FCRCG Chapter 37

Gu Xu felt even more puzzled. He tried contacting Xie Yun again, but there was no response.

However, Gu Xu had known Xie Yun for a long time. Aside from Zhuo Qing, Xie Yun was the person he trusted most within the Inner Court.

Gu Xu didn’t dwell on it, assuming that Xie Yun was busy with something and couldn’t talk.

He also knew that Xie Yun had been recovering from an illness over the years, rarely appearing in public, but never stopping his research on various techniques.

Gu Xu had heard Xie Yun mention that he had found a good method for cultivating spiritual techniques. However, the risks were high, and it hadn’t been thoroughly tested, so he wasn’t going to tell anyone for the time being.

At that time, Gu Xu was already an elder, wielding power and possessing strong spiritual skills, so he wasn’t very interested in such methods. Moreover, Zhuo Qing was busy looking after his own disciples.

But now he had no other choice. He had to recover quickly and capture Lian Yi alive.

After being confined at home for so long due to illness, Gu Xu was filled with resentment, his mind envisioning numerous cruel ways to torment Lian Yi.

It would be best to have Hui Shou bite him too, so he could taste the pain Gu Xu was enduring.

Gu Xu took a deep breath, sweat beading on his forehead. He rang the bell by his bed, summoning his subordinates to help change his medicine.

Before nightfall, Gu Xu received a message from Xie Yun.

“Send all your people away. No one is to disturb us.”

Gu Xu didn’t question him and ordered his subordinates outside to leave and only return upon his command.

He leaned back against the headboard, the room dimly lit by a yellow lamp. He closed his eyes to wait.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when he suddenly woke up.

Since being injured, he had become easily fatigued and had accidentally fallen asleep. But as an elder, his body’s natural alertness remained.

The room was silent, with a faint, chilly air rising from the ground.

Gu Xu’s expression turned cold. He got up and summoned his copper sword.

A resentful spirit dared to target him? He might be recuperating, but he was not yet a helpless victim.

The copper sword was held aloft in the air. At the same time, wisps of mist floated in the air, accompanied by a familiar hoarse voice.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Gu Xu was taken aback. It was clearly Xie Yun’s voice.

He hesitated and felt a moment of confusion, and thus did not wield the copper sword.

However, during this brief hesitation, the mist coalesced into shape, and a ghost suddenly appeared, launching an attack at him.

Gu Xu, caught off guard, couldn’t defend against the attack in time. His back wound struck the bedpost, causing excruciating pain.

The copper sword, devoid of spiritual guidance, fell powerlessly to the ground as Gu Xu watched the mist envelop him.

The ghost bit into his neck, greedily consuming his life force.

Could this really be Xie Yun? How could he appear in such a form?

“You…”

Fear filled Gu Xu’s eyes, and he couldn’t make a coherent sound. His face rapidly aged, showing signs of severe life force depletion.

He tried several times to manipulate the copper sword but to no avail. He closed his eyes in despair, thinking he would die here today.

But the ghost released him just in time, leaving him barely alive.

“Do not blame me,”

The ghost sighed, speaking in a voice very similar to Xie Yun’s, “To use my method, you must be in a near-death state.”

Gu Xu lay on the ground, barely breathing, only able to shakily lift his fingertips.

The ghost raised its hands, and a large amount of mist once again enveloped Gu Xu.

Gu Xu cried out in intense pain as the mist invaded his body, forcibly tearing his remaining life force in two.

“Besides, it takes a lot of effort for me to personally control this body and come out,” the ghost continued.

The ghost watched Gu Xu struggle in pain without any intention of stopping. “It’s only fitting that you offer your life force to me.”

As part of Gu Xu’s life force successfully left his body, another figure appeared beside him.

The figure was dark and indistinct as if it might dissipate at any moment. It seemed to be a semi-transparent spirit, yet it differed from ordinary wraiths.

“Gu Xu” looked down at his own body lying on the ground, then extended his hands, examining his semi-transparent palms under the light in the room.

The ghost, satisfied with its work, flicked a black piece of paper onto Gu Xu’s spirit body, immediately marking it with a seal.

“Now, you can use a brand new cultivation method.”

Gu Xu’s physical body remained on the ground, extremely weak, with blood seeping from the corners of his mouth. “Why…”

The ghost crouched down, its tone soft. “Weren’t you the one who contacted me, hoping to quickly enhance your spiritual skills? This is my method.”

By extracting part of one’s life force, turning oneself into a half-human, half-ghost.

Ghosts can devour the life force of others, transferring the acquired power back to their physical bodies.

Gu Xu’s wound on his back had long since ruptured, blood staining the ground. The ghost reached out to touch it, continuing, “Considering your situation is similar to mine, I decided to teach you.”

A similar situation? Gu Xu quickly realized the implication.

Xie Yun had been recuperating from an illness for many years because he, too, had been injured by Hui Shou.

—

The black car continued towards its destination, stopping once at noon. Nan Deng and Lian Yi rested for a while in a small motel and had lunch.

Lin Jiu was very concerned about their trip, checking in on them periodically to confirm their location.

Lian Yi originally didn’t want to respond, but Nan Deng took the communicator.

Having known Lin Jiu for a few days, he felt that this celestial master was quite nice—gentle, sincere, and polite.

Nan Deng wasn’t very adept at typing, so with Lian Yi’s help, he sent a reply to Lin Jiu.

