GRMFBS CH182

The online storm didn’t affect Zhan Yan’s life much. He had no official Weibo account, so those wanting to dig up information had nowhere to go. His schoolmates did recognize him, but everyone was scattered in different internship locations. The veterinary station was also remote—the villagers had no interest in video games. They preferred sitting under trees in the evening, fanning themselves while playing chess, or playing mahjong indoors.

Only the few classmates interning together knew, and after joking around for two days, they quieted down.

Zhan Yan had been busy lately anyway, with no time to pay attention to online turbulence.

Speaking of which, this wave of traffic brought him more benefits—he had more information to use for concealment in the network world.

Zhan Yan spent his time in the other network world.

He was still dedicated to finding out from Hong Jing why he had that “very important” intuition about her.

Though he hadn’t found it yet, Zhan Yan had confirmed some things.

He suspected Hong Jing was a survivor from the apocalyptic world, like the Craftsman. But Hong Jing was also tight-lipped—extracting information from her wasn’t easy.

Then Zhan Yan noticed Hong Jing’s mood seemed off these past few days.

Zhan Yan: “What’s wrong? Is creating NPCs not going smoothly?”

After understanding how to use data to build rooms and items, Hong Jing began researching how to build NPCs with data. Zhan Yan hadn’t practiced this, but Play Games with Me and Wan Shitong were very skilled at it. Hong Jing sought them out.

Since Hong Jing had finished learning network basics from him, she smoothly fooled Play Games with Me and Wan Shitong without them discovering she was a newbie.

Those two only thought the Hong Jing boss wasn’t good at making NPCs.

Zhan Suiru: “Nothing.”

She’d picked up NPC creation quickly. Making puppets was her strong suit to begin with—now she was just replacing real-world materials with network data.

But having built the NPC was still a drop in the bucket for her current predicament.

There was contamination in Xiao Ran’s ability core. Zhan Suiru was very skilled at removing contamination, but that required her mental power. In reality, she couldn’t project her mental power outside her body.

She’d considered following cultivators’ methods, gradually converting mental power into divine sense, then using divine sense to remove contamination. But the ability system and cultivators’ cultivation system were completely different. She’d tried—it was very difficult. Who knew how long it would take to succeed.

Yang Ran’s soul was in the ability core. He could be affected by contamination at any time, or perhaps he was constantly being affected. This contamination could only have been brought from the apocalyptic world.

That meant he’d already endured it for twenty-six years.

How much longer could he hold on?

How much time did she have left?

Zhan Suiru felt incredibly anxious.

Another method was to find a way to guide Yang Ran’s spirit into the network. She could use her mental power to clear contamination for Yang Ran in the network.

But this method first had to face a difficult problem: how to guide Yang Ran’s spirit out.

To guide out his spirit required solving the cracks on the ability core, and perhaps also dealing with the contamination inside. But solving the ability core’s cracks and contamination required mental-type abilities. Xiao Ran’s creation ability was ineffective.

Seek help from others?

No, she couldn’t trust others. Moreover, having come to this world for nearly twenty-seven years, the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau’s progress in clearing contamination was still slow.

Cultivators’ divine sense had stronger resistance to contamination than mental power, but was less effective than mental power at removing contamination from others.

The modified concepts both protected this world from being easily devoured by the infinite, yet also limited some of this world’s development.

If only she could break through the limitations of the mental concept…

Zhan Suiru temporarily suppressed this thought.

Zhan Yan began flipping through Hong Jing’s gossip feed but found no issues. Sigh, this was also a boss whose information depth was very hard to dig.

After pondering awhile, Zhan Yan decided to stop thinking about it. Mom was coming to visit tomorrow. He’d already negotiated a price with the lotus pond contractor to pick flowers, harvest lotus seeds and leaves, and rent his small boat for a day.

Zhan Yan was a bit regretful. This place had decent scenery but not much to do. As a Tianshi, Mom had been to many places and seen many landscapes. The scenery here probably wasn’t novel to her. If only there was something interesting.

Meanwhile, a half-human-height yellow weasel was sneaking back into the village.

