High-Risk Master - Chapter 86: I Killed Mu Zhe

One note of the chi.

Mr. Li's smile remained unchanged.

Two notes of the chi.

Mr. Li's face stiffened slightly.

Three notes of the chi.

Mr. Li looked pale.

When the piece ended, Shen Gurong said nervously, "Mr. Li, how was it?"

Mr. Li bowed deeply, his body trembling like a leaf: "This...this...this..."

Shen Gurong knew from his reaction that he must have played terribly, but he wasn't discouraged.

Because he injured his head as a child, Shen Gurong was ill for a long time. After recovering, his breath was always short. He was skilled in all the arts, but when it came to playing wind instruments, it was like a demonic cacophony; even a funeral dirge sounded better than his.

Undeterred, Shen Gurong noticed Mr. Li's slightly distorted face and tentatively suggested, "How about Mr. Li teaches me note by note, one by one, please?"

Mr. Li hesitated, "This..."

Shen Gurong quickly replied, "I certainly won't skimp on the money."

After all, Xi Guxing was paying.

Mr. Li was so impressed by Shen Gurong's piece that he could only utter "this," but the immortal's demeanor was so serene that it created a misconception.

"Just now, the immortal must have made a mistake. Besides, it's too difficult for a beginner to play a piece directly. Learning note by note, the immortal will surely be able to produce heavenly music."

Mr. Li successfully numbed himself, reverting to his previous kind and gentle demeanor, and continued teaching Shen Gurong.

Shen Gurong studied for three days straight, feeling his progress was rapid. He thought that if he played it for his teacher at home, his teacher would surely praise him.

He happily indulged in his daydreams.

Rain began early in the morning, its gentle patter tapping against the carved wooden windows.

Shen Gurong opened the window, sat on the soft couch, and tilted his head to look at the courtyard.

Before leaving, Mu Zhe had planted a row of ink bamboo and several peach trees in the courtyard. Perhaps worried that Chao Jiuxiao might destroy the courtyard again with his raging storm, he had also placed a protective barrier around them to shield them from the downpour.

Because of the barrier, the light rain floated on the bamboo and peach trees, appearing from afar like a layer of mist, ethereal and otherworldly.

Shen Gurong admired the rain while waiting for Mr. Li to arrive, sighing, "It's so good to have Mu Zhe by my side." He took care of everything so meticulously, leaving Shen Gurong with nothing to worry about.

Normally, Mr. Li would have arrived by now, but Shen Gurong waited and waited without seeing him. A moment later, Xi Guxing arrived instead.

Xi Guxing, dressed in black and holding an umbrella, arrived, the hem of his robe brushing against the blooming orchids in the courtyard flowerbed.

Shen Gurong rose to greet him, "Senior Brother, what brings you here?"

Xi Guxing slammed his umbrella shut and tossed it aside, glaring at him with exasperation. "Mr. Li is the renowned Bamboo Chi Master of Fuxian City. Shen Eleven, you're quite something, managing to anger him so much that he'll never leave the mountain again."

Shen Gurong: "..."

Shen Gurong: "Huh?"

Xi Guxing had Mu Xi pour him a cup of tea, took a sip, and said, "Yesterday, Mr. Li came to see me, saying, 'I can't teach this boy.' I thought he was just politely declining, but I didn't expect him not to come today."

Shen Gurong: "..."

Shen Gurong said dryly, "Didn't you give him enough money?"

Xi Guxing nearly spat out his water, angrily retorting, "You have the nerve to say I didn't give him enough money?!"

When inviting Mr. Li, Xi Guxing had specifically gone down the mountain to exchange spirit stones for two hundred taels of silver, thinking that no matter how much Shen Eleven played his demonic music, two hundred taels would be enough to get Mr. Li to teach him to barely produce human-like sounds.

As Mr. Li politely indicated his intention to leave, Xi Guxing hurriedly said, "How about I give you some more silver? Five hundred taels, would that be alright?"

