Mu Zhe… Mu Zhe’s face flushed instantly, and tears welled up in his eyes.
Shen Gurong leaned forward, smiling, and said, “I told you before that I needed to think about it, and now I’ve made up my mind.”
Mu Zhe stared blankly at him: “But… it hasn’t been half a month yet?”
Shen Gurong raised an eyebrow: “But I’ve made up my mind.”
Mu Zhe was afraid he would give an answer he didn’t want, and lowered his head, whispering, “Master… think about it some more, I’m not in a hurry.”
Actually, he was very anxious, so anxious that he wanted Shen Gurong’s answer in the next instant, but he was also afraid that Shen Gurong would abandon him without hesitation again.
Shen Gurong probably saw what he was worried about, smiled, and directly pressed Mu Zhe’s shoulders down onto the couch. His white hair fell from his shoulders, scattering across Mu Zhe’s face, making Mu Zhe’s heart start to pound.
He stammered, "Master...Master..."
Shen Gurong tucked a stray strand of white hair behind his ear and said calmly, "I thought you already knew the answer."
Mu Zhe stared at him, stiff as a board.
Shen Gurong proved his answer with action.
He leaned down and gave Mu Zhe a lingering kiss.
Mu Zhe was mesmerized by the kiss, staring blankly at Shen Gurong.
Shen Gurong's eyes lit up. He bit Mu Zhe's lip and mumbled, "I agree."
A sudden ringing in Mu Zhe's ears nearly ruptured his eardrums.
Seeing his dazed expression, Shen Gurong laughed uncontrollably. He didn't say anything more, intending to give the fool some time to process it.
He rose from the couch, draped a red robe over himself, and turned back, saying calmly, "I'll be right back."
With that, he tore open the mustard seed door and leisurely left Fanjiang Residence.
Outside Fanjiang Residence, Yu Xinghe was on the spirit boat, gazing longingly at the ghost city in the distance. Hearing footsteps, he turned and saw Shen Gurong in his vibrant red robe.
Yu Xinghe froze for a moment, then burst into tears and jumped off the spirit boat, sobbing, "Master! Are you alright?"
Shen Gurong nodded, raised a finger to his lips, and said calmly, "Don't cry. I don't like it when others shed tears."
Yu Xinghe immediately stopped crying.
After "comforting" Yu Xinghe, Shen Gurong strolled leisurely towards the ghost city in the distance.
The lantern street in the ghost city was still filled with the burning, blazing ghostly lanterns. Shen Gurong stepped through the city gate and into his homeland, which he had left a hundred years ago. He walked briskly through the city gate, just as he had a century ago, his red robes flamboyant as fire. He passed countless lanterns and familiar yet strange ghosts, finally stopping amidst the sea of people.
Not far away, Shen Fuji, carrying a small lantern, continued his annual routine, searching for his younger siblings among the passing ghosts.
Shen Gurong stood ten paces away, watching, then suddenly laughed.
He ran with the spirit of a young man, his boots clicking on the ground, his red robes fluttering in the wind, a corner of his robe brushing against the lanterns on either side of the road, causing the ghostly flames to flicker slightly.
Shen Gurong seemed to have run through a century, shouting through the crowd, "Brother!" Surrounded by people, no one knew who he was calling, but Shen Fuji, for some reason, heard it and looked up blankly.
A young man in red robes ran towards him, dashing and spirited, slowly merging with the boy in his fragmented memories.
Shen Gurong ran over, stopping in front of Shen Fuji, and called out to him with a warm smile.
"Brother."
Shen Fuji stared at him blankly, tears suddenly streaming down his face for no apparent reason.
Shen Gurong gently raised his hand, taking the small lantern Shen Fuji was carrying and placing it before them.
He smiled brightly and said, "Brother, I'm back."
Then, drawing closer to the lantern, Shen Gurong gently blew out the ghostly lamp that had burned for a hundred years.
I have returned home; you no longer need to light my way home.
Tears streaming down Shen Fuji's face, he stared blankly at him. The lamp he had held for a hundred years finally slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground. He murmured, "Gurong."
