Shen Gurong had never been so nervous.
Born into a scholarly family, Shen Gurong somehow grew up to be a maverick. He was inherently unconventional, disliking classical poetry and prose, and indifferent to the vulgar pursuits of ordinary people.
To put it nicely, he was indifferent to worldly desires; to put it bluntly, he lacked ambition and only wanted to live a life of leisure.
His only ambition in life was perhaps to prevent his mother from chasing him for eight blocks with a ruler while he painted portraits of women.
Now, Mu Zhe's gaze reminded Shen Gurong of something: the first time he secretly ran away to Linlang Street in Huitang City, hiding in a corner, brush in hand, painting a beautiful woman sitting by the window of the restaurant across the street, listening to opera.
When he was almost finished, the beautiful woman slowly turned her head, meeting Shen Gurong's gaze.
It was his own mother.
Shen Gurong: "..."
Shen Gurong almost knelt down.
In the end, his father caught him and gave him a severe beating, forcing him to kneel in the ancestral hall for two days, howling and wailing, copying books.
Now, Mu Zhe's gaze was exactly the same as his mother's smile back then, both of which terrified Shen Gurong.
Shen Gurong maintained his icy demeanor, slowly releasing the lotus petals, sitting cross-legged in the center of the lotus, closing his eyes and feigning incomprehension.
Mu Zhe continued to stare at him, his eyes filled with coldness.
Shen Gurong felt extremely uncomfortable under his gaze, thinking rather shamelessly, "What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen a beauty before?"
Just then, a roar came from not far away.
A red fruit… A figure in red robes swept over like the wind, flicking his wrist to twirl his longsword.
“Hand over the plague demon immediately!” the leader said coldly. “Can your Liren Peak bear the consequences of delaying the extermination of evil?!”
The disciples of Liren Peak swarmed behind Li Suo, feigning ferocity, but being too young and less robust than their opponents, some even secretly tiptoed to bolster their senior brothers’ strength.
The pursuers were highly skilled, their red robes embroidered with the powerful character “zhu” (to punish), exuding an imposing aura.
Demons and monsters roamed the Three Realms. Years ago, summoned by the city lord of Fenglu City, various sects in the cultivation world dispatched disciples to fight against demons and exorcise evil spirits.
The red robes of the extermination demons were their insignia.
Senior Brother Li Suo, frail in stature, covered half his face with a fan and spoke gently, "I have already explained to you all that Mu Zhe is an apprentice disciple of the Holy Lord Feng Xue, not the plague demon you are chasing, and the talk of possession is utter nonsense."
The other side persisted, "If he is not a plague demon, then how do you explain the plague demon mark on his face?"
Li Suo spoke with the gentle grace of a spring breeze, "Everyone, let's keep things peaceful. I have explained many times. If you still don't believe me, you can come up the mountain with us..."
His good temper was too much for his junior brothers, who couldn't stand it anymore. They grabbed his sleeves and angrily said, "Senior Brother Li Suo, don't be so polite with them, let's fight our way out!"
Li Suo said softly, "Let's keep things peaceful."
The demon slayers, known for their fiery tempers, had no intention of "keeping things peaceful." Seeing their continued obstruction, they drew their swords, its cold light flashing a chilling white.
Hearing the sound of swords, little Mu Zhe, who was tightly protected behind his senior brothers from Liren Peak, instinctively trembled, pursing his lips and hiding behind him, seemingly frightened.
Li Suo glanced at his junior brother, his fan suddenly snapping shut, his usually gentle expression instantly darkening.
His yellow robes were abruptly billowed in the wind, and with a slight flutter of the hem, a disciple's sword snapped in two at the hilt, the blade clattering to the sand.
Li Suo's previous gentle demeanor had completely vanished; his face was filled with rage, and he practically swallowed the words "peace is paramount."
"I told you all the time, our junior brother isn't a plague demon! Where the hell did you all come from? Haven't you even seen a birthmark before? Have your brains been filled with filth from cultivating Taoism, making you unable to understand human language?! And you even drew your swords! Can you take responsibility for scaring our junior brother?!"
The demon slayers: "..."
