Afraid of being bitten, Xia Chi lifted the light gray wolf cub from the pit by its nape.
Once captured, the wolf cub whimpered a couple of times and then lowered its head, submitting.
“So, you’re saying this little guy was the one playing tricks earlier?” Xia Chi cautiously touched the thick fur on the wolf cub’s back with his other hand. It was fluffy and felt really good in his hand. “Come on, how is that possible? It’s so cute. And why would it want to play tricks?”
After stroking it a couple of times, Xia Chi couldn’t help but become addicted and continued to stroke it several more times.
The wolf cub whimpered twice, and its four legs paddled in the air.
Bai Lixin crouched at the edge of the stage, one arm resting on his leg as he supported his chin, observing the wolf cub. “I guess it knew that people at the TV station were exploiting Lin Mu, so it came.”
Xia Chi’s mental gears turned twice. “It’s related to Lin Mu?”
Speaking of this, Xia Chi looked up at the surrounding cameras. The red lights on top of the cameras had already dimmed, and the cameras had stopped operating.
“People at the TV station are exploiting Lin Mu,” Xia Chi said with some confusion, “how?”
Bai Lixin stood up, walking to the fallen frame. “I examined the ground earlier; there aren’t any dents on the stage where the heavy objects would have fallen. This frame didn’t fall from above, it was deliberately placed here. There are obvious cut marks on the edge of the frame above us. It seems like it was intentionally arranged this way.”
“And the blood on the ground. Although it looked real, it’s not human blood, probably just synthetic blood.”
“Moreover, on careful consideration, something seems off. Even if there was an accident here, to maintain the TV station’s good image, the maintenance staff should regularly clean up the rubbish from the ground. The talk of ghosts and monsters is baseless for this era, how many people would genuinely fear such things?”
Xia Chi lifted the wolf cub and returned to the stage. He approached Bai Lixin with an estimate expression and glanced at the broken frame above. “It was deliberately arranged like this, why?”
The shaman: “Didn’t Xin Xin just mention it earlier? To exploit Lin Mu. A scene of a top celebrity’s accidental death amidst bizarre events is itself a sensational hook.”
Xia Chi looked at the cameras in the distance angrily. “Exploiting the deceased! They really have no bottom line.”
Bai Lixin: “Since everything was fake, then they would have said the truth later, perhaps through live streaming or the video would have been edited later into a variety show format. Either way, those of us who are somewhat involved in the supernatural have been summoned to this place. Clearly, we are also commodities to be consumed.”
“It’s estimated that this program revolves around themes like ‘debunking the supernatural.’ They control the lights, create sounds, and so on to stimulate us, capturing our expressions. And when each of us logically explains these ‘supernatural incidents,’ they’ll jump out and claim it was all their prank.”
Xia Chi: “Damn, are the people from the TV station so sinister?”
Bai Lixin walked down from the stage, found a seat at random, and slouched lazily in it. His gaze fell on the shaman. “So, the world’s most powerful shaman, can you get this little wolf to say something?”
The shaman, who had been standing casually by, was caught off guard by Bai Lixin’s address and he froze instantly. “Of course!”
For a moment, it was hard to tell who was more dog-like, the shaman or the wolf cub.
The shaman’s wrist gently swayed in the air, and that familiar sound of silver bells rang out again.
Xia Chi followed the sound and only then did he notice that the shaman was holding a string of silver bells.
With the ringing of the silver bells, the wolf cub in Xia Chi’s hands seemed startled by something. It suddenly began to make a fuss, vigorously scratching with its paws, and its head even attempted to turn back and bite Xia Chi.
Seeing that the wolf cub was about to bite him, Xia Chi instinctively let go.
The moment the wolf cub landed on the ground, its body began to change.
First, its body swiftly elongated and stretched, the dense fur shrinking and disappearing, while its four paws extended.
In the blink of an eye, the formerly small wolf cub had transformed into a young man lying on the ground.
A rebellious expression, silvery-gray hair, a glint of cold light from a silver earring, and a cross necklace swaying and colliding as it moved.
Xia Chi took two steps back. “You, you, Luo Ran?!”
Luo Ran tilted his head, shot Xia Chi a disdainful glance, and casually sat down on the ground, looking at the shaman with a resigned look. “I’m unlucky today. If you want to kill me or cut me, I’m at your disposal!”
The shaman sneered. “Alright, then I’ll skin you and make a leather jacket out of you.”
Luo Ran’s expression changed when he heard this. He scrambled up from the ground like a floundering fish, then stood up and dusted off his clothes, muttering with a red face, “Hve you no shame? Shouldn’t a shaman ask what crime I’ve committed before deciding how to deal with me?”
“I haven’t killed anyone or harmed anyone. On what basis are you skinning me? I’ve absorbed the essence of the sun and moon, cultivating for nearly a thousand years to become a living being.”
