High-Risk Master - Chapter 96: Feng Xue Gu Rong

Shen Gurong hadn't expected Mu Zhe to ask such a sudden question. For a quarter of an hour, he was completely stunned.

His mind went blank with fear. He instinctively wanted to back away, but his body seemed frozen, completely unable to move. He just stared at Mu Zhe, pale and terrified.

Mu Zhe himself was stunned after asking the question, and Shen Gurong's reaction indirectly told him the answer.

His master... Shen Feng Xue had indeed been possessed.

For a moment, Mu Zhe couldn't describe his feelings. His heart ached, but seeing Shen Gurong so frightened, he felt excruciating heartache.

He didn't know how to face Shen Gurong, nor how to make up for the harm he had caused Shen Feng Xue back then.

In a daze, a hazy memory suddenly flashed through Mu Zhe's mind.

In the center of the crimson pavilion, Shen Feng Xue's slender fingers held little Mu Zhe's hand, murmuring, "Don't be afraid of me."

But Mu Zhe, overwhelmed by pain, couldn't hear anything; his voice was hoarse and he could utter no sound. He could only be held tightly in Shen Feng Xue's arms, biting down hard on his arm.

Blood immediately gushed out, but Shen Feng Xue ignored it, still holding Mu Zhe tightly.

Both were covered in blood.

But upon closer inspection, most of the blood was flowing from Shen Feng Xue's abdomen.

He had forcibly removed half of his primordial core.

Mu Zhe, suffering less than a fraction of Shen Feng Xue's pain, was obsessed, biting his savior as if he wanted to devour him whole.

Shen Feng Xue remained unmoved, looking down at him with sorrow.

The one he desperately tried to save was the one who hated him the most.

Mu Zhe's eyes suddenly reddened.

In stark contrast to Mu Zhe, Shen Gurong was trembling with fear. He stared at Mu Zhe in terror, his throat feeling as if it were filled with blood, his mouth tasting of it.

Mu Zhe… Mu Zhe knew about his possession…

Even though he hadn't come to this world willingly, even though Shen Feng Xue had dragged him into a world that didn't belong to him, the sudden exposure of his possession still filled Shen Gurong with uncontrollable fear.

He had never felt time pass so slowly, as if every breath, every moment of silence, was pushing him towards utter ruin.

Being exposed about the possession shouldn't have caused Shen Gurong this much panic. After all, only Mu Zhe had discovered it; even if he told Xi Guxing and the others, no one would believe him.

But Shen Gurong was still afraid.

He was afraid Mu Zhe would think he was some wandering ghost who had taken over Shen Feng Xue's body through some sinister act.

He feared Mu Zhe would think he was a ruthless ghost cultivator…

The more Shen Gurong thought about it, the more panicked he became, yet he couldn't understand where this panic came from.

Because the one who exposed him… was it Mu Zhe?

Just as Shen Gurong was almost breathless with fear, a faint sigh suddenly reached his ears.

He looked up in shock and found that the surrounding scene had changed drastically. The tree with the human face was gone, the fallen leaves were gone…

Mu Zhe was gone too.

In its place, amidst a vast expanse of snow, stood a man dressed in white.

He tilted his head slightly, revealing a handsome face.

It was Shen Feng Xue.

Shen Feng Xue wasn't wearing his Ice Silk, his eyes held a strange crimson glint, his face was calm and composed, still exuding the aura of a cold and aloof immortal lord.

He said calmly, "Don't be afraid."

Shen Gurong was stunned, then overjoyed.

Shen Feng Xue had finally come to save his life! Seeing Shen Feng Xue, Shen Gurong's tense breath finally relaxed, and his legs went weak, causing him to collapse to the ground.

Shen Feng Xue slowly walked to him, knelt on one knee before him, and whispered, "He won't do anything to you, don't be afraid of him."

Shen Gurong nodded, finally feeling much more at ease.

After catching his breath, he looked up at Shen Feng Xue and said softly, "I want to go home."

Shen Feng Xue was taken aback.

Shen Gurong raised his hand and tugged at Shen Feng Xue's white sleeve, whispering, "Mu Zhe and Yu Xinghe's fates have changed. You've achieved your goal. Can I go home now?"

