Half an hour ago, in the forbidden area.

"Are you asking me to pretend to be a god?" Yin Ci was a little surprised.

"Yes, I'll just say my disciple died down there. Your previous disguise was too real, it's hard to explain to outsiders. It's better to give up." 

Shi Jingzhi regained some strength and prepared to set fire everywhere.

"Of course, you don't have to perform any spells, just pretend to faint. I can use the excuse of 'rescuing the god' to close off this incident. Your face is convincing enough, and they believe in the immortal fate, so they won't suspect it for now."

It's also a way, Yin Ci thought to himself. 

The villagers' feelings towards the goddess could not disappear immediately. No matter how they explained it, the fact that "the goddess's remains were nowhere to be found" would always be suspicious. It would be better to just establish a new god and stabilize the villagers. 

With Yin Deng's testimony, this absurd plan seemed feasible.

After a chaotic night, although the two of them had a thousand words to say, but they didn't mention it and silently tidied up. They reluctantly cleaned themselves up and pulled up Yin Deng who had fallen unconcious in the corner.

The plan officially began.

The master and disciple stayed in the forbidden area for a night. Now that it was morning, the air was so fresh that it made people want to cry. 

Exerting such manic strength in the forbidden area, Shi Jingzhi had been going strong all the way, pushing himself to the limit. His body was completely drained, and he had no strength left. His disciple was strong and sturdy, and he wasn't light. He was so exhausted that his legs trembling, and still had to pretend to be a wise and aloof master.

Yin Ci wasn't doing any better. 

He continued to close his eyes, pretending to be an unconscious immortal who had fallen into hard times. Shi Jingzhi walked unsteadily, and his heart also pounding with fear that his cheap master might fall on him and ruin their plan.

He had never been so nervous, not even during his battle with the goddess. 

Fortunately, Shi Jingzhi had courage and luck on his side. He had barely taken two steps when Yan Qing charged towards them. 

Yan Qing frowned at the unfamiliar Yin Ci, but didn't ask a single question. Shi Jingzhi breathed a sigh of relief and changed his hold on Yin Ci, with the two of them carrying him back into the room.

Su Si followed expressionlessly, blocking a few people who wanted to ask questions. Luckily, most of the villagers didn't react in time and were left behind, staring in shock.

As soon as they entered the house, Shi Jingzhi's legs gave out and he collapsed onto the ground, instantly falling asleep. Yin Ci tried to stand up, but found his sleeve tightly gripped by Shi Jingzhi.

On the other side, Yan Qing tried to remove Shi Jingzhi's flag, but also experienced the firm grip of a sleeping fox. Shi Jingzhi was sleeping soundly, but still managed to hold onto everything he needed to.

After a moment of thought, Yin Ci lay down on one side and promptly fell asleep as well, going with the flow. 

After a night of intense fighting, he was also exhausted and needed to replenish his energy. 

Yan Qing and Su Si: "..." 

Su Si used his toe to poke at Yin Ci, asking, "Who are you?" 

Yin Ci turned over and replied, "I am the eldest disciple of the Ku Mountain Sect." 

Su Si: "...San-zi, I told you this sect is weird. Setting aside their changed appearance, look at their master and disciple...which of them looks like normal people?" 

Yan Qing looked back and forth between the two of them before finally settling on Su Si. He sighed and said, "Let's give them a hand and move them to the inner room." 

The master and disciple slept through the entire day, from dawn until dusk. 

Shi Jingzhi didn't guess wrong, by giving himself the grand title of "Divine Emperor Wu's Envoy", the villagers didn't dare to approach him. 

Yin Deng became the only witness, and people flocked to Sister Mian's house, trying to dig up some information about what happened. The little girl was greatly traumatized and only said that there was indeed something wrong with the process of "ascending to immortality", but she didn't want to say too much, and the people were helpless.

For the time being, they had to let it go.

When Yin Ci woke up again, Shi Jingzhi was nowhere to be seen. Only Yan Qing was staring at him, with his right face expressing "unbelievable" and his left face expressing "how could this be".

Yin Ci wasn't in the mood to explain things, and he went straight to the point: "Where is Shizun?"

"Sect Leader Shi is in the innermost room of the backyard. He said that when you woke up, you're to go over there yourself."

It's here. A lot had happened in the forbidden area, and they are bound to have a long talk. Yin Ci had rehearsed his lines in his mind and went confidently. 

The room in the backyard was small, with the door slightly ajar. A strong medicinal smell mixed with a hint of hostility wafted towards him. 

Is Shi Jingzhi here to settle the score? No matter, Yin Ci was ready for whatever he had in store. 

However, upon seeing the situation inside the room, Yin Ci froze at the doorway. 

In the innermost room of the backyard, there was a screen and a bathtub filled with a terrifyingly colored medicinal solution. Shi Jingzhi had obviously taken a bath beforehand, with his hair still damp. 

As Yin Ci entered, Shi Jingzhi remained expressionless. He emitted a strong aura of hostility while holding up a brush towards his disciple. 

Yin Ci turned to walked away.