After being chased away by Wan Yan Ghost King, Huang Twenty-Four Lang was very unwilling to give up. He mobilized his connections to inquire everywhere but heard nothing about such a cat demon in the demon clan.

Grandpa had lived so long and this was the first time he’d been bullied like this by a cat, and so many demons from the clan saw it! He couldn’t swallow this!

Later, he finally learned from a well-traveled grandpa in the clan that the super fierce little white cat was actually Wan Yan Ghost King.

Huang Twenty-Four Lang swallowed his resentment.

But after swallowing it, he was still unhappy—he’d almost become the clan’s laughingstock!

Originally, Huang Twenty-Four Lang had wanted to give up on getting recognition from Mi Man, but after being mocked chirpingly by other yellow weasels, he couldn’t take it. No, he had to get some payback!

Getting payback from Wan Yan Ghost King was impossible. Huang Twenty-Four Lang turned his attention to Mi Man.

If he could successfully get recognized in a foreign language, he’d be the first in the clan! Moreover, he’d failed to get recognition from Mi Man before because of Wan Yan Ghost King. If he could successfully get recognition from Mi Man, that would, in a sense, also prove he wasn’t afraid of Wan Yan Ghost King!

Huang Twenty-Four Lang deduced from forum posts that Wan Yan Ghost King had already left that place and probably wouldn’t return soon. Besides, Wan Yan Ghost King only said not to trouble his cook. Mi Man wasn’t Wan Yan Ghost King’s cook.

Huang Twenty-Four Lang decided to sneak back to the veterinary station and definitely succeed in getting recognition from Mi Man!

The next day, Zhan Yan went to the crossroads to pick up Mom.

Mom’s car hadn’t arrived yet. Zhan Yan’s mind wandered as he began mentally narrating voice-over for himself.

Standing at this crossroads, he couldn’t help thinking of that scene when Wan Yan kitty pounced toward his brother.

Right here, at this ordinary, plain, even somewhat dilapidated crossroads, he’d witnessed a historic meeting between Wan Yan Ghost King and Linyuan Ghost King. His brother’s disguise was exposed then.

And all of this—he couldn’t say anything. Only he and this dilapidated crossroads, perhaps along with a few passing sparrows, witnessed it all together.

The car in the distance drew closer. Soon, this seemingly ordinary but actually extraordinary crossroads would welcome the arrival of the Tianshi boss…

“Yanyan!”

“Mom! I missed you so much!”

The narration cut off as Zhan Yan threw himself into the Tianshi boss’s embrace.

They hadn’t seen each other in months!

Ji Yueming held her youngest son and rubbed his head of small curls, feeling satisfied.

If she couldn’t see Old Zhan, seeing her son also brought happiness.

“Mom, let’s go straight to the lotus pond. There’s a pavilion there where we can rest.” He’d prepared snacks and borrowed rattan rocking chairs. Sitting by the lotus pond with a breeze carrying lotus fragrance—how nice!

Ji Yueming smiled and rubbed him again: “Alright.”

When they arrived, they happened to run into Mi Man. Mi Man was very enthusiastic about inviting them to eat lotus stem.

Zhan Yan’s cooking was so good that he’d gained three pounds during this time.

While the three were chatting in the pavilion, Huang Twenty-Four Lang sneakily arrived.

He poked out his small round head and looked.

Mi Man was there, the untouchable cook was also there, plus an unfamiliar woman.

Tsk, troublesome. Wait a bit, wait for that cook to separate from them.

The lotus pond owner happened to row his boat over, loaded with many lotus pods, gesturing for them to take some.

Zhan Yan ran to the water’s edge to collect lotus pods.

The lotus pond owner was very enthusiastic—Zhan Yan had paid too much. He pulled Zhan Yan into conversation, telling him how to eat these things best.

Huang Twenty-Four Lang looked at the old man rowing the boat. He remembered this old guy could talk forever—wouldn’t finish anytime soon.

Now that cook wasn’t there. Only Mi Man and that unfamiliar woman were in the pavilion. Just an ordinary woman—what was there to worry about?

Huang Twenty-Four Lang decided to seize this good opportunity!