Shen Feng Xue was slightly stunned, momentarily at a loss for words.

"I want to go home." Shen Gurong said in a slightly aggrieved tone, as if he were pleading. He had only intended to evoke Shen Feng Xue's compassion so he would take him home, but as he spoke, his feigned grievance inexplicably transformed into genuine distress.

When Shen Gurong first arrived, he was only sixteen years old. In a world where cultivators lived for hundreds or even thousands of years, he was merely an innocent child.

He was alone in this strange world, surrounded by strangers. He could only survive by clinging to the fragmented memories of this body, dealing with people he barely knew.

When he first arrived, he lived in constant fear of being discovered. He had drifted through so many years in a daze, barely managing to adapt, only to be unexpectedly exposed by his closest confidant.

Suddenly, without warning, two tears streamed down Shen Gurong's face. The fear and grievances accumulated over the years finally erupted in that instant.

"I just want to go home." Shen Gurong clutched Shen Feng Xue's sleeve, sobbing uncontrollably. "Please, let me go home. I've done everything you asked. Can you please take me home?"

He didn't want to be trapped in this strange world anymore, relying on his meager courage to forcibly pretend to be the omnipotent Holy Lord of the Three Realms, Shen Feng Xue. He didn't want to live that life of constant fear anymore.

He was just an ordinary mortal; a hundred years of lifespan was enough for him.

He wouldn't ask for anything else, as long as he could go home.

Shen Gurong had vented all the pent-up grievances of the past years. Shen Feng Xue looked down at him sadly.

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Gurong, exhausted from crying, looked up at Shen Feng Xue with red, pleading eyes, choking out, "Let me go home, please?"

Shen Feng Xue softly asked him, "Why do you want to go home so much?"

Shen Gurong, like a child, sobbed, "I miss my parents, my brothers, my sisters, my teacher at the private school..."

Hearing this, Shen Feng Xue suddenly chuckled softly, a laugh that seemed both mocking and nostalgic.

He raised his hand and gently stroked Shen Gurong's tear-streaked face, saying, "Wait a little longer." Shen Gurong, who was wiping his tears, paused, bewildered, and asked, "Wait for what?"

Shen Feng Xue said, "Wait until you can give up everything in this world."

Shen Gurong didn't understand: "What?"

Shen Feng Xue placed a ball of light in Shen Gurong's palm, letting him hold it gently, saying, "If you can give up everything, then crush this, and you can go home."

Shen Gurong stared blankly at the ball of light in his hand, puzzled, and asked, "What is this?"

He looked up: "What do I have to give up? Isn't this world yours?"

Shen Feng Xue only asked him, "Can you give up Mu Zhe?"

Shen Gurong was stunned.

"If you leave this world, it means you'll never see him again."

Shen Gurong became anxious: "But, but this isn't my world, and he's not my disciple."

Shen Feng Xue smiled: "You don't like him?"

Shen Gurong froze, staring at him in astonishment.

Shen Feng Xue said, "I am in your heart; you can't hide it from me."

"Hide...hide what?" Shen Gurong stammered, "He...I only see him as a disciple."

Shen Feng Xue didn't say anything more, but simply pulled Shen Gurong up, saying, "Go, tell him you didn't possess someone else's body."

Shen Gurong was forcibly turned away from Shen Feng Xue, but he struggled to turn back, saying, "Wait, what did you mean by that just now? Explain yourself! Wait, you!"

Shen Feng Xue didn't wait for him to finish his sentence, gently pushing him from behind. Shen Gurong stumbled, and the surroundings shifted; he was back under the tree with the human face.

Mu Zhe was still quietly watching him, waiting for his answer.

Shen Gurong's heart, which had just calmed down, began to pound wildly again. Even with Shen Feng Xue's words, he was still afraid.

Mu Zhe whispered, "Master?"

Shen Gurong gently closed his eyes, silently reciting what Shen Feng Xue had taught him.

'I didn't possess anyone, I didn't possess anyone, I didn't possess anyone.'

Mu Zhe was stunned.

The next instant, Shen Gurong opened his eyes, glaring at Mu Zhe almost angrily, and said, "Yes, I did possess someone, so what?!"

