GRMFBS CH231

…Jie, your aim in picking someone to investigate is way too accurate!

At this time, shouldn’t you hurry back to heal Yang Ran and happily date once he wakes up? Why did you suddenly think of Xiao Gu?

Scroll through the gossip strips, scroll through the gossip strips… Oh, Ge, so you were the culprit!

Honestly, how could his brother’s train of thought leap straight from sunscreen to dating?!

His sister had already started hiring people to investigate Xiao Gu’s supernatural identity; how much longer could Xiao Gu’s secret identity be preserved…

Such a headache.

Yet he couldn’t refuse his sister. Right now, the task of looking into Xiao Gu’s supernatural identity had fallen into his own hands, meaning he could still run interference for him. If his sister turned to someone else, things would get truly messy. Therefore, he had to project absolute confidence and keep the assignment of tracking down Xiao Gu’s identity firmly within Approaching Science’s grasp!

Approaching Science: [This is simple.]

Approaching Science: [However, the scope that needs filtering is rather broad and the conditions are quite vague, so it might take a bit longer.]

His sister replied almost instantly. From the speed of her response, Zhan Yan felt the mounting pressure…

Fortunately, he could still stall for time. There were plenty of players in this world suffering from aftereffects; only one condition was tricky: starting to recover since last summer. There probably weren’t many “scapegoats” who fit this criterion… He had to be meticulous, serving them up one by one to draw his sister’s focus. That way, while his sister took the time to verify each incorrect option, Gu Jiancheng would have enough room to farm more favorability points.

Still, he couldn’t be certain how much time this would buy Xiao Gu.

Xiao Gu, you have to hurry up!

A strong sense of urgency welled up in Zhan Yan’s heart.

Opening the gossip strips, he checked what Xiao Gu was currently up to.

[Gu Jiancheng removed his disguise and prepared to head to the courier station to pick up the pastry parcel you sent him.]

Gu Jiancheng was overjoyed. Yan Yan had mailed him a parcel directly from home—did that mean Yan Yan no longer minded him knowing his home address?

What did that equate to? Rounded up, that basically meant meeting the parents!

[Gu Jiancheng noticed the sender’s address on the parcel was the police station, giving him the momentary illusion that his wanted poster was still hanging.]

Zhan Yan: …Pfft.

He had woken up too early back then, before any courier station was open, so he had asked Sister Zhao Wen for help mailing it.

Continuing to scroll down the gossip strips.

Gu Jiancheng had booked a hotel nearby under his ordinary civilian identity.

Returning to his dorm, he unwrapped the package. As he unpacked, he counted his blessings—as expected of himself, he had resolved the power of contamination in Yang Ran’s soul in just a single night. Had this been someone lacking the ability who dragged things out for days, the pastries Yan Yan mailed would have spoiled.

The ice pack inside the insulated box had melted entirely, but it still felt icy cold to the touch. The pastries were neatly and meticulously arranged in partitioned lunchboxes, though a few had crumbled somewhat due to long-distance transit.

Gu Jiancheng pinched a small, crumbled piece and popped it into his mouth. Delicious!

[Gu Jiancheng assumed you made the pastries yourself. Cherishing every bit, he ate all the crumbs while leaving the intact pieces untouched, reluctant to eat them.]

Zhan Yan: …Why is he so… so… Aiya!

He sent Gu Jiancheng a message:

Zhan Yan: [I received a text notification that the package was signed for.]

Zhan Yan: [Did you eat them? How do they taste?]

Gu Jiancheng: [Extremely delicious.]

Gu Jiancheng: [[Hamster stuffing its cheeks]]

Zhan Yan: …Liar, as if you’re actually stuffing your cheeks.

Zhan Yan: [It’s great that you like them. Auntie next door made them. She’s super skilled at making Chinese pastries. Once she shares more with me, I’ll send you another batch.]

[Upon learning the pastries were not made by you, Gu Jiancheng was immensely disappointed.]

Pfft. Be disappointed then, be disappointed. Once you’re done moping, hurry up and eat them. Letting them sit untouched would be a total waste of Aunt Bai’s culinary skills!

Gu Jiancheng was only slightly crestfallen.

