Li Genglan's demonic eyes glared at him with a chilling, manic intensity: "Fine, kill me if you want. I've long wanted to cultivate the Ghost Path."
Shen Gurong looked at him indifferently, his dark hair at his temples already showing faint white, perhaps from the bond he formed with Lin Xia Chun while still a mortal.
"You think I'd give you the chance to cultivate the Ghost Path?"
This was the first time he'd ever killed, yet his hand gripping the heavy sword was incredibly steady, without the slightest tremor.
'It's his fault,' Shen Gurong thought expressionlessly. 'If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have to suffer all this.'
He wouldn't have had to go through so much, wouldn't have had to force himself to become someone else.
Shen Gurong gripped the hilt tightly, his eyes unblinking as he thrust the sword towards Li Genglan's neck. But just as it was about to strike, Lin Xia Chun suddenly emitted a buzzing sound, and Shen Gurong nearly lost his grip.
In the next instant, Lin Xia Chun transformed into a tall human figure, standing directly in front of Shen Gurong. His spiritual power erupted, blocking a sharp blade that was hurtling through the air.
It was the malevolent sword, Lian Gou, Li Suo.
Seeing that his attack had failed to kill Shen Gurong, Li Suo transformed into a black-robed figure and also stood in front of Li Genglan, his eyes bloodshot, staring blankly at Lin Xia Chun.
Lin Xia Chun: "..."
Lin Xia Chun only glanced at him before indifferently looking away. He lowered his eyes, staring at a small blade of grass growing from a crack in the ground, his eyelashes slightly drooping, lost in thought.
Because of the bond of recognition, Shen Gurong heard the tall, murderous-looking man in his mind say: 'I don't want to deal with people, I don't want to look people in the eye, I don't want to fight. If only I were this blade of grass.'
Shen Gurong: "..."
Shen Gurong's lips twitched.
Is this number one malevolent sword in the Three Realms a little off? Lin Xia Chun was still muttering, "If only I were grass, if only I were stone," when Li Suo, seeing his master's miserable state, charged forward, his killing intent palpable.
Although Lin Xia Chun had some mental issues, it didn't hinder his ferocity. Li Suo's spiritual killing intent was nothing more than a child twirling a sword in front of a sword immortal; he easily broke through Li Suo's attacks without even using spiritual power.
Lin Xia Chun subdued Li Suo in one move, then turned to Shen Gurong and uttered his first words: "Kill?"
"Killing is too troublesome. If only he could just die on his own."
Shen Gurong: "..."
Shen Gurong was actually distracted by Lin Xia Chun. In that moment of stunned silence, the door of Fanjiang Residence was suddenly broken open, and many people rushed in.
Shen Gurong immediately shouted, "Kill!"
If he didn't kill now, he might not have another chance.
Lin Xia Chun raised his sword, its intent about to strike Li Genglan, when Li Suo suddenly rushed forward, shielding Li Genglan with his body and blocking the sword.
Lin Xia Chun tilted his head: "I didn't intend to kill you. You ran into me yourself. It's not my fault."
Shen Gurong: "..."
At that moment, the people outside rushed in.
Lin Xia Chun didn't want to deal with people; he found even standing with them troublesome. The instant they rushed in, he transformed into a sword and fell to the ground.
Xi Guxing and Lin Shuhe pushed open the door and were stunned by the scene inside.
Li Genglan was covered in blood, a sword hanging beside him, its blade chipped and spiritual energy leaking out.
Shen Gurong stood in the shadows, slumped over, his clothes disheveled, the bruises on his chin, neck, and the wrist that held the sword faintly visible.
Xi Guxing asked in astonishment, "What happened?"
Li Genglan laughed, slowly standing up while gripping his scepter. Blood gushed from the wounds on his chest and abdomen again. He wiped his lips, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Nothing, I was in the mood and wanted to invite Little Eleven to cultivate together, but I was rejected."
Xi Guxing's face immediately turned green. He could vaguely tell what had happened from Shen Gurong's disheveled appearance, and hearing this, he was even more furious. He roared, "You're such a lewd person!"
He rushed forward, took off his outer robe and wrapped it around Shen Gurong, awkwardly soothing him, "Don't be afraid. He's just a hypocrite. I'll definitely report this to Master and have him severely punished."
