FCRCG Chapter 51

Because of the rabbit head’s impromptu demonstration, Nan Deng’s bedtime was delayed quite a bit.

The pieces of shredded paper were cleaned up by Lian Yi. Nan Deng curled up under the blanket, opened his sleepy eyes, and said, “We should buy some toys for the little rabbit…”

Nan Deng had seen on TV that there were building blocks and various models that could be put together, and he was sure the rabbit head would like them.

Even though the rabbit head had probably lived for a very long time and had accompanied many Mountain Gods, in Nan Deng’s heart, it was still his pet little rabbit.

Lian Yi responded softly. He turned and threw the shredded paper into the trash, and Nan Deng fell asleep.

The rabbit head lay on Nan Deng’s neck but was moved to the other side by a gentle tug on its ear.

Lian Yi lifted the blanket and lay down on the bed, gently embracing the sleeping Nan Deng.

—

The plague in Changyang was completely eradicated, and no new cases of illness appeared.

With the plague gone, the birth of resentful spirits also drastically decreased, showing a tendency to return to the previous state of good balance.

Weng Ping Ran attributed all this to Nan Deng, believing it was the presence of the Mountain God that restored everything to normal.

With Nan Deng there, the earth spirits’ ability to suppress evil energy was stronger. Even areas he hadn’t visited were affected.

The parrot was the happiest these days, busy working at night and occasionally visiting Nan Deng during the day.

It returned the few strands of hair it had taken earlier. But the energy on them had mostly dissipated, making them useless, so Nan Deng threw them away.

Nan Deng was still concerned about the rose, wanting to know its current situation. Weng Ping Ran contacted the neighboring area and soon sent Nan Deng videos and some pictures.

In the pictures, the rose was very lush, having grown into a large patch under the short wall in a short time, almost covering the wall entirely.

It could freely move and extend its branches, covering more area and becoming very adept at capturing resentful spirits.

Weng Ping Ran exclaimed, “It’s truly worthy of being nurtured by the Mountain God himself. As a plant-type earth spirit, it’s remarkably powerful!”

He had learned about the rose’s origin from Lin Jiu and recalled the sudden appearance of the earth spirit black cat.

Weng Ping Ran felt a mix of regret and complexity, realizing that they had been very close to the Mountain God for a long time but had ignored many clues.

Nan Deng felt a bit embarrassed by Weng Ping Ran’s words. He hadn’t taught the rose how to be an earth spirit; he had just watered it every day. The rose’s prowess wasn’t really his doing.

He watched the videos and pictures several times and carefully saved them.

On another day, they would set off for the next area.

Lin Jiu was worried about whether Nan Deng’s divine power was being overused. He thought Nan Deng was still in a growth phase and should be more cautious.

He quietly asked Lian Yi if they should rest for a few more days before leaving.

Nan Deng himself didn’t feel anything was wrong. But his understanding of his own divine power was vague. He couldn’t accurately sense how much he had recovered, relying only on his hunger and fatigue.

So before they set off, Lian Yi personally taught Nan Deng how to use his divine power.

Even though Lian Yi was teaching from the perspective of a celestial master, the essence of divine power and spiritual arts wasn’t vastly different.

Lin Jiu had prepared another room in the hotel, filled with various tools for practice.

The first things to teach were telekinesis and attacking stationary targets. Nan Deng learned quickly and within just half an hour, he had become proficient and precise in controlling his divine power.

The rabbit head watched with satisfaction and left to the corner with a bag of chips.

After covering the basics, Nan Deng began practicing attacking moving objects.

Lian Yi used his spiritual arts to create several light points, sending them towards Nan Deng from a distance, requiring him to hit them.

However, whether due to lack of experience or knowing that Lian Yi wouldn’t hurt him, Nan Deng’s reactions were always a step slow, and he didn’t seem to hurry even when the light points were right in front of him.

Lian Yi tried several times with the same result and no progress.

