Chapter 46 Keep Your Distance, Brother
He Mu's lips gradually smoothed out, his eyes darkened slightly, and his expression was hidden beneath the silver mask, making it impossible to discern his true feelings.
The sword, which had been listening to the voice, remained steady, resting close to He Mu's neck without applying any extra force, and didn't even draw blood.
"Why do you know Qianxiang?" Wenrensheng stared at him, his eyes deep. "How did you kill it?"
He Mu: "…………"
Hearing no voice urging him, he remained motionless in the sword-holding position.
Just as he severed Qianxiang's head, he heard two voices.
One asked him, "Have you heard your own Dao heart?"
One of them called him "Sheng Sheng" and said he did a good job.
The former is his own heartfelt sentiment, the Dao he realized at that moment.
The voice behind him was Murong He's. Although he was under a spell that made it hard for him to remember the voice's appearance, he could still recognize the two words as human voices.
In this world, besides Wenren Jing, there is only one other person who would call him that.
"Who are you……"
As the name touched his lips, Wenrensheng's voice trembled almost imperceptibly.
"And Mu, is that right?"
He Mu remained silent.
The two stood facing each other before the Buddha altar, their vision filled with the fluttering snowflakes. A few flakes landed on the butterfly pattern at the center of the sky, quickly melting into a drop of water.
A moment later, He Mu raised his hand and removed his silver mask.
"...It's me."
The spell on the face was broken, and the voice returned to normal.
Although she had prepared herself mentally and guessed most of the truth, Wenrensheng's breathing still became erratic when she saw that face.
This was unlike any experience he had ever had in any illusion. He felt his soul trembling slightly, and he couldn't even steady the sword in his hand. He accidentally drew a reddish-brown bloodstain on Mu's neck.
It really is the mountain god; he has returned.
A look of guilt crossed Mu's eyes. He threw off his mask and, disregarding Tianxin's sharp blade, stepped forward, pressing against Wenrensheng's sword.
"Sound after sound..."
Hearing voices, he slightly parted his lips and exhaled short breaths of white air. When Mu took a step forward, he unconsciously took a step back, as if trying to keep the distance between them within a comfortable range.
He wasn't ready.
He made up his mind that he would never see this person again, and he would have no further relationship with him, whether with family or lovers.
But Mu insisted on walking towards him, ignoring his resistance and opposition, following him step by step. His expression remained unchanged, as if he had enough patience to wait until he heard someone's voice and had nowhere left to retreat.
Hearing the voice, he swallowed hard, lowered his eyes slightly to avoid Mu's gaze, gripped the sword hilt tightly with both hands, and forced himself not to tremble anymore.
"Don't come any closer."
His eyes were red and wet, and his voice was choked with tears.
"Please, don't come any closer..."
Clang.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Wenren's lower back bumped into the Buddhist altar behind him, spilling red candles and incense burners all over the table.
There is no way out.
He braced himself against the altar with one hand, staring at He Mu with eyes full of fear, his sword trembling even more fiercely.
Blood from He Mu's neck had already flowed down the blade, wetting his hand and even seeping into his sleeve.
But Mu and Ke did not stop.
He relentlessly approached him until the distance was so close that there was no gap left.
He slowly covered Wenrensheng's hand with his own, trapping himself in his embrace.
"Sound and sound,"
He Mu looked down at Wenrensheng, then raised his knee and wedged it between Wenrensheng's legs, slowly closing his palm and pressing Wenrensheng completely against the Buddhist altar.
"I've been looking for you for so long."
Hearing the voice, his chest rose and fell slightly. Tianxin slipped out of his hand, and instead, He Mu's shoulder braced against his wrist.
There's no escape.
We have to face it.
Hearing the voices, she had only glanced at He Mu briefly before not daring to look any longer. Now, she had no choice but to face the person she had longed for day and night.
He Mu is a deity who has lived for hundreds of years. His appearance has remained unchanged, except for the mark between his eyebrows, which is different from two years ago.
It still bears traces, but the color has faded, and it lies dimly between my brows.
Hearing a voice, he slightly widened his eyes.
"Your divinity..."
“I don’t want it anymore,” He Mu lowered his head and leaned on Wen Rensheng’s shoulder. “I only want you, Shengsheng. I will no longer cultivate the Path of Ruthlessness.”
What does it mean to say "I don't want it anymore"?
"You—" a voice hesitated, "your divine status...is gone?"
He Mu said softly, "No, I am now like you, a sword cultivator who has not ascended."
Hearing a voice, his heart sank, and his fingers curled up unconsciously.
Has He Mu stopped being the mountain god?
Was it because I stirred his Dao heart that he could no longer cultivate the Path of Ruthlessness?
He Mu seemed to guess what he was thinking and quickly explained, "It's not your fault, it's my own fault for not thinking things through. Now I understand, I simply cannot accept Changsheng after leaving you, Shengsheng, I—"
"etc!"
Hearing the voice, he quickly raised his hand to stop him from speaking.
"I don't want to hear it, don't tell me!"
