Shen Gurong was startled.
Plague...
He suddenly remembered when he first arrived in this world, the plague demon who had traveled thousands of miles from Youzhou towards Liren Peak, its target being Mu Zhe.
If Mu Zhe's soul truly carried the plague demon from birth, then the strangeness of that year seemed to make sense.
A body burdened with the plague demon was the perfect body for a plague demon to possess.
Unless that plague demon body cultivated the Dao.
A thunderous roar resounded in Shen Gurong's mind.
He suddenly understood completely why Shen Feng Xue had forced Mu Zhe to cultivate the Dao, even if it meant Mu Zhe hated him, using countless marrow-cleansing elixirs to force him to enter the Dao.
In the original book, Mu Zhe was spoiled by Shen Feng Xue and never entered the Dao, which is why he was possessed by the plague demon at the age of six, killing Li Suo and allowing the "Lian Gou" to return to Li Genglan's hands.
This indirectly led to Li Genglan's escape from the Burial Mound ten years later, relying on the Lian Gou Sword and bewitching Yu Xinghe.
Shen Feng Xue must have known about this, which is why he forcibly changed Mu Zhe's fate before Shen Gurong arrived.
Shen Feng Xue was no longer the doting master in the book; he completely changed his methods, even sacrificing half of his own primordial core to force Mu Zhe to enter the Dao.
Therefore, when the plague demon possessed someone, it didn't completely seize Mu Zhe's body, but merely possessed him.
Shen Gurong's mind was in turmoil, feeling as if he had learned something extraordinary.
The Human-Faced Tree, unaware of his shock, continued, "Eat the fruit, eat the fruit."
Shen Gurong finally looked at the unassuming fruit properly and asked, "This fruit... can it really cure the plague?"
The Human-Faced Tree nodded frantically, its leaves almost burying Shen Gurong again.
Shen Gurong brushed aside the leaves, glanced at the vibrant, juicy fruit, and thought, "Better safe than sorry."
He picked one up and examined it closely. Finding no poison or strange spiritual energy, he put it in his mouth, intending to test it for his disciple.
After all, his cultivation was already at the Great Ascension stage; no poison could kill him.
The fruit melted into a clear stream with a gentle touch, sliding slowly down his throat, invigorating him.
The human-faced tree, having been alone here for so many years, finally found someone to talk to. Now, it was happily shaking its head, and Shen Gurong, having been buried in it so many times, was afraid it would shake itself bald.
After waiting a while, seeing no abnormalities in the fruit, Shen Gurong gradually relaxed.
The sounds from the nest not far away grew fainter.
A quarter of an hour later, all was silent. Shen Gurong stood up abruptly, looking somewhat nervously towards the entrance of the nest.
Soon, a stench of blood filled the air. Mu Zhe, covered in blood, emerged from the lair, clutching the Jiu Xi Sword, his face expressionless.
Shen Gurong breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief.
But for some reason, seeing Mu Zhe's cold, piercing eyes and the inexplicably calming aura emanating from him, Shen Gurong's heart skipped a beat again.
This time, it was even stronger than before; Shen Gurong felt as if his heart was about to leap out of his chest.
'Oh no!' Shen Gurong thought, clutching his chest. 'Could it be because of the Daoist Pact? Why do I find Mu Zhe so…'
...so handsome and alluring?
The Human-Faced Tree glanced at him and said, "You two are Daoist partners?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Gurong immediately denied it: "No." The Human-Faced Tree looked at his slightly flushed cheeks, unsure why he denied it, and simply remained silent.
Only then did Shen Gurong belatedly realize he needed to break his contract with Mu Zhe. He glanced down and inadvertently noticed a bruise around his wrist, his eyes suddenly lighting up.
He patted the face-shaped tree and said, "Hey, do me a favor." The face-shaped tree had never been needed like this before, and immediately nodded vigorously.
Shen Gurong struggled to pull himself out of the pile of withered leaves, and seeing Mu Zhe approaching, he lowered his head again, somewhat embarrassed.
"No, I still can't look directly." Mu Zhe had obtained the opportunity from the nest and quickly came out to find his master. But just as he was about to reach his master, he suddenly saw two vines extend from the quiet tree behind his master, grabbing Shen Gurong's wrists and pulling him backward.
Shen Gurong was now roughly bound to the tree trunk.
Mu Zhe's pupils contracted sharply, the barely fading crimson pupils dilating instantly widening. His face cold and sharp, he gripped his sword and charged forward, slashing at the vines.
But the next instant, the vines were completely unharmed, yet the shock nearly made Jiu Xi's head spin.
Mu Zhe was stunned.
Shen Gurong's eyes were slightly lowered; it was unclear whether he had already fainted. His hands were bound, leaning against a tree trunk, the visible marks on his wrists particularly striking.
Mu Zhe reacted swiftly, immediately abandoning his sword and rushing forward to grab Shen Gurong's slender waist, pulling him into his arms and using all his strength to pry the vines off his hands.
But the moment his hands touched the vines, the tightly bound tendrils completely loosened, and Shen Gurong slumped into Mu Zhe's arms.
Mu Zhe was stunned for a moment.
Before he could react, he heard Shen Gurong's smug exclamation: "Got it!"
Mu Zhe inwardly cried out in alarm, about to pull away and push Shen Gurong away, when he saw Shen Gurong, who should have been "asleep," suddenly open his eyes, his gaze flashing with a fury that threatened to expel him from the sect.
