Chapter 34 A Place to Hide [Synopsis] Clearly, there is none left...
After saying this, Wen Rensheng nervously gripped the corner of the wooden box and took several deep breaths.
He Mu seemed to sense something; his pupils constricted slightly, and he gently gripped Wen Rensheng's wrist.
"Sheng Sheng, you—"
"You...you mustn't touch me,"
Hearing a voice made my heart race, and being grabbed like that made my voice tremble with nervousness.
"I'm so nervous, can you please not say anything right now?"
He paused, then said softly, "Please, let me finish. I still have a secret I've been keeping from you, and I want to tell it to you myself."
He Mu pursed her lips and gripped Wen Rensheng's wrist even tighter.
Upon hearing the voices and seeing the situation, she resolutely pushed He Mu's hand away and stuffed the wooden box containing the thumb ring into He Mu's arms.
He quickly withdrew his hand, gripped the hem of his clothes, and whispered, "The clan chief said that rabbits always bring a gift when they confess to their sweethearts. This gift is a piece of jade that I picked out at the jewelry store and had polished for you. I'm giving it to you first."
Hearing the voice, she lowered her head, not daring to look into He Mu's eyes, her fingertips constantly rubbing the hem of her clothes.
"Although it's not as expensive as the one the mountain god gave me, it's still very good."
Hearing the voice made his breath catch in his throat, and even his fingertips felt slightly numb. It was as if a fledgling swallow was hiding in his chest, desperately trying to fly away, wishing he could directly deliver his feelings to He Mu's palm.
Normally, the sound of people would have sent them running away long ago.
But today he just wanted to say it, desperately wanted to say it, he wanted to say it from the first moment he saw He Mu.
I like him, I miss him so much.
These words, kept bottled up inside, grew like new buds, taking root in my heart, making me yearn for Wenren's voice day and night, and now they can no longer be hidden.
Just as his master said, why keep love in one's heart and suffer? He would rather the mountain god hear it and suffer together than swallow this feeling and hide it for a lifetime.
He Mu, who was standing to the side, seemed to be lost in thought.
He looked at Wen Rensheng with a complicated expression, his voice trembling slightly: "But between you and me... what's different from before?"
This question is less directed at those who hear human voices and more at himself.
What exactly is different, what has changed?
He clearly cherished Wenrensheng as always, wanted him to be happy and carefree, wanted him to be free, and they had been living like this for seven years.
Why is his Daoist mind in turmoil?
Why did his gaze change when he looked at Wenrensheng? Why couldn't he suppress his emotions? Why, after a hundred years of pure cultivation, did a thousand and ten thousand obscure desires grow in his heart?
What exactly is different?
"It's just different!"
Hearing the voice, she assumed Mu still didn't understand her meaning, and her tone became somewhat anxious.
“I’ve never felt this way before. When you kiss me or touch me, my whole body goes numb and my heart races. I feel like I’m melting.”
After saying that, he took He Mu's hand and placed it next to his cheek, then looked up at him.
"Like this, when you touch me, my heart beats very fast."
Bang, bang.
A frenzied tremor.
Startled by the frantic pounding of a heart, he closed his eyes and shouted as if he were going to risk everything:
"I like you very much, not the kind of liking I used to have. I want to become your Daoist partner, which is why my heart is acting so out of control! Of course, this is different!"
I said it!
Hearing the voice, she gasped for breath and hurriedly put her hand back to He Mu. Her whole body was as hot as a freshly steamed bun, steaming slightly.
He revealed his true feelings.
Next, all you need to do is confess your identity as a monster. Just like before, close your eyes and blurt it all out. It's not that difficult.
I wonder what the mountain god will think? How will he respond to my feelings after hearing these words?
He will...
As soon as he finished speaking, He Mu suddenly stood up.
Hearing the voice, he blinked and looked up in the direction of the sound. He then noticed that He Mu's face was terribly pale. He groaned, pressed his palm against his forehead, and staggered back a few steps.
The wooden box in his hand was still unopened, and the silver clasp was still gleaming with a faint light that stung the eyes of those who heard it.
Following the reflection, Wen squinted and suddenly saw his own appearance clearly from above, with a pair of wolf ears on his head.
Transformation...
When was it lifted?
Oh no, he hasn't—
Time seemed to stand still at that moment.
