Nan Deng sat in the corner. Yet, he clearly saw the two rows of sharp teeth protruding from the flower petals, which then devoured the wailing and struggling resentful spirit.
This scene happened so suddenly that none of the three people in the room had anticipated it.
At this moment, the rose was quiet, its buds seeming even more vibrant in color. The slender branches did not reveal where the devoured spirit had gone.
Nan Deng’s hands trembled slightly as he cautiously stared at the flower bud.
The teeth retracted… Ignoring what had just happened, the rose was still very beautiful.
Lian Yi walked over and took the flowerpot from Nan Deng’s hands.
He placed the flowerpot aside and asked, “Scared?”
Nan Deng stood up, moved closer to Lian Yi, and held his hand. “…No.”
This flower was his to nurture, so he couldn’t possibly dislike it. It was just the sudden contrast… really too startling.
“It’s indeed a new earth spirit!” Lin Jiu said excitedly from behind. “Do we need to find a suitable area for it?”
The surrounding areas all had earth spirits. He needed to check thoroughly to see where there might be a vacancy.
Lian Yi looked at Nan Deng. Nan Deng was momentarily confused, then understood what Lin Jiu meant.
He nodded. “Okay.”
Becoming an earth spirit wasn’t just about having special abilities; they were chosen by the Mountain God and had to take on responsibilities.
There was no progress on the clues about the fog-shrouded specter. Lin Jiu still needed to return the clay pot as soon as possible to avoid it being discovered.
Fortunately, there were plenty of resentful spirits. Missing one wouldn’t be noticed.
Now, with the added task of finding a suitable area for the rose, Lin Jiu bid farewell to the two and prepared to leave immediately.
As he was about to go, he felt a tug at his foot.
Lin Jiu looked down and saw a rabbit head biting his pant leg.
It was only palm-sized but had considerable strength, tugging at Lin Jiu tightly to prevent him from leaving.
Lin Jiu didn’t dare move and looked to Lian Yi and Nan Deng for help.
Lian Yi glanced at the rabbit head and said, “It wants to eat too.”
“Ignore it…” Nan Deng quickly said, “It already ate at noon.”
At noon, the rabbit head had secretly eaten two bags of chips in the room, leaving crumbs everywhere.
The rabbit head still wouldn’t let go, so Nan Deng called it with a warning tone, “Xiao Tu!”
He was about to grab the rabbit head when Lin Jiu took out the clay pot voluntarily. “It’s okay. There are still plenty here…”
So, this pet eats resentful spirits too?
Lin Jiu remembered the giant beast that had devoured wildly that night. The food of a Chaos God included not just resentful spirits but living humans as well.
His motion to open the pot paused slightly, and then he crouched down, pondering how to feed the rabbit head.
Placing the clay pot on the ground, Lin Jiu opened the lid, and the rabbit head immediately approached.
The compressed soul bodies were sucked into its mouth, and the rabbit head munched with a “crunching” sound. Seeing this, Nan Deng quickly stepped forward and picked it up, saying, “That’s enough. No more eating.”
Lin Jiu picked up the clay pot again to check. In that short moment, half of the resentful spirits inside were gone.
He couldn’t help but look at the rabbit head again. His gaze swept over its small body, which consisted only of a head.
Could it really be… But in this form, it didn’t resemble its original shape as a Hui Shou at all.
However, this wasn’t something he needed to investigate… Lin Jiu put away the clay pot, intending to replace the consumed resentful spirits with the ones he hadn’t yet submitted.
The rabbit head licked its lips in Nan Deng’s arms. Lin Jiu bid farewell again and turned to leave.
In the afternoon, Nan Deng, feeling idle, pulled open the curtains slightly and watched the bustling crowd outside.
Lian Yi came to his side and handed a phone to Nan Deng.
Nan Deng took it and saw that it was the one he had accidentally lost last time. There was a thin crack at the bottom of the screen, but it didn’t affect its use.
