Lin Haihai assumed the old woman couldn’t understand her language. After struggling for a bit, she realized the old woman had astonishing strength. No matter how hard she tugged, she couldn’t pull her hand out of the woman’s death grip. 

So, Lin Haihai used her other hand to gently lift up the ripped hole. She wanted to take a look at the wound. The old woman had underestimated Lin Haihai’s determination. Before she could warn her, Lin Haihai had already gotten some blood on her hand. The old woman yelled, “Oh no!” 

The moment she spoke, the old woman spat out a mouthful of blood. Suddenly, she released Lin Haihai’s hand and weakly slumped down against the car seat. 

Lin Haihai was flabbergasted. She quickly checked the old woman’s pulse. With half-opened eyes, the old woman gazed at the bloodstain on Lin Haihai’s hand. She took a deep breath and slowly blurted, “Child, you will die in a matter of minutes.” 

Lin Haihai thought the woman was being kind of ridiculous and didn’t respond. 

The old woman’s pulse is a bit odd. It’s weak, but also occasionally rapid. 

Suddenly, Lin Haihai could sense her lungs swelling and a bloody taste gathered at the bottom of her throat. She spat out the blood and the sky spun before her. Lin Haihai gripped the steering wheel for support. Her head was starting to feel muddled. 

The old woman held onto her hand, and Lin Haihai could feel a warm current on her arm coming from the old woman’s palm. It was gradually entering all of her vital organs. Lin Haihai couldn’t explain what it was, but it had a calming effect on her. She looked at the old woman questioningly and the old woman sighed sluggishly. 

“I’m not a human. I’m actually a snake demon who has cultivated for over a thousand years. Today happened to be the day I entered the final stage of transcendence. As a result, my magical powers were extremely weak today. Any little demon could take my life. Originally, I wanted to find a hiding spot to get through the day. As long as I made it to zishi [1], I would be able to levitate and become an immortal. Unfortunately, a wolf demon found my hiding spot and we had a huge battle. Luckily, there was lightning flashing across the sky. Wolves are afraid of high beam light, so while he lost focus, I escaped. But during my escape, the wolf demon blasted a corpse poison at me. This poison will slowly invade my vital organs. By zishi, it will have circulated throughout my body and death will be inevitable.” 

After saying everything in one rushed breath, the old woman’s face turned ashen grey. She closed her eyes like she was enduring tremendous pain. Her limbs began to twitch. 

Deep down, Lin Haihai fully believed the old woman’s words. Previously, she was the type that only trusted things with physical proof. She didn’t believe in spirits or devils. Yet, at this moment, Lin Haihai wasn’t skeptical at all. 

Honestly, Lin Haihai hadn’t prepared herself for death. But being a doctor for numerous years, she knew death could arrive in a split second. In the past, she had pictured how she would react when her time was over. She thought she would be terrified, desperate, or petrified. Instead, she was calmer than she had ever been. It was as if she used a minute to accept her upcoming death.    

Lin Haihai took some time to think over the old woman’s words. She wanted some clarification. “So as long as you make it through zishi, you’ll be safe and sound?” 

The old woman opened her eyes as she tried to resist the pain. Her voice was weak. “Right now, my powers are fading. There’s no way I can make it to zishi. I didn’t run and flee because I wanted to save my life. I simply didn’t want the wolf demon to catch up to me right before my death and absorb the cultivation I’ve spent a thousand years accumulating. I wouldn’t be able to die in peace.” 

Then, the old woman coughed a few more times and spat out another mouthful of blood.

“So am I dying from your snake poison or from the corpse poison?” Lin Haihai asked a crucial question. 

The old woman had a bittersweet smile on her face. “There’s no difference. Regardless, the outcome is death. Your body will slowly rot and the stench will get worse. Bit by bit, your soul will disengage from your body. And then you’ll be dead.”

Lin Haihai was distressed. She never expected to die such a bizarre death. She merely came in contact with a patient’s blood. But as someone from the medical field, at least sacrificing for her patients wasn’t unreasonable. Sadly, her contribution wasn’t able to save the patient and she was about to lose her life as well. Lin Haihai ridiculed herself. “I never believed in spirits; who knew they actually existed?” 

Suddenly, the old woman’s eyes lit up. Reincarnating into someone else’s body is an option! The old woman hurriedly asked, “If I can figure out a way to keep you alive, but you’d need to borrow someone else’s body, would you be okay with that?” 

Lin Haihai somewhat understood the old woman. “So I would be reincarnated?” 

The old woman nodded. She paused for a moment and continued, “I will help you find a body that has an identical magnetic field to yours and throw your soul into it.” 

The old woman counted on her fingers. “The only body that can contain your spirit is the sixth princess consort from the Daxing Dynasty. She is eighteen and committed suicide not long after her wedding. If you go now, you can still make it. I will put my spirit pearl into your body so that you’ll possess all my cultivation powers.” 

Then, the old woman began to wave and chant a spell. Lin Haihai shouted, “Wait! Wait!” But her voice was swiftly drowned out by a strong white piercing light.