Mu Zhe froze on the spot, the sensation of his lips belatedly reaching his mind. His pupils contracted sharply, and he tried to loosen his grip on Shen Gurong's waist, but he couldn't move.
Finally, Shen Gurong gently pushed him away, yet he still innocently and earnestly asked, "Is it because my lips are soft, or... um..."
Lin Shuhe, unable to bear it any longer, rushed forward and ripped Shen Gurong from Mu Zhe's arms.
He was more furious than ever before, yelling at Mu Zhe, "Don't touch him! Get out!"
Mu Zhe: "..."
In all these years, this was the first time he had seen his always sickly senior uncle lose his temper like this.
Shen Gurong asked in confusion, "Senior brother, you..."
Before he could speak, Lin Shuhe waved his sleeve, and a sweet scent wafted over. Shen Gurong shivered violently, the confusion in his eyes vanishing.
The medicine had worn off. Shen Gurong glanced left at Lin Shuhe, who was fuming with rage, then at Mu Zhe, who looked utterly bewildered, and suddenly fell silent.
A deathly silence fell over the three of them; an awkward silence hung heavy in the air.
Finally, Shen Gurong, the most thick-skinned of them all, spoke first. He coughed and said softly, "Mu Zhe, you should go back and rest."
Mu Zhe stared at him blankly. Seeing no anger or resentment on Shen Gurong's face, his initial joy was quickly crushed by a single thought:
—His master wasn't indifferent to his offense; he simply considered the kiss an accidental mishap, and therefore wasn't angry with him.
Mu Zhe's face was ashen. He forced a nod and bowed, "Yes."
Then, feeling dizzy and unsteady, he left.
As soon as he left, Lin Shuhe grabbed Shen Gurong's hand and coldly asked, "Did you form a sworn brotherhood with this disciple?"
Shen Gurong was confused: "I originally planned to do it after the Chanwei Assembly, but because of the Nascent Soul Heavenly Thunder, Senior Brother Sect Leader said it would be postponed, probably until Mu Zhe and the others come of age."
Lin Shuhe said, "Fine, expel him from the sect immediately."
Shen Gurong was taken aback, then chuckled, "Senior Brother, it can't be that bad, just now... it was just an accident."
Seeing his nonchalant expression, Lin Shuhe angrily said, "You..."
Before he could finish, he clutched his chest and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Shen Gurong: "..."
"Senior Brother!"
Lin Shuhe was used to spitting blood. He casually wiped his mouth with Shen Gurong's sleeve and said coldly, "He will die."
Shen Gurong stammered, "But you..."
Lin Shuhe said, "You immediately tell Senior Brother Sect Leader to remove Mu Zhe's name from the Liren Peak disciple register."
Lin Shuhe closed his eyes, slowly suppressing his anger. However, the scene just now was too impactful; he couldn't recover for a while, and his brows remained tightly furrowed.
Seeing him sway and nearly fall, Shen Gurong helplessly helped him to a soft chair nearby, saying, "Senior brother, Mu Zhe is a good child."
Lin Shuhe coldly replied, "Yes, a good child who dares to offend his Master."
Shen Gurong: "..."
Thinking he was still referring to the earlier incident, Shen Gurong sighed, poured Lin Shuhe a glass of water, and said, "Drink some water."
Lin Shuhe turned his head away, refusing to drink.
Looking at his overreaction, Shen Gurong said strangely, "It's not a big deal, why are you so angry? Besides, if you hadn't given me those weird drugs, I wouldn't have lost my temper and clung to my disciple."
When facing outsiders, the angrier Lin Shuhe became, the gentler his smile. But when facing his fellow disciples, his anger turned into that of a child; when unhappy, he would sit there expressionless, refusing to answer anything.
He even went on a hunger strike.
Lin Shuhe remained silent, his face cold, a trace of blood still lingering at the corner of his lips, looking unusually frail.
Shen Gurong, noticing that he always used his sleeve to wipe away dirt, assumed he liked it and simply rolled up his sleeve to wipe the blood from his lips, asking worriedly, "Do you want to get yourself some medicine?"
Being forcibly kissed by his disciple, the person involved wasn't angry, but Lin Shuhe was furious.
Lin Shuhe turned his face away, avoiding his hand, still refusing to speak.
Shen Gurong knew he was acting in his best interest, so he wasn't angry and even coaxed him, "Senior brother? Hmm? Don't be angry. I'll give him a good scolding tomorrow, okay?"
