FCRCG Chapter 44

Lin Jiu felt a lump in his throat.

If things were truly as Weng Ping Ran said, then this matter would be incredibly simple: not only could the Mountain God come to Changyang, but he could also personally plead on Lian Yi’s behalf.

However, he couldn’t rashly tell Weng Ping Ran everything he knew. Nan Deng was still immature and needed protection and guidance.

Moreover, the Chaos God had been injured while protecting him back then and had retreated into Yezhang Tower. It was still uncertain how much he had recovered.

If Weng Ping Ran turned out to be untrustworthy, combined with Xie Yun, the two of them were the only remaining elders in the Inner Court, capable of mobilizing nearly all the Celestial Masters in the Inner Court.

Lin Jiu had been brought into the Inner Court at the age of six. Later, due to his high talent, he was chosen by Weng Ping Ran to become his student.

He understood his teacher and didn’t think Weng Ping Ran would do anything that violated the duties of a Celestial Master. But given the safety of the Mountain God and various people, he needed to be more cautious.

He had to test Weng Ping Ran’s attitude towards the Mountain God a bit more.

Following Weng Ping Ran’s previous words, Lin Jiu continued, “The Mountain God hasn’t appeared for so many years. Last time, Hui Shou severely injured Elder Gu Xu… I think even if the Mountain God personally pleaded for Lian Yi, there wouldn’t be many who would listen…”

He tactfully implied that Weng Ping Ran was probably just speaking offhandedly, as few Celestial Masters in the current Inner Court would unconditionally follow the three deities.

With a loud “bang”, Weng Ping Ran forcefully knocked his cup against the tray beside him, glaring at Lin Jiu. “What nonsense are you spouting? Without the Mountain God, where would all the creatures of this world come from?”

He caught Lin Jiu’s drift but couldn’t fathom that Lin Jiu had already met the Mountain God, thinking instead that Lin Jiu was expressing his own thoughts.

Moreover, these words sounded to Weng Ping Ran like a form of doubt, successfully angering him.

“Anyone who dares to disrespect the Mountain God will be expelled from the Inner Court immediately!” Weng Ping Ran’s expression turned cold. “Don’t let me hear such words from you again.”

Seeing Lin Jiu lower his head in silence, he added, “As for Gu Xu, that’s his own karma. Besides, Hui Shou has always been like that. Who can blame him?”

Gu Xu could only blame his own bad luck. If he hadn’t taken people to find Lian Yi, none of this would have happened.

Even if the Chaos God truly made a mistake, it should be judged by the Mountain God, not something they had the power to interfere with.

After finishing his words, Weng Ping Ran picked up his cup and strode away, leaving Lin Jiu standing alone.

Lin Jiu watched his departing figure and sighed silently, his emotions complex.

From Weng Ping Ran’s reaction, it seemed he was the type to follow the Mountain God unconditionally, to the point of being somewhat rigid and inflexible.

If he were to actually meet the Mountain God, who knows if he would maintain this attitude…

Though extreme, it was still better than the completely opposite attitude.

Lin Jiu felt more assured and took out his communicator.

Lian Yi had sent a reply, with just one word: “Okay.”

Upon learning that Lin Jiu wanted them to go to Changyang, Nan Deng felt reluctant to leave the rose: “When are we leaving? I want to see the Cao Mei again.”

In Changyang, they would be able to see the parrot spirit again, but the rose would be left behind.

Nan Deng thought worriedly. The spirit could only stay in its own area, meaning he would have to travel around constantly to avoid neglecting any of the spirits.

Lian Yi glanced at the time: “We’ll leave tomorrow morning.”

It was already getting dark, and they wouldn’t be able to find any vehicles willing to travel at night.

If they left tomorrow morning, they could visit the rose and still reach Changyang before nightfall.

Lian Yi continued to send messages to Lin Jiu, asking him to help arrange accommodations.

