Ah Jin's naming skills left everyone speechless. Even Tan Xiao sobered up quite a bit from his excitement about potentially getting bonus points...

Mu Fei slapped Ah Jin's server cabinet. "You... forget it!" She seemed a bit exasperated, as if she couldn't be bothered to explain it to him.

Tan Xiao acted as if nothing had happened. "Ah, Sister Mu, please take the backup back as soon as possible."

"Okay, okay, we'll be in touch." Mu Fei also replied nonchalantly, not bothering to ask Ah Jin any more questions.

Thinking about it still made her stomach ache a bit. She could imagine that after returning, she would have to report this matter to her superiors, and paperwork and meetings would be inevitable.

Ah Jin lowered his head with a hint of resentment. "..."

As per Peacock's request, Ah Jin now had to follow Tan Xiao, his designated human representative, until Tan Xiao finished writing the chapters about Ah Jin.

As for whether they could reach a cooperation agreement with 404, and to what extent, that was something Mu Fei would go negotiate. She would directly interface with Tan Xiao.

For Kong Xuan, as long as Tan Xiao could finish the book, that was enough. He only cared about Tan Xiao.

Tan Xiao thought, so now...

"Great God," Tan Xiao looked at Peacock, trying to seek his personal opinion, "do you need to be sent back now?"

It was fine if this wasn't brought up, but once mentioned, Kong Xuan couldn't help but recall where he was currently residing. He tugged at his collar.

Kong Xuan stared at the oblivious Tan Xiao, his lips moving as he spat out words. "You, change the ritual mask, make offerings, flowers and fruits in all four seasons, with proper incense."

After saying that, Kong Xuan's figure dissipated like blue smoke and disappeared.

You want to upgrade the equipment? Tan Xiao had not yet realized that for the past few days, Lord Peacock had been residing in the crude paper mask he had made. He took out his phone to make a note, lest he forget to arrange it. "Okay, I'll do it as soon as possible."

When he looked up again, he only saw a blurry figure.

With Kong Xuan's disappearance, everyone felt much less pressure, especially Liu Qingquan and Ah Jin.

The deities worshipped by the Chu people were mostly inseparable from fire. In their hearts, the Primordial Phoenix was either the incarnation of the Fire God or the embodiment of the utmost Yang. The Primordial Phoenix gave birth to the Peacock, so naturally it was of the same lineage that could ward off evil and suppress Yin creatures.

"So I still have to move him back?" Tan Xiao thought to himself that he couldn't let it walk back openly. He looked up and down at this server cabinet that had only grown legs, found a small cart used for transporting goods at the funeral home, and let him stand on it.

Ah Jin squatted on the cart, tucked in his legs, and was covered with a layer of cloth on the outside.

Tan Xiao pushed him out of the cold storage room like this.

As soon as he went out, Tan Xiao shivered. The temperature difference between inside and outside was still significant.

This entire funeral home was almost emptied out. The person in charge of the funeral home was waiting at the guard room, fending off the many questions from the staff, although he himself didn't know much either.

Mu Fei and Tan Xiao, in front of him, moved a cabinet-like object into the car.

The person in charge stammered, "This, is it...?"

"Cannot disclose." Mu Fei said lightly, extending her hand, "Thank you for your cooperation today."

The person in charge also reached out and shook her hand, still harboring a bit of suspicion in his heart.

He always felt that it was some kind of supernatural event. After all, this was a funeral home. To be honest, over the years, he had always heard some rumors. Like today, if there was a problem with the remains, they would be very suspicious internally.

Soon after, the mysterious Mu Fei arrived. How could he not make some associations?

But at this moment, when Tan Xiao moved it, he accidentally bumped it, making a very obvious metallic sound. The person in charge felt that it seemed to be some kind of electrical appliance inside, not a corpse. What problem could an electrical appliance have?

The next second.

A "moan" sounded.

What was that sound? The person in charge looked at that thing in horror.

"Ahem, ahem, ahem." Tan Xiao coughed while rubbing his throat. The person in charge looked at him suspiciously, but Mu Fei had already found a designated driver and got in the car. She was too tired to drive herself, so she had the designated driver send Tan Xiao back first.