With a flick of his sleeve, Shi Jingzhi sent two streams of true energy shooting out, slamming the door shut. "Yin Ci, come here." 

Sigh, he even used his full name.

Yin Ci turned around, no longer pretending to be a meek disciple. "What's up, Shizun? Do you want to spar?"

Shi Jingzhi was seething. "I need to talk to you."

"Then put down the brush first."

"If you're uncomfortable, you can wear clean underclothes into the water. Your whole person fell into the pool, I need to make sure you're okay." Shi Jingzhi waved the brush around, imbuing it with an ancient weapon's aura.

Forget it, he couldn't avoid it forever. Yin Ci left his pants on and climbed into the tub shirtless.

As it turned out, Shi Jingzhi wasn't actually trying to skin him alive, but the force he used was almost as bad-- 

Not long after, Yin Ci gritted his teeth and said, "Shizun, please stop scrubbing. I really only had one Ghost Skin Suit on." 

He highly suspected that Shi Jingzhi was taking the opportunity to teach him a lesson, and that his skin was about to be scrubbed off. Even if the Ghost Skin Suit was still there, it would have been scrubbed to pieces by his master.

Shi Jingzhi's eyelids lifted, "Oh, that thing is called a Ghost Skin Suit, quite convenient. Last time I saw you in the Ghost Tomb, I really thought I was seeing a ghost." 

Then, he grabbed the brush and asked sternly, "Your name is really Yin Ci? What is your background?"

Yin Ci turned his head and looked at the serious Shi Jingzhi. The lie he had prepared long ago came out smoothly. 

"I am the great-grandson of Su Zhi, the ex-leader of the Red Hook Sect. My name is indeed Yin Ci. Due to a congenital meridian injury, the Su family cannot cultivate inner strength and does not want to get involved with the jianghu. My grandfather changed his name and lived in seclusion in the mountains. He only passed down one treasure and one set of swordsmanship..." 

Shi Jingzhi interrupted, "The Ghost Skin Suit and the Sweeping Bone Sword Technique?" 

"Exactly. I have an unusual appearance since birth, so my grandfather had me wear the Ghost Skin Suit to avoid drawing attention." 

"Why did you hide this from me?" 

Yin Ci answered truthfully, "It was interesting." 

Shi Jingzhi immediately gave him a slap, "Deceiving me in the Ghost Tomb is also interesting?" 

"Because I wanted to know what kind of person Shizun is. The situation of the Su family is special, and if I am to follow you in the future, I must first investigate the truth. Master said that he did not accept me just to fill a quota, but I cannot believe it blindly. I offended you in the Ghost Tomb, and I never thoughts...Ah, be gentle!" 

"You never thought I was so crazy, huh?" Shi Jingzhi lowered his gaze.

Yin Ci was taken aback. They had been together for so long, and this was the first time Shi Jingzhi had voluntarily brought up this topic.

"Since you're willing to talk about it, there's give and take in everything. I have a slight heart condition and occasionally lose control. When we travel the jianghu, I hope you can bear with me a little more... As for this time, you deceived me, so I will again deduct half a year's salary from you."

Yin Ci: "..."

The good news was that Shi Jingzhi didn't plan to kick him out of the Ku Mountain Sect.

The bad news was that he was working for free.

Fortunately, Yin Ci only momentarily lost focus. He firmly grasped the topic and didn't let the fox distract him: "A slight heart condition?"

Did it refer to the "heart condition" that made him go crazy for a half-stranger, or the "heart condition" that allowed him to quickly calm down and kill a goddess? 

Finally, he had the opportunity to figure out Shi Jingzhi's ridiculous logic, he wasn't going to let it go. 

As Shi Jingzhi stopped his movements, the murky and unclear gaze from the forbidden area appeared once again. 

With peace restored all around, Yin Ci could sense the meaning behind that gaze - it was not one of love or passion, but rather a pure evaluation. 

Perhaps realizing that his disciple truly had no inner strength, Shi Jingzhi's attitude was not as cautious as it was when they first left the Ghost Tomb. His master's aura was like a handful of deadly weeds, no matter if it was being suppressed by rocks or mud, as long as there was a little crack, it would grow wildly, attempting to sit on equal footing with the heavens and earth. 

By stepping into the bathtub and engaging in this conversation, Yin Ci had already accepted Shi Jingzhi's way. He knew that if he wanted to stay, then his master would still be his master, and he would still be his disciple. 

"Shizun, what is your heart condition?" Seeing that Shi Jingzhi remained silent for a long time, Yin Ci asked again. 

Shi Jingzhi sighed before speaking, "Ah Ci, have you ever heard of 'Object Addiction'?" 

"Object Addiction?" 

"Ordinary people may develop addictions to alcohol or gambling, but as for me, I have an Object Addiction. I am particularly attached to my own possessions, whether it be wealth, weapons, or disciples. Among them, the one thing I cannot bear to part with is my own life." 

"Ordinary people also do not want to die." 

