Shen Gurong's first reaction was: 'Mu Zhe, you've been expelled from the sect.'
However, he quickly realized that if he expelled every disciple every time he lost face, Liren Peak would soon be an empty mountain.
Shen Gurong was utterly despondent.
Just as he was about to give up and despair, his eldest disciple, whom he had always disliked, suddenly stood up and shouted at Mu Zhe, "Insolence! Lying like this at such a young age! Who taught you to say such things?!"
Mu Zhe was not intimidated. He calmly replied, "That's exactly what he said, and that's exactly what I relayed. I haven't omitted or altered a single word."
Wen Liubing stared coldly at him. Seeing this, Li Suo quickly pulled Mu Zhe behind him and whispered, "Senior brother, don't be angry. The Holy Lord's current state indicates his mind has been influenced by Xue Manzhuang; his words are unreliable."
Everyone on Liren Peak knew that Wen Liubing, though seemingly cold and domineering, was actually very easy to talk to and protective of his own. His only weakness was that no one could speak ill of Shen Feng Xue in front of him, not even a single word.
When Shen Feng Xue found Wen Liubing, he was still a child.
Shivering in his thin clothes, he lay on a piece of drifting ice, on the verge of death. Shen Feng Xue, like a god descending to earth, melted the ice with a wave of his hand, his slender fingers lifting him from the water and gently embracing him.
At that moment, Wen Liubing's senses were almost completely frozen; his breathing was so weak it was as if he couldn't catch a breath. Yet, for some reason, he smelled a faint peach scent emanating from Shen Feng Xue.
Even on the verge of death, Wen Liubing's hazy mind still wandered, wondering, "Do immortals eat peaches too?"
The immortal had brought him to Liren Peak, guiding him on the path, imparting knowledge and answering his questions. Although cold in nature, the immortal had never mistreated Wen Liubing.
Shen Feng Xue held such a high place in Wen Liubing's heart that he wouldn't tolerate even the slightest criticism from others.
When Wen Liubing first joined the Zhuxie sect, Xi Guxing had warned him never to cause trouble.
Wen Liubing softly agreed.
A few days later, because someone in the Zhuxie group spoke ill of Shen Feng Xue behind his back, calling him a "blind man who indulges in illicit affairs," Wen Liubing flew into a rage and, ignoring everyone's advice, destroyed that person's golden core.
Xi Guxing was at his wits' end and hurriedly brought Shen Feng Xue to clean up the mess.
Shen Feng Xue listened quietly to the whole story, his expression unwavering, as if the word "indulgent affairs" was nothing more than a passing breeze to him.
Wen Liubing, afraid of angering him, knelt on the ground and looked up at him, his face still bearing traces of blood.
"Master, Sanshui knows his mistake."
Shen Feng Xue looked down at him and suddenly asked, "Where did you go wrong?"
Wen Liubing didn't think he had done anything wrong at all and was completely stumped.
Shen Feng Xue took a step forward, looking down at him, his light-colored eyes beneath his icy silk robe seeming like glass made of ice.
"Just because they say you're wrong, does that mean you're wrong?"
Wen Liubing was taken aback.
Shen Feng Xue didn't say anything more, only leaving these words behind before turning and leaving Wen Liubing with only a cold, lonely back.
Wen Liubing thought for a long time before finally understanding Shen Feng Xue's words.
"If Master says I'm not wrong, then I'm not wrong."
Just because of this casual remark, Wen Liubing's temperament grew increasingly distorted, leading to his current arrogant, self-willed, and headstrong personality.
And now, this shorty, barely reaching his waist, dared to "slander" Shen Feng Xue to his face! Wen Liubing practically used all his self-control to keep from throwing Mu Zhe out.
Wen Liubing took a deep breath, suppressing his rage, and said coldly, "Master is aloof and wouldn't say such a thing. You must have exaggerated."
Li Suo: "..."
Shen Gurong: "..."
After speaking, Wen Liubing noticed the complex expressions on Li Suo and Mu Zhe's faces, and realized he had misspoke. He immediately shut up.
Mu Zhe's face showed a hint of surprise at the opportune moment: "Is this spirit beast really Master?"
Shen Gurong was completely embarrassed, almost roaring, waving his wings and pointing at Wen Liubing angrily: 'You're more trouble than you're worth!'
Wen Liubing looked pale.
Li Suo, who was secretly laughing to himself, forcibly restrained himself, coughing lightly to defuse the situation for Wen Liubing.
He succinctly explained the whole story to Mu Zhe, then cautioned, "Mu Zhe, this matter is of utmost importance. You must not divulge it to anyone else, not even Xinghe."
Mu Zhe feigned shock for a moment before obediently nodding.
