GRMFBS CH283

At the foot of Mount Chaofu, beneath the Wenyu Tree.

Di Ting lay curled with its eyes closed, the single horn on its forehead shimmering with a soft luster.

Zhan Jinli looked at the giant beast before him, the tight tension in his brow gradually relaxing bit by bit.

He buried his hand deep within Di Ting’s thick neck fur, and after a moment, a demon core slowly floated out.

Di Ting’s body shrank down, reverting back into the form of a small white cat—though it was slightly larger than before.

Although it had reclaimed its divine power, Di Ting had not yet fully recovered. Having relinquished Zhan Jinli’s demon core, it was temporarily unable to sustain its true form for extended periods.

Zhan Jinli stood to the side holding his demon core, his gaze tracking from high to low as he watched the dignified, awe-inspiring beast shrink into a tiny white cat curled up in the hollow of the tree.

The little white cat’s whiskers twitched slightly before its eyes slowly fluttered open.

Its memories were restored, its soul made whole, and the curse of “Eternal Unrest” was lifted—and with that, its normal wits had returned.

Past memories began flashing rapidly through its mind: going fishing, climbing trees, searching everywhere for Lin Yuan, surfing on the Minghe River, cursing the Chongming Demon King to lose his fur, recklessly casting curses around the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau, pretending to be a stray cat to scam free food and drink, biting Lin Yuan’s wrist, picking fights with the Minghe River, tormenting its poor junior Tie Lao…

For a brief moment, Wan Yan wished he were dead.

Oh, wait. He was already dead. Why did he have to experience social death all over again after dying?!

He didn’t want to open his eyes. He would just pretend to be completely, thoroughly dead.

Zhan Jinli’s gaze bored into him like high-intensity X-rays.

With Wan Yan’s divine power fully restored, Zhan Jinli’s completely unshielded inner thoughts resounded with total clarity:

[Let’s see how long you can keep up the act.]

Wan Yan: “…”

A cat eye peeked open through a tiny crack.

Holding his demon core in one hand, Lin Yuan was staring down at him expressionlessly from above.

Wan Yan: “…Ah… well…”

Before he could finish a single sentence, Lin Yuan’s indifferent, handsome face gradually grew larger.

Zhan Jinli bent down, picked up the cat by the scruff, and tossed it right out.

Now he was the only one left in the secluded cultivation spot.

Zhan Jinli sat cross-legged, stuffed his demon core back inside, and began recovering his own divine powers.

—

The thrown-out Wan Yan stared blankly ahead as the Wenyu Tree rustled its leaves, practically laughing at him.

Did Lin Yuan stare at him for half a day just to wait for him to open his eyes, only to scruff him and throw him out?

Did Lin Yuan have a… Wan Yan fumed for a long time, but after remembering everything he had done previously, he couldn’t bring himself to say a word.

Meow… The little cat’s ears flattened completely.

Ghost King Minghe raised his eyes to look at him, the corners of his lips curving upward slightly. “Wan Yan. Have you recovered?”

Ghost King Wan Yan’s ears shot straight back up in an instant. No matter how he looked at it, Minghe’s smile seemed dangerously menacing.

[How should we settle this account?]

Wan Yan couldn’t help taking a step back.

“I… I’m sorry, but I have to go out and find someone first!” The little cat bolted out of Mount Chaofu like a lightning streak.

After sprinting out, Wan Yan stood dazed on Mount Chaofu in the mortal realm.

Who… who should he look for?

He still had so many questions. How was his horn found? Lin Yuan definitely knew, but before he could hear the relevant inner thoughts, he had been thrown out.

Right, Bai Ze… Bai Ze was definitely still alive, but no one could find him.

He wanted to find Bai Ze, but right now he had no idea where to even look. Wan Yan’s tail swayed back and forth behind him as another friend crossed his mind.

Maybe he should go find Zhan Yan first.

—

Meanwhile, Zhan Yunkai and Ji Yueming were packing at home.

The location for Yan Yan’s upcoming internship had been announced: Antai Ranch. Located on the northern grasslands, it was far away from home—unlike his last internship site, which was just a few hours’ drive away. Although ranches were relatively relaxed, people couldn’t freely come and go, so it was best to prepare all the essentials in advance.

Ji Yueming said, “Their internship lasts four months this time; he needs to bring enough clothes.”

From early autumn to winter, the temperature variance would be huge.

Zhan Yunkai asked, “How about I cast a Dust-Clearing Charm and a Constant-Temperature Charm on all his clothes?”