“We are fine. No need to worry, thank you.”

At the end of the message was a simple smiling face. When Lin Jiu received it, he almost dropped his communicator.

He read the message several times, ruling out the possibility that Lian Yi’s communicator had been stolen, and finally guessed that it might have been sent by Nan Deng.

A message sent personally by the Mountain God…

Lin Jiu took several deep breaths, carefully marked the message as important, and locked it away for safekeeping.

Before nightfall, the driver drove them to the pre-booked motel.

After a whole day of travel, they had passed through two regions and were now in the third.

Their lodging details had been arranged by Lin Jiu in advance. Nan Deng, wearing a mask and holding a potted rose, entered the motel.

Having spent almost the entire day in the car, Nan Deng put down the flower pot and threw himself onto the bed.

Lian Yi used the room’s phone to order food, then sat beside Nan Deng, gently arranging his hair. “Not feeling well?”

Nan Deng mumbled something indistinct and moved closer to Lian Yi.

He seemed to have gotten stronger lately, and when Lian Yi held him, they both ended up lying down.

Nan Deng nuzzled against Lian Yi’s neck. “I want ice cream.”

“After dinner,” Lian Yi said softly, his face appearing gentle under the light.

Nan Deng remained nestled against his neck, the familiar scent bringing him comfort and relaxation.

Lian Yi stroked his hair, his breath brushing past Nan Deng’s ear.

His heart ached dully again, a sensation that had become more frequent recently.

However, compared to the initial episodes, the pain had lessened, or perhaps he had grown accustomed to it, making it easier to endure.

If the restriction couldn’t be lifted and he eventually died and turned into a ghost, he wondered if he would be different from now and if Nan Deng would still want to stay by his side.

Lian Yi tightened his embrace, feeling Nan Deng’s shallow breaths and heartbeat.

Dinner was soon delivered, and under Lian Yi’s care, Nan Deng filled his stomach and was then allowed to have a cup of ice cream.

Although the weather was already getting cold, Nan Deng didn’t mind at all. He scooped up a large spoonful of ice cream and ate it, then scooped another spoonful for Lian Yi.

Lian Yi didn’t want to eat it, but the rabbit head quickly opened its mouth, signaling it wanted to be fed.

So, Nan Deng fed it a spoonful. A moment later, he looked up and saw the branches of the rose extending from the cabinet, imitating the rabbit head by opening its bud, asking to be fed.

It hadn’t grown larger or shown the sharp teeth within its bud, so Nan Deng only fed it a small amount.

The bud shivered after swallowing the ice cream, then slowly retracted back into the pot.

The rabbit head “puffed” in mockery and jumped into Nan Deng’s arms, finding a comfortable position to lie down.

They had to get up early the next day, as the driver wanted to deliver them as soon as possible. After bathing, Nan Deng planned to go to bed early tonight.

The sky outside was already dark, and Lian Yi was drying his hair.

Nan Deng yawned. His hair was still damp when the sound of the hairdryer abruptly stopped.

Puzzled, he looked up to see Lian Yi gazing towards the window.

The rabbit head was also under the window, looking up and studying it, its ears folded back.

Outside, there was a faint sound, as if something was scratching at the window, slowly pushing it open, trying to get in from outside.

The noise was unsettling, and Nan Deng instinctively hid in Lian Yi’s embrace.

Lian Yi put down the hairdryer and reassured him, “It’s not a ghost.”

They were staying on a high floor, so if it wasn’t a ghost, what could it be?

Nan Deng reached into Lian Yi’s pocket and felt the quiet, silver Bagua ring. It really wasn’t a ghost.

He looked again and saw a yellow and green budgerigar squeezing in from behind the curtain.

The parrot was small, only the size of a palm. It was this little bird that had been struggling to open the window.

Once inside, it flew straight to Nan Deng, flapping its wings and landing on the bedside table.

The rabbit head followed closely behind the parrot, fixating on its long tail feathers.

The parrot tilted its head to look at Nan Deng. It seemed excited, ignoring the rabbit head and Lian Yi, and asked in a soft voice, “Mountain God?”

Nan Deng’s eyes widened. “It can talk?”

He didn’t know what kind of bird this was, but instinctively felt it wasn’t an ordinary creature. Could it be… another earth spirit?

But who was it talking to just now?

Nan Deng looked at Lian Yi with a puzzled expression.

Lian Yi confirmed, “It’s also an earth spirit.”

He wasn’t familiar with this area, but the identity of the budgerigar before him was unmistakable.

“Yes, I am the earth spirit here,” the budgerigar replied.

The budgerigar’s voice was clear and had a unique tone. Its eyes sparkled as it tentatively stepped forward.

“My name is Mao Dou,” it introduced itself, “I am six years old.”

This was the first time Nan Deng had encountered an earth spirit that could speak normally.

“Only six?” He was even more amazed, moving closer to the budgerigar. “So young…”

The budgerigar shyly tilted its head. “Mountain God, I am not that young.”

The age of a budgerigar was different from that of humans, and being an earth spirit, its lifespan differed from ordinary budgerigars.

In actual years, it had lived for over thirty years, with the same duration as an earth spirit.

But as an earth spirit and a budgerigar, it considered itself to be six years old.

Unaware of this, Nan Deng extended his hand, and the budgerigar willingly flew into his palm, rubbing its forehead against his fingers. “Mountain God, I finally get to meet you.”

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