The parents thought the little boy had seen it wrong and comforted him with a few words.
During the day, they had also seen Nan Deng and the rabbit doll he carried with him. Nothing seemed unusual.
Moreover, tourist spots have a lot of people, and the protection against resentful spirits is stricter, especially at night when patrolling celestial masters are everywhere.
The little boy looked up again. Sure enough, the rabbit doll on the railing had changed back. Its pink headpiece fluttered slightly in the wind, still looking so cute under the soft lights.
Could it really be that he saw it wrong… The scene just now was truly frightening. He didn’t dare to stare for too long.
The other kids around were all playing by themselves, and no one else saw it except him.
The little boy stopped talking, followed his parents to a spot further away, and didn’t go near the terrace again.
The moment when no one noticed, the rabbit head squinted its eyes.
It finally found a bit of fun and was in a good mood.
However, remembering Nan Deng’s previous admonition, the rabbit head decided to stop and did not continue to scare anyone.
It enjoyed the wind for a while longer, counted the times the patrolling celestial masters passed by, and then quietly returned to the bedroom, using its ears to turn on the TV.
Nan Deng hadn’t come out of the bathroom yet. He was sitting on Lian Yi’s lap, the steam from the hot spring making his cheeks flush.
“Xiao Tu is still outside,” Nan Deng whispered, “It won’t run around, will it?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Lian Yi said while kissing his fingertips, “We should book a separate room for it.”
The hotel’s bedroom was connected to the living room. Nan Deng was still worried about the rabbit head causing mischief, so they would likely sleep together at night.
Nan Deng understood his implication and mumbled, “Xiao Tu hasn’t slept with me for a long time…”
Being a chaos god, the rabbit head, though not very intelligent, was much smarter than ordinary pets. Now, Nan Deng and Lian Yi tried to avoid kissing and hugging in front of it.
Without a word, Lian Yi held Nan Deng and got out of the hot spring, entering a small bathroom next to it.
The bathroom had a bathtub with a large bath towel spread at the bottom.
In the unfamiliar place, Nan Deng felt a bit nervous and clung tightly to Lian Yi for comfort.
The rabbit head waited in the bedroom for a long time, undressed itself, put the clothes away, lay on the bed, and took a nap before hearing the bathroom door open.
Nan Deng, wearing pajamas, was carried in by Lian Yi and placed on the soft bed.
He was exhausted. He reached out to hold the approaching rabbit head, closed his eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.
Over the next two days, Nan Deng continued to take the rabbit head out, hanging it on the zipper of his backpack.
Sometimes, when no one was looking, he would secretly feed it a little snack.
Nan Deng also ran into the three children from the first day. But this time, they didn’t come closer, and one of the little boys looked very timid.
Nan Deng carefully recalled, confirming that everything had been normal these days, and the rabbit head had behaved well.
He turned to look at Lian Yi, unconsciously holding his cool hand.
Lian Yi had restrained his aura. But he still exuded an air that warned strangers to keep their distance.
It was very cold on the mountain. He wore a thin, pitch-black coat, his tall figure standing out prominently in the snow and among the crowd.
Nan Deng thought the children were afraid of Lian Yi, feeling a bit uncomfortable about it.
He originally wanted to go somewhere else but quickly dismissed the idea and reached out to hug Lian Yi. “Never mind them… How about you make a snowman with me?”
In fact, with Nan Deng by his side, Lian Yi’s gloomy aura was considerably neutralized.
Unlike Lian Yi, Nan Deng seemed naturally likable, especially to older people who treated him like a junior.
After playing for three days, Nan Deng got to know a few aunts and uncles. Whenever they met, they would show concern and offer him various snacks.
They inexplicably didn’t dare to talk to Lian Yi but liked chatting with Nan Deng.
Regarding some personal questions, such as which city he was from and what job he had, Nan Deng tried his best to come up with believable answers.
He said he had just graduated from college and would look for a job after a while.
“Then you must be quite young,” an aunt asked in a lowered voice, “How long have you two been together?”
Nan Deng answered seriously, “Two years.”
This was the time since he met Lian Yi. If they were to count from when they truly started dating, there didn’t seem to be a specific date.
They had always been compatible, and falling in love had come naturally.
“He’s a teacher,” Nan Deng said calmly, “He recently took leave to accompany me on this trip.”
Weng Ping Ran had indeed mentioned once in a message that the Inner Court had recently promoted a batch of senior celestial masters, but their qualifications were still a bit lacking. He wondered if they could be fortunate enough to receive Lian Yi’s guidance and training.
Unfortunately, Lian Yi was not interested and declined.
“We also have a pet, um… it’s a cat. My phone was recently sent for repair, so I don’t have any pictures.”
The real “pet”, the rabbit head, was hanging on the backpack, secretly burying itself in a snack bag, swallowing a jelly with its packaging.
“Oh,” the aunt nodded, lowering her voice, “I can tell your relationship must be good. He treats you very well.”
Lian Yi, looking cold and aloof, was skilled and natural in his every move, whether it was giving Nan Deng water or fetching things for him.
Nan Deng smiled faintly. Lian Yi sat quietly beside him, probably hearing the conversation as well.
After three days of travel, Nan Deng also visited a nearby city.
On the way back, he received a message from Lin Jiu.
