Chapter 290: 290 One Black, One White: Two Silhouettes

Having come to this realization, Zhu Qiuqin was struck as if by lightning, she hurried forward, at a loss as she looked at Duan Yuling, then she asked Shao Dajun, "How did this happen, Dajun? How did Mother become like this?"

Just a moment ago, when she went out to buy vegetables, she was fine—how did she become a ghost?

What about her mother-in-law's body?

In other words, where is her mother-in-law?

Shao Dajun could no longer hear Zhu Qiuqin's words; he had already fallen into an instinctive fear.

He clung to Mother Duan Yuling's legs, crying out, "Mom, can you not leave? If you go, I'll have no mother..."

Duan Yuling patted his shoulder, "Get up, you're a father now—what are you crying for? Xiaoqin and the kids are still waiting for you; don't make me leave feeling uneasy."

Shao Dajun shook his head violently, unable to stop sobbing.

Duan Yuling let out a deep sigh, then lifted her gaze to Zhu Qiuqin and, for the first time, spoke patiently and gently:

"Xiaoqin, after I'm gone, you and Dajun should live well, focus on your recovery—you'll be fine. Under my bed there's a vase; it's blue-and-white porcelain, worth some money. Besides that vase, in the second compartment of my cabinet there are also two bankbooks, which I saved over the years by sewing corpses and walking the Yin path; they total over 5.6 million. After subtracting medical expenses, there should still be some left. The password is Dajun's birthday."

"Before, I was afraid you'd waste it, so I didn't give it to you. After I'm gone, move to a better place—don't stay here. Climbing the stairs every day for my granddaughter and grandson is tiring enough, you hear me?"

"This boy Dajun is stubborn; you need to look out for him more. But if you ever suffer any injustice, go tell me at Mother's grave—I can hear you. I can't beat him anymore, but I can send a dream to scold him, and he won't dare not listen!"

Zhu Qiuqin's nose soured; she knew her mother-in-law was all sharp tongue but soft heart.

Since she married in, she's always spoken her mind—far better than those mothers-in-law who say one thing to the son's face and another to the daughter-in-law's.

Even in front of Shao Dajun, she spoke exactly as she should, her voice never softened.

She never expected that the first time she saw such a gentle mother-in-law would be when she was giving her final instructions.

Zhu Qiuqin felt a lump in her throat and could only manage, "I understand, Mother."

Duan Yuling seemed to have no regrets; she kicked Shao Dajun's foot and instructed, "After my funeral is over, make a larger banner and give it to those few children today. If it weren't for them turning a blind eye, I wouldn't be able to tell you all this—did you hear me?"

She knew better than anyone that a serious violation of yin-yang order would have its spell instantly nullified and be forcibly sent to the Underworld.

What's more, she was doing this—'defying heaven to change fate.'

Duan Yuling glanced at the 'meal' she had prepared and said, "Xiaoqin, Dajun, hurry up and eat the food on the table—there's not much time."

Indeed, there wasn't much time; if they waited until she breathed her last, this secret technique would fail, and all those days' 'meals' would have been made for nothing.

This 'meal' she made was no ordinary food; precisely, it was a 'Life-Prolonging Meal' drawn from her lifespan, energy, and yin virtue—seven servings in total, not a single mouthful could be missed!

Shao Dajun also had to eat, because he needed to serve as a medium between her and his wife, establishing a link between them.

So no matter how bad the situation at the hospital, he had to come back and finish this meal.

Only this way could Zhu Qiuqin survive!

Shao Dajun glanced at the table—still the two dishes he loved and the two his wife loved, quite fair.

It's been like this for many years.

He knew today was the last day.

After eating this meal, his wife could live, and the mother of his son and daughter would not leave them.

But once this meal is finished, his mother will have to leave him forever.

Thinking of this, Shao Dajun instinctively resisted, his stomach churning with a physical spasm.

Duan Yuling saw his aversion, reached out and mercilessly patted his back, "Don't dawdle, hurry up and eat—how long can I stay with you? Remember, the one who can finally accompany you is Xiaoqin; she's the one who will stay with you to the end. Besides, my eldest grandson is only five, and my eldest granddaughter is about to start junior high—how can they be without a mother?"

The more Zhu Qiuqin listened, the more uneasy she felt, not understanding why her mother-in-law and husband said her son and daughter would be without her.

But just as she was about to ask, Shao Dajun's action interrupted her.

Because Shao Dajun reached out, picked up the bowl of white rice on the table, and began to gulp it down.

He ate it plain, not touching a single bite of vegetable.

Moreover, he didn't chew at all, just forced it down.

Duan Yuling sighed, then turned to urge Zhu Qiuqin to hurry and finish her rice as well.

Zhu Qiuqin ate the entire meal in a daze.

Just as she set down her chopsticks, a thunderclap rang from the clear sky outside, and immediately a white mist spread around.

The sound of clanking chains—'clatter-clatter'—rang out, somewhat terrifying.

"Duan Yuling! As a descendant of the Mystic Master, you used a secret technique to prolong lives, violating the Heavenly Dao order—your remaining ten years of lifespan are instantly reduced to zero; come with us to the Underworld to receive punishment!"

Duan Yuling didn't care, for she had long known this would be her fate.

Moreover, she had no regrets either, because the life-prolonging technique had already been completed, the outcome set.

She proclaimed, "Corpse-Sewer Duan Yuling voluntarily accepts punishment—this is just like going down with Uncle Seven and Uncle Eight to be punished!"

Having said that, within the white mist appeared two figures in tall hats, one black and one white.

Zhu Qiuqin jumped in fright, cried out, and reached out to pull Duan Yuling: "Mom! You......"

But her grasp closed on empty air.

Duan Yuling vanished into the white mist.

The white mist faded, and the indoor scene changed as well.

The once cozy living room turned pitch black, all the furniture reduced to charred wreckage.

The table where they had just been eating now had only three legs left.

Zhu Qiuqin stared in shock at all of this.

She wanted to cry out in anxiety: "Husband, what on earth is going on?!"

Shao Dajun lifted his gaze to her, looking utterly exhausted, he plopped onto the only chair he could sit on, as if speaking to her yet also talking to himself:

"It's fine—just think of it as a dream; time's about up, you should head back, back to the hospital."

His muttered words had barely faded when his phone rang.

Shao Dajun reached into his pocket, but failing to hold onto his phone, it dropped to the ground.

Zhu Qiuqin bent over to pick it up.

As a result, she didn't pick it up.

Her eyes widened as she looked at her hand.

Her hand became transparent!

In an instant, what had just happened flashed through her mind—she was marching in place in the stairwell.

Besides, those few white silhouettes sharpened into view—they were wearing white coats.

For a moment, her vision was filled with raging flames, and she felt intense pain all over.

Suddenly, a sound reached her ears, snapping her back to awareness.

"Mr. Shao, please come to the hospital; your mother went into cardiac arrest fifteen minutes ago and, despite resuscitation efforts, has passed away. Please accept my condolences."