FCRCG Chapter 30

Once Lin Jiu was knocked unconscious, Nan Deng felt brave enough to move closer.

Except for Lian Yi, he had never spoken to another Celestial Master.

Nan Deng squatted down. He nervously reached out and pulled down the cloth covering Lin Jiu’s eyes to memorize his appearance, then quickly put it back.

This Celestial Master looked quite young and had been very cooperative in answering questions. Nan Deng believed he hadn’t lied.

If what he said was true… then the Celestial Masters who came to the motel that night were likely after Lian Yi. Although he escaped, he was still at risk of being caught.

Nan Deng grew increasingly worried. Would Lian Yi, like a resentful spirit, be locked in a place like Yezhang Tower or face even harsher punishment?

He understood the concept of being framed, but the complexities of human schemes were beyond him. He couldn’t fathom the reasons behind it.

Could it really be just because of Lian Yi’s special constitution?

The Celestial Master had said that both humans and ghosts avoided Lian Yi. But Nan Deng had stayed with him for so long, even biting his living soul and assuming human form, and he was perfectly fine.

Moreover, Lian Yi wasn’t cold at all. He adjusted the bathwater temperature for Nan Deng every day and dried his hair.

Nan Deng felt a bit sad. He really wanted to see Lian Yi now, at least to know if he was safe.

Ren Shi forcefully picked up the unconscious Lin Jiu. It took him outside and found a place to lay him down, cutting the ropes that bound him.

It left quietly. Soon, a patrolling Celestial Master found Lin Jiu lying by the roadside.

Someone recognized him: “This is Elder Weng’s student! Quickly, check what happened!”

Lin Jiu was given some medicine. A few minutes later, he woke up.

When he learned he had mysteriously ended up in the neighboring area, Lin Jiu remained silent for a long time, cautiously observing his surroundings.

“Have you seen anyone suspicious?” Lin Jiu asked, “I was knocked out and brought here.”

Unable to see with his eyes, he vaguely sensed, apart from the young man questioning him, another unfamiliar presence, though not a resentful spirit.

His life force was intact; a resentful spirit wouldn’t resist the urge to harm him.

“Knocked out and brought here?” Several celestial masters exchanged glances.

“This… sounds a bit like the habit of a lion-man,” someone hesitated, “Have you encountered a lion-man recently? Did you do something to upset it?”

The lion-man had been in the area for a long time, and many celestial masters understood its temperament and behavior.

Moreover, Lin Jiu was brought here unharmed, which indeed resembled the work of a lion-man.

“Lion-man?” Lin Jiu frowned slightly, his brow furrowed.

He had never seen a lion-man before, but… the rose bush he had taken away was missing.

While he was unconscious, someone forcefully broke the restriction he had set.

Lin Jiu looked down at the marks on his wrist from being bound, repeatedly thinking about recent events and the young man asking about Lian Yi.

He felt he was vaguely grasping something, and his heartbeat couldn’t help but quicken.

If the lion-man took the rose bush, the only person who could be with the lion-man would be…

After a moment, Lin Jiu raised his head. “Alright, I understand now. It must have been from the last time…”

He smiled awkwardly. “I hope you all can pretend you didn’t see anything and let me leave immediately.”

The celestial masters in front nodded knowingly, indicating they understood.

There have been quite a few celestial masters here who have been bound and taught lessons by the lion-man. It’s quite embarrassing to talk about. So whenever possible, they avoid encountering the lion-man altogether.

Lin Jiu thanked the group and hurriedly made his way back.

When he was knocked out, his communicator had fallen in the living room. Fortunately, he was now in a state of seclusion, so he hadn’t missed any important messages.

Lin Jiu retrieved Weng Ping Ran’s number, intending to inform him of tonight’s events. However, he hesitated before dialing.

After all, everything was just his speculation; he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes.

Moreover, the lion-man deliberately blindfolded him, clearly not wanting him to know too much.

Coupled with the recent unrest everywhere, the true source of the plague remained unresolved, and the internal affairs of the inner court…

As a student, Lin Jiu naturally trusted his teacher. But for now, he decided not to tell anyone.

If the gods didn’t want to be found, then everything they did would be in vain.