“Tai Xu has not perished.”
Lin Jiu also sent an image, showing a slightly familiar figure in a semi-transparent soul form.
Nan Deng was stunned and immediately inquired about the situation.
Lin Jiu said that it was likely because Xie Yun had drained Tai Xu’s divine power. He did not die naturally; the last remnant of his soul was left within Xie Yun’s body.
He had been sleeping all these years, only waking after Xie Yun’s soul finally perished. He wandered outside for a long time before returning to the Inner Court.
“But he is very weak,” Lin Jiu said softly, “Would you and Lord Ghost God come back?”
In the message, there was another faint, gentle voice: “Hello, Nan Deng.”
The next morning, Nan Deng, carrying the rabbit head, hurried back to the Inner Court with Lian Yi.
When he saw Tai Xu’s soul, Nan Deng was extremely nervous.
He had read Xie Yun’s memories and had a natural reverence for Tai Xu.
Without Tai Xu’s choice, he wouldn’t exist. And Tai Xu was supposed to be his teacher.
Nan Deng didn’t know how to address him, standing there helplessly: “You… hello?”
Tai Xu noticed his apprehension and smiled, “Just call me by my name. No need for formalities.”
The rabbit head jumped down from Nan Deng’s head, came in front of Tai Xu, and stared at him curiously.
Tai Xu crouched down, examining its new form: “Not bad, looks better than before… Do you remember me?”
The rabbit head recognized him and happily circled around him.
However, Tai Xu was no longer a mountain god, and the chaos god was merely Nan Deng’s guardian beast. The rabbit head quickly returned to Nan Deng’s side.
Tai Xu didn’t mind. He stood up and looked at Lian Yi: “Is this the new Ghost God?”
He already knew everything that had happened before and was aware of Nan Deng and Lian Yi’s relationship.
Lian Yi raised his eyes, his pitch-black pupils meeting Tai Xu’s gaze.
Under the immense pressure of the divine power, Tai Xu’s soul flickered slightly, his expression somewhat complex.
He sighed almost inaudibly, as if in relief.
“A Ghost God’s emergence should have been a calamity.”
Tai Xu said, “Even with a Mountain God and a Chaos God, it would have been hard to prevent.”
He told Nan Deng that the Underworld couldn’t be considered a true Ghost God.
It was just a gate, with some ability to devour resentful souls, waiting day after day for the true Ghost God to be born.
And a Ghost God, originating from ghosts, is naturally powerful but not necessarily benevolent, unbound by any rules.
If Lian Yi acted on his whims, without suppressing his evil thoughts and aura, it would cause extreme havoc.
According to Tai Xu, there had been a few previous candidates for the position of Ghost God. But their power was not strong enough. They could only be called Ghost Kings and were unable to control themselves, ultimately being hunted down by the Inner Court.
But Lian Yi was the strongest. Even if he hadn’t become the Ghost God, he still possessed the evil energy capable of destroying everything.
Nan Deng’s appearance was a turning point. The love between the Mountain God and the Ghost God perfectly mitigated this disaster.
“Fortunately, fortunately…” Tai Xu sighed again, “Seeing you safe and sound, I am relieved.”
He continued, “I held onto this attachment, perhaps that’s why I could persist until now.”
He had once been the Mountain God, concerned for everything. His only wish before his demise was to see Nan Deng grow up safely.
Now that this wish has been fulfilled, he can leave in peace.
Tai Xu’s soul was very faint as if it could dissipate with the wind at any moment.
Nan Deng understood the implication in his words and worriedly asked, “Since you are still here, can’t you stay longer?”
Two Mountain Gods wouldn’t coexist for long because the previous Mountain God would lose their divine power and become an ordinary human.
But Tai Xu, being a soul, could barely be considered a ghost and wouldn’t age, fall ill, or die.
Tai Xu shook his head, “My mind is made up. If it weren’t for the unexpected turn of events, I should have completely dissipated by now.”
Nan Deng knew he couldn’t persuade him, so he could only respect his decision.
Tai Xu talked to him about many things, his past experiences, various events he had heard from the previous Mountain God, and so on.
The origin of the Ghost God was also something the previous Mountain God told Tai Xu. These things were not to be recorded on paper to avoid being misused.
“Humans are indeed the most complex beings,” Tai Xu said, lowering his eyes, his tone tinged with melancholy and self-blame. “I didn’t see through Xie Yun’s disguise and couldn’t stop him in time…”
Nan Deng comforted him, “It’s all in the past.”
After meeting Nan Deng, Tai Xu stayed for three more days.
During these three days, his soul gradually faded. By the last moment, it had become so faint it was almost indiscernible.
Nan Deng was reluctant to see him go, his nose stinging as he hugged the rabbit head tightly.
Tai Xu waved goodbye to him until he completely turned into air.
The rabbit head blinked and nuzzled Nan Deng’s fingertips.
Lian Yi embraced Nan Deng from behind, his warm breath close: “Don’t be sad. This is what he wanted.”
Nan Deng composed himself and turned around.
The “source of calamity” and “world-destroying Ghost God” that Tai Xu spoke of stood right in front of him.
Nan Deng leaned in and kissed Lian Yi’s face, “Let’s go home.”
Lian Yi gently stroked Nan Deng’s black hair, “Alright.”
