CHAPTER 412: CHAPTER 409: MISS, DON’T PANIC, I’M HERE TO TOUCH... SAVE YOU

Lin Fan adhered to the principle that whatever he did must be done responsibly.

Yet he never imagined that he would forget what seemed like a trivial matter but turned out to be the most important thing.

"Brother Lin, why don’t I sacrifice myself? I may not have much else, but I’ve got plenty of vital essence. You can transfer mine to him," Qin Yang suggested, looking valiant and selfless, as if he were eager to help.

Lin Fan glanced at him, "You’re truly wicked. Is this just an excuse to make someone wear a green hat?"

"Green hat?"

Qin Yang didn’t quite understand the expression.

Lin Fan ignored Qin Yang and instead used his divine skills to gather the last trace of vital essence within Er Hu’s body and placed it in the designated location.

"Sigh, it can only be used once."

"If wasted, there’ll truly be no descendants left."

There was nothing more he could do; this was his limit.

"Wake up."

Lin Fan spoke softly, though to Er Hu’s ears, it sounded like thunder booming.

"Where am I?"

Er Hu slowly opened his eyes. The scene in front of him left him bewildered; he couldn’t grasp what had happened, though faint memories of earlier events lingered in his mind.

"You’re awake. Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?" Lin Fan asked.

His Corpse Refining Technique was at a proficient stage, but not yet perfected. He had exerted all his strength, and he wasn’t sure if any accidents occurred during the process.

Er Hu mumbled in confusion, "Who are you?"

He was still very dazed.

His mind felt muddled, like a slurry, chaotic and unclear—as though he had experienced an extraordinarily long dream.

"You were dead earlier. Did you know that?" Lin Fan asked.

Suddenly, Er Hu stared at Lin Fan with a dazed expression, so quiet it was as though time had ceased. "Then... are you ghosts?"

Qin Yang couldn’t help but interject, "You silly boy, do we look like ghosts to you? Listen, you were dead, but we brought you back to life."

"I don’t get it," Er Hu shook his head, still utterly perplexed.

Qin Yang sighed, "Never thought you’d be this dim-witted."

Lin Fan took a step forward, pressing a finger to Er Hu’s forehead, transmitting the recent events directly into his mind. Words wouldn’t suffice; only personally experiencing the memories would make him understand what had transpired.

As the images flooded his mind,

Er Hu’s expression gradually turned to panic.

"I..." He collapsed to the ground, unable to believe it: "I really did die?"

But soon enough,

He got up and knelt on the ground, bowing deeply. "Thank you, Immortal Masters, for bringing me back."

"No need for thanks. We saved you, yes, but your situation is a bit... unique. How so, you ask? Well, you can be considered human, but not entirely human. You’re caught in a delicate balance. Do you understand?"

Lin Fan wasn’t sure how to explain it properly, so he made it sound mysterious, hoping Er Hu would grasp the concept.

The Corpse Refining technique could only achieve this much. Bringing a real corpse back to full life was still beyond his ability; he had done all he could.

Moreover, this was only possible because Er Hu was not a cultivator but a mortal.

If it had been a powerhouse, using the Corpse Refining Technique to craft one with independent consciousness would be incredibly difficult. Even Lin Fan wasn’t sure he could accomplish it.

"I understand."

Er Hu nodded, somewhat comprehending. It was his own body, after all, and he could feel it clearly.

"Good that you understand. But the only flaw is, if you ever want offspring, you’ll have just one chance. If you squander the remaining vital essence, you’ll never produce descendants again after today."

"That’s all I have to tell you. There’s nothing else you need to worry about."

"We’ll send you back shortly. Don’t tell anyone you died; just act as if nothing ever happened."

Lin Fan had done everything within his power. If there were further issues, he’d truly be helpless.

The village.

Aunt Hu had been in despair upon hearing of Er Hu’s death, drowning her grief in endless tears.

Uncle Hu was even more distraught, sitting there smoking his pipe, his gaze gradually turning blank and lifeless.

"Father, Mother..."

At that moment,

A voice called out.

Aunt Hu and Uncle Hu immediately looked up to see a shadow sprinting toward them from afar. Upon closer inspection—it was Er Hu!

"Er Hu..."

They rushed toward him, overwhelmed with disbelief.

Wasn’t he supposed to be dead?

Why was he here again? Could it be an illusion?

"Brother Er Hu, aren’t you already..." Xiao Wu stood frozen, stupefied. He could swear by the heavens that Er Hu had indeed died.

His body had been pierced through and riddled with bleeding wounds.

But now, upon closer inspection, not a trace of those wounds remained—he was perfectly intact.

Lin Fan said, "He didn’t die, just fell unconscious. We saved him, and everything’s fine now. You won’t have any trouble."

Uncle Hu and Aunt Hu were about to kneel before Lin Fan in gratitude, but he waved a hand, stopping them with a gentler force.

"No need for that. It’s just a small deed."

"It’s good to see the family reunited."

"Now, it’s time for us to leave. Thank you both for your hospitality."

"Er Hu, remember what I told you—never forget it."