The duty of the celestial masters was still to cleanse resentful spirits and protect the residents.

So Lin Jiu turned off the communicator, pretending that tonight’s events had never happened.

Meanwhile, Ren Shi returned to the cottage.

Nan Deng sat by the low bed, attentively watching the rose bush in front of him.

He recognized it—it was the flower he had kept in Lian Yi’s courtyard.

Back then, he noticed that the potted plants at home were constantly being replaced. He thought the rabbit head was gnawing on them. But Lian Yi said no. It’s just that the plants around him didn’t last long.

Nan Deng was curious and wanted to try nurturing one himself. Lian Yi bought him this rose bush.

Nan Deng was very fond of it, handling both watering and fertilizing himself. The rose bush grew well and quickly produced a second flower.

Tonight, Ren Shi had gone out unexpectedly for this.

He reached out and gently touched the stem and leaves of the rose bush. Suddenly, the rose bush moved, and the flower bud brushed against Nan Deng’s palm.

Nan Deng widened his eyes, frozen in place. “It… It’s alive?”

That didn’t sound quite right… Of course, the rose bush was alive. But it actually moved!

Ren Shi and the rabbit head beside him, however, were not surprised. Ren Shi nodded, pushing the flower pot closer to Nan Deng, encouraging him to get closer to the flower.

The rabbit head attempted to bite a leaf of the rose bush. But it¹rose bush quickly shrunk away, trembling beside Nan Deng’s hand.

Nan Deng stopped the rabbit head, and the rose bush stopped being afraid. Its petals visibly relaxed.

Nan Deng’s shock gradually turned into curiosity and exploration. Once again, he touched the leaves of the rose bush, then looked up at Ren Shi with a hint of bewilderment.

Ren Shi approached with a smile on its glowing face. It gently kissed Nan Deng’s hair.

In a daze, Nan Deng finally realized that this was no ordinary situation.

He had known Hei Mao earlier and the rose bush was his own nurturing. But Ren Shi was different. This little spirit liked him from the moment they met.

It could knock out and bring back a celestial master, repelling ghosts that night, and Nan Deng was also a ghost.

Ren Shi also knew the rose bush was very special, bringing it back that very night.

With these thoughts, Nan Deng found himself indeed quite different from other ghosts. When he was with Lian Yi, he could turn into a human.

He had never needed to worry too much before, so he hadn’t delved deeply into it.

Thinking of Lian Yi, Nan Deng quieted down.

Sensing his subdued mood, Ren Shi hugged his arm, its eyes showing concern.

Holding the flower pot, Nan Deng made a decision. “I want to go out… and find someone.”

He had been thinking about this before Ren Shi returned.

Though he didn’t know where to look… Would Lian Yi return to the motel? Or back to his old house…

Ren Shi tilted its head in confusion, then made a thoughtful sound, still holding Nan Deng’s hand as if to accompany him.

It couldn’t speak, but that “hmm” was crystal clear.

Nan Deng could faintly sense Ren Shi’s thoughts—it wanted to protect him.

He patted Ren Shi’s head gratefully and said, “Thank you.”

The rose bush was left in the cottage; Ren Shi placed it in a corner and buried two strands of Nan Deng’s hair in the flower pot.

Nan Deng watched its actions curiously, partly understanding and partly puzzled.

Finally, with Ren Shi and the rabbit head, he quietly arrived at the edge of the street outside.

This was the peak time when resentful spirits roamed; celestial masters on patrol were only increasing. Nan Deng hid in a corner, watching a small squad move away.

Ren Shi gripped a long sword, vigilantly scanning the surroundings, then suddenly turned to look in one direction.

The rabbit head also turned, jumping down from Nan Deng and heading off on its own.

Nan Deng lowered his voice and called out, “Xiao Tu! Don’t wander off!”

But then he too sensed something unusual.

It was a strong resentment and evil energy, not far away on another street.

At the same time, a group of celestial masters hurried towards that direction but stopped midway, hesitating whether to turn back with the person they had.

Seeing this, Nan Deng had a premonition and immediately caught up with the rabbit head.