When they arrived at Tan Xiao's house, Mu Fei yawned and said, "I'm off, keep in touch."

Tan Xiao was very much looking forward to whether Mu Fei could negotiate some bonus points for him. This was much better than the privilege of crossing the Bridge of No Return first. He waved, "Bye bye, Sister Mu."

...

Mu Fei flew directly from Nanchu to the location of the Jinjiang server. In front of all the server company's staff, including the programmers, she entered the sealed server room alone and hid the thorn branch somewhere.

Then, the technician exclaimed in delight, "It's back! The backup is really back!"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and applauded together.

Not everyone knew or recognized what unit Mu Fei was from. They thought she was some technical expert invited by the boss. But her speed, wasn't it too fast??

So, not long after, Yu Zhenzhen's shout also appeared in Tan Xiao's WeChat Moments.

[My happiness has returned!!!]

That was a matter of a few hours later. At present, on the Nanchu side, Tan Xiao moved Ah Jin into the courtyard. As soon as he closed the door, Ah Jin stretched out his two legs and stood up, shouting, "It's so hot, so hot!"

"Keep your voice down." Tan Xiao turned on the air conditioning, thinking about where to put him.

According to what Mu Fei said, and what Ah Jin himself explained, he was just a newly born artifact spirit, with some new abilities, but in some aspects he was exceptionally backward, including not having a human form, not knowing how to turn invisible, and it was not good to maintain an illusion all the time. He also needed air conditioning to dissipate heat...

So the current arrangement—

"You just stay here." Tan Xiao pointed to the computer in his study. "If there are outsiders, tuck in your legs."

Ah Jin's data streams were entangled together like a mess. "Will people be suspicious?"

"Who will come to suspect? There are no visitors in my home now. At most, my mom will see it." Tan Xiao thought to himself, if my mom wants to see it, let her see it. I even want her to comment on it. You said we are mascots, how did these two legs grow out?

Ah Jin didn't dare to refute either. He had been chopped by Tan Xiao to the point of almost leaking electricity before, and felt that this young shaman was a bit vicious.

The WeChat new message notification sound rang once. Tan Xiao slid it open and saw that it was from his class teacher, Ji Huiming.

Ji Huiming sent a piece of news:

[Suspected major discovery in Nanchu archaeology!]

Tan Xiao browsed casually. With the assistance of the Xiong Hui, the excavation progress of the Chu emperor's tomb could be said to be unprecedented, after all, the Xiong Hui had helped move bricks for the Chu emperor's tomb back then.

Although it would definitely take time to be completely finished, there was already news spreading that a press conference might be held soon to announce some major discoveries and follow-up decisions.

Ji Huiming sent a voice message, sounding quite excited: "Tan Xiao, I heard from Vice Principal Bai that you went to help out? Is this really a Warring States tomb? What level is it?"

At the time, the Bureau 404 went directly to the principal about this matter. Vice Principal Bai wasn't sure if it would work out, so he didn't spread the word. Now, he couldn't hold it in and revealed it to a few people. Before this, Ji Huiming had no idea that his own student was actually participating in such an impressive project during his spare time.

Tan Xiao replied: "Yes, but I can't say anything now. I signed a confidentiality agreement."

Ji Huiming was even more shocked. A confidentiality agreement sounded very impressive. He quickly sent three thumbs-up emojis to praise him: "Good, good, good! Very impressive! Work hard on the monthly exam too!"

After replying, Tan Xiao noticed Ah Jin "staring" at him. It was very strange. Even though there were no eyes, there was a vague sense of being watched. He casually said, "If you try harder, eyes will grow out."

Ah Jin timidly asked, "Was it a message from Miss Mu Fei? Did she say when I can leave here?"

"She might not have even gotten off the plane yet," Tan Xiao didn't understand why Ah Jin was in such a hurry. Was there any danger in staying at his house? He wasn't even worried about having a artifact spirit living at home. "It wasn't Sister Mu, it was my homeroom teacher."

Tan Xiao paused and asked, "You should know what a homeroom teacher is, right?"

