a doubt!

She had truly died in his arms, and he had buried her underground. Yet in the end, the Ancestral Deities had been moved by his devotion and granted him such a tremendous blessing.

"Great Ancestral Deities, I, Shu Zi, will repay your great kindness for all eternity!"

Shu Zi's hand was just about to touch Xiao Hua.

Xiao Hua hesitated for a moment instead, calling out in her heart to the master of her soul.

Xiao Hua had forgotten everything, but the bond of ownership over her soul seemed like an instinct. She still did it without thinking.

Huang Si's consciousness gave the order: "Go back. Act like a normal person, and don't ask me about anything from now on."

With that, Huang Si unilaterally cut off the flow of information.

Xiao Hua's face showed pain, but the forced command made her conceal her emotions instinctively.

Shu Zi noticed a hint of strangeness in Xiao Hua's expression. Then it vanished, replaced by the same warm smile as always.

Xiao Hua stepped forward, and Shu Zi pulled her into his arms.

The people around them erupted into cheers.

The Ancestral Deities had appeared before them and performed the greatest miracle of all: resurrection!

Xiao Hua's body trembled slightly in Shu Zi's arms.

Two months later.

"Dear, don't refuse. You must take this basket of eggs home to nourish yourself!" The old woman smiled kindly at Xiao Hua.

Xiao Hua found it impossible to refuse such a thoughtful gesture, so she bowed politely to the woman. "Thank you, Auntie."

In Human settlements, most people living together were related by blood to some degree. Even when some were very distantly related, their custom was to address one another using closer familial terms.

For instance, older people without an official position were all addressed as uncle or aunt.

Xiao Hua was gentle by nature and had received a good upbringing from her people. Polite and gracious, she had always been well liked by the clan.

Now she had returned from the dead and become a miracle performed by the Ancestral Deities.

This made the others value her even more.

Ever since Xiao Hua had returned, many people had gone out of their way to look after her.

Xiao Hua was very grateful to them and did her best not to cause them any trouble.

She hadn't wanted to accept the eggs the old woman had brought, but the woman had insisted so earnestly that she had no choice but to take them in the end.

With the woven basket of chicken eggs hooked over her arm, Xiao Hua made her way home, struggling a little under its weight.

She was carrying several other things too, some for eating and some for use.

She had set out today to gather food, but by the time she headed home, her arms were full of all kinds of gifts from other people.

It happened all the time. She was almost too embarrassed to go outside anymore.

After getting home, she kissed her son, who had grown into a boy, then got busy with the housework.

Six years had passed since her death. Time had added a few traces of hardship to Shu Zi's face, but Xiao Hua, resurrected as she was, still looked just as she had before.

Her memories were still stuck six years in the past. When she first saw that her son was already eight years old, she had been astonished.

But Xiao Hua gradually accepted the changes and began to devote herself to the family.

As the clan leader's wife, she also often had to take part in many of the clan's ceremonies.

Now that forced mating had ended, everyone in the Human Race was free to choose their partners.

Recently, a new trend had begun to catch on. Before marrying, young people of the Human Race would hold a ceremony and invite their friends and relatives to watch. They would also ask one or two respected elders to officiate.

Because of Xiao Hua's special status and standing, she was often invited to officiate.

Xiao Hua was always busy.

One moment she was taking care of things at home, the next she was worrying about her husband, looking after her child, or attending various events outside.

From the outside, Xiao Hua's life seemed full.

But only she knew that a vague emptiness always hung over her, as if she had forgotten something incredibly important.

Whenever she was still, the emptiness became unbearably intense. So Xiao Hua was always unconsciously finding things to do, keeping herself busy and hoping to fill that void with everyday tasks.

But over the past two months, no matter how busy she kept herself, the emptiness inside her had never gone away. Instead, it had grown steadily worse.

"What have I forgotten?" Xiao Hua asked herself.

No one could answer her.

But life had to go on. She could only endure it in silence and carry on with her ordinary routine.

After finishing the day's chores, Xiao Hua sat on the mat atop the earthen bed and thought, It'll be ages before my husband gets home.

Shu Zi always came home late. He was even busier than Xiao Hua.

There was a lot to take care of in the clan, and people didn't always agree. By the time Shu Zi finished his day's work and came home late at night, he looked utterly exhausted.

To put her husband at ease, Xiao Hua never showed her true feelings in front of him. She simply fulfilled her duties as a wife and supported him quietly from behind.

Even though Xiao Hua was busier than Shu Zi, and the constant inner struggle left her increasingly exhausted, she still refused to show even the slightest hint of it.