He then switched to using the Bagua ring. Unfortunately, Nan Deng was no longer afraid of his artifact.

Lian Yi stood behind Nan Deng, his right hand raised and his fingertips slightly moving.

The distant light points suddenly turned into pitch-black mist clouds, simulating the form of resentful spirits, flying toward Nan Deng with menacing gestures.

Caught off guard, Nan Deng panicked.

But in such moments, his focus intensified. Relying on instinct, he released his divine power, causing the mist clouds to explode with a loud bang before they could get close.

Nan Deng closed his eyes and hid in Lian Yi’s arms, only lifting his head to check once the surroundings were completely quiet.

The mist clouds he hit had dissipated. Lian Yi reassured him, “It’s okay, you did very well.”

It seemed he wasn’t unable to learn but needed some external pressure. Judging by Nan Deng’s performance today, he was already comparable to an advanced celestial master.

Nan Deng, happy in hindsight, clung to Lian Yi and mumbled, “Is there a reward?”

Lian Yi hesitated, then took out a box of ice cream from the refrigerator prepared by Lin Jiu.

Feeling sorry for Nan Deng being scared earlier, he fed him with a spoon.

Weng Ping Ran hurriedly came in, knocking on the door to see Nan Deng holding onto Lian Yi’s arm and biting the wooden spoon in his hand.

He closed his eyes, then opened them again. But the scene remained unchanged.

The ice cream was just finished, and Lian Yi threw away the empty box and spoon, his eyes quietly downcast, ignoring Weng Ping Ran as he came in.

With an outsider present, Nan Deng sat up straight.

Weng Ping Ran approached carefully, taking out a brown paper package from his coat and handing it to Nan Deng.

“These are the pages found in Xie Yun’s house, and I had them expedited here,” Weng Ping Ran said. “Xie Yun has several properties, some quite hidden, and we are still searching for addresses.”

In addition to the pages, Weng Ping Ran also sent some information to Lian Yi regarding the Ghost King from years ago.

They found several older celestial masters who had been with Xie Yun for a long time. They remembered some details, and the interrogation information was in the documents.

Unfortunately, they still hadn’t found Xie Yun’s whereabouts. He probably knew his actions couldn’t be concealed and was hiding somewhere.

Lian Yi asked, “No news about the fog-shrouded specter either?”

Weng Ping Ran shook his head. “I’ve asked celestial masters everywhere to keep an eye out, but there have been no reports of suspicious resentful spirits or any markings on them.”

After explaining everything, he left the room.

Nan Deng flipped through a few of the pages, the yellowed paper showing its age. He carefully stored them and then, together with Lian Yi, reviewed the information on the communicator.

The information matched what Lian Yi had previously found. The records in the inner court’s archives were very sparse, stating that most of those who witnessed the Ghost King died in battle, and Xie Yun himself was severely injured, requiring a long period of convalescence during which he saw no one.

There were a few video segments of interrogations with several celestial masters.

One of them said, “I didn’t get a clear look at the Ghost King… it was too dark at the time, unnaturally so.”

He had been far away, and the Ghost King’s aura had attracted a large number of resentful spirits, creating a chaotic scene. He only remembered a huge, pitch-black shadow in the distance, with a vague, strange shape.

“Elder Xie Yun was in charge the whole time. He discovered the Ghost King and ordered us to go after it.”

“I hid during the latter part… what’s odd is that even the resentful spirits were fleeing at the end.”

The battle had been devastating, and the few survivors had been on the outskirts, only suffering minor injuries.

Their descriptions of the Ghost King were all very vague, never clearly seeing it.

The battle lasted until daylight, and the Ghost King was finally defeated.

But no one saw the defeated Ghost King either; Xie Yun claimed alone that he had captured the Ghost King.

Later, the celestial masters who came to support them began to clean up, taking away some of the immobilized resentful spirits and confining them in Yezhang Tower.

