Mu Zhe was decisive and efficient. After deciding to go to the demon realm, he packed his things that very night, planning to depart early the next morning.
Shen Gurong had initially hoped Mu Zhe would go and gain experience, but the thought of his departure filled him with a strange sense of loss.
He rummaged through Shen Feng Xue's storage rings and found a pile of protective magical items. He held them all in his hands, as if he didn't need spirit stones, intending to give them to Mu Zhe.
When Shen Gurong arrived at the side room, Mu Zhe was staring blankly at the beads on his wrist.
Hearing familiar footsteps, Mu Zhe quickly stood up: "Master."
Shen Gurong raised an eyebrow: "All packed?"
Mu Zhe replied: "Nothing much to pack."
Shen Gurong glanced at him casually and noticed he wasn't even wearing a storage ring. He asked in confusion: "Why aren't you bringing anything?"
Mu Zhe smiled and said calmly: "That's what training is all about."
"Nonsense." Shen Gurong frowned. "The Great Swamp of Taozhou might hold a major upheaval. It's one thing for you to go alone, but you're planning to go without any magical artifacts. What if something happens..."
Mu Zhe retorted: "But if everything depends on magical artifacts, then I'll just hide in a turtle shell and wait to die."
Shen Gurong: "..."
Shen Gurong looked at him in surprise, wondering why Mu Zhe was suddenly so stubborn, ignoring even his master's words.
Realizing his words had been too forceful, Mu Zhe quickly softened his voice, saying gently, "My cultivation has already reached the Nascent Soul stage; no demon will harm me."
Shen Gurong was still worried: "But that Demon Lord's cultivation is much higher than yours..."
Mu Zhe smiled: "The Demon Lord wouldn't bother with a junior like me. Master, you're overthinking it."
Shen Gurong pouted in displeasure, looking extremely unhappy.
Mu Zhe was already adept at coaxing him, saying, "If there's danger, I'll run, okay?"
Shen Gurong muttered, "Then why are you even training?"
Mu Zhe: "..."
Mu Zhe almost burst out laughing.
Shen Gurong regretted his words immediately, feeling like a resentful woman confined to her chambers. He coughed lightly, casually tossing the magical artifacts he held to him, saying, "You don't have to take your own, but you must take these."
Mu Zhe paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled, gently holding the valuable artifacts in his palm, and softly said, "Yes."
Shen Gurong sat there blankly for a while, realizing there was nothing more to say, and then got up to leave.
Before leaving, he said, "You must come back alive."
Mu Zhe: "Of course."
Shen Gurong then left, turning back every few steps.
Since arriving in this world, Mu Zhe had been the person Shen Gurong interacted with the most. Mu Zhe's sudden departure left Shen Gurong with a rather uneasy feeling.
“Children grow up and always have to leave,” Shen Gurong comforted himself. “You should first figure out how to go home.”
Mu Zhe and Yu Xinghe’s fates had already been completely altered, and the demonic cultivator in the burial mound no longer had the ability to leave. This should already be considered saving the people Shen Feng Xue wanted to save.
So, when exactly could he go home?
Shen Gurong returned to his room and lay down for a while, still feeling a bit suffocated. He tossed and turned for a long time, finally gritting his teeth and getting up. He retrieved the contract’s magic array from Shen Feng Xue’s memories and went to find Mu Zhe with a grim face.
Mu Zhe was still lost in thought. Hearing footsteps, he looked at him with some surprise.
"Master, is there anything else you need?"
Shen Gurong stood expressionlessly before him and said, "Extract a wisp of your spiritual energy from your sea of consciousness and give it to me."
Mu Zhe was taken aback: "What?"
Shen Gurong: "Just do as I say."
Mu Zhe trusted him unconditionally, so he didn't ask any further questions. He closed his eyes, pressed his hand to his brow, and slowly extracted a wisp of spiritual energy mixed with black lines.
The feeling of forcibly extracting spiritual energy from the sea of consciousness was unpleasant; Mu Zhe's forehead was covered in sweat, but he didn't utter a sound, handing the spiritual energy to Shen Gurong with trembling hands.
Shen Gurong said, "Don't move."
Mu Zhe closed his eyes and said, "Yes."