Li Suo, seeing this, breathed a sigh of relief and quickly grabbed Mu Zhe's arm, asking, "How did you understand the Holy Lord's words?"
Mu Zhe himself didn't know, truthfully replying, "I don't know either."
Li Suo then asked curiously, "What did the Holy Lord say just now?"
Mu Zhe hesitated, glancing at Wen Liubing, who stood to the side with his arms crossed, sulking.
Li Suo, insatiably curious, urged him, "It's alright, speak freely."
Mu Zhe said, "Master said, 'You're more trouble than you're worth.'"
Wen Liubing: "..."
Wen Liubing coldly replied, "Master couldn't possibly say that. Are you perhaps venting your personal anger because you dislike me?"
Mu Zhe seemed to be arguing back: "But that's exactly what Master said."
"Impossible!"
"Not a single word is false."
"Absolutely impossible!"
Li Suo: "..."
Shen Gurong: "..."
Are you two arguing like children?
Wen Liubing, angered by his words, strode to Shen Gurong, knelt on one knee, and said in a deep voice, "Master, if he's right, please nod."
Shen Gurong hesitated, unsure whether he should nod, because he himself wasn't sure if Mu Zhe had truly understood him or had just guessed by chance.
Wen Liubing didn't believe in superstition, and neither did Shen Gurong. After all, Mu Zhe was just an ordinary human; even if he had taken some magical elixir, there was absolutely no way he could understand a demon cultivator's words.
After thinking for a while, Shen Gurong tried to utter a sentence.
"Stupid worm, damned pig."
Mu Zhe: "..."
Mu Zhe greatly admired his master. His insults were never repeated, and the angles were always incredibly bizarre and cunning. He wondered how his master had come up with them.
Mu Zhe's lips twitched, and he truthfully relayed, "Master said, 'Stupid worm, damned pig...' um..."
Before he could finish, Shen Gurong felt embarrassed and hot all over. He pounced on Mu Zhe, angrily interrupting him.
"Chirp chirp chirp!"
Stop talking! Stop talking! I believe you can understand me! Disciple! Please spare your master's life!
Mu Zhe: "..."
Seeing Shen Gurong's obvious admission, Wen Liubing's eyes widened.
"This...impossible!"
Wen Liubing was stunned, swaying slightly as he stared at Shen Gurong in disbelief.
Shen Gurong didn't dare look at him, burying himself tightly in Mu Zhe's arms.
He'd lost face to this extent; saving face was useless. He might as well just let it be.
Anyway, I'm the Holy Ruler; no one dares interfere with what I say or do.
Wen Liubing took a few steps back, stunned for a long time before turning around and walking to the corner of the room with a gloomy expression. His heart was ashen as he said, "Master actually wants to expel me from the sect?"
Li Suo: "..."
Li Suo quickly ran over to comfort him, "Senior brother, senior brother, the Holy Lord's mind is affected by the phoenix; his words really don't count! Don't take it to heart, wait until the Holy Lord returns to human form..."
Wen Liubing couldn't hear what he was saying at all. Facing the wall, he stammered, "Expelled from the sect, expelled from the sect, sect, sect."
Li Suo: "..."
That's it, Senior Brother Sanshui can't hear anyone else anymore.
Mu Zhe, with a few words, had rendered the arrogant and domineering Wen Liubing reeling, leaving him facing the wall in contemplation. His face didn't change at all. He held Shen Gurong, nodded slightly, and said, "Mu Zhe will take his leave now."
Li Suo was busy comforting Wen Liubing, casually mumbling a reply before letting him go.
Mu Zhe returned victorious with his "prize"—his master—and casually took Xue Manzhuang, who was huddled in the corner, with him.
In the room, Yu Xinghe was already fast asleep, sprawled out on his back.
Mu Zhe casually tossed Xue Manzhuang into Yu Xinghe's blanket, then turned and carried Shen Gurong to the soft couch by the window.
Shen Gurong nestled in his palm, trying to speak, asking with a last glimmer of hope: "Can you really understand me?"
Mu Zhe lowered his head and whispered, "Yes."
Shen Gurong: "..."
Oh dear.
Shen Gurong buried his face between Mu Zhe's fingers, utterly mortified.
Mu Zhe didn't caress Shen Gurong as before; even the way he held him was now extremely respectful.
Perhaps not wanting to embarrass Shen Gurong too much, he took the initiative to defuse the situation: "Senior Brother Li Suo said that Master was assimilated into a phoenix by Xue Manzhuang's demonic spiritual power. It must be that Xue Manzhuang's unstable nature influenced Master."
A tuft of fur on Shen Gurong's head suddenly twitched, like a spirit beast perking up its ears.
Mu Zhe forcibly resisted the urge to touch his head and continued, "This disciple didn't know it was Master before and was very disrespectful. I hope Master will punish me."
