After reading chapters 1-20 (yeah, I just finished reading it HAHAHAHA), I’ll be changing things from the previous chapters I translated, like, black cat to Hei Mao, human-lion to Ren Shi, and little fairy to little spirit.
He saw the wound healing with his own eyes. Nan Deng slightly widened his eyes.
He was not mistaken, nor was he hallucinating. The wound on Hei Mao’s front paw had already disappeared in less than a minute.
Sitting beside the low bed, Nan Deng held Hei Mao in his arms and turned to look at Ren Shi.
For Hei Mao to be with the little spirit, it was likely not an ordinary small animal.
Seeing Hei Mao’s condition improve, Ren Shi was very happy. It produced a cup made of leaves from somewhere and carefully fed the water inside to Nan Deng.
The cup was particularly small, and it was gone in one sip. Nan Deng tasted it; it was sweet.
Ren Shi put down the cup, held a strand of Nan Deng’s hair, and kissed it, “woo-woo” saying something.
Then, it picked up its long sword and left the small hut.
As soon as it left, the vines at the doorway automatically coiled up to block the entrance, leaving only a few gaps for air to flow through.
The light bulb above was still on. Hei Mao lay in Nan Deng’s arms, seemingly already asleep.
It had several wounds on its body, some quite serious, which healed more slowly.
Nan Deng observed for a while, not daring to touch it recklessly, afraid of causing it pain. He just sat on the ground, leaning against the low bed to rest.
Xiao Tu looked around the room, occasionally nibbling on the stems and leaves of the vines. Finding them not very tasty, it gave up.
It returned to Nan Deng’s side, jumped onto his shoulder, and rubbed him with its ears.
Nan Deng was somewhat distracted, and drowsiness gradually overtook him.
He tilted his head against the wooden pillar at the side of the low bed, and his eyelids started to droop.
The wounds on Hei Mao were still healing. It turned over in its sleep, stretching its limbs.
The room quieted down, and the light bulb automatically went out.
When Nan Deng woke up, he found himself somehow lying on the low bed, with the now uninjured Hei Mao and Ren Shi beside him, along with Xiao Tu.
Hei Mao was licking its fur. Seeing Nan Deng awake, it moved closer and affectionately rubbed against him.
Ren Shi was sleeping, and Xiao Tu was lying next to it, mouth open and biting its wing.
Nan Deng reached out to stop it, warning it with his eyes to behave.
He petted the Hei Mao and quietly got out of bed.
It was daylight and bright light filtered through the gaps in the vines. Nan Deng leaned in to look outside.
Outside, it was very quiet, and it seemed pretty safe here.
Nan Deng reached into his pocket. Last night, he had suddenly returned to his spirit form, and it seemed he had lost the phone Lian Yi had bought for him.
It was daytime now, not suitable for going out.
Nan Deng returned to the side of the low bed and sat down, hugging his knees.
He spent the whole day doing nothing, and time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was evening again.
Ren Shi woke up and got out of bed, bringing Nan Deng the sweet juice from last night.
Hei Mao’s wounds were fully healed. It energetically held its tail upright and came over to rub Nan Deng’s hand. After rubbing, retreated a few steps, looking back at him.
Nan Deng guessed its meaning: “Do you want to leave here?”
He immediately stood up as well: “I’ll go with you…”
Hei Mao probably didn’t live here. If Nan Deng followed it, there might be a chance to find out where Lian Yi was.
However, Ren Shi shook its head vigorously, pulling Nan Deng back down to sit and pointing in one direction, then pointing to himself.
Nan Deng was confused: “What do you mean?”
Ren Shi once again used its sword to draw a pattern in the air, depicting a crooked flower pot with two flowers growing in it.
Nan Deng found it somewhat familiar but couldn’t recall it at the moment.
Hei Mao hurried back to its territory. Since its wound had healed, it needed to return and fulfill its duties as an earth spirit.
It took one last look at Nan Deng, let out a reluctant “meow”, then turned and ran off.
Ren Shi still wouldn’t let Nan Deng leave. It drew another clock, this time with the hands pointing to 2:30 AM, and pointed to itself.
Nan Deng hesitated and asked, “You’ll be back by 2:30?”
Ren Shi nodded, circled around Nan Deng once, and then left.
The entrance was blocked by vines again, and Nan Deng, bored out of his mind, collapsed on the low bed and stared into space.
After a while, he turned over, grabbed the rabbit head, and whispered to it, “Xiao Tu, are you hungry… Want to eat some paper dolls?”
The usually greedy rabbit head remained motionless, showing no response.
Nan Deng lowered his eyes guiltily and said, “Never mind…”
He thought he could wait a few days before looking for Lian Yi again. It could be considered that Lian Yi was still angry.