Mr. Li's face was ashen, as if he had aged several years overnight. His eyes glazed over as he gazed in the direction of Fanjiang Residence, then a pitiful expression appeared on his face as he said with difficulty, "Immortal, I'll give you five hundred taels, please find someone else."

Xi Guxing: "..."

Xi Guxing: "???"

What kind of devilish torture had Shen Eleven inflicted on Mr. Li's ears?!

Mr. Li's lifelong yearning for immortals ended here.

Xi Guxing angrily tossed the silver to Shen Gurong, saying, "You're truly a freak."

Shen Gurong tilted his head: "Is Senior Brother praising me?"

Xi Guxing snapped, "What do you think?!"

Shen Gurong dared not utter a sound.

Seeing him stroking the precious bamboo flute, looking utterly dejected, Xi Guxing's anger quickly subsided.

That's just how he is; his anger towards Shen Eleven never lasts long.

—Mainly because if he were angry for too long, he'd probably have been driven to death by Shen Eleven long ago.

“Stop learning,” Xi Guxing advised him. “I remember you play the jade zither and konghou quite well. Don't waste your time on the bamboo flute. Every time you play the bamboo flute, I suspect you're trying to take Jiuxiao down with you.”

Shen Gurong: “…”

Shen Gurong felt inexplicably melancholy. He stroked the bamboo flute in his hand, his fingertips slowly caressing the two characters “Feng Xue”.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally said softly, "Okay."

Seeing his agreement, Xi Guxing silently breathed a sigh of relief and said, "If you find Fanjiang Residence boring, I'll add an extra morning lesson for you at Zhibai Hall."

Shen Gurong looked up: "What morning lesson?"

Xi Guxing asked, "What do you want to teach?"

Shen Gurong said, "Bamboo..."

Xi Guxing interrupted him, looking pale: "Besides bamboo flutes."

Shen Gurong: "..."

Shen Gurong tilted his head and thought for a moment, then said, "I know a little bit of everything, but my best skill is probably painting."

Xi Guxing rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on: "That's something you only learn in morning lessons at mortal private schools. We don't need to learn it."

Shen Gurong said "Oh," and then fell silent again.

Xi Guxing, oblivious to his expression, hesitated before saying, "Adding...adding a painting lesson isn't out of the question."

Shen Gurong's eyes lit up: "Senior Brother!"

Xi Guxing, irritated by that look, immediately snapped, "You..."

"...Don't whine! Okay, okay, I understand." Shen Gurong interrupted, "Since Senior Brother said I can take mortal classes, can I change it?"

Xi Guxing frowned, a sudden bad feeling creeping in: "Change to what?"

Shen Gurong smiled, saying calmly, "Storytelling."

Xi Guxing: "..."

"Get lost!!!"

In the end, Shen Gurong chose the zither from among the four arts: zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. He needed to paint beautiful women, and from his brief glance a few days ago, none of the disciples of Zhibai Hall had caught his eye.

Teaching the zither is fine.

The news that the disciples of Liren Peak had been given a new morning lesson each month spread, causing much grumbling among them. However, when they learned that their instructor was Holy Lord Shen, they immediately became excited, wishing they could have his lesson every single day of the month.

Thus, Shen Gurong's lessons began.

Shen Gurong's zither playing was taught to him by his elder brother. As a child, he had to practice for one or two hours every day, and if he played a single wrong note, his brother would punish him with a willow branch.

Over time, Shen Gurong became a skilled zither player, renowned far and wide in Huitang City.

Clad in white, Shen Gurong sat gracefully at the table, his delicate hands plucking the strings. Heavenly music flowed gently, its lingering notes echoing endlessly.

This was truly the bearing of a celestial being.

The disciples were extremely excited every morning for their lesson, unsure whether they were there to learn the zither or simply to watch the Holy Lord play.

One day, the disciples went down the mountain to Fuxian City to purchase cinnabar. In the bookstore, they held their faces in their hands, praising the Holy Lord's superb zither music to their companions, describing it as heavenly and enchanting.

Mr. Li, passing by, overheard this and gently shook his head with a sigh.

"What a fine child, so young and already blind in his ears."

