The rabbit head was about the size of a palm, with a semi-transparent body resembling a rabbit plush toy’s head.
Dangling by its ears as Nan Deng held it, its pitch-black pupils stared blankly, making it look somewhat comical.
Lin Jiu had encountered the Chaos God before. That time in the suburbs had been chaotic, with Gu Xu sustaining serious injuries. Lin Jiu had been preoccupied with protecting the wounded and retreating, not having the luxury to feel the excitement and joy of seeing one of the three gods.
By the time he collected himself, the Chaos God had already vanished.
No matter how he looked at it, the rabbit head before him bore no resemblance to the fierce and hideous giant beast.
Perhaps… the mountain god had more than one pet?
The rabbit head also didn’t resemble an earth spirit. It might indeed just be Nan Deng’s little pet, nothing more.
Lin Jiu steadied himself, carefully choosing his words, “You needn’t worry about it…”
Standing straight and speaking very politely, Lin Jiu left Nan Deng feeling somewhat at a loss, turning to look at Lian Yi.
Lian Yi, drying his hands with a towel, said, “Come eat the fish.”
Nan Deng glanced at Lin Jiu’s hand, seeing no visible wounds, and returned to the table with the rabbit head.
He placed the rabbit head on a clean dish, warning, “Don’t move.”
The rabbit head, eyes half-closed, stayed obediently in place.
This meal took Nan Deng quite a while. His appetite seemed boundless, and he wanted to try a bit of everything.
After finishing his twentieth piece of pastry, Lian Yi took away the dish. “That’s enough.”
Nan Deng, still a bit unsatisfied, obediently nodded, “I won’t eat anymore.”
He pulled Lian Yi’s hand over, as usual, letting him feel his flat stomach to show that he didn’t feel uncomfortable from eating too much.
Lin Jiu quickly stepped forward to clear the dishes, keeping his head down and maintaining a neutral demeanor. Yet, he could clearly sense the interaction between Lian Yi and Nan Deng.
Lian Yi actually dared to stop the mountain god from eating more pastries…
But given Lian Yi’s familiarity with the mountain god, Lin Jiu had no right to comment.
They were so close…
No, no, it must be his imagination. There had to be a reason for everything the mountain god did; he just didn’t understand it yet.
Lin Jiu closed his eyes for a moment, trying hard to make himself invisible.
After he finished tidying up and called a waiter to take away the dishes and table, Lian Yi had already taken Nan Deng to the bedroom.
It was late, and the mountain god needed rest too.
Lin Jiu glanced at the time and decided to leave quietly. He had come without informing Weng Ping Ran and couldn’t stay too long.
As he reached the door, Lian Yi called out to him, “Wait a moment.”
Lian Yi approached, holding the pot with the rose bush. “Is this a new earth spirit?”
Because of Nan Deng, this rose bush possessed an unusual vitality. But it was still uncertain if it had become an earth spirit.
Lin Jiu took the rose bush and examined it closely. “From its appearance, it’s not clear yet. It might still be growing.”
In a non-combat state, some earth spirits couldn’t be distinguished by the naked eye, like that black cat.
And nearby areas seem to have earth spirits already; they haven’t heard of any vacancies.
Each area only hosts one earth spirit; it’s like some invisible rule.
If the rose bush truly becomes a new earth spirit, it’ll need to be taken to a suitable place.
“Plant-type earth spirits are generally weaker,” Lin Jiu remarked. “I suggest we observe it further.”
By staying near Nan Deng for now, nurtured by the mountain god’s aura, the earth spirit’s growth will be accelerated.
Lin Jiu carefully returned the pot to Lian Yi.
Lian Yi took it and nodded. “Alright.”
“Then I’ll be going,” Lin Jiu said respectfully. “If there are new developments in the Inner Court, I’ll contact you immediately.”
Lian Yi paused briefly. “Okay.”
Their interactions had actually been quite limited. He wasn’t quite used to having a “colleague” with whom he could converse normally.
Lin Jiu didn’t mind this and noticed that Lian Yi’s guard had visibly lowered compared to before they arrived at the hotel.
He bid farewell to Lian Yi once more and quietly left.
Lian Yi locked the door behind him and returned to the bedroom area.
Nan Deng had turned on the air conditioning at some point and was now watching TV under a thick blanket.
Lian Yi approached, turning off the unsuitable air conditioning.
Nan Deng pulled back the blanket and reached out towards Lian Yi. “I’m sleepy.”
Lian Yi held his hand, tucking it back under the blanket. “Sleep on your own. I’ll go shower.”
Nan Deng yawned. “Okay. I’ll wait for you.”