—

When Hei Mao was found by Lian Yi, it hissed furiously and poised to attack.

Lian Yi showed no fear, effortlessly dodging a strike and using spiritual arts to grab the black cat’s body.

The earth spirits disliked celestial masters, and Lian Yi also didn’t like cats. However, he hesitated because this was Nan Deng’s beloved “little pet” and refrained from using force.

With patience, he asked again, “Where is Nan Deng?”

Hei Mao, naturally unwilling to reveal Nan Deng and Ren Shi’s whereabouts under threat, realized it couldn’t win against the person in front of it. It twisted and struggled to break free to escape.

But before it could run a few steps, the familiar Bagua ring slammed down on its feet again.

Hei Mao was furious, itching to fight. But after staring at Lian Yi for a while, it lowered its head.

This gesture meant compromise, agreeing to tell Lian Yi.

Lian Yi lifted his eyes slightly. “Lead the way.”

Hei Mao flicked its thick tail and stepped towards the direction of the adjacent area.

Their commotion on the street corner didn’t go unnoticed; a resentful spirit hiding in a corner saw it and secretly returned to the underground den to inform the fog-shrouded specter.

“Why isn’t he running?” the fog-shrouded specter’s voice was bitter. “Catch up with him… exhaust him.”

Lian Yi’s spiritual powers seemed limitless, like an unpredictable time bomb; it would be best to capture him alive soon.

In just a day, many resentful spirits had gathered in the den again. Upon hearing the fog-shrouded specter’s command, they left the den one after another.

When a group of resentful spirits traced Lian Yi’s direction, he and the black cat had already moved to the adjacent area.

Taking advantage of the lack of bystanders, the resentful spirits emerged from underground, launching frenzied attacks.

The first resentful spirit that lunged at him was pierced through by his spiritual arts, revealing a deep sense of impatience in Lian Yi’s eyes.

Meanwhile, Hei Mao leaped onto a nearby tree trunk, quietly observing the situation.

It wouldn’t obediently listen to Lian Yi’s words. Originally, it intended to deliberately lead him to a place with many resentful spirits, which was happening now.

The resentful spirits’ primary target was Lianyi, and Hei Mao was very safe up in the tree.

At this moment, nearby celestial masters noticed something unusual.

A team intended to rush over to investigate. A message was broadcasted on the general channel, stating that Lian Yi was also there and under attack by resentful spirits.

In these past few days, Lian Yi had experienced quite a lot, and he was no longer the Chief Celestial Master.

His suspicions had not been resolved, making his identity quite awkward.

“He can handle it alone,” someone in the team suggested. “Unless the resentful spirits attack someone else, we shouldn’t go there.”

The others either agreed or remained silent, following the team leader away.

Although there were many resentful spirits and they were high in rank, they were nowhere near the number from the night at the motel.

Lian Yi swiftly dealt with the resentful spirits blocking his path, tearing them apart.

The last resentful spirit fell amidst the wreckage, reaching out to grab Lian Yi, but its two arms were cleanly severed.

Then, Lian Yi heard a cat’s meow.

Hei Mao jumped down from the tree trunk and ran off into the distance.

Turning around, Lian Yi saw Nan Deng, whom he had been searching for the whole day, standing at the street corner, staring blankly at him.

He hesitated slightly in his actions, immediately retracting the Bagua ring.

Once again, he unintentionally let Nan Deng witness such a scene.

Nan Deng came with the rabbit head to find him. He vaguely felt Lian Yi might be here, but didn’t expect it to be true.

For a moment, he was stunned, with many words stuck in his heart.

Surprisingly, Hei Mao was also there, rubbing against Nan Deng’s feet.

Nan Deng glanced down at Hei Mao. When he looked up again, Lian Yi had crossed over the fallen resentful spirit and was walking towards him.

Clad in black, having just dealt with the resentful spirits, he exuded a lingering evil energy.

Nan Deng recalled similar scenes from last night and the intimidating Bagua ring that had frightened him, showing traces of fear in his eyes unintentionally.

Seeing his reaction, Lian Yi stopped a few steps away.

“Nan Deng,” he suppressed all his restlessness and gloom, patiently coaxing, “come here.”

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