Forbidden to Capture Rare Cute Ghosts - Chapter 11

Lian Yi briefly replied, “Something came up.”

He took off his coat, revealing the injury on his arm. A large portion of the wrapping was dyed red with blood, showing no signs of improvement.

Nan Deng, noticing the wound, expressed his concern, “Haven’t you gone to see a doctor?”

He had learned the word “doctor” from television shows.

Lian Yi seemed unfazed. Over the past few days, he hadn’t even bothered applying medicine, only occasionally changing the bandages. The wound was far from healing, but it wasn’t a common injury caused by ordinary objects.

Lian Yi looked up at Nan Deng’s worried gaze, which also seemed to carry a hint of distress.

The last time Nan Deng saw the injury on Lian Yi’s hand, he had a similar expression on his face.

Despite being a ghost, he had compassion.

Ever since Lian Yi was brought back to the Daoist inner court, he only had one person beside him, Zuo Qing. However, had Zuo Qing still been alive, he most likely would have wished for Lian Yi’s early demise, utterly disregarding their nearly two decades of mentor-disciple relationship.

Lian Yi spoke softly, “There’s no need.”

He left the living room and headed to the study. Nan Deng hesitated for a moment, glanced at the coat on the low cabinet, and then followed.

The door to the study remained open, seemingly left that way for Nan Deng. Inside, Lian Yi sat down and took out a small bottle of white medicine powder and some new bandages.

Nan Deng entered and squatted down curiously, watching Lian Yi’s movements.

Lian Yi unwrapped the bandages, and the innermost layer stuck to the scab. As he peeled it off, fresh blood seeped out, filling the air with the smell of rust.

Nan Deng’s eyelashes trembled as he subconsciously shielded his own arm, looking up at Lian Yi’s emotionless face.

He asked softly, “Doesn’t it hurt?”

Lian Yi didn’t respond. He wiped the blood with a bandage, sprinkled some medicine powder on it, and re-bandaged the wound.

His right hand clenched slightly, revealing the veins on the back of his hand. Considering the depth of the injury, it couldn’t be painless.

Nan Deng felt even more distressed and tried to comfort Lian Yi by delicately touching his hand with his semi-transparent fingertips.

He didn’t linger for long before withdrawing his hand.

Lian Yi leaned against the chair, closing his eyes to rest, while Nan Deng’s gaze was drawn elsewhere.

He hadn’t really taken a good look at this study before. During his last visit, he had only glanced hastily at it from the entrance.

The layout of the study was similar to the rest of the house – not many decorations with a bookshelf against the wall carrying a few books.

Nan Deng picked up the thickest book and, with great effort, managed to hold it in his astral form, flipping to a random page.

Lian Yi seemed to appear next to him out of nowhere, “Can you read?”

Nan Deng was very curious, not like an ordinary ghost, but an infant cat that hadn’t been long in this world.

He lacked some of the general knowledge most humans possess. He didn’t know how to turn on the television, but he was quite perceptible and smart. Despite his weak power, he managed to evade the Daoist priest in the outside world.

Nan Deng shook his head, staring at the neatly arranged block characters, and felt as if he recognized them.

He leaned in and attempted to read, hesitating, “Exo… Exorcism… twelve methods…”

He quickly realized what the book was about, and rapidly closed the book, tossing it back onto the shelf.

His actions were sudden, and he failed to place the book properly, which looked like it was about to fall.

Lian Yi caught it mid-air, tossing the book directly into the trash can. He then did the same with a few other exorcism-related books on the shelf.

He turned around, looking at Nan Deng who had retreated several steps. “These books aren’t mine.”

Lian Yi was telling the truth. He was merely passing by and rented the place. Even the books were prepared by the landlord considering everyone is now aware of the existence of ghosts. It’s only normal to have some ghost-busting tools at home.

Besides, as a Daoist priest, he didn’t need these basic items.

Nan Deng backed off with a slow “Oh.”

The coat and the books made Nan Deng feel slightly downcast.

In his heart, he wondered if he had trusted too hastily. He and Lian Yi had only met a few times after all.

But was there a need for Lian Yi to deceive him? If Lian Yi rejected his presence, he would have been back on the streets by now.

Having heard many first-hand ghost stories of capture in the tower, Nan Deng had never heard of a Daoist priest being merciful.