Afterward, several heavily injured celestial masters gradually died.

No one doubted Xie Yun because he had also nearly died and only barely survived with many restorative medicines.

Moreover, the heavy aura and the multitude of frenzied resentful spirits were undeniable, so no one doubted the Ghost King’s existence.

During that period, the inner court forbade anyone from mentioning the incident. Weng Ping Ran remembered that Xie Yun had been too severely injured to regain his former strength and that his dignity needed to be preserved.

One servant who had nursed Xie Yun during his recovery mentioned that during that time, Xie Yun was often irritable and sometimes calm, sometimes frenzied.

The servant was dismissed by Xie Yun after just half a month. It seemed Xie Yun no longer needed care or visitors.

Five years later, his health somewhat recovered. Xie Yun reluctantly began to accept communications and delved into studying various arts and medicines, providing assistance to the inner court in this regard.

That’s all the information there is, piecing together a rough outline of the events.

No one had actually seen the Ghost King, which likely could have been Xie Yun’s excuse or falsehood.

According to the recent demonstration by the rabbit head, the Ghost King from back then was actually it. Xie Yun and his men severely injured it, and in turn, it also injured Xie Yun.

When supporting celestial masters arrived, the rabbit head couldn’t ensure who could be trusted. It disguised itself as another form and mingled among the resentful spirits, eventually being confined in Yezhang Tower along with them.

The Yezhang Tower only consumed resentment and malevolence, so the rabbit head and Nan Deng were relatively safe inside. Xie Yun never imagined they would be inside the tower.

It also took the rabbit head a long time to heal and recover before finding an opportunity to break out from within the tower.

However, Nan Deng had no memory of entering Yezhang Tower; as far back as he could remember, he had always been there.

Could it be… that he was “born” after being brought into the tower?

There was no mention of the Mountain God in the records, and the Mountain God had never appeared throughout.

Perhaps only Xie Yun knew the answers to the last Mountain God’s connection to him and the purpose behind all he had done.

The fog-shrouded specter had also hidden away. Its ability to command resentful spirits to do its bidding and consume the life essences they devoured was still uncertain.

After finishing the documents, Lian Yi turned off the communicator, and Nan Deng leaned quietly against his shoulder, lost in thought.

At noon, after lunch, Nan Deng took a walk in the nearby park. Upon returning, he turned on the TV and sat on the sofa, holding the rabbit head.

In a lowered voice, he asked, “Xiao Tu, do you prefer your previous owner or your current one?”

The rabbit head stared blankly for a moment, then leaped into Nan Deng’s arms and rubbed vigorously against him.

Nan Deng chuckled softly and took out a packet of potato chips. “Would your previous owner give you snacks like these?”

The rabbit head’s ears twitched, indicating no.

Nan Deng opened the bag and fed it two pieces.

—

Early the next morning, Weng Ping Ran prepared several cars and set off with Nan Deng to the neighboring area.

The parrot came to say goodbye, reluctantly following behind the cars for a long time.

Lin Jiu was driving, and Weng Ping Ran, sitting in the front seat, saw this scene and remarked, “I remember the neighboring earth spirit is a stone statue, not as lively and cute as the earth spirits here…”

Nan Deng sat in the back seat, leaning against the window and looking out, exuding a youthful demeanor.

Next to him, Lian Yi sat silently with lowered eyes, emanating a cold aura, resembling a statue.

When the parrot was no longer in sight, Nan Deng turned his head and habitually leaned towards Lian Yi.

At this moment, Lian Yi finally reacted, slightly tilting to the side and opening his arms a bit more to make Nan Deng more comfortable.

Today, Lian Yi wore the uniform of a celestial master, with dark fabric embroidered with patterns. Nan Deng, feeling a bit bored, traced the patterns slowly with his fingertips.

Weng Ping Ran glanced discreetly in the rearview mirror and his expression changed.

He quickly adjusted himself and pretended not to have seen.

