The overlord of the gods is interrogating the alien female spy.

　Chapter 47 Everyone says that longevity is good

　Although the Qilin in Terra Zoo are just magical creatures with strange appearances, capable of spraying water, controlling fire, and playing with lightning, and don't have any abstract lucky attributes, Chen Lingxu is no ordinary Qilin. He is a Qilin who has been conferred the title of Heavenly Venerable, a Qilin that has transcended gravity.

　In addition, as his abilities become more abstract, getting close to him will indeed 'infect' you with some of his characteristics, which will make things more favorable to your individual survival.

　From this perspective, touching him might indeed bring more luck.

　"Of course. I can't guarantee anything else, but I can vouch for Lulu with my own chest when it comes to being lucky. Lulu, think about it, haven't some lucky things happened to you since you met me?"

　"Yes, I believe you, Ah Xu."

　Indeed, it seems like everyone who meets him is very lucky.

　When she had nowhere to stay, he would help her; when she had no money for food, he would treat her to meals and even give her new clothes... These things don't seem like good fortune.

　Nine-Colored Deer belatedly realized that this behavior, combined with what he had heard yesterday, seemed more like a way to pursue a girl.

　"Ugh."

　But looking down at the Qilin, who seemed to be enjoying being patted and rubbed on the head, Nine-Colored Deer kept her complaints to herself. But as a little revenge, she used both hands to rub the Qilin's head, hair and horns, all over.

　"Oh right, where's Miss Zao?"

　After letting him go and washing herself with the warm water in the basin, the Nine-Colored Deer realized that the boy in green had never been in the room.

　"Little Algae Ball went to get lunch. She should be back soon. But this rain will continue for a while, so let's eat and wait a bit before we leave."

　"Good."

　Perfect timing! She just changed into this new dress; she can't afford to get it dirty right away.

　"Master, Miss Lu, I'm back."

　No sooner had he finished speaking than Zao Tongzi returned with porridge, vegetables, and meat buns. There were three breakfasts, one for each person, no more and no less.

　After dinner, the rain lessened a bit, but it still hadn't stopped. The three of them then went about their own business.

　Nine-Colored Deer took out the herbs from her basket to examine them, while the Shapeshifter sat idly by his Qilin master. Chen Lingxu propped his face up, watching Nine-Colored Deer sort through the herbs while chatting with his little female ghost.

　He's staring at her... It's been so long, what is he looking at her for?

　Nine-Colored Deer knew perfectly well what Qilin was looking at her with undisguised eyes, but she was too embarrassed to ask him to turn his head away and stop staring at her. If this continued, she didn't know whether she should continue arranging the herbs or put them away.

　"Sir, the rain has stopped."

　"Oh? Then let's pack up and get going. Have you found a car?"

　"Found it, sir. You can rest assured that I'm handling things properly."

　Are we leaving? Doesn't that mean we'll be separated?

　After thinking it over, Jiu Se decided it would be better to follow him for a while. After all, she had just received so many benefits from him and was wearing the clothes he had given her. If she were to part ways without a word, only someone with a thick skin would do that.

　The thin-skinned Nine-Colored Deer wouldn't do such a thing.

　Where is Lulu going?

　But Chen Lingxu asked her the question before she could.

　"I,

　I'm planning to visit someone I've known for a long time.

　"are friends?"

　"No, it's a patient I know. I have some medicine to deliver, and I'd like to check on his health while I'm at it."

　"Alright. Let's go together then."

　"Huh? Isn't Ah Xu supposed to go to Baizhao? If he's late, the Celestial Master assessment might be over. Is that alright?"

　Hearing his words, the Nine-Colored Deer was startled again.

　"It's okay, it's not like we'll never do it again after this one. If we miss it, we can go again next time. But I'm worried about Lulu going alone."

　"Um... thank you, Ah Xu. You're such a good person."

　Wow, it's a friend card.

　If an ordinary person received such thanks, they would feel incredibly embarrassed, but Chen Lingxu, looking at the deer's slightly reddened ears, only felt the joy of the steady progress in the strategy.

　Trying to win over a girl like this is like playing a shooting game; you can't rush it.

　As the whip cracked, the pack animals pulled the cart forward, the wheels rolling over the still slightly damp ground as it sped off into the distance.

