Starting as a stray dog, I embarked on a journey of cultivation.

Upon hearing this, Gou An's drunkenness instantly sobered up a bit, and he couldn't help but prick up his ears to listen carefully.

Sure enough, the two continued to whisper about the matter.

Faced with the claim of someone coming back to life, the other person still didn't believe it, saying bluntly, "You must have heard it from others; I don't believe it."

"Whether it's true or not, why don't we go to the Zhang residence and take a look? Anyway, when I passed by before, all the white lanterns were hanging up."

"Shall we go see it now?"

"What else can we do? What if the deity has already left by the time we arrive?"

"immortal?"

"To be able to bring someone back to life, isn't that divine?"

The two of them talked for a while, then quickly paid the bill and left.

Gou An listened with curiosity. Whether it was a real resurrection or a fake one, it was a good show to watch.

If it's fake, Gou An also wants to see how this swindler does it and learn some experience.

If it's true, that would be incredible. Maybe it's a real deity, and maybe there's even a special opportunity.

After all, based on Gou An's current understanding of this world, even a Nascent Soul cultivator cannot truly bring someone back to life.

So Gou An paid the bill and followed the two gossipy young men towards the Zhang residence.

When they arrived at the Zhang residence, many townspeople who had heard such strange stories gathered around, all wanting to see if the rumors were true.

However, the Zhang family mansion was locked up tight and the walls were high, so outsiders could not get in and could only talk in hushed tones outside.

The two young men who had just arrived quickly joined in the gossip. The same thing was said by different people, and the more they talked, the more off-topic and absurd it became.

Some say that Madam Zhang was rescued from the underworld by a deity and gave the King of Hell a lot of money in exchange for ten years of extra lifespan.

Some say that Madam Zhang never actually died; she simply faked her death and was cured by a doctor.

Some say that Madam Zhang committed suicide by poisoning herself after being caught having an affair, and that Master Zhang sought out a deity to revive her in order to find her lover.

Others say that the immortal was ethereal and could even fly; it is said that he gave Madam Zhang some kind of resurrection pill, which saved her.

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions, showing great curiosity about the matter.

Gou An circled half of the Zhang residence before finally climbing over the wall in the back alley and sneaking inside.

There happened to be servants' clothes hanging on a tree nearby, so Gou An immediately went up to change into them and then began to explore by smelling the scent.

Strangely, there were hardly any servants in the large mansion; it was as if they had all been dismissed.

After carefully making his way to the vicinity of the main room, Gou An heard people talking inside.

Gou An lowered his voice and crept outside without attracting the attention of the people inside.

There happened to be a small crack in the window. Gou An's eyes flashed with golden light, and his vision suddenly became stronger. He was able to see the situation inside the room through the crack.

Inside the room, an old Taoist priest in a gray robe with white hair and beard was leisurely drinking tea.

Beside him, a middle-aged man dressed in fine clothes was pacing back and forth; he appeared to be the owner of the mansion, Master Zhang.

Besides the two of them, a middle-aged woman sat on a chair nearby, her face pale and lifeless, motionless like a doll.

"My goodness, although my wife has come back to life, I still feel like something's not quite right!"

Master Zhang glanced at his wife, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

"She seems to have gone mad. I wonder if there's any way a deity could restore her to normal?"

Faced with Master Zhang's request, the white-haired old Taoist slowly stroked his beard, then put down his teacup before speaking, "Your wife is fine; she has only just regained her senses and hasn't quite adjusted yet."

"So, it'll be back to normal in a few more days?" Master Zhang asked curiously.

"Yes!" The white-haired old man paused for a moment before adding, "But we need to use the right method?"

"I wonder what the solution is?" Master Zhang asked hastily.

"Find a scapegoat!" The old man paused here, then looked at Master Zhang and slowly revealed a wicked smile before continuing, "I need someone with the exact same birth date and time. If you find them within three days, I can make the lady fully recover. If it takes longer than three days, then I can't."

"Ah?" Master Zhang was shocked upon hearing this. "This... how can you find it in three days?"

"This art of resurrection is a forbidden technique that defies the will of Heaven!" the old man said slowly. "The life and death of one person are predetermined. If no one dies in your place, your wife's soul cannot fully return to its rightful place; at most, she can only be considered half-alive!"

"It's really unlikely that we can find a suitable person in three days. After all, there aren't many people in our town, let alone investigate their birth charts one by one," said Master Zhang, looking quite troubled.

"If there isn't an exact match!" The old man paused slightly, then added, "There are other ways."

"Please speak, sir!" Master Zhang nodded hurriedly, "If it's possible, I will definitely find a way."

"If there isn't anyone with the same birth chart..." the old man slowly explained, "then eight people with different birth charts will be needed to die in their place!"

"Eight people?" Master Zhang was even more shocked upon hearing this. He had a hard time finding even one person, let alone eight?

"That's right!" The old man picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then said, "They must be born with the following fates: Fire, Water, Metal, Wood, and Earth!"

"Are there three more?" Master Zhang asked, puzzled.

"The remaining three are much simpler!" the old man continued, "One is an elderly woman over eighty, one is a child under eight, and one is a woman of similar age to your wife."

"Once these eight people are found, I can help your wife regain her senses."

Upon hearing this suggestion, Master Zhang's face darkened even further.

"Eight people, all going to die in their place?" He asked again, somewhat uncertainly.

"That's right!" The old man nodded. "If the master is unwilling, you can let your wife remain mentally impaired."

"I! I'll think of a way!" Master Zhang clenched his fist, clearly hesitant.

The white-haired old man glanced at Master Zhang, smiled slightly, and then reminded him, "Haven't many migrants from other places recently ended up here? Master Zhang can start here."

Upon being reminded, a glint of light flashed in Master Zhang's eyes.

"I know what to do!" Master Zhang seemed to have made up his mind, and immediately called out towards the door, "Someone come here!"

Soon a butler-like man with a small mustache walked in.

After Master Zhang whispered a few words in the little mustache's ear, the little mustache immediately nodded in agreement: "Yes, sir, I'll take care of it right away."

Gou An stared at the white-haired old man with his fiery eyes for a long time and found that there was indeed a fluctuation of spiritual energy on his body.

Although it's not very robust, it's not weak either.

He was roughly at the Qi Refining stage, near the Qi Sea realm, similar to the Fu Hai Zhenren whom Gou An first encountered.

He must be a rogue cultivator!

As for Madam Zhang, whom he had brought back to life, Gou An examined her carefully for a long time, but he did not sense any living presence.

So... she didn't come back to life!