Kong Xuan had been waiting for an opportunity to let Tan Xiao know who he had offended. He had imagined all sorts of scenarios, but never thought that when Tan Xiao encountered a problem, he would pray to the Primordial Phoenix...

He had already lowered himself to reside within Tan Xiao's paper mask, yet when Tan Xiao encountered a problem, he didn't pray to him. How could this be? Fortunately, even if he prayed to the Primordial Phoenix, it was still him who came, scaring Tan Xiao to death.

On the side, upon hearing about this relationship, Mu Fei was greatly surprised and couldn't help but mutter, "I see, you were so powerful at such a young age because your ancestors signed a contract with a great god... Your point coefficient is different from ours, right?"

Tan Xiao: "..."

Tan Xiao's shock was no less than the others'. "There's even such a thing as inheriting a shaman's position? And what kind of contract lasts for a thousand years without renewal?"

The shaman seemed to not say much, but Kong Xuan sensitively said, "What do you mean, you're unwilling?"

Mu Fei said faintly, "Tan Xiao's family has long been in the tourism industry, and he's only helping out at my request. Moreover, he's still in school now and may not have much time to be a shaman. However, there should be other successors to the Chu shamans, right?"

Tan Xiao smiled in embarrassment. He did have a sense of gratitude towards the Peacock God, but part of what Mu Fei said was also within his consideration.

Kong Xuan's face darkened. Like hell he doesn't need to go to school anymore.

He originally wanted to leave, but if he left, Tan Xiao would definitely nonchalantly pray to other ghosts and gods. Tan Xiao's family had a wall full of masks. Not to mention the supernatural world, but once the tourism industry was mentioned, what kind of reputation did the spiritual shamans of the Tan family have nowadays?

Fine, I'll insist on it!

Kong Xuan's temper flared up, and he angrily said, "I've already made up my mind on this matter. You are the designated acting shaman, so stop nagging!"

Tan Xiao: "!!"

... How could there be such forced buying and selling? Tan Xiao felt that things didn't look good and looked at Mu Fei for help. According to the old sayings, wasn't it not good to casually sign contracts with ghosts and gods?

Mu Fei and Liu Qingquan heard Kong Xuan's words and were enviously looking at Tan Xiao. What kind of being chased by a great god to be fed?

Tan Xiao: "..."

Kong Xuan looked at the iron cabinet that had grown legs and said coldly, "What were you originally going to do, were you going to slaughter him?"

Ah Jin was suddenly locked onto by murderous intent and couldn't even shout for help. He "looked" at them in horror as his data drifted more and more slowly.

Tan Xiao saw that the Peacock wanted to forcefully employ his strength and quickly stopped him, "No, no, great god, please show mercy."

"The primary problem now is that all his data backups are gone, and he himself doesn't know how to restore them. He's a modern spirit, and we're thinking about what method to use to solve this." Mu Fei also helped explain.

The Bureau 404 had a whole set of procedures for handling cases involving supernatural beings, but they wouldn't all be destroyed on-site.

Ah Jin's form didn't even look much like a body of flesh and blood, making Tan Xiao a bit unsure of how to apply it.

Kong Xuan examined Ah Jin and asked in return, "Isn't this what the Chu shamans are most skilled at? Aren't the 'backups' and substitutes you mentioned synonymous?"

"You mean, a bramble?" Tan Xiao suddenly realized and exclaimed in surprise, seeing the Peacock nod in satisfaction.

The bramble is a type of shrub that was used to make canes in ancient times and is also used in punishment for admitting one's faults.

In ancient writing, the character for bramble looks like a human figure with two Xs.

The bramble, is Chu.*

*T/N: The ancient character for bramble is similar to the way Chu is written.

In the legends of the Chu state, one of the ancestors of the Chu people, Yu Xiong, married Nu Li. Nu Li died after giving birth by cutting open her ribs due to a difficult labor. The shamans of Yu Xiong's tribe used bramble branches to replace Nu Li's broken bones and buried her.

To commemorate this ancestral mother, from then on, the tribe of Yu Xiong was also called the Chu people.

Using bramble branches to replace the human body was the earliest substitution technique of the Chu shamans!

— Just like the body Kong Xuan currently used in the human world's school, it was also transformed from bramble branches. He even had to give that body short hair, otherwise, it would violate school rules.

It made sense. Tan Xiao corresponded the theory with reality and suddenly felt a sense of joy from solving a problem. He happily said to Mu Fei, "Sister Mu, then let's find bramble branches to make backups for the server."

"This, backing up like this?" Mu Fei felt that this technique was quite vintage compared to Ah Jin and sounded a bit ridiculous, but theoretically, it seemed to make sense, "Then... let's go find bramble branches now."

Tan Xiao was about to set off.

Kong Xuan said coldly, "Did you forget something?"

Tan Xiao: "Ah?"

Kong Xuan pointed at the smoldering incense and said word by word, "You're using this to fool me?"

Tan Xiao: "..."

Kong Xuan's resentment was about to materialize.

Since he came to the mortal realm, he hadn't had a single meal, be it food or incense, nothing at all.

Tan Xiao even dared to eat and drink heartily in front of him!