　Nine-Colored Deer lifted the curtains, her fingertips caressing the still damp wind, recalling the patient's story.

　-

　In a small courtyard, a young farmer put down his farm tools and slumped on a stone stool by the door, his face covered in sweat. He looked at the blazing sun and thanked the doctor.

　"Hey, doctor, thank you so much for this crippled leg! This plow is useful, but since no one taught me how to use it, I'm not very skilled. I tripped and almost broke it. Otherwise, my leg would be ruined."

　The doctor chuckled upon hearing this, packed up the prescription and herbs, left the new medicine behind, and carefully instructed him to pay attention to the timing and frequency of taking the medicine.

　The farmer looked down the mountain; the fields there were only half-cultivated. The young, strong pack animals, exhausted from the morning's work, were relaxing in the river.

　"Doctor, my leg is still not healed... The village is going to start clearing land again. The whole village is busy from morning till night. I work like crazy and I can only clear two or three acres a day. If we want to clear this whole mountain to grow crops and feed everyone, we're afraid it will take us a hundred years... I'm afraid that by then, I'll be too old to move, and what will happen to the village?"

　Thinking of the villagers' hopes, he prayed to the doctor.

　"Doctor, do you have any medicine that can grant immortality and make me as strong as a pack animal? Our village is counting on me!"

　The doctor smiled and frowned, simply folding an extra corner into the medical book.

　"I'll give it a try."

　But there's no such medicine in this world...

　The doctor had traveled to many places, and several graves had appeared in the wilderness. After many years, she knocked on the door of the small courtyard again.

　The farmer sat on the doorstep, clutching a withered ear of wheat. A few wrinkles etched their face. Seeing the doctor, he managed a weak smile. His calloused, cracked hands clenched, his fists pounding against his chest as he gasped for breath. The doctor looked around the yard. In the animal shed, only a young pack animal remained; the old one was gone.

　"It's gone. After all these years, the old guy still got ahead of me."

　The doctor examined his body, took his pulse, and said that he was not sick, but that he was old and should be careful not to overwork. He then prescribed several medicines, prepared the herbs, and told him how to decoct them.

　The farmer set the herbs aside and looked at the distant mountains. Most of those mountains were now farmland, producing just enough grain for their own needs.

　“I want to send my youngest son to study in that mobile city. Everyone says there’s a bright future there, but I don’t have enough money. No matter how much I farm, it’s not enough.”

　He led his newly bought little pack animal around the yard, thought for a while, and only spoke before the doctor left.

　"Doctor, if this continues, I'm afraid I won't live much longer... What should I do? What will happen to my youngest child if I die? Doctor, please tell me... is there any way to let me live a few more years?"

　The doctor didn't know what else to say, so he took out a few more pills and placed them on the table.

　"These can replenish your strength, maybe they can help you... sigh."

　As the doctor traveled through numerous cities, entered villages and towns large and small, and heard countless prayers, she recalled the gaunt pack animal and the farmer leading it.

　She returned to that village.

　The wheels of the pack cart rumbled over the dirt, and she saw the newly renovated courtyard, which was less dilapidated and more modern.

　There were more people in the courtyard than usual. An elderly farmer lay on his bed, panting heavily. His children held his hand, and behind them stood their children. Several pairs of eyes looked at the doctor who had entered. Some recognized her, and their eyes held a pleading look, as if asking if there was any other way.

　The doctor stepped forward, and the old woman looked at her, recognizing her.

　"You said before that you wanted a medicine that could grant immortality, and I've made it. If you take this, you can..."

　Live a few more years? Endure a few more years of hardship? Stand in the mud, basking in the scorching sun?

　The old man remained silent, his wrinkled face twitching slightly.

　"No, how could such a medicine really exist?... Doctor, you're not old, you're very capable. But I'm not... Even if I take this medicine, it won't do any good, will it?"

　The doctor followed his gaze to the outside of the house. In the fields in the mountains, only half of the lush green rice seedlings had been planted, and his youngest son's legs were still covered with mud that was half wet and half dry.

　Looking away, he saw his grandson, whose skin appeared even fairer, with a book tucked under his arm. The old man's hand...

　She held on to him and refused to let go.

　The farmer sighed and closed his eyes, and his youngest son began to cry softly.

