I alone have my own laws; I start by fabricating myths and legends of mountains and seas.

Chapter 12 Luo 9 Chuan

Without time for further speculation, Su Fan calmed himself and first guided the consciousness of Jiang He, Chen Yang, and Wang Jianguo into the dream.

On the floating jade island, light flickered, and the figures of the three gradually solidified.

"They're here! They're here!" Chen Yang was the first to perk up, but his excited expression immediately fell when he saw there were only four people. "Where's Grandpa Li? He really didn't come?"

Wang Jianguo frowned, looking around with worry etched on his honest face: "This... Teacher Li, he..."

"Perhaps something unexpected happened!" Su Fan said. Su Fan couldn't very well say that he couldn't find the Star Will represented by Li Bowen!

"What kind of unexpected event could happen to our agreement? Come to think of it, Grandpa Li hasn't posted in the chat group for three days," Chen Yang said with some concern.

"Absence...is it a sleep problem? A sudden health issue? Or...?" Jiang He muttered to herself.

"You've finally arrived!" Li Bowen's voice rang out at that moment.

The four of them turned their heads simultaneously, looking in the direction of the sound. Not far away, beside the trees of the floating island, a figure was slowly emerging. It was Li Bowen!

He was wearing similar, slightly worn cotton and linen clothes as in the last dream. He still looked thin, but his complexion was unusually good. His face no longer had the ashen and tired look of illness, but instead had a warm glow. His eyes were clear and bright, but his body seemed slightly ethereal and not solid.

"Grandpa Li!" "Teacher Li!" "Teacher Li, you've arrived!" Chen Yang, Wang Jianguo, and Su Fan exclaimed almost simultaneously.

Chen Yang was the most excited. He rushed over and looked Li Bowen up and down: "Grandpa Li! Are you alright? We were so worried! Why wasn't anyone talking in the group chat? We thought something had happened to you..."

"Teacher Li, why didn't you come with us? You mean you arrived a while ago? What happened?" Wang Jianguo asked, scratching the back of his head, somewhat puzzled.

Su Fan also smiled with relief, but his vigilance suddenly increased. He knew better than anyone that just now, there was no trace of Li Bowen's light in the "Sea of ​​Consciousness"! How did he appear? What was the situation with this Li Bowen in front of him?

Faced with Chen Yang's concern and Wang Jianguo's doubts, Li Bowen's face revealed a complex expression. Beneath that warm glow, there seemed to be a faint, almost imperceptible...transparency.

He raised his slightly unsteady hand and looked at it. His voice remained calm, but carried a hint of relief and a soft sigh:

"An accident... I guess you could say. But it might be a little different from what you're all worried about." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the four vibrant faces, young and middle-aged, before him. His eyes held a wistful sadness at the impending farewell. "Me? Three days ago... I fell asleep in a hospital bed and never woke up again. I thought my life was coming to an end, and here I am, a little earlier than all of you."

"What?!" Chen Yang was struck dumb, taking a step back with his eyes wide open. He opened his mouth but couldn't utter a complete sound.

Wang Jianguo was completely stunned, staring intently at Li Bowen's somewhat ethereal figure. The muscles on his dark face twitched, and his lips trembled as he stammered, "Teacher Li...you mean...you're already...so you're in a spirit state now?"

Jiang He's breath hitched, and an incredulous shock appeared on her usually calm face. Her voice tightened: "After death? So... your current state is... residual consciousness? Or..."

Her mind raced, trying to understand it using existing knowledge frameworks, only to find it completely beyond their reach. Current technology cannot explain the soul.

Su Fan was also deeply shaken. Although he had some guesses, hearing Li Bowen announce his "death" so calmly was still a huge shock.

Looking at Li Bowen's form, which was clearly more ethereal than the three of them, as if it might dissipate at any moment, a thought flashed through his mind: "So... it makes sense that he couldn't be properly drawn into the [Shared Dream Pillow] because his consciousness had already entered the dream, or rather, his consciousness should have dissipated by now!"

Li Bowen seemed to understand everyone's shock. He waved his hand slightly, signaling everyone to calm down: "Don't be afraid, and don't be sad. I feel very peaceful here. All my pain is gone, and I feel very relaxed. At my age, I've passed away peacefully, so there's nothing I can't let go of. It's just... this body is getting fainter and lighter. I can feel that I won't be here for much longer. But it's good to see everyone again in the end!"

"No! Grandpa Li! Don't worry!" Chen Yang finally found his voice and reassured him, "This is the Realm of Mountains and Seas! It's a realm of immortals! There are so many divine beasts here, they can definitely help you. You won't disappear here!"

Chen Yang frantically turned around and shouted, "Great God Bai Ze! Lord Ya Zi, are you there? I need your help, or any divine beast will do!"

Jiang He turned her gaze to Su Fan, asking inquiringly, "Su Fan, you seem to know a lot about ancient texts and legends, and you're fond of supernatural tales, aren't you? Do you have any records... about the consciousness of the deceased briefly residing in a sacred place, or... methods for stabilizing this state?"

