GRMFBS CH93

The mission content was just one sentence: “Journey of a Mountain and Sea Traveler, Volume 3, Chapter 17.”

After submitting the mission, Zhan Jinli directly chose to confirm receipt of the mission reward, helping Wan Yan save his meager family fortune.

Speaking of which, the fact that this black iron fish pendant ended up in Wan Yan’s hands was somewhat related to him.

Wan Yan used to enjoy turning into ordinary animals and playing in the human world from time to time. One day, tired of playing in the human world, he returned to the Chaofu Mountains and began to ponder what animal to become next.

That day, it happened that Zhan Jinli had just returned from the human world to the Chaofu Mountains—when he was a koi demon, he had been a river god in the human world. His merits were abundant, and even after his death, the incense for him did not extinguish. This incense and merit helped his soul not to dissipate after death, and he cultivated into a Ghost King. Thus, he did not sever his ties with the human world and would often go to his temple to take a look.

Wan Yan was having trouble deciding. Seeing Lin Yuan passing by, he pulled him over to help him deliberate.

Zhan Jinli had just returned from the temple, full of the scent of incense. He couldn’t help but think of the children playing outside the temple, clapping their hands and singing a nursery rhyme: “Little flower cat, meow meow meow, round eyes and whiskers curled…”

The Ghost King Wan Yan chose a cat.

He had mixed in with a group of wild cats before, and this time he chose a house cat. But Wan Yan couldn’t just enter someone’s house and be their pet, so he just indulged his acting addiction of being a cat in the Chaofu Mountains.

After giving his suggestion, Zhan Jinli sank into his cold pond to be a recluse, letting the Ghost King Wan Yan cause a stir in the mountains. Not two days later, a black iron fish-shaped pendant slowly descended into the cold pond, dangling right in front of him, with a piece of rope tied to its tail—woven from the fur Wan Yan had shed. An ordinary rope wouldn’t have been able to withstand his cold pond.

The Ghost King Lin Yuan opened his eyes, and the pendant dangled before them a couple of times.

The current Wan Yan the cat fishing with his tail was truly a continuation of the same lineage.

The black iron fish pendant was a thing from the human world. The Chaofu Mountains were located in both the yin and yang realms, and the top of the Wenyu tree connected to the human world.

Back then, when the Mountain and Sea Traveler was touring the Chaofu Mountains in the yang realm, he used a fish-shaped ink line pendant made of black iron tied to a rope and threw it into the Yama’s Cave to measure its depth.

Unfortunately, that was when the drama queen Diting was deeply engrossed. Seeing the dangling pendant, he jumped up and snatched it, leaving behind a mysterious legend in the human world.

Just as Zhan Jinli was about to close the forum, a red dot suddenly popped up in his message box.

Wan Yan had been blocked by him and couldn’t send private messages, but the mission issuer could post an evaluation for the mission acceptor.

Wan Yan: “Lin Yuan!!! I’m coming to find you now!!!”

Zhan Jinli: …

He shouldn’t have been soft-hearted and bothered with this damn cat!

When Zhan Suiru opened the main door, she happened to see Zhan Jinli’s slightly out-of-control expression.

“Yo, what’s wrong with you?”

Zhan Yan jumped up to greet his sister, “Sis, I missed you so much!”

“Don’t hug, don’t hug!” Zhan Suiru took two steps back. She was holding a small fleece blanket in her arms. “Here, look what this is.”

Zhan Yan lowered his arms and reached out to lift a corner of the small fleece blanket. Inside was a sleeping little tabby kitten, with a small metal tag around its neck.

Zhan Yan’s eyes widened.

The little tabby had just woken up. It looked up at Zhan Yan, let out a delicate “meow,” and stretched out its paws, wanting to snuggle up to Zhan Yan.

The kitten was still small, like a human child just beginning to babble. It couldn’t express itself completely, but its emotions could be felt through animal communication.

It was expressing affection, curiosity, and a desire to be close!

Zhan Yan fumbled to hold the little tabby, “It-it-it’s not afraid of me!”

Zhan Suiru: “How is it? Do you like it?”

She had put Zhan Yan’s scent into the metal name tag.

