Mu Zhe also heard what the two swords said. He paused for a moment before suddenly realizing what had happened.
Li Genglan escaped from the Burial Mound?!
He hurried to look at Shen Gurong, only to find Shen Gurong standing there expressionless, his gentle expression completely gone.
Mu Zhe stammered, "Master?"
Shen Gurong remained expressionless, raising his hand. His wide sleeve rustled, revealing a hand with distinct knuckles.
He parted his lips slightly and said indifferently, "Lin Xia Chun."
This word completely awakened the three swords that were locked in a fierce battle. The Duan Jing Sword and the Azure Scale Sword both paused for a moment, then their entire blades trembled slightly.
Lin Xia Chun was still weeping, tears slowly sliding down its blade—it seemed the entire water of Fanjiang Residence was caused by its tears.
As if startled by a ghost, the Duan Jing Sword and the Azure Scale Sword abruptly released Lin Xia Chun. The tassels on the three swords twisted and turned for a long time before finally unraveling. Then, without a word, the two swords fled through the window and returned to their master.
Shen Gurong didn't stop them, still holding out his arms, letting Lin Xia Chun, soaking wet, return to his grasp.
Mu Zhe felt a sudden, inexplicable panic. He urgently called out again, "Master!"
His master turned around, his gray, lifeless eyes giving him a cold glance.
Mu Zhe felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.
With just one glance, he recognized that the person before him was not his little master, but the real Shen Feng Xue.
Shen Feng Xue merely glanced at him coldly before striding away with Lin Xia Chun, without saying a word to him.
Mu Zhe stared blankly at his retreating figure, frozen in place for a long time before finally reacting and rushing out to follow. Just as he stepped out of Fanjiang Residence, he saw Shen Feng Xue walking expressionlessly down a side path.
Mu Zhe hesitated, looking at him.
Shen Feng Xue reached him, his voice devoid of warmth, and said, "Take me to find Xi Guxing."
Mu Zhe: "..."
Oh, lost again.
Mu Zhe nodded and led the way, trying to sort out his chaotic thoughts.
The person before him was undoubtedly the real Shen Feng Xue, but why had he suddenly appeared? Where was his... little master?
Could he have already left?
Thinking this, Mu Zhe shuddered and immediately dared not think further.
Shen Gurong wouldn't leave without a word, Mu Zhe firmly believed.
Perhaps guessing Mu Zhe's thoughts, Shen Feng Xue suddenly spoke, "He didn't leave."
Mu Zhe was startled, then breathed a sigh of relief.
Shen Feng Xue's appearance was more beautiful than ever before. In all his years of experience in the Three Realms, Mu Zhe had never seen anyone more beautiful than his master. When Shen Gurong was in this guise, Mu Zhe felt a pang of pity and cuteness for everything he did. But when the real Shen Feng Xue appeared, his serene and unwavering aura extinguished any romantic feelings in Mu Zhe.
When he was young and interacted with Shen Feng Xue, Mu Zhe was immature and only thought his master was cold-hearted, utterly wicked, and how could someone be so powerful and indifferent?
Now, upon reflection, he realized that Shen Feng Xue wasn't cold; what he exuded was a profound sense of pessimism and world-weariness, a despair beyond measure.
He had suffered something; his gray eyes were empty, as if the collapse of the world couldn't affect him in the slightest.
Just looking into those eyes, one could almost feel his pain and despair.
Mu Zhe had never known what had happened to Shen Feng Xue, but at this moment, meeting his withered eyes, he suddenly couldn't utter a single word.
He had previously imagined that if he had the chance to see Shen Feng Xue again, he would apologize for the mistakes of his childhood.
But now…
Mu Zhe silently led Shen Feng Xue to Xi Guxing's residence.
Shen Feng Xue, sword in hand, his disheveled hair unable to conceal the overwhelming killing intent.
Xi Guxing already knew from Duan Jing that Shen Feng Xue knew about Li Genglan's affair. He was in a state of utter confusion when he saw Shen Feng Xue cleave his door open with a sword, entering against the light.
