Xi Guxing put down the cup, walked to the stunned Shen Gurong, and mimicked his previous action, lifting him by the back of his collar. Then, feigning an exaggerated lack of movement, he said, "Tsk, really heavy, I can't lift him at all."
Shen Gurong: "..."
He wondered if there was a beast called "dog" in the cultivation world. Shen Gurong secretly thought that Sect Leader Xi would be very suitable for that word.
Lou Bugui, however, took it seriously. He quickly picked up Shen Gurong and weighed him in his arms, his eyes widening, and said, "I can lift him."
Shen Gurong: "..."
Mu Zhe almost burst out laughing.
Shen Gurong was about to collapse: "Second Senior Sister!"
Su Xiyan laughed uncontrollably. She coughed, rescued Shen Gurong from Lou Bugui's grasp, and said, "Your disciple's cultivation is too low; his spiritual power can't support your transformation. Let's try other methods."
Mu Zhe lowered his head.
Shen Gurong glanced at him, then tiptoed and patted Mu Zhe's head, whispering, "My disciple is still young, but he's already very capable."
Mu Zhe's fingers trembled.
He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but his master seemed completely unable to handle a child's frustration and vulnerability. Whenever he showed the slightest hint of grievance, Shen Gurong would try every means to gently comfort him, as if afraid he'd been hurt.
Mu Zhe pursed his lips. He had experienced too much at such a young age; his mind was far too mature. A few words wouldn't easily hurt him, but the feeling of being comforted by Shen Gurong was so good that he almost greedily wanted more.
Just a little more.
If only he could have all of Shen Gurong's gaze and tenderness to himself, giving them all to him…
Shen Gurong was oblivious to the turmoil in his little disciple's heart. Seeing that Mu Zhe's expression had improved and realizing there was nothing more for him to do, he told Mu Zhe to go back first and continued pestering Su Xiyan for ideas.
Su Xiyan tried several more methods, exhausting Shen Gurong, but still to no avail.
Shen Gurong, panting heavily, slumped over the table and said listlessly, "Senior Sister, shall we stop here for today?"
Su Xiyan, already considering using silver needles to puncture Shen Gurong's spiritual meridians, asked doubtfully, "Don't you want to turn back as soon as possible?"
Shen Gurong's face turned pale when he saw the palm-sized silver needle. He stammered, "I... let's forget about it."
Su Xiyan said softly, "Let's try one last method."
Shen Gurong shivered, but determined to return to his original form, he steeled himself and extended his lotus-root-like arm.
Then he received a solid needle prick.
Su Xiyan finally concluded, "Oh, it didn't work."
Shen Gurong covered the bright red needle mark on his arm, desperately holding back tears, almost bursting into sobs.
Lou Bugui squatted beside him, bandaging his wounds, frowning. He glanced hesitantly at Xi Guxing and whispered, "Perhaps we should go find Fifth Senior Brother?"
Xi Guxing, leisurely sipping tea and watching the drama unfold, put down his cup and refused again, "I already said, no."
Lou Bugui's voice lacked confidence. He timidly said, "But only Fifth Senior Brother can help him refine the phoenix's spiritual power now."
Xi Guxing still said, "No."
The two began arguing again.
Su Xiyan suddenly said, "I think it's possible."
Xi Guxing immediately stood up, frowning, "Senior Sister!"
Su Xiyan pinched Shen Gurong's chubby cheek, smiled, and said, "Fifth Junior Brother isn't so unreasonable. Besides, I went to the Wind and Rain Pool yesterday; he's already awake."
Shen Gurong was still afraid of the dragon, but aside from the unreliable Xi Guxing and Lou Bugui, with Su Xiyan there, he felt it might be worth a try.
He tugged at Su Xiyan's sleeve and asked, "Senior Sister, does Fifth Senior Brother listen to you?"
Su Xiyan smiled: "In this world, he only listens to Master."
Shen Gurong was devastated.