Lin Shuhe's expression softened slightly. He said coldly, "Tomorrow morning I'll break the master-servant contract between you and Xue Manzhuang. You should go back and expel this brat from the sect immediately."
Shen Gurong was both amused and exasperated, and could only reply perfunctorily, "Okay, okay, whatever Senior brother says."
Lin Shuhe sneered, knowing he was just being polite, and simply said, "If he offends me again in the future, I will kill him."
Shen Gurong sighed helplessly, "Senior brother, you're really obsessed. Mu Zhe and I are master and disciple, and besides, we're both men."
What's the point of two men doing this?
Lin Shuhe didn't speak.
Shen Gurong coaxed him a few more times and helped him to the next room to lie down.
Lin Shuhe leaned against the couch, watching Shen Gurong close the window and draw the bed curtains for him. Suddenly, as if lost in thought, he said, "Eleven, we... just want you to be alright."
Shen Gurong casually poured him water, mumbling, "Who?"
Lin Shuhe closed his eyes, looking extremely tired. "Don't always degrade yourself like this for others. You've never done anything wrong."
Shen Gurong's hand holding the cup paused slightly, looking at Lin Shuhe with some surprise.
Xi Guxing seemed to have said something similar.
"Why do you always degrade yourself like this?"
Degrade? Degrade what?
Shen Gurong was confused. He didn't know about Shen Feng Xue's affairs, but since coming to this world, he didn't seem to have done anything to degrade himself for others.
Then where did their talk of degrading him come from?
Could shielding his disciple from lightning tribulation be considered degrading himself?
Lin Shuhe looked exhausted and fell silent after speaking. Shen Gurong placed the cup on a small table beside him. Seeing that Lin Shuhe seemed to be fast asleep, he tiptoed out.
Mu Zhe didn't return to his room. He was standing at his door waiting for Shen Gurong. When he saw Shen Gurong come out, a rare look of panic and helplessness appeared on his face. He instinctively wanted to lower his head but forced himself to look up and meet Shen Gurong's gaze.
Shen Gurong initially thought nothing of it, but seeing Mu Zhe's reaction, the scene of their lips touching just moments before involuntarily flashed through his mind.
Shen Gurong: "..."
Ahhh! Let me die! Shen Feng Xue's lifelong reputation is ruined! Oh no, it seems I already ruined it.
Mu Zhe: "..."
His master... can he be this carefree and amused no matter what the situation?
Mu Zhe, initially flustered, calmed down considerably after Shen Gurong's interruption.
Shen Gurong's ears turned red, and he whispered, "Why aren't you resting yet?"
Mu Zhe took a deep breath and said, "Just now... I offended Master. If Master is angry, please punish Mu Zhe."
Shen Gurong coughed, feigning composure, and said, "It's nothing, just an accident."
Stop talking! Stop talking! If you keep talking, your Master will jump into the lake!
Mu Zhe: "..."
Afraid of embarrassing Shen Gurong, Mu Zhe had no choice but to shut up.
The two stared at each other, and for the first time, Shen Gurong felt an overwhelming sense of awkwardness in front of Mu Zhe.
Mu Zhe said softly, "Master, please go and rest."
Shen Gurong, eager to leave this suffocating place, nodded reservedly and said dryly, "Mm."
Shen Gurong's sleeve still bore Lin Shuhe's blood. Mu Zhe glanced at it and said, "I'll get Master another set of clothes and take it over."
Shen Gurong nodded, mumbling, "Okay."
He then quickly slipped into the room.
Mu Zhe remained silent for a moment before returning to the room and retrieving a new set of clothes, which he carried to Shen Gurong.
Before even reaching the door, Mu Zhe heard Shen Gurong kicking his legs and screaming silently on the couch inside.
Shen Gurong: I'm dead! I'm dead! I actually... Ahhh! My brother will definitely kill me if he finds out!
Mu Zhe: "..."
Suppressing his disappointment, Mu Zhe was about to knock on the door when a blade, brimming with murderous intent, suddenly appeared from the side, aimed directly at his hand holding the door.
Mu Zhe's expression changed. In a flash, he recoiled, his spiritual power surging with a muffled boom as he barely managed to block the fierce blade.
After taking a few steps back, Mu Zhe looked closely and saw that the person wielding the blade was the puppet from the Lin Guan Medical Clinic.