Su Fan thought for a moment and said, "Zhu Xi's 'Classified Conversations of Master Zhu - Ghosts and Spirits' records: The reason why people get sick and die is that their vital energy dissipates. Those who die from punishment or sudden death still have their vital energy gathered and not yet dispersed, but they will eventually disperse as well. The reason why Buddhists and Taoists are selfish is that even when they die, they can only leave their bodies behind and are ultimately unwilling to accept it. The same is true for those who die to quell injustice and resentment, so their vital energy does not dissipate."

Generally speaking, the "qi" (vital energy) of those who die of natural causes dissipates. However, for those who are executed or die suddenly, the "qi" remains concentrated and does not dissipate; the same is true for those who die with resentment or injustice, so their "qi" does not dissipate temporarily. However, this is because Confucianism in the Song Dynasty had a theory of qi, which was essentially a kind of understanding of the world, and did not believe that the souls of those who die of illness or natural causes could remain intact.

Liu Bowen's "Yu Lizi - On Ghosts" states: "However, the changes of the two qi are unpredictable. If there is a case where the soul leaves its body and does not completely disperse, then it will only be temporary and cannot last long."

The gist is that the changes in Yin and Yang are unpredictable. If a soul leaves the body but does not immediately dissipate, it is only temporary and cannot last long. This is also a development in the study of Qi.

A certain miscellaneous book did say: "When the soul is purified, my original nature remains steadfast and does not drift away with the flames of calamity... Hence the saying, 'One attains immortality and dwells in a celestial village.'" This suggests that one can achieve soul immortality through cultivation, but that's probably just a hoax.

The Guiguzi Tian Sui Ling Wen states: "The two talismans for summoning and gathering the soul can prevent the soul from dissipating. They are made into pills and drunk."

They rely on talismans to prolong the life of the soul. Using soul-gathering talismans and soul-summoning talismans on the dying, and then making them into pills for them to take, can achieve the effect of "preserving the soul." However, since the afterlife is unverifiable, it's likely just a fabrication by someone to deceive people.

Su Fan spoke eloquently, while secretly trying to use the Dream Control function of the Dream Pillow to help Li Bowen recover.

However, it was discovered that if Li Bowen's soul was likened to a burning match, then his [Dream Control] authority could only improve Li Bowen's condition, but could not extend the length of the match.

In other words, as time went by, Li Bowen completely disappeared when the match burned out.

Just then, Su Fan discovered that the emotional crystals could actually be brought into the dream world. Although it was absurd that real-world matter could be brought into dreams, Su Fan secretly gave the emotional crystals to Li Bowen to use, as he was curious to see if they would be useful.

If possible, then emotional crystallization almost means that it can be used to prolong life in the dream world after death.

As Su Fan secretly used his [Dream Control] authority to activate the Emotion Crystal, Li Bowen's increasingly ethereal figure actually solidified slightly, and the gentle glow on his face seemed to brighten a little. This subtle change was immediately noticed by Chen Yang, who was closely watching him.

"Hey? Grandpa Li! You... you look a bit more solid!" Chen Yang exclaimed in surprise.

Wang Jianguo and Jiang He also immediately noticed the change. Li Bowen himself looked down at his hand with some surprise; indeed, the penetrating sensation seemed to have lessened slightly.

"It seems like I gained a bit more power within me just now, which allowed me to exist for a little longer," Li Bowen said.

Su Fan had a sudden thought: Emotional crystals were indeed treasures, practically a panacea! Collecting them by himself was rather slow; what if he got help from others?

Chen Yang, Wang Jianguo, and Jiang He are perfect candidates; once they collect the emotional crystals, they can give them to him in the dream world.

But now there's a problem: how do I get them to help me collect emotional crystals? To get their help, I need to give them the rare item, the "Seven Emotions Gourd."

However, the Seven Emotions Gourd is quite expensive to make and has a lifespan of five years! And how can I guarantee they'll work for me? And how can I give them this extraordinary item? I certainly can't do it as Su Fan!

The tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind; one shouldn't be too conspicuous. Su Fan pondered for a moment and finally came up with a solution. Su Fan's original identity wasn't suitable; he could simply use another alias.

As his thoughts became clearer, Su Fan secretly conceived a plan.

A colorful auspicious cloud appeared from high above, and on the cloud was a handsome young man who looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a face as if carved by a knife and axe.

What's most striking is his hair, with its vibrant and flamboyant seven-colored hues. His clothing also appears exceptionally expensive.

Su Fan, Jiang He, Wang Jianguo, Li Bowen, Chen Yang and their group were wary of the sudden cash withdrawal; their several encounters had subtly revealed them to be forming a small group.

Naturally, they were wary of the stranger who suddenly appeared on the clouds, since the other party didn't look like someone to be trifled with.

Luo Jiuchuan, with a hint of disdain, said, "Tsk tsk tsk! When did End Island get new people? And some of them even died. How pathetic!"