Ling Zhou quickly rolled out of bed and walked up to the stone statue.
His eyes were filled with nostalgia as he stroked his own face. "I never thought I'd have the day to return to my own body."
Yao Yue stood beside him, her eyes also full of emotion.
She had waited for Ling Zhou for a thousand years. Back then, she couldn't stop the people from the Main Divine Hall from taking Ling Zhou away, and this had become a knot in her heart. Now that she could finally witness Ling Zhou's return, it was like closing a chapter in her heart.
Shen Qing said she'd stay behind the doorframe, trying her best to hide her figure and pretending she wasn't there.
Although she didn't say a word, her face was full of anticipation.
Ling Zhou was her master. With her master's return, she would have the inheritance of the sect. Moreover, Ling Zhou had always been very kind to her, and she also hoped that Ling Zhou and Yao Yue would have a happy ending.
Ling Zhou let out a sigh and shifted his gaze from his own body to Shen Qing, who was only showing a corner of her clothes behind the doorframe.
He said helplessly, "My disciple, come out. Don't hide anymore."
Hearing Ling Zhou calling her, Shen Qing scratched her nose and walked out from behind the doorframe. "Master, do you have any orders for your disciple?"
Ling Zhou waved at Shen Qing and said, "My body has been petrified for a long time. I'm afraid my soul is unstable. Please summon the Soul - Locking Banner to help me return to my original body."
Shen Qing nodded excitedly and summoned the Soul - Locking Banner.
The Soul - Locking Banner appeared in Shen Qing's hand. Just like before, it fluttered without wind, but everyone could feel that the demonic aura on the banner seemed to have been purified a lot.
When it was in Ji Chongming's hands, the Soul - Locking Banner gave people a very ominous feeling. But now, in Shen Qing's hands, it felt much more peaceful, and the chilling coldness was also a bit weaker.
The voice of the Soul - Locking Banner rang in Shen Qing's mind again, with a hint of displeasure. "You're just using me as a coolie, aren't you? Do you still remember that I'm a precious treasure from the Demon Realm? Have you ever seen a treasure being used so frequently?"
Shen Qing gave a sheepish smile. When asking for a favor, her tone became much gentler. "The capable should do more. I won't shortchange your offerings."
The Soul - Locking Banner rolled its eyes. "You talk a good game, but I haven't seen you offer anything to me."
Hearing this, Shen Qing felt extremely embarrassed. It was just that there had been so many things going on that she hadn't had the time.
"After everything is settled, I'll offer you a lot, okay? A whole lot."
"I'll find you top - grade spiritual stones, rare spiritual beasts, or even fierce sea beasts. Now, my dear divine artifact, please help me get my master's soul back into his body. Please."
The Soul - Locking Banner was a bit stunned by Shen Qing's coquettish tone.
As a gloomy divine artifact, every one of its previous masters had always given it direct orders. No one had ever talked to it so nicely.
It was already used to seeing things like killing and soul - snatching, and the sins it had committed could fill a dozen or two dozen autobiographies.
Now it truly felt that its future might be different.
After wriggling uncomfortably for a while, the Soul - Locking Banner said awkwardly, "Don't always call me 'divine artifact'. I have a name. From now on, you can call me Qin Si."
"Qin Si..."
Shen Qing blinked her eyes. She didn't know that the Soul - Locking Banner had a name.
After knowing its name, the connection between Shen Qing and the Soul - Locking Banner seemed to become closer.
And Qin Si, when he heard Shen Qing say his name, actually felt a hint of shyness in his heart. He couldn't remember who the last person to call his name was or when it was.
"Alright. Just because I told you my name doesn't mean you can keep calling it. Let's get down to business."
Shen Qing nodded blankly, let go of her hand, and the Soul - Locking Banner floated in the air and began to shine.
If Shen Qing could see Qin Si's real form, she would definitely be extremely surprised, because at this moment, Qin Si's face, ears, and even his neck were all red.
Yao Yue averted her eyes and walked out of the house stiffly. She was too shy to watch.
Ling Zhou watched Yao Yue's back gradually disappear from sight. Then he smiled at Shen Qing and slowly closed his eyes.
The process of returning to his original body was not as difficult as expected, but it wasn't easy either. The pain of his soul being torn apart made Ling Zhou grit his teeth and endure.
The moment Ling Zhou's soul left Ji Chongming's body, Ji Chongming's body slumped softly to the ground, eyes closed, as if dead.
Qin Si guided Ling Zhou's soul back to his original body. But since the body had been a stone statue for a long time, the meridians and the sea of consciousness were completely dark, so this process was very long.
Qin Si felt something was wrong and quickly said to Shen Qing, "Forcing him to return to his original body will cause his soul to suffer a thousand times more pain. You should inject some spiritual energy into his body first to get his meridians working again."
Shen Qing nodded and injected her spiritual energy into Ling Zhou's body as Qin Si said.
She originally thought that it would be very difficult to inject spiritual energy into a petrified body, but unexpectedly, Ling Zhou's body was like a huge sponge, crazily absorbing the spiritual energy in Shen Qing's body.
Seeing this, Shen Qing quickly took a few pills, afraid that the spiritual energy in her body would not be enough.
Qin Si frowned and scolded, "You're from the Dragon Clan. He only needs a small amount of your spiritual energy. There's no need to take pills. It will put too much burden on your body."
Shen Qing was stunned. She had forgotten about this.
But since she had already taken the pills, it was too late to regret.
Ling Zhou's transparent soul body floated in the air. Since he was being guided by the Soul - Locking Banner, he naturally heard the conversation between Qin Si and Shen Qing.
Although his soul was in great pain, it didn't stop him from listening to their conversation.
He thought to himself that he had originally thought the Soul - Locking Banner was just a heartless magical tool, but he didn't expect that the two got along so naturally.
Although Qin Si's voice sounded extremely arrogant and he seemed to dislike his disciple very much, Ling Zhou could feel that Qin Si meant no harm to his disciple.
After Ling Zhou's meridians in his body started to work, Qin Si tried again to put Ling Zhou's soul body back into his original body.
After several attempts, Ling Zhou's soul became a bit fainter, but it finally returned to his original body.
The petrified body visibly returned to normal. The gray - white color gradually turned into the color of skin.
Shen Qing looked at Ling Zhou expectantly. After seeing Ling Zhou's originally stiff body become soft again, she blinked her eyes and reached out her finger to poke Ling Zhou's cheek.
"Master?"
Outside the door, Yao Yue heard Shen Qing's call. Her hands nervously clasped together, and a thin layer of sweat had already appeared on her palms.
Ling Zhou opened his eyes and slapped Shen Qing's naughty hand away. "Naughty."
Hearing that familiar voice, the tears that Yao Yue had been holding back in her eyes instantly fell. She quickly turned around and ran into the room.
As soon as she entered the room, she met a pair of gentle eyes. The affection in those eyes seemed to drown her.
Ling Zhou's face was pale, but his expression was calm, with a gentle smile on his face.
He looked very tired, but his eyes were bright. After hesitating for a moment, he opened his arms. "Yao Yue, I'm back."
Yao Yue laughed through her tears and quickly threw herself into Ling Zhou's arms.
"Ling Zhou, welcome back."