The little tabby was extremely lively. It stood on Zhan Yan’s arms with its two hind paws and hooked its front paws onto his shoulders, climbing him like a cat tree.

The kitten’s soft head and ears rubbed against his neck, meowing softly in his ear.

Sob sob sob, it’s been so long since I’ve petted something fluffy! Is petting a cat really such a blissful thing?!

Zhan Yan was so happy his eyes crinkled.

“I love it! I love it so much! Sis, I love you, boo hoo hoo!”

“Bro! Look! Look! I have a cat! It’s not afraid of me!”

Hearing the noise, Zhan Jinli had just closed the Forum. He slowly poked his head out from the sofa and was met with the cat his brother was holding.

He looked up at Zhan Suiru. Zhan Suiru raised an eyebrow at him with a grin, then turned her head to see the comedy movie on the screen, her gaze becoming meaningful.

The three of them sat back on the sofa, with Zhan Yan in the middle holding the little tabby, and Zhan Jinli and Zhan Suiru on either side.

Sparks flew between the two! They both took out their phones and started a bloody battle in their private chat!

Zhan Jinli: “You brought a cat back?”

Zhan Suiru: “You’re making Yan Yan watch a comedy film?”

The two began a fierce battle over whether to keep the cat and Zhan Suiru’s sculptural aesthetic!

Zhan Yan laughed at the screen while holding the little tabby.

Zhan Suiru: “Yan Yan likes it, so tell me, are we keeping it or not!”

Zhan Jinli: “…Keep it.”

Zhan Yan, laughing, suddenly turned his head, “Hahahaha… Hey? Why aren’t you guys laughing?”

Zhan Suiru contentedly returned to the comedy film, “Hahahaha!”

Zhan Jinli was a fish in his past life. The time he spent as a fish and as a Ghost King was far, far longer than his time as a human. Just as he couldn’t understand the fun of slowly spinning on a carousel or being strapped to a machine and flung into the air, he also couldn’t quite understand why comedy films were funny.

But he was indeed trying very hard to live a life in the yang realm, to be as normal as possible.

Zhan Yan: “Hahahahaha!”

Zhan Suiru: “Hahahahaha!”

Zhan Jinli, a beat later, followed behind the two: “Hahaha.”

Zhan Yan and Zhan Suiru turned to look at him together.

Bro, do you know how creepy you sound?!

After watching the comedy film, Zhan Yan happily started to set up a nest for the little tabby.

Zhan Suiru had already brought back all the necessary cat supplies. Zhan Jinli, while helping to install the cat tree, shot a glare at Zhan Suiru. Hmph! She was so well-prepared, she didn’t even give him a chance to refuse!

Zhan Yan fumbled while setting up the cat’s nest. The little tabby refused to go in and kept climbing on him.

Zhan Yan sat cross-legged on the floor to take a break and asked, “Did Mom and Dad say when they’ll be done with work and come back?”

Zhan Suiru: “Dad said he’ll be back in a few days. Mom hasn’t said yet. Let me ask… Mom said she’ll be back before the New Year.”

Eh, Mom is busy with company business, but Dad is the Demon King Chongming. Hasn’t he been back for a while? Is something wrong?

Zhan Yan opened his gossip system.

[Hearing that his youngest son has returned home, Zhan Yunkai prepared to leave the Chaofu Mountains and go home to cook a big meal to care for his youngest son with an abnormal aesthetic sense, but was held back by the Ghost King Wan Yan, who was clamoring to find the Ghost King Lin Yuan.]

Hmm?

Putting aside the abnormal aesthetic sense, his big meal is gone! Why is the Ghost King Wan Yan suddenly acting up again?

Chaofu Mountains.

Wan Yan the cat was dancing with joy! Lin Yuan had accepted his mission!

What did this mean?!

Lin Yuan accepted his mission = Lin Yuan paid attention to him = Lin Yuan was no longer hiding from him = Lin Yuan was not angry with him for forgetting the past = Lin Yuan also wanted to see him!

The cat’s internal equation galloped all the way to a joyful reunion and happy snuggles. He bounced around crazily in the Chaofu Mountains!

