GRMFBS CH192

The cat demon ghost was paralyzed in shock.

Ah… was this new puppet’s combat prowess that terrifying? It actually managed to dismantle a piece of Lord Tie Lao’s Dharma artifact…

Because the Ghost King statue had been taken down, the entire grand hall of Tie Lao became restless. The numerous ghostly effigies carved onto the doors, pillars, bricks, and tiles began stirring restlessly, sharp shrieks and wails faintly rising on the verge of erupting.

Zhan Jinli gripped the door handle and set it down. When the heavy iron door slammed onto the ground, it rang out like a great bell, and an expansive, solitary, and freezing pressure rippled across the entirety of the hall.

Deterred by the immense shock, the restless ghostly effigies hid themselves once more, shrinking back as if wishing they didn’t even exist. In the blink of an eye, the exquisitely forged railings, pillars, bricks, and tiles smoothed over, instantly adding a few touches of rustic elegance to the majestic, intricate grand hall.

The cat demon ghost finally regained his senses.

No matter how incredible a puppet was, it could never possess the pressure of a Ghost King; it would be impossible for a fake to scare these Yin energies and malicious auras into such submissive cowering.

Wait—this was the real Ghost King Lin Yuan!

“Y-Y-Y-You…” The cat demon ghost couldn’t help but step backward. His calves hit the sofa, and, caught off guard, he tumbled straight back.

I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m dead! How on earth did this damn job manage to bump straight into Lord Lin Yuan himself?!

He was so frightened that his cat ears and cat tail popped straight out.

The “Lin Yuan” puppet’s eyes lit up, and it pounced forward, grabbing hold of the cat’s tail: “Oh~ Big tail~ Fluffy big tail~ My favorite fluffy cat tail~”

The cat demon ghost nearly fainted from fear, only regretting that he was already dead and couldn’t actually pass out.

“Y-Y-Y-You let go of me! Let go, do you want to die?!” Trembling all over, he tugged his tail back.

Zhan Jinli watched that puppet—bearing the exact same face as his ghost body—make an utterly revolting expression as it buried its face into the tail.

With a blackened expression, he stepped forward, yanked the puppet away, and demanded of the cat demon ghost, “What is going on?”

The cat demon ghost trembled incessantly, his ears quivering along with him: “M-M-M-My Lord, L-L-Lord Tie Lao h-h-hired me to s-s-supervise…”

Even while being held by the collar by Zhan Jinli, the “Lin Yuan” puppet refused to behave. Its eyes sparkled as it stared at the pair of cat ears, continuing its poetic waxing: “Oh~”

Zhan Jinli: “Retract your beast form.”

The cat demon ghost tried several times, but because of his sheer panic, he couldn’t grasp the proper method; his ears and tail failed to retract, and his hands nearly turned into paws instead. With a tearful, miserable face, he said, “I-I-I’m s-s-sorry, I-I d-didn’t mean to.”

Seeing that the ghost was about to be scared out of his wits, Zhan Jinli tapped him on the head.

The cat demon ghost felt as if cool spring water had been poured directly through the crown of his head. A refreshing energy flowed down from above, coursing through his entire ghost body. The fear that had been on the verge of scattering his soul vanished along with it, and his ears and tail naturally retracted.

The “Lin Yuan” puppet had a face full of disappointment: “Oh…”

Zhan Jinli could bear it no longer. He sealed its mouth and speech, bound it to a chair with ghostly energy, and ordered the cat demon ghost to explain.

The cat demon ghost was still frightened, but he was finally able to speak coherently. Standing straight as a rod, he lowered his head to report: “Lord Lin Yuan, I was hired by Lord Tie Lao to supervise this puppet’s work.

“Lord Tie Lao custom-ordered this puppet. Its intelligence is very high, but it just loves sniffing cats. Every time it completes a task, I turn back into my original form to let it pet me for a while… That…”

Remembering the tragic scene that had just unfolded right under the eyes of the real Ghost King Lin Yuan, the cat demon ghost began to stutter again.

Zhan Jinli: “Why did Tie Lao custom-order a puppet of me?”

The cat demon ghost’s eyes darted around, his hands clawing nervously at his thighs: “Ah… that, I-I only heard some rumors… I don’t know if they’re true or false, it wasn’t me who said it, I just heard it, I’m only relaying what I heard, I truly don’t know the real situation…”

Zhan Jinli: “Speak.”

The cat demon ghost’s stammering stopped. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and spoke with an attitude of accepting death: “I heard that Lord Tie Lao custom-ordered this puppet to play with Lord Wan Yan…”

Zhan Jinli recalled how, when he had previously helped Tie Lao with his work, Tie Lao had assured him that he had already handled Wan Yan.

So this was how you handled him?

Tie Lao, you’re doing great!

