FCRCG Chapter 7

Nan Deng eagerly anticipated the rabbit head eating first.

In fact, he had never seen the rabbit head consume a soul before. When they were trapped in the lightless tower, surrounded only by other imprisoned ghosts, the rabbit head had little choice but to eat whatever it could find.

It devoured almost anything—from stones to dirt, and even the dry leaves that drifted in from the top of the tower.

One night, it had quietly bitten another ghost in the tower, seemingly wanting to eat him.

When it was discovered, the ghost screamed loudly, causing quite a stir.

Nan Deng could roughly guess why the rabbit head wanted to eat ghosts. Just the day before, the same ghost had thrown his intestines at him, trying to scare him.

Nan Deng had been terrified, and with the troublemaking rabbit head, they had hidden. Strangely, ever since that day, all the other ghosts had been avoiding them.

The living room was quiet and the rabbit head, still as ever, had its fur at the edges of its lips almost touching Lian Yi’s skin.

It subtly leaned back and its fur flattened down.

“What’s wrong?” Nan Deng wondered aloud. Suddenly, the rabbit head flipped and, following his arm, landed on the floor, hopping away.

“Don’t run around!” Nan Deng whispered, quickly getting up to chase after it.

The rabbit head hopped around the living room, its ears flapping. It soon found the spot where Lian Yi had placed the wastebasket last time.

The corner was empty—no wastebasket, and no small paper ghost.

Nan Deng caught it and sighed, “You’ve eaten everything, haven’t you?”

Lian Yi raised his eyes. His black and grey heterochromatic pupils stared at Nan Deng.

Nan Deng had his back to the sofa, speaking to the rabbit head, unaware that someone was watching him.

This ghost was definitely different from ordinary resentful spirits.

In the last two glimpses through the water mirror, Lian Yi hadn’t seen Nan Deng’s full appearance.

Nan Deng wore tattered, oversized clothes. His right sleeve was a little shorter, revealing his smooth, pale skin. He moved normally.

Had it not been for his semi-transparent soul state, he would have appeared to be an ordinary boy, a living human.

Ghosts didn’t look like this. Ghosts were dead souls and the cause of death showed in their appearance. Even without physical wounds, their bodies were often gaunt, shriveled, and decayed.

Furthermore, Nan Deng was young. He couldn’t have died a natural death.

A soul in his state, under normal circumstances, couldn’t survive for more than half a day. It should have already been led to the underworld.

Could it be that the intensified malevolent energy in this area caused such an anomaly?

Vroom…

A faint sound rang out and a small Bagua ring appeared suspended in the air, slowly spinning near his hand.

As soon as Lian Yi’s thoughts shifted, Nan Deng would either be severely injured or directly turn to ash.

Exorcising ghosts was a Celestial Master’s duty. Accepting the items at the door and pretending to be a normal person were all strategies to lure Nan Deng in, to see what his true intentions were.

In addition to that, Lian Yi had a personal motive.

He wanted to eliminate a ghost. Why go through all this trouble? But since he had made significant progress in his spiritual cultivation, no ghosts would actively approach him anymore and neither would any living humans.

This little ghost might serve as a form of entertainment, a way to kill time.

Lian Yi briefly lost focus, but the Bagua ring continued to float quietly.

In the corner, the rabbit head blinked, as if sensing an unknown danger. It suddenly turned its head and jumped towards the window, trying to escape immediately.

Nan Deng was completely unaware. He tightly held it in his arms. “Xiao Tu, don’t run around!”

The rabbit head was surprisingly strong, tugging back against Nan Deng as the two struggled by the wall.

Lian Yi snapped out of his trance and put away the Bagua ring.

Two seconds later, the rabbit head calmed down, rubbing its ears against Nan Deng’s palm.

Nan Deng put on a stern face. “Why are you being so disobedient today?”

Could it be that the rabbit head was afraid of living people? It had never feared ghosts. When it was nearly caught by several Celestial Masters, it hadn’t seemed scared at all.

Nan Deng didn’t think this place was dangerous. There wasn’t even a single talisman to be found in the entire house. Though it was a bit strange, it was still safer than outside.

The rabbit head finally became obedient, jumping onto Nan Deng’s head to quietly sit there.

Now Nan Deng understood—it didn’t want to eat a living soul.