—
After Lian Yi left, the rooms in the motel were inspected.
But the motel was small and it was late at night, so the check wasn’t very strict. The owner said he vaguely remembered two people checking in, but only Lian Yi’s name was in the register.
In the room, they found a suitcase and a partially eaten boxed meal, but no other useful clues.
The next afternoon, one of the subordinates received news that Lian Yi was still in the neighboring area and hadn’t fled far.
“Apparently, he has been asking about the whereabouts of the earth spirit lion-man… Several celestial masters have seen him.”
The news of Lian Yi’s demotion had already spread, but he was only nominally no longer the Chief Celestial Master. Others’ fear of him hadn’t diminished in the slightest.
“I don’t know what his purpose is in searching for the lion-man… But the lion-man’s whereabouts are unpredictable, and the Celestial Masters there don’t know where it resides either.”
The lion-man had been an earth spirit for a long time and was strong and clever. The Celestial Masters in the area were familiar with its temperament and wouldn’t bother it unnecessarily.
Weng Ping Ran didn’t even look up. “Got it.”
After last night, he sensed something unusual and didn’t want to deal with this matter anymore. He submitted a talisman report and was busy sorting through patient records at the hospital.
Zhuo Qing was confirmed dead, Xie Yun was staying behind closed doors, and Gu Xu was injured and bedridden. Only he could still move around.
But his energy was limited, and he had to prioritize more important matters.
“By the way,” Weng Ping Ran put down the data book in his hand, “where is Lin Jiu?”
“Manager Lin…” His subordinate looked hesitant. “He’s been acting strange since he returned from Lian Yi’s place.”
Weng Ping Ran frowned. “What’s going on?”
He thought it was because he had reprimanded Lin Jiu and indirectly reduced his authority, which made Lin Jiu unhappy.
It turned out his subordinate said that Lin Jiu brought back a pot of flowers from Lian Yi’s place.
“Manager Lin said the flower was alive, that he saw it move with his own eyes. But we all checked it out. The flower is just an ordinary variety…”
They used compasses and other instruments to test it and confirmed there was nothing unusual. Still, Lin Jiu wouldn’t listen and insist on bringing the flower back, carefully protecting it.
Weng Ping Ran was furious after hearing this. “Nonsense! Let him stay at home and take good care of the flower before coming out again!”
His subordinate lowered his head, not daring to say more, and retreated with a response.
On the other side, Lin Jiu sat in a chair, staring intently at the flower in front of him.
The flower was a light pink rose, recently cultivated, with not very lush branches and two blooms on the same stem.
One flower had already bloomed, while the other, a paler color, was still a bud.
No matter what others said, Lin Jiu was certain he hadn’t seen wrong.
As for why, he couldn’t come up with a reasonable explanation yet. So he brought the flower back.
He had just watered it and carefully cleaned its leaves. But, unfortunately, the flower hadn’t moved again.
Lin Jiu raised his hand to rub his brow, planning to take a nap.
Just then, there was a noise from the direction of the bedroom.
He stood up abruptly and took out a compass to check, but the needle didn’t move.
Not a resentful spirit? Lin Jiu frowned. As he raised his head, a flash of light appeared before him.
Ren Shi, holding a long sword, knocked him out cold.
Lin Jiu fell to the ground. Ren Shi picked up the flowerpot on the table, intending to take the rose away.
However, Lin Jiu had anticipated this. To protect the flower, he had placed a restriction on it, preventing the rose from leaving his side unless he was killed.
Ren Shi’s attempt was unsuccessful. Frustrated, it raised the long sword but ultimately couldn’t bring itself to strike.
It poked Lin Jiu’s face with the hilt of the sword, realizing that the blow had been too strong and Lin Jiu wouldn’t wake up anytime soon.
Ren Shi looked up at the clock on the wall, remembering its agreement with Nan Deng to return by 2:30.
Ren Shi muttered anxiously a few times and looked down at the unconscious Lin Jiu, forming a plan.
Before 2:30 AM, Ren Shi successfully rushed back.
The vines at the entrance automatically moved aside. Nan Deng heard the noise and came out. He saw Ren Shi carrying a familiar pot of roses on its back and dragging a blindfolded, tightly bound person.
This person wore Celestial Master robes and looked unfamiliar. Nan Deng instinctively hid back, cautiously peeking from the door.
Ren Shi carelessly tossed Lin Jiu to the ground. Nan Deng saw him lying motionless, unsure if he was dead or just unconscious.
He slowly came out and asked softly, “Who is he?”
Ren Shi shook its head and took the flowerpot from its back, handing it to Nan Deng.
Nan Deng approached, reaching out to take it, feeling noticeable resistance halfway.