But no matter how he pretended, the intimacy between Nan Deng and Lian Yi was evident. Anyone unaware of Lian Yi’s identity would surely think they were in a romantic relationship.

Weng Ping Ran struggled to maintain his composure, feeling a lump in his throat.

He took a sip of water, pondering about finding an opportunity to chat with Lian Yi.

Around four or five in the afternoon, the vehicles arrived at the neighboring area.

Nan Deng’s arrival was low-key, quietly greeted by a few celestial masters.

Upon Nan Deng’s instructions, they went directly to the hospital.

Everything went smoothly thereafter. Nan Deng became more proficient in using his divine powers, effortlessly manipulating them with his thoughts. In the blink of an eye, the entire hospital was covered with a gentle divine energy.

Lian Yi stood quietly behind him, watching attentively, and stayed with him to rest after it was over.

The next tasks were overseen by Weng Ping Ran. Nan Deng didn’t need to stay at the hospital. Lin Jiu drove them back to the prepared hotel.

On the way, Nan Deng almost sat between Lian Yi’s legs, burying his head against his neck. “I’m hungry…”

He even wanted to kiss Lian Yi. But his movement was intercepted by Lian Yi’s raised hand.

Lin Jiu, much more resilient, drove without changing his expression.

When they arrived at the hotel room, Nan Deng ate a lot of food in one go and was lulled to sleep by Lian Yi.

As dusk approached, the rabbit head crouched above the pillow, watching as Nan Deng fell into a deep sleep.

Lian Yi didn’t disturb him. He quietly got up and left the room under the rabbit head’s watchful gaze.

He went to the door of another room on the opposite side of the corridor and rang the doorbell.

The door was promptly opened by Lin Jiu.

Weng Ping Ran had also returned from the hospital, and there were three celestial masters in the room specially brought in to examine Lian Yi.

Approaching, Lian Yi was appraised by Weng Ping Ran with a few glances. “Has Lord Mountain God rested?”

Lian Yi responded lightly and sat down on the prepared chair.

The time for the examination had been set by him deliberately without Nan Deng’s knowledge, intending to confirm the results first.

Weng Ping Ran had no objections to this; he happened to have the idea of speaking with Lian Yi separately.

Once everything was ready, the three physicians simultaneously activated a formation, projecting several beams of light and patterns from Lian Yi’s body.

The feeling of being scrutinized wasn’t pleasant. Lian Yi frowned slightly, enduring it reluctantly.

The physicians examined him carefully, occasionally whispering to each other.

Finally, one of them shook his head. “We can’t undo this.”

Zhuo Qing must have placed a severe restriction on Lian Yi early on, using methods that were quite ruthless. Even if it could be undone, it would cost him most of his life.

Moreover, too much time had passed, and the restriction had completely integrated with his meridians, making it impossible to remove.

“And these,” the physician pointed to some dark spots, “are manifestations of evil energy.”

Lian Yi was naturally attuned to evil energy, which exacerbated the attachment of the restriction. However, for some reason, the restriction had been suppressed and alleviated for a period of time, otherwise, he would have died early during the third episode.

Overall, his condition was extremely severe, and his life was nearing its end.

Weng Ping Ran looked slightly nervous, glanced at Lian Yi, and couldn’t help but ask, “Will the restriction still work after he dies?”

The restriction was partly meant to kill Lian Yi and partly to imprison his soul to prevent him from escaping after death.

“It will, but…” the physician paused, “if the soul’s level is too high, it may not succeed.”

In other words, Lian Yi’s restriction couldn’t be lifted. He might very well die because of it, but he wouldn’t be trapped by it.

His constitution was unique—so heavy with evil energy during his lifetime, it was unimaginable after death.

Weng Ping Ran’s face turned grave, and he remained silent.

The physicians withdrew their formation, leaving only some herbal tea for Lian Yi to drink, calming his mind somewhat.