Shen Gurong's eyes widened, half-embraced by Xi Guxing like a puppet on strings. He said blankly, "Let me kill him."
Xi Guxing was stunned: "What?"
Shen Gurong said, "He's the culprit behind the massacre at Huitang City back then. I want to kill him."
He raised his hand, and Lin Xia Chun immediately floated over and landed in his hand.
Xi Guxing exclaimed in astonishment, "You mean you went back to Tangcheng back then? How is that possible?! Eleven, is there some misunderstanding?"
Shen Gurong said, "There's no misunderstanding, he admitted it himself."
Lin Shuhe, who was stopping Li Genglan's bleeding, looked up in surprise, "Senior Brother?"
Li Genglan grabbed Lin Shuhe's wrist, his eyes filled with wild joy and excitement, "Shuhe, I heard from Senior Brother that the plague poison I brought from Youzhou is the very poison needed for the 'Raising Plague Ghosts' formation. As long as we find another mortal city, the plague ghost will surely be formed." He had endured for four years, finally finding an opportunity to shed all pretense, and instinctively wanted to find someone to proclaim his research.
Lin Shuhe looked at him blankly, his spiritual energy dissipating. He seemed a little foolish, instinctively following Li Genglan's words, and stammered, "After becoming a plague ghost, what happens next?"
Li Genglan was like a madman: "The Plague Demon ascends to sainthood, severing the karmic ties of the Three Realms. Not only does it prove to Master and the world that ghost cultivators can also become saints, but no matter how many people that ghost cultivator saint kills, they won't incur divine punishment!"
He gripped Lin Shuhe's shoulders tightly: "Then, the entire Three Realms will be slaughtered by the Plague Demon, everyone will die together, isn't that good?"
A strange light flashed in Li Genglan's eyes, and he smiled coldly: "They all say I'm the Plague Demon, then I'll just let them all become Plague Demons and taste the same bitterness as me!"
Shen Gurong's pupils contracted, and he gripped his sword, ready to rush forward and finish off this stubborn man, but Xi Guxing held him tightly in his arms.
"Eleven! Eleven, calm down. He's been talking nonsense for a long time now. Calm down, Master will be here soon! When…"
Shen Gurong said indifferently: "Didn't you hear what he said?" He stared into Xi Guxing's eyes and questioned in a low voice, "Was that also nonsense?"
Xi Guxing was stunned.
Shen Gurong suddenly remembered something, exclaimed "Ah!" and said blankly, "Did he say before that he wanted to massacre some city, and you all took that as nonsense and didn't take it to heart?"
Xi Guxing and Lin Shuhe's faces turned pale, then they recalled what happened in Huitang City and looked at Li Genglan in horror.
"Senior Brother?" Lin Shuhe's lips were deathly pale. "You..."
Li Genglan was still babbling incoherently when Li Nanyang arrived, knocking him unconscious with a single blow and locking him in his mustard seed.
Shen Gurong had already been dragged by Xi Guxing to change his clothes. His face was deathly pale, the bruise on his chin appearing even more pronounced and horrifying. With a slight lift of his hand, blood was already seeping from the bruise on his wrist.
Li Nanyang had already sent Xi Guxing and the others away. He stood by the window, gazing at the evening mist flowers outside, lost in thought.
Shen Gurong emerged from the inner room, his face expressionless. "Nan Yangjun," he said.
Li Nanyang turned to look at him.
Shen Gurong no longer wanted to engage in pretense with these hypocrites. He cut to the chase: "Did you know about Li Genglan's massacre of the city before?"
For so many years, no one had dared to speak to Nan Yangjun ang like this. He remained silent for a moment before replying, "I did not know."
Shen Gurong didn't believe him and asked again, "Then why did you happen to appear outside Huitang City back then?"
Li Nanyang glanced at Shen Gurong with cold eyes, and after a long while, said, "Because of a heavenly secret."
Shen Gurong: "What?"
After saying "heavenly secret," Li Nanyang seemed to give up hiding something and simply revealed everything.
"I have been a saint for many years, but I am only one step away from ascension," Li Nanyang said. "Several years ago, the Heavenly Dao warned that my opportunity lay in a secluded place in Xianzhou."