The little girl had said that the fog-shrouded specter needed living souls. Since the rabbit head refused to eat, Nan Deng would have to do it himself.

Nan Deng turned back to the sofa and sat back down on the carpet.

Lian Yi was still reading, his eyes fixed on the pages.

Nan Deng extended a fingertip and gently touched his hand.

The little black cat’s body also felt warm, but the sensation was completely different.

Nan Deng was very curious. Seeing that Lian Yi didn’t react, he touched him several more times.

From his hand’s back to his wrist, then to his fingertips.

The rabbit head slid down from his head, settling on his shoulder, its dark eyes fixed on Lian Yi.

Nan Deng’s gaze slowly moved to Lian Yi’s face. He seriously thought that this person was the most handsome he had ever seen, even though he had barely seen any living humans.

Everything had gone smoothly since entering the house, and Nan Deng’s courage had grown.

The sofa was soft. Sitting on it might leave a mark, so he moved even closer, his body nearly leaning against Lian Yi’s legs.

Nan Deng didn’t avert his eyes. His left hand carefully moved around the book and his fingertip brushed against Lian Yi’s chin.

Lian Yi’s lowered eyelashes trembled slightly as if he had sensed something.

Nan Deng quickly retracted his hand, not daring to move further.

Lian Yi put down his book and raised his left hand to press against his brow.

Nan Deng breathed a sigh of relief and inched closer again, preparing to bite.

Lian Yi placed the hand holding the book on his leg. Nan Deng aimed for the spot, sinking his teeth into the edge of his palm.

Suddenly, the rabbit head turned and ran, jumping to the other side of the sofa.

Nan Deng couldn’t pay attention to it now. He frowned slightly and bit down harder again.

…Why won’t it bite?

Unlike the warm and somewhat soft sensation he had felt before, the skin of the palm was as hard as an iron plate.

Nan Deng slowly let go, wondering if the position was wrong.

He tried again, this time biting the back of the index finger.

But Nan Deng’s teeth grew numb and he still couldn’t manage to bite a single bit.

Is it the method that’s wrong? He clearly remembered that ghosts ate humans this way.

Nan Deng was both confused and puzzled, looking up at Lian Yi.

Lian Yi still maintained the same position, his left hand pressed against his brow, unmoving.

Maybe… he needs to be asleep before I can eat?

Nan Deng felt utterly defeated, but he refused to give up just yet.

He hugged his knees and sat on the edge of the sofa, patiently waiting.

Time passed, and the sound of pages turning occasionally reached his ears. Nan Deng gradually started to feel sleepy.

He glanced at the sky outside the window, tilted his head, and dozed off for a while.

The rabbit head jumped over, sitting by Nan Deng’s side, its eyes still locked on Lian Yi.

Lian Yi suddenly turned his head and met its gaze for a moment.

The rabbit head didn’t move, and neither did Lian Yi.

Then, he withdrew his indifferent gaze as if nothing had happened.

Nan Deng, still thinking about the food, had only slept for half an hour.

He yawned and realized it was already past five in the morning.

Yet Lian Yi was still sitting on the sofa, truly not intending to sleep.

If this continued, it would soon be dawn.

Nan Deng thought for a long time, torn between staying and going back to the iron barrel. In the end, he chose the latter.

He wasn’t familiar enough with this place, so for safety’s sake, it was better to return to the iron barrel.

Nan Deng stood up, scooped up the rabbit head, and put it in his pocket. After that, he quietly made his way to the window.

He used the same method as when he came in, climbing out through the open window.

The curtains fluttered in the wind, quickly returning to calm.

Finally, Lian Yi put down his book and stood up, walking toward the window.

Nan Deng’s figure faded into the night. It was unclear which direction he had gone, leaving only a faint trace of his presence in the room.

Lian Yi lowered his head to look at his right hand, which had been “bitten”, and closed the window.

There was still some time before dawn, and Nan Deng hurried back.

When he reached the familiar corner, he found that the iron barrel he had left there was gone.

Nan Deng froze, searching the area nearby, but it was truly missing.

Who could have taken it? Was it a new ghost who had moved his sleeping barrel?

Nan Deng bit his lip and stood in the corner, holding the rabbit head in his arms.

He hadn’t eaten any soul and now the barrel was gone too.

It was too late to return to the house, so Nan Deng sat down where the barrel had been, his back against the rough wall.