His fish! His fish! He said the fish was his! His fish was for him to eat!

Zhan Yunkai: …

“I don’t think that’s what Lin Yuan meant.”

Wan Yan happily chased his tail, “He did! He did! He even told me what the black iron fish is!”

He bounced to the foot of the mountain and said to the Minghe surrounding the mountain, “Minghe, Minghe, let me out quickly! I’m going to find Lin Yuan!”

The Ghost King of the Minghe was worried for Lin Yuan. Why did you have to provoke Wan Yan?

“No,” she said coolly.

“I’m angry!” Wan Yan arched his back and began to charge out.

The river water surged, and a wave threw Wan Yan back.

But Wan Yan was very persistent, “I’m going to find Lin Yuan!”

After a few times, Wan Yan’s eyes lit up, his pupils wide and round, his little cat ears perked up.

This is so fun!

Dive! Jump into the water! Be carried back by the wave!

Oh oh! Let’s go surfing!

The Ghost King of the Minghe: …

She flicked her sleeve, wrapped Wan Yan into a cat ball, and threw him to Chongming, “You do it.”

[Zhan Yunkai gently and softly persuaded the Ghost King Wan Yan.]

…

[Zhan Yunkai seriously and sternly persuaded the Ghost King Wan Yan.]

…

[Zhan Yunkai harshly and severely persuaded the Ghost King Wan Yan.]

…

[Zhan Yunkai beat up the Ghost King Wan Yan.]

Zhan Yan: …Pfft!

After laughing, he wanted to cry again.

Sob sob sob, my big meal!

Since there was no big meal, Zhan Yan decided to switch to another piece of gossip and check the situation at the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau again.

More and more infinite fragments were being collected, but it was not safe to leave these dangerous items lying around. The Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau decided to move them all to a safe place. The transportation journey would inevitably be very risky, so Tianshi was needed for the escort.

Continuing to scroll.

The gambler ghost Tu Dechang he had reported earlier had been caught and was undergoing re-education at the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau.

Sigh, if only a gambler ghost could be used to cure gambling addiction. He saw that Wei Fu and several other arrested gamblers had already started swearing never to touch gambling for the rest of their lives. The effect was so good…

After scrolling through the gossip for a while, Zhan Yan started to check the time.

It wasn’t time for bed yet.

Scroll for a while longer, then check the time again.

Not yet.

Scroll for a little while longer, then check the time again.

It’s almost time.

Zhan Yan was absent-minded while reading the gossip, looking at his phone that had no new messages.

Usually, at this time, Gu Jiancheng would have sent him a message!

What’s going on?!

The little tabby didn’t understand Zhan Yan’s desire to toss and turn in bed at all. It climbed up the bed along the blanket and then stepped on Zhan Yan’s back to get onto his shoulder.

Zhan Yan was lying on his stomach in bed. He reached out and grabbed the little tabby. He rolled over and held the little tabby up, “Don’t you have your own nest? Why are you so clingy? Hmm?”

The little tabby was not scared at all and meowed and purred at him, wanting to play.

“You don’t have a name yet. Hmm, what should I name you?” Zhan Yan lowered the little tabby.

The little tabby placed a paw on his forehead, its sharp claws retracted, the little paw pads soft.

“You’re as clingy as Gu Jiancheng. How about I call you Little Gu? Hmm? What do you say?”

“Meow~”

Zhan Yan’s phone suddenly vibrated.

He placed the little tabby on his chest and reached for his phone.

The new message notification was not a call from Gu Jiancheng asking for a goodnight kiss, but a like he had given to Zhan Yan’s Moments post. It was the photo of the experimental field scenery that Zhan Yan had saved on the high-speed train.

Gu Jiancheng had screenshotted and enlarged the two small figures in the photo and posted it separately on his Moments.

Oh, he recognized them too.

The little tabby, seeing Zhan Yan staring at his phone, reached out with its paw to grab it. The little cat’s paw pad tapped on the little red heart, helping Zhan Yan to like the post.

Zhan Yan held the little tabby and laughed for a good while, “Hey, little cat, little cat, I’ll call you Xingxing (Star).”

A star that will forever hang in the sky and never extinguish.