A moment later, Mu Zhe held Shen Gurong's hand, splashing water from the riverbank to wipe the back of his hand.
Shen Gurong let Mu Zhe do as he pleased, expressionlessly staring at the ripples at his feet, displaying the aloof and serene demeanor of a sage ruler.
Mu Zhe heard his master say, 'My mouth hurts so much. Is Mu Zhe an animal?'
Mu Zhe: "..."
Mu Zhe's hand paused, turning his head to look at Shen Gurong's lips.
Shen Gurong's lips were somewhat swollen and red, with a corner bitten by Mu Zhe, making them even more vibrant.
Noticing Mu Zhe looking at him, Shen Gurong turned his head away, coldly saying, "What are you looking at?"
"My hands! Wash them right now!'
Mu Zhe smiled, continuing to clean the dirt from the back of his hand.
What a cultivator could easily resolve with a single spell, Mu Zhe held Shen Gurong's hand and gently cleaned it for him, like a mortal. Mu Zhe had noticed this before; even though his master's cultivation had reached its peak, he secretly preferred the lifestyle of a mortal.
Shen Gurong sat on the stone steps by the river, his free hand supporting his chin, tilting his head to look at Mu Zhe. The lingering redness at the corners of his eyes, mostly hidden by his silken robe, only made him appear more alluring.
"Mu Zhe," Shen Gurong called out.
Mu Zhe was carefully wiping the water from between Shen Gurong's long, slender fingers. Hearing this, he mumbled a reply, "Hmm?"
Shen Gurong asked softly, "Does the matter of the Demon Lord have anything to do with you?"
Mu Zhe's hand tightened suddenly, and he looked up at Shen Gurong in astonishment.
Seeing his reaction, Shen Gurong roughly understood that Mu Zhe was inextricably linked to the Demon Lord being driven to the brink of despair and having his true nature exposed, or rather, that Mu Zhe was the one secretly helping Qingyu behind the scenes.
He twitched his fingers slightly and said calmly, "You hurt me."
Mu Zhe finally came to his senses and almost awkwardly opened his hand.
Shen Gurong withdrew his hand, gently touching Mu Zhe's tightly clenched cheek, and said softly, "Tell Master, why did you help Qingyu fight the Demon Lord? Were you his match back then?"
Mu Zhe's lips moved slightly, but he couldn't utter a word.
When he agreed to Qingyu's request to fight the Demon Lord, his reason was nothing more than the spiritual veins of the Taozhou Great Swamp. The longer he stayed in the demon realm, the more he hated the Demon Lord who had orchestrated that hundred-year pact.
If it weren't for him, Shen Gurong would never have been trapped on Liren Peak for so many years.
Filled with hatred, Mu Zhe, despite being intentionally guided by Qingyu, still selflessly helped him kill the Demon Lord.
In the end, he succeeded. Qingyu successfully forced the Demon Lord out of the Taozhou Swamp, and incidentally discovered a secret known only to the Record of the Capital: the Demon Lord was not a phoenix.
Even though Qingyu forced the Demon Lord out of Taozhou, Liren Peak still didn't receive the demon race's spiritual vein; Li Genglan escaped.
Mu Zhe's face was pale. He whispered, "I just..."
Shen Gurong's voice was even softer: "Hmm?"
Mu Zhe met Shen Gurong's gaze, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice, "I just wanted to do this."
Shen Gurong hadn't expected this answer. He blinked: "What?"
Mu Zhe leaned forward, grasped Shen Gurong's hand and pressed it to his heart, and said heavily, "I hate that I was born too late. I hate that when you were being forced into this situation, I couldn't stand by your side and kill all those villains."
He lowered his head slightly, his voice hoarse: "I hate... not being able to protect you sooner."
Shen Gurong's eyes widened slightly. He wanted to reply, "You already protected me."
But before he could speak, he realized that the person in front of him was Mu Zhe, not his teacher from back then. Even if they were reincarnations, they were not the same person at all.
Saying those words would be an insult to Mu Zhe, and a desecration of his teacher.
Shen Gurong stared at Mu Zhe for a long while before suddenly laughing. He said, "So, this is why you joined forces with Qingyu to plot against the Demon Lord?"
Mu Zhe remained silent, tacitly agreeing.
He was somewhat afraid, afraid that Shen Gurong would think he was extremely cunning and overconfident, but he couldn't help wanting to tell Shen Gurong how many despicable things he had done and how many schemes he had plotted over the years.