Then, Lin Fan departed with his companions, disappearing from sight.

"So they were Immortals after all."

...

"Brother Lin, what’s his situation exactly?" Xiang Fei was curious.

Lin Fan pondered and replied, "How to put it... let’s just say he’s half-corpse, half-ghost."

"Not even considered human?" Xiang Fei asked.

Lin Fan shook his head, "Not at all. He’s fully dead—his body will decay, his memories will fade. What he has now is sustained entirely by mana and the peculiar qualities of Qin Yang’s blood. A semi-corpse, semi-ghost. But none of that matters. The important part is, nobody can tell, and his family gets to reunite. That’s all that matters."

"Mm, Brother Lin, you’re right. This is indeed good for them," Xiang Fei agreed. "Though I must say, Brother Qin probably provoked another enemy again. I just hope he doesn’t end up getting beaten to death someday."

Qin Yang scoffed, "Getting beaten to death? Brother Xiang, you underrate me. As long as I flaunt my family name, no one dares touch me."

"Didn’t the War King threaten to beat you up?" Xiang Fei teased.

Qin Yang stammered, "That... That was because he’s from the Immortal Venerable Family too! Fair match."

At that moment, he noticed Lin Fan raising his hand as if he were about to strike him, and quickly added, "But I highly admire Brother Lin—he’s allowed to hit me, nobody else."

Sigh!

Xiang Fei felt Qin Yang shouldn’t have joined their group. Too tragic—every chance he gets to show off is short-lived, instantly brought down to reality.

Lin Fan stroked the little girl’s head, "So, did you learn a lot today?"

The little girl nodded. She really had learned a lot, especially the first lesson in snapping someone’s neck.

Lin Fan could sense the little girl’s mood was downcast—

A quiet type.

But this quietness was the most dangerous. If it erupted, it would be absolutely terrifying.

At that moment,

Qin Yang crept up beside Lin Fan, nudging his shoulder and pointing downward, whispering, "Brother Lin, look down there at the lake. It seems like there’s a silhouette of a woman bathing. I think we should check it out."

"I’ve often heard tales of lake monsters that prey on women. I suspect she’s in danger and we should go investigate."

Lin Fan frowned, his expression serious. "Brother Qin, you make a valid point. We cannot ignore such matters. Let’s go check right away."

At that moment, he couldn’t hide his excitement.

Someone was bathing.

It wasn’t about wanting to glimpse a beauty’s bath—it was about rescuing someone; his righteous, kind-hearted soul was thumping strongly.

But just then,

The little girl tugged at Lin Fan’s sleeve, her stubborn and displeased expression seeming to forbid him from going.

"Little one, I’m going to save someone here. If I delay, a life could be lost. Remember, as cultivators, we have a duty to act heroically. Trust me, with my strength, that lake monster won’t stand a chance." Lin Fan reassured her.

Sigh!

Such a perfect opportunity—it couldn’t be missed. The image of a beauty bathing was alluring, and missing it once meant it was gone forever.

"Brother Lin, I’ll go ahead and take a look first."

Qin Yang, barely containing his excitement, suppressed his aura and darted downward without waiting for Lin Fan.

Lin Fan wanted to add something, but the little girl’s expression remained as stubborn as ever, clearly disapproving of him going down. Helplessly, Lin Fan relented.

Fine, fine.

Qin Yang would have to enjoy this on his own.

Behind a rock near the lake shore,

Qin Yang was behaving sneakily, cautiously craning his neck to peek at the lake. Sure enough, a long-haired woman was bathing—her face was hidden, but her back was visible, smooth and fair skin captivating his attention.

"What a beautiful back."

"Such fair skin."

"What an elegant posture—and that chest, looks rather majestic, doesn’t it? You can see its outline even from the back. This is..."

Swoosh!

Qin Yang was so mesmerized he was drooling, wiping his mouth and swallowing hard, his eyes nearly popping out.

"Hehe, lucky me! Good thing Lin Fan didn’t come over; otherwise, I’d have a competitor again."

He felt immensely fortunate.

No...

Actually, he should thank that little girl—holding Lin Fan back was genius, a perfect move.

Still, why did the little girl seem to hold some feelings for Brother Lin?

No way.

She’s just a kid—what could she possibly know? Definitely overthinking.

Just then,

He noticed something amiss about the woman—something seemed to be pulling her deeper into the lake. Suddenly, a sharp scream erupted, the woman’s voice so captivating it made Qin Yang’s ears tingle.

"Not good! The beauty’s in trouble!"

He jolted, quickly reacting, and darted out from behind the rock, rubbing his hands and exclaiming, "Miss, don’t panic! I’m here to save you!"

As the words left his mouth,

Qin Yang leapt into the water, swimming swiftly toward the beauty. As he approached and grabbed her waist—

Wow!

So smooth.

"Miss, don’t panic. I’m a gentleman here to save you..."

Comfortable.

Ah!

I touched it—I really touched it.

"Miss, lean your face against my chest; I’ll protect you..." Qin Yang eagerly turned the woman’s face to view her true appearance.

But when he finally turned her face around—

Qin Yang...