Xia Chi muttered under his breath, “A thousand years, and he’s still a baby.”
Luo Ran: “…”
‘Fuck, humans are really hateful!’
The shaman narrowed his eyes at him, “Wasn’t it you who said, ‘If you want to kill me or cut me, I’m at your disposal’?”
Luo Ran blushed in embarrassment. He scratched his head and mumbled, “I can’t pretend anymore.”
A burst of laughter suddenly rang out, simultaneously drawing the attention of the shaman and Luo Ran. Luo Ran looked over and saw the gentle young man he had encountered at the elevator on the first floor. The young man was lounging in a chair, looking over with a calm smile and chuckling.
At first glance, the young man seemed harmless.
However, there was an exceptionally unsettling aura surrounding him.
Luo Ran’s scalp tingled, and his voice wavered, “W-why are you laughing?”
Bai Lixin mused as he touched his chin, “I was wondering who was protecting Lin Mu. Once I saw it was you, everything suddenly made sense.”
“In that case, Lin Mu’s soul isn’t even here, right?”
Luo Ran stood at the edge of the stage. Though he was looking down at the young man below, he felt an urge to kneel.
‘Beastfolk never kneel!’
Straining to maintain a composed expression, Luo Ran raised his chin slightly. “Hmph! I won’t tell you where Lin Mu is.”
There was a “snap”, and Luo Ran suddenly clutched the back of his head, his eyes stinging.
The shaman slowly retracted his hand. “You’re pretty arrogant, huh? And you’re ‘hmph’ing? Should I prepare a dragon throne for you?”
Luo Ran’s eyes reddened, and he looked aggrieved.
‘Talk if you’re talking, why hit someone!’
Bai Lixin rubbed his chin in thought. “You won’t tell us where Lin Mu is? In other words, you know where Lin Mu’s soul is, right? Hmm, if Lin Mu’s soul is in the underworld, you only need to say that he’s resting or something similar. So, it seems Lin Mu is still in this world, right?”
Luo Ran was surprised, staring at Bai Lixin, who appeared inconspicuous in his seat.
Bai Lixin smiled up at Luo Ran. “So, where is Lin Mu?”
Luo Ran bit his lip. “I don’t know.”
‘I won’t tell you. Don’t think you can trick me into revealing anything.’
“In your home?” Bai Lixin spoke while observing Luo Ran’s expression. Seeing Luo Ran’s calm demeanor, he smiled again. “Probably not.”
“Let me think…” The young man stood up from his chair, leisurely walked to the front of the stage, and locked eyes with Luo Ran.
Luo Ran remained frozen in place. The young man’s gaze was gentle, yet for some reason, under that tender gaze, Luo Ran felt as if his flesh was being pierced, and his soul laid bare.
Bai Lixin added, “After Lin Mu died, you took a two-year leave from school. Later, you struggled to get into the university where Lin Mu used to study.”
Luo Ran stiffened, looking down at the young man with some uncertainty.
Bai Lixin continued, “You don’t want anyone to disturb Lin Mu, yet you applied to X University by force and let fans to speculate that it was because of him that you did this. The only explanation is that you needed a legitimate reason to enter and exit this university.”
Luo Ran’s pupils began to tremble.
“Why did you frequently go in and out of this university? Is it because Lin Mu’s soul is in this university?”
Luo Ran’s pupils shrank slightly. He avoided Bai Lixin’s gaze, saying, “Absolutely not. I just genuinely wanted to attend that university.”
Bai Lixin glanced at the shaman. “Oh, if that’s the case, it shouldn’t matter if we go to X University to dispel spirits. After all, Lin Mu’s soul isn’t there.”
Luo Ran’s head instantly snapped over, and his long fingers revealed sharp claws. “You’re not allowed to go!”
Bai Lixin’s eyes gradually darkened. “If you tell the truth, we won’t.”
Luo Ran hesitated, glancing at Bai Lixin and then at the shaman, who appeared casual yet was actually tensed with muscles. He then looked towards the exit.
He calculated the chance of escaping versus the chance of being caught. After a few seconds, Luo Ran finally sighed and reluctantly retracted his claws. “I’ll tell you, but you have to swear by the heavens not to harm Lin Mu.”
Bai Lixin agreed, “Alright, I swear.”
Luo Ran then looked at the shaman.
The shaman raised an eyebrow. “I swear too.”
Having got their promises, Luo Ran was about to speak when Xia Chi raised his hand and shouted, “I swear that I won’t harm Lin Mu as long as you tell us!”
The silver-gray-haired young man gave Xia Chi a deep look. “Um, you don’t need to swear.”
‘I’m more than enough to deal with you.’
Xia Chi: “???”
‘What do you mean?
Who are you looking down on?
Don’t treat buns as if it’s jerky.’
