Chapter 37: Reviving Little Fool!

Soon, the four of them arrived in a secret chamber.

The entire room was constructed from bluish hempstone, stretching nearly fifteen meters in length and over nine meters wide. The dim chamber was empty, save for a square table at its center. Upon the table rested an oil lamp, its tiny flame occasionally leaping, casting a faint glow.

The feeble light could never dispel the darkness before them, just as the so-called "noble and upright" faces of men could never clear the shadows that shrouded the martial world. The wick flickered, scattering pinpoints of radiance across the chamber, but only illuminating the table beneath it. The four stone walls were tightly sealed, impervious to air or light—who could possibly peer through such heavy barriers to glimpse the faintest spark hidden within this confined gloom?

"All right, you may begin now," the Ghost King said, his voice tinged with excitement as he looked at Qian Mo.

"System, help me summon back Xiao Chi's soul! And apply the action points to me—I'm about to make a grand display." Qian Mo grinned as he spoke to the system.

"As you wish, Host," the system replied in its cold mechanical tone.

A glow appeared in Qian Mo's right hand—an effect granted by the system, of little practical use, but, as Qian Mo said, enough to put on a show.

The others watched in silence, not daring to interrupt.

Suddenly, Qian Mo spoke: "Spirits of the world, by the name of Emperor Qian Mo, I summon the soul of Xiao Chi, beloved of the Ghost King of the Ghost King Sect, to return at once!" His calm voice sent a chill through those who heard it.

He was merely the vessel; the true summoner was the system—but they didn't need to know that.

With a wave of his hand, a rift appeared before them—a tear in space itself.

From the rift drifted a white silhouette.

"Xiao Chi!"

"Mother!"

At the sight of that familiar figure, the Ghost King and Bi Yao cried out.

Xiao Chi's soul, upon seeing them, responded excitedly, "Husband! Bi Yao!"

They moved to embrace each other, but their bodies passed through one another—after all, she was but a soul, and how could mortal flesh touch a ghost?

"Well done, System!" Qian Mo praised.

"But of course!" the system replied, brimming with pride.

"Ahem! Mother-in-law, in your current state, they cannot touch you. Let me quickly restore you to life," Qian Mo coughed lightly.

"Yes, yes, revive Xiao Chi!" The Ghost King was nearly in tears with excitement.

"Qian Mo, please, bring my mother back!" Bi Yao pleaded coquettishly.

"Rest assured, I will."

"Mother-in-law, please stand before me," Qian Mo said to Xiao Chi's soul.

Obediently, she moved before him. Qian Mo produced the Reviving Soul and Bone Pill once again.

"Mother-in-law, this may hurt—please endure for a moment," he warned gently.

"Very well, do it," she replied.

With a wave of his hand, the pill drifted from Qian Mo's grasp, hovered in midair, and, under his control, transformed into a beam of light that entered Xiao Chi's ghostly form.

He laid her soul gently upon the platform at the center of the chamber. The pill nourished her spirit, and golden light began to envelop her once shadowy form.

"It begins now!"

"Ahhh!" Xiao Chi cried out as the process began, her voice wracked with pain.

"Is she going to be all right?" The Ghost King looked anxiously at his suffering wife.

"She'll be fine. The pain is normal—a reaction to the Reviving Soul and Bone Pill," Qian Mo reassured them, though it was his first time as well. But since the system provided it, there shouldn't be any problems.

"That's good," the Ghost King and Bi Yao sighed in relief.

Fifteen minutes passed. The once incorporeal soul slowly began to grow flesh.

At this, the onlookers could hardly contain their joy.

An hour and a half passed. Then two hours, three... until night fell.

At seven in the evening, the chamber no longer held a wandering soul, but a living, breathing woman. Her face was smooth, her body graceful.

The eyes of the body, closed until now, suddenly opened.

"Perfect," Qian Mo declared.

"Mother!"

"Wife!"

The Ghost King and his daughter hurried over, almost overwhelmed with happiness.

Xiao Chi looked up, then to the Ghost King, and said, "Husband!" She turned to Bi Yao, "Bi Yao!"

"Mother (Wife), Bi Yao (I) missed you so much!" The Ghost King held Xiao Chi's hand, while Bi Yao lay in her mother's arms, both speaking at once.

"I missed you too. I thought I would never see you again," Xiao Chi replied, her gaze soft and warm.

"Mother-in-law, how do you feel?" Qian Mo asked.

"I feel wonderful, completely myself. Thank you. By the way, you called me 'mother-in-law'—so, you must be Bi Yao's man?" She looked at Qian Mo with approval.

"Yes, Mother-in-law," he replied.

"I can't believe Bi Yao's grown up so much, with a husband of her own. It's a shame I couldn't witness your wedding myself," Xiao Chi said wistfully.

"Ah, Mother! We haven't married yet—you'll see it with your own eyes," Bi Yao replied shyly, flustered by her mother's words.

"Yes, Mother-in-law, we haven't married yet. You will be there," Qian Mo added.

"That's right, this boy hasn't married yet," the Ghost King chimed in.

"Really? That's wonderful! I can't miss my daughter's wedding," Xiao Chi said joyously.

She then glanced at Xue Qi, who stood beside Qian Mo. "And this is...?"

The atmosphere grew a bit awkward.

Finally, Qian Mo broke the silence, putting his arm around the still-dazed Xue Qi. "Ahem! Mother-in-law, she is also my wife, just as Bi Yao is."

He looked at Xue Qi with gentle affection, his hand stroking her hair. "I know it may seem unfair to her," he said, "but, what can I say? I've fallen for both of them, and in this lifetime, I will have only these two wives. I will never love another. Even if you disapprove, Mother-in-law, I would still take them far away together."

Both Xue Qi and Bi Yao felt warmth bloom in their hearts.

"Mother..." Bi Yao looked at her mother, eyes pleading.

"No, you are mistaken! I do not disapprove. On the contrary, I am happy to see you together. It is always outstanding men who attract women, and few men can speak as you have. With you, I am even more at ease for Bi Yao and Xue Qi," Xiao Chi said, amused by their misunderstanding, her gaze full of gentle approval.

"And Father?" Bi Yao asked hesitantly.

"If I approve, your father wouldn't dare disagree," Xiao Chi replied, fixing the Ghost King with her gaze. Instantly, everyone turned to look at him, leaving him mortified.

"Ahem! I never said I disagreed! Why are you all looking at me? Of course I approve!" he said, embarrassed.

"Wonderful! Father, Mother, you're the best!" Bi Yao exclaimed, embracing her mother with joy.

(End of chapter)