"Old Chief."

Fu Bo's voice was very soft, his tone earnest.

"If my Young Master is successfully resurrected, this old servant has a few more things he would like to trouble you to pass on to him on my behalf."

Chen Huaishu forcefully held back the heartache in his heart, straightened his back, and said solemnly, "Go ahead, I guarantee that every single word will be conveyed to Zhou Huai without omission."

A gentle light flashed in the depths of Fu Bo's eyes, as if he saw once again that pale-faced young man sitting in a wheelchair who always smiled at him:

"Please help me tell the Young Master, from now on... do not push himself so hard or work himself so exhaustively anymore. His health was already poor to begin with. Without this old servant by his side watching over him and taking care of him every day, he easily forgets to eat on time whenever he gets busy. Please make sure he takes good care of himself, and his three meals a day must never be skipped."

"Also, let him marry Young Miss Ye Xi of the Ye family sooner. She is an exceptionally good girl who does not mind that the Young Master is a cripple and holds completely sincere feelings for the Young Master. This old servant had originally been hoping to see with my own eyes the Young Master put on the groom's attire and hold a great-grandson... Now it seems I do not have that blessing."

Speaking up to this point, Fu Bo's eye sockets were already completely red, and his voice began to choke up uncontrollably.

He forcefully wiped the tears on his cheeks with the back of his rough hand, squeezed out an ugly smile, and continued naggingly:

"That's right, before stepping out the door, I made a table full of the dishes the Young Master usually loves to eat, including braised lion's head, sweet and sour pork ribs... They are all covered and kept warm in the insulated pot in the kitchen. After he wakes up, remind him to go home early to eat; cold food hurts the stomach."

"And furthermore, the Young Master's few sets of autumn change of clothes have all been washed clean and ironed flat, placed on the left side of the second tier of his bedroom wardrobe. The weather is getting cold soon, remind him to add more clothes and not catch a cold again..."

Fu Bo was like an old father who could not rest easy about a wandering child traveling far away, detailing the most trivial details of everyday life one piece and one matter at a time.

Hearing these trivial matters at this moment, every single word and phrase cut into the hearts of everyone present.

"Finally..." Fu Bo took a breath, raised his head, and gazed straight at the sky above the Pendulum of Life, as if watching Zhou Huai's soul across the void.

"Please be sure to tell the Young Master, absolutely do not feel sad because of this old servant's departure. To be able to use these old bones of mine to die for the Young Master, this old servant's life... has no regrets!"

Finishing this last sentence, Fu Bo turned around and bowed deeply all the way toward Chen Huaishu's direction.

"Old Chief... I leave it in your hands."

Chen Huaishu clenched his teeth tightly, his eye sockets turning red, the muscles on his wrinkle-covered face twitching slightly.

He stood at attention and saluted this ordinary yet great old man with the most standard and solemn military salute.

He nodded heavily, his voice so hoarse that it almost changed pitch: "Rest assured, Great Xia Nation will definitely not let you down!"

Wei Liao at the side remained silent, clenching his fists tightly as his fingernails dug into his flesh, yet his body trembled uncontrollably in the cold wind, scalding tears having long since blurred his vision.

The two iron-blooded generals who had struggled through mountains of corpses and seas of blood could not help but be moved by this bond between master and servant at this moment.

As Fu Bo's voice fell.

The resurrection ritual officially commenced.

Chen Huaishu formed hand seals with both hands, and a gentle surge of spiritual power struck into the floating Pendulum of Life.

"Dong—"

A distant, ancient bell toll that seemed capable of piercing through the soul rippled across the sky above this barren plain.

That originally motionless pointer began to swing slowly.

A dazzlingly brilliant pillar of golden light projected downward from the bottom of the pendulum, completely enveloping Fu Bo, who sat cross-legged, within it.

Bathed in this divine golden light.

Fu Bo's aged body began to wither at a speed visible to the naked eye.

His graying hair rapidly lost the last trace of luster, turning into fragments of flying ash; the deep wrinkles on his face rapidly deepened like a dried-up riverbed, and his skin lost all moisture, clinging tightly to his bones.

That was the Origin of life being ruthlessly and forcibly stripped away by this ancient Divine Artifact.

