Chapter 20 says to you, "Mountain God, goodnight."
After the start of winter, Xiangcheng experienced several rain showers in a row.
As the weather gradually turns colder, the temple on Fangze Mountain has also entered its second period of extreme cold.
Wen Rensheng, dressed in a small, thin fleece cloak, sat obediently at the long table in the quiet room, studying. The white fur on the collar of his cloak was squeezed along the edge of his cheeks, almost obscuring half of his face.
He read aloud quietly while secretly glancing at Yi Jinxiang, who was lying on her side with her eyes closed, not far away.
Perhaps because of the snake demon, she didn't make a sound of breathing when she rested, like an unmoving stone statue.
After listening to the voices for a while, I finally realized that she was really asleep.
"Very good."
Hearing voices, he cheered softly, then closed the book and carefully reached for his small bundle.
He needs to leave a little earlier today.
Originally, I had planned to have a good talk with the clan leader about the things that had happened over the years before I went into seclusion. But since that day we parted, Wen Rensheng has been staying in the Scripture Pavilion from morning till sunset every day, and he has no free time at all.
Tomorrow, he will go to the back mountain to go into seclusion.
This seclusion will last for a full five years. Given the clan leader's age, it's hard to say whether he'll still be around when Wen Rensheng emerges from seclusion!
Therefore, he must see the person today.
Wen Rensheng was very nervous as he skipped school for the first time. He tried his best to be quiet, but he still accidentally knocked his bundle off the table, and the contents clattered and spilled all over the floor.
He was startled and hurriedly knelt down to pick it up, while keeping an eye on Yi Jinxiang's movements.
Fortunately, she seemed to be sleeping soundly and was not woken up.
Hearing the voice, he breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the little clay figure of Cangyu Zhenjun and put it back in his bundle, then stood up and slowly walked towards the door.
I'm sorry, Master.
As they approached the door, they heard someone's voice and silently apologized in their heart.
Let him finish class a little earlier today.
Thinking this, I took a deep breath upon hearing the voice, and stepped over the threshold—
"Where do you think you're going?"
Before he could even take his first step out of school, he heard voices and felt a slippery sensation behind him. A snake's tail pierced through the shoulder strap of his bundle, lifting him into the air.
Oh no! We've been discovered!
Hearing a voice, it struggled haphazardly in mid-air.
"Master, I have something extremely important to tell you. Please let me go today, please!"
Yi Jinxiang lazily rested her face on her hand, then with a flick of her snake tail, tossed Wen Rensheng back to the long table.
"I didn't say you couldn't leave, just sit there."
Hearing the voice, he rolled back to the long table with a tumble, rubbing his sore bottom with a pout, and said resentfully, "Okay, hurry up."
Yi Jinxiang didn't speak. She retracted her snake tail and transformed back into human form. Then, she put her hand on her wrist, stood up, walked to the long table, and looked down at Wen Rensheng.
Is tomorrow your birthday?
Hearing the voice, he looked up at Yi Jinxiang and nodded blankly.
She hummed in agreement, then expressionlessly took a long, narrow sandalwood box from her sleeve and handed it to Wenrensheng.
"I happen to have some extra snake scales. They won't do anything wrong. You can take them with you when you go into seclusion. They can be used for self-defense if necessary."
She covered her face with her fan and said casually, "Don't say it's from me, and also... birthday wishes."
After saying this, she didn't even hear a reply, and with a "bang," she turned into white mist and disappeared from the library.
Hearing voices, he blinked and stared blankly at the empty scripture pavilion.
"ah……"
"Thank you, Master!"
After adding that sentence, he carefully slid open the lid of the wooden box, finally revealing the contents inside.
It was an unsharpened dagger.
The dagger's hilt is made of bright silver engraved with cloud patterns, shimmering with a scale-like luster. The curve of the spine on the back of the blade is smooth and beautiful, like a scorpion's tail hook, exuding a dazzling murderous aura.
"Wow……"
Hearing the voice, he opened his mouth wide, and his eyes shone brightly.
So beautiful.
He quickly took the dagger out of the wooden box, examined it for a while, and then tucked it into his waistband under his cloak.
"After finding the clan chief, I'll ask the mountain god how to use this weapon," Wenrensheng muttered to himself. "Alright, let's set off now."
After saying that, he slung his bag over his shoulder and immediately set off, rushing out of the library and heading straight for the temple gate.
They ran all the way to the cliff at the entrance of the mountain, and only stopped abruptly when they heard voices.