Shen Gurong took his hand, letting his cold hand rest against his warm cheek, gently rubbing it. He smiled and said, "It's me."
Shen Fuji's hand trembled as he touched him, the ghost mask on his face soaked through. He choked out, "Gurong… I've found Gurong."
He had spent a hundred years in the Ghost City, repeating the same things every day. Everyone advised him not to search for someone who wasn't in the Ghost City. His wife always urged him to reincarnate together, not to waste so many years on someone whose fate was unknown.
But Shen Fuji was always stubborn, refusing to listen to anyone.
He searched and searched, for so many years, yet still found no trace.
As time went on, Shen Fuji even began to doubt whether he really had younger siblings.
If he did, then why couldn't he find them no matter how hard he tried? He feared the truth in what others said, feared he would search for a hundred, a thousand years and still not find those two. He feared wasting so many years in this ghost city, repeating the same words every day, asking the same people, only to become a laughingstock.
He feared his obsession would drive his wife away, abandoning him alone in this ghost city to be reincarnated.
He feared…
He feared so much, feared for so many years, and finally today he received the answer he most desired.
Shen Gurong, his younger brother, was smiling at him, as always.
Shen Fuji wept uncontrollably, the ghost mask slowly sliding off his face, revealing a handsome face.
He remembered himself, remembered Shen Gurong, remembered everything from his previous life.
Shen Gurong's cheek rested against his brother's hand, and he smiled, saying, "Brother, did you look for me for a long time this time?"
Shen Fuji's hand trembled, and he choked out, "Yes."
He raised his other hand and gently patted Shen Gurong's head, the force barely registering. He murmured, "Why are you so playful?"
Shen Gurong laughed heartily, "Brother, I was wrong. I'll never do it again. Please forgive me."
Shen Fuji finally raised his hand and embraced his playful younger brother, whom he had cherished for a hundred years.
Unseen by Shen Fuji, two tears suddenly streamed down Shen Gurong's face, but he quickly wiped them away, returning to his cheerful demeanor.
Shen Fuji asked, "Gurong, are you doing well? Is Xiwu with you?"
Shen Gurong quickly and happily replied, "Xiwu is with me, we're doing very well."
Shen Fuji wiped away his tears and smiled, "That's good."
Shen Gurong reached out to wipe away his tears that were falling again, as if he were a child pleading, and softly said, "Brother, come with us, let's leave this place, okay?"
Shen Fuji, who had been weeping, chuckled softly upon hearing this, "Gurong, I'm already dead."
Shen Gurong didn't care, "I can do anything for my brother."
Shen Gurong couldn't bring the dead back to life, and ordinary mortal souls couldn't cultivate the ghost path, but Shen Gurong didn't care at all. If he wanted, he would overturn the Three Realms to find a way to free his brother from this ghost city.
Shen Fuji shook his head. He said, "I'm so many years late; it's time to reincarnate."
Upon hearing this, Shen Gurong, who had been forcing a smile, froze. He asked blankly, "Brother... are you leaving?"
Shen Fuji: "Yes."
Shen Gurong's smile nearly crumbled.
Shen Fuji said, "I have no more attachment to the mortal world. Reincarnation is inevitable, but Wanglan..."
Shen Gurong quickly put on Shen Fuji's favorite smile and said softly, "What's wrong with Wanglan?"
"He's my child whom she couldn't give birth to," Shen Fuji said. "He's always wanted to leave Fengdu and see the outside world. Gurong, if you could..."
"Yes," Shen Gurong interrupted him directly. Regardless of whether he could actually do it, he grasped his brother's hand, suppressing a sob, and said, "Anything is fine. As long as it's what brother wishes for, Gurong will do anything."
Shen Fuji smiled with relief.
Shen Gurong had been searching for Shen Fuji for a century, and now he felt he had no right to interfere with Shen Fuji's wishes, not even daring to ask his brother to stay, even if it meant reincarnation.
He forced a smile, looking at Shen Fuji, and stammered, "When will you leave, brother?"