He stared at Tan Xiao. If Tan Xiao dared to refuse again, he would directly toss this server.

"... Okay, let's go to the market first."

......

Tan Xiao borrowed the employee kitchen of the funeral home — the person in charge of the funeral home had a face full of question marks. The beef was cut into small pieces, each with tendons and bones. After blanching, he first stir-fried the star anise, cinnamon, nutmeg, and other spices until fragrant, then added the beef, cooking wine, and dark soy sauce to the pot and simmered on low heat until tender.

Mu Fei also helped Tan Xiao on the side. While Tan Xiao was preparing the beef, she helped remove the fishy smell from the fish head using ginger slices and marinated it.

It was a very large male fish head, weighing four to five jin. It was steamed together with red and yellow chopped chili peppers and fermented black beans. When it was taken out of the pot, two spoons of oil were poured over it. With a sizzling sound, the steaming fish head revealed its tender white color amidst the mist, accompanied by the vibrant color of the chili peppers, looking delicious.

Then, a plate of water spinach was stir-fried. It didn't need much preparation and was naturally crisp and fresh.

Tan Xiao thickened the sauce for the beef on high heat and finally sprinkled some bell peppers for decoration, emphasizing the fatty, glutinous, and tender texture, oily but not greasy.

Kong Xuan inspected it on the side.

The first time was in the Chu emperor's tomb, where Kong Xuan and Tan Xiao had a moment of connection at first sight. The second time was when Tan Xiao opened the altar for worship, and Kong Xuan was attracted by the food and went over.

Kong Xuan was very aware of Tan Xiao's culinary skills, but after tasting the new dishes, he still lightly nodded his head. Indeed, Tan Xiao couldn't be let go.

A meal dissipated seven or eight-tenths of the anger in Kong Xuan's heart. He had seen Tan Xiao and Mu Fei buying ingredients and running errands separately earlier. When they met again, he almost didn't recognize Mu Fei and knew that the malignant disease had struck again.

Since that was the case, it couldn't be considered Tan Xiao's great sin.

However...

He wanted to see how long Tan Xiao could delay before discovering on his own that he was Kong Xuan. In any case, it was impossible for him to take the initiative to say it. That would be even more humiliating.

Hmph, even with the malignant disease of face blindness, it was impossible to not be able to distinguish him for a long time when facing him.

Tan Xiao noticed that Kong Xuan was eating while looking at him with strange eyes, making him feel uncomfortable. It would be better to think of a way to politely refuse the Peacock God.

"Let's do the ritual, let's do the ritual."

Earlier, they split up again, with him going to buy groceries, Liu Qingquan guarding Ah Jin (although Ah Jin no longer dared to run away), and Mu Fei gathering some bramble branches.

Tan Xiao bundled the bramble branches together, originally wanting to make a human shape, but seeing that Ah Jin didn't even have a human form and had only grown two legs, he hesitated for a moment before also just making two legs.

He placed this bramble branch substitute on Ah Jin's body, still a bit uncertain about the incantation due to his lack of practical experience.

Kong Xuan circled behind and grasped Tan Xiao's hand, whispering, "Focus your mind."

Tan Xiao felt a coolness on his hand. Closing his eyes, he sensed the intangible yet truly existing spiritual response, causing him to unconsciously make a hand seal and chant, "Substitute for the body, bramble branches take form. With an infusion of spiritual energy as your body, left ear hearkens to the underworld, right ear hearkens to the mortal realm, left foot treads on data, right foot treads on programs!"

Mu Fei: "..."

Tan Xiao opened his eyes again and saw that the Peacock had released his hand, the substitute technique completed. He took down that bramble branch substitute, or rather, the bramble branch backup. "Take this and try placing it in the server room... okay?"

Hopefully the programmers won't faint upon seeing it.

"Okay, okay." Mu Fei once again resisted the urge to say this was ridiculous. She grabbed Ah Jin while stealing a glance at the Great God Peacock. Not to mention his looks, but seeing the true form of the Great God was a rare occasion indeed.

Mu Fei was even a bit reluctant to part. She saluted with her hands, "Many thanks, Great God, and little bro. I'll take this guy back to register him."

Once every sixty years, the Bureau 404 had to update their "Non-Human Management Work Responsibility List". Determining which category and class these newly born monsters and spirits belonged to, and which responsible unit's functional scope they fell under in a certain area - all this had to be stipulated and even argued over. There was a lot of work to be done.

"Wait." Kong Xuan said indifferently, "Tan Xiao still has use for this thing. You may not take it away. You can take the backup."

Tan Xiao looked up in confusion. He didn't want Ah Jin, so what did he want him for?

Mu Fei's footsteps halted. "Huh?"

This was the matter for which Kong Xuan had descended to the mortal world.

Kong Xuan's true spirit body carried a reverberating voice that seemed to echo in the spacious room, "Two thousand years ago, the Chu shaman received divine instruction and thus wrote the 'Classic of Mountains and Seas'. Time has flowed on, and now it is time for a sequel. This matter must still fall to the Chu shaman. Tan Xiao, you must record all the changes of the past two thousand years, to pass on to the three realms."