That was all they could do. Soon, they left with their toolbox.

In the room, only three people remained. Lin Jiu received Weng Ping Ran’s hint and voluntarily stepped out.

Weng Ping Ran sat across from Lian Yi. “What do you intend to do?”

Lian Yi parted his lips. “Let it be.”

Since he fed Zhuo Qing’s soul to the rabbit head, he had known that he would likely die.

Nan Deng’s divine power could only help alleviate his symptoms, but the dull pain in his heart had never completely disappeared.

“As for Lord Mountain God…”

“I will inform him myself,” Lian Yi interrupted, “the plague is still ongoing; he doesn’t need to worry about anything else.”

Weng Ping Ran agreed with this point. He nodded slightly. “And after that?”

Lian Yi’s soul was highly likely to reach the level of a Ghost King, or at the very least, a Level Four resentful spirit.

He was still a Chief Celestial Master, highly skilled in various arts and exceptionally powerful.

If both Zhuo Qing’s restriction and the Inner Court’s measures couldn’t trap Lian Yi’s soul, once he escaped…

No matter how kind and gentle he was now, after death, he would transform into something else entirely. Evil energy and resentment would amplify the evil thoughts and malice in his heart, driving him to commit all sorts of atrocities.

Weng Ping Ran was worried that no one could capture Lian Yi. If Nan Deng were to intervene… considering how much he valued Lian Yi, could he bring himself to act decisively?

Lian Yi didn’t respond. Weng Ping Ran grew more anxious and continued, “No, starting tonight, you must not go near him…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Lian Yi looked up at him.

Weng Ping Ran’s voice abruptly stopped, the pressure making him feel a chilling cold down his spine.

If he said another word, he feared he might drop dead right there.

“I’m sorry,” Lian Yi said coldly, “I can’t do that.”

He stared at Weng Ping Ran, his gray eyes showing a hint of otherworldliness in the lamplight. “If you dare say another word in front of him, it won’t just be you; your students will die too.”

This was a blatant threat, and yet Weng Ping Ran found himself utterly powerless.

Lian Yi remained quietly by Nan Deng’s side, almost making people overlook his innate coldness and indifference, as well as his power that surpassed everyone else.

Weng Ping Ran didn’t move a muscle, cold sweat trickling down his back.

He suddenly understood why Xie Yun had hidden away. Lian Yi hadn’t died during the third restriction, and now with Nan Deng’s assistance from the Inner Court, his protection was even stronger.

And now Lian Yi stood on Nan Deng’s side. If he hadn’t, he would be a more dangerous entity than anything else.

Thinking about what might happen after his death… Weng Ping Ran dared not continue that thought.

The oppressive feeling suddenly eased, and Weng Ping Ran’s tense nerves relaxed. He heard Lian Yi ask, “Where is Gu Xu?”

Taking advantage of Nan Deng sleeping, he did what needed to be done.

Weng Ping Ran collected himself and retrieved a square wooden box from the cabinet.

Placing the box on the table, he opened it.

A soul suddenly rushed out. But the box was inscribed with a rune array, trapping the soul inside.

A swirling black mist scattered everywhere, and Gu Xu’s voice rang out, “Let me out! I am a senior celestial master! You bunch of idiots…”

He spotted Weng Ping Ran and Lian Yi, then turned to mock them, “How did you two end up together? One useless, the other a disgrace, quite fitting.”

Weng Ping Ran had already endured his insults once, his face tight with no response.

Lian Yi remained unresponsive, cutting to the chase, “What do you know about Xie Yun?”

Gu Xu sneered, “Let me out, kneel down and beg me, and I might consider telling you.”

If Gu Xu were still alive, he wouldn’t dare speak these words in front of Weng Ping Ran. But now that he was dead, malice filled his mind constantly.

Lian Yi raised his right hand slightly, instantly enveloping Gu Xu’s soul, subjecting it to the excruciating process of refinement.