He approached the pavilion from an angle Zhan Yan couldn’t see, planning to first cast a small spell to hide the disturbance here in case that cook saw and rushed back.

Mi Man suddenly felt chilly. He rubbed his arms, getting goosebumps.

“It’s really gloomy by the water. It’s almost July…”

Huang Twenty-Four Lang was about to cast his spell when suddenly everything went dark.

Ji Yueming knocked out Huang Twenty-Four Lang and continued smiling: “There is more moisture by the lotus pond. Teacher Mi, how is Zhan Yan’s internship going?”

How could there be yellow weasels that had become spirits here? Too unsafe! Check Yanyan’s little silver lock later, and sweep the area tonight!

Mi Man suddenly felt the cold wind disappear. Still confused, he was led away by Ji Yueming’s conversation. After chatting a few sentences, Mi Man inexplicably felt a faint pressure from Ji Yueming and naturally felt he should leave.

Ji Yueming was very satisfied.

Next was family time!

After spending a pleasant day with Yanyan, Ji Yueming prepared to return. Yanyan was interning with only two rest days on weekends. Leave one day for Yanyan to rest himself. The child had grown up—couldn’t always stay with her.

Zhan Yan reluctantly saw Mom off. After returning, he routinely checked the gossip feed in his focus area.

[Tianshi Ji Yueming brought back lotus leaves, lotus pods, lotus stems, Huang Twenty-Four Lang and other local specialties.]

Zhan Yan: ???

Wait, what got mixed into the specialties?

Zhan Yan scrolled back through the gossip feed and discovered the unwilling Huang Twenty-Four Lang who’d snuck back.

Zhan Yan: …Why are you so vindictive? See, you crashed again, didn’t you?

Continuing to scroll, Zhan Yan discovered Mom had also swept the entire area, catching one two three four five… a total of seventeen yellow weasels who’d secretly followed Huang Twenty-Four Lang to watch the excitement. They were counted in that “other” specialties.

Zhan Yan: …No, is watching excitement an inherent trait of you yellow weasel spirits?

His mom first returned to the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau, dragging along a string of yellow weasels, and distributed some lotus pods to colleagues working overtime.

Huang Twenty-Four Lang: …

Without seeing anything clearly, he was already at the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau.

Ji Yueming was in a good mood after conveniently solving her son’s workplace safety issues while visiting him.

She received a call from Luo Luoluo, who brought less than great news:

Lan Xiqiao had just called to apologize. Her competitor had seized this opportunity to buy big V accounts and internet trolls to smear her, dragging Zhan Yan into it as well.

Ji Yueming’s mood immediately became less pleasant.

“Tell Xiao Lan not to overthink. This has nothing to do with her—it’s not her fault. She’s also a victim.” Ji Yueming said calmly. “As for those who dare implicate my son, Luoluo, you know what to do, right?”

Luo Luoluo: “Rest assured! I understand!”

Zhan Yan also quickly heard the online news from his classmates. Some were implying Lan Xiqiao became famous because she had a financial backer, and Zhan Yan was that mysterious backer behind her.

Not one of his classmates believed it.

They’d all personally witnessed the sticky sweetness between Zhan Yan and Boss Gu. Zhan Yan liked men.

Chu Chengcheng and Cheng Yichu, these two fans, were very indignant and consoled Zhan Yan: “Don’t take it to heart. This clearly looks like dirty tricks from stupid and bad people.”

Zhan Yan wasn’t angry. It didn’t affect him anyway. He’d just use this extra traffic to add bricks and tiles to his concealable information. But this matter couldn’t keep fermenting.

Zhan Yan opened the gossip system, planning to first investigate who was behind it, then give them a big gift package of exposed dirt. If by chance there were some illegal activities, he’d add a one-stop report.

However, before either Luo Luoluo or Zhan Yan could act, all malicious comments about Zhan Yan online disappeared.

[Hong Jing cleared all malicious information about you from the network.]

Zhan Yan: ???

What was this rhythm? Why would Hong Jing clear bad reviews about him? Had his disguise been exposed to Hong Jing?!

Support me on Ko-fi