Chang You led them back to the mountain via a small path in the front, passing through a forest before reaching the hillside where the old locust tree stood.

By now, the sky had grown darker, and Chang Wu had been waiting there for half the day. When he saw them approach, he immediately went to meet them. “Master, Lord Li, you’ve finally arrived.”

Chang You jumped ahead of Li Xin and the master, landing in front of Chang Wu. “What happened? Did Huang Xian come while I was fetching the master and Lord Li?”

“No.” Chang Wu shook his head and pointed to the old locust tree. “After you left, I’ve been standing guard here. Just now, something didn’t seem right with this tree. It felt like there was something underneath.”

“What’s under it?” Li Xin asked quickly.

“I don’t know.” Chang Wu pointed to the ground beneath the tree. “Right there, something moved a few times. I was about to investigate when you arrived.”

Li Xin looked at Chi Yu. “Master, let’s go and take a look.”

Chi Yu nodded. “Okay.”

Chang Wu led them to the spot where the movement had occurred, but the ground was calm now.

Li Xin placed his hand on the ground, feeling for any disturbances beneath the soil. He didn’t detect anything unusual with his senses, so he used his spiritual power.

As expected, there was something hidden under the tree.

Li Xin smiled mischievously, withdrew his hand, and stood up. “Let’s step back. We’ll let it come out on its own.”

“Who is it?” Chang Wu asked curiously.

“You’ll know when it comes out,” Li Xin replied, pulling Chi Yu back a few steps.

Chi Yu, still curious, asked, “What exactly is it?”

Li Xin leaned in close to Chi Yu’s ear and whispered, “I don’t know either.”

Chi Yu blinked, furrowing his brow as he turned to Li Xin. “You’re up to your tricks again.”

“I’m innocent, master,” Li Xin immediately replied in a wronged tone, glancing at Chang Wu and Chang You, who were watching them. He quickly put on a serious face and instructed them, “Go sit by the roots of the tree. Call me if anything happens.”

Chang You quickly agreed, pulling Chang Wu to obediently squat at the base of the old locust tree.

Li Xin leaned closer to Chi Yu again, speaking in a low voice. “I did sense a spiritual flow, but it’s too deep to tell what it is.”

Chi Yu snorted. “So you’re trying to look mysterious in front of us, pretending to be so profound?”

“Isn’t it just my profession?” Li Xin said in a slightly spoiled tone. “I’ve had to deal with these two for so many years. If I didn’t act like this, how could I get those people to pay willingly? It’s all for taking care of these two little ones. Otherwise, do you think I’d want to?”

“I only asked one question, and you’re saying so much?” Chi Yu said with a stern face, looking very serious.

“I wouldn’t dare, wouldn’t dare,” Li Xin quickly chuckled. “I just don’t want you to misunderstand, master.”

Chi Yu helplessly sighed. “Alright, I know it’s been hard for you all these years. But don’t twist my words. I just think you could speak honestly. There’s no need to act so profound in front of those who are close to you.”

Li Xin wrapped his arm around Chi Yu’s waist, continuing to act spoiled. “Master, you’ve never raised children, especially these two born with spiritual bodies. If I don’t keep up this mysterious act, they’ll never listen.”

“How could that be?” Chi Yu countered. “They’ve always been well-behaved and sensible.”

“That was before. After I opened their spiritual intelligence, it’s different. These two are born spiritual bodies. If I don’t keep them in check and they go astray, it could be disastrous,” Li Xin said, rubbing his face against Chi Yu’s shoulder. “Master, you don’t know. It’s even harder raising these clever and extraordinary children.”

Chi Yu, unable to withstand his spoiled behavior, patted his back. “Alright, you’ve worked hard. Get up. If they see you, your carefully crafted image will be ruined.”

Li Xin didn’t get up. Instead, he held on tighter. “I’m not afraid. Right now, what they’re hoping most is that we rekindle our past. If they see us embracing, they’ll be thrilled.”

“You…” Chi Yu was speechless.

How did he always manage to have an answer for everything, even twisting things in his favor?

Chi Yu thought about pushing him away but didn’t have the heart to. He could only speak gently. “Alright, I get it. Get up. I can’t breathe.”

Hearing this, Li Xin immediately lifted his head from Chi Yu’s shoulder. Just as he was about to let go, he suddenly realized something and gave Chi Yu a mischievous grin, eyeing him closely.

Chi Yu felt uncomfortable and shot him an angry look. “What are you laughing at?”

“Master, you’ve gone bad,” Li Xin teased.

“What?” Chi Yu didn’t understand.

Li Xin scoffed. “A ghost needs to breathe? Master, you’re really good at lying.”

“You…” Chi Yu was annoyed and pushed Li Xin away. “Let go.”

Li Xin stumbled but wasn’t angry. He continued to smile. “Master, don’t be mad. I was wrong, I was wrong.”

Chi Yu fixed his clothes, giving him a stern look without saying anything.

Li Xin leaned in again, placing his hand on Chi Yu’s shoulder. “Master, I just think waiting here is boring. I’m just having a little fun. You didn’t like it? I won’t do it again, alright?”