Nan Deng watched him type and send the message, yawning slightly with a hint of fatigue.

Lian Yi stroked his cheek. “Still tired?”

Nan Deng had eaten and taken a nap. But if he had expended divine power, he wasn’t sure how to quickly recover.

“Not tired, but…” Nan Deng shook his head, his eyes a bit confused. “But I want to stay with you.”

It seemed that if Lian Yi stayed with him a little longer, he wouldn’t feel tired. This vague notion was something Nan Deng couldn’t quite articulate.

Perhaps it was because it was his first time using divine power independently, and he was still in a state of confusion and anxiety, unconsciously relying on Lian Yi.

Nan Deng became particularly clingy, holding onto Lian Yi’s rough hand, feeling his slightly higher body temperature.

Lian Yi lowered his head to kiss the hair by Nan Deng’s ear, holding him close.

—

Just before nightfall, Lian Yi received a message from Lin Jiu.

“I heard that all the patients in the hospital on your side have been cured! Did the Mountain God and you find a way to eliminate the plague?”

Lian Yi had been keeping an eye on the hospital situation and was surprised that Lin Jiu got the news so quickly.

“Yes. But it’s still unstable.”

The instability referred to Nan Deng’s condition. Lin Jiu was extremely excited, clutching his communicator so tightly he could barely speak.

In just one afternoon, all the patients had been cured. More precisely, it happened within an hour or two, with some additional time spent on checking the patients’ conditions to confirm the results.

This was much faster than the parrot spraying water on people everywhere and was an extremely important development.

Lin Jiu calmed himself and sent several messages in quick succession, wanting to know more details, including whether Nan Deng was alright.

Lian Yi replied with just one sentence: “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

Later in the afternoon, Nan Deng got hungry again, so they had an early dinner. He fell asleep watching TV.

Lian Yi put down his communicator and gently carried Nan Deng to bed.

The next morning, he received another message from Lin Jiu.

“It’s not just the hospital; all the residents in the area are cured!”

The patients in the hospital were the most severe cases, while others were recuperating at home. Even these people were cured, just a bit slower than the hospital patients.

It seemed the divine power was continuously spreading outward. It was unclear how far its effects would ultimately reach.

Even though Lian Yi had speculated, Nan Deng’s abilities surpassed his expectations.

Nan Deng seemed to grow slowly, but he had already changed significantly from his initial self.

Lian Yi showed the messages to Nan Deng, who stared at them for a while, carefully reading each word.

He rubbed his inexplicably sore nose and threw himself into Lian Yi’s arms. “It’s good that they’re alright…”

No wonder he felt so exhausted yesterday as if his body had been drained.

Nan Deng, both happy and hopeful, looked up. “Let’s go see Cao Mei quickly and then find Mao Dou!”

Still concerned, Lian Yi asked, “Are you feeling any discomfort?”

Nan Deng shook his head. He felt quite well and had recovered to his previous state.

He threw off the covers and got out of bed, urging Lian Yi to wash up and change clothes.

With the plague gone from the area, more residents were out on the streets.

Wearing masks, Nan Deng and Lian Yi blended in and headed to the central park.

Two Celestial Masters guarded the low wall nearby, and the rose bush had sprouted several new branches, each adorned with beautiful little pink flowers.

To Nan Deng’s surprise, the plant had grown even more vigorously in his absence, almost making it unrecognizable.

With the Celestial Masters present, it wasn’t convenient for them to get close. Nan Deng took one last lingering look and said, “Let’s go. We’ll come back to see it next time.”

After noon, Lian Yi finally found a driver willing to take them to Changyang.

The news of the plague’s sudden disappearance spread quickly. Although the cause was still uncertain, people outside the area were eager to come here, and few wanted to venture to places where the plague still lingered.

The driver, after accepting a fare twenty times the usual rate, reluctantly said, “Get in. If we wait any longer, we won’t make it before dark.”

