FCRCG Chapter 20

The palm in front of him was dry and warm, unlike the feeling from before.

But this presence was incredibly familiar to Nan Deng. After hiding in the wardrobe for a while, he finally managed to calm down a bit.

He clung to it as if it were a lifeline, emerging from the wardrobe and throwing himself into Lian Yi’s arms.

“I… I don’t feel right,” Nan Deng said anxiously. “Can you touch me?”

Lian Yi held him tightly and gently brushed aside his bangs. “I can.”

Nan Deng had a heartbeat and was breathing. Although his body temperature was a bit low, it was still within the range of a normal person.

He was no longer in a ghostly state.

Nan Deng was terrified, clutching Lian Yi tightly and muttering, “Why… am I going to die?”

“You won’t die,” Lian Yi whispered, comforting him. “Don’t worry, I’m here.”

Earlier in the morning, he had fainted due to a sudden activation of the restriction, unsure of what exactly had happened.

A ghost turning into a living person—this was unheard of.

There had been some evil practices long ago where soul bodies were trapped inside corpses and turned into zombies, but Nan Deng didn’t seem like one of them.

Lian Yi gently stroked Nan Deng’s soft hair and picked him up from the floor, cradling him in his arms.

It had always been Nan Deng who initiated the embrace and being carried had never been an experience for him. Nan Deng was nervous, holding onto Lian Yi’s neck tightly, afraid that he might fall.

There were many scattered medicine boxes on the bed and the floor, various types of medicine, looking brand new.

One box of fever medicine had been opened. There was an empty cup and spoon, along with an empty bottle of talisman water, all placed on the bedside table.

Lian Yi was sure that none of these items had been in his residence.

The rabbit head was at Lian Yi’s feet, looking up at them. It coughed twice and then spit out a box of medicine.

Lian Yi temporarily ignored it and pushed the medicine boxes aside, gently placing Nan Deng on the bed.

He carefully checked Nan Deng—his breathing, pupils, and skin. His body appeared completely normal.

Moreover, Nan Deng’s skin was pale and delicate, like that of a newborn. He was still wearing the clothes from his previous ghostly form.

Nan Deng tightly gripped Lian Yi’s hem. “My heartbeat is so fast…”

Having been a ghost for so long, he suddenly found himself transformed. He still couldn’t fully adapt. Lian Yi was his only source of reliance.

He now had a real body, his features just as exquisite as before, though his eyes were slightly red at the corners from the tension.

Lian Yi continued to comfort him. “So do I.”

“Really?” Nan Deng tilted his head and leaned against Lian Yi’s chest to listen closely, feeling his way up to Lian Yi’s neck and chin.

He cupped Lian Yi’s face with both hands and leaned in to sniff, feeling the warmth of his breath.

It was different from when Nan Deng was a ghost—he could no longer smell Lian Yi’s soul fragrance, but he was still the person he was familiar with.

“Are you okay now?” Nan Deng slowly calmed down, his worry for Lian Yi still strong. “You suddenly passed out this morning and had a fever.”

“I’m fine now,” Lian Yi replied, then asked, “Where did all these things come from?”

Nan Deng honestly answered, “I… I went to steal them.”

He explained everything he had done earlier that morning, including going to the pharmacy under the sun, giving Lian Yi talisman water and fever medicine, then staying with him while he slept, only to wake up and find himself in this condition.

“Did the medicine work?” Nan Deng asked hopefully. “You’re not having a fever anymore.”

Lian Yi quietly gazed at him. After a moment, he responded, “Mm.”

Nan Deng, a ghost, had risked injury and capture by going out during the day to find medicine for him.

Lian Yi lowered his gaze and took hold of Nan Deng’s wrist.

Now that he had a physical body, there were no visible wounds, but he could still imagine what it must feel like to be exposed to the sunlight.

The actual effect of the talisman water and fever medicine was minimal, but he still couldn’t tell Nan Deng the real reason he had fainted earlier, nor could he reveal his true identity.

Nan Deng had done so much for him. Knowing the truth would surely make him sad.

Nan Deng was relieved and happy. “I’m glad you’re okay…”

There was still a red mark on his forehead, where he had hit the wardrobe door earlier.

Lian Yi gently brushed over it and couldn’t help but lean in to place a soft kiss there.

Nan Deng didn’t resist, perhaps unaware of the meaning behind the gesture, his eyes looking innocent as he gazed at Lian Yi.