The puppet, obeying its master's command, forced Mu Zhe back without blinking, coldly saying, "Don't approach the Holy Lord."
Mu Zhe: "..."
Mu Zhe tried to reason with it: "I just want to deliver clothes to my master."
The puppet raised its hand to him, saying, "Give them to me."
Mu Zhe: "..."
Mu Zhe didn't want to bother Shen Gurong any longer, so he reluctantly handed the clothes to the puppet. The puppet said, "If there's a next time, I won't hold back with my knife."
Mu Zhe: "..."
If Mu Zhe hadn't reacted quickly, he probably would have had his arm severed. And this was after the demon had held back?
What kind of monsters are the puppets at the Lin Guan Medical Clinic?!
Mu Zhe pursed his lips, remaining silent. He thought that since they could leave Xianyun City tomorrow and return to Liren Peak, Lin Shuhe wouldn't care about him anymore.
Thinking this, he nodded slightly towards the door, turned, and left.
The next day.
Lin Shuhe had once again transformed into the frail, sickly immortal healer. He sat by the door, fanning himself and enjoying the rain. The dissolution array that the Demon Lord had found was resting on his knees, some parts circled with cinnabar ink, as if he had thoroughly studied it.
When Shen Gurong approached, he lazily raised his eyes and said indifferently, "Good morning."
It seemed that Lin Shuhe's outburst and childish temper yesterday were all just Shen Gurong's imagination.
Shen Gurong nodded helplessly, "Good morning, Senior Brother. Are you feeling better?"
Lin Shuhe glanced at him, a half-smile on his face, and said, "I've coughed up more blood over the years than the rain in Xianyun City. Don't worry about it."
Shen Gurong: "..."
That's quite a contrast, impressive. No wonder he's called Immortal Physician Lin.
Shen Gurong sat down, took a bite of a pastry from the table, and mumbled, "Have you finished researching that formation?"
Lin Shuhe leaned back in his chair, saying lazily, "Who am I? Is there anything in this world I can't handle?"
Shen Gurong knew immediately that things were settled, and readily praised him, "Senior Brother is amazing! Senior Brother is mighty!"
Lin Shuhe smiled instinctively at his rare display of flattery.
However, his smile froze when he saw Mu Zhe walking in from the backyard.
Mu Zhe walked over and stood behind Shen Gurong as if nothing had happened. He bowed, his gaze fixed tenderly on Shen Gurong eating pastries, not even glancing at anyone else.
Lin Shuhe's eyes turned cold. He gripped the armrest of his chair and snapped it to pieces.
He took a deep breath, tapped his fingers on the table, and two wooden puppets carrying swords moved behind Shen Gurong, pushing Mu Zhe aside. Their tall figures blocked Mu Zhe's view of Shen Gurong.
Mu Zhe frowned slightly.
Lin Shuhe finally felt relieved.
He said with a forced smile, "Go and call Xue Manzhuang. I need to break their contract."
Mu Zhe hesitated for a moment before returning to the backyard to wake Xue Manzhuang, who was still sleeping in.
However, when he returned to the clinic, the two wooden puppets were already blocking the door, preventing him from getting close to Shen Gurong.
Mu Zhe: "..."
Mu Zhe's brows furrowed deeply, a strange irritation rising within him. He felt an urge to draw his sword and eliminate everyone blocking his way to Shen Gurong.
At the entrance of the clinic, Lin Shuhe, glancing at Mu Zhe's angry yet hesitant expression due to Shen Gurong, felt even more relieved.
At this moment, Xue Manzhuang flew over, transforming into human form on the spot, and joyfully pounced on Shen Gurong.
Lin Shuhe: "..."
Why are so many people staring at his junior brother!?
Lin Shuhe's treatment of Xue Manzhuang was not as gentle as Mu Zhe's. His eyes suddenly turned cold, his gaze sharp as a knife as he looked at Xue Manzhuang. The pressure of his Nascent Soul stage swept over him, barely avoiding Shen Gurong, and directly pressed Xue Manzhuang to the ground.
Caught off guard, Xue Manzhuang, having just transformed into human form, prostrated himself before Shen Gurong in a deep kneeling salute.
Shen Gurong thought he was about to shout "beauty!" again and was about to subdue him when Xue Manzhuang suddenly knelt down before him.
Shen Gurong said in surprise, "There's no need for such formality."
Xue Manzhuang: "..."
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