He gripped the ropes of the broken bridge with both hands and looked down with a sorrowful expression.
Oh no, I left in such a hurry that I forgot to ask Yi Jinxiang to take me with her.
The mountain god is probably still down the mountain on business. How is he going to cross it all by himself?
The temple was almost at the highest point of Fangze Mountain. The canyon was so deep that the bottom could not be seen. If he had fallen, he would definitely have been sent to the underworld to meet Yama, the King of Hell.
"Hmm..." Wen Rensheng pursed his lips and said softly, "Then there's only one way, isn't there..."
After saying that, he looked around to make sure no one was around, then took the bundle off his body and carefully placed it on the snow.
Then, he clasped his hands together and whispered:
"Transformation".
Immediately, a white spiritual stream rose around the person who heard the voice, like a slowly closing lotus flower, enveloping and swallowing him completely.
A moment later, a cold wind swept by, and the spiritual energy dissipated. The child wearing the fur collar had vanished, transformed into a gray wolf cub.
Hearing human voices, it shook its wolf ears, shaking off all the snowflakes from its head.
Since being adopted by the mountain god, he has not been able to undo his transformation spell for over a year in order to conceal his identity as a demon.
It feels a little strange to suddenly turn back into a little wolf.
Hearing voices, it lowered its head, stretched out its paws, and muttered to itself, "It doesn't feel like it's grown much..."
Logically speaking, a monster's growth rate should be several times faster than a human's, and a year would be enough for his wolf form to grow much larger.
Could it be because of incomplete spiritual roots?
Hearing human voices, it lay down on the ground and scratched its wolf ears with its paws.
"I don't understand..."
Never mind, he's going into seclusion tomorrow anyway.
According to Yi Jinxiang, with his current comprehension ability, as long as he takes a nap during his seclusion, his Heavenly Spiritual Root will return to him when he wakes up.
Wouldn't that be a piece of cake?
Hearing voices, he couldn't help but chuckle.
If he had come out earlier, he could have become a great hero sooner, and who knows, he might have become even more powerful than the Mountain God.
He was happy for a short while, but when he heard voices, he remembered the important business he had to do today. He quickly composed himself, walked to the edge of the cliff, and looked down again.
A pebble fell smoothly and quickly disappeared into the thick fog halfway up the mountain, without even a sound.
"It's not high at all..." Wenren whispered to herself, trying to reassure herself.
However, after transforming back into wolf form, he felt much more confident, and he could easily cross the cliff in no time.
Hearing voices, it scratched the snow on the ground with its front paws, then bit the strap of the bundle, lowered its body slightly, and pounced directly towards the opposite cliff.
Wow!
"Hey!"
Who would have thought that when they landed, a large spray of snow would fly up, and when they heard voices, they would step on it, immediately losing their balance and slipping as if their feet were oiled.
He quickly used his four paws to protect the bundle, curled up into a ball of fur, and rolled down the slope several times until he finally came to a stop by crashing into a tree trunk.
"it hurts!"
He released his canine teeth, transformed back into human form, and covered his head with a whimper.
"He hit his head..."
"Ouch, does that hurt?"
Upon hearing a voice, he blurted out "Of course," then covered his head and rolled around on the spot twice.
So unlucky...!
He wasn't rushing in this direction just now! Luckily no one saw it, or he would have been mortified. He, the Hero of Hearing People's Voices, would probably have been infamous even before he became famous in the martial arts world.
Hmm? Wait... who was talking to him just now?
Only after hearing the voice did I belatedly realize that the voice sounded familiar.
He was startled and quickly looked up, and sure enough, he saw the face of the mountain god.
He Mu was leaning against the tree he had just been standing in, arms crossed, looking at Wen Rensheng with a half-smile, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
"Mountain God?!" Hearing the voice, his heart skipped a beat, and he immediately jumped up and asked, "Y-you, when did you get here?"
"Me..." He Mu propped his chin up, pretending to think, "about half an hour ago, I was standing here enjoying the cool air, waiting for you to finish school."
Hearing the voice made his heart beat even faster. For a moment, he didn't even notice anything wrong with what the man said about "cooling off in the dead of winter." His mind was filled with the image of himself when he had just turned into a monster.
Half an hour ago?
Weren't they already waiting here?
Did they see him transform into a monster? If they did, the mountain god wouldn't have this expression, right? But... but he just turned back. If the mountain god was already waiting here...
"Th-th-th-what," a voice stammered, "did you...see it?"