Perhaps it was because my heart was beating too fast, but when I heard voices, my vision blurred and the scenery around me instantly turned into several patches of light, overlapping each other in a colorful way. For a moment, it felt like I was in a dream.
"Sixteen years have passed, and I've finally waited for this moment."
Such a sound suddenly rang in my ears.
...Wait for what?
Who is speaking?
Hearing voices, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck. He frowned, took two short breaths, and then looked to the side.
The moment his gaze fell upon her, Wen Rensheng's pupils suddenly contracted.
"……Butterfly?"
That blue butterfly.
It hovered at the doorway like a ghost, slowly fluttering its wings. A few fireflies fell from its wingtips with each flutter, making it look particularly out of place with its surroundings.
Hearing the voices, he realized that he had clearly seen it at the mountain gate as well.
But Mu suddenly appeared at that time, interrupting his train of thought, so he didn't take it to heart.
Why does it follow me?
Has the fox spirit returned to Fangze Mountain?
Upon hearing voices, a buzzing sound filled my ears, the surrounding scenery began to change again, and time began to tick once more.
Before him, He Mu had summoned Se Sha at some point. He stood in the shadows, his sword gleaming with a cold light.
For a fleeting moment, hearing the voices, he thought the sword was about to be held to his neck.
His gaze froze, and he subconsciously touched his head.
When his fingertips touched that soft earwax, Wen Rensheng's heart sank.
The transformation spell has truly been lifted.
He Mu knew his identity as a demon beforehand; it wasn't revealed to him by He Mu himself.
Everything is messed up.
The excitement from her confession vanished instantly. Hearing someone's voice, she looked at He Mu somewhat helplessly, and couldn't help but shrink back.
"Mountain God..."
He Mu pressed his forehead, and turned the Se Sha sword in his hand to point at Wen Rensheng. The base color of his pupils had turned blood red, and he looked extremely murderous.
At this moment, he could not see or hear any human voices at all; all that remained in front of him was a blurry shadow, and the sounds around him were a chaotic cacophony.
He didn't realize that hearing the voice was a sign of demonic possession; all he knew was that Mu's eyes were terrifying.
He looked at himself as if he had seen some kind of demon or monster.
Hearing voices felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over me, chilling me to the bone.
The mountain god disliked him.
He couldn't feel any love; all he could feel was the sinister, undisguised murderous aura surrounding him, coiling around his limbs like snakes, making it hard for him to breathe.
He swallowed hard, and said in a hoarse voice, "Don't be angry, I didn't mean to—"
Before he could finish speaking, He Mu suddenly loosened his grip, and Se Sha fell to the ground with a thud.
Hearing the voice, he was startled by the sudden noise and his body trembled.
His gaze slowly moved down to the slain figure on the ground, the sword patterns gleaming with a lukewarm, cold light that reflected in his eyes.
"Lust kills..."
Before they could react, they saw He Mu make a hand seal, and a gust of wind swept through, causing the furnishings in the room to sway and tilt.
Hearing voices, he didn't even think to shield himself from the wind. He froze on the spot, his mind replaying Mu's gaze over and over again.
He had never seen Mu look at him like that before.
Even a single glance can make someone instantly abandon all their feelings upon hearing a voice.
Does he hate himself for being a monster?
Just because he has an extra pair of ears and a tail, does he feel so disgusted that he wants to kill him?
These questions could not be asked, nor could they be answered. In the next breath, He Mu disappeared from Wenren Sheng's sight.
They didn't leave a single word.
The sound of voices caused bangs to be blown up and then fall back down, and the commotion in the room subsided, returning to silence.
"…………"
They left?
Upon hearing the voices, his mind went blank. He slowly bent down to pick up the sword from the ground. Only after feeling the lingering warmth of the hilt did he belatedly catch up with He Mu and rush to the door.
He Mu had long since disappeared. The snow on the horizon reflected the clouds, and the vast sky was desolate.
Hearing the voice, he felt as if he had become that little wolf who couldn't find his home again. He stared blankly at the sky, his wolf ears slowly falling back and sticking to his hair.
"Does this mean... they don't want me anymore?"
Hearing voices, he muttered to himself.
He didn't sleep a wink last night, imagining all sorts of possible outcomes, even prepared for the possibility of being rejected after confessing. He never expected that Mu would leave without a word.
If you don't like him, just say so. They can continue to be family. He doesn't care much about human voices anyway; he just wants to be with the mountain god.
