The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

"Oh, young Taoist priest, you mustn't suffer any mishap. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll spend the rest of my days in guilt and regret," Old Sun said anxiously.

He carried Wang Zhenhuan back into the house and laid him down on the bed in the side room. Wang Zhenhuan was so weak that he could barely speak. His eyes were closed.

Forcing himself to stay awake, Wang Zhen lay on the bed gathering his energy. At this moment, he discovered something that gave him some peace of mind: the golden pill he had taken during his battle with the Mirage Dragon.

Surprisingly, it wasn't fully absorbed; more than half remained deep within his Qi Sea. While his Qi Sea was empty, the golden core had already begun to slowly replenish his spiritual energy.

In just a short while, a trace of spiritual energy had begun to flow through his meridians. Don't underestimate this trace of spiritual energy; it alone had greatly improved his exhausted state.

His head no longer ached as if it were about to split open. As long as spiritual energy circulated through his meridians, his consciousness could slowly recover. To avoid worrying Old Sun, he moved his hand and touched him.

Old Sun breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Wang Zhen was actually making a move. He quickly moved closer to him and whispered, "Daoist Master? Is there anything this old man can do for you?"

After asking for a long time, Wang Zhenhuan still didn't speak. Old Sun then understood his thoughts, turned around and went back to the main room, brought over a chair, and sat down by Wang Zhenhuan's bedside to keep watch.

And so, they kept watch for a whole day. As dusk approached, the sky gradually darkened. Wang Zhenhuan still hadn't opened his eyes. Fortunately, Old Sun checked on him and found that Wang Zhenhuan's breathing had become much more stable, so he didn't move him unnecessarily.

However, it was already late, and after experiencing so much, he was filled with unease. This coffin was originally filled with his dreams of living to a ripe old age.

Now that he was awake, he felt only fear. The more he looked at the coffin, the more eerie it became, especially at night. Although an oil lamp was lit in the room, his body still trembled uncontrollably.

Staying here like this isn't a solution, so Old Sun thought for a moment, then blew out the light and went out of the house. He went to the kitchen, lit the stove, and planned to make himself something to eat.

He had barely eaten anything that day, except for some tofu pudding in the morning, and now he was starving. But he was worried about leaving Wang Zhenhuan alone in the house.

So he quickened his pace, hastily adding a handful of millet and pouring in some water. He turned to pick up the pot lid, ready to put it on, when he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps in the snow outside the yard.

Old Sun panicked and shuddered. The pot lid slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a thud. His eyes widened, and he quickly covered his mouth, blocking the doorway with his body.

Wang Zhenhuan was lying in bed at this moment. After resting for so long, the spiritual energy in his body had recovered to nearly 40%. The reason he hadn't opened his eyes was because he was studying the golden core within his dantian.

This golden core was usually hidden deep within the Qi Sea, almost undetectable. If it weren't for the depletion of spiritual energy this time, Wang Zhen would never have known that such a thing existed within his Qi Sea.

This golden elixir is now only the size of a fingernail, and it's unknown what its function is. When it helped Wang Zhenhuan recover 20% of his spiritual energy, it returned to the depths of his Qi Sea on its own.

This time, Wang was truly clever; he left a wisp of his divine consciousness on the golden core. His idea was that since the golden core could help him replenish his spiritual energy, it might have other uses as well.

He wanted to see if he could actively summon the golden core the next time he encountered a crisis. If he could, it would be equivalent to carrying a bottle of pills that could replenish spiritual energy at any time.

Just as he was pondering the Golden Elixir, he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps in the snow outside. Wang Huanzhen opened his eyes and got out of bed. He shook his head, his spiritual energy having recovered.

However, the depletion of spiritual energy cannot be recovered in a short time. So his head still ached a little, but it was much better than before, at least to a tolerable degree.

Wang Zhenhuan got out of bed, went to the main room, and poured himself a cup of tea. The water in the teapot was brewed by Old Sun earlier when he came here. Now that it's freezing cold, it's long gone.

But it was just right for Wang Zhenhuan. After drinking a cup of cold tea, he immediately became much more awake. He picked up the bundle on the table, slung it over his shoulder, pushed open the door, and went out.

As soon as he stepped outside, he saw several scattered lights coming from the woods. He listened intently and heard at least a dozen footsteps approaching from that direction, and he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

The Taoist priest was looking for a cub to make wine, and he even had to use someone else's hand, so the one who came was definitely not the evil Taoist priest who had escaped. Wang Huanzhen turned his head towards the kitchen and called out.

"Old man, come out here, people from town have come."

"Master, you're awake?" Old Sun was trembling in the kitchen when he suddenly heard Wang Zhenhuan's words. He was stunned at first, then his face lit up with joy. He hurriedly got up and opened the door.

Sure enough, Wang Zhenhuan was standing at the entrance of the main house, carrying a bundle on his back. He hurried over to Wang Zhenhuan's side and looked in the direction Wang Zhenhuan was looking, and saw the flickering lights on the mountain.

Finally relieved, he grasped Wang Zhenhuan's hand and said gratefully, "Thanks to you, Taoist priest, I was able to prolong my life. This monster is so powerful that even immortals couldn't defeat him?"

"No, it's not that he can't, but that he dares not. That demon is no ordinary demon; he has been ordained and is considered a legitimate Taoist. Even divine lightning cannot harm him," Wang Zhenhuan explained, shaking his head.

Although he couldn't understand Wang Zhenhuan's words, Old Sun understood the phrase "no harm to anyone." The thought that he had actually been working for such a monster filled him with dread, and his already aged face paled even further.

"Young Taoist priest! Young Taoist priest! Are you there? It's me, Old Lu. Lord Sun saw that you hadn't returned by nightfall and was worried something had happened to you. He sent me to find you. I heard from that widow Zhang that you might have come to Old Sun's place."

Before the person arrived, the voice preceded them. Upon hearing the familiar voice, Wang Huanzhen felt a warmth in his heart. He responded loudly, "May you be blessed! Thank you for your concern, Lord Sun. I have nothing to do. Please bring your men up first, Master."

Something happened here. I need to ask the clerk to have the men carry something back to the yamen.

"No problem, no problem. It's good that he's alright! Brothers, did you hear what the Taoist priest said? Hurry up! It's getting dark, and it'll get even colder soon!" Master Lu came to the courtyard and looked at Wang Zhenhuan's white hair, saying with a smile.

"Thank you for your trouble, sir and brothers!" Wang Huanzhen cupped his hands in greeting. He then pointed to the main room, which was pitch black as no lights were on.

"Taoist Master, what's inside? Is it heavy? Should I go back and call a few more?" the leader asked Wang Huanzhen, bowing respectfully.

"No need, there's a coffin inside!"