The contradictions and suspicions left Nan Deng entangled momentarily. He was inclined to trust Lian Yi, but being a ghost and trying to befriend a living human, he figured it was best to maintain a certain distance.

His thoughts were practically written all over his face. Lian Yi took a step forward, intending to explain further.

Suddenly, Nan Deng said, “That reminds me, I was waiting for you to return… to bid farewell.”

Being able to stay for a whole day, Nan Deng was already very satisfied.

Add to that the fact that Lian Yi had only slept for a little over an hour last night, and he was still injured. He needed to rest early.

“Farewell?” Lian Yi’s voice lowered imperceptibly, “Where do you want to go?”

Did this frighten him? It was just a few old books. He would burn them immediately and make sure they never appeared in this house again.

“I’m going outside for a bit,” Nan Deng seemed to have a keen sense of something, nervously saying, “I… I’ve gotten to know a little black cat, and it must have come to find me.”

He added, “I’ll come see you again tomorrow night.”

Nan Deng had said the same thing last time, but due to an accident, he didn’t show up.

Lian Yi didn’t make a sound. He was much taller than Nan Deng; with his half-lowered eyes, he looked at him. The warm, yellow light was right above his head, but the room’s temperature had inexplicably dropped a few degrees.

The rabbit head had already awakened and stealthily burrowed out of Nan Deng’s pocket, revealing a pair of eyes and ears, warily watching the scene unfold.

The room went silent for a moment before Lian Yi spoke, “I still have something to give you.”

Nan Deng’s curiosity was piqued, “What is it?”

He followed Lian Yi to the living room to see him pick up a coat from the low cabinet, and rummaging through it. Eventually, he pulled out a small box.

Lian Yi opened the box, and inside was a small paper figurine, lining up to parade out in an orderly fashion.

The moment the rabbit head heard the movement, it instantly sprang out of Nan Deng’s arms with excitement, wide awake.

The living room immediately became chaotic, as the startled little paper figurines lost their formation, scrambling to evade the rabbit head’s wide-open, blood-filled mouth.

Although the box seemed small, it contained as many as twenty mini-paper figurines. The rabbit head voraciously devoured them without stopping for a breath.

Nan Deng stood there, dumbfounded. As he regained his senses, he chased after the rabbit head, helping the knocked-over vase to stand upright, “Slow down, Xiao Tu!”

But the rabbit’s head was completely deaf to his words. It hopped onto the coffee table, messing up the tissue box in pursuit of the mini paper figurine.

Nan Deng hurriedly went to pick up the tissues, but Lian Yi was a step ahead, putting them back into place.

“These…” Nan Deng looked at him, “Are these the things you wanted to give me?”

Lian Yi casually replied, “I caught them outside.”

Nan Deng’s eyes widened slightly, “Where did you catch them?”

Lian Yi hesitated for a moment before saying, “Very far.”

Nan Deng believed him, feeling both happy and grateful, “The little rabbit loves eating this. Next time, I want to catch some too…”

He finally wasn’t as on guard as he was while in the study. Lian Yi quietly asked, “Are you hungry?”

He had never seen Nan Deng eat the small paper figurines. The rabbit head’s taste was quite unique, as ghosts typically preferred the living souls of humans.

Lian Yi bent down, getting a little closer, slightly tilting his head and pointing at a spot on the side of his neck, “Bite here.”

Catching ghosts was a Daoist priest’s duty. Privately letting any ghost go free was a serious crime, let alone using one’s living soul and essence to nurture a ghost.

But Lian Yi didn’t care. As long as Nan Deng said he was hungry, he would feed him until he was full.

Nan Deng stared blankly for a moment before seriously shaking his head, “I’m not hungry.”

In reality, he had never felt hunger. At most, he would feel tired or drowsy and recover after a good night’s sleep.

Besides, he had just said last night that he wouldn’t eat Lian Yi.

Assured that Nan Deng genuinely had no intention of biting him, Lian Yi’s eyes turned pitch black as he straightened up, speaking slowly, “Alright.”

At that moment, the rabbit head had finished devouring all the small paper figurines and now had boundless energy. It hopped over to Nan Deng’s feet and let out a small burp.

Nan Deng picked it up, expressing his gratitude to Lian Yi once again, “Thank you… I’ll be going now.”

He still wanted to leave, without biting Lian Yi even once.