The “Lin Yuan” puppet was currently working hard to break free of the ghostly binding, and it actually managed to undo the seal on its mouth.

“You’re not allowed to bully the little kitty!”

Only then did Zhan Jinli realize that this puppet’s combat prowess was quite high, and its resistance to various techniques was rather impressive as well.

Zhan Jinli: “What else did Tie Lao make you do?”

The “Lin Yuan” puppet was very temperamental: “You scared the little kitty, I’m not going to tell you!”

The cat demon ghost shivered again. Because Ghost King Lin Yuan had already expressionlessly shifted his gaze over to him.

H-H-He’s not going to use him to threaten the puppet, is he?

Zhan Jinli: “You won’t talk? Then I’ll make sure none of the cats in this world ever grow ears or tails again.”

Because he had just made the cat demon ghost’s ears and tail disappear with a single tap, this threat was remarkably persuasive.

The “Lin Yuan” puppet imagined a cat without ears or a tail, just a round, bald head and rear end… No!

To protect the ears and tails of every kitty in the world, the “Lin Yuan” puppet surrendered.

Left with no choice, it begrudgingly recounted the series of events in detail. From the other mode despising Wan Yan to this mode rolling over on its belly to bury its face in cats, from messing around in Mount Chaofu every day to coming here to sniff cats and handle paperwork…

Zhan Jinli: “The other mode?”

“Yes, the other mode. It was supposedly designed according to your personality. Heavens, he actually dislikes kitties! Cats are the cutest creatures in this world! You truly have no taste at all. Think about it: their fluffy little paws, their soft little ears, their warm bellies…” The puppet transitioned from listless to glowing with excitement. “How could anyone not like cats? How could you have the heart to reject a cat? Those who haven’t experienced cats will never understand that kind of bliss; missing out on it is simply too pitiful. Let me help you out, truly. Just imagine when they make biscuits on you with their little paws…”

“Thank you, I’m about to throw up,” Zhan Jinli interrupted expressionlessly. “Tell me how to switch to the other mode.”

The “Lin Yuan” puppet stubbornly refused.

Trembling, the cat demon ghost whispered to Zhan Jinli that the switch was on the wrist.

He hoped Lord Lin Yuan wouldn’t hold a grudge; he hadn’t deliberately chosen to be petted by a puppet sharing Lord Lin Yuan’s appearance either. It was purely because the compensation offered by Lord Tie Lao was simply too enticing.

Previously, doing this job made him feel as if he was being harassed by a puppet, but now he felt as though he were a perverted cat that had harassed Lord Lin Yuan.

As if betrayed, the “Lin Yuan” puppet let out a heartbroken shriek, its eyes widening as it stared in disbelief: “Oh! How could you bear to do this to me?”

Zhan Jinli seized the “Lin Yuan” puppet’s wrist. He truly could not bear to watch his own face making such an expression.

Designing the switch on the wrist? Was the Artisan doing it on purpose or was it a coincidence? Why did it share the exact same fetish as that psycho cat Wan Yan?

What kind of ridiculous cat-loving mode had they come up with?! Switching to the mode tailored to his personality should make it normal, right?

Once the mode was toggled, the “Lin Yuan” puppet’s expression instantly turned condescending: “Release this seat! Petty vermin, how dare you treat this seat like this? Hmm? Why do you share the exact same appearance as this seat?

“I see, you deliberately dressed up like this to catch this seat’s attention, didn’t you? Heh! You conniving little fan, I will never accept an audacious lackey like you!”

At that exact moment, having sensed that his Dharma artifact’s gate had been torn off, Ghost King Tie Lao rushed back frantically, bursting in through the entrance just in time to witness this scene.

Tie Lao: …

It’s over.

He saw Senior Lin Yuan slowly turn around and flash him a smile.

In all these years, it was the first time he had ever seen Senior Lin Yuan smile.

It was a smile dripping with overflowing baleful energy.

…

[Ghost King Lin Yuan, Zhan Jinli, beat up Ghost King Tie Lao.]

[Ghost King Lin Yuan, Zhan Jinli, noted a grudge against the Artisan in his heart.]

Early the next morning, as soon as Zhan Yan woke up, he spotted these two melon threads in his special-follow tab.

Hmm? What happened here?

He scrolled backward.

Pfft! His brother’s puppet had been found out!

Lighting a candle for Tie Lao and the Artisan. His brother’s Interdependent Fortune and Misfortune was not an easy thing to endure.

Sigh, could this Artisan matter rely on his brother’s Interdependent Fortune and Misfortune to help out? Let Infinite and the Book of Secrets, who came to cooperate with the Artisan, suffer terrible bad luck!

The Artisan… today he would continue searching for Rong Sui’s whereabouts. The Artisan must never, ever side with Infinite!

Besides that, his parents’ gossip threads had refreshed as well.