"Hmm?" He Mu's eyes crinkled as she deliberately asked, "What did you see?"
A voice said, "That's exactly how I jumped over here."
He Mu tilted his head: "Is it that special? Did you hop here on four legs?"
"I only have two legs!" Wenren hurriedly retorted. "I only wanted you to see them because they're so handsome. If you can't see them... never mind!"
"That's a pity," He Mu shrugged, feigning regret, "I was sleeping and didn't see it."
I didn't see a handsome little wolf, but I did see a small gray wolf rolling around in a ball, and it even bumped its head into a tree.
"That's good," Wen Rensheng said, feeling much more at ease upon hearing Mu's words. He straightened his chest and smiled again. "I'm going to find the clan leader now. Would the mountain god like to come along too?"
He Mu did not respond immediately.
He bent down and examined the voice for a moment, then suddenly leaned closer, sniffed the man's neck, and asked, "Why do you smell like snake scales?"
Snake scales?
Hearing the voices, he also sniffed himself and indeed smelled a fragrance like rouge.
He pondered for a moment, then a brilliant idea struck him. He hurriedly threw aside his cloak, took out the dagger from his waist, and placed it in his palm.
"Is this it?" Wen Rensheng handed the dagger to He Mu, looking somewhat smug. "My master gave it to me."
"The God of Literature?" He Mu teased, "She's even willing to give you her scales; she really likes you."
Hearing the voice, she proudly raised her chin: "Of course, she also said that I am the smartest student she has ever taught."
After saying that, he carefully put the dagger back into his waistband, took a few quick steps forward, grabbed He Mu's hand, and shook it affectionately.
"I need to go find the clan chief now and tell him that I'm about to go into seclusion."
Hearing someone's voice, she looked up at He Mu and said tactfully,
"Hmm... If the mountain god won't accompany me down the mountain, I'll just walk down slowly by myself, okay?"
Although there was still a long way to go, he estimated that it would take about three hours to walk down the mountain.
It was already dark, and the clan leader was definitely nowhere to be seen.
So, Mountain God, please don't agree!
Hearing this, Wen Rensheng squeezed He Mu's palm, hinting that he shouldn't agree.
He Mu knew this child all too well, and he immediately understood Wen Rensheng's thoughts.
But he just wouldn't say it out loud.
"Walk down the mountain by yourself?" He Mu patted Wen Rensheng's head and coaxed him deliberately, "So obedient!"
Hearing the voice, he nodded and said, "Yes, but the way down the mountain is very long, and I haven't gone down the mountain by myself in a long time. I might get lost and not be able to find my way back for a long time."
He Mu stroked his chin and agreed, "That sounds very challenging, it really does seem like something a chivalrous hero would do..."
Then he clapped his hands, looked at Wenrensheng with a smile, and said, "Alright, then I'll allow you to go down the mountain by yourself this once. Be careful, Shengsheng."
Varied…? !
That's not what he meant at all!
Hearing the voice, he was so angry with He Mu that he wanted to jump up and bite him hard, leaving a circle of teeth marks on his face.
What's going on? Is he doing this on purpose?!
"There's no time to be a hero now!" Wenrensheng cried out anxiously, rushing to hug Hemu. "I need to find the clan leader right away! Please take me down the mountain quickly!"
He Mu suddenly realized, "Oh, that's what you meant. I thought—"
"Mountain God, please stop talking! You're extremely annoying!"
*
Hearing the voice, she angrily followed Mu down the mountain.
I never expected that even after living with the mountain god in the temple for a whole year, he still wouldn't understand my feelings at all!
Hearing the voice, he almost thought the man was deliberately speaking to make him cry.
"Oh, who in the world could be so evil?"
Hearing the voices, she sadly wiped away her tears, but ultimately decided to believe that the mountain god was a kind and benevolent deity.
He Mu, standing to the side, took out a compass and infused it with a wisp of spiritual power similar to that of Wenren Jing.
The compass instantly unfolded a Later Heaven Bagua formation on the ground, spreading all the way to the vicinity of Xiangcheng. The compass needle in He Mu's hand trembled slightly, searching for Wenren Jing's whereabouts.
When a monster blends in with humans, its presence is easier to detect, and the compass quickly located Wenren Jing's location.
“This is…” He Mu frowned, “The Guiyi Sword Sect?”
"Sword Sect?" Hearing the voice, he tilted his head. "Didn't the Mountain God say it had already disbanded? What is the clan leader doing there?"
