Xue Manzhuang's long red hair danced in the air, his expression one of confidence.
Shen Gurong, sleeves tucked behind his arm, leaned lazily against the black cloud banner pillar, saying indifferently, "Oh? Why would I need your help when I can do it myself?"
Having been reborn, Xue Manzhuang could speak. He strode to Shen Gurong, reverently grasping his hand, his eyes shining as he stared at him.
"Your hands are not suited for filth," Xue Manzhuang said sweetly. "Li Genglan is unworthy of your personal attention."
Shen Gurong raised an eyebrow, finally showing some respect for this little red bird.
Below the city wall, Mu Zhe's teeth nearly shattered. Enraged, he climbed onto the wall.
Hands!
Master, how could you let him touch your hands!
Mu Zhe was nearly driven mad with rage.
Just then, Shen Gurong, probably pleased by the praise, suddenly smiled at Xue Manzhuang with an absolutely stunning smile.
Xue Manzhuang's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
The next moment, Shen Gurong used the very hand that had just been praised for its beauty to slap Xue Manzhuang off the city wall.
With a loud crash, Xue Manzhuang fell straight down. If he weren't a phoenix, this blow would probably have stripped him of half his feathers.
Xue Manzhuang: "..."
Phoenix fire bloomed in mid-air like a lotus flower. Xue Manzhuang steadied himself on the flames, a pitiful look reminiscent of a cub appearing on his handsome, wicked face, making him look incredibly incongruous.
"Holy Lord, how have I offended you?"
He had finally learned to speak human language. Although still bold and blunt, at least he no longer spoke to Shen Gurong with phrases like "I want him as a furnace" as he used to.
Shen Gurong shook his hand, saying slowly, "I don't like others touching my hands." Xue Manzhuang silently noted this down: his future Daoist partner didn't like others touching his hands.
Just then, Mu Zhe landed on the city wall, his blue robes fluttering in the wind. He strode towards Shen Gurong, grabbed his hand, and began wiping it with a handkerchief, seemingly cleaning something dirty.
Xue Manzhuang's eyes lit up.
Ha, another one courting death like him. Even if you're a disciple of the Holy Lord, you'll be sent flying like me.
Mu Zhe wasn't sent flying. His brows were tightly furrowed, radiating an aura of unease, as if he were about to draw his sword and strike.
He coldly rubbed Shen Gurong's long, slender fingers, seemingly trying to completely wipe away the phoenix aura clinging to them.
This action was practically offensive, not to mention that Shen Gurong absolutely disliked anyone touching his hand.
Xue Manzhuang was happily waiting for Mu Zhe to be slapped away.
But unexpectedly, Shen Gurong didn't slap the person who touched his hand away like he did with Xue Manzhuang. Instead, he indulgently extended his hand, letting Mu Zhe wipe it incessantly, his eyes, which had never cared about him at all, filled with gentle smiles.
Xue Manzhuang: "..."
Xue Manzhuang was so angry his fur was about to stand on end.
Shen Gurong looked at Mu Zhe, who seemed to want to chop off his claws, and said with a smile, "What? Jealous?"
Mu Zhe coldly said, "I'm going to chop off that bird's claws."
Shen Gurong was overjoyed. All these years, what he loved most was Mu Zhe's gentle yet forceful attitude towards him, which reminded him of his favorite candied hawthorns from childhood—the sour hawthorns under a thick layer of sugar, which he could eat two of in one bite.
Shen Gurong smiled gently at him and said, "Do you want me to chop off my claws too?"
He was just joking to cheer Mu Zhe up, but seeing no smile on Mu Zhe's face and a cold look in his eyes, Shen Gurong became a little intimidated. He had to suppress his smile and cautiously ask, "What's wrong?"
He had noticed Mu Zhe's dejection from the Daoist Contract earlier, initially thinking it was his imagination, but upon seeing him, he realized Mu Zhe was indeed in a bad mood.
Even if Mu Zhe was in a bad mood, he wouldn't show it in front of Shen Gurong, but this time he seemed to have given up on even pretending, his face so dark it was almost dripping with water.