“Meow…”

As the sky began to lighten, the familiar sound of a cat’s meow rang out. Nan Deng opened his eyes.

The black cat quickly ran over, finding Nan Deng curled up in the corner.

It seemed quite tired and its back had a new scratch. Fortunately, it wasn’t too serious, so it lay next to Nan Deng and licked its wound.

Nan Deng gently stroked it, worried, “Does it hurt?”

The black cat let out a soft “meow,” as if responding, then stood up, jumped into Nan Deng’s arms, and surprisingly made contact with him.

With the cat in his arms, the rabbit head was pushed to the side. It wasn’t happy and flicked its ears at the black cat’s head. But eventually, they both settled down to sleep together.

Nan Deng yawned, holding both the cat and the rabbit, and closed his eyes.

—

The night passed. Many celestial masters had seen the black cat, which seemed to be a newly born earth spirit.

Lin Jiu had followed it for some time, wanting to assist in eliminating the resentful souls, but had to pull away after being discovered.

He returned early to the talisman shop and reported the situation to the inner court.

In the communication screen, Weng Ping Ran seemed doubtful: “The earth spirit has only just died. It’s impossible for it to generate this quickly.”

“Master, I saw it with my own eyes,” Lin Jiu said with great certainty, “It is indeed an earth spirit.”

And it was a particularly fierce one. Compared to the ancient tree earth spirit they had encountered before, this one was at least twice as strong.

Each area only has one earth spirit, whose presence suppresses the malicious energy. Some earth spirits even actively hunt resentful souls.

They do not work with celestial masters, and it’s rumored that only mountain gods can tame and control them.

Lin Jiu’s expression grew serious and he hesitated for a moment.

But aside from the underworld, there was no sign of the other two gods.

Weng Ping Ran’s expression became more serious as he thought for a moment: “Then… keep an eye on it. Once I finish with what I’m handling, I’ll come over.”

Lin Jiu nodded, “Understood.”

After the communication ended, Lin Jiu took out Lian Yi’s contact number.

He respectfully inquired, “Chief Lian, have you noticed any unusual occurrences recently?”

At that moment, Lian Yi was opening the door, and picking up a pen from the floor.

He removed the cap and found that the pen’s nib had bent and was damaged.

A new message came through. Lian Yi opened it and listened.

As he put the pen back into his drawer, he replied: “No.”

—

That night, light rain began to fall on the outskirts.

The wind grew stronger, causing the curtains to billow and sway, accompanied by the sound of the fine raindrops.

The clock on the wall showed one o’clock in the morning when a rabbit head suddenly bounced in through the window.

Next came Nan Deng, who skillfully climbed through the window, carefully surveying the surroundings after landing.

The living room was lit but empty. Nan Deng moved to the hallway and heard the sound of running water coming from the bathroom at the end.

He quietly approached and reached out to touch the glass door.

This material, he seemed to be able to pass through it directly.

Inside the bathroom, mist swirled around. The frosted glass was divided into two parts and a translucent hand reached in from below.

The next moment, Nan Deng slipped entirely into the bathroom.

He glanced ahead and saw a person half-lying in the bathtub, then turned and quickly slipped out again.

The rabbit head couldn’t pass through the glass, so Nan Deng instructed it, “Stay outside and don’t run off. I’m going in to take a look, I’ll be right out.”

He wasn’t entirely at ease, so he drew a circle on the ground and told the rabbit head to stay inside it.

The rabbit head shook its ears and, seeing Nan Deng go back into the bathroom, sniffed the air in a particular direction.

The sound of water continued. Lian Yi opened his eyes, furrowing his brows.

He had anticipated that Nan Deng would come, and the living room window was still open.

Nan Deng had arrived even earlier than the night before, easily climbing through the window and heading straight for his position.

Compared to his earlier hesitance and clumsiness, his actions now matched his role much better—he barged into the bathroom without a care.

Indeed, no matter how deceptive the exterior might be, he was still a ghost at his core.

A coat hung on a hook by the door, with the Bagua ring slowly protruding halfway from it.

Nan Deng, unaware of the danger, cautiously approached Lian Yi.

A faint smell of blood spread through the mist. Nan Deng sniffed carefully and looked down to see a long, deep wound on Lian Yi’s left arm, which was draped over the edge of the bathtub.

It was the first time Nan Deng had seen such a serious injury on a living person. He froze for a moment and crouched down, murmuring to himself, “How did you get hurt…?”