Nan Deng was a bit reluctant to part ways. Holding the rabbit’s head in one arm, he held onto Lian Yi’s injured right hand with the other, “You should rest early and take good care of your injury.”

Lian Yi softly hummed in response, with Nan Deng close to him, as if gently embracing him, “Is it alright if I come to see you tomorrow night? Will you be home?”

“Yes.”

Getting a positive reply, Nan Deng let go of Lian Yi, walking away with repeated glances back. He climbed out of the living room window.

After walking a fair distance, Nan Deng saw Lian Yi still standing by the window, seemingly looking at him.

Nan Deng waved his hand, disappearing around the corner of the dark, nighttime street.

He was very careful, quietly following the darkest paths, grateful that the area was empty. He didn’t come across any ghosts like the ones that had tried to capture him the previous night.

Near the place where he usually rested, Nan Deng heard a cat’s cry.

Just as expected, the black cat had come to find him. It raced over from a distance, meowing all the while.

The cat seemed quite worried about Nan Deng, circling him several times, continuously sniffing his scent to ensure his safety.

Nan Deng reached out to pet the cat, “You were waiting for me?”

The black cat rubbed against Nan Deng’s palm, purring loudly. Then, it grabbed onto Nan Deng’s sleeve with its teeth, trying to pull him forward.

Nan Deng realized the black cat wanted to lead him somewhere, so he got up and followed it.

He wasn’t able to find the metal barrel in which he usually slept. It was eerily empty, and the cat agilely jumped up the wall, disappearing over the other side. Shortly after, it jumped back over, carrying something in its mouth.

The black cat placed the object on the ground. Crouching down to inspect it, Nan Deng asked, “What is this…”

The object was palm-sized, a figure with a lion’s head and a human body, wearing thick armor. It had a pair of wings on its back and held a sword taller than itself.

Lying on the ground, its eyes were tightly closed. It had a faint glow all over, looking like an ornament carved out of jade or a peculiar little spirit.

The rabbit head also got closer to take a look, flicking the figure once with its moving ears.

The black cat let out a “meow,” picked up the “little spirit” once again, and thrust it directly into Nan Deng’s arms.

Nan Deng hastily caught it. The “little spirit” wriggled, curling up and whimpering softly.

It was alive…

Nan Deng froze for a moment before finally relaxing. He held the “little spirit” and sat down in the corner.

That’s when he realized the “little spirit” had several noticeable scratch marks on its body, like wounds, but it wasn’t bleeding.

Nan Deng gingerly reached out to touch it. The furrowed frown on the figure’s face eased slightly.

The black cat didn’t leave but stayed at a distance, patrolling the area.

It wasn’t until dawn that the scratches on the “little spirit” disappeared.

Finally awake, it opened its eyes to find Nan Deng, looking quite dazed.

Right after, it became excited, hugging Nan Deng’s arm and chattering something unintelligibly. Finally, it started to cry softly.

Nan Deng didn’t know what to do, asking anxiously, “What’s wrong with you?”

The “little spirit” was neither a ghost nor an animal that Nan Deng was familiar with. He could only guess that it might be the friend of the black cat, which had come here to hide for some reason.

“Woo woo!”

The “little spirit” wiped away its tears and continued to hold onto Nan Deng’s hand tightly until the black cat came over.

It flapped its wings and flew up into the air, holding up Nan Deng’s hair to kiss it, extremely reluctant to leave with the black cat.

Nan Deng watched their retreating figures recede into the distance and returned to his corner to rest.

This was the first time he encountered such a peculiar creature. Unfortunately, they didn’t know how to talk like the rabbit head, making it impossible for him to know more about them.

The rabbit head hopped into Nan Deng’s arms and licked the back of his hand.

Nan Deng yawned, “Let’s go to sleep.”

—

As dawn approached, two Daoist priests saw the black cat from a distance at the crossroads. There was also a glowing creature that could fly, accompanying it.

They immediately sent out an alert with this information: “The black cat and the lion-man have appeared. The lion-man has awakened and seems to be unharmed.”

Lin Jiu responded swiftly: “Good.”

The lion-man was a local spirit from a neighboring area. A few days ago, it was rumored to be injured and hadn’t recovered, unable to chase down spiteful spirits as usual.

Late the previous night, Lin Jiu received information that the black cat had visited the neighboring area and brought the lion-man away.

