Chapter 141: Rescuing the Little Flower Lizard

Shi Xianyu was silent for a moment, then asked, "Are you... mocking me?"

The Attendant God lowered his head. "This humble deity wouldn't dare."

Shi Xianyu tilted her head to study him, thinking in her mind about Linyuan, Linyin, and the dark shadow in the ghost world. If they were truly the same person, would the him standing before her retain those memories? And if he did possess those memories, with what kind of feelings was he speaking to her right now?

...Why conceal it?

Instead of asking him directly, she hoped he would confess of his own accord.

Thinking of his concealment, Shi Xianyu inevitably felt a bit disheartened. In a flat tone, she said, "I was just making an analogy earlier, because I'm not familiar with the affinities of these animals. You said that in the north, black corresponds to water, and since fish live in water, I figured they would meet the requirement of matching affinities."

"I see." The Attendant God gently nodded, his attitude remaining respectful. "It was this humble deity's dereliction of duty for not explaining it clearly to the Primordial Sovereign. Fish are creatures of the water, possessing both water and wood affinities. Additionally, animals with the water affinity include rats, ducks, pigs, and so on."

He patiently continued his explanation: "Animals with the metal affinity include chickens, monkeys, lions, and wolves; animals with the wood affinity include cats, tigers, rabbits, and foxes; animals with the fire affinity include horses, snakes, turtles, and lizards, among others."

Shi Xianyu gave a soft "ah" and asked, "Would the giant lizard from the desert world work? That counts as having a fire affinity, right?"

The Attendant God nodded. "Indeed. The giant lizard absorbs the blazing sun in the desert world and harbors true fire within its body. It is indeed of the fire affinity."

Shi Xianyu said, "Then let's take a trip there. Besides, I didn't get to see Linyin last time."

The Attendant God: "............"

Shi Xianyu asked, "What's wrong with you?"

The Attendant God: "...This humble deity is fine."

Shi Xianyu continued, "Speaking of Linyin, when I went to the ghost world this time, I encountered a strange thing. There was a dark shadow there that could transform into Linyin's appearance, and even the appearance of the fierce beast Linyuan. But that's not all; it could even transform into your appearance."

"Doubtless, the ghost absorbed the spiritual energy carried by the Primordial Sovereign, thus gaining a glimpse of the person the Primordial Sovereign constantly thinks of," the Attendant God replied calmly, his expression without a ripple. "The three thousand worlds are full of wonders. Spiritual bodies capable of mimicking human faces like that are not rare."

Shi Xianyu looked at his face. There was no surprise, no doubt; he was so calm and composed as if he had been prepared for this all along.

Shi Xianyu suddenly lost the desire to continue questioning him.

She lowered her eyelashes. "So that's how it is."

The Attendant God said, "Actually, there are many animals with the fire affinity; it doesn't have to be the giant lizard from the desert world. The demon world is not short of venomous snakes and spiritual turtles, which are also fire-affinity demonic beasts. If the Primordial Sovereign knows someone from the Blue Bird clan, you might even be able to inquire about the whereabouts of the Three-legged Golden Crow."

Shi Xianyu glanced at him. "How do you know I know someone from the Blue Bird clan? I never mentioned it to you."

He paused, a momentary evasion flashing through his eyes. "...The Primordial Sovereign mentioned it in passing to this humble deity once. How could I forget?"

The corners of Shi Xianyu's lips curled into a smile that wasn't quite a smile. "Oh, so it turns out I was the one who forgot."

The Attendant God lowered his gaze and remained silent, afraid that saying more would lead to more mistakes.

Shi Xianyu sighed silently and said, "Start setting up the array. I'll go get a giant lizard."

He was slightly startled. "The Primordial Sovereign has only just returned. Won't you rest for a few days?"

"No need." She frowned. "The longer I dwell on certain things, the more vexed I become. I want to resolve this as soon as possible. Please reconnect the space-time gate for me."