Lin Jiu, upon hearing they had successfully left, sent an address for a newly booked hotel.

Worried, he planned to secretly greet them in the evening.

Weng Ping Ran also learned about the plague’s disappearance across the entire area and belatedly wondered, “Could it be because of the Mountain God…”

He had genuinely believed that the parrot spirit had some special ability, and he had exhausted himself trying to analyze the water’s components to create a medicine for the patients.

Now it seemed more likely that the intervention of the Mountain God had eradicated the plague.

Weng Ping Ran paced the corridor back and forth, more excited than Lin Jiu had been the previous night.

He wanted to go to that area immediately, but Lin Jiu stopped him.

“Teacher, there’s no rush,” Lin Jiu tried to say. “Since the parrot spirit has a water source that can cure patients, it must know something.”

“Yes, yes, the spirit must know!” Weng Ping Ran picked up his coat. “I’ll go see it again…”

However, knowing something was one thing. Whether it would tell them was another.

Lin Jiu estimated that Weng Ping Ran would spend quite some time with the parrot and, after arranging for people to stay at the hospital, quietly left.

—

Before nightfall, the driver successfully reached the destination.

Lin Jiu anxiously waited in the basement of the hotel. When he saw the two of them appear, he finally relaxed.

He stepped forward, took the luggage from Lian Yi’s hand, and led them upstairs.

“I came secretly,” Lin Jiu whispered. “I have to leave soon.”

He had many things he wanted to say, but it was already late. He didn’t want to disturb their rest, so he held back.

After seeing them into their room, Lin Jiu left in a hurry.

As he took the elevator to the first floor and stepped out of the hotel’s main entrance, he sensed something was amiss.

Several unmarked cars slowly approached from a distance, stopping at the intersections surrounding the area.

Lin Jiu quickly hid, the stone pillars at the entrance concealing his figure.

The car doors opened, and a person wearing a Celestial Master uniform stepped out, looking up at the hotel.

This face was unfamiliar, not one of Weng Ping Ran’s people.

Lin Jiu’s heart sank, and he immediately took out his communicator to notify Lian Yi.

Their location had likely been compromised, and Xie Yun’s people had tracked them down.

Lin Jiu couldn’t pinpoint how they had been exposed. He had always been cautious, leaving no trace in his communications with Lian Yi.

His expression grew increasingly grave as he considered whether to seek help from Weng Ping Ran.

Meanwhile, Nan Deng was flipping through the room service menu, thinking about having something to eat before going to sleep.

The communicator on the table beeped once, but Lian Yi didn’t move to check it.

The rabbit head jumped over and tugged at Nan Deng’s sleeve with its teeth. Nan Deng pushed it away and picked up the communicator, glancing at the screen that displayed Lin Jiu’s name.

He turned around, “Lin Jiu is looking for…”

His words abruptly stopped as he saw Lian Yi sitting on the sofa, bent over with his head down, hands limp, and unresponsive.

Startled, Nan Deng rushed over to check on him.

Lian Yi had fallen into unconsciousness at some point, his body burning with fever, and his lips an abnormal blue-purple.

This was the same as his symptoms during the previous two episodes of unconsciousness. Nan Deng, at a loss, shakily opened the communicator to contact Lin Jiu.

Suddenly, a faint “buzz” sounded in the air.

The sound was very soft as if drifting in from a void, barely perceptible.

As Nan Deng lifted his head, the surroundings began to change.

Everything in the room grew blurry, gradually receding.

The window disappeared from view, replaced by an ancient, rustic door.

A plaque hung on the door, inscribed with the characters “Underworld”.

Nan Deng felt a deep unease, instinctively positioning himself in front of Lian Yi.

The rabbit head was also there, intently watching the ancient door that had appeared.

The presence of the Underworld likely meant it was here for Lian Yi, who was close to death.

At the same time, the rabbit head detected another faint scent approaching.

It shook its ears in displeasure, its eyes growing increasingly red.

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