“Xi Guxing,” Shen Feng Xue said expressionlessly, “Where is he?”
Xi Guxing quickly stood up and said, “Eleventh, calm down, I’ll explain in detail.”
Lou Bugui was healing Xi Guxing’s injuries. Seeing Shen Feng Xue, his eyes suddenly lit up. He said, “Eleventh, you’re back.”
Shen Feng Xue didn’t even look at him. His sword, Lin Xia Chun, slammed down on Xi Guxing’s neck. He spoke icyly, “I asked, where is he?”
Xi Guxing seemed to have anticipated his reaction and wasn’t angry. He truthfully replied, “He’s already returned to Xianzhou.”
Shen Feng Xue sheathed his sword and turned to leave.
Xi Guxing immediately said, “Where are you going?!”
Shen Feng Xue didn’t listen to what he was saying. His face darkened as he strode out, and no one could stop him.
"Stop!" Xi Guxing stepped forward, blocking his path, and roared, "What can you do in Xianzhou now? Drag him out and kill him?! Xianzhou is a formidable place; even you can't easily break in. Calm down, okay? We'll go find Master; Master will definitely help you."
Shen Feng Xue was as cold as frost, saying indifferently, "I don't trust you, and I don't trust him."
Xi Guxing was stunned.
Shen Feng Xue held Lin Xia Chun in his hand, as if it were his only lifeline in this world. He took a half step back and said coldly, "I don't trust any of you; I only trust my sword. If you stop me, I'll kill you too."
Xi Guxing stared at him blankly. He instinctively wanted to raise his hand to pull Shen Feng Xue back, but Shen Feng Xue didn't even blink and swung his sword, almost severing his wrist at the root. Fortunately, his short sword flashed out and blocked the attack.
After the sword strike, Shen Feng Xue turned and left without looking back.
Xi Guxing suddenly shouted sharply, "What about him?"
Shen Feng Xue paused.
Xi Guxing, trembling, pointed at Mu Zhe, who stood not far away, his face blank. His voice was barely audible.
"What about him? Aren't you going to care about him?" Xi Guxing, still recovering from serious injuries, a thin line of blood drawing from the corner of his lips, gasped for breath, "You've cultivated for so many years, endured so much suffering, all for him?! Now that he's still alive, are you going to go to Xianzhou to die?"
Mu Zhe, who had been about to step forward, suddenly went blank upon hearing this. His feet seemed rooted to the spot, unable to move an inch.
A ringing sound filled his ears.
What did he mean… all those years of cultivation, all for him?
Was "him" referring to me?
Shen Feng Xue turned around, glancing back at Xi Guxing with an almost sinister expression: "How do you know I'll go to Xianzhou to die?"
He strode up to Xi Guxing, grabbing his collar, his icy face pressing close, his expression grim: "This time I will definitely kill him. No one can stop me, not even Nanyang. Unless you all join forces and trap me on Liren Peak immediately, as long as I live, I will kill Li Genglan."
Xi Guxing roared in fury: "You think I stopped you to save Li Genglan? Shen Eleven, do you have any conscience? How have we treated you all these years? Can't you really see it?"
Shen Feng Xue sneered, saying: "Can't see it? My eyes went blind a hundred years ago."
Having said that, he flung Xi Guxing away, seemingly avoiding looking at Mu Zhe, and swiftly rode the wind away.
Xi Guxing: "Shen Eleven!"
He wanted to chase after him, but urging his spiritual power caused him to vomit another mouthful of blood.
He could only angrily shout at Lou Bugui, who was suddenly bursting into tears for no apparent reason, and the dazed Mu Zhe: "What are you all standing there for?! Go after him now!"
Lou Bugui belatedly realized what was happening, while Mu Zhe had already taken to the air and quickly gave chase.
But before he could catch up, he saw Shen Feng Xue, not far away, seemingly blocked by something. He swayed twice and suddenly fell from mid-air.