The black cat was a newly born local spirit, causing apprehension among the Daoist priests on both sides. Everyone wanted to know the intentions of the black cat.

Lin Jiu led people to trace the black cat’s path, but unfortunately, they were detected midway, nearly incurring the black cat’s wrath.

In the end, all the Daoist priests ceased tailing them and lost track of the black cat, who didn’t appear until dawn.

Moreover, the lion-man appeared to be healed as if he was reborn, a piece of critically important information.

Suppressing his excitement, Lin Jiu contacted Weng Pingran.

“This is definitely a sign of the Mountain God’s appearance!”

Weng Pingran was abnormally excited; he paced back and forth, clutching the communicator, speaking half to himself, “No wonder a new local spirit was born… It’s because the black cat has a close relationship with the Mountain God, giving it the qualifications to become a local spirit…”

He stopped in his tracks, speaking to Lin Jiu on the projection screen, “Senior Gu Xu and I are currently occupied and can only arrive next week at the fastest… You need to personally watch over the black cat and must be the first to find the traces of the Mountain God!”

Lin Jiu hesitated, “But … the local spirits don’t want us to approach.”

Weng Pingran paused for a moment before responding, “We must find a way.”

“The local spirits need the Mountain God, and so do we,” Weng Pingran said solemnly, “You must always remember the primary responsibilities of a Daoist priest.”

Strictly speaking, the Daoist priest is also considered semi-spiritual, yet fundamentally different from the local spirits.

The Mountain God is the leader of the three deities. Serving and following the Mountain God is much more crucial than slaying resentful souls.

Lin Jiu nodded, agreeing, “Yes.”

—

In the outskirts at night, a house still had a light on.

A faint, bloody stench lingered in the living room, a blood-soaked bandage freshly tossed into the bin.

Lian Yi lay half-reclined in the bathtub, his eyes shut calmly.

The medicine on his wound melted and failed after being soaked in water, and it began to bleed again.

The hot water flowed the whole night, and Lian Yi stayed in the bathroom for just as long.

After daybreak, he came out, walking into his bedroom, and took a glass bottle from a sealed drawer.

The curtain wasn’t closed, and the spirit body inside the glass bottle shrieked in pain as it came in contact with sunlight.

Zhuo Qing sneered, “What have you been busy with these past two days? Finally remembered to torture me?”

Lian Yi didn’t give him a glance. Zhuo Qing bore the burn and laughed coldly, “However, I seem to have heard some other noises.”

“You really are a freak,” He said with sarcasm, “Of course, I wouldn’t be surprised with whatever you, a ruthless and unprincipled person, does…”

Zhuo Qing, being a high-level spirit entity, could sense some weak auras despite being confined.

He knew that other ghosts had approached Lian Yi several times, departing unharmed. Although he did not know what was going on between them, he could get a basic idea.

A deep calm settled in Lian Yi’s eyes, and he raised his hand to release a spirit technique. The glass bottle was enveloped by the technique, and the spirit inside experienced the torments of purification, suffering but not dying completely, repetitively.

Zhuo Qing cursed and teased until he was out of breath before Lian Yi finally stopped.

With a still cold face, he stared at the empty box on the table, which used to hold a paper figurine for a long time.

Translator’s Footnotes:

师徒情 (shītú qíng): Translated as ‘mentor-disciple relationship’. In Chinese culture, this bond is highly valued and often viewed as a ‘second family’ for both parties.

天师内庭 (Tiānshī nèi tíng): Translated as ‘Daoist inner court’. In this context, it refers to the living quarters or private residence for Daoist priests.

悟性(wù xìng): Refers to one’s perceptiveness or aptitude. It’s a measure of how quickly and easily one can understand or learn things.

走不開 (zǒu bù kāi): Literally translates to ‘cannot walk away’ meaning they are preoccupied or busy.

长老 (zhǎnglǎo): Translates as ‘senior’ or ‘elder’. In Chinese culture, it refers to a respected elderly person or a high-ranking official in a religious organization.

捕杀 (bǔshā): Translates as ‘capture and kill’ refers to dealing with harmful spirits in the context of the novel.

Oh my goodness! I knew it! Nan Deng is a Montain God!!! ┏( ゜)ਊ゜)┛

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I love ya ( ๑‾̀◡‾́)σ”