Why abandon him directly?
He didn't even feel like crying; his mind was a complete blank, like a long-neglected gear that just wouldn't turn.
I can't figure it out, I can't understand it.
Hearing voices, he was out of breath. He clutched his chest, bent over, and tried his best to breathe.
Could it be for some other reason?
The mountain god had just finished his cultivation; his Dao heart...
What could be the reason?
Suddenly, a force pressed down on his shoulder, accompanied by a sound he didn't really want to hear.
The fox spirit put her arm around Wen Rensheng's shoulder, a blue butterfly resting on her finger, and presented it to him.
"I just didn't want to see you anymore, so I left."
Its gaze followed the butterfly as it moved about, and it spoke as if it were chatting with an acquaintance.
Hearing voices, he gripped his sword hilt tightly and hurriedly took a step back.
"You? Why did you..."
Halfway through his sentence, Wen Rensheng suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He flipped his wrist and, without saying a word, pressed his hand against the fox demon's neck.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Were you the one who did this just now?"
The fox demon pushed the sword blade with two fingers, squinted, and shook her head.
Do you feel that he doesn't like you?
Hearing the voice, he frowned: "What do you mean?"
The fox demon placed the butterfly on her finger near Wenrensheng's ear and said calmly, "There is a kind of Dao heart in this world that does not allow people to have feelings of love. If one has feelings of love, one must do everything possible to kill those feelings in order to stabilize one's divine status."
"This kind of Daoist mindset is called the Dao of Ruthlessness."
The fox demon glanced at Wen Rensheng with pity and said, "It would be better if he were arrogant and disdainful of everyone, but unfortunately he has developed a little lust for you."
Hearing the voice, the sword in his hand trembled.
"...The Path of Ruthlessness?"
How could he forget?
There are still such Daoist hearts in this world. He had even once thought about cultivating the Dao with Mu Hui.
At that time, however, he had not yet developed any feelings for her and had not thought about it deeply. Now, he has completely forgotten all of that.
“So…” Wen Rensheng’s gaze was somewhat vacant, “He did it because he was tempted by worldly desires, and then—”
The fox demon raised a finger and waved it, interrupting, "If you've been moved by mortal desires, then you only have two paths to choose from. One is to extinguish the feelings in your heart, which means killing you, or leaving you, in short, never seeing you again."
"Secondly," the fox demon raised a second finger, "that is, to erase the name from the Heartless Monument."
"But by doing so, he would have to strip himself of his divine status, relinquish his title, and be reduced to a mortal once more. All the merits and cultivation he had accumulated over the past hundred years would vanish in an instant, all for this little bit of love and affection with you..."
The fox demon gave a mocking laugh at the sound of human voices.
Do you think it's possible?
Hearing the voice, he fell silent.
Although he didn't know his importance in He Mu's heart, he vaguely felt that, given He Mu's personality, he wouldn't want to give up his divine status.
He Mu had told himself that he enjoyed the freedom and ease of being an immortal, and that he had lived like that for hundreds of years.
They had only known each other for a short seven years, which was nothing more than a day or two for immortals, a fleeting moment in the universe.
Therefore, Wenrensheng believed that, between himself and the Great Dao, Mu would definitely choose the Great Dao.
He lowered his head and looked at the sword in his hand.
But... why leave behind the perpetrator?
Seeing that the fox demon still seemed skeptical upon hearing the human voice, she clicked her tongue inwardly and said, "Even if we assume you lied to him, that's what makes him most angry, isn't it?"
Hearing the voice, he hesitated for a moment and said, "I didn't lie to him on purpose. I didn't think he disliked Master or the clan leader, so I thought he wouldn't dislike me either."
"But when he left, he even removed the barrier around Fangze Mountain," the fox demon said lightly.
Hearing a voice, he hesitated and asked, "A barrier?"
The fox demon looked at him with a half-smile, then spun around and transformed into a nine-tailed fox demon as tall as two people, standing imposingly.
"Otherwise, how could I use magic?"
The voice suddenly became deep and eerie, like the murmur of a ghost, sending chills down one's spine.
Upon hearing the voice, his pupils contracted, and he stepped in front of Se Sha to block it.
"what are you up to!"
The fox demon raised its forelegs, its sharp claws poking at Wen Rensheng's heart, a smile spreading from its face to its ears.