Could it be a little later?
Shen Fuji thought for a moment, about to speak, when he suddenly heard a call behind him.
"Fuji."
Shen Fuji turned around and saw a woman in blue standing in the lamplight, reaching out her hand and calling his name.
That was Shen Fuji's wife.
She was beautiful, the only ghost in all of Fengdu without a ghost face sticker, because she remembered everything.
For years, she had desperately tried to persuade Shen Fuji to reincarnate with him, only to always hear, "Gurong and Xiwu haven't come home yet."
Gurong, Xiwu…
Not home yet.
Fine, then wait.
Shen Fuji searched for a hundred years, and she waited for a hundred years.
Shen Fuji looked at her, then suddenly rushed over and pulled her into his arms.
The woman's tears fell like pearls. Seeing Shen Fuji finally embrace her, she seemed to realize, in a daze, that facing the current Shen Fuji, she could be as unreasonable as she had been in life, as capricious as before.
Because she knew that the man before her would indulge her again.
In an instant, the resentment that had been suppressed for a hundred years erupted. She raised her hands and struggled, hitting Shen Fuji's chest as if her life depended on it, crying and cursing him.
"You bastard...you bastard!"
Shen Fuji held her tightly, refusing to let go, letting her hit him incessantly.
"I am a bastard, I have wronged you."
At the moment of his death, all his memories of his past life had been shattered, leaving only the obsession of finding Gurong.
At that moment, his memories suddenly flooded back, and he realized just how much he had wronged this woman.
The woman was held tightly in his arms, all her struggles and thrashings slowly ceasing. She sobbed, "I never want to love you again in my next life. I'm so tired, loving you is too exhausting."
"Okay," Shen Fuji gently stroked her hair, speaking softly, "You won't love me. In the next life, I'll wait for you. I'll relentlessly pursue you until you're willing to love me."
She cried and cried, then suddenly burst into laughter, burying her face in Shen Fuji's chest, still cursing him, "You bastard."
Not far away, Shen Gurong stared blankly at them.
Watching them embrace and weep, watching them wave to him, watching them finish their words to Shen Wanglan…
Finally, their souls dissipated, leaving the mortal world to be reincarnated.
In the instant Shen Fuji completely disappeared, Shen Gurong, who had been putting on a brave face, suddenly bent down, silently shedding tears in that bustling, mortal world.
Even if he were reincarnated in the next life, his brother… would no longer be his brother.
In this life, he could never repay Shen Fuji for anything.
His home was gone.
As the water ghost had said, his life would be like a small boat, adrift alone on a vast ocean, never to reach the shore.
Shen Gurong left Fengdu in a daze. Mu Zhe, having already recovered, rushed out in a panic. Seeing him from afar, he immediately ran over: “Master!”
Shen Gurong walked silently over, lowered his eyes, and buried his face in Mu Zhe’s chest, biting his clothes, murmuring, “Mu Zhe, I have no home anymore.”
Mu Zhe was stunned.
Mu Zhe didn’t know how to comfort him for a moment.
Shen Gurong straightened up, his eyes still red.
Mu Zhe didn't know how to erase the sorrow from his face, so he awkwardly hugged him, lowered his head to kiss the corner of his eye, and stammered, "I...I will always be by Master's side."
Shen Gurong said hoarsely, "Is that so?"
Mu Zhe almost wanted to swear a blood oath on the spot: "Yes!"
Shen Gurong breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief, slowly calming his emotions.
His brother had already left without regrets; he couldn't afford to be depressed anymore, as that would be useless.
The most important thing now was to kill Li Genglan and avenge the entire city.
Over the past hundred years, what Shen Gurong had learned most was how to control all his emotions in a short period of time.
Shen Gurong smiled faintly, no longer thinking about it.
"Oh, right, there's something I haven't told you yet."
Seeing that he seemed to be in a better mood, Mu Zhe relaxed and casually asked, "What is it?"
Shen Gurong picked up a delicately shaped baby from somewhere, held him up to Mu Zhe, and said earnestly, "You're going to be a mother."
