High-Risk Master - Chapter 1: Things Change and Stars Shift

 Liren Peak.

A sudden chill in spring, pear blossoms in full bloom.

Shen Gurong, dressed in a flowing blue robe, cinched at the waist with a jade sash, sat cross-legged beneath a towering Bodhi tree. His long, white hair, like white silk, lay limp on the ground, intertwined with lotus petals emerging from the water.

His aura was that of an immortal, yet at this moment, he only wanted to jump into the lake.

Not far from the Bodhi tree, a young disciple in blue robes knelt on the ground, tears welling in his eyes.

"Greetings, Master!"

"Xinghe begs Master to save Mu Zhe's life!"

Shen Gurong remained expressionless, thinking, "Stop shouting, your master is dead."

Back in Huitang City, during the Lantern Festival, there was a temple fair. The second young master of the Shen family, skillful and clever, had made an exquisite rabbit lantern for his younger sister and was happily leading her to the fair.

A thousand people gathered at the temple fair, amidst countless lanterns. Shen Gurong, head tilted back, enthusiastically solved riddles, when suddenly he felt his hand holding his sister's loosen.

Looking down, he found himself sitting there.

He sat there for an hour, desperately trying to convince himself it was all a dream.

He pinched his thigh until it was purple, but he still couldn't wake up.

Finally, he confirmed his location from the children outside talking about "Xinghe" and "Mu Zhe."

Xinghe, Mu Zhe.

Zhe.

Shen Gurong was a voracious reader, having read countless stories since childhood, yet he rarely saw anyone use "Zhe" as a name—the only time he'd seen it was in a miscellaneous book.

He couldn't quite remember the book's title, only that it featured a person who single-handedly saved all living beings in the three realms, named Mu Zhe.

Mu Zhe was born with a plague-inducing birthmark on his left cheek. Born amidst a raging plague, villages and cities were littered with corpses, and the surrounding people believed him to be the source of the plague, wanting to burn him alive as a warning.

The burning of the plague demon drew crowds from far and wide to witness the exorcism.

Just as the fire was about to be lit, he was rescued by a meddlesome Taoist immortal and became his disciple at Liren Peak.

Mu Zhe, with a mortal body, cultivated and entered the Dao, breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage at a young age, ultimately slaying the villain and saving the world.

Meanwhile, outside, Xinghe was crying out in despair…

If Shen Gurong remembered correctly, he should be the villain described in the book—Yu Xinghe, who would be bewitched by the demons, tortured his master Shen Feng Xue, and caused chaos in the Three Realms.

Shen Gurong took a deep breath; his calves ached a little.

These were all just conjectures, perhaps mere coincidences. What ultimately convinced Shen Gurong that he was truly inside that miscellaneous book was the body he now possessed.

Clad in green robes, with white hair, eyes covered by a thin silk veil, and a string of red wooden beads on his wrist, the sixteen beads faintly engraved with the words "Feng Xue."

The Holy Lord of Liren Peak, Shen Feng Xue.

Recalling his master's fate in the book—imprisoned for years by the little beast Yu Xinghe, and cruelly tortured to death by Yu Xinghe before Mu Zhe could rescue him—Shen Gurong felt a pang of panic.

His master's ending in the book was summed up in a single sentence—

The Liren Lamp burned eternally; he died in a snowstorm.

Shen Gurong, who loathed snowy days, spat, "Pah!"

Outside, the little villain was still wailing, "Master! Please, Master, save him!"

To Shen Gurong, the little villain's repeated cries of "Master" sounded like a death knell from the underworld.

Shen Gurong thought to himself: I wish someone would save my life too! I've cried for help a hundred times in two hours, and look, has anyone paid any attention?

Perhaps Yu Xinghe was too noisy, for the white crane resting in Lotus Lake spread its wings and flew to the shore. Upon landing, it instantly transformed into a slender young man dressed in white crane feathers.

The young man knelt on one knee in a gesture of respect, saying, "Your Majesty, shall I drive him away for you?"

Shen Gurong: "..."

Shen Gurong was nearly paralyzed by the sight of the crane turning into a person. He pressed his lips tightly together, maintaining his aloof and detached demeanor, remaining silent.

—He was afraid that if he opened his mouth, a wisp of soul with a small braid would emerge and vanish in a wisp of smoke.

Shen Gurong cried out in his heart, "Help! Help!"

No one saved him.

Seeing Shen Gurong remain silent and his face as cold as ice, the white crane youth assumed he was displeased. He nodded slightly, then spread his slender arms and suddenly transformed into a white crane, gracefully flying to the little villain's side.