Shen Gurong took a deep breath, and extracted a wisp of spiritual energy from the sea of consciousness in the same way. Then, he bit his finger and quickly drew an intricate rune in the air. A magic circle appeared, drawing the spiritual energy of both of them into it.
With a soft, resounding boom, a red and a black thread intertwined, finally coalescing into a knot.
After withdrawing his spiritual energy, Shen Gurong vaguely felt a faint connection between his consciousness and Mu Zhe's.
The disciple contract was complete.
Mu Zhe opened his eyes, looking at him blankly: "Master, this is…"
Shen Gurong put a finger to his lips: "Shh."
Mu Zhe immediately became cautious.
"Xi Guxing originally planned to wait until you came of age to form the disciple contract," Shen Gurong said softly, "Don't tell him."
Otherwise, Xi Guxing would scold him to death.
Mu Zhe stared blankly at Shen Gurong's pale face, his eyes seemingly rippling with emotion. He murmured, "Master, I'm sorry for the offense."
Shen Gurong tilted his head. Hmm? Another offense?
Before he could finish his thought, Mu Zhe suddenly strode forward, opened his arms, and embraced him tightly.
Shen Gurong: "..."
It was just a hug, what's so offensive about that?
Shen Gurong returned Mu Zhe's hug with a loving expression.
Mu Zhe whispered, "Wait for me to come back."
Shen Gurong said, "Okay."
Mu Zhe hugged him almost greedily for a while longer before reluctantly letting go.
The next morning, Mu Zhe got up and went down the mountain before dawn without telling anyone.
Shen Gurong had originally planned to see his disciple off, unusually getting up early without fussing, only to be told that Mu Zhe had already left.
Shen Gurong suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.
He had only just decided to go out for training, and Mu Zhe could leave without even saying goodbye. If he returned in a few years, would he no longer respect him as his master?
He stood at the Boundary Spirit Tablet for a long time, staring at the empty mountain steps, and sighed.
Mu Zhe was already gone, and he couldn't bring him back, so he had to give up.
In the days following Mu Zhe's departure, Shen Gurong felt unwell. He was used to Mu Zhe's pampering and constant presence, and his sudden absence felt very strange.
For the first few days, Shen Gurong would always forget to bring a change of clothes when he went to the backyard to bathe. He would return to his room soaking wet, wrapped in clothes formed from spiritual energy, which was very uncomfortable.
Perhaps sensing his distraction, three days later, Xi Guxing came carrying a glass bottle.
Shen Gurong was lying in a rocking chair, basking in the sun. His fair skin grew even paler with each ray of sunshine.
Seeing Xi Guxing approach, he nodded slightly. "Senior Brother, what is it?"
Xi Guxing held out his hand. "That wooden puppet... give it to me."
Shen Gurong hesitated for a moment before pulling the puppet from his sleeve and handing it to Xi Guxing. "Its spiritual power seems to have run out; it can't grow any larger."
Xi Guxing opened a glass bottle and poured spiritual power into the puppet, saying, "The ghostly energy on it comes from Sixth Junior Brother. Once it's depleted, it's useless; it needs replenishing."
Shen Gurong looked on curiously. "Is this the ghostly energy Sixth Senior Brother sent?"
"Yes." Xi Guxing finally finished pouring the power in, casually tossing the puppet to the ground. It immediately transformed into human form upon landing.
Mu Xi opened its wooden eyes and bowed to Shen Gurong. "Holy Lord."
Shen Gurong finally found someone who could be with him at any time. He nodded.
Xi Guxing said, "Stop thinking about Mu Zhe all the time. You should find something to do for yourself."
Shen Gurong instructed Mu Xi to make him tea, and said indifferently, "I have nothing to do."
He just wanted to go home.
Xi Guxing glanced at him and said, "The Gu Hong Secret Realm will open in four years. Jiuxiao will probably go there to seek the opportunity to transform into a dragon. Do you want to go and see?"
Shen Gurong tilted his head: "The Gu Hong Secret Realm?"
Xi Guxing nodded.
The Gu Hong Secret Realm extends into the icy snowfields of the northernmost city of the Three Realms, opening once every twenty years.