Shen Gurong's eyes flickered.
"If I had killed the plague demon who had become a saint, I could have ascended in one step." Li Nanyang looked at Shen Gurong and said, "But I didn't expect that the only survivor was a mortal who couldn't even kill a chicken."
Shen Gurong scoffed, seemingly finding the Heavenly Dao and the mortals utterly ridiculous: "Then why didn't you take action back then, and why were you so kind to me?"
Li Nanyang said, "You are not a plague demon, but an innocent victim."
"What a pity." Shen Gurong smiled coldly at him. "Although I am not a plague demon, I am someone who survived by defying the laws of heaven. If you had eliminated this scourge for the sake of heaven back then, you would have already ascended to immortality."
Li Nanyang remained silent.
Shen Gurong was too lazy to argue with him about such trivial matters and went straight to the point: "Then, do you know about Li Genglan's matter now?"
Li Nanyang said: "When he was young... he was thought to be possessed by a plague demon by the people of the city and banished outside Youzhou City. He was almost devoured by a fire spirit beast, and his temperament has been somewhat strange ever since."
Li Nanyang had spent so many years trying to correct his thinking, but he had only driven him into a madman who could feign madness. If Li Genglan hadn't said it himself, Li Nanyang would never have known that the seemingly unrestrained and arrogant Li Genglan, who appeared to have no rebellious spirit, was actually unchanged from his past self.
"It was my failure to teach him well that led to this disaster."
Shen Gurong looked at him coldly and said, "Immortal Lord, please don't tell me about his tragic childhood or his twisted personality. As you said, I am the victim. Even if he suffered a thousand hardships, what does it matter to me? I only want him dead now."
Li Nanyang looked at his eyes, now consumed by hatred, and sighed silently, saying, "You can't kill him now."
Shen Gurong said, "I don't want you to sacrifice your own family for my sake. Release him, and I'll kill him myself."
Li Nanyang said, "He has a demonic cultivation body. As long as it doesn't shatter on New Year's Day, his physical injuries will heal quickly. You were lucky to injure him this time. If he's wary of Lin Xia Chun, with your current cultivation level, you can't kill him."
Shen Gurong held Lin Xia Chun in his hand, remaining silent for a long, long time, so long that Li Nanyang almost thought he was asking him to kill Li Genglan, when he suddenly heard the young man in front of him say, "Okay."
Li Nanyang: "Hmm?"
"I want to enter the Dao, I want to kill him with my own hands."
Li Nanyang was taken aback: "For a mortal, entering the Dao is extremely difficult."
Shen Gurong smiled coldly: "But for me, a mortal, to kill him with my own hands is even more difficult."
Li Nanyang looked at him in surprise; this was the first time such an obvious emotion had appeared on his usually calm face.
He stared at Shen Gurong for a long time before suddenly smiling faintly: "Very good."
Shen Gurong spent countless years and endured immense suffering, receiving countless elixirs without restraint, yet to no avail. In the end, Li Nanyang nearly gave up.
Shen Gurong was tortured to the point of being emaciated, his physical constitution completely destroyed. Without entering the Dao, he probably wouldn't live more than a few years.
The entire Liren Peak knew of Shen Gurong's recklessness and had tried to dissuade him, but Shen Gurong refused to believe them.
He trusted no one now, only the Lin Xia Chun in his hands.
After an unknown amount of time, Li Nanyang carried Shen Gurong, trembling, from the Wind and Rain Pool. His almost frozen body seemed to slowly ignite, a flame gradually warming him.
Shen Gurong was so thin he was practically skin and bones, his cheeks sunken. He struggled to open his eyes.
Li Nanyang whispered, "Eleven, you're alright."
Li Nanyang had never praised anyone like this before, not even his disciple in all these years.
Shen Gurong let himself faint.
From that moment on, he was considered to have officially entered the Dao.
The spirit stones and herbs of Liren Peak were still all given to him. Xi Guxing and the others already knew what Li Genglan had done to Huitang City. Looking at the young man who had almost driven them to their deaths, they felt a strange sense of guilt and pity, and recklessly showered him with kindness.
But Shen Gurong didn't want it at all.
He didn't want this kindness.