His words were sincere, but his expression showed no remorse. He was confident that Chi Yu would soften towards him, and his strategy was to wear him down with persistence.

Chi Yu, as expected, couldn’t resist and sighed. “It would have been fine when we were young, but now you’re all grown up and still acting like a rascal, no progress at all.”

Li Xin smiled mischievously and leaned in closer to his ear. “Shixiong, just indulge me, would you?”

As he spoke, his hand once again slid around Chi Yu’s waist, bringing them even closer.

Chi Yu rubbed his forehead and shook his head. “Do as you like.”

Li Xin, emboldened, tried to do more but was immediately warned by Chi Yu.

“But you need to restrain yourself in public,” Chi Yu gestured toward Chang Wu and Chang You, “especially in front of them. You may not care about your face, but I still do.”

Seeing that Chi Yu was speaking seriously, Li Xin immediately stopped smiling.

He knew he had crossed a line. Chi Yu had always been a person who valued face even when he was alive, and now, as he was recovering, it was no different.

Li Xin shouldn’t have been so thoughtless.

He quickly released his hold, although still smiling, his tone turned much more serious. “Understood, Shixiong.”

Night had fallen completely. There were no lights on the mountain, only a waning moon casting cool, soft light. It was enough to see, but everything appeared vague and unclear.

Li Xin’s gaze never left Chi Yu. As Chi Yu removed his hood, his profile was bathed in the gentle moonlight, and the stray hair on his forehead fluttered in the breeze, each movement stirring something deep inside Li Xin.

Since Chi Yu’s soul had been fused, his appearance had become almost identical to his past self. Li Xin stared for a moment, mesmerized. He truly wished time could stop right here, letting him quietly gaze at Chi Yu forever.

“Master.” Chang Wu turned and waved at them. “Something seems to be coming out from under the tree.”

“Then you two come over here.” Li Xin waved his hand, signaling them to move quietly so as not to disturb whatever was coming out.

Chang Wu and Chang You carefully got up and slowly moved back to Li Xin and Chi Yu’s side. The four of them stood at a distance, silently watching the movement under the old locust tree.

After a while, a small yellow weasel emerged from the gnarly roots of the tree, shook the dirt off its body, leapt up onto the altar, and started gnawing on the pig’s ear.

“Li Ye, is that it?” Chang Wu asked, pointing at the small yellow weasel in a whisper.

“Not quite, there should be more.” As Li Xin’s words finished, a slightly larger yellow weasel also emerged from the tree and hopped onto the altar, starting to eat.

“Two?” Chi Yu asked.

“It should be them.” Just as Li Xin was about to move forward, he saw several more weasels pop out from behind the tree.

They all jumped onto the table, furiously devouring the offerings.

“So many?” Chang Wu and Chang You sighed, then turned to look at Li Xin.

Li Xin hadn’t expected so many either—there were at least seven or eight.

“Let’s go check it out.” Li Xin led the three of them over.

The small yellow weasels were so engrossed in their meal that they didn’t notice anyone approaching.

“Is it tasty?” Li Xin asked them in a deep voice.

In the quiet, open mountain air, his voice was like a thunderclap. The small yellow weasels jumped in fright, dropping the meat they had just bitten off.

“Who are you?” The larger yellow weasel shouted angrily. “You scared Grandpa Yellow. Do you know how badly you’ll die for this?”

Li Xin scoffed. “Can you be uglier than that?”

“How dare you speak to Grandpa Yellow like that? You’re asking for death!” The yellow weasel threw down the fruit it was holding and jumped in front of Li Xin.

Li Xin looked down at it, “Do you know that speaking to your Li Ye like that will get you skinned alive?”

“You… you’re so bold!” The yellow weasel, enraged, used magic to enlarge itself to over human height, mimicking Li Xin’s posture as it glared back at him.

Li Xin raised an eyebrow, surveying the enlarged yellow weasel. “Oh, you can grow this big? You must be the highest ranked among them.”

“Are you scared now?” The yellow weasel snorted. “If you’re afraid, kneel and kowtow to Grandpa Yellow, or I’ll eat you.”

Li Xin’s smile slowly faded as his face grew darker. He turned to Chi Yu, “Shixiong, what do you think we should do?”

Before Chi Yu could respond, the yellow weasel sneered triumphantly, “What else is there to do? Grandpa Yellow will eat all of you soon.”

The other yellow weasels behind it joined in the mockery, “Yeah, eat them all!”

“Anyone who dares to provoke our Yellow family is seeking death.”

“Right, eat them!”

Chi Yu, seeing their arrogance, sneered and said to Li Xin, “Do what you want.”

Li Xin chuckled and ordered Chang Wu and Chang You, “Take Shixiong further back. Don’t get his clothes dirty.”

“Yes, Li Ye.” The two brothers immediately obeyed, leading Chi Yu backward a few steps.

At first, the yellow weasels only saw Li Xin and Chi Yu, but now they noticed Chang Wu and Chang You.

The yellow weasel suddenly sensed something was wrong and hurriedly asked, “Who are you? Why do you have spirit beasts with you?”