Who provoked him?
Me? Shen Gurong's mind raced.
Mu Zhe looked at him expressionlessly and said, "Master, is there nothing you want to say to me?"
Shen Gurong thought for a moment, realizing he had been hiding a lot from Mu Zhe, and for a moment he didn't know what he was referring to. He could only raise the back of his hand, which Mu Zhe had rubbed red, to divert Mu Zhe's attention.
He whispered, "You hurt me."
Mu Zhe: "..."
Why was his master so good at being coquettish?
Mu Zhe's icy expression finally crumbled. He raised his hand to rub his aching brow, then gently took Shen Gurong's hand, brought it to his lips, and blew on it lightly, asking, "Does it still hurt?"
Seeing that he didn't seem to intend to reprimand him, Shen Gurong smiled again: "It doesn't hurt anymore, disciple. Did you grow up eating elixirs? One breath and Master doesn't feel any pain at all."
Mu Zhe didn't say anything.
Such sweet talk, where did he learn that from?
He blew on Shen Gurong's hand, which had some red marks, and then lightly kissed it, completely masking the phoenix's lingering scent. Only then did he raise his hand, his gaze deep and intense as he looked at Shen Gurong: "After you kill Li Genglan, you will tell me everything you've been hiding from me."
Upon hearing this, Shen Gurong immediately held up three fingers: "Alright, I'll answer whatever you ask."
Mu Zhe's expression softened slightly.
Meanwhile, Xue Manzhuang's face was a riot of colors, like a rainbow.
He shrieked and landed on the city wall, quickly taking a few steps forward, gripping his long sword and whistling through the air. The tip of the sword pointed directly at Mu Zhe, and he shouted sharply: "Mu Zhe, how dare you offend the Holy Emperor like this?! Don't you even understand the difference between master and disciple?!"
Shen Gurong stared at him in astonishment, unable to believe such words could come from the mouth of the utterly unethical Xue Manzhuang.
Xue Manzhuang didn't even respect the Demon Lord, believing in the motto, "I'll definitely defeat him and become the Demon Lord myself when I grow up, so why should I listen to him?" Therefore, he was completely indifferent to human ethics and morality, let alone uttering such hypocritical words.
Ever since Mu Zhe learned that he might be the reincarnation of someone else who caused Shen Gurong's treatment of him, he was on the verge of exploding. Now, Xue Manzhuang fearlessly charged into his path, finally giving Mu Zhe an outlet for all the anger he had been holding back against Shen Gurong.
He gripped the Jiu Xi Sword tightly, his eyes coldly fixed on Xue Manzhuang, and said in a deep voice, "What does our business have to do with you?"
Xue Manzhuang, undeterred, still held his long sword to Mu Zhe, raising an eyebrow and saying, "Because I am the Holy Lord's future Daoist partner..."
Before he could finish speaking, Mu Zhe couldn't hold back any longer. An overwhelming wave of killing intent and spiritual power surged towards Xue Manzhuang, rippling even the void itself.
Xue Manzhuang, already struck by Shen Gurong, was caught off guard and was directly slammed to the ground by Mu Zhe's spiritual power.
Another crater appeared in the ground.
Xue Manzhuang couldn't get up for a long time.
After venting his anger, Mu Zhe turned around, took Shen Gurong's hand, and solemnly said, "If Master wishes, I can help you kill Li Genglan."
Shen Gurong was silent for a moment, finding it somewhat absurd.
Forty years ago, when he personally killed Li Genglan, everyone in the Three Realms tried to stop him. Shen Gurong, to protect the Record of the Capital from being taken by others, had no choice but to compromise.
And forty years later, he never imagined that before he even said a word, so many people would be eager to kill Li Genglan for him.
It was somewhat ironic.
Mu Zhe: "Master?"
Shen Gurong smiled, withdrew his hand, and said calmly, "No need, he will come out on his own."
He raised his hand, and Lin Xia Chun whistled through the air, landing in his palm.