"Regarding the desire of staying alive, it is like how a wine lover feels about fine wine. However, there is a difference between a 'wine lover' and an 'alcoholic.' Even if the wine is of the highest quality, if it is laced with poison, most people would not drink it. But as for an alcoholic...it's hard to say. In any case, when this impulse arises, even I have trouble controlling myself." 

Yin Ci was completely lost in thought, allowing his master to brush his shoulders. 

Whether it was his attitude towards his disciple or towards the goddess, this explanation made sense. But Yin Ci always felt that something was off - Shi Jingzhi's explanation was too smooth, as if it had been prepared in advance.

Furthermore, Yin Ci had been wandering the world for over three hundred years and had never heard of such a strange addiction. This "Object Addiction" was probably similar to his "great-grandson identity", a mixture of truth and falsehood that was difficult to distinguish.

They were not close friends, so such intimate matters were unlikely to be fully disclosed. 

But that was fine, because with a little bit of truth in their lies, they could both reveal a bit of their true nature. Yin Ci still had use for this fox, and with the future ahead of them, it was hard to say who would expose the other first. 

He stopped pursuing it further, and said, "In other words, if I disappear, Shizun will go crazy. If you find any clues for survival, Shizun will go crazy. Shizun, you have quite a unique way of going crazy." 

Shi Jingzhi snorted coldly and applied more force with his brush. 

Yin Ci smirked, "And I am a living person, not an object. Shizun, you don't have to cling blindly to me." 

As soon as the words left his mouth, Shi Jingzhi stopped brushing and his expression gradually became strange. Seeing his reaction, Yin Ci's scalp tingled for a moment. 

Judging from Shi Jingzhi's expression, it wasn't like he was thinking "you're talking nonsense," but rather "there's actually something to this, this is the first time I've realized it." 

Yin Ci sat in the hot water, but a chill slowly crept up his spine. 

Object Addiction.

Shi Jingzhi's care, anger, madness, and scrutiny suddenly had a different explanation. 

Like a child receiving their first gift, he carefully tucked it into his embrace, knowing that if it were lost or damaged, he would be devastated. Now that he had peeled back the layers of this object, he discovered that it was even more intricate and fascinating than he had imagined. He would have to examine it closely.

Would it hurt him? How could he play with it to make himself happiest? Did it hold any other secrets?

Regardless, it was his possession.

As he reflected on the affection and care he had received from Shi Jingzhi in the past, it all seemed distant and logical.

...What a load of nonsense, what Yi City Shi family.. No normal family could produce a child like him.

Even a child who had been abused from a young age would have some concept of "interpersonal relationships," even if it was a twisted and resentful one. But looking at the state of Shi Jingzhi, he didn't even have a clue about that. 

This person's background is problematic for sure. 

He turned around completely and locked eyes with Shi Jingzhi. Shi Jingzhi still had a strange and confused expression on his face, as if he was desperately trying to remember something. The brush in his hand was still dripping with water.

Yin Ci grabbed onto the strands of hair hanging down from Shi Jingzhi's head and pulled him closer. For the first time, he focused all of his attention on the enchanting face in front of him.

Yin Ci had always considered himself superior to others. He knew that Shi Jingzhi was a bit different, but he had never really paid attention to his master. After all, he was just someone to play with and then discard. 

This person was usually lively and energetic, at most occasionally going crazy, but never to the point where he needed special attention.

As the saying goes, even a good swimmer can drown. Yin Ci realized that he had misjudged this person.

Looking into Shi Jingzhi's amber eyes, Yin Ci couldn't find a complete "human heart." 

In the depths of Shi Jingzhi's eyes, there were only scattered fragments on the ground. He experienced all emotions, but was like a child, with a primitive state that did not add up to a normal person.

This person's obsession with life was more like a thirsty plant desiring water than a common human trait.

"...It seems I need to correct my thinking," thought Yin Ci to himself.

To him, Shi Jingzhi was no longer just a simple amusement. His master was wrapped in countless mysteries and had encountered numerous fateful events. He insisted on piecing together those fragments, carefully examining what was hidden inside this shell.

"Ah Ci?" 

Shi Jingzhi brushed his disciple like he was brushing a cow for a long time, until Yin Ci was left with only a layer of skin, and his anger was finally appeased. Seeing his disciple staring straight at him, he felt a tightness in his heart, afraid of provoking a rebellious heart in his disciple. 

Yin Ci slowly revealed a smile and let go of Shi Jingzhi's hair. "As a grown person, I can take care of myself. It's better for Shizun to not go crazy with anger and hurt his liver."

Shi Jingzhi's expression relaxed a bit. "I..."

He couldn't finish his sentence.

Perhaps Shi Jingzhi had been brushing his disciple for too long, and Yan Qing couldn't take it anymore and came to knock on the door. "Sect Leader, regarding the matter of the goddess, I have something to discuss. We searched the goddess's residence and discovered some...strange things."

Shi Jingzhi's attention instantly shifted. "Strange things?"

"Yes, it seems like Yan Budu has been here."

Author's note: 

Demon Lord Yin: When I take off this layer of window paper, I can change my appearance again. 

This move, it's like taking a step back to move forward (?).