The disciples of Liren Peak behind Li Suo were already used to it, still excitedly shouting, "Senior Brother Li Suo is mighty!"
The demon slayers probably hadn't seen such a quick change of attitude, and were immediately stunned by the insults.
What happened to the peace and harmony of Liren Peak?!
Both sides were hot-tempered, neither willing to be insulted for no reason. Immediately, some drew their swords, others pulled out talismans, preparing to start frying eggs with red fruit.
"Egg" had no intention of arguing with "Red Fruit" any further. After finishing his tirade, Li Suo immediately knelt before Yu Xinghe, respectfully saying, "Welcome, Holy Lord Feng Xue!"
The other junior disciples also knelt respectfully.
The demon slayers, about to slay the Plague Demon, was surprised by this bizarre scene. They exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with apprehension and worry for the minds of the Liren Peak disciples.
Liren Peak existed outside the Three Realms, never interfering in the disputes of other sects. Their motto, "Peace is paramount," was known to all.
Until a hundred years ago, when Shen Feng Xue, the beloved disciple of the Liren Peak leader, successfully formed his Golden Core, he single-handedly offended all the powerful figures of the Three Realms. The Liren Peak motto then seemed like a joke.
Because of Shen Feng Xue's great achievements, even the seemingly invincible Zhu Xie sect dared not easily make a move.
After all, Shen Feng Xue was the only one in the Three Realms who was only half a step away from becoming a saint and ascending to immortality. Even their masters and grandmasters treated him with utmost respect.
The Zhu Xie sect members remained silent.
The leader stared intently at the lotus flower in Yu Xinghe's hand. He seemed to have discerned something, and coldly mocked, "What kind of person is Holy Lord Feng Xue? How could he possibly descend the mountain personally for an insignificant disciple? Are you out of your mind?"
Shen Feng Xue's honors were known to all, but his reputation for never descending the mountain unless challenged by a powerful figure was widespread throughout the Nine Provinces. It was utterly impossible for him to personally descend the mountain for a mere disciple.
Li Suo remained kneeling, reverting to his previous gentle and weak demeanor, and softly said, "The Holy Lord's divided consciousness is already present. Do you still wish to question the Holy Lord?"
The Zhu Xie sect members hesitated again.
Seeing this, Li Suo hurriedly complained to the lotus flower in Yu Xinghe's hand: "Your Majesty is wise! Junior Brother Mu Zhe was personally accepted as a disciple by Your Majesty, yet these scoundrels mistook him for a plague demon based solely on his birthmark, wantonly ruining his reputation. Which of the Exorcists isn't a person who can distinguish right from wrong? Upon careful consideration, these people must be petty villains impersonating Exorcists, attempting to harm our Liren Peak disciples. This crime deserves death! We beseech Your Majesty to make a judgment!"
Shen Gurong: "..."
Shen Gurong almost clapped and rewarded him.
This ability to distort the truth surpasses even the storyteller under the Tianqiao Bridge in Huitang City.
The Exorcists were also stunned, probably having never seen such a shameless person, convicting them with just a few words.
The crime of deliberately harming Liren Peak disciples could be serious or minor, but if the Holy Lord truly came in person, given his ruthless nature, their fate would likely be grim.
One of the demon-slaying warriors whispered, "Senior brother, there really is the aura of a Mahayana cultivator on that lotus. What if it really is a Holy Lord…?"
The leader of the demon-slaying warriors took a deep breath, suddenly discarded his sword, knelt on one knee, and said in a deep voice, "It was our inadequate investigation. We hope the Holy Lord will forgive us. We demon-slaying warriors carry the Demon-Slaying Seal. If the Holy Lord suspects us, we can hand us over for investigation."
He took out the Demon-Slaying Seal and presented it to the Holy Lord.
The other demon-slaying warriors also knelt down.
The two groups that had been locked in a fierce battle just moments before simultaneously knelt before a six-year-old child, creating a truly spectacular scene.
An old man riding an ox slowly passed by.
Li Suo felt a surge of pleasure seeing these once arrogant people so afraid of their Holy Lord Feng Xue. He thought, 'When the Holy Lord appears, I will definitely urge him to teach these cowardly demon-slaying warriors a lesson.'
