Lin Shuhe effortlessly suppressed Xue Manzhuang without uttering a single word. He bit his fingertip, using his blood to draw an intricate magic circle in the air. With a "fall," the magic circle crashed to the ground, directly enveloping Shen Gurong and Xue Manzhuang.
Shen Gurong said helplessly, "Senior brother, you should at least have told me."
Lin Shuhe didn't want to talk. He chuckled and directly activated the magic circle.
Shen Gurong felt as if the magic circle beneath his feet had transformed into a hand, slowly climbing up his ankle, as if searching his entire body for something.
Shen Gurong frowned: "Senior brother?"
Lin Shuhe said, "Don't move. It's searching for a contract."
Shen Gurong had no choice but to withdraw the spiritual energy from his fingertips and force himself to relax.
The illusory hand, upon touching Shen Gurong's knee, scattered into a shower of fragmented light, enveloping Shen Gurong completely. The light then coalesced and settled on Shen Gurong's brow.
It had found the contract.
Watching helplessly as the hand-like object touched Shen Gurong's leg from a short distance away, Mu Zhe nearly crushed the hilt of his Jiu Xi sword.
Jiu Xi howled, "Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Why are you hitting me so hard?"
Mu Zhe's eyes darkened, wishing he could crush that hand-like object into ashes.
In truth, it was merely a wisp of spiritual energy activated by a magic array. Mu Zhe knew this, but the scene still felt incredibly jarring.
While Mu Zhe gritted his teeth in hatred, the spiritual energy had successfully ripped the contracts from Shen Gurong's sea of consciousness and Xue Manzhuang's contract, revealing two red-glowing lines intertwined in the void.
It became even more blinding.
Mu Zhe exerted force again.
Jiu Xi: "Awooo!" The feeling of forcibly pulling something out of one's consciousness was unpleasant. Shen Gurong's face paled, barely managing to maintain his composure and refrain from shattering the spiritual energy.
Lin Shuhe said, "It'll be over soon, just bear with it."
Shen Gurong could only grit his teeth and endure it.
After pulling out the contract, the spiritual energy transformed into a gaping maw of fangs, biting down on the illusory contract line.
The contract shattered instantly.
Shen Gurong's eyes snapped open, clutching his chest and coughing violently, a strong metallic taste of blood filling his throat.
Mu Zhe panicked and immediately tried to rush over, but was dutifully blocked by the two wooden puppets.
Mu Zhe gripped the Jiu Xi Sword tightly, his pupils instantly turning a blood-red dilated pupil, his entire body radiating an unconcealable ferocity.
Lin Shuhe glanced at him, a half-smile on his face. "What's the rush? Are you going to fight me?"
Mu Zhe was about to grit his teeth and speak when Shen Gurong gently raised a hand, signaling him not to move.
With just this one movement, the ferocious beast, which had already bared its fangs, instantly calmed down. Mu Zhe's fingers loosened, his pupils gradually focused, and his murderous aura vanished.
Shen Gurong coughed a few times, clutching his chest, and said to Lin Shuhe, "Didn't you say this formation wouldn't harm me?"
"Yes," Lin Shuhe destroyed the formation, saying casually, "You weren't injured, were you? Just a few coughs."
Shen Gurong thought for a moment, circulating the spiritual energy in his spiritual veins through a small cycle, only to find that he was indeed unharmed. He breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he was about to suffer again.
Xue Manzhuang had no idea what had happened. He had transformed into his phoenix form, standing on the table, tilting his head and looking at Shen Gurong, chirping twice.
Without that damned master-servant contract, Shen Gurong couldn't understand what he was saying. He flicked Xue Manzhuang's brow, causing the small phoenix to stumble and nearly fall backward.
"You're free, little red bird."
Xue Manzhuang looked at him questioningly, instinctively crinkling his eyes, "Chirp chirp."
Shen Gurong didn't want any more involvement with the demon race. He said to the quietly standing Mu Zhe, "Let Qingyu come out and take Xue Manzhuang back to the demon race."
Mu Zhe nodded in agreement.
Soon, Qingyu, sporting a pair of fox ears, floated lightly to the entrance of the clinic, respectfully saying, "Holy Lord, Immortal Physician Lin."
Shen Gurong gave a mumbled reply.
As soon as Qingyu looked up, he saw Lin Shuhe frowning as he draped a veil over Shen Gurong's head, covering his fox ears.
Qingyu was puzzled.
Shen Gurong coughed lightly, almost forgetting that he also wore fox ears. He adjusted his veil, handed Xue Manzhuang from the table to Qingyu, and said, "My contract with Xue Manzhuang has been broken. You should send him back to the demon clan."
Qingyu took Xue Manzhuang, stopping him from pouncing on Shen Gurong, and said, "Yes."
With that, he turned and left.