Mu Zhe's pupils contracted, and he immediately rushed forward, catching Shen Feng Xue.
Shen Feng Xue had already fallen unconscious, his long eyelashes trembling slightly, as if desperately trying to wake up.
Mu Zhe helped him to the ground, and a voice transmission reached his ear.
"Help him back."
Mu Zhe looked up sharply; there was no one around.
That voice… must be Shen Feng Xue's master, Nan Yangjun.
Shen Feng Xue had lost consciousness, two red ropes inexplicably appearing on his wrists, binding all his spiritual power.
Upon returning to Fanjiang Residence, Xi Guxing and Jing Zhuchen rushed over. Seeing Shen Feng Xue lying on the bed with the Spirit-Binding Ropes on him, they exchanged bewildered glances.
Shen Feng Xue quickly regained consciousness. Upon seeing the Spirit-Binding Ropes on his wrists, he sneered, grabbed Lin Xia Chun beside him, and without blinking, swung them at his own wrist, seemingly intending to sever the ropes and his wrist at the same point.
Jing Zhuchen abruptly raised his hand, the smoke in his hand forcefully blocking the falling Lin Xia Chun. He coldly said, "Come to your senses first."
Shen Feng Xue didn't retract his strength at all. He coldly replied, "I've always been perfectly conscious."
Jing Zhuchen tapped his pipe, and countless white wisps of smoke emerged, tightly binding Shen Feng Xue's hands.
"So this sobriety you speak of means harming your fellow disciples, even at the cost of self-harm?"
Jing Zhuchen's face was darker than ever before.
"Xianzhou is a treacherous place, and it's all demonic cultivator territory. Although your cultivation is high, you've still lost half of your yuandan. Going to Xianzhou would be extremely dangerous."
Shen Feng Xue struggled twice, realizing he had lost his spiritual power and couldn't break free from Jing Zhuchen's grasp. Instead, he smiled coldly and said indifferently, "What if I wanted to kill Li Genglan?"
Seeing that he seemed to have calmed down, Jing Zhuchen softened his tone and said gently, "Let's work together to find a way, shall we? This time, we definitely won't let him escape."
Shen Feng Xue suddenly laughed again, and said in a low voice, "Li Genglan lied to me like this back then."
Jing Zhuchen was taken aback.
"He told me he would find the murderer who killed my loved ones." Shen Feng Xue's eyes were filled with cold killing intent. "I believed him. In the end, however, he told me himself that the culprit who caused my loved ones' tragic deaths was himself."
Jing Zhuchen's expression instantly turned ugly.
Shen Feng Xue said, "Now, if you say the same things as him, do you think I'll believe you again?" Shen Feng Xue was impervious to reason; no matter what Jing Zhuchen and Xi Guxing said, he remained hostile, just like the Shen Feng Xue who had been deceived years ago.
Finally, after exhausting the two men, they had no choice but to place their hopes on Mu Zhe.
When Mu Zhe was pushed into the room by the two men, Shen Feng Xue instinctively gripped his sword, but when his gaze fell on Mu Zhe, all his hostility and wariness vanished instantly.
He threw down his sword and turned his head away, refusing to look at him again.
Mu Zhe walked over and silently picked up Lin Xia Chun, who had started to sob again. He presented him to Shen Feng Xue with both hands and whispered, "Your Majesty."
The word "Your Majesty" made Shen Feng Xue's hand tremble, but he didn't look at him. He simply whispered, "After I kill Li Genglan, he will return."
Mu Zhe remained silent for a long time, staring at Shen Feng Xue's long, intertwined fingers.
After a long while, he softly asked, "What is your relationship with Shen Gurong?"
Shen Feng Xue's fingers stiffened, and he finally turned his head to look at him in a daze.
Mu Zhe lowered his head and murmured, "Shen Gurong... never remembers the way, and neither do you; when he's nervous, he likes to intertwine his fingers, half his palms touching, and you... are doing the same now."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Feng Xue seemed startled, abruptly separating his intertwined fingers, his face turning deathly pale.
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