He didn't want this kindness that came from his misery.
He still had a sliver of hope, so he didn't feel particularly miserable, nor did he need so much pity.
Pity. The goodwill he felt then was now a disgrace to him.
After Shen Gurong formed his Golden Core, he followed Li Nanyang down the mountain for training. There, he overheard that Huitang City, now a ghost town, had been invaded by ghost cultivators who were devouring the souls of the dead.
That was the first time Shen Gurong had set foot on his homeland again.
With a face ashen, he ruthlessly slaughtered all the ghost cultivators who came to devour souls. He guarded the city gates of Huitang City for five years, cruelly killing any ghost cultivator who dared to approach and look towards the soul-devouring.
Over time, everyone in the Three Realms knew that Huitang City was protected by Liren Peak, and no ghost cultivator dared to risk their life to come.
On the day Shen Gurong left, Xi Guxing came to Huitang City to pick him up.
"Are you really not going in to take a look?"
"Huitang City is now a ghost town. The plaque above the city reads 'Huitang by day, Fengdu by night.'" Shen Gurong has listened to the wailing of ghosts here for five years, yet he has never stepped inside.
Having experienced too much, Shen Gurong's heart is ashen, his aura imposing, as if he has everything under control and is not interfered with by anyone.
He seems devoid of all emotion; even standing in Huitang City, his heart is utterly undisturbed.
"No need," Shen Gurong said expressionlessly. "Once I kill Li Genglan, I will naturally return." Xi Guxing hesitated for a moment, but didn't try to persuade them further.
Just as the two were about to ride the wind, they suddenly heard a voice from the city gate gently calling to them.
Shen Gurong turned around, and his eyes widened in shock when he saw the person.
Shen Fuji stood by a stone pillar at the city gate, holding a small lantern, watching them curiously.
Shen Gurong stiffened, subtly taking a half-step back.
Shen Fuji let out a soft "Ah," and said gently, "I'm sorry, I startled you."
Shen Gurong stared blankly at him, wanting to move forward but his legs were too weak to move an inch.
Most of the ghosts who returned to Tang City didn't even know how they died. They even believed they were still human, just living a slightly different life than usual, but that didn't affect them.
Their memories were hazy, remaining in the familiar city, the familiar home, and the familiar family, refusing to reincarnate.
Shen Fuji was one of them.
He held a small lantern, smiling at Shen Gurong, repeating the same words he had never tired of over the years: "Can I ask you about someone?"
Shen Gurong looked at him blankly.
Shen Fuji said, "My younger brother's name is Shen Gurong, and my younger sister is Shen Xiwu. They got lost while going to see the lanterns. Did you see them leave the city?"
Xi Guxing looked at the young man who resembled Shen Gurong with surprise.
Shen Gurong, however, couldn't help but move forward. He grabbed Shen Fuji's hand holding the lantern and stammered, "I... elder brother, I am Gurong."
Shen Fuji looked at him in confusion.
Shen Gurong didn't know why he had suddenly been unable to hold back after so many years. His face was streaked with tears, and he grasped Shen Fuji's hand expressionlessly, choking out, "I am Gurong, elder brother." He could only repeat this one sentence over and over.
Shen Fuji tilted his head, trying to decipher it for a long time, before finally saying, "Smile." His younger brother loved to smile; his smile could almost melt his heart.
Shen Gurong forced a smile, but Shen Fuji said, "Wrong."
Shen Gurong froze.
Shen Fuji pulled his hand away, took a half-step back, his eyes filled with indifference: "You're not Gurong. Gurong wouldn't be like you..."
He frowned, thinking for a moment, seemingly having forgotten what his Gurong's personality was like.
Too many years had passed; he no longer remembered his own name, nor the faces of his younger siblings.
Any memory, in the hands of a ghost, seemed to have been shattered into fragments at the moment of death, only able to be discerned through instinct.
The Shen Feng Xue before him was not his brother.
After speaking, Shen Fuji nodded slightly, picked up the lantern, and turned to leave.
Shen Gurong stared blankly at his retreating figure, hearing him tirelessly asking everyone he passed.
"Excuse me, have you seen my younger brother and sister?"
"They went to see the lanterns and got lost."
"..."