　Chapter Forty-Eight: Paying Homage to the Deer Bodhisattva

　"..."

　Nine-Colored Deer sighed, walked through the crowd, and looked at the person waiting for her by the car.

　"Did you give me the medicine?"

　No...he...is dead.

　"Hmm. The elixir of immortality, he didn't accept it?"

　"There is no such medicine... Even if you could live for a hundred or a thousand years longer... you would still die, and you would still never be satisfied. In this world, there is no such thing as true immortality."

　The nine-colored deer pursed its lips, staring blankly at the pill in its hand.

　Is old age incurable?

　A question was asked in my ear.

　"Old age is incurable... People all say that longevity is good, but they can't forget fame and fortune."

　When that old man was young, did he really only want to help the village reclaim barren mountains and plant crops when he sought immortality?

　Farmers' land reclamation and cultivation were governed and managed by the imperial court. It wasn't something that people could just go wherever they wanted to cultivate. It just so happened that the local officials had designated that mountain as a land reclamation site.

　The farmer prayed for the glory that the entire village placed their hopes on him, given his strength and health. He didn't care when his leg would heal; he only cared about whether he would still be respected by the villagers.

　As the old man grew older, his strong body was no longer what it used to be, and the village population gradually increased. The imperial court also developed new agricultural tools, making it much easier to cultivate wasteland than before. The old man had no other skills, and the only thing he could earn money from was his few acres of land. He pinned his hopes for his family's success on his youngest son. He didn't know what knowledge was taught in the city or what its purpose was; he just thought that if others said that going to the city to study would lead to great wealth and success, he wanted to do the same.

　Now that he has reached this age, he has seen through the illusions of life, and finally, one of his descendants has gone to school, which may change the future of the family. Therefore, he has chosen to give up on the elixir of immortality that is right in front of him.

　Is the disease incurable?

　Another question arose in my ears.

　“Illnesses can be cured… Everyone desires to be free from illness and disaster.”

　The old man's descendants have benefited greatly from the changes in recent years. Their children are now receiving an education and have gained knowledge, giving them more hope for the future. Therefore, rather than wishing for immortality, they hope that the old man and his loved ones can pass away peacefully without illness or disaster.

　Faced with a doctor who can cure the disease, they wanted to pray that she would cure the old man's illness, even if it meant letting him live a few more years, spend more time with his family, or... not suffer from the disease and leave peacefully.

　Raising its head, the nine-colored deer saw those eyes.

　Do you know anything about this?

　"Ok!"

　The nine-colored deer crushed the pill in its hand, letting the wind carry away the dust.

　"Not for immortality, but for freedom from illness and disaster. The people suffer, so from now on I will only heal the sick, wishing that all people in the world may be free from illness and disaster and free from suffering."

　The Celestial Venerable Qilin clapped his hands, offering his congratulations on her feelings and words.

　"Thank you, Ah Xu."

　The friend in front of her was willing to come here with her and help her out of her confusion. She really didn't know how to thank him enough.

　"We're friends, no need for thanks. Let's go."

　"Okay. Shall we go to Baizhao?"

　Where does Lulu want to go?

　"I'm free for the time being. Ah Xu is going to Baizhao, and I'd like to go see him too."

　"Let's go then. Little Algae Ball, drive."

　Sitting in the carriage, the Nine-Colored Deer, who had just had an epiphany, had changed a lot in terms of temperament. Even when it felt Chen Lingxu's gaze again, it was able to raise its head and look at him without looking away.

　"I forgot to ask."

　Chen Lingxu sat sideways, one hand supporting his knee, and raised his tail to sway beside the nine-colored deer.

　"what?"

　Stared at like that by him, the Nine-Colored Deer simply smiled, her initial naiveté completely gone. What truly intrigued Chen Lingxu was the ring that appeared behind her.

　Can this ring be hidden?

　Chen Lingxu knew what this thing was.

　The aura emanating from the entire body, also known as the 'Great Aura,' signifies the completion of spiritual practice. The nine-colored deer before one's eyes has become an 'enlightened one,' or rather, a 'living Buddha.' Unlike the artificial halos of the Sakta, it resembles the aura possessed by the Sakazza of Yan, who are called Anasas. It is said that many Anasas lead ascetic lives, and some enlightened ones awaken such a halo.