He Mu couldn't answer either. He shook his head, put away the compass and stuffed it into his sleeve, then led Wen Rensheng directly to the main gate of the Guiyi Sword Sect.
As soon as it landed, a deafening roar was heard.
"Stop right there! Don't run away!!!"
Startled by the sound of voices, he hurriedly tried to push open the gate of the Sword Sect and look inside.
Since He Mu dismissed the Sword Sect members, this place has long lost its former glory. The dilapidated door was gently pushed by Wen Rensheng, and it creaked and fell forward.
Clang!
Hearing the voice, he quickly withdrew his hand, looked at the door that had been smashed in two on the ground, and couldn't help but frown.
"It's been gnawed to pieces by insects... Why did the chieftain come to such a dilapidated place?"
He grumbled and looked towards the dojo, where it was indeed bustling with activity, with two figures chasing each other around the dojo.
One of them appeared to be a sword cultivator. He was wearing a Taoist robe and carrying a porcelain jar in his arms. He was running forward as fast as he could, with an old man chasing after him, who was not slow at all. It was Wenren Jing.
At the same time, a guard dog slowly walked towards the collapsed door. It seemed to have anticipated the arrival of Wen Rensheng and the others, and sat quietly to the side, its tail swishing behind it.
"It's you," Wen Rensheng said, bending down to pat its head. "Why are you still here?"
The dog looked in Wenren Jing's direction and barked, seemingly urging Wenren Sheng to stop them quickly.
Hearing the voice, he straightened up, tugged at He Mu's clothes, and said, "Mountain God."
He Mu grunted in response, made a sword gesture with his hand, and the Se Sha sword flew out instantly, bringing with it a gust of wind.
Its purpose was clear; it was inserted directly into the center of the Tai Chi seal in the dojo, and a barrier suddenly opened between Wenren Jing and the sword cultivator.
Wenren Jing couldn't stop in time and crashed headfirst into the edge of the barrier, rolling backward twice before falling to the ground.
"Ouch--"
"Clan leader!" Hearing the voice, he released He Mu and quickly stepped forward to help him up, complaining, "You're so old, why did you run so fast?"
Wenren Jing didn't explain anything, he just kept covering his head and groaning "ouch" repeatedly, while tightly holding onto Wenren Sheng.
On the other side, He Mu used the hilt of his sword to lift the swordsman by the collar and hoisted him into the air.
"Are you from the Guiyi Sword Sect?" He Mu glanced at the jar in his hand. "What are you holding in your arms?"
The swordsman quickly hid the jar to his side and declared with righteous indignation, "Junior Brother Chen Lian's soul is still here, I will not give it to anyone!"
"idiot."
He Mu chuckled, kicked the man, sending him flying dozens of miles away, the porcelain jar in his hand flying out of his grasp.
Se Sha smoothly caught the jar and placed it firmly on the blade, presenting it to He Mu.
"You're locking up his soul because you're afraid his sins are too deep and he'll be dragged to the eighteenth level of hell by the grim reaper, right?" He Mu shrank the jar and casually played with it between his fingers. "Tell me, whose body do you plan to transfer Chen Lian's soul into so that he can be resurrected?"
Reincarnation?
Wenren Sheng helped Wenren Jing up while looking in the direction of He Mu.
Is there a chance for the dead to come back to life?
Mentioning Chen Lian inevitably brought back memories of the past when Chen Lian had cut off his spiritual root. The pain in his body was still fresh in his mind, making him involuntarily clench Wenren Jing's clothes.
"Don't come back to life..." he murmured.
Wenren Jing, unable to contain himself any longer, chimed in, spitting at the sword cultivator, "Yeah, what a load of crap! You scum, go to hell already!"
"Clan leader, you're so old, don't always shout like that." Wen Rensheng quickly pulled him back. "When did you come to the Sword Sect? How did you run into him?"
Wenren Jing indeed had to gasp for breath after shouting just one sentence. He held his knees and took several deep breaths before saying, "Last time you said that the person who bullied you was dead, so I... I... cough cough!"
"I waited here to see if he was really dead or not. Sure enough, I caught him. He was sneaking around and carrying something out of here, then putting it into that little jar!"
A voice asked, "And then you kept chasing him, right, until now?"
Wenren Jing snorted coldly and said, "That guard dog is watching the gate for me, so I'll specifically catch him!"
It seems we really came at the right time.
Hearing the voice, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. If the mountain god hadn't given him a ride on the way, the clan leader might have been killed by this sword cultivator.
Although this swordsman doesn't seem to be very powerful.
