When it comes to cultivating immortality, it naturally starts with upgrading the herb garden.

Song Chen stretched and yawned: "Life is just beginning!"

Just as he was about to close the gate, he noticed a silver bell had fallen to the ground and was stuck between the door panels.

"What is this?"

Song Chen picked up the bell and then remembered that Jiang Shuyan had accidentally dropped it on the ground when he touched her head.

"That child is really reckless. Luckily, he told me his address. I'll deliver it to him."

He looked at the bell and realized that it was a new product recently launched by the talisman shop in Zhongxiang.

She's sixteen years old already, and she's still wasting money on these things... really...

Song Chen didn't know what to say.

The original owner was two years older than Jiang Shuyan and had always been used to seeing him from the perspective of an older brother.

When it came to Song Chen, he was also subtly influenced by this habit.

As the sun set, Song Chen closed the courtyard gate and walked towards the south alley.

Huanbei is very lively.

The annual harbor caravan is coming.

The harbor caravan consists of several ships that specialize in trading in Wandaobo. They are very powerful, having been established by Qian Zong, a top-tier sect in Dongzhou.

The items they sell are all rare and unique, not available locally. They're a bit pricey, but worth it.

Song Chen gazed at the street and murmured, "There might be some binding grass here. I can prepare some spirit stones in advance."

"Anyway, I get one Meridian Opening Grass every day, so I'm not short of spirit stones."

This is not because Song Chen is not ambitious.

The amount of spiritual energy required to break through to the sixth level of Qi Refining is ten times that required to break through to the fourth or fifth level of Qi Refining.

One hundred drops of the elixir.

Song Chen won't be able to break through in the short term, so he might as well try to get some pills to take, which could actually promote his cultivation.

A moment later, Song Chen leisurely walked to the South Alley.

"Number one, this way is number two..."

Song Chen walked past the house numbers one by one and soon arrived at number seventeen.

The doors were wide open, and the house was very clean, clearly having just been tidied up.

"This kid is quite hardworking."

Song Chen sighed and walked into the inner room.

He froze as soon as he reached the threshold.

Blood, so much blood, blood everywhere. In the middle of the blood is a thin person, it's Jiang Shuyan.

Song Chen rushed forward to check: "Jiang Shuyan!"

Jiang Shuyan was still breathing, but all her meridians were severed, and her body was very soft, as if all her bones had been pulled out. She had also lost all her cultivation, leaving nothing behind.

"Brother Song... I've been tricked, cough cough!"

Blood spurted from Jiang Shuyan's mouth, but he had no strength left; it could only drip onto his lips as he struggled to utter words.

"Don't speak, it will hasten your death."

Although Song Chen spoke calmly, his trembling eyes betrayed his bewilderment.

He wanted to save Jiang Shuyan, but he didn't know healing magic.

Suddenly, Song Chen remembered that he had a Rejuvenation Pill!

The Rejuvenation Pill can save people!

Song Chen hurriedly took out a pill from his storage bag and stuffed it into Jiang Shuyan's mouth.

But his body was overflowing with blood, and the pills were floating on top of the blood, unable to fall down. Even a cough would cause the pills to spray out along with the blood.

I tried several times, but failed each time.

Song Chen knew that Jiang Shuyan was beyond saving.

Song Chen gritted his teeth, feeling somewhat lost as he faced this situation for the first time.

Song Chen could only hold Jiang Shuyan's hand tightly, and even though Jiang Shuyan's hand kept slipping from his grasp, he didn't get annoyed and kept grabbing it and holding it.

Jiang Shuyan was panting, his breath sounding like a mix of crying and laughing. He could only manage broken, intermittent words when he tried to speak.

"Zhang Yuanshan... he's not... introducing me to a job, he wants... a loan."

"I...I refuse...to...him...extract...spiritual root."

Song Chen understood what Jiang Shuyan meant; he listened with a surge of adrenaline, his eyes turning red.

Spiritual roots are distributed throughout a cultivator's entire body, used to absorb and filter spiritual energy, and to output spiritual energy to cast spells.