His mother went to the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau to re-coordinate the formation, and showed immense interest in the flesh-and-blood server, so Ning Xi shooed her home to rest.

His father had finished delivering the Candle Dragon power to the slumbering Candle Dragon; his rotation had ended now, and he was quite eager to head home to see his wife. Beating up Xiangliu could wait for later.

Nibbling on the melons, Zhan Yan washed up and exercised, then retrieved a bag of bread from the fridge for breakfast.

Seeing him take the bread, Bao Qingshan hesitated, looking like he wanted to say something.

Zhan Yan pretended not to notice, carrying the bread and his water cup straight back to his room; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to explain why he’d rather roll bread into balls just to eat it.

Before he could search for Rong Sui’s whereabouts, a gossip thread he had specially followed popped up:

[The apocalyptic world is approaching this world… It is expected to border this world within half a month to two months.]

Ah. As the apocalyptic world drew closer, the Gossip System’s prediction for the formal bordering date became far more precise.

At the shortest, only half a month remained; Zhan Yan’s sense of crisis spiked. He had to resolve this within half a month!

Stuffing down bread balls, he began searching for Rong Sui and the Book of Secrets!

Perhaps because he latched onto the keyword “resurrection,” the details of the communication between the Book of Secrets and the Artisan loaded more thoroughly this time.

Meow it, this unscrupulous bastard Book of Secrets! He pretended to have someone he wanted to resurrect as well, hoping to evoke the Artisan’s sense of shared grief to deceive him!

The Artisan… Nothing special refreshed in the Artisan’s gossip threads, just that he had begun making puppets again.

As for Rong Sui’s gossip threads, they wouldn’t refresh at all. He couldn’t tell whether it was because too much time had passed, or because all those events had taken place in the apocalyptic world.

What a headache. But he couldn’t just drag this out without making progress.

Contact the Artisan directly? But he lacked the chips to convince him.

He couldn’t guarantee he could resolve this completely on his own either; if he failed, a whole bunch of people would be dragged down with him…

He needed to bring in outside help.

Reviewing everyone he knew, Zhan Yan decided it was best to look for his mother.

It wasn’t that his father was unreliable, but the Artisan was a fan of the Tianshi. Surely he would listen to the Tianshi’s words to some extent, right?

Zhan Yan scanned through all the gossip threads he could check once more. After confirming he truly couldn’t find a breakthrough, he logged onto his Approaching Science account to contact the Tianshi.

His mother happened to be online.

Zhan Yan explained everything: from how Luo Wang helped him find out the Artisan wanted a resurrection, to the Book of Secrets controlling Tequila to negotiate with the Artisan using resurrection as a condition, and his own suspicion that the person the Artisan wanted to resurrect was Rong Sui.

Tianshi: [You came to me instead of Nie Yu because you were worried that once the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau learned of this, their method of handling it would push the Artisan to the other side?]

Well, of course. Given Deputy Bureau Chief Ning’s control-freak personality, he would probably want to forcefully suppress and control the Artisan, wouldn’t he?

Approaching Science: [I feel the Artisan is not a figure who can be easily controlled.]

There were very few people who could mask their intentions and thoughts within the Gossip System’s threads; the ones Zhan Yan had encountered with this ability were without exception major powerhouses. The Artisan was the one who concealed the most, and the deepest.

Tianshi: [Rest assured. Thank you.]

The information brought by Approaching Science was critical. However, Ji Yueming wasn’t worried.

Ning Xi was a control freak, but not a brainless one. Only the weak resorted to pure martial force to compel others into obeying their arrangements.

The fact that Ning Xi had Nie Yu enlist Approaching Science to investigate the Artisan in the first place was because they had already picked up on a few clues while investigating the Book of Secrets. Now, they could confirm—

The “Artisan” was not the Artisan; the one who survived the apocalypse was not Yang Ran, but Lord Rong Sui.

Ning Xi: “Rong Sui… Since she wants to resurrect someone, Yang Ran’s soul must be in her hands.”

He had taken note ever since the “Artisan” began gathering information regarding souls through various channels. Back then, the Book of Secrets hadn’t approached her yet, nor did Infinite know that the one who survived was Rong Sui.

The Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau possessed far too little information on the apocalyptic world, but fortunately, Infinite was well-acquainted with it.

Thus, following the enemy to trace clues proved much easier at times.

Having confirmed these facts, many plans could now be set in a definite direction.

Ning Xi: “You’ll need to return to the Bureau to help out.”

Ji Yueming: “No problem.”

Meanwhile, after settling all his affairs, Zhan Yunkai opened the family group chat and typed out a line with great anticipation.

Zhan Yunkai: [I’m coming home today.]

Ji Yueming’s message popped up almost at the exact same moment as his:

Ji Yueming: [Something came up at the company that needs handling; I need to be away for a few days.]