Shen Gurong finally got rid of a big problem and relaxed considerably. He leaned back in his soft chair, turned his head to look at Lin Shuhe, and said, "Then I'll get up and return to Liren Peak this afternoon."
Lin Shuhe smiled insincerely: "You don't come here without a reason. You're leaving so soon after finishing your business; it makes me think you only see me as a puppet to be summoned and dismissed at will."
Shen Gurong quickly said, "No, that's not it. I just didn't want to bother you, Senior Brother. If you don't mind, I can stay a few more days."
Mu Zhe frowned deeply beside him.
He had a premonition that if he stayed any longer at the Lin Guan Medical Clinic, with Lin Shuhe's obstruction, he might not even be able to touch his master.
Fortunately, Lin Shuhe merely glanced at Shen Gurong and said, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and leave, don't bother me while I'm recuperating."
Shen Gurong: "..." I said I wanted to leave, and you said you were being treated like a puppet; I said I wanted to stay, and you complained that I was bothering you.
My senior brother's thoughts are indeed hard to fathom. I'd better go back and guess what the sect leader is thinking; it'll be right every time.
Shen Gurong stayed at the clinic for lunch, then gave him a few instructions: "If my little disciple ever needs anything, I'll trouble you to look after him, Senior Brother."
Lin Shuhe chuckled, annoyed: "Are you taking advantage of me, Shen Eleven?"
Shen Gurong lifted a corner of his veil and smiled faintly at him: "Okay, Senior Brother?"
Lin Shuhe: "..." Lin Shuhe rubbed his temples in exasperation, waving his hand dismissively: "I really owe you something, get lost."
Shen Gurong said: "Thank you, Senior Brother."
Mu Zhe desperately suppressed his joy.
When they arrived at Xianyun City, there were many people—Xue Manzhuang, Yu Xinghe, and Qingyu, who had secretly followed them—filling the entire spirit boat. But on the way back to Liren Peak, Mu Zhe belatedly realized that it was just him and Shen Gurong.
No one else would bother them anymore.
Thinking of this, Mu Zhe felt inexplicably invigorated.
He was inherently ruthless, ruthless to others and even more ruthless to himself. The only person in the world truly worthy of his heart was Shen Gurong. He could bare his fangs in front of anyone else in the world, yet he dared not reveal even a trace of his true nature to Shen Gurong.
After Lin Shuhe exposed his thoughts, Mu Zhe spent a whole night completely accepting the fact that he was gay, and that his crush was his master.
"I don't ask for anything," Mu Zhe thought calmly. "In his past life, he sheltered me from all the storms; in this life, it's my turn to protect him."
As long as he could stay by Shen Gurong's side, he asked for nothing.
Shen Gurong had no idea what his disciple was thinking. He was about to leave with Mu Zhe when Lin Shuhe suddenly said, "Wait."
"Hmm? Senior brother, is there anything else?"
Lin Shuhe lightly snapped his fingers, and a wooden puppet behind him swayed forward.
"Didn't you say puppets were convenient and asked me to give you one?" Lin Shuhe glanced at Mu Zhe with a half-smile, then said, "This one's yours." Mu Zhe's breath hitched, his sinister gaze fixed on the puppet, wishing he could chop it up for firewood.
Shen Gurong lifted the veil to look at the puppet's face, then reluctantly lowered it. He said helplessly, "Senior brother, I'm afraid if I put it in the courtyard, I'll have nightmares at night. Please spare me." Mu Zhe's heart leaped with joy.
Lin Shuhe raised an eyebrow: "Oh? You think it's ugly? Fine."
With a casual wave of his hand, the puppet's hideous face instantly transformed, its features becoming strikingly handsome, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. Even the cracking sounds from its joints ceased; it looked like a real person.
Shen Gurong: "Wow! This is beautiful!"
Mu Zhe: "..." Mu Zhe felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
Shen Gurong happily accepted the handsome doll, thanked Lin Shuhe repeatedly, and then left with Mu Zhe and the doll.
Lin Shuhe stood at the entrance of the clinic, without an umbrella, his deep eyes fixed on Shen Gurong as he slowly disappeared into the distance at the end of Coffin Street.
A raindrop fell on his eyelashes, slowly seeping into his eyes, blurring his vision.
"Lin Shuhe..." Deep in his memory, on a similar rainy day, someone dressed in red walked towards him.
Lin Shuhe struggled to open his eyes, only then realizing that the person wasn't dressed in red, but rather his white robes were stained crimson with blood from who-knows-where.
Shen Feng Xue walked up to him, the strong smell of blood emanating from him causing Lin Shuhe to cough violently.
He was on the verge of death; this cough was the last of his strength.
Lin Shuhe's eyes gradually unfocused, and he murmured, "Eleven..." Shen Feng Xue's gaze was deep and unwavering, as if nothing in the world could stir the slightest emotion within them.