Although Ah Jin had just taken form, he was a modern spirit, and even played infinite flow games.

Sure enough, Ah Jin's data stream rotated, as if nodding. "I know, a cold and aloof master."

Tan Xiao: "..."

Tan Xiao shuddered and said, "Don't talk if you have nothing to say."

With that, he turned around and closed the study door.

......

The previous kraft paper Peacock "mask" was because Tan Xiao's family had previously worshipped the Primordial Phoenix, and as a son of the Primordial Phoenix, he used a mask to represent him.

Now that the Peacock requested to be upgraded by one level and be treated as a proper main sacrificial god, or in the words of a shaman, also called the "patron god", the mask would naturally need to be changed to a wooden one.

This couldn't be completed in a short time. Tan Xiao knew this himself but had never done it. His family usually found an old master craftsman. This kind of custom-made item required a relatively long time. Just selecting and drying the wood would take nearly a month.

The Peacock's other requests were quite simple.

Tan Xiao retrieved the underworld incense and also purchased some fresh fruits and flower bouquets, placing them all in front of the Peacock's mask. He lit the incense.

The faint white smoke curled upwards, the night was sparse, and the red-hot incense head flickered.

Tan Xiao made a hand seal and bowed, chanting an incantation. When he raised his head again, he saw a man sitting on the offering table in the incense smoke, with one foot stepping on the edge of the table, his wide sleeves hanging low, his phoenix eyes flashing, containing a hint of arrogance.

"Great God Peacock," Tan Xiao called out.

The Peacock's clothing was very recognizable, and who else could it be appearing at this time besides him?

Whether it was the Primordial Phoenix or the Peacock, few people in the world knew their true names. In the world of ghosts and gods, names held a different power and were the simplest spells in the world. Sometimes, calling out a deity's true name could also ward off evil.

Tan Xiao felt that he and the Great God Peacock probably didn't have the kind of relationship to know his true name. In any case, the Peacock didn't say it, and it would be quite presumptuous for him to ask himself.

Seeing the abundant offerings in front of him and hearing Tan Xiao recognize him, Kong Xuan couldn't be more pleased, and he became even more eager to show off. He deliberately jumped off the incense table, his figure floating, a few inches taller than Tan Xiao. He leaned forward, his gold pendants and jade belt swaying slightly, his eyebrows and eyes softened in the incense smoke, the sharp parts fading.

"Acting shaman, do you have a wish?" Kong Xuan asked softly.

Kong Xuan saw Tan Xiao lower his eyes slightly embarrassed, his cheeks snow-white, even his eyes appearing soft. The shaman was burning incense at the Peacock's request and had no other desires. After thinking for a while, he finally looked up and said, "Great God, please bless me to do a little better on the chemistry monthly exam..."

Tan Xiao could see that the Peacock's figure obviously froze for a moment.

Tan Xiao hesitantly said, "It's okay if it's not possible. I'll go ask the God of Literature and Arts, haha."

In any case, he just said it casually. Among the gods and buddhas in the sky, they all had their own specialties. For wealth, one asked the God of Wealth; for literary talent, one asked the God of Literature and Arts. Perhaps asking the Peacock for things other than warding off evil was a bit difficult for him.

Kong Xuan interrupted him, "Granted!"

Is it really possible? Hearing him agree, Tan Xiao began to regret it.

He had heard some legends that the promises of deities were not made lightly. Some things that you originally didn't have, if you tried to forcefully achieve them quickly, there would be a price to pay. For example, some people demanded to quickly lose dozens of pounds, and as a result, they had their limbs amputated.

"Wait, never mind. You won't forcefully change my grades, right? I might be accused of cheating later." Tan Xiao intended to retract his request.

Kong Xuan's figure gradually faded away, snorting, but it was unclear what he meant.

Tan Xiao thought for a moment. It was said that gods had human nature. Come to think of it, the Great God Peacock not only resembled a human but even seemed a bit like someone he knew.

But that was impossible. They were different species. The Great God Peacock was half-transparent, floating as he walked, and even had a built-in echo effect.