The rabbit head silently watched from the side, burping and spitting out a new box of medicine.

“Are these medicines still useful?” Nan Deng asked again. “Should we return them?”

Lian Yi replied, “I’ll take care of it.”

He let go of Nan Deng, found a box, and began placing all the medicine boxes inside.

Nan Deng sat on the bed. He hugged his knees and quietly watched Lian Yi’s actions, occasionally glancing down at himself.

He could breathe now and he had a heartbeat and body temperature—he had become a living person, just like Lian Yi.

But why did this happen? Nan Deng couldn’t understand.

Still… now that he was a living person, even if he died again, he would just become a ghost, right?

Nan Deng tried to comfort himself and reluctantly accepted the fact.

As he gradually adjusted, the previous fear and unease began to dissipate, and a sense of novelty filled him.

Nan Deng got off the bed by himself, just like when he first entered this house, exploring by looking and touching everything.

When he had been a ghost, he didn’t have shoes, so now, walking barefoot on the ground, even the cold tiles felt new and interesting.

There was also the sofa and carpet. Every texture felt different from before.

When Lian Yi finished tidying up the medicine boxes in the bedroom, he found Nan Deng playing with water in the kitchen.

Nan Deng seemed very excited, his shirt soaked with water but not minding at all, with droplets of water hanging from the tips of his hair.

Lian Yi approached, turned off the faucet, and gently took Nan Deng’s cold hand. “Isn’t it cold?”

“It’s cold,” Nan Deng’s eyes sparkled, “but it’s fun.”

He then ran to the balcony, carefully exposing one finger to the sunlight.

It was still a little hot, very warm, but not painful.

Nan Deng still didn’t like the sunlight. He returned to the living room and crouched in front of a potted plant in the corner.

He stared at the plant for a long time. The rabbit head was next to him, jumping up and biting a leaf to eat.

Nan Deng also picked a leaf, examining it closely before imitating the rabbit head and putting it into his mouth.

Lian Yi quickly stopped him. He took the leaf away and threw it out. “You can’t eat that.”

Nan Deng obediently replied, “Oh…”

The rabbit head hopped away, seemingly indifferent. Now that Nan Deng had become human, it didn’t seem to care at all.

Lian Yi asked, “Are you hungry?”

Nan Deng hesitated and shook his head. “Not hungry.”

He was just curious and wanted to try the taste, not actually intending to eat.

Lian Yi took Nan Deng and had him sit on the sofa, then brought him a pair of slippers and bent down to put them on for him.

The slippers were a bit large for him, as his frame was slender and fragile.

Once the slippers were on, Lian Yi found a few clothes for Nan Deng to change into, to replace the ones wet with water.

Nan Deng picked up the clothes, examined them, and leaned in to smell them. They were Lian Yi’s.

Lian Yi told him to pick whatever he liked and change into it, then turned and went to the kitchen, closing the door behind him.

He used his spiritual skills to summon a few small paper figures and opened the fridge to prepare a steamed egg custard.

Once it was ready, the little paper figures hurriedly hid in the cupboard. Lian Yi opened the door. Nan Deng, now changed into the clothes, was standing at the entrance.

Lian Yi’s clothes were also a bit big for him, loose and baggy, with his slender fingers just barely showing from the sleeves.

Lian Yi walked over and rolled up Nan Deng’s sleeves. “Want to eat something?”

Nan Deng had already smelled the aroma of the egg custard and kept glancing around. “What is it?”

At first, he had some hesitation. Even though he had become human, he was once a ghost and wasn’t sure if he could eat normal food.

However, after taking a bite of the egg custard, Nan Deng completely forgot his earlier worries.

He grasped the spoon and buried his head in the bowl, not stopping even when he burned his mouth. Lian Yi tried to stop him. When that didn’t work, he took the bowl away, blew on the custard to cool it, and fed him again.

Nan Deng became obedient this time, finishing the entire bowl of egg custard and drinking a bottle of warm milk.

He set down the cup and threw himself into Lian Yi’s arms. “I’m full.”

Lian Yi hugged him, still feeling a sense of unreality.

Even though he had once entertained the thought, it was fleeting—the idea that a ghost, a soul from the afterlife, could ever return to life.

But at this moment, Nan Deng was truly here, dressed in his own clothes, his breath close, soft, tender skin pressing against him.

He had always liked to cling to Lian Yi’s side; only now, he was a living person, not a soul.