The swordsman who had been kicked dozens of miles away had indeed lost his momentum. He didn't even have time to wipe the blood from his forehead. He scrambled to his knees in front of He Mu and grabbed He Mu's robe with both hands.
“You are the mountain god, right? I…I know…” He swallowed hard and continued, “I misspoke just now. Please, please return Junior Brother Chen Lian’s soul to me. I really can’t let his soul leave. I still have a mission to complete, and someone else needs him…”
He Mu disliked having his trouser leg tugged at like that by someone other than Wen Rensheng. He took two steps back and said coldly, "Since you were there that day, you know what this bastard did, right?"
Upon hearing the voice, the Three Pure Bells inside the bundle trembled slightly and began to emit a muffled sound.
"If you plead for him again, you'll die with him."
Upon hearing this, the sword cultivator's eyes dimmed. He covered his face, muttering something in a panic, and then suddenly looked up at Wen Rensheng.
"You...you are the one...the one who was captured by my junior brother..."
He swallowed hard, then stood up, staggered over to Wenrensheng, and grabbed his hand haphazardly.
"The mountain god likes you very much. Could you please try to persuade him for your brother?"
Wenren Sheng was startled by his sudden gaze. He quickly withdrew his hand and took a half step back to hide behind Wenren Jing.
“I will not forgive him,” Wenrensheng said softly, looking at him. “I have already forgiven him once.”
When he first met He Mu, he asked himself whether he should let Chen Lian go. At that time, Wen Rensheng had already been magnanimous once.
It was Chen Lian who was unwilling to let him go. This person would rather eat his own father's flesh and blood than let him die.
The swordsman shook his head and forced an awkward smile.
"That's not right. Think about it, Chen Lian is only fifteen years old. What could he possibly know? If he really goes to hell, he... he... he will never be able to be reincarnated! That's just too cruel!"
After saying this, he looked expectantly into Wenrensheng's eyes and said in a trembling voice, "You...you're still a child, you wouldn't be so cruel, would you?"
A voice was heard: "..."
He Mu, who was standing to the side, was too lazy to listen to his words. He raised his hand and grasped the hilt of Se Sha's sword, and said coldly, "Don't listen to him. If you hear a voice, pick up the Three Pure Bells and I will take his life."
As soon as the bell rings, Mu Yi can behead him in the blink of an eye.
He could hear voices but remained standing still. He slowly released his grip on Wenren Jing's clothes and fell into a long silence.
cruel.
He didn't know how to answer the sword cultivator's questions.
If we're talking about cruelty, sending a fifteen-year-old soul to the eighteenth level of hell, condemning him to eternal damnation, certainly doesn't sound like a kind thing.
But when half of his spiritual root was removed, he was clearly less than ten years old.
Weren't Chen Lian, Wu Di, and those elder brothers who knew the truth also cruel to him?
Why do the people of this Sword Sect always feel that they should be kinder and easily forgive all the mistakes of others?
In their eyes, was he merely a "heavenly spirit root," and not a demon, a human, or any other living being?
"That's too much."
Hearing someone's voice, he whispered.
For the first time, he truly felt the emotion of "anger" within his body; a scorching fire burned in his heart, uncontrollable, almost consuming all his emotions.
This was a completely different feeling from sulking. He felt angry, annoyed, and even in pain. His teeth were itchy, and he instinctively wanted to tear something to pieces.
He should have been angry a long time ago.
However, he has always felt that he is still young and has more important things to do than being angry, and he does not want to waste time because of this emotion.
But after hearing these words today, his chest was filled with rage, and he wanted to curse this sword cultivator with the most offensive language in the world.
Hearing the voice, he took a few deep breaths, said nothing, and directly summoned the Se Sha in He Mu's hand, sending the porcelain jar containing Chen Lian's soul into his palm.
"You selfish person," Wen Rensheng said, gripping the porcelain jar tightly and glaring angrily at the swordsman, "I have no intention of forgiving you or your family!"
After saying this, he smashed the porcelain jar on the ground with all his might!
Bang!
A wisp of soul flew out of the jar in an instant.
This soul was as thin as a layer of white gauze. When it touched the sunlight, it was scorched and sizzled. It writhed like an earthworm and struggled to hide back in the porcelain jar.
Soon, the ground where the porcelain jar had been smashed twisted into a vortex the size of a fist, as if it had a suction force, tightly hooking the wisp of soul and refusing to let go!
The sword cultivator was completely stunned. He watched helplessly as Chen Lian's remnant soul was dragged into the underworld, leaving not a trace behind.