Shen Gurong: "..."

Hiss! It's changed again!

Father, Mother, Brother, help! Help!

The white crane spoke in human language: "The Sect Leader has ordered that no unauthorized persons may disturb the Holy Lord. Yu Xinghe, leave immediately."

Shen Gurong, barely recovering and on the verge of death, nearly fainted again upon hearing those words.

That little dumpling, though seemingly harmless, was destined to be a major villain wreaking havoc on the three realms. Did that crane really want to become a braised crane?!

The little villain abruptly looked up, his exquisitely carved face looking beyond the white crane at Shen Gurong, tears welling in his eyes and streaming down his face. "Xinghe deserves to die for disturbing Master! I will beg your forgiveness and accept any punishment for saving Mu Zhe!" Yu Xinghe kowtowed heavily, his forehead instantly turning red. "Please, Master, save Mu Zhe!"

The white crane's face remained indifferent, completely unmoved. It lowered its head and pecked Yu Xinghe, saying, "Step back."

The little villain immediately covered his head, refusing to leave even though the peck hurt, whimpering and crying, "Master, please, Master..."

Shen Gurong: "..."

Shen Gurong finally came to his senses. He immediately said, "Stop."

No, shouldn't he say "Shut up?"

The white crane that had been pecking at Yu Xinghe stopped and turned its head to look at Shen Gurong.

Shen Gurong tucked his trembling fingers into his wide sleeve, trying to remain calm: "You go down first."

In the book, the Holy Lord Shen Feng Xue of Liren Peak is aloof and eccentric, with no attachment to the mortal world. His greatest hobbies are seclusion and seeking out people to fight.

Although he had many disciples, he treated them all with utter indifference, merely bestowing upon them the title of disciples of Liren Peak before leaving them to their own devices, some without even a word of inquiry for years.

The white crane youth seemed somewhat puzzled, but did not disobey him, nodding slightly before spreading his wings and flying back to Lotus Lake.

Yu Xinghe seemed to have grasped at hope, quickly kneeling beside Shen Gurong, timidly saying, "Master..."

Shen Gurong, knowing Shen Feng Xue's aloof nature in the book, spoke sparingly, "Speak."

Yu Xinghe kowtowed again, choking back tears, "Xinghe... Xinghe and Mu Zhe went down the mountain with our senior brother to buy cinnabar. Halfway down, someone saw the birthmark on Mu Zhe's face, and those people insisted that Mu Zhe was possessed by a plague demon, and that burning him was the only way to rid the plague."

Shen Gurong: "..."

Being possessed means being burned to death? Are all cultivators this cruel?

Shen Gurong's legs ached from trembling. Recalling that he had possessed someone else's body, he figured it could be considered possession.

He tried his best to maintain Shen Feng Xue's aloof demeanor, coldly asking, "Who were they?"

Yu Xinghe stammered, "Xinghe doesn't know. There are words on their clothes, but Xinghe... Xinghe doesn't recognize them..."

Shen Gurong glanced down. This little villain looked only five or six years old; it was natural that he couldn't read.

Upon closer inspection, he saw that although the little villain kneeling on the ground was outwardly trying to appear calm, his hands and feet were trembling slightly, and cold sweat was pouring down his face despite the cold weather.

In the little villain's eyes, the word "Master" was synonymous with "cannibalism."

Yu Xinghe's ankle bells jingled slightly from shaking, and Shen Gurong trembled silently along with him, the wooden beads on his wrists clinking together.

The master and disciple trembled against each other.

Finally, Shen Gurong took a deep breath, afraid the child might do something wrong, and said, "Don't cry, take me there."

Yu Xinghe was stunned, then overjoyed, tears welling up in his eyes.

He didn't dare take Shen Gurong's hand, so he simply got up, raised his chubby finger, and pointed ahead, hoping Shen Gurong would follow him.

In the book, Mu Zhe was the one who defeated the villainous Yu Xinghe, who had betrayed his master and ancestors. As his master, Shen Gurong couldn't possibly ignore him.

And the future villain, Yu Xinghe…

Shen Gurong glanced at the short, stocky boy who only reached his waist, thinking that this little dumpling wasn't anything to be afraid of for now; his master was giving him time to grow.

Just as Shen Gurong was about to get up, his legs suddenly felt numb and tingly, as if thousands of silver needles were piercing through his joints and meridians, causing him to stumble and almost fall back down.

Sitting for too long, his legs went numb.

Yu Xinghe was frantic with worry when he saw his master sway slightly. He tilted his head, looking bewildered, and asked, "Master?"