Mu loosened her grip on Wen Sheng's hand, then cupped his cheeks in her hands, her tone somewhat impatient: "Don't you want to hear it? I want to explain to you, Sheng Sheng, things aren't as you think."
Before He Mu could finish speaking, Wen Rensheng shook his head frantically and buried his face in He Mu's palm.
"Give me some time. I know it's not your fault, but I can't yet,"
He choked up.
"I can't accept the mountain god's betrayal. I... I don't know how to face you. I haven't thought it through yet. Please don't force me..."
Upon hearing this, He Mu hurriedly explained, "I didn't betray you, Sheng Sheng, I just—"
"You left me when I needed you most."
Hearing the voice, her eyes shimmered with tears, and she interrupted him in a trembling voice.
"Isn't this... a betrayal?"
He Mu's pupils contracted, and he immediately felt a wet sensation in his hand.
Looking down, she saw tears streaming down Wen Rensheng's fair cheeks, flowing over the two beauty marks and soaking into her palm.
He cried very quietly, even hiding the sound of his sobs.
Mu was at a loss. He quickly wiped away Wenrensheng's tears and tried to hug him, but Wenrensheng pushed his shoulder away.
"I'm sorry, Mountain God," his voice was hoarse with a sob, "I didn't mean to say that, please let me calm down..."
He Mu: "..."
Hearing Wenrensheng say this, He Mu naturally had no way to force him to do anything more, so he could only release Wenrensheng with a worried expression.
He took a few steps back and sighed softly.
He originally intended to tell Wenren Jing the truth after Wenren Sheng saw Wenren Jing's soul, but unexpectedly, he fell into the trap set by the God of Fate at the local temple fair, causing him to expose his identity prematurely.
Having just gone through a painful journey of enlightenment and personally killed his own murderer, it's normal for him to react this way when he suddenly sees himself again after two years.
He needs to give Wenrensheng some time.
After thinking it through, He Mu picked up Tianxin from the ground, put it back into the sword sheath for Wen Rensheng and hung it back on his waist, and gently stroked his hair.
He spoke softly, in a tone that sounded like he was coaxing a child, "Don't worry, Sheng Sheng, I'll stay here. Once you've thought it through, I'll take you to the clan chief, okay?"
Hearing voices, she hadn't thought anything of it until He Mu touched her hair, and tears welled up in her eyes again.
He quickly puffed out his cheeks to suppress it, and a low "hmm" escaped from his throat.
He Mu kept his word, and for the next hour, he indeed did not pester Wen Rensheng to explain what happened back then.
Hearing voices, it squatted down under the clay Buddha statue, its tail lying on the ground covered with a layer of snow, gray and motionless.
He had been thinking about it for quite a while.
Tianxin kept circling around him, seemingly anxious to help him solve his problems.
Wen Rensheng felt very sorry for this divine weapon; it had just gained sentience, yet he was leaving it aside.
But he was really not in the mood; he didn't know what to do next.
To see the clan leader's spirit, he would definitely need to travel with He Mu, but the sound of human voices made him feel extremely awkward, and he didn't want to stay with He Mu at all.
It's not that I hate him, find him annoying, or resist him; I just don't want to be together. I feel we shouldn't meet, and we shouldn't pretend nothing happened.
Hearing people's voices, I wasn't ready to accept all of this.
He personally slew the Thousand Forms, strangling its soul, preventing it from ever being reborn again, whether in heaven or on earth. This sword strike was for his past self.
What about Ke and Mu?
He hasn't gotten over He Mu's departure yet.
Just like back then, he didn't know why the clan chief would suddenly leave with the clan, leaving him alone in Fangze Mountain.
He also has a temper. He gets unhappy and sad when he is abandoned. Even after he learns that their departure was unavoidable, the sound of people's voices still makes him feel emotionally stagnant and subconsciously want to escape.
Hearing the voices, Tianxin transformed back into the shape of a dagger, aimlessly slashing at the ground.
“I don’t want to talk to him,” he muttered. “I’ll only say five sentences, and each sentence can’t be more than five words long…”
He was quite good at talking to Mu Erli; although he deliberately stood a little further away, he still heard that sentence.
He held his sword, looking at Wenrensheng with some worry.
Judging from what the child said, he still didn't plan to have much contact with me.
Although Mu usually likes to bully Wenrensheng, it would be somewhat inhumane to force him to accept her under these circumstances.
This is difficult.
Hearing human voices, it squatted in place and muttered to itself for a while before finally shaking off the melting snow on its tail and rustling as it stood up.
Seeing this, He Mu quickly straightened up, walked to Wen Rensheng's side, and tentatively asked, "Shengsheng, have you made up your mind?"
Hearing someone's voice, she glanced at him, then silently took a step back, deliberately turning her body away from him.
His lips were still turned down, and his voice was somewhat muffled.
"Keep your distance..."
He originally wanted to call him "Mountain God," but then he realized that he was no longer a god and it would be inappropriate to use that title.
After hesitating for a long time, he heard someone softly repeat:
"Keep your distance, brother."
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Author's Note: A little baby
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