Cultivators of the Three Realms also call the Gu Hong Secret Realm the Heavenly Dao's Back Garden, because unlike other secret realms, it doesn't contain countless spiritual objects or artifacts. The Gu Hong Secret Realm only contains countless ferocious beasts and opportunities that can only be obtained through luck.
Back then, after Shen Feng Xue suppressed the demonic cultivators, he went to the secret realm. He obtained a great opportunity bestowed by the Heavenly Dao as soon as he entered the edge of the secret realm.
Opportunities are entirely dependent on luck, or only those with great merit are bestowed by Heaven. Some people spend their entire lives without ever obtaining one, while others encounter them with every step they take in the Gu Hong Secret Realm.
Shen Gurong thought for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up.
Since Shen Feng Xue was unreliable, he had no choice but to find his way home himself.
Since the Gu Hong Secret Realm was an opportunity sent down by Heaven, would Heaven take pity on him for being innocently dragged into this world and grant him the opportunity to return home?
Thinking this way, Shen Gurong's bewildered state of mind, which had been lingering for the past few days, instantly dissipated.
He regained his spirits and nodded, saying, "Okay."
Seeing his renewed enthusiasm, Xi Guxing silently breathed a sigh of relief.
"By the way," Xi Guxing glanced at the bamboo flute on the table, "I found you a bamboo flute master. Would you like to learn?"
Shen Gurong was taken aback.
Ten years ago, when Xi Guxing confiscated his bamboo flute, he had promised to find him a bamboo flute master. He hadn't expected that after so much time, Xi Guxing would still remember.
Shen Gurong smiled slightly and said calmly, "Thank you, Senior Brother."
Xi Guxing was startled, his ears suddenly turning red. He roared angrily, "Don't..."
Shen Gurong, unable to bear it any longer, interrupted him, saying in unison, "Don't be coquettish!—I know, I know, I won't be coquettish, I won't thank you anymore, Sect Leader Xi."
Xi Guxing: "..."
Having his words cut off, Xi Guxing stormed off in anger.
The bamboo flute master was hired from a private school in Fuxian City. He was over fifty years old. Seeing Shen Gurong in his blue robes, he immediately trembled, wanting to kneel down.
"Immortal, Immortal!"
Shen Gurong caught him, saying, "No need for formalities, you are my teacher, Sir."
After he finished speaking, his brow furrowed slightly.
Shen Gurong felt a bit pretentious. It was just a simple "Sir," a title he was used to using back in Tangcheng. Suddenly, he was addressing someone else as "Sir," and he felt inexplicably awkward.
He asked dryly, "What is your surname, Sir?"
The gentleman replied, "Li."
Shen Gurong said, "Mr. Li, thank you for your trouble."
Mr. Li quickly replied, "I dare not. It is my honor to teach the immortal the bamboo flute."
Seeing that the polite formalities were going on and on, Shen Gurong simply stopped talking.
Mr. Li brought a bamboo flute, polished smooth as jade, and explained its features to Shen Gurong step by step.
"The bamboo flute is fourteen inches long, with six holes..."
Shen Gurong already knew how to play the bamboo flute by heart. While listening to Mr. Li, he casually stroked the bamboo flute in his hands.
After an unknown amount of time, Mr. Li finally finished speaking and looked at Shen Gurong with a hint of anticipation, saying, "Your Majesty, would you like to try playing it first?"
Mr. Li had lived half his life and had never seen anyone so ethereal. People said that cultivating oneself to become an immortal was indeed true.
Immortals were omnipotent, able to summon clouds and rain; playing the bamboo flute must be exceptional.
He just didn't understand why an immortal would spend so much money to hire a mere mortal like him to teach them.
Mr. Li's eyes brightened slightly as he looked at Shen Gurong.
Shen Gurong felt a little guilty, afraid he wouldn't improve at all, so he said reservedly, "You… perhaps you could teach me a simple tune first?"
Mr. Li nodded and immediately taught him a folk tune, which, with just a few notes, produced an extremely beautiful tone.
He looked at the immortal expectantly.
The immortal figured the tune was quite simple and that he could give it a try.
He took a deep breath silently and held the bamboo flute to his lips.
Comments
Post a Comment