So what if Yan Yan hadn’t made them with his own hands? When Yan Yan tasted something delicious, he thought of him—that was love! Gu Jiancheng cheerfully resumed eating the pastries.

Watching the gossip strip, Zhan Yan didn’t have the heart to press him any further.

Sigh, Xiao Gu had just toiled through the whole night; better let him rest up properly first. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t figure out solutions on his end anyway.

The lion’s share of his sister’s favorability had already been secured; it was just a matter of concealing his secret identity.

Zhan Yan decided to check what his brother was doing. Although his brother seemed to believe the cover story his sister gave him on the surface, what if? If his brother also began looking into Xiao Gu on a whim… the pressure would be mountain-high!

He opened his brother’s gossip strips.

His brother had gone to Mount Chaofu.

Oh, he had received word that Wan Yan the cat had awakened and left on his own, so he went to check on the situation.

Zhan Jinli inquired with Ghost King Minghe about the circumstances surrounding Wan Yan’s awakening.

Ghost King Minghe knew what he wanted to ask: “He still treats himself like a cat.”

Zhan Jinli couldn’t help but frown: “Even the Candle Dragon’s power failed to make him remember?”

“I’d say he remembered quite a bit.”

“Then why…”

“Riverbeds are not carved by the river’s water.” Ghost King Minghe dipped her hand into the Ming He River, scooping up a handful of water that rested in her palm as smooth as a mirror. “A soul is not shaped by memory.”

If you implant the memories of a hero into someone devoid of responsibility, their instinct will still scream at them to flee whenever danger strikes.

Memories are memories, and souls are souls. Wan Yan’s issue lay within his soul; the Candle Dragon’s power could only aid in tracing his past, not restoring him.

The current Wan Yan remained the same Wan Yan from twenty-seven years ago whose soul stood on the verge of shattering. What had forcibly sustained his soul was the curse cast by Lin Yuan using half of his cultivated demon core: Eternal Unrest.

Because Wan Yan’s soul had not healed, Lin Yuan’s curse could not be undone. Thus, Wan Yan—with “Eternal Unrest” embedded in his soul—had continuously followed the caster’s wish, experiencing “unrest” in the gentlest possible manner.

Wan Yan the cat leaped around, burst with energy, hurled petty curses, framed others, stirred up trouble, and fished… He had no peace, yet he would never lack serenity.

Ghost King Minghe opened her hand. The river water fell, blending back into the flowing stream until it could no longer be distinguished.

Watching the current flow forward, she remarked: “There is no need to rush him into regaining his memories. Once his soul heals, the memories will naturally return.”

Zhan Yan saw this within the Gossip System as well.

Ah, which meant the method he had thought of earlier to help Wan Yan retrieve his memories was completely mistaken! Recovering memories did not signify that the soul had healed, but healing the soul would naturally restore lost memories.

Yet how could Wan Yan’s soul be healed? Mmm… Sister is currently healing Yang Ran’s soul. The souls from the apocalyptic world have certain differences compared to the souls of our native world; could Sister’s soul-healing method be applied to Wan Yan? Furthermore, is there any way Xiao Gu could lend a hand to farm some favorability points as well…

Zhan Jinli’s thoughts turned toward a different direction.

The Ghost Festival was approaching soon—a day when heaven and earth deliver and redeem the fallen souls of the mortal world. Within it lay the natural rule-based powers of heaven and earth. He had never researched it closely before; if he could unravel the unique qualities of this day, perhaps it could offer some aid to Wan Yan’s soul.

There were still a few days left before the Ghost Festival. He needed to gather some reference materials first, and could take the opportunity to chat with Teng Jian. Since he had already come out today anyway, he might as well seek out Teng Jian today.

At home.

Halfway through browsing the gossip strips, Zhan Yan felt his stomach rumble. Glancing at the clock, it was already 1:30 PM without him realizing.

The house remained dead silent, indicating no one else had returned yet.

Zhan Yan went downstairs to eat. First, he uncovered the jar of diced pickled vegetables and scooped some out with a spoon. Vegetables pickled fast; having pickled for only a single day, the flavor remained mild and fresh, allowing him to sneak a few bites. If he wanted more later, he would have to wait until it was thoroughly pickled; it couldn’t be eaten during the midpoint, when nitrite levels ran high.