He opened his mouth, but could only squeeze out a few indistinct syllables from his throat.
"division……"
Before he could finish a sentence, a force struck the back of his neck, knocking him unconscious. He fell to the ground with a thud.
"..."
Wen Rensheng felt all his anger completely extinguished by that fall.
He let out a long sigh and stared blankly at the shattered porcelain jar on the ground.
It disappeared.
Now, those who hurt him, hated him, and loathed him will never appear again in this lifetime.
For some reason, the words Chen Liansheng had said suddenly came to mind again.
He said he wanted to be cared for, whether it was love or hate, it didn't matter who it was, as long as he was cared for.
Hearing the voice, he suddenly realized that perhaps Chen Lian had eaten the Heavenly Spirit Root to seek death, also in order to disgust himself and hope to make him remember him for the rest of his life.
But Chen Lian was really too foolish.
He has no idea what kind of person Wen Rensheng is.
From this day forward, Wen Rensheng will completely forget the person who hurt him. He will not only step out of the shadows and turn fifteen, but he will also receive countless loves from his companions, family, and friends.
This blue butterfly will take flight again in the rain.
And tomorrow will mark the beginning of his new life.
*
"Actually, he's quite handsome."
He Mu looked up at the starry sky and suddenly said.
Hearing voices, he sat on the roof, swinging his legs and humming a cheerful tune.
He Mu turned his head to look at Wen Rensheng and laughed, "Why don't you ask me why I suddenly said that?"
Hearing the voice, she turned around and looked at He Mu with a smile.
"Because I'm just incredibly handsome."
The night was as dark as ink, with only the eyes that could hear human voices shining like fireflies, reflected in He Mu's eyes.
He Mu straightened his face and said, "Didn't you say you wanted to clarify things with that clan chief? Why did you just invite him to stay at the temple in the end?"
Hearing the voice, he scratched his face somewhat embarrassedly.
"Because I had been complaining about him, thinking that he didn't love me anymore, that's why he abandoned me."
His face flushed, and he spoke softly.
"But now I feel that the chief still loves me very much. He didn't do anything wrong, he just had too few choices."
Seeing him like this, He Mu felt incredibly soft-hearted and couldn't help but pinch his cheek and laugh:
"Wow, you've learned quite a bit from the Wenquxing (a type of ancient Chinese dictionary)."
Hearing someone hum softly, he said proudly, "Of course, I study very hard every day."
He Mu hummed in agreement, brushed a strand of Wen Rensheng's hair behind his ear, and then suddenly leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Happy birthday."
He Mu's breath tickled Wen Rensheng's ears, and he couldn't help but shiver.
He touched his ear, and said shyly, "...How did the mountain god know?"
He only had time to tell Yi Jinxiang about his birthday; he had never told the mountain god.
He Mu smiled and said, "We're family, of course I'd know."
After saying this, he suddenly produced a bracelet as if by magic and jingled it in front of Wen Rensheng's eyes.
“I don’t know what you like, so I’ll give you something useful first,” He Mu pulled Wen Rensheng’s small hand and put the bracelet in his palm. “It’s a cold-avoidance bead. Wear it when you’re in seclusion, and you won’t be cold.”
Hearing a voice and feeling a warmth in his palm, he paused, then looked down at the bracelet in his hand.
By the moonlight, one can see the glistening beads, some black with white, some white with black, alternating between light and dark. When turned, they are black and white intertwined, like the soft moonlight flowing through the long night, which is very eye-catching.
It feels warm to the touch, like a hand warmer.
"Wow..." someone exclaimed softly, "It's like the night sky."
“In this way, consider this a return gift for the wooden sword you gave me,” He Mu rubbed his forehead against Wen Rensheng’s and chuckled softly. “From now on, this will be our token.”
Hearing a voice, he asked in confusion, "What is the token?"
"Well... it means that if we each hold onto it, we'll never be apart and will always be close family."
Oh, it's such a good thing.
Then he and the mountain god are already family who will never be separated.
Hearing the voice, she grabbed her bracelet and threw herself at He Mu, hugging him tightly.
"I love the mountain god the most!"
With this treasure, even if he had to go into seclusion and be separated from the mountain god for a while, Wen Rensheng felt that he wouldn't be so sad.
The mountain god's tokens, like the mountain god himself, will stay by his side and protect him for a long time.
Hearing the voice, she rubbed against He Mu's neck, wishing she could hang herself on He Mu, wanting to express how much she liked this keepsake in this way.