Even though his vitality was rapidly fading and there was no longer any brilliance in Fu Bo's turbid eyes, a tranquil and satisfied smile remained on his face throughout.

He did not look like he was walking toward death, but rather stepping onto a smooth path.

Meanwhile, directly beneath the Pendulum of Life, within the the void half a meter above the ground.

As Fu Bo's endless life energy frantically converged, the air began to twist violently.

Countless golden specks of light flew, intertwined, and tangled in mid-air like fireflies on a summer night, carrying majestic vitality and profound power of rules.

A dazzling golden cocoon formed in the center of the light, pulsating strongly like a heart.

At the same time.

Zhou Huai abruptly felt himself awaken from the darkness. Opening his eyes to look, all he saw before him was a boundless expanse of white.

Where is this?

Is this the world after death?

He thought subconsciously.

There were no reference points around, no heaven, no earth, and no sense of gravity.

He felt as though he were suspended in some kind of semi-fluid.

All kinds of chaotic thoughts began to frantically well up in his mind.

He wondered whether Tang Qi would ultimately be able to safely bring the Pendulum of Life back to the Great Xia Military Department.

Although that evacuation route had been carefully deduced, once the experts of Sakura Country noticed, Tang Qi's pressure would be immense.

Taking ten thousand steps back, even if the pendulum were taken back, would Marshal Zhao keep the agreement?

After all, that was a strategic-level Divine Artifact capable of bringing the dead back to life and reversing heaven and earth.

Facing such temptation, would the military department really use it on an unknown "Donghai City cripple"?

Did he still have a chance of resurrection?

What if... what if the people from the military department simply couldn't find the specific location of his physical body?

Thinking of this, Zhou Huai couldn't help letting out a wry smile.

He also blamed himself for usually being too cautious, hiding all his trump cards tightly.

In the end, he hadn't told Marshal Zhao his real bottom line, nor had he left an exact address.

Had he known earlier, he would have simply moved directly into the Imperial Capital Military Department.

Now look at this, he had played himself to death.

Just as Zhou Huai's mind was wandering wildly and filled with vexation, within this dead silence of space, he suddenly heard someone calling him.

"Young Master! Young Master!"

This voice was very soft, yet carried an incomparably familiar benevolence and gentleness.

Zhou Huai looked over upon hearing the sound.

In the white mist not far away, an old man with a hunchbacked figure and wearing a washed-out gray long gown slowly walked out.

"Fu Bo?"

Zhou Huai was stunned, his eyes widening in an instant.

"Why have you appeared here?"

"Could it be... could it be that you died too?!"

Fu Bo did not answer, only looking at him with a gratified expression.

"Young Master, this old servant has come this time to bid you farewell."

"Farewell? Where are you going? Since we're both dead anyway, let the two of us set off together in the netherworld!"

Fu Bo did not answer Zhou Huai's question.

Instead, he spoke on his own accord:

"From now on, without this old servant by your side, you must take good care of yourself..."

"Fu Bo? What is wrong with you?"

The next second, Zhou Huai suddenly had a flash of realization.

He looked at Fu Bo in disbelief.

"Fu Bo... could you possibly be...?"

Before Zhou Huai could finish speaking, he wanted to grab Fu Bo's arm somewhat panicky.

However.

He grabbed nothing.

His hand passed right through Fu Bo's translucent body, only stirring up a patch of flying golden light spots.

"Young Master, goodbye."

As the words fell, the old man's last trace of a phantom completely dissipated before Zhou Huai's eyes.

Transforming into dazzling starlight all over the sky, blending into this boundless white space.

"Fu Bo—!!!"

Zhou Huai shouted loudly.

Scalding tears, however, could not help but burst from his eyes, sliding down his cheeks.

Following closely, the surrounding imagery began to shatter and then reassemble.

When he came back to his senses, he found himself standing within a huge ball of golden light.

(When writing this passage, it literally made me cry myself. Entering the role of Fu Bo made my emotions well up inexplicably, reminding me of my own grandfather. Thank you to the readers for your tips over these past few days, thank you! Your support is the driving force for me to keep writing! Although it isn't written well, I will definitely work hard to bring it to a completion!)