He had no idea where he had dropped the phone; most likely, Lian Yi had found it later.
Nan Deng stroked the phone case and asked, “Did you resolve your matter?”
Lian Yi and Lin Jiu hadn’t avoided Nan Deng when they talked. Nan Deng vaguely heard them mention the fog-shrouded specter and something about an elder.
He hadn’t seen the fog-shrouded specter last time, so he didn’t understand much about it. He was more concerned about Lian Yi’s situation.
Lian Yi replied, “It’s temporarily resolved.”
He didn’t elaborate, so Nan Deng asked again, “Will your teacher… look for you?”
Lin Jiu had mentioned Lian Yi’s teacher, saying only that he wasn’t good to Lian Yi.
Nan Deng didn’t know what had happened between them. But he thought that as a teacher, he would pay more attention to Lian Yi than others.
Lian Yi, however, said, “He’s dead.”
Nan Deng looked stunned, his mouth slightly open. “Wh… When?”
“Three months ago,” Lian Yi said, his eyes downcast. “I killed him.”
His tone was calm and indifferent as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him.
Since Nan Deng had asked, Lian Yi had promised not to hide anything anymore. But he still didn’t want Nan Deng to know.
He had killed his teacher and was seen by others as a ruthless, cold-blooded criminal.
Nan Deng was timid, showing fear even when he saw the rose eating spirits. Learning that Lian Yi had killed his teacher with his own hands would likely make him feel even more frightened and repelled.
If Nan Deng had known from the beginning about Lian Yi’s identity as a celestial master and what kind of person he was, he would never have approached him.
Lian Yi knew he didn’t deserve to have Nan Deng stay by his side.
Standing by the window, Lian Yi completely blocked a beam of sunlight from coming through the curtains.
He silently watched Nan Deng, waiting for his reaction.
Nan Deng was in a daze for a moment, then suddenly reached out and hugged Lian Yi tightly.
Lian Yi hesitated for a moment before raising his hand to touch Nan Deng’s hair. “What’s wrong?”
Nan Deng lifted his head, his chin resting on Lian Yi’s chest. “It feels like… you’re very unhappy right now.”
He hugged Lian Yi even tighter and mumbled, “Don’t be sad…”
So what if he’s dead? Nan Deng had never met Lian Yi’s teacher. If he was bad to his own student, he must have been a bad person.
Lian Yi bent down slightly and hugged Nan Deng back. “Okay.”
He had endured for a long time, but couldn’t help himself and kissed Nan Deng on the cheek.
Nan Deng didn’t pull away. His cheeks were slightly flushed, looking a bit nervous as he clutched Lian Yi’s sleeve and looked at him.
Lian Yi kissed his forehead again. “Do you want to go out for a walk?”
During the day, although there were many people around, resentful spirits wouldn’t appear, and there were fewer patrolling celestial masters than at night.
Wearing masks and hats would be safer than going out at night.
Looking at the street outside, Nan Deng was tempted. “Let’s find a less crowded place?”
There was a small park behind the hotel. Since it wasn’t the weekend, there wouldn’t be many people there at this time.
In the morning, Lin Jiu had brought them some new clothes and other items, including hats and masks.
Nan Deng adjusted his hat and tucked the rabbit head into his pocket.
In the mirror, their faces were covered completely, making them unrecognizable from a distance.
Initially worried that going out like this might draw too much attention, Nan Deng saw that many people on the street were also wearing masks when he got downstairs.
Nan Deng suddenly remembered that Lian Yi had mentioned a plague or similar disease spreading recently.
People on the street hurried by, wrapping their coats tightly around themselves and keeping their heads down to avoid contact with strangers.
Even though it was not yet confirmed if the disease was contagious, the simultaneous appearance of many sick people had made the residents very fearful.
The temperature had dropped a bit over the past few days. In the afternoon, the sun was hidden behind thick clouds, so the umbrella Nan Deng brought wasn’t needed.
He observed the surroundings, following Lian Yi along the street.