The bedside lamp in the bedroom was turned down to its dimmest as Lian Yi went to the bathroom alone.
Nan Deng had been waiting for him to come out. But halfway through, he accidentally fell asleep.
It wasn’t until he vaguely heard some movement that he opened his eyes and saw Lian Yi heading to the adjacent bed.
Nan Deng sat up, still somewhat groggy from his interrupted sleep. He stared blankly at Lian Yi.
The bedroom was dimly lit, and Lian Yi paused momentarily, then returned to his side of the bed under Nan Deng’s gaze.
Nan Deng instinctively shifted aside to make room for Lian Yi.
As soon as Lian Yi lay down, Nan Deng snuggled up to him, wanting to be held.
Feeling exhausted, he didn’t ask why Lian Yi hadn’t come over sooner.
Lian Yi embraced him and coaxed, “Go back to sleep.”
Tonight, Lin Jiu had hidden his emotions well. But Lian Yi had still noticed a hint of something.
Because Lin Jiu was present, any elder from the Inner Court would have immediately questioned or stopped him upon seeing this.
The Mountain God was so noble; how could a suspected yet-to-be-convicted celestial master be so intimate with the Mountain God?
Lian Yi didn’t need to ask to know that in others’ eyes, he wasn’t worthy.
Yet Nan Deng insisted on being with him, perhaps out of habit, dependence, or some other reason.
Lian Yi lowered his gaze, watching Nan Deng’s peaceful sleeping face. He gently ran his fingers through Nan Deng’s dark hair.
He leaned closer and placed a restrained kiss on Nan Deng’s forehead.
—
Early the next morning, Nan Deng woke up first.
He closed his eyes and buried himself in Lian Yi’s embrace, not wanting to get up yet.
The rabbit head squeezed in between them. Nan Deng grabbed it and, in his groping, touched something cold and hard.
He pulled it out and saw a brightly shining silver Bagua ring.
Nan Deng hesitated for a moment, then suddenly threw the Bagua ring away.
The silver item hit the ground with a dull thud, and Lian Yi opened his eyes.
Nan Deng was now fully awake. He pushed aside the covers and sat up, anxiously examining his fingertips.
Lian Yi took his hand. The skin was fair and tender, with only the red mark from his own pinching, no injury.
The Bagua ring lying on the ground hummed twice and floated automatically, standing up and slowly flying closer.
Nan Deng felt a bit frightened and burrowed into Lian Yi’s arms. Lian Yi reassured him, “Don’t worry, it won’t harm you.”
The Bagua ring was his commonly used magical tool, imbued with a faint spirituality and connected to its owner’s intentions.
Nan Deng glanced sideways, plucking up the courage to reach out his hand.
He had witnessed the power of the Bagua ring, capable of piercing straight through a ghost’s body. Now, it floated quietly in the air, emitting a faint glow.
Nan Deng cautiously touched it, and the Bagua ring moved towards him, landing in his palm.
Now the Bagua ring looked more like an ordinary silver item. Nan Deng held it, gradually relaxing.
The communicator on the bedside table beeped. Lian Yi picked it up and checked. It was Lin Jiu.
“Someone said they saw you walking with a resentful spirit. Is there a misunderstanding?”
Lin Jiu was unclear about Nan Deng’s situation. All he knew was that Lian Yi had severely injured large numbers of resentful spirits twice, and he thought there had been another misunderstanding.
Lian Yi didn’t reply. He set down the communicator.
Whether it was a misunderstanding or intentional slander, it no longer mattered.
Gu Xu had made up his mind to convict him, and none of his defenses would matter.
Especially now, Nan Deng couldn’t afford to be discovered. The reasons why he and the rabbit head were confined in Yezhang Tower hadn’t been uncovered yet. The members of the Inner Court couldn’t be easily trusted.
Moreover, Nan Deng still didn’t know his own identity and abilities. He was naive and ignorant, almost like a blank slate.
A nascent deity falling into the hands of those with ulterior motives would lead to unimaginable consequences.
Nan Deng continued to toy with the Bagua ring, warming it with the heat from his palm.
Lian Yi held him close, his gaze shifting towards the rose bush by the door.
—
In the morning, Lin Jiu received a message from Lian Yi. “Investigate the resentful spirits brought back.”
The resentful spirits mentioned in the message referred to those that had appeared in large numbers twice and besieged Lian Yi.
Due to the plague, the number of resentful spirits had increased recently. With Weng Ping Ran’s limited energy, the resentful spirits captured from outside the hotel last time were kept separately and had not yet been sent to Yezhang Tower.
Lin Jiu immediately found the resentful spirits and quietly took away one of the clay pots.