After rubbing against him for a while, he stopped, straightened up, leaned close to Mu's ear, and whispered, "I'm going to ask you a question secretly, but don't tell anyone else, okay?"
“You said it,” He Mu leaned closer curiously to whisper, “I won’t tell anyone.”
Hearing the voice, she lowered her head and fidgeted with her fingers, muttering, "Don't you think what I'm doing... is particularly cruel?"
He paused, then added in an even softer voice, "It's about Chen Lian."
Although neither He Mu nor Wenren Jing said anything, Wenren Sheng clearly remembered how he felt when he was provoked by that sword cultivator. His limbs were completely out of his control, and he subconsciously smashed the porcelain jar that held his soul.
Yi Jinxiang taught him that this is "acting before thinking things through," which is impulsiveness, and things done after being impulsive are often not good.
Hearing voices, he still felt that Chen Lian's soul should not have been saved, and he should not have been brought back to life a second time.
Torn between conflicting emotions, he was unsure whether he was right or wrong.
After hearing this, He Mu raised his hand and rubbed his head, saying, "Don't you understand?"
He nodded upon hearing a voice.
He smiled gently, tapped Wenrensheng's chest, and said, "Right and wrong are not determined by heaven and earth or by any living being. As long as you keep your heart focused and have a clear conscience, nothing is impossible."
He blinked at the sound of voices, only half understanding what he was hearing, and couldn't help but show a troubled expression.
Just as he was about to blurt out "I don't understand," He Mu suddenly cupped Wen Ren's face in his hands.
"—If it were the God of Literature, he would probably say something like this to you, right?"
With a deep smile in his eyes, He Mu spoke softly to Wen Rensheng.
“But I don’t think there are that many twists and turns. I think you did it right, well, and wonderfully.”
!
Hearing the voice, his eyes lit up. He stared blankly at He Mu and said woodenly, "Is it good?"
He Mu said matter-of-factly, "Great! Why lack confidence? Having this kind of courage already puts you ahead of many people, okay?"
He has the courage and decisiveness to surpass many others.
That means... extremely amazing, exceptionally good?
"You really do look like a chivalrous hero, right!"
“Yeah, I was really startled,” He Mu gestured exaggeratedly. “In a flash, the sword in my hand flew away, and then with a bang, Chen Lian was dead. At first, I thought some great immortal had descended to earth…”
Hearing the voices of others, he was amused by He Mu and kept laughing. He hugged He Mu again, his mind replaying the words He Mu had just said to him.
Ah, he looks just like a chivalrous hero!
He kept thinking about it until the moon rose above the treetops and the night deepened, carrying this sweet dream with him all night long.
*
The next day at Chenshi (7-9 AM).
Hearing the voices, they followed He Mu to the cold pool behind the mountain on time.
Today is the day I begin my seclusion.
Besides them, Yi Jinxiang and Wenren Jing also came to see him off. The two stood not far away, their eyes fixed on Wenren Sheng, as if they wanted to take a few more glances before he went inside.
"That idiot..."
Yi Jinxiang waved her fan awkwardly, muttering to herself somewhat anxiously.
"I wonder if he's even learned what he was taught. Why is Cang Yu in such a hurry to send him into seclusion? It's really... speechless."
Wenren Jing, standing to the side, was wiping away tears. He kept waving at Wenren Sheng, muttering something under his breath, probably expressing his longing for her.
Wen Rensheng on the other end was also waving enthusiastically at the two of them, jumping and shouting with all his might:
"I'm leaving!"
He Mu, standing beside him, corrected him, "He didn't leave, he just slept for a few years."
"Oh, okay," Wenren nodded, then changed her mind, "I'm going to sleep now!!"
He Mu couldn't help but laugh out loud. He pinched Wen Rensheng's ear and teased, "You're quite obedient."
“I’ve always been obedient,” Wenren tilted his head and asked, “So what am I supposed to do now?”
He Mu turned around with Wen Rensheng, and the two of them looked at the bottomless, cold pool.
He Mu said, "Let's go over there."
Hearing the voice, he flinched: "Won't we drown?"
He Mu smiled and shook his head, then gently pushed him from behind.
Go ahead, I'm behind you.
Hearing voices, he touched the black and white beads on his wrist and looked down at the cold pool.
The pool was as still as a block of ice, and the white mist around it carried a chilling aura, faintly exuding a heavy coldness.
It seemed to sense the spiritual flow within Wenrensheng's body, and the mist transformed into tens of thousands of hands, trying to drag him in.