The small park was reached quickly. From a distance, Nan Deng saw a boy, around ten years old, sitting alone on a bench on the outskirts.
The boy was wearing a school uniform and wasn’t wearing a mask. As they got closer, Nan Deng noticed the boy’s pale complexion, vacant eyes, and heavy dark circles.
Seeing someone approaching, the boy pulled out a mask and put it on before standing up and walking away.
Nan Deng couldn’t help but glance back, whispering, “Is he sick?”
“It’s the plague,” Lian Yi replied, holding his hand. “Not too severe yet.”
However, the disease progressed rapidly; within three days, patients were bedridden.
Typically, entire families would fall ill simultaneously, with no one able to keep watch at night, making it easy for resentful spirits to sneak in and feast on living souls.
Eventually, they would die from the illness and turn into new resentful spirits.
Watching the boy’s figure fade into the distance, Nan Deng felt an inexplicable sadness.
If he were still the ghost he once was, he might not have felt anything. But now, he was human.
Being human was fundamentally different from his past, and his thoughts seemed to have changed too.
Feeling uneasy, Nan Deng asked again, “Can they be cured?”
Lian Yi answered truthfully, “Not sure.”
The source of the plague was unknown, and it spread quickly, likely leading to more severe outbreaks.
He tightened his grip on Nan Deng’s cold hand. “Shall we go back?”
Nan Deng thought for a moment and shook his head. “It’s okay. I’m not afraid.”
Lian Yi didn’t insist and led him further into the park.
Lin Jiu had subtly mentioned in a message that since Nan Deng was a mountain god, he must have a way to solve the plague.
He didn’t know where his confidence came from. Perhaps, a blind belief that in the presence of a god, everything would be fine.
However, Lin Jiu also saw that compared to the mountain gods of various legends, Nan Deng now was more like the newly awakened rose.
The rose needed time to become a true Earth Spirit. Perhaps, Nan Deng did too.
Even if he asked Nan Deng for help now, Nan Deng wouldn’t know what to do.
At this moment, Nan Deng was squatting by the lake, trying to touch the moss under the water.
Lian Yi stopped him in time. “You can’t play with water outside.”
Nan Deng obediently complied and carefully petted the weeds by the shore.
Although there were few people in the park, there were still passersby. Initially, Nan Deng felt nervous. But after several encounters, he relaxed.
Being able to go out and stroll during the day made Nan Deng very happy. After leaving the park, Lian Yi even took him to a supermarket where they bought a lot of snacks.
Back at the hotel, the communicator on the cabinet vibrated a few times.
Lian Yi opened it to check and saw a message from Lin Jiu.
One message included a coordinate, indicating the area where an Earth Spirit was missing.
“The Earth Spirit here has disappeared for a while, suspected to be dead.”
Another message was a task directive sent to all celestial masters from the Inner Court.
The directive stated: “Lian Yi has committed multiple crimes and is henceforth classified as a Level Four dangerous person.”
Level Four dangerous persons were treated the same as Level Four resentful spirits and celestial masters were instructed to spare no effort in capturing them upon sight.
Lian Yi was not surprised at all and closed the message with a cold expression.
Immediately after, Lin Jiu sent a new message.
“I overheard the teacher discussing the prohibition placed on you with Elder Gu Xu. Have you been feeling unwell lately? I can try to find a way to lift the prohibition.”
Of course, Lin Jiu didn’t want Lian Yi to die from the prohibition. If he turned into a resentful spirit, corrupted by resentment and malice, even if he escaped the prohibition’s hold, he would no longer be the same person.
Lian Yi’s reply came quickly: “No need.”
Lin Jiu didn’t ask further and cautiously deleted all his messages with Lian Yi.
Indeed, it wasn’t easy for him to find a way to lift Lian Yi’s prohibition. If discovered, he could be suspected by Weng Ping Ran.
Moreover, with Lian Yi and Nan Deng together, and with the mountain god’s help, the prohibition should not be a problem… right?