Mu Zhe: "..."
Mu Zhe: "???"
Shen Gurong teased Wanglan: "Wanglan, call her Mother Mu."
Wanglan, obedient to his second father, called out loudly, "Mother Mu!"
Mother Mu: "..."
Mu Zhe's face turned red, and he forced himself to speak, struggling to say, "Master, who...is this?"
Shen Gurong held Wanglan and explained, "My brother's child, Shen Wanglan."
After Shen Fuji left, Shen Gurong went to the tearful Shen Wanglan and, using the opportunity to seize the Nine Heavens in the Gu Hong Secret Realm, tricked him into coming with him.
After Wanglan swallowed that opportunity, he actually transformed into a human form, his body strangely intertwined with both living soul and ghostly energy.
Shen Gurong was shocked and investigated further, only to discover that the opportunity bestowed upon Chao Jiuxiao by the Heavenly Dao to transform into a dragon had actually molded this child into a prodigy in the path of ghost cultivation.
With the aura and body of a living soul, Shen Wanglan could freely enter and leave Fengdu. Shen Gurong, keeping his promise to his brother, brought him out and kept him by his side.
Because Shen Gurong and Shen Fuji shared the same aura, Shen Wanglan always mistook him for his father, so Shen Gurong simply let him call him that.
If he was the father, then Mu Zhe was the mother.
Very good.
Poor Mu Zhe, barely of age, suddenly had a child.
Seeing Mu Zhe's silence, Shen Gurong asked in confusion, "Don't you like it?"
Shen Gurong hugged Wanglan, squeezing his chubby face against his, and said, "Look, we look so alike."
Mu Zhe didn't say anything.
He'd already lost Yu Xinghe, and now Shen Wanglan had come to compete for his favor?
Mu Zhe didn't like it. He didn't like any cub that could steal his master's affection.
Shen Gurong, having roughly discerned what was happening, put Shen Wanglan down and said, "Go out and play."
Shen Wanglan, ever playful, was just like Shen Gurong in his childhood. Hearing that he could go out to play, he immediately ran off happily.
Shen Gurong and Mu Zhe returned to Fanjiang Residence. After washing his face and wiping away the tear stains, he sat on the soft couch, lazily propping his chin up, and said indifferently, "Why get angry with a child?"
Mu Zhe silently wiped the water stains from his fingers with a dry towel.
Shen Gurong said, "You were a child before too, so small."
Shen Gurong gestured to indicate his waist height: "You'd have to stand on tiptoe to jump into my arms."
After merging his memories, Shen Gurong reviewed the events of the past ten years or so, finding them unexpectedly amusing. His sixteen-year-old self, so naive and innocent, had acted in ways that seemed quite comical to the current Shen Gurong.
But indeed, they were Shen Gurong's most pleasant memories of the past hundred years.
Mu Zhe disliked Shen Gurong treating him like a child. He paused, holding Shen Gurong's hand, and lowered his head, whispering, "Master, I once asked you for a promise. Do you remember?"
Shen Gurong tilted his head. "The one after you returned from your training?"
Mu Zhe nodded.
Shen Gurong casually said, "I remember. What do you want now? Just tell me, and Master will give you anything."
He still remembered the embarrassing incident of Mu Zhe asking for a wooden bead as a promise, assuming this was another small trinket. He even opened his arms to show Mu Zhe what he possessed: the wooden bead, the jade pendant at his waist, and the chalcedony, indicating, "You can take anything Master likes."
His outstretched arms and wide sleeves draped over the soft couch, revealing his slender waist. His exquisite figure was captivating; Mu Zhe almost stopped breathing at the sight.
His face flushed, and he whispered, "I want... um."
Shen Gurong didn't hear him clearly, leaning slightly forward, and said, "What? Miss Mu, speak louder."
Miss Mu: "..."
Mu Zhe intended to let his master see if he was truly Miss Mu.
He raised his head expressionlessly, his ears turning red, and said in a deep voice, "I want you."
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