"But Master loves you the most," Su Xiyan comforted him. "Master's kindness to Eleventh Brother surpasses all of us brothers combined. Jiuxiao has known this for a long time, so even if he's unwilling, he won't lay a hand on you."
Shen Gurong still hesitated.
Xi Guxing added fuel to the fire: "That's right, he won't lay a hand on you, he'll just be played with like a toy."
Shen Gurong: "..."
Shen Gurong began shaking his head frantically.
Su Xiyan glanced at Xi Guxing: "Don't scare him, Jiuxiao isn't that unreasonable."
Xi Guxing snorted dismissively.
In the end, Shen Gurong still didn't dare, and Su Xiyan didn't force him, taking his hand and escorting him back to Fanjiang Residence.
Wen Liubing, who had been waiting at Fanjiang Residence for two days after descending the mountain, immediately greeted him upon his return, his expression somewhat solemn.
"Master."
Shen Gurong saw Su Xiyan off and turned to ask, "What did you do down the mountain?"
"I had someone decipher the characters on the bamboo slips from the water ghost's boat pole a few days ago."
"Oh?" Shen Gurong toddled into the room, raising an eyebrow. "What's written on it?"
Wen Liubing said seriously, "It has the name 'Yu Xinghe' on it."
Shen Gurong paused.
In the twenty-third year of Yongping, Yu Xinghe was buried in the Tomb of Bones.
Shen Gurong's pupils constricted sharply, and he snapped back to reality: "Are you sure you're right?"
Wen Liubing nodded. He never made mistakes on important matters; if he said it was these characters, then it was these characters.
Shen Gurong took the bamboo slip, his fingertips gently tracing the faded characters, finally lingering on the three characters "Yu Xinghe," and read aloud, "Yu Xinghe..."
Wen Liubing squatted down, gently guiding Shen Gurong's fingers to the three characters, saying, "Master, 'Yu Xinghe' is these three characters. The order of the demon race's characters is reversed compared to ours."
Shen Gurong: "..."
Enraged by being ruthlessly exposed for his pretense, Shen Gurong kicked Wen Liubing away: "Go squat over there."
The blockhead, oblivious to subtle cues.
He propped himself up on his arms, struggling to climb onto a chair, and stared blankly at the bamboo slip.
Because his thoughts were too chaotic, he tried to break down the parts he didn't understand.
First and foremost, what puzzled him most was why the water ghost, guided by the demonic cultivators of the Burial Mound, would travel from Dongting Lake, thousands of miles away, to Liren Peak.
Next, there's the bamboo slip formed from the boat pole, and why it clearly marks events ten years in the future.
In the book, it was precisely in the twenty-third year of Yongping, ten years later, that Yu Xinghe trespassed into the Burial Mound, released the demonic cultivators within, and betrayed Liren Peak, falling into the demonic path.
And the person, time, and events on this bamboo slip all match up.
After connecting everything, Shen Gurong suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
Does that mean the bamboo slip is the fourth divine artifact that everyone in the Three Realms has been searching for?
But did this divine artifact already exist, or was it brought from outside the book by Shen Gurong? After all, this bamboo slip doesn't appear in the book.
Shen Gurong's previously unwavering belief began to waver again: Does Huitang City even exist? And is Shen Feng Xue really related to him?
Xi Guxing's map of the Nine Provinces was genuine, and the elder hadn't lied to him either. Furthermore, Shen Feng Xue's soul was real during the fight with the water ghost.
Shen Gurong's head throbbed with pain; he racked his brains but couldn't find a completely reasonable explanation.
Wen Liubing, who had been punished by his master to squat to the side, saw Shen Gurong's brows furrowing deeper and deeper, and wanting to share his master's burden, he stood up: "Master, you…"
Shen Gurong, abruptly interrupted, glared at him: "Did I tell you to get up?"
Wen Liubing had no choice but to squat back down.
Shen Gurong said, "Speak."
Wen Liubing said, "You seem troubled. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Shen Gurong was taken aback, looking strangely at this disciple whose mind seemed to be filled only with killing. He asked, "What can you help me with?"