Ren Shi had already let go, and Nan Deng frowned slightly, pulling hard.
With a soft “snap”, the restriction broke, and the resistance disappeared.
Lin Jiu on the ground groaned, showing signs of waking up.
So this Celestial Master was still alive. Nan Deng hurriedly hugged the flowerpot and retreated to the small house.
When he looked back again, he saw Ren Shi picking Lin Jiu up as if intending to take him away.
Nan Deng called out, “Wait a moment…”
He looked at Lin Jiu’s Celestial Master robes, and an idea formed in his mind.
When Lin Jiu fully regained consciousness, he found himself tightly bound, unable to move. His hands were specially wrapped in thick towels, preventing him from using any spiritual techniques.
His eyes were also covered, and he had no idea where he was.
Lin Jiu felt a sinking feeling in his heart. He had been too careless before he passed out, or rather, the intruder must have been stronger than him, catching him off guard.
Could it be Lian Yi? Or someone from Gu Xu’s group? In any case, it shouldn’t be a resentful spirit; otherwise, he wouldn’t still be alive.
There was a faint fragrance of plants around, but no sound of insects.
Lin Jiu forced himself to sit up, feeling his back brush against some leaves, making a rustling sound.
“Don’t move!”
A voice not far in front of him said, “If you don’t want to die, stay still!”
The voice sounded like a young boy, trying to sound fierce.
Lin Jiu remained calm, appearing very cooperative.
“I need to ask you a few questions,” the boy continued, “Answer them and you’ll be let go.”
Lin Jiu replied, “Alright.”
“Is there someone named Lian Yi among your people?”
Lin Jiu paused for a moment. “Yes.”
“Where is he now?”
“I don’t know.”
The boy fell silent, and the surroundings became quiet.
Lin Jiu pondered the boy’s intent and cautiously said, “He was almost caught last night, so he might be hiding somewhere.”
“Almost caught?”
The boy seemed taken aback. The latter part of his sentence was quieter, “Why would they try to catch him? Isn’t he… a Celestial Master?”
“Because he made a mistake,” Lin Jiu added, “a very serious mistake.”
The boy fell silent again, then hesitantly asked, “Is it… related to ghosts?”
Lin Jiu thought for a moment and replied, “No.”
“No?” The boy became more hesitant, sounding a bit nervous, “Then what exactly did he do?”
Lin Jiu wasn’t sure of the current situation or the boy’s identity.
He fell silent for a moment again before saying, “Actually… I believe he was framed.”
There was a slight sound nearby as the boy slowly moved closer to him.
“Although many people fear him and see him as an outcast,” Lin Jiu continued, “I don’t think he would do those things.”
“What does ‘outcast’ mean…” the boy asked in confusion, “Why are they afraid of him? Is he very bad?”
“No,” Lin Jiu replied honestly, “Chief Lian is rather cold, but he isn’t bad… It’s just that he has a natural evil energy, so he’s different from others.”
“A natural evil energy?”
The boy clearly didn’t understand, so Lin Jiu tried to use the simplest words to explain, “He was born with a bad fate. People instinctively avoid him.”
“His body is special; it easily attracts ghosts. When he was seven or eight, his parents were killed by resentful spirits. He then entered the inner court to study spiritual techniques, and only then did the resentful spirits stay away from him.”
After a long pause, the boy finally spoke, “So he’s been alone all this time?”
“He had a teacher. But as far as I know,” Lin Jiu hesitated, “his teacher treated him very poorly.”
What he was saying wasn’t a secret in the inner court; almost everyone knew.
Ordinary people instinctively feared Lian Yi and didn’t dare approach him. Celestial Masters, knowing his situation, avoided him even more.
Lian Yi would inevitably turn into a fierce ghost after death. No one wanted to be associated with him, fearing trouble.
“Was he injured last night?”
“I’m not sure… but things might not be looking good.”
“I understand…” Nan Deng’s voice was muffled, “Thank you.”
Lin Jiu opened his mouth, about to say something. But Ren Shi swiftly swung his sword and knocked him out again.
—
At 3 AM, Hei Mao, back in its territory, patrolled the streets.
Lately, the hospital area had the most resentful spirits. But since Celestial Masters were responsible there, Hei Mao didn’t plan to go.
It turned a corner and suddenly stopped, its fur bristling.
“Bang—”
A crack opened in the ground under its feet, a silver Bagua ring embedded halfway, blocking its path.
Hei Mao turned around, and Lian Yi appeared not far away.
Most of his face was hidden in the darkness, his tall figure standing like a statue, exuding an aura that made the black cat feel extremely dangerous.
“Where is he?” Lian Yi asked in a low voice.