Shen Gurong enjoyed a rare period of peace on Liren Peak.

He had already altered the fates of Yu Xinghe and Mu Zhe, but Shen Feng Xue, who had pulled him into this world, seemed dead, not even appearing in his dreams, causing Shen Gurong great distress.

But he didn't even know how he had been pulled into this book, let alone how to escape. He could only drift along, waiting to die, while pinning his hopes on the Gu Hong Secret Realm four years later.

Mu Zhe, away, would send a monthly report of his safety using a disciple contract. One day, when the bright red disciple contract flew over unintentionally, it was directly witnessed by Xi Guxing.

Xi Guxing discovered that Shen Gurong had already formed a sworn brotherhood with Mu Zhe, and angrily berated him for several hours.

"You're the master! How can you so eagerly form a sworn brotherhood with your disciple?! You didn't even hold a proper ceremony!" Xi Guxing was furious. "If word gets out, what will people say about you?!"

Shen Gurong, scolded so harshly he didn't dare utter a sound, sat calmly to the side, and whispered, "What others think doesn't matter to me."

Xi Guxing: "You dare talk back?!"

Shen Gurong immediately fell silent.

Xi Guxing's thinking was a little different from others. 

When Shen Gurong thanked him, he scolded him for not being affectionate; when Shen Gurong acted affectionately, he scolded him for not being provocative; when Shen Gurong offered a reasoned rebuttal, he scolded him for not talking back.

This behavior felt strangely familiar.

Shen Gurong pondered for a long time, then exclaimed, "Ah!" and suddenly said, "Like my mother!"

Xi Guxing exploded again: "You dare to insult me?!"

Shen Gurong: "..."

Shen Gurong muttered softly, "I just think you look like my mother. No matter what I do, you can always find fault with it."

Xi Guxing: "..."

Shen Gurong thought his words would enrage Xi Guxing, but unexpectedly, Xi Guxing's anger receded like a tide. 

He stared at Shen Gurong blankly for a while before whispering, "What do you mean, 'your mother'? You're an orphan, where would you get a mother?"

Shen Gurong was stunned, almost breaking out in a cold sweat.

He had been too comfortable in this book, almost forgetting that he wasn't Shen Feng Xue.

Shen Gurong coughed, touched his nose, and mumbled, "Aren't all mothers like this? I was just saying it casually, don't take it seriously."

Xi Guxing then glared at him and didn't continue the topic.

"The disciple's contract formation is extremely complex. Even a single mistake could alter the entire formation. Show me your contract."

Shen Gurong, fearing further scolding, obediently showed him his disciple's contract.

Xi Guxing looked at it, then looked again, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper. Finally, he called Lou Bugui over to look at it together.

Shen Gurong asked curiously, "I carved it stroke by stroke according to the formation's instructions. There shouldn't be any mistakes, right?"

Xi Guxing looked at Lou Bugui, and the two exchanged glances.

Finally, Xi Guxing said uncertainly, "Perhaps we should ask Senior Sister to come back."

Lou Bugui nodded.

Shen Gurong: "???"

Shen Gurong panicked a little: "What do you mean? Is there something wrong with my formation? Mu Zhe and I have been communicating through this contract for two years, and there haven't been any problems."

Xi Guxing covered half his face and said with difficulty, "Can you let me calm down first?"

Shen Gurong saw Xi Guxing's dejected expression for the first time, and he panicked even more. But no matter how he pressed, Xi Guxing and Lou Bugui wouldn't reveal a single word, seemingly unsure whether the formation was flawed or not, so they couldn't make a hasty judgment.

Three days later, Su Xiyan rushed back from Youzhou.

She looked at Shen Gurong's red disciple contract, and under Shen Gurong's expectant gaze, turned to Xi Guxing and said, "Congratulations."

Xi Guxing was delighted: "It's a disciple contract?"

Su Xiyan said softly, "It's a Daoist partner contract."

Xi Guxing: "..."

Shen Gurong: "..."

Shen Gurong: "???"

Shen Gurong: "!!!"

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