"Why do you think... I left the Heavenly Spiritual Root inside you for sixteen years, waiting until today to take it out?"
...
Heavenly Spiritual Root?
Before he could react to the voices, he was suddenly struck in the chest with tremendous force, and was instantly thrown back several miles, his back slamming hard against the temple wall.
Bang!
"Cough cough!"
He choked on his own blood upon hearing the voice, feeling as if several of his ribs had been broken, and his breathing became rapid.
The fox demon gave him no time to breathe, closing in on Wenrensheng in the blink of an eye, its five fingers forming claws and gripping the wall, the tips of its fingers embedded around Wenrensheng.
"What the Heavenly Court wants, I must get," the fox demon glared fiercely at Wenrensheng. "They will not allow the Heavenly Spiritual Root to descend upon a demon. Don't blame me for being ruthless!"
The fox demon's face was ferocious, its sharp teeth almost biting into Wenrensheng's body, and the stench from its mouth made Wenrensheng feel nauseous.
Hearing the human voice, he suppressed the nausea in his stomach, raised his sword and slashed off the fox demon's claws, then quickly retreated a few steps.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his lips and retorted, "You're from the Heavenly Court? You're clearly a demon too, so why are you holding me captive!"
The fox demon didn't answer Wen Rensheng's question again, but instead pounced at incredible speed once more, leaving Wen Rensheng with no choice but to grit his teeth and fight back.
He had never dealt with a monster of this level before, and his mind was further disturbed, causing his sword strikes to become chaotic and disorganized.
With internal organ damage and bad luck, Hearing voices became increasingly exhausting, and he quickly succumbed to his injuries.
His body slid several miles to the ground, where he was once again pinned down in the fox demon's palm.
The fox demon's purpose was clear: it directly overturned Wenrensheng's head, tore open his clothes with its fingertips, and pointed all the way to the location of the Heavenly Spirit Root.
Hearing the human voice, he gritted his teeth and struggled to break free from the fox demon's restraints.
However, the difference in strength between the two was too great. He soon felt a sharp pain in his back as the claws pierced his flesh and were about to dissect his Heavenly Spirit Root.
Hearing the voice, he groaned in pain, held back his tears, grabbed the hilt of the sword, and simply placed it against his own neck.
Once I die, my Heavenly Spiritual Root will also perish.
He would rather die than give up his Heavenly Spiritual Root to something like that!
Thinking this, he closed his eyes, and the blade of the lecherous killer was about to slit his neck.
However, the oppressive force behind him suddenly disappeared the next second.
Then I heard a loud crash, like the sound of something huge overturning.
Hearing voices, he struggled to his feet and turned around to look.
The fox demon was kicked to the ground by a much larger rabbit. This rabbit, which appeared out of nowhere, was extremely aggressive and pounced on the fox demon, biting its neck relentlessly.
The two great demons fought fiercely, tumbling and crushing several pine trees along the way. Dust and mist suddenly rose in the forest, and birds flew away in rows. The battle made the entire Fangze Mountain seem like it was about to collapse!
Hearing the voice, he looked surprised and stumbled, grabbing the wall for support.
"Chieftain...?"
He immediately wanted to get up and chase after him, but he had just broken several ribs, and now every step he took caused his whole body to ache.
Wenren Jing grabbed the ground with his hands, panting heavily, and hurriedly looked in Wenren Jing's direction.
The clan chief was very old, and judging from the voices, his body was as fragile as paper. He could easily break a bone with the slightest movement, and he had hardly changed himself in the past two years.
That fox demon was incredibly powerful; Wen Rensheng even felt it possessed power comparable to a god, and the clan leader would definitely not be able to defeat it.
But she was having trouble breathing, let alone running up to stop them.
Hearing the voice, he became extremely anxious and hurriedly took off the bracelet on his wrist, shouting at it:
"Mountain God, can you hear my voice?"
"A fox demon has appeared in Fangze Mountain. Your barrier has disappeared for some reason. I can't defeat it. Please... please come back soon."
"I--"
Halfway through the conversation, Wen Rensheng suddenly saw a wisp of white smoke rising in the distance, from which a tall woman emerged.
Hearing voices, his eyes lit up, and he ran over without a second thought.
"Master!!"
Before Yi Jinxiang could figure out what was going on, Wen Rensheng rushed up and grabbed her sleeve.
She frowned and asked, "I heard a noise. What happened