"I'll wait for him here."
Mu Zhe frowned, but didn't say anything more.
Shen Gurong beckoned Wen Liubing over, saying, "Xinghe was drawn here by news from Fenglu City. Feng Yun is most likely in Xianzhou. Go and find her."
Wen Liubing nodded, asking, "Kill her?"
Shen Gurong said, "Feng Yun is proficient in formations. The poisonous fog and formations outside Xianzhou over the years are likely her doing. Although your cultivation is high, against Feng Yun's formations, I'm afraid..."
Wen Liubing, like a sharp sword pointed at by his master, said, "Just tell me, kill her? If you want me to kill her, I'll kill her even if it costs me my life."
Shen Gurong turned his head to look at him, recalling Wen Liubing's tragic state in the virtual world of Record of the Capital, and finally sighed softly.
He reached out and patted his second-best disciple's head, saying helplessly, "No need to kill her, just find her."
Mu Zhe stared at Wen Liubing's head from the side, seemingly wanting to slice off every piece his master had touched.
Wen Liubing nodded, "Okay."
Yu Xinghe whispered, "Master, why are we looking for City Lord Feng Yun?"
"Silly boy." Shen Gurong looked at him like he was caring for his own foolish son, thinking that all his disciples were brainless idiots, except for Mu Zhe.
"Why do you think Li Genglan went to such lengths to capture people from outside Xianzhou?"
Yu Xinghe asked stupidly, "Why?"
Shen Gurong said, "Naturally, because demonic cultivators can't be refined into plague demons."
Yu Xinghe was stunned, not quite understanding, but Wen Liubing instantly grasped the meaning. He exclaimed in astonishment, "Li Genglan wants to raise plague demons throughout Xianzhou?"
And Feng Yun was the one who activated the formation this time.
Wen Liubing couldn't believe it: "Why?! Why would Lord Feng collude with Li Genglan?!"
Shen Gurong put a finger to his lips, gently shushing him, and said softly, "Everyone has desires, and Li Genglan's ability is to amplify those desires countless times, ultimately causing people to lose themselves and be used by him."
"No need to ask why," Shen Gurong said. "Find Feng Yun and stop her from activating the formation that raises the plague demons."
Wen Liubing said, "Yes."
Yu Xinghe quickly stood on tiptoe and raised his hand: "Me, me, me too! I can help Senior Brother..."
Wen Liubing looked at him strangely: "Help me by getting in the way?"
Yu Xinghe: "..."
Yu Xinghe almost cried, but still bravely said, "I can, Xinghe can help!"
Wen Liubing hesitated for a moment, nodded to his master, and then allowed him: "Come on, follow me."
Yu Xinghe was about to skip after him when Shen Gurong called him back.
Yu Xinghe: "Master?"
Shen Gurong took out a bamboo flute from his sleeve and placed it in Yu Xinghe's hand.
Yu Xinghe looked at it in confusion and said, "Master, Xinghe can't play the bamboo flute."
Shen Gurong looked at him, seemingly thinking of something, and said softly, "Take it."
Yu Xinghe didn't ask any further questions, casually tossing the bamboo flute into his storage ring and running off with Wen Liubing.
Watching Yu Xinghe leave, Shen Gurong turned to look at Mu Zhe and suddenly sighed softly.
Mu Zhe grasped his hand, inexplicably somewhat frightened: "Master, what's wrong?"
Shen Gurong stared at the clouds rising straight into the sky in the distance and said softly, "Mu Zhe, tell me, if the divine artifact is destroyed, will the Heavenly Dao send down lightning to pulverize me?"
Mu Zhe was stunned.
Shen Gurong's tongue lightly touched his teeth, almost uttering a whisper from between his teeth.
"Over the years, I've wanted to destroy the Record of the Capital countless times."
Destroy... Yu Xinghe.
Sever the chains binding you to the Record of the Capital.
Let you be just yourself, not some so-called chosen one, unable to escape the cycle of reincarnation.
Comments
Post a Comment