He was clearly reluctant, but since he had already tried to dissuade her just now, persisting further might arouse Shi Xianyu's suspicion.

The passage between the two worlds opened once more, and Shi Xianyu walked through without looking back. Anyway, she now carried a mustard seed spatial pouch with her, containing both food and water, so there was no need to prepare anything extra.

On the other side of the world, it was still a boundless expanse of yellow sand. Shi Xianyu skillfully opened her spatial storage, pulled out a small motorcycle, and set off toward the oasis.

After some time apart, the oasis had become much more prosperous. Although it still couldn't compare to the large-scale oasis towns, it was already a decent-sized base.

She sought out Ye Liuyun and told her that she wanted to take away a lizard.

Ye Liuyun asked her, "Do you want a large one or a small one?"

Not long ago, the big flower lizard had hatched a clutch of eggs, and the oasis was raising quite a few little flower lizards.

Shi Xianyu thought for a moment. "I'll take a small one. The place where I live has a different environment from this one, so a young one will adapt more easily."

Ye Liuyun led her to the artificial nest of the big flower lizards, asking along the way, "Are you sure you only want one? Why don't you take a few more back? These little guys have huge appetites, and if we keep raising them all in the oasis, it's quite a burden for us."

Shi Xianyu asked in surprise, "You're raising them? Doesn't the mother giant lizard care?"

Ye Liuyun gave a helpless smile. "The mother even steals food from her own babies. Can you really expect her to raise them?"

Shi Xianyu smiled as well. "I'll pick one to raise and see how it goes first."

The artificial nest was built beneath a stone platform, featuring an entrance sloping downward, with a lake not far away. This place was both cool and damp.

Shi Xianyu noticed that the vegetation near the stone platform was completely stripped bare, presumably eaten down to the roots by the large and small flower lizards. No wonder Ye Liuyun was worried.

The two of them walked in one after the other, bending over. Inside, the little flower lizards had been conditioned to being fed, assuming it was feeding time again. They all crawled over, opening their wide mouths for food.

After all, they had hatched from giant lizard eggs, so even though they were still young, every single one of them was as big as a dog.

One of them was the fattest, round and plump like a little piglet, and its coloring differed from its companions—it had a milky white skin, with pink patterns on its back that were somewhat lighter in shade.

"Our researchers think this one might have albinism, but for now, it looks very healthy with no problems at all—it just eats way too much." Ye Liuyun patted the big white lizard's large head. "Look at it, fat as a pig from eating. Its brothers and sisters can't even compete with it for food."

The other lizards were pale yellow, blending in with the sand; without camouflage in the desert, it was very difficult for them to forage.

Shi Xianyu picked it up, and indeed, it was very heavy.

"I'll take this one," she said. "Since I'm taking the big flower lizard's baby, do I need to say goodbye to it?"

Ye Liuyun burst out laughing. "After hatching her babies, that creature never came back. If the oasis researchers hadn't been kind-hearted enough to feed them, at least half of these little lizards would have died."

Shi Xianyu smiled. "The law of nature, survival of the fittest."

Hearing this, Ye Liuyun nodded with a sigh. "Yes. I just hope we can survive on this land too."

Shi Xianyu fell silent.

After a moment, she asked Ye Liuyun casually, "By the way, have you seen Linyin recently? Is he doing well?"

Ye Liuyun froze. "Linyin..."

She looked at Shi Xianyu with hesitation and said, "Actually, not long after you left, Linyin went after you immediately. My people found the car he was driving two days later. There was a desiccated corpse inside—it looked like him, and yet it didn't look like him, because the degree of decomposition showed the body had been dead for a very, very long time..."

Shi Xianyu let out a soft breath and smiled faintly at Ye Liuyun. "Thank you. I understand."

"Don't be too sad," Ye Liuyun said. "I don't think that corpse could be Linyin. It's impossible for a body to decompose to that extent after just dying for a day."

Shi Xianyu's expression remained calm. "Mm, I'm not sad."