Mu Zhe's words gave Shen Gurong ample face. Shen Gurong's tail feathers almost stood on end. He peeked his head through Mu Zhe's fingers, nestling modestly in Mu Zhe's palm, and softly murmured, "Chirp chirp."
Ignorance is no excuse.
Seeing that he was clearly an adorable, clumsy little ball of a bird, that had yet to desperately put on the airs of a cold and aloof sage after being exposed, a chord in Mu Zhe's heart was gently plucked. "Oh no," Mu Zhe thought, "I want to touch it again."
But this thought was just that—a thought. If he knew this spirit beast was Shen Gurong and still dared to touch it, he was certain his master's first act upon regaining human form would be to expel him from the sect.
Mu Zhe had no choice but to force himself to endure it.
The night was deep. Shen Gurong had experienced two extreme ups and downs today, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted. Just as he was about to snuggle up on his pillow and try to sleep, a thought he had almost forgotten suddenly flashed through his mind.
A water ghost!
Shen Gurong was startled. He had been so embarrassed earlier that he had completely forgotten about the water ghost.
He quickly said to Mu Zhe, who was taking off his outer robe, "Wait a minute! The water ghost might come later. Take me to find your senior brother first."
Mu Zhe was taken aback: "A water ghost?"
Shen Gurong nodded his little head.
Mu Zhe: "They gouge out people's eyes on the boat?"
Shen Gurong was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized that the water ghost's boat not only had him, but also Mu Zhe and Xue Manzhuang.
Xue Manzhuang appeared on the ship because he had transformed into a phoenix due to the spiritual power of the demon race.
And Mu Zhe… why was he also on the ship?
Shen Gurong looked at him and involuntarily shivered. He finally understood why Shen Feng Xue treated this child so specially.
Mu Zhe saw that his eyes were wide open, as if he had been frightened, and hesitated for a moment: "Master?"
Shen Gurong immediately came to his senses and nodded: Yes, it was that one.
Mu Zhe initially thought it was just a nightmare, but he didn't expect it to be because of a water ghost.
Knowing that Shen Gurong was afraid of ghosts, Mu Zhe had no choice but to get up, put on his clothes, and carry Shen Gurong to find Wen Liubing.
Wen Liubing was still facing the wall. Thanks to the nourishment of the spirit-gathering array, the pain in Shen Gurong's wings, which had been throbbing, suddenly disappeared. He flew out of Mu Zhe's arms, flapped his wings, and landed on Wen Liubing's shoulder.
Disciple.
Mu Zhe relayed the message to him from the side.
Wen Liubing, his face clouded with gloom, glanced at Shen Gurong and said, "Master."
Shen Gurong chirped and Mu Zhe chattered on, quickly recounting how the water ghost had dragged them into their dreams.
After listening, Wen Liubing perked up somewhat. He finally left the corner and said, "There are countless water ghosts in Dongting Lake, each committing heinous crimes. That particular water ghost escaped using some unknown method and traveled straight to Fuxian City; it was most likely after Master."
Shen Gurong landed in the spirit-gathering array and continued greedily absorbing spiritual energy. He instinctively wanted to lie sprawled out and enjoy it, but because his identity had been exposed, he had to feign the aloofness of a Holy Lord, trying hard to keep a straight face and appear solemn.
However, the moment he opened his mouth, that solemnity completely crumbled.
"Chirp, chirp chirp chirp!"
Mu Zhe: "'Does that water ghost seek out those who look at him across the water and drag them into their dreams?'"
Wen Liubing shook his head: "No, he doesn't drag you into dreams, but rather pulls your consciousness into his barrier."
Shen Gurong suddenly understood and said, "Chirp."
Completely confused.
Mu Zhe: "..."
Mu Zhe was about to speak when Shen Gurong reacted and quickly said, "Don't tell him that!"
Mu Zhe then stopped talking.
Wen Liubing looked coldly at Mu Zhe, who seemed to be having a pleasant conversation with Shen Gurong. Then, thinking that he couldn't even understand what his master was saying, he almost felt so jealous that he wanted to punched Mu Zhe.
Wen Liubing, his eyes gleaming with jealousy, said, "The water ghost is the master of that barrier; he can decide a person's fate at will."
Shen Gurong recalled how the water ghost had merely tapped the side of the boat with a pole, and he had escaped the barrier—it seemed that was exactly how it happened.
The feeling of having one's life and death controlled by others was unpleasant, and Shen Gurong never wanted to experience it again.
Seeing Shen Gurong's silence, Wen Liubing said, "But Master, don't worry. With me here, that water ghost will definitely not drag you back into the barrier."
Shen Gurong looked at him suspiciously, only managing to utter half a "chirp" before Mu Zhe spoke up calmly.