There weren’t many celestial masters staying behind during the day; many were resting, including Weng Ping Ran. Lin Jiu encountered no obstacles and directly brought the clay pot back to his residence.
He opened the communicator and reviewed the message sent by Lian Yi, his expression growing grave once more.
The communication mentioned the fog-shrouded specter, briefly describing its abilities.
Using some kind of tool, it marks and controls other resentful spirits, a capability unheard of before.
Despite the Inner Court’s ongoing capture of resentful spirits, they hadn’t noticed anything unusual.
But soon, Lin Jiu figured out the reason.
The fog-shrouded specter had clear objectives and was cunning. It managed to escape Lian Yi’s grasp without leaving any trace.
It had likely been lurking for a long time, secretly manipulating a large number of resentful spirits to sustain itself until encountering Lian Yi.
The fog-shrouded specter targeted only Lian Yi and never attacked other celestial masters or residents, which meant only Lian Yi had noticed its presence.
Coincidentally, Lian Yi was currently in a difficult situation, and what he said might not be easily believed by others.
Lin Jiu opened the clay pot and released a resentful spirit.
The Level Three resentful spirit wildly thrashed within the sealing array, emitting furious roars and howls.
Using spiritual arts, Lin Jiu suppressed it and demanded, “Where is the fog-shrouded specter?”
However, such questioning was futile against resentful spirits. Lin Jiu didn’t hold much hope but proceeded to examine the spirit’s body.
Yet, he found no black marks on the resentful spirit’s body.
Frowning deeply, Lin Jiu retrieved several more resentful spirits and thoroughly inspected each one, but found nothing.
Could he have been mistaken? Were these not the resentful spirits in question?
Choosing to trust Lian Yi, he speculated that perhaps the fog-shrouded specter had erased its marks preemptively to avoid detection.
Lin Jiu grabbed the resentful spirit and tossed it back into the clay pot, preparing to head over to Lian Yi’s place.
He sent a message to Lian Yi, notifying him in advance. He quietly rushed over after receiving permission.
When he arrived at the hotel, Nan Deng had just finished lunch.
This was the third time Nan Deng had seen Lin Jiu, and he was no longer as nervous. He greeted Lin Jiu somewhat cautiously and sat quietly in the corner of the sofa, holding the rose bush.
Lian Yi had told him to spend more time with the rose bush, suggesting it might help it grow better.
Nan Deng touched the leaves of the rose bush, curiously watching the two conversing.
“The marks are gone,” Lin Jiu said. “I’m not sure what’s going on, so I brought it here for you to see.”
He stepped back and released another resentful spirit.
The curtains in the room were not drawn. As the resentful spirit emerged from the pot, it was immediately scorched by the sunlight, writhing in agony.
Nan Deng watched this scene, holding his breath involuntarily and hugging the rose bush tightly.
Fortunately, the sealing array contained the resentful spirit, keeping all its sounds isolated inside.
Lian Yi double-checked, “No marks.”
He couldn’t be sure if these were the resentful spirits that had attacked him that night; they might have been swapped.
“It’s really strange…” Lin Jiu pondered. “I have a feeling that the fog-shrouded specter is afraid of being discovered by us.”
By “us”, he meant the celestial masters of the Inner Court.
Resentful spirits were inherently violent and cruel, unable to restrain their malicious thoughts and desires. The fact that the fog-shrouded specter had managed to hide for so long was highly unusual.
“These resentful spirits are useless now,” Lian Yi’s expression turned slightly cold. “Next time we encounter them, I’ll capture them.”
Lin Jiu hesitated, wanting to ask if Nan Deng knew anything.
But if Lian Yi and Nan Deng were together, whatever Nan Deng knew, he would surely know too.
It seemed like the lead had temporarily gone cold.
Lin Jiu acknowledged with a nod, preparing to put away the resentful spirit within the array.
At that moment, the rose bush in Nan Deng’s arms suddenly moved.
Its second bud expanded rapidly, its branches growing sharply and extending towards where the resentful spirit was located. It opened a bud nearly a meter wide, revealing two rows of densely packed sharp teeth inside, which promptly swallowed the resentful spirit whole.
Lian Yi reacted the quickest, sidestepping the branches.
Lin Jiu was startled and quickly removed the array, stepping back.
The constraints of the array were ineffective against the earth spirit; the rose bush had indeed become a new earth spirit.
After swallowing the resentful spirit, the rose bush slowly returned to normal, and the bud reverted to its original size as if nothing had happened.
Nan Deng held the flowerpot, stuttering, “Y-you…”
The rabbit head, who was also in Nan Deng’s arms, flicked its ears and gave the flowerpot a tug.