Mu Zhe's fingers trembled, and in his dazed state, he suddenly felt Shen Gurong lean in and gently embrace him.
Mu Zhe was startled and looked up at him blankly.
Shen Gurong smiled and said, "Well done, Master likes it."
Mu Zhe was stunned.
“The Demon Lord is no good,” Shen Gurong sighed, resting his chin on Mu Zhe’s shoulder. He said lazily, “I have no interest in his messy affairs, but he seems to have paranoia, always thinking I’ll harm him.”
Mu Zhe hugged him back, murmuring with lingering fear, “Master doesn’t blame me?”
Shen Gurong chuckled, “Why would I blame you? You helped me scheme against my enemies, and I blame you? Isn’t that siding with outsiders?”
Mu Zhe paused, realizing the truth in his words.
Shen Gurong knew what he was thinking: “Do you think I’d think you’re a bad child because of this?”
Mu Zhe frowned. He disliked the word “child,” but the meaning of his words was similar to what he had been thinking all these years. He always tried to disguise himself, to make Shen Gurong believe he was still the obedient and docile disciple he had been in childhood, not the scheming villain.
He nodded.
Shen Gurong laughed uncontrollably. He leaned close to Mu Zhe's ear and gently nibbled at his earlobe, whispering softly, "But Master likes naughty kids like you."
Mu Zhe: "..."
Mu Zhe's blood surged; Shen Gurong's words almost made him want to pin him against the wall again and get dirty.
Shen Gurong washed his hands and continued his research on how to find Li Genglan's hiding place.
Mu Zhe said, "Xiwu should know, right?"
Shen Gurong shook his head: "Since Li Genglan can control Xiwu using the demonic energy in her divine sense, he won't let her reveal his hiding place."
As soon as he finished speaking, he lifted his toe and met the gaze of a spirit snake three steps away.
Shen Gurong: "..."
Spirit snake: "..."
Shen Gurong silently withdrew his foot.
Mu Zhe stepped forward, blocking his way, and exchanged a glance with the listless spirit snake, recognizing it as the one beside Xiwu.
The snake, which Mu Zhe had thrown down the city wall, had somehow somehow reappeared there.
The snake had clearly gained sentience, its eyes brimming with tears as it looked at Shen Gurong, its tongue flicking, its little head nodding as if trying to express something.
Mu Zhe had spent quite a while in the demon realm and could barely understand some of their language. He stepped forward, crouched down to face the snake, and listened to its incessant hissing.
After a while, Mu Zhe turned back and said, "Master, it says it remembers how to find Li Genglan."
Shen Gurong, who was gathering his sleeves and looking to the side, turned back in surprise: "It knows?"
Mu Zhe picked up the little snake and nodded: "Yes, it can guide us."
The little snake possessed Shen Xiwu's spiritual power and consciousness, instinctively drawn to Shen Gurong, flicking its tongue ingratiatingly and even trying to coil around him.
Shen Gurong raised his hand, indicating he didn't want to be entangled again.
With the little snake leading the way, the two no longer had to wander aimlessly around Xianzhou like headless flies.
Because of Shen Gurong's arrival, the entire Xianzhou was on high alert, with demonic cultivators patrolling everywhere, trying to find him.
Shen Gurong swaggered along the long street with Mu Zhe; their Great Ascension stage invisibility technique made them invisible to everyone.
Following the little snake's directions, the two walked through the long street of Xianzhou, eventually crossing the city and arriving at a lake outside the back gate.
Little Snake: "Hiss hiss hiss!"
"Wade across, and you'll see a wooden house in the middle of the lake. That's it. Holy Lord, can you kiss me?"
Mu Zhe: "..."
Mu Zhe expressionlessly threw the little snake into the water.
The little snake hissed.
"Eek!" Shen Gurong asked curiously, "What did it say just now?"
Mu Zhe casually wiped his hands with a handkerchief and said indifferently, "It said Li Genglan is in the center of the lake."
Shen Gurong saw the little snake, covered in a leaf and soaking wet, crawl ashore and still shrank back slightly, not asking any more questions.
Mu Zhe was about to follow Shen Gurong when Shen Gurong said, "There are probably thirteen plague demons gathered in Xianzhou. You should deal with them first."
Mu Zhe was taken aback, looking at Shen Gurong's profile, realizing that he wanted to send him away to see Li Genglan alone. He hesitated for a moment, "Master?"