Mu Zhe: "..."

Shen Feng Xue: "..."

Originally, Mu Zhe was the one who would "question" and expose his master's trump card, but Shen Gurong's self-revelation gave off a feeling of 'You're so annoying. It's just possession, why are you making such a fuss?'

Mu Zhe was dizzy, and in his daze, a feeling of 'He doesn't seem to be wrong, I'm the one who's wrong' surfaced in his mind.

After Shen Gurong finished speaking aggressively, he lowered his eyes, becoming timid again.

He didn't dare to look into Mu Zhe's eyes, but his heart ached, and he felt incredibly wronged.

"I didn't intentionally possess anyone, I was forced into it. I didn't want this to happen, so why are you questioning me?"

Mu Zhe: "..."

Shen Gurong's words were incoherent, his eyes welling up with tears of grievance.

"Even if I'm not Shen Feng Xue, I've been your master for so many years, don't you acknowledge me?"

"You ingrate, you little ingrate, I should have expelled you from the sect..."

Mu Zhe regretted asking that question in a moment of impulse. After all, the one who had moved him was always the master who pretended to be calm but was actually panicking inside, not the aloof and sage-like Shen Feng Xue he had met in his childhood.

His feelings for Shen Feng Xue were at most gratitude and guilt, a desire to make amends and apologize. But for Shen Gurong, it was an intense possessiveness—a desire to hold him in his arms forever.

Mu Zhe was very clear-headed and could distinguish the difference between the two.

When he asked that question, he anticipated that Shen Gurong would deny it or try to brush it off with a joke, but he never expected him to admit it so readily.

And he admitted it so confidently, as if Shen Feng Xue had forced him to possess him.

Mu Zhe was speechless. He had been anxiously fearing any rift with his master, but now it seemed that such rifts simply didn't exist in Shen Gurong's world.

He was clear about his loves and hates, yet he wouldn't lie or be hypocritical; he was like a blazing, intense flame.

Mu Zhe felt he had fallen even deeper.

But Shen Feng Xue…

Mu Zhe suddenly recalled the opportunity he had risked his life to retrieve.

If he used that opportunity on his master, could he bring Shen Feng Xue back while preserving Shen Gurong?

No.

This thought had barely surfaced when Mu Zhe dismissed it.

This was far too dangerous. A moment's indiscretion could cause the person he loved to leave this body.

Mu Zhe was inherently a cold-blooded and ruthless person. All his passion had been poured into Shen Gurong. Although he felt guilty towards Shen Feng Xue, he dared not let Shen Gurong take such a risk.

This matter required careful consideration.

Shen Gurong had no idea what Mu Zhe was thinking. He thought Mu Zhe was blaming him, and felt incredibly wronged. Fortunately, he had already cried, barely managing to maintain Shen Feng Xue's aloof and elegant demeanor, and didn't break down in tears.

He thought sadly, 'I just didn't want to lie to you.'

Shen Gurong had originally intended to say "it wasn't possession," but as he blurted it out, he still admitted to possession.

Mu Zhe was the closest person to him in this world, and he didn't want to tell such a clumsy lie to ruin their relationship.

Moreover, one lie requires countless more to cover it up, and he knew he lacked the ability to lie and cover up, so he simply laid his cards on the table.

Whatever.

Mu Zhe took a deep breath, quickly stepped forward, and said, "Master, I'm sorry, I misspoke just now."

Shen Gurong turned his head away in a huff, not wanting to look at him.

"Don't call me Master, your Master is dead."

Mu Zhe said, "Master, please don't be angry with me."

Shen Gurong said sullenly, "Do you still acknowledge me as your Master?"

Mu Zhe quickly replied, "Of course I do. No matter who you are, you've always been my Master."

Shen Gurong's heart, which had been pounding, finally settled. He silently breathed a sigh of relief and slightly raised an eyebrow at Mu Zhe.

Mu Zhe suddenly had a bad feeling.

"But I don't acknowledge you anymore," Shen Gurong said. "I'm going to expel you from the sect. Come, let's dissolve the disciple contract, right now."

Mu Zhe: "..."

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