"I can kill Yu Xinghe for you," Wen Liubing said truthfully. "I'm very good at killing."
Shen Gurong: "..."
Don't say such terrifying things with such a serious expression!
Shen Gurong stared intently at the earnest Wen Liubing for a long while before saying lightly, "Does Liren Peak have a disciple code of conduct?"
Wen Liubing shook his head: "No, there's only one: 'Harmony is paramount.'"
Shen Gurong said, "Very good. Go back and copy 'Harmony is paramount' a thousand times. Hand it in to me first thing tomorrow morning."
Wen Liubing: "..."
Shen Gurong had his fill of punishing someone by making them copy books. After pondering for a while, he started trying to get information out of Wen Liubing.
"Do you know when Master arrived at Liren Peak?"
Wen Liubing never questioned his master's words, not even such a strange question. He thought carefully for a moment and said, "About one hundred and nineteen years ago."
"One hundred and nineteen?"
"Yes," Wen Liubing said. "I once overheard my senior uncle and elders mention that Master was rescued from the mouth of a fire spirit beast in Youzhou when he was five years old. At that time, the sect leader was traveling with the grandmaster and brought you back to Liren Peak."
Shen Gurong's doubts subsided considerably, but he still pressed on, "Which city in Youzhou?"
Wen Liubing: "Youzhou is a vast, untamed wilderness, teeming with uncivilized spirit beasts. There's only one city in the entire prefecture, called Youzhou City."
Shen Gurong finally breathed a sigh of relief, realizing he had truly been paranoid.
Having resolved this issue, he began to consider the most important matter at hand.
The bamboo slip says that Yu Xinghe will become a demon in ten years. Does that mean he has to stay in this book for ten years to ensure that Yu Xinghe doesn't become a demon and that Mu Zhe isn't seriously injured before he can leave?
Ten years.
Shen Gurong nearly collapsed, his longing to go home growing even stronger.
Seeing Shen Gurong practically tearing his hair out, Wen Liubing hesitated before asking, "Is Master troubled by the words on that bamboo slip?"
Fearing his eldest disciple might again entertain the thought of killing Yu Xinghe, Shen Gurong casually waved his hand, offering no answer.
"A sandalwood scent," Wen Liubing said, bringing the bamboo slip to his nose. "Buddhist cultivators of the Three Realms can understand the past and present, and calculate destiny. That bamboo slip was probably concocted by a Buddhist cultivator."
Shen Gurong was taken aback: "Buddhist cultivators... have such great abilities?"
Wen Liubing said, "Actually, not really. Knowing destiny in advance is against the laws of Heaven. Revealing it without permission would incur divine retribution, so very few Buddhist cultivators would willingly take on such matters."
"Then what do they do when they cultivate Buddhism?"
"They can calculate cause and effect."
Shen Gurong realized the question had gone astray, but the tangled threads in his mind were finally being untangled.
Bamboo slips are not divine artifacts;
Shen Feng Xue has no connection to him; he's just a pitiful person randomly dragged into the book.
Thinking this, he gratefully reached out and touched Wen Liubing's forehead.
Wen Liubing felt no shame and even leaned closer to let his master touch it.
Shen Gurong said affectionately, "Thanks to Sanshui, those thousand copies of the book..."
Sanshui looked expectant.
Shen Gurong: "Reduce it to nine hundred."
Wen Liubing: "..."
Wen Liubing went back, looking miserable.
Leaving Fanjiang Residence, Wen Liubing happened to see Mu Zhe outside, hesitating whether to give his master candy. He raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "Hey, you."
Mu Zhe bowed to Wen Liubing: "Senior Brother."
Wen Liubing instructed him: "Go back and copy 'Harmony is Precious' four hundred and fifty times and give it to me."
Mu Zhe: "..."
Mu Zhe looked completely bewildered. Wen Liubing said, "It's what Master wants."
Mu Zhe nodded, "Yes."
Wen Liubing then strode away to find Yu Xinghe.
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