The same action now had a different effect and meaning.

Lian Yi suddenly asked, “Aren’t you afraid of me?”

The kitchen stools were all single seats. Nan Deng sat on Lian Yi’s lap, looking somewhat confused. “Why should I be afraid of you?”

Lian Yi didn’t answer, his gaze lingering on Nan Deng’s delicate chin.

For a long time, the celestial masters in the inner court had feared him, not daring to get too close, and ordinary people would instinctively avoid him.

Only Nan Deng was an exception, regardless of whether he was a ghost or a human.

Lian Yi let go of Nan Deng and stopped holding him, standing up. “Next time, you’re not allowed to go out without my permission.”

His tone was slightly stern. He paused before adding, “No matter what happens.”

Nan Deng didn’t argue. He was also timid and obediently nodded.

—

In the city center, Lin Jiu received a report and went to a pharmacy.

The store clerk claimed that many of the medicines mysteriously disappeared that morning. After reviewing the surveillance footage, they suspected a ghost had been involved and quickly sought the help of a celestial master.

It was rare to encounter ghosts during the day. Lin Jiu thought this was unusual, so he decided to come and take a look himself.

In the footage, the camera shook from time to time, capturing signs of a ghostly presence.

Soon after, medicines started disappearing, moved around and then vanishing into thin air.

Lin Jiu reviewed the list of missing items. Every type of medicine was taken—there was even a bottle of talisman water.

The amount of missing medicine wasn’t small. The ghost seemed to have used some method to take it all.

The last frame of the surveillance footage only captured a vague figure, which was the only clue.

The store clerk was frightened. “How can there be ghosts during the day? It’s really terrifying…”

A celestial master was comforting the clerk, while Lin Jiu observed the still compass, deep in thought.

Celestial masters patrolled even during the day, so the fact that this ghost had gone unnoticed suggested that its aura was faint and its strength wasn’t high.

Yet, it dared to appear during the day. It didn’t harm anyone, only stealing medicine and even taking a bottle of talisman water.

The more Lin Jiu thought about it, the stranger it seemed. After greeting his subordinates, he left the pharmacy alone and headed in the direction the figure from the footage had gone.

With no guidance from the compass, it felt like searching for a needle in a haystack, but Lin Jiu didn’t give up. He kept walking in a straight line until he arrived at a crossroads.

If he went further, it would lead to the outskirts.

For some reason, recent events seemed to all be connected to the outskirts.

The black cat had stopped celestial masters from approaching the outskirts twice, the chaos god had appeared in the outskirts.

And Lian Yi also lived in the outskirts.

Lin Jiu felt a headache. He couldn’t make sense of it, so he decided to temporarily set it aside and turned back to the pharmacy.

—

Nightfall arrived quickly. After playing all day, Nan Deng was taken by Lian Yi to the bathroom for a bath.

He grabbed Lian Yi’s hand and wouldn’t let go. “Why don’t you wash with me?”

Lian Yi replied coldly, “I can’t.”

The bathtub was already filled with water. He taught Nan Deng how to use soap and shampoo, warning him not to take too long. He then left the bathroom and closed the door.

The rabbit head was kept outside. Lian Yi didn’t allow it to enter to accompany Nan Deng. Nan Deng wasn’t too happy and grumpily took off his clothes.

But soon, the warm water drew his attention and he excitedly lay in the bathtub.

Lian Yi was still uneasy, coming back to knock on the door every ten minutes to ask about Nan Deng’s progress.

Each time, Nan Deng responded that he was almost done, with the sound of water splashing from inside.

Eventually, Lian Yi’s patience ran out. He knocked again on the door. “Nan Deng, come out now.”

“Got it!” Nan Deng’s voice rang out. He sluggishly got out of the bathtub, turned on the shower to rinse off the foam from his hair and body, and opened the door directly.

Lian Yi stood outside, holding a large bath towel.

Nan Deng’s hair was dripping wet. He looked as if he had just been pulled from the water, droplets sliding down his body.

Lian Yi seemed to have anticipated this. He silently spread the towel and wrapped it around Nan Deng.

Nan Deng was still upset that Lian Yi hadn’t washed with him. He rubbed his wet hair against Lian Yi’s collar. “My hair’s wet. It’s uncomfortable.”

The towel made it hard for him to walk. Lian Yi picked him up around the waist and carried him to the bedroom.