In the past, when everyone kept their aliases hidden, they didn’t dare use good things on him. Now that they knew there were no ordinary humans in the household, there was no longer a need to be overly cautious about being exposed.

Zhan Yunkai had been using spells for cooking over the past few days, and using the Dust-Clearing Charm to wash vegetables felt amazingly convenient.

Ji Yueming said, “Go ahead and add them, but don’t make it too obvious. Otherwise, it’ll be hard to explain if Yan Yan’s classmates notice.”

Zhan Yunkai said, “Then I won’t put the Dust-Clearing Charm on the coat. How about adding a Force-Deflection Charm instead?”

Ji Yueming understood instantly. “Afraid a cow might kick him? Add it, then. Is there one that keeps the air fresh? The smell of a cattle ranch probably isn’t great.”

Zhan Yunkai said, “Right, right. Sigh, I don’t know much about cattle either. How about I go ask the bull demons if they have any special tools or spells we could use?”

For instance, something that could calm cattle down as soon as they heard it, or something used for herding…

While the couple was discussing, Zhan Suiru returned, seeing a mountain of items spread across the floor and sofa.

“Packing stuff for Yan Yan?” Seeing several pieces of Zhan Yan’s clothing, she said, “I have plenty more over in my room.”

Zhan Suiru dragged out a large trunk filled with all sorts of odd yet extremely practical gadgets—including an automatic haircut hat. On the outside, it looked like an oversized plush hat, but once worn, it could automatically handle a full-service wash, cut, and blow-dry.

Both Zhan Yunkai and Ji Yueming were stunned.

“When did you prepare all this?”

Zhan Suiru said vaguely, “Just casually put them together back then.”

In truth, she had prepared them in the period right before the apocalypses overlapped. Not only were there items for Yan Yan, but also things for her parents and brother. Even though no one had dropped their disguises back then, she wouldn’t have dared bring these inventions home for everyone to use anyway.

Zhan Suiru had been exceptionally well-behaved these past two days. Having made her parents sad, they treated her with gentle, heartwarming, and immensely affectionate care—even more intense than when they had just finished watching Ji Lele’s movie.

She really couldn’t bear that look in her parents’ eyes.

Thanks to Zhan Suiru’s magical gift package, Zhan Yunkai and Ji Yueming finished preparing everything in less than an hour.

“Then there’s no need to wait until tomorrow.”

“Let’s go today.”

Xingxing bounced excitedly among the luggage. Zhan Suiru had specifically prepared a cat carrier with an extraordinarily spacious interior just for him! He was getting to go out and play too~ Awesome, awesome!

Zhan Suiru scratched Xingxing under his chin.

In truth, she really wanted to go too.

Deep Shadow meeting the parents! What a glorious spectacle that would be! Unfortunately, she had to focus on researching how to use the spiritual imprint to locate Infinite recently…

—

Meanwhile, back at Northern Agricultural University, Zhan Yan and Gu Jiancheng were still completely unaware of this.

“Antai Ranch is the place we were assigned to last time but couldn’t go to,” Zhan Yan said while going over the checklist.

Gu Jiancheng felt a wave of frustration just seeing that name. He was originally supposed to go there together with Yan Yan last time. But back then, he was merrily making wishes through his future brother-in-law, accidentally digging his own grave and forcing them to be separated for more than three months.

There definitely wouldn’t be any issues this time!

“Let’s go buy things together,” Zhan Yan said.

A ranch had different requirements compared to a veterinary station or a pig farm. They needed to bring quite a few items this time.

The young couple headed out with their checklist to go shopping.

Suddenly, Zhan Yan received a phone call. Upon answering, Professor Miao’s panicked voice came through: “Little Yan, could you help me find a bird?”

Zhan Yan blinked. “Ah? What kind of bird?”

Professor Miao explained briefly. Northern Agricultural University was currently running an event where several teachers were chosen to host live-streamed video lectures. While he was mid-stream during his lecture, a bird suddenly swooped down and snatched his phone away.

In the background of the call, a group of students were shouting chaotically: “Hey, it flew toward the paddy fields!”

Zhan Yan flipped through his gossip feed. Professor Miao’s live stream was still active; the students were watching the stream on their own phones, trying to judge where the bird was flying by analyzing the camera angle.

The camera shook violently, tilting rapidly between the sky and the ground, with feathers flapping into view from time to time. Identifying the location proved far from easy.

The university professor’s professional live stream, which originally didn’t have many viewers, had drawn a surge of traffic due to this sudden accident, with the comment section filled with non-stop laughter.