Had it happened today? The tear-like wound was still oozing blood, slowly flowing into the bathtub, mixing with the hot water, then spilling over and dripping onto the floor.

Nan Deng thought back to the past few days. Lian Yi seemed to have been living alone. The small paper figure that resembled a pet had been eaten by the rabbit head.

Now, injured, he was still all alone in the house.

Nan Deng sighed silently, then, imitating the way the little black cat had licked its own wound the night before, he gently blew on Lian Yi’s arm, “Get better soon.”

This was his… temporary food supply, even though he hadn’t been able to eat it yet.

If Lian Yi weren’t here, Nan Deng really wouldn’t have been able to find anything else to eat.

Amidst the sound of water, Lian Yi clearly heard these words.

He closed his eyes and the Bagua ring fell back into his clothes.

Then he felt Nan Deng biting him.

Nan Deng deliberately avoided the wound and bit down on the firm muscle of his arm.

He wrinkled his nose, trying hard, but the skin beneath his teeth seemed even harder than it had been the night before.

Half a minute later, Nan Deng sat on the ground, holding his lips, murmuring softly to himself, “What should I do…”

The mist near the edge of the bathtub was thick. Nan Deng didn’t notice Lian Yi slightly raise his eyes, his gaze fixed on him.

Nan Deng was troubled over food, his expression one of frustration and helplessness.

After a moment, Nan Deng’s attention was drawn by the water spilling over the edge of the bathtub. He began to touch it back and forth, playing with the water.

The hot water passed through his translucent soul-like body. Nan Deng felt warmth spreading through his entire body. His expression was one of surprise and curiosity, his face pure.

Lian Yi averted his gaze.

Forget it.

Bang—

Suddenly, the sound of something falling from a distance outside the bathroom reached Nan Deng’s ears. He raised his head.

Lian Yi didn’t seem to hear it. Nan Deng quickly realized what had happened and his face changed. He hurriedly turned around and left.

He peeked out of the bathroom and found that the rabbit head was indeed not at the door.

“Xiao Tu!” Nan Deng called out, rushing into the living room, where he saw the rabbit head chasing a few small paper figures. Its eyes glinted with a hungry, wolfish coldness.

The small paper figures screamed as they tried to escape, but their voices were so faint that they couldn’t be heard from the spacious living room.

In the blink of an eye, the rabbit head had already eaten two of them.

Nan Deng felt like he was facing a serious threat. He kept looking towards the bathroom while shouting, “Stop eating! Stop! You’ll get us caught!”

The rabbit head ignored him, its eyes locked on the small paper figures. Nan Deng couldn’t catch up to it, watching helplessly as it opened its mouth and bit down on the last small paper figure, “Crunch, crunch,” and swallowed it whole.

At that moment, the bathroom door opened. Lian Yi, fully dressed, walked out.

Nan Deng, holding the rabbit head, stood in the corner, watching as Lian Yi stopped, looking down to pick up the half-eaten paper figure from the floor.

The paper figure was missing half of its body, its head hanging limply.

Nan Deng felt guilty, quickly covering the rabbit head’s mouth with his hand.

But to his surprise, Lian Yi didn’t react as he had expected. He simply walked over to the sofa, casually throwing the half-eaten paper figure into the trash can.

Huh? So it’s not a pet?

If he had discovered that his pet was reduced to only half of itself, surely his reaction wouldn’t be so calm.

Nan Deng looked down at the satisfied rabbit head in his arms, feeling an odd sense of unease as if something couldn’t be explained.

He quickly relaxed and silently made his way to Lian Yi’s side, sitting on the carpet like he had the night before.

Lian Yi’s hair was still wet, water dripping from the tips. Nan Deng reached out to catch it. It felt cool to the touch.

He adjusted his position, leaning against the edge of the sofa, and grabbed the rabbit head to warn it, “Don’t do that again!”

The rabbit head licked its lips, its dark eyes full of contentment.

Later that night, Nan Deng didn’t try to bite Lian Yi again.

Lian Yi turned on the TV, sitting quietly on the floor, watching without a word.

The TV stayed on all night and Lian Yi remained seated on the sofa the entire time.

As dawn approached, Nan Deng prepared to leave.

Before he left, he touched Lian Yi’s left hand, gazing at the injury covered by his clothing.