He held a ball of light in his hands, looking down at him, his wet white hair dripping with cold water, his face even paler than his hair.
Shen Feng Xue asked softly, "Do you want this opportunity?"
Lin Shuhe gently shook his head. He wanted to say: That's your opportunity, I don't want it.
But at this moment, he couldn't even utter a word.
Shen Feng Xue looked at him and suddenly smiled.
"Indeed," Lin Shuhe said, almost self-deprecatingly, "You wouldn't deign to take this kind of opportunity."
With his last ounce of strength, Lin Shuhe's lips parted slightly, barely a whisper: "I'll leave it for..."
Shen Feng Xue didn't wait for him to finish, directly slapping the nearly dissipated Heavenly Dao opportunity into Lin Shuhe's emaciated body.
Lin Shuhe trembled. His depleted spiritual veins seemed to spring back to life, like a babbling brook flowing into a parched riverbed, instantly filling his body.
Lin Shuhe stared at him, stunned.
Shen Feng Xue slowly rose, his eyes cold and indifferent as he looked at Lin Shuhe, as if the opportunity everyone craved was merely a trivial trinket he could casually bestow.
He said nothing, turned, and left.
Leaving Lin Shuhe with only a shadowy silhouette.
***
At the end of Thirteen Street, Shen Gurong looked curiously at the puppet before him and asked Mu Zhe, "Should we give him a name?"
Mu Zhe was annoyed by the puppet, but seeing Shen Gurong's high spirits, he pretended to be interested as well.
He held an umbrella for Shen Gurong and said, "What name does Master think would be suitable?"
As soon as he asked, Mu Zhe regretted it.
How could someone who could come up with a name like "Shen Weiwu" possibly give a normal person's name? As expected, Shen Gurong, lost in thought, said, "Since it's mine, it should take my surname. Shen, what should I call it? Shen Mumu, Shen Junmei... Wow, I have to say, this face really suits my taste."
Mu Zhe: "..."
Shen Gurong walked to the main street, glanced at the blooming osmanthus trees on both sides of the road, and said, "Let's call it Mu Xi."
Mu Zhe: "..." That's really casual.
However, Mu Xi is a much more normal name than Shen Mumu or Shen Junmei.
Mu Zhe nodded in agreement, "Good name."
Shen Gurong patted the puppet's shoulder and said, "From now on, you'll be called Mu Xi."
Mu Xi nodded, "Yes."
The three of them went to the Spirit Boat Pavilion and rented a spirit boat.
It had been raining continuously in Xianyun City. Traveling by wind would likely result in getting soaked, and Shen Gurong, a pampered young master, was even less inclined to use his spiritual power to travel by wind, given the convenient availability of a spirit boat. Since they weren't in a hurry, they decided to leisurely return to Liren Peak, taking the opportunity to enjoy the surrounding scenery.
Holding the jade token, they arrived at their rented spirit boat. Mu Zhe jumped aboard first, casually extending his hand to Shen Gurong, indicating that his master should help him up.
Getting onto a spirit boat was nothing to Shen Gurong; he wasn't that delicate. However, since his disciple's hand was already outstretched, he couldn't very well refuse, so he simply placed his hand in Mu Zhe's palm.
There was no one else on the spirit boat. Shen Gurong lifted the black veil covering his face, revealing his stunningly beautiful face.
Feeling the warmth in his palm, Mu Zhe's gaze swept over Shen Gurong's lips. His heart skipped a beat, and instinctively he clenched his fist, gripping Shen Gurong's well-defined fingers.
Just then, without warning, Mu Xi, standing behind Shen Gurong, drew his sword from his waist and slashed at Mu Zhe's hand without blinking, showing no mercy.
Shen Gurong was startled and instinctively tried to pull his hand back, but Mu Zhe, for some unknown reason, didn't let go even as the sword fell, instead gripping Shen Gurong's hand even tighter.
Just before Mu Xi's sharp blade struck, Mu Zhe suddenly pulled the unsuspecting Shen Gurong into his arms, the force causing him to stumble backward.
Mu Xi's sword followed, shattering the edge of the spirit boat with a deafening crash.
Mu Zhe could have stood firm, but seeing the somewhat bewildered Shen Gurong, his gaze darkened. He deliberately lost his balance, as if Shen Gurong had bumped into him and knocked him over, falling backwards to the ground.
With a thud.
Shen Gurong pounced into his arms, his knuckles white as he gripped Mu Zhe's collar, his lips nearly touching his face. The open black veil finally drooped down, completely covering their upper bodies.
This fall resulted in a posture that left much to the imagination.
Shen Gurong: "..."
Mu Xi: "..."
Lin Shuhe at the clinic: "..."
He nearly smashed the water mirror, roaring, "Chop...cough cough!"
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