Shen Gurong forced a smile, trying to move again, but the tingling numbness instantly spread throughout his body. The pampered young master, unable to bear the pain, almost cried out, but fearing his junior disciple would notice, he forced himself to endure it.

Yu Xinghe roughly sensed the problem and cautiously asked, "Master, are your...legs numb?"

Shen Gurong: "..."

Nonsense.

They aren't.

Listen to my excuse.

Just then, the white crane flew closer again, speaking in human language through its crane-like mouth.

"The Holy Lord cannot leave Liren Peak. If there is an emergency, the Divine Puppet can handle it on his behalf."

The white crane's tone remained respectful. After speaking, it carried a lotus flower in its beak and handed it to Yu Xinghe.

Shen Gurong successfully defused the situation, maintaining his aloof and dignified demeanor as a master: "Exactly."

Yu Xinghe, blindly worshipping Shen Gurong's abilities, disregarded whether his master's legs had truly gone numb, knelt down again, kowtowed, wiped away his tears, and happily ran off, clutching his master's "divine puppet," the lotus flower.

Shen Gurong remained where he was, lost in thought.

How does one divide one's mind again?

By the time Shen Gurong finally gleaned the method from Shen Feng Xue's fragmented memories, it was almost dark.

He instinctively performed a complex hand seal, his slender fingers, with distinct knuckles like lotus petals, gently stroking the surface.

His soul shifted slightly, and upon regaining consciousness, Shen Gurong felt a wave of dizziness.

He initially thought he hadn't divided his mind properly, but after a while, he realized he was being carried quickly in someone's palm.

He shifted his gaze slightly upwards and caught sight of the little villain's sweat-drenched face.

Yu Xinghe, carrying the lotus, sped along the country path, panting heavily, sweat dripping from his small face.

Shen Gurong looked at himself and realized he hadn't properly focused his attention.

At this moment, he was just a tiny, illusory fragment of his consciousness, shrunk several times in size, no bigger than a palm, yet there was still room for him to stand within the lotus petals.

Shen Gurong: "..."

Oh no, this is bad, things are going to go wrong.

Yu Xinghe didn't even notice the dazed little figure within the lotus petals, running and shouting towards the distance, "Senior Brother Li Suo! I've brought Master!"

Looking through the lotus petals, Shen Gurong saw two groups fighting in the distance.

The two groups, one dressed in red and the other in yellow, occasionally clashed, the scene resembling a plate of red berries and scrambled eggs—a dish everyone in the mortal world loves. Shen Gurong… Shen Gurong suddenly felt hungry.

The disciple in yellow robes, hearing Yu Xinghe's words from afar, praised, “Good junior brother! Whom did you call?”

Yu Xinghe raised the lotus high and called out, “My master!”

The senior brother named Li Suo, who was leading a child towards Yu Xinghe, stumbled upon hearing this and nearly fell.

He exclaimed in horror, “Holy Lord Feng Xue?!”

Yu Xinghe: “Yes, yes! We're saved!”

Li Suo, his face filled with terror, blurted out, “Are you out of your mind?!”

Yu Xinghe: “Look, this is Master's avatar. He promised to come and save us!”

Li Suo hurriedly led the child to Yu Xinghe's side, cautiously looking at the lotus in Yu Xinghe's hand, his eyes filled with an inexplicable fear.

Shen Gurong was even more terrified than Li Suo. If people knew that the mighty Holy Lord of Liren Peak could even mistake a divided spirit, the embarrassment was one thing, but being discovered as a possessed being was the most deadly consequence.

However, Shen Gurong quickly realized he was overthinking things.

Li Suo examined the lotus inside and out for a long time before asking doubtfully, "Is this really the Holy Lord's divided spirit?"

Yu Xinghe: "Yes, there's still the Holy Lord's spiritual power on it."

Shen Gurong silently breathed a sigh of relief, patting his chest. It seemed no one could see him; he didn't have to worry about being burned to death.

Just as he was feeling relieved, he turned his head and suddenly met a pair of glassy eyes.

Shen Gurong froze.

The child who had been led around by Li Suo was slightly out of breath, his little face expressionless as he stared at the lotus. A red birthmark, seemingly carved into half of his face, grotesquely flared, making his delicate features appear quite frightening.

It was the young protagonist, Mu Zhe. Shen Gurong stared at him for a while, realizing his gaze seemed to be fixed on him.

Shen Gurong tried to move slightly to the side, using his small hands to gently shield himself from the lotus petals.

Then he watched helplessly as the child's eyes followed his every move, fixed intently on him.

Shen Gurong: "..."

He'd been...caught!

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