If it is forcibly pulled out, it is like forcibly pulling the spine out of the human body. It will not only be extremely painful, but it will also definitely kill a person.

No wonder Jiang Shuyan was covered in blood and on the verge of death.

I never expected that my spiritual root would be extracted!

"Song...I just want to...live...like everyone else...why...can't I?"

Tears welled up in Jiang Shuyan's eyes, and her once bright, star-like eyes dimmed, never to shine again.

"Where...did Mom and Dad go?"

Song Chen could feel Jiang Shuyan's hands trembling incessantly.

He was afraid of dying, but didn't want Song Chen to worry, so he didn't say it.

Even on his deathbed, Jiang Shuyan remained optimistic and considerate of others.

Song Chen didn't want Jiang Shuyan to die with unanswered questions, so he bit his lower lip and said:

"Jiang Shuyan, your parents were killed by Zhou Ming, and I killed Zhou Ming."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shuyan seemed relieved and gave an ugly smile.

"I believe...Brother Song...a good person."

Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong.

The silver bell fell out from Song Chen's side.

Seeing this, he quickly took out one hand and brought the bell to Jiang Shuyan's eyes, then shook it.

"I've delivered the bell you bought."

"Thanks."

Jiang Shuyan tried to raise his hand to catch the bell, but he couldn't.

How can someone whose bones are so soft possibly raise their hand?

Song Chen placed the warm silver bell, which he had been holding in his hand, into Jiang Shuyan's palm.

Jiang Shuyan narrowed his eyes; he was about to die.

My energy and spirit have deteriorated to the extreme; every second I live from now on is a miracle.

Even in his dying moments, he was still feeling the touch of the bell, making gurgling sounds in his throat, and uttering a few indistinct words:

"When...we...we...played..."

Jiang Shuyan was still; one could say he was dead.

His voice stopped abruptly, and his body temperature began to drop noticeably, like the difference between hot water and lukewarm water.

His mouth became dry, and the blood in his mouth flowed down his throat. His mouth was slightly open, and his eyes were also slightly open.

Song Chen ran one hand across his face, that young, childlike face.

As the hand shadow flashed, Jiang Shuyan's eyes and mouth closed.

This was the first time Song Chen had ever witnessed someone slowly dying so closely.

In his previous life, he had a happy family and never experienced these things.

Now, this experience has made up for that unnecessary one.

Song Chen silently gazed at the bell.

That thing was probably Jiang Shuyan's last longing for home.

He could imagine Jiang Shuyan looking at the image of a child with a happy family shaking a bell, and the longing in his eyes.

He could also imagine Jiang Shuyan trying her best to save money while paying rent, although he didn't know how she managed to save that money.

Jiang Shuyan's situation is even more difficult than her predecessor's, yet she is more optimistic and positive.

Jiang Shuyan just wanted to live like an ordinary person and didn't have any great ambitions.

Even that has become a luxury.

Song Chen knew.

All of this is because of the Zhang family's black market supply chain that selects people.

Song Chen also knew that this was a sin.

In the dog-eat-dog world of cultivation, weakness is a sin.

But... Song Chen just doesn't want someone like Jiang Shuyan to die. Why should he?

Why must such a carefree and innocent person die?

Song Chen almost ground his back teeth to powder.

Scenes of his past life and Jiang Shuyan flashed before his eyes like a movie.

Jiang Shuyan's bright eyes remained fixed on him...

Song Chen secretly vowed that if his strength increased in the future, he would definitely destroy the Zhang family, not even sparing a single dog.

But even if they were all wiped out, Jiang Shuyan would never come back, nor would the parents of the original owner of this body, nor would Jiang Wan and his wife.

Perhaps revenge itself is meaningless, but even if it is meaningless, Song Chen will still do it.

"He must be dead! Come on! Take the body away! It's all resources."

A voice came from the courtyard, and Song Chen recognized it as Zhang Yuanshan's.

It's not just a coincidence of names; it's the same person. Zhang Yuanshan is also a member of the Zhang family.

He deceived Jiang Shuyan.

boom!

The door was kicked open.