Tan Xiao: "'Classic of Mountains and Seas'?!!"

Who doesn't know about the "Classic of Mountains and Seas"? Legend has it that it records ancient geography and mythology.

In fact, the authorship of this book has never been conclusively determined. Tan Xiao had previously read a theory that it was written by descendants of Chu nobility who had migrated to the Shu region, and had drawn upon some records of the Xia and Shang dynasty shamans, compiled over generations.

Mr. Lu Xun* simply said that this was an ancient shaman text.

*T/N: A famous Chinese literary critic.

The "Classic of Mountains and Seas" indeed contains many records about "shamans". Furthermore, the worldview of the "Chu Ci" is consistent with that of the "Classic of Mountains and Seas", showing its influence.

Of course, textual research and such was all secondary now. What was more mind-blowing was that no wonder Peacock insisted on inheriting a Chu shaman - turned out it was to commission... no, to designate someone to write a sequel to the "Classic of Mountains and Seas"!

Everyone present, both human and ghost, was stunned.

Mu Fei thought to herself, I knew something was off. Why would the Great God seek out a shaman for no reason?

Tan Xiao dazedly said, "I haven't even gotten my high school diploma, and you want me to write a book, a famous work at that. Isn't that inappropriate?"

He suddenly thought of something and asked with a bit of eagerness, "Wait a minute, does doing this job give extra points on the college entrance exam?"

Kong Xuan crossed his arms. "It gives extra points in the Book of Life and Death, and priority passage across the Bridge of No Return."

Tan Xiao: ".................."

No matter what, this news came a bit suddenly.

Just over a month ago, Tan Xiao didn't even think he had any real ability as a shaman, or that ghosts and monsters truly existed in the world. Writing a sequel to the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" was certainly not part of his life plan.

Tan Xiao glanced at Mu Fei and hesitantly said, "It's quite an honor, but for something like this, wouldn't it be better to have the authorities coordinate..."

Gods and shamans have a symbiotic relationship. Gods need shamans to act as their spokespeople in order to descend to the mortal world and act, while shamans need the descent of gods to gain power.

But times are different now than in the past.

Mu Fei and Liu Qingquan exchanged a look, both falling into deep thought.

Tan Xiao really had to say, if you open your mind, this sequel to the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" was essentially the same type of thing as the "Non-Human Management Work Responsibility List" they needed to update!

One of the overlapping tasks, for example, was to capture and register newly born spirits.

Kong Xuan scoffed, "You Chu shamans were supposed to be the 'authorities' in the first place. It's your own fault for not even becoming a Chu emperor or lord."

Tan Xiao: ".........."

Chu emperor, there's that Chu emperor again. So it's my fault for not becoming a provincial governor?

"Well, let me go back and get approval from the leadership first. The server's true body can be guarded by little bro for now. But I think we can seek common ground while reserving differences," Mu Fei said cautiously. She couldn't make this decision on her own.

How to put it? If they didn't seek common ground while reserving differences, did they really think they could snatch spirits from Peacock's hands to go register them? That was probably just wishful thinking.

Legend had it that the offspring of the primordial phoenix were born with the divine light of five colors, divided according to the five elements, and could overcome anything.

It was already difficult for their Bureau 404 to assign cases, especially for some non-humans that were deeply hidden and had powerful cultivation. It was hard to get to the bottom of things. Wouldn't it be mutually beneficial if they could cooperate?

Mu Fei recalled the Great God Peacock saying he had a covenant with the Chu shamans, and that the relationship between gods and shamans was close. This matter likely still had to fall to the Chu shaman...

The more Mu Fei thought about it, the more she felt there was room for cooperation. She looked at Tan Xiao, "I don't know about priority passage across the Bridge of No Return, but according to the rules of our human race, if you make a major contribution, getting extra points on the college entrance exam isn't impossible."

Tan Xiao: "!!"

Well, if you put it that way...

Tan Xiao immediately took out a pen and humbly asked Peacock, "Great God, what do you think we should title this sequel?"

Never mind that so-called cooperation. Seeing his shaman being so obedient, Kong Xuan already felt extremely pleased, his gloominess swept away. He said melodiously, "Since you've studied high school language arts, you should be the one to come up with it."

Haha, so the Great God even knows about high school language arts.

And thinking carefully, the Peacock God had helped him quite readily several times. Although he had lost his temper just now, he was immediately placated after eating something, which was much better than the strange and difficult to handle ghosts and gods from the stories Tan Chunying told him when he was young.

Tan Xiao pondered earnestly, "Call it 'Chronicle of Spirits'? 'Sequel to the Classic of Mountains and Seas'?"

He only had experience writing high school essays and ritual odes, and really had no experience authoring books, let alone a sequel to a famous work. He felt a lot of pressure.

Suddenly glancing at the pitiful Ah Jin who had been afraid to raise his head the whole time, he let out an "Oh", "Wait, aren't you the server for a literature website? This is your professional expertise, do you have any ideas?"

Ah Jin raised his head timidly and said in a trembling voice: "After Moonlighting to Write a Sequel to the Classic of Mountains and Seas, I Went Viral?"

Everyone: ".................."