Shen Gurong stood frozen at the city gate for a long time, then suddenly burst into tears.
***
Shen Gurong didn't know how long he lingered in his memories. A century of memories flooded his mind in an instant, yet complete acceptance took only a moment.
When Mu Zhe carried him back to Fanjiang Residence, Shen Gurong's tense body slowly relaxed, two lines of tears sliding down his cheeks and dripping into his disheveled white hair.
Mu Zhe had already cried silently. When Shen Gurong unhesitatingly shook off his hand and ran away, he vaguely realized he had been abandoned.
His master must have chosen something more important than him to abandon him like that, leaving him behind.
Mu Zhe felt an unprecedented panic, a lingering fear that still ached in his heart.
Shen Gurong groaned softly on the bed for a long time, then suddenly let out a heavy breath and slowly opened his eyes.
Upon seeing this, Mu Zhe immediately rushed over: "Master?!"
Shen Gurong rubbed his forehead, frowning as Mu Zhe helped him sit up. He wiped away the lingering tears on his face and whispered, "Headache."
Mu Zhe grabbed a corner of his sleeve, stammering, "I...I'll rub Master's head."
Shen Gurong moved his hand away from his forehead and glanced at Mu Zhe.
He had just returned from his memories and hadn't fully adjusted yet. His gaze was cold and distant, filled with a despair beyond measure, exactly like Shen Feng Xue before he met Mu Zhe.
Mu Zhe was stunned. One look from Shen Gurong forced the tears he had just stopped flowing back down.
Shen Gurong: "..."
Memories washed over him like a river, and Shen Gurong didn't even have time to process them before Mu Zhe's tears streamed down his face.
Shen Gurong choked for a moment, then said dryly, "Miss Mu, who bullied you again? Tell Master."
Miss Mu paused, realizing her master had returned to normal, and her tears fell even more profusely, but this time they were tears of joy and relief.
He rushed forward and embraced Shen Gurong tightly, his arms trembling slightly.
Shen Gurong recalled the despicable thing he had done before falling unconscious, and felt a pang of guilt.
After sealing Li Genglan and reclaiming the Records of the Capital, Shen Gurong's world was once again reduced to waiting for his master to come find him. He waited for thirty years, and finally, in a moment of distraction as he descended the mountain, he inadvertently saw the child bound to the fire.
The Records of the Capital trembled uncontrollably within his sleeve.
The chosen one had descended.
Shen Gurong flew into the sea of fire and held the child he had waited a hundred years in his arms.
Since then, hope has ignited in Shen Gurong's eyes. Even after his ordeal in the Records of the Capital, a near-death experience, he still found it sweet.
Shen Gurong even felt a sense of gratitude towards Heaven for separating his memories, allowing the sixteen-year-old him to interact with Mu Zhe with a pure heart, free from any shadows, and even to fall in love with him.
If he had retained those hundred years of memories, and fallen in love with Mu Zhe, he might not even be able to distinguish whether he agreed to Mu Zhe's advances out of guilt towards his teacher, or whether he had truly fallen for Mu Zhe.
Thankfully, thankfully.
Now, the world he imagined in the book no longer exists, and he no longer has a home he must abandon Mu Zhe to return to. A hundred years of memories have washed over his mind, finally bringing peace.
“Mu Zhe.” Shen Gurong raised a finger, pressing the pad of his finger against Mu Zhe’s forehead, gently pushing him away. He raised an eyebrow slightly and said, “Didn’t I tell you before, once a man starts crying uncontrollably, his tears evoke no sympathy, they’re worthless.”
Mu Zhe was already a mature man, usually extremely composed, as if even the collapse of the sky wouldn’t elicit a glance from him. But this time, he was so terrified that he couldn’t stop the tears. He could only look at Shen Gurong with red eyes, forcing himself to hold them back.
Exactly the same behavior he displayed after experiencing the lightning tribulation.
Shen Gurong suddenly laughed. He raised his hand and touched Mu Zhe’s face, his eyes shimmering with tears. He said softly, “But you’re different.”
Mu Zhe looked at him blankly.
Shen Gurong leaned forward and gently pecked him on the lips, saying lightly, “To me, your tears are very valuable.”
Mu Zhe: “…”
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