"When Master was dragged into the water ghost barrier, Senior Brother seemed to be right there."
Wen Liubing: "..."
Wen Liubing coldly said, "Master hasn't spoken yet, what right do you have to speak?"
Mu Zhe said, "I'm telling the truth."
Seeing the two about to argue again, Shen Gurong quickly flew up and flapped his wings twice: Stop arguing!
The two disciples, who didn't get along, finally stopped talking and turned their heads away from each other.
Wen Liubing always disliked others questioning his abilities, and this time Mu Zhe directly provoked his competitive spirit.
He closed the door tightly, set up a barrier, and finally condensed a strand of spiritual energy into a thin rope and tied it to Shen Gurong's little foot.
Shen Gurong raised his foot in confusion: What's this?
Mu Zhe frowned and said, "We need to go back and rest."
Wen Liubing, with one hand on Shen Gurong and the other on Mu Zhe, lifted them and tossed them onto the bed. He then sat cross-legged to the side, meditating. He said coldly, "Stay here. Dawn will break in two hours. If the water ghost comes again, I'll make sure he doesn't return."
Mu Zhe and Shen Gurong exchanged a glance.
Shen Gurong said, "Then let's stay here for the night."
Mu Zhe didn't refuse.
The night was still. Exhausted from the day, Mu Zhe and Shen Gurong finally succumbed and drifted off to sleep on the bed.
Wen Liubing sat not far away, the spiritual energy on his fingers connected to that on Shen Gurong's claws, faintly glowing.
Shen Gurong felt as if he had just drifted off to sleep. When he opened his eyes again, he was once again on that small boat.
Shen Gurong: "..."
Ahhh! He'd been dragged in again!
Didn't Wen Liubing say everything would be alright with him around?!
He was furious, turning his head to look.
Wen Liubing was sitting at the stern, eyes slightly closed, still intently meditating.
Shen Gurong: "..."
Shen Gurong almost cried out, thinking, 'You little good-for-nothing! Empty shell!'
Wen Liubing seemed to sense Shen Gurong's angry gaze and slowly opened his eyes.
Upon seeing the human-shaped Shen Gurong, Wen Liubing's pupils contracted, and he immediately stood up and bowed: "Greetings, Master..."
This small boat was too small; even a slight movement would likely capsize it. He only took two steps, and the entire boat rocked violently, almost throwing the unsteady Shen Gurong into the water.
The water was like pitch-black ink, and he could vaguely see something wriggling within it.
If he fell in, who knew what kind of punishment he would suffer.
Shen Gurong swayed twice, then stumbled and fell onto Wen Liubing.
Wen Liubing immediately steadied him.
Once Shen Gurong regained his balance, he forced a deep breath, his expression cold and aloof. He said coldly, "Is this what you meant by 'everything is alright'?"
Wen Liubing released his grip, looked around, and nodded slightly. "Yes, everything's alright. I know how to break the water ghost's barrier."
Shen Gurong asked suspiciously, "Really?"
Wen Liubing: "Yes."
Shen Gurong was relieved.
It seemed the leader of the exorcising demons wasn't as unreliable as he appeared.
The boat beneath their feet was rocking slightly. Wen Liubing looked at it, then hesitated, "If only the boat were a little more stable."
Shen Gurong knew about his seasickness and tried to remain still, letting the boat settle on its own.
The water ghosts hadn't arrived yet; he wondered if they were gouging out eyes elsewhere.
A short while later, the boat finally stopped rocking so much.
Wen Liubing finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But before he could fully relax, a figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere on the boat, and the added weight caused the entire small boat to rock again.
Wen Liubing's face turned pale.
Shen Gurong saw Mu Zhe being dragged in with a bewildered expression and said to him, "Don't move."
Mu Zhe obediently nodded and remained perfectly still.
The boat quickly stabilized again, but Wen Liubing's face was clearly off; it looked as if he was about to vomit.
Just then, the water ghost's voice finally appeared again, filled with intense hatred, its tone like sharp knives, piercing his heart inch by inch.
"Shen Feng Xue, you're here again."
"I've waited too long for you."
"Those eyes beneath your icy mask, can you still see even if you take them off?"
A chilling wind swept around them. Hearing the deathly siren that seemed to emanate from hell, Shen Gurong took a deep breath, desperately telling himself.
'With Wen Liubing here, there was no need to be afraid.'
The next instant, Xue Manzhuang appeared on the boat, forcefully pushing it into a torrent of inky, filthy river water.
The boat, barely able to support four people, let out a creaking sound as if old, decaying wood was about to break under the weight.
At the same time, Wen Liubing, the strongest fighter on the boat, finally couldn't bear the swaying underfoot and covered his mouth, vomiting against the side of the boat.
Mu Zhe: "..."
Shen Gurong: "..."
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