【It really got snatched by a bird and flew away!】

【Which outdoor streamer is having such a tragic day?】

【Not an outdoor streamer, looks like a professor from an agricultural college.】

【He was right in the middle of lecturing when a bird flew in and snagged his phone.】

【Hahahahaha!】

【Professor, can you start another stream? We want to see how you guys hunt down the phone!】

Several students kept watching the stream nearby, squinting as they quietly read the chat aloud: “…Start another stream… want to watch how we search…”

Professor Miao: “…”

These gloating, laughing internet users!

Zhan Yan first asked Gu Jiancheng to go shopping on his own while he went over to help Professor Miao locate the phone.

The gossip feed only indicated that the bird was still flying around campus, unable to pinpoint an exact position. He needed to figure out the general area first before using his mini-map to pin it down.

“Little Yan, you’re here. If we can find it, great; if not, forget it.”

Professor Miao had already given up hope. Zhan Yan might have an affinity for attracting small animals, but he couldn’t summon them across vast distances. The bird had already flown too far, and running on two feet on the ground was no match for its speed. With the phone camera swaying wildly, figuring out the location was nearly impossible.

“Let me try first.”

Under the curious gazes of a group of underclassmen, Zhan Yan opened the live stream. He squinted at the video feed for a moment.

“It’s heading toward the lotus pond.” Without wasting words, Zhan Yan turned and sprinted toward the lotus pond.

A group of people ran breathlessly behind him.

“Is… is upperclassman’s speed from being a sports major?!”

By the time they reached the lotus pond, Zhan Yan had already picked a spot and stood firm.

Everyone looked up at the sky.

They didn’t see any bird…

Professor Miao actually ran faster than several of the students.

Zhan Yan looked at him and smiled. “Professor, your morning exercise routine didn’t go to waste.”

Having prepared himself to lose the phone, Professor Miao had calmed down by now. He glanced quite proudly at the students huffing behind him. “You kids have terrible stamina! So young, yet you can’t even outrun me.”

“Hey! It’s coming, it’s coming!”

“Is that the bird?”

A large bird flew past the side of the teaching building, heading diagonally toward the lotus pond, seemingly clutching something in its talons.

Viewers in the stream also caught sight of the group near the lotus pond through the camera.

【Hey, they actually found it!】

【The direction is a bit off though.】

【Even if they found it, how can they catch it? It’s not like they can shoot it down.】

【No way, a bird that big might be a protected species.】

【What breed of bird is that anyway?】

【Hard to tell just from a few flaps of its wings.】

【To carry off a phone, it must be pretty big.】

Under the bright sunshine and clear blue sky, Zhan Yan squinted against the sun, his lips moving softly. A series of melodic bird calls pierced through the sky.

The large bird instantly veered in mid-air, flying straight toward them.

In the live stream, the camera swept past tall trees and swooped down toward the lotus pond. The old professor and students by the pond enlarged rapidly, their expressions of shock or pleasant surprise coming into clear focus.

The young man shielding his eyes against the sun pursed his lips to mimic bird calls, extending his arm straight forward just as he became the sole focus of the camera.

Amid a chorus of gasps, the large bird opened its talons, dropping straight down onto Zhan Yan’s forearm.

Sensing the sudden weight on his arm, Zhan Yan bent down fluidly to catch the phone dropped by the bird.

“Here you go, Professor.”

Zhan Yan handed the phone to Professor Miao.

A wave of comments flooded the screen:

【So cool, cool, cool, cool!】

【Is this guy a bird trainer?】

【Doesn’t look like it? Seems like a student.】

【Students can be this godly?!】

【Handsome, nice voice, and so skilled!】

Professor Miao took the phone back in a daze, completely forgetting that the stream was still live. “Little Yan, has your animal attraction magnet gotten stronger again?”

【I see the bird! Looks like a falcon species.】

【That’s 100% a nationally protected animal, no doubt about it.】

【Who cares about the bird, look at the guy! The handsome younger guy!】

【Professor, move the camera! This angle doesn’t capture the full view!】

The camera was tilted upward at an awkward selfie angle facing Zhan Yan.

The falcon—its breed unknown—perched atop Zhan Yan’s upper arm, tilting its head to look at him. Its lively black eyes were filled with curiosity as it leaned down and began pecking at his messy curls.

Zhan Yan lifted his arm slightly. “Shoo! Go on!”

The falcon took flight, circling once before landing back down on his other shoulder.