Gu Xu immediately screamed in agony, his compressed soul writhing and struggling.

Even Weng Ping Ran, who rarely witnessed on-site refinement, frowned but did not intervene to stop Lian Yi.

The refinement continued, and Gu Xu finally relented, “Alright, I’ll talk… I’ll talk…”

As the spiritual technique dissipated, a lump of soul collapsed at the edge of the wooden box.

“I’ll talk…” Gu Xu gasped for breath. “You, you lowly bastard deserve to live? You killed your parents, murdered your master. What are you pretending to be here for?”

Weng Ping Ran guessed he wouldn’t easily talk, glancing at Lian Yi involuntarily.

Lian Yi’s expression remained indifferent, as if Gu Xu’s accusations meant nothing to him.

The spiritual technique wrapped around again, continuing to torment Gu Xu.

Amidst continued screams, Gu Xu’s words came out sporadically, full of resentment. “I saw… I saw you with that tender little beauty…”

Lian Yi’s eyelashes fluttered, the spiritual refinement intensifying.

“You seem… quite fond of him?” Gu Xu endured the pain, managing a bitter smile. “Pity… for someone like you, looking at him… would only be out of pity, right?”

The spiritual refinement intensified gradually, and Gu Xu could no longer speak coherently, his soul’s color fading.

He was close to being completely refined, but Lian Yi showed no signs of stopping.

Weng Ping Ran looked away. It seemed Gu Xu’s soul would rather die than reveal any more information to them.

As he watched this scene, he thought of Lian Yi’s situation again.

What would it be like when he was consumed by resentment?

Gu Xu on the table was on the brink of extinction, letting out a few last unwilling screams.

At that moment, the door was pushed open.

Nan Deng stood blankly in the doorway, with Lin Jiu following behind.

Weng Ping Ran quickly put away the empty wooden box and used spiritual techniques to dispel the lingering evil energy.

Lian Yi stood up from the table and glanced sideways at Nan Deng.

Nan Deng gripped the door handle, hesitating. “Just now… what was that sound?”

He had woken up halfway through his sleep, found Lian Yi wasn’t in the room, and saw that the communicator and phone were left on the cabinet.

Nan Deng followed the guidance of the rabbit head and opened the door, asking Lin Jiu who was standing in the corridor.

Lin Jiu couldn’t lie and didn’t know how to delay time, let alone dare to stop Nan Deng.

Weng Ping Ran remained silent, letting Lian Yi answer for himself.

“It was Gu Xu,” Lian Yi said. “Gu Xu’s soul.”

Initially, he had refined a resentful soul in front of Nan Deng, which was also one of the reasons Nan Deng feared him.

After all this time, he wasn’t sure if Nan Deng still remembered.

Nan Deng seemed to have no strong reaction, recalling who Gu Xu was. “Oh,” he said.

Afterward, he hurried over to Lian Yi and embraced him tightly.

“Why didn’t you tell me…?” Nan Deng complained softly. “I woke up and couldn’t find you.”

His hair was slightly disheveled, clearly having just woken up and rushed over.

Lian Yi also hugged Nan Deng back, lifting a hand to tidy the stray strands on his cheek.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lian Yi noticed Weng Ping Ran discreetly glancing over at them.

As if deliberately, Lian Yi leaned down and kissed Nan Deng gently on the forehead.

Immediately after, he kissed Nan Deng’s lips briefly before pulling away.

There were others in the room, and Nan Deng seemed slightly nervous and shy, but he didn’t resist, evidently not the first time he had been intimate with Lian Yi.

He clutched Lian Yi’s sleeve, leaning on him. “Let’s go back…”

Lian Yi kissed him again and held his hand. “Okay.”

They left together, leaving Lin Jiu standing against the wall, keeping his head down, trying to be invisible.

When he finally looked up, Lin Jiu saw Weng Ping Ran holding his forehead as if about to faint.

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