Shen Gurong smiled at him and said, "Go."
Mu Zhe knew that once Shen Gurong made a decision, he wouldn't easily change it, so he could only nod slightly, "Yes."
He turned and left, and as soon as he returned to the back city gate and looked back, he saw that Shen Gurong, who had been standing on the lake shore, had disappeared, disappearing into the ethereal mist on the lake like white fog.
Shen Gurong glided across the water as if it were solid ground, his wide, flowing sleeves billowing as he slowly waded across the surface. A vast expanse of mist and white fog surrounded him.
Lin Xia Chun, now in human form, followed behind him, his lifeless eyes fixed on the floating duckweed beneath his feet. He murmured, "If only I were this duckweed."
Shen Gurong didn't turn his head, saying calmly, "Come."
Lin Xia Chun looked at the small wooden house in the distance, somewhat reluctantly squatting on the water's surface, muttering, "Dirty."
Shen Gurong smiled. "Don't you love blood the most?"
Lin Xia Chun mumbled, "It's too dirty."
Shen Gurong chuckled, beckoning with his finger. "Even if it's dirty, you have to come."
Lin Xia Chun was silent for a moment before rising and following Shen Gurong.
As they drew closer to the wooden house, Shen Gurong's eyes grew brighter, his breathing becoming more rapid.
Lin Xia Chun asked, "Are you happy?"
Shen Gurong licked his lips and murmured, "Yes."
Lin Xia Chun trembled silently, thinking his master was truly a devil, so enthusiastic about that kind of thing.
Fearful, trembling, but too lazy to resist.
Lin Xia Chun followed Shen Gurong to the small wooden house in the middle of the lake. The house was ancient, its roof overgrown with water plants, so green they almost blended into the lake.
The white mist in the lake seemed drawn by something, slowly condensing into a vortex around the house.
Shen Gurong slowly and deliberately stepped onto the wooden steps. The wood was so old that each step made a creaking sound.
Even with Shen Gurong's cultivation level, he couldn't detect the presence of anyone in the house. It seemed Li Genglan had placed many concealment arrays.
Shen Gurong walked to the door, hidden by water plants, and lazily hummed in acknowledgment. Lin Xia Chun hesitated for a long time before reluctantly stepping forward and opening the door for Shen Gurong, who didn't want to get his hands dirty.
The door opened gently, and a beam of light poured in, illuminating the dense, blood-red magic arrays in the room.
Li Genglan sat facing the door in a wooden wheelchair. Hearing the door open, he slightly raised his head, his crimson demonic eyes slowly revealing an eerie light as he stared directly at Shen Gurong.
Shen Gurong casually walked forward, gave a slight bow, and smiled, saying, "Senior Brother, it's been a long time."
His gaze swept over Li Genglan's immobile hands and legs, finally settling on his disfigured face.
Shen Gurong, with his Mahayana stage cultivation, easily saw through Li Genglan's disguise. Seeing his scarred face concealed by a spiritual energy mask, disguised as exceptionally handsome, he couldn't help but smile.
Beneath the beautiful mask lay hideous, withered bones.
"How laughable," Shen Gurong said politely, his words sharp and cutting. "Does Senior Brother care so much about your face?"
Li Genglan stared at him expressionlessly.
Shen Gurong chuckled. "That's wonderful. It was a wise choice of mine to disfigure your face first."
With a flick of his hand, Lin Xiachun closed the door, plunging the small wooden house into darkness.
Shen Gurong flicked his finger, sending a small flame into the air, faintly illuminating half of their faces.
Shen Gurong rolled up his sleeves and said calmly, "One thousand one hundred and thirty-eight lives in Huitang City for one thousand one hundred and thirty-eight cuts from you. That's a fair trade."
Lin Xia Chun seemed to have thought of something; a horrifying expression slowly appeared on his usually expressionless face, but his eyes, as if bloodthirsty, gradually glowed crimson.
"Back then, because of Li Nanyang and the Demon Lord's obstruction, Senior Brother only suffered half the damage." Shen Gurong tilted his head slightly.
The lamplight flickered briefly, and in that short interval between light and darkness, the smile on his face vanished completely.
His face was cold and stern, his entire being exuding a chilling aura, like a soul-reaping messenger from the underworld.
"Let's continue with the remaining half."
Author's Note:
Who's the villain here?
Lin Xia Chun squatted in the corner, silently drawing circles: I wish I were that spark.
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