Hearing the voices, she took a deep breath, glanced at He Mu one last time, and then mustered her courage to step onto the water.
"Clatter".
The water surface felt real; you didn't sink when you stepped on it.
Hearing the voice, he breathed a sigh of relief and followed the spiritual energy to the center of the cold pool, looking down at his feet.
His gaze pierced through the water's surface and finally caught sight of that blurry edge.
"Heavenly Spiritual Root?"
Hearing a voice, he asked in a low voice.
As soon as he finished speaking, the world before his eyes turned upside down.
Upon hearing the voice, his pupils contracted, and he quickly turned around to look, only to find that the mountain god and the clan chief were no longer behind him.
The surrounding area was as black as if it had been soaked in ink, turning into a deathly silence, with only the ripples of the pool spreading out from his feet.
"Mountain God?"
Hearing a voice, she called out in a somewhat panicked manner.
The beads on his wrist seemed to sense the call and began to slowly emit warmth, dispelling the chill around him.
Hearing a voice, she looked down at the string of beads and asked curiously, "Are you here?"
The beads sparkled, as if in response.
Hearing voices made him feel much more at ease. He put away the beads, rallied his spirits, and looked around. His gaze finally settled on a blurry firefly not far away.
This is the sealed Heavenly Spiritual Root.
Hearing the voice, he slowly walked forward, staring intently at the phantom-like ball of spiritual energy, a thin mist rising in his eyes.
"Such powerful strength..." Wenren exclaimed, "Would you still be willing to return to my body?"
Heavenly Spiritual Roots cannot speak, and can only subtly sense the emotions of their spiritual power through human voices.
It was very calm, and there seemed to be no resistance.
Hearing the voice, it carefully stretched out its hands, cupped the Heavenly Spirit Root, and plucked it from the boundless night sky into its own palm.
As soon as I took it off, I felt as if my five senses were slowly losing their sensation when I heard human voices. I went blind, could no longer hear the tinkling of water, and even my own body seemed to turn into an invisible cloud of mist.
Integration seems to be about to begin.
But this time, upon hearing human voices, he was no longer afraid. While he could still speak, he quickly picked up the string of beads and whispered to it:
Goodnight, Mountain God.
After he finished speaking, no more sound came out of his throat, his brows gradually relaxed, and his consciousness and the Heavenly Spirit Root merged into the tranquil pool.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Just browsing the column, tomorrow's post is a bit more youthful! [pat on the head][pat on the head] The illustration contest is now open, those who like it can try their luck!
—Pre-order for this column: "My Crush is a Lop-Eared Rabbit"—
[A struggling actor (top) x A struggling new director (bottom)]
Wen Yu is a milk tea-colored lop-eared rabbit who traveled from outer space.
To adapt to human society, he found himself a job as an actor and signed with a new director's company, relying on his less-than-stellar, expressionless acting skills.
But soon, Wen Yu discovered that his identity had been exposed.
The company's boss would always come to his door when he reverted to his original form each month, saying he wanted to treat him to a meal.
On their planet, the subtext is, "I want to be your caretaker."
Wen Yu glanced at her single-digit bank balance and accepted the invitation without a word.
*
So every month on the day she reverts to her original form, Wen Yu would proactively invite her boss to her home and instruct him to bring a sufficient amount of Timothy grass.
Until one day, Wen Yu received a text message.
I've been feeding your rabbits for so long, I feel like...we're probably around that stage too, right?
[...]
【I like you. 】
Upon seeing this text message, Wen Yu's perpetually unchanging expression underwent a rare change.
Varied…? !
So his real identity wasn't exposed after all!
*
The day after the new company was established, Chen Xiran went to sign the young actor she had been interested in since college.
Although this young actor's acting skills are not very good, he always has the same cold expression no matter what role he plays, which is the most taboo "expressionless acting" in the industry.
But he was unwilling to give up. He knew that the young actor's family was very poor, and if he lost this livelihood, he would probably have to beg on the streets.
So Chen Xiran specifically chose a day off to visit him, hoping to find a reason to help him out.
Perhaps it was because his sincerity moved him, but soon he received an invitation from the young actor to come to his home to "feed" him.
"It probably means eating," Chen Xiran thought to herself.
He was delighted and, at the young actor's request, brought over a large amount of Timothy grass.
Strangely, the child actor was never home. I waited from day to night, but apart from the lop-eared rabbit on the sofa, I couldn't see a single bird.
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