—————————–
In the live broadcast room
[Hahaha, only in the world where Xia Chi gets hurt does this happen.]
[Clearly, the wolf pup completely disregarded Xia Chi.]
[Xia Chi, show him your skills, let him underestimate us. Tigers don’t roar until they’re cornered, you know.]
[Well… Xia Chi is just a cat.]
[I’m dying of laughter, Xia Chi says he’s not convinced.]
—————————
“I’m a silver wolf who’s cultivated for nearly a thousand years.”
“With the advancement of human technology, the environments suitable for our cultivation are becoming more scarce. Therefore, many beastfolk have wandered among humans and gradually adapted to their way of life.”
“Many years ago, Lin Mu once saved me, when I was in my original form. There is a saying in the cultivation world: repay kindness and avenge wrongs. Unresolved grudges hinder progress to ascension.”
“He saved me, so I had to repay the favor to resolve the debt. I knew he wanted to sing, so I used my human identity to form a group with him, hoping to help him.”
“But unexpectedly, he encountered an accident.”
Luo Ran paused. “It wasn’t an accident. It was a premeditated murder. And after, I even found that Lin Mu’s soul was missing. I searched for two years before finally finding Lin Mu’s severely weakened soul in a certain place.”
“His soul was almost dissipating. To protect it, I placed him At X University which has the strongest spiritual energy. However, it’s not easy to get into X University. In order to observe the recovery of Lin Mu’s soul, I ended up taking the entrance exam.”
Bai Lixin asked, “Did you say Lin Mu was murdered?”
Luo Ran nodded with a gloomy expression. “Yes. However, I didn’t kill those murderers. Killing humans would diminish my cultivation. All I can do is investigate them through human means, find evidence of their murder, and have them all sent to prison.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Uh, I’ve never seen such a law-abiding demon before.’
————————–
In the live broadcast room
[The wolf demon’s personality matches his “ferocious” appearance perfectly.]
[Why is “ferocious” in quotation marks?]
[I love this wolf pup. Is he fully immersed in human life now?]
—————————–
Bai Lixin asked, “Do you need our help?”
Luo Ran replied, “No, thank you.”
“Then when you mentioned finding Lin Mu’s weak soul somewhere, where was it?”
Bai Lixin changed the question.
Luo Ran answered, “It was in a temple. His soul was imprisoned there, absorbing ghostly energy every day. If I hadn’t found Lin Mu’s soul one day sooner, his soul might have been corroded beyond recovery.”
Bai Lixin asked, “By any chance, was it at Lady Yuexian’s temple?”
“Huh?!” Luo Ran suddenly looked up, his face showing shock. “How did you even guess that? Do I have words written on my face?!”
Bai Lixin said, “Um, isn’t there a possibility that I knew about Lady Yuexian’s temple before you?”
‘Is this the intelligence level of all animals here?
Or is the world’s intellectual gap concentrated here?’
“Oh, right,” Luo Ran suddenly realized, “Why would you know about Lady Yuexian’s temple?”
After briefly explaining the situation of the people in the hospital, Bai Lixin looked at Luo Ran. “Do you sense anything unusual about Lady Yuexian’s temple?”
Luo Ran frowned deeply. “Yes. Even after cultivating for a thousand years, I dared only to rescue Lin Mu from there. Apart from that, I wouldn’t dare to do anything. If you’re planning to go to Lady Yuexian’s temple, let me give you some advice: stay low-key, avoid standing out, and never offend Lady Yuexian.”
*I don’t recall if I explained it earlier but Yuexian means “Moon Immortal “.
The young man’s warning piqued the interest of the shaman nearby. “Is Lady Yuexian that powerful?”
Luo Ran replied, “I can’t explain the feeling. You’ll understand once you go.”
Having said that, a brief silence fell in the air, and no one spoke.
Seeing this, Luo Ran stood up from the ground. “Since the misunderstandings are cleared, I’m leaving. You can leave too. There’s nothing supernatural here, and even if there were before, I scared them away long ago.”
Xia Chi said, “No, we can’t leave. Our task is to stay until tomorrow. We can’t leave now.”
Luo Ran sighed, “Well then…”
Xia Chi continued, “Since we have nothing to do, how about the four of us play poker to pass the time? Can you play ‘Running Faster’? Brother, do you know how?”
Luo Ran: “???”
All eyes shifted to Bai Lixin, who responded, “Not very well, but do you have a deck of cards?”
“Of course,” Xia Chi replied, taking out two decks of cards from his backpack. “Not to brag, but I’m quite skilled in this area. Let’s play!”
The shaman sat down beside Bai Lixin. “I’ll join too.”
Now all eyes were once again on Luo Ran.
Luo Ran raised his butt, then slowly sat back down. “…”
‘But I really want to leave, wuuu!’