The group knelt and knelt, but the legendary Holy Lord Feng Xue still did not appear. Shen Gurong, eyes closed, nervously pondered how to properly manifest himself.
After a while, everyone exchanged bewildered glances, finally turning their attention to Yu Xinghe, who was holding the lotus flower.
Yu Xinghe's face was flushed, and he looked equally puzzled, holding the lotus.
Shen Gurong almost cried out, "Wait! Wait a minute! I'll find it soon!"
The once-blooming red lotus, worn down by Yu Xinghe's journey, slowly drooped its petals, slamming into Shen Gurong's head with a loud thud, knocking him to the ground.
Shen Gurong: "..."
The flower, along with Shen Gurong, wilted.
It looked like just an ordinary lotus.
Everyone: "..."
A deathly silence fell over the surroundings.
Li Suo was the first to react. He smiled, his eyes crinkling, "The Demon-Slaying Seal is genuine. The Holy Lord believes in your identities as Demon-Slaying disciples. I hope you will continue your investigation of the Plague Demon."
As he spoke, he beckoned with his finger. Seeing this, the disciples behind him scrambled to their feet, preparing to flee.
Li Suo shouted, "Farewell!"
He then led his junior brothers in a frantic run.
The Demon-Slaying disciples roared, "How dare you fool us!"
Feeling betrayed, the Demon-Slaying disciples were enraged. They drew their swords and charged, no longer holding back as before.
Li Suo was weak; he couldn't even carry the two children on his back. He could only lead them, panting as he ran.
A junior brother followed behind him, shouting, "Senior brother! You were so reckless just now, I thought you could beat them!"
Li Suo coughed and said weakly, "Senior brother is weak, and they're all Golden Core stage cultivators, junior brother. Didn't you see that when I broke their swords, I only broke the ones with the weakest cultivation?"
The junior brother was about to collapse: "...Ahhh! When will you ever be reliable, senior brother?! I'm definitely going to tell the sect leader when we get back!"
In the chaos, the lotus flower in Yu Xinghe's hand suddenly fell onto the dirty sand. The little figure, Shen Gurong, fell directly to the ground, rolling several times in the mud, firmly pinned under the petals, unable to even crawl.
Shen Gurong: "..."
These little brats!
Just as Shen Gurong struggled to get up, he suddenly heard someone chuckle briefly amidst the chaos.
Shen Gurong looked up and caught the lingering mockery and coldness in the eyes of the young protagonist, Mu Zhe.
Shen Gurong: "???"
Does your master have a grudge against you?
Don't think I didn't notice you were secretly laughing just now just because you had a straight face!
Li Suo was weak, and besides, he was leading two children, so he was caught up with after only a few steps.
Swords flashed and shadows slashed towards him, and in the howling wind, Li Suo thought to himself, "My life is over!"
At the moment the sword fell, he erected a protective barrier, barely managing to shield his two junior brothers in his arms.
Suddenly, a flash of azure light appeared, and spiritual energy, like a sharp arrow, struck the demon slayer's sword with unstoppable force.
With a crisp clang, the longsword shattered into hundreds of pieces, falling like rain into the sand.
The demon slayers hurriedly turned around, looking on in horror.
In the blinding azure light, a person dressed in azure robes, with lotus-like feet, slowly opened his half-closed eyes, his pale pupils looking at the Zhu Xie members without joy or sorrow. Clad in green, with white hair and eyes covered by a silk veil, his every step was like a lotus blossom.
It was the Holy Lord, Shen Feng Xue.
The demon slayers were stunned, forced to drop their swords and kneel by the overwhelming pressure of the Mahayana stage cultivator, trembling uncontrollably, unable to utter a single word.
They had only ever heard of Shen Gurong's name, knew he was a half-step saint, knew his cold and ruthless nature, and knew his aloof and stunning beauty, but they never knew that the Holy Lord could make these proud sons of heaven kneel in terror with just a glance.
Shen Gurong's feet didn't touch the ground; his illusory body seemed to float in the air, his long hair and robes fluttering wildly.
He coldly asked, "Who do you call the Plague Demon?"
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