Rice paired with pickled side dishes was delicious too, but Zhan Yan still craved the dishes cooked by his dad’s own hands.

Sigh, when will Dad come back? Let’s check the gossip strips.

Zhan Yunkai was currently chatting with Teng Jian.

Teng Jian was completely baffled. She and the Chongming Demon King had virtually zero overlap, so why had he sought her out out of nowhere? Did he have some matter that required her abilities? But why wouldn’t he state what it was?

Since she couldn’t simply walk away, chatting it was.

Zhan Yunkai inquired about Teng Jian’s hobbies, utilizing his double pupils to observe whether she was lying. He was taking this very seriously—not only had Teng Jian approached Yan Yan outside the cinema of her own accord, but afterward she had even mentioned wanting Suiru’s sculptures. Setting her sights on two of his children at once made His Demon King Majesty exceptionally cautious as a father.

Teng Jian wandered in confusion from her hobbies all the way to what she had been up to recently, when she suddenly heard the Chongming Demon King ask: “Do you like Ji Lele’s films?”

Teng Jian perked up: “I love them!”

She launched into an animated chatter.

Zhan Yunkai confirmed that Teng Jian simply possessed an eccentric aesthetic taste and had exchanged contact info solely because she thought Yan Yan shared her preferences.

His Chongming Majesty relaxed and followed up: “Would you like to participate in filming Ji Lele’s new movie? You can also attend his advance screening.”

Preparations for Ji Lele’s next film were virtually complete, and filming would commence shortly; Mingtang Pictures was funding it directly anyway.

Teng Jian’s eyes widened in delightful surprise: “Huh? Really?!”

This was equivalent to telling a gourmand obsessed with a certain head chef that they could visit the kitchen, taste every dish alongside the chef, and exchange thoughts on each culinary design!

Zhan Yunkai: “Really. You can just look for Xia Yuexuan later. I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t keep you any longer.”

Teng Jian left, bewildered yet utterly thrilled.

[After departing Mount Qixia, Teng Jian was tracked down by Ghost King Lin Yuan Zhan Jinli and questioned extensively regarding the Ghost Festival and souls. During the questioning, Zhan Jinli probed her thoughts on the horror films directed by Ji Lele.]

…

[After departing Mount Chaofu, Teng Jian received a message from the Da Wule Lingzhou Wendi. Lingzhou Wendi inquired whether she was free recently, as Tianshi Ji Yueming wished to meet and have a chat with her.]

Teng Jian: …Did she poke a hornet’s nest of big bosses today?

Zhan Yan: …Pfft. Truly sorry, but this is what happens when one gets saddled with a bizarre social network.

Now Jie was the only one who hadn’t looked for Teng Jian yet, right?

Still, just like him, Jie had no idea who Teng Jian was, so she probably wouldn’t hunt her down under a supernatural persona to test her like Mom, Dad, and Ge did. Besides, Jie still had Yang Ran’s soul to heal… Ah, the preliminary stage of Yang Ran’s treatment had concluded, but he hadn’t awakened yet. The soul rested best in slumber.

Zhan Suiru couldn’t fall asleep, yet she had no heart for anything else either. There was nothing urgent pressing for her attention at the moment.

Staring at Yang Ran for a while, she suddenly remembered that whenever she got stuck on refining magical artifacts in the past, Xiao Ran would always earnestly suggest she go play video games with her brother.

Except her brother didn’t play games anymore… Forget it, she’d just play a couple of rounds by herself.

Zhan Yan spotted this in the gossip strip. He immediately pulled out his phone and started redownloading the game.

Jie, wait for me a bit, I’m coming right up!

The download progress bar had barely loaded to six percent when his gossip strip refreshed again.

[Gu Jiancheng received an online notification for his specially followed contact “Sledgehammer Eighty” and logged into the game account “Cha King.”]

[Gu Jiancheng used the “Cha King” account to invite “Sledgehammer Eighty” to form a team and selected a support role.]

No need to download the game anymore. Xiao Gu was trying so hard…