Mu Zhe: "..."
His master had actually schemed against him!
To break the contract, he was willing to go to such lengths; Mu Zhe knew he had truly underestimated his master's ability to cause trouble.
Shen Gurong was now tightly embraced by Mu Zhe, his waist held firmly in his arms, the two pressed close together, their breaths mingling, able to see each other's long eyelashes.
Shen Gurong had been preparing his words of expulsion from the sect, but when he met Mu Zhe's eyes, he suddenly froze.
Then, his heart began to pound uncontrollably again.
Straining his last shred of sanity, Shen Gurong resisted Mu Zhe's temptation, stammering out the words he had prepared beforehand: "You...you dare to offend...Master..." Before he could finish, Mu Zhe, who had been holding him tightly, suddenly collapsed, pulling him to the ground.
Caught off guard, Shen Gurong was thrown down, but thankfully the ground was covered in layers of withered leaves, so the impact wasn't too painful.
The two lay on the fallen leaves, still embracing, their white and black hair intertwined against the yellowing branches, creating an inexplicably alluring and ambiguous scene.
Mu Zhe's eyes were tightly closed, his expression pained, as if he had been seriously injured and had already fallen unconscious.
Shen Gurong: "..."
I...I hadn't finished speaking.
Wake up!
Another golden opportunity, missed.
Shen Gurong was filled with hatred.
***
When Mu Zhe woke up again, he felt as if his master was muttering and cursing in his ear.
"Why did you have to faint now of all times? Were you doing it on purpose?"
"I'm so angry! I'm so angry!"
"If I reacted after he woke up, wouldn't it seem even more dramatic? After all, he was trying to save me."
"I...I guess I'm wrong too. He was injured, and I schemed against him."
Mu Zhe: "..."
Hearing Shen Gurong take all the blame in just a few words, Mu Zhe was both amused and exasperated.
He slowly opened his eyes, propped himself up on his arms, and found that they were still under the same tree.
Shen Gurong was squatting to the side, "meditating" with his eyes closed. He opened his eyes when he heard the sound and said calmly, "Awake?"
Mu Zhe noticed that his blood-stained clothes had been changed, and he was now wrapped in his master's white robes. His master had probably changed himself to avoid getting dirty.
Mu Zhe stood up, straightened his clothes, and nodded, saying, "Thank you, Master."
Shen Gurong: "Hmph."
Mu Zhe: "?"
Still angry?
He was still thinking when he heard Shen Gurong say, "Why are you so tall? Changing clothes almost killed me."
Mu Zhe: "..."
After complaining, Shen Gurong realized he was being unreasonable and didn't say anything more. He casually handed Mu Zhe a fruit wrapped in withered leaves, saying, "Eat."
Seeing this, Mu Zhe didn't even ask a question, directly taking it and stuffing it into his mouth.
Shen Gurong was stunned for a moment when he saw Mu Zhe's completely unguarded trust in him before awkwardly turning his head away.
The feeling of being unconditionally trusted surged through his body like a warm current. He finally understood why the Human-Faced Tree had swayed as if it had been caught in a storm when he trusted it earlier.
He now wanted to sway back and forth on his tiptoes too.
Seeing Mu Zhe quickly finish the fruit, Shen Gurong asked, "Aren't you going to ask me what kind of fruit this is?"
Mu Zhe shook his head: "Master wouldn't harm me."
Shen Gurong: "..."
Shen Gurong's face almost turned red.
He had begun to notice that, for some reason, he always blushed inexplicably when he was around Mu Zhe.
"It must be that Daoist contract playing tricks again!" Shen Gurong resolved, "I must make Mu Zhe break the contract with me!"
He never wanted to blush in front of a man—especially his disciple—again.
How could this be so improper?
Shen Gurong coughed and explained to Mu Zhe, "These are fruits that cure the plague poison—do you know you have the plague poison in your body?"
Mu Zhe was taken aback: "No."
"I thought so too." Shen Gurong sighed and said, "Do you remember when you were almost possessed by a plague demon when you were young?"
Mu Zhe, who had almost killed Li Suo that time, naturally remembered it clearly, and he nodded.
Shen Gurong said, "You were born with a plague toxin, making you an ideal candidate for possession by a plague demon. To avoid this threat, you must enter the Dao."
Mu Zhe was stunned for a long time, his face suddenly turning pale.
What Shen Gurong could easily understand, Mu Zhe could naturally understand as well.
Shen Feng Xue wasn't some strange person deliberately tormenting children; he had only wanted to save Mu Zhe from beginning to end.
Even though Mu Zhe knew his master hadn't intended to harm him, now that he understood Shen Feng Xue's true purpose, Mu Zhe still felt ashamed of his past self, who had only known to resent Shen Feng Xue without knowing the truth.
Back then… what was his master thinking when he treated him so coldly?
Mu Zhe suddenly dared not think further.
If he hadn't possessed that half of his yuandan, and hadn't heard his master's innermost thoughts, would he have spent his entire life believing his master to be a hypocritical beast in human clothing?
Mu Zhe suddenly shuddered.
There was also the matter of possession…
Mu Zhe stood frozen in place for a long time before looking at Shen Gurong in confusion and murmuring a question.
“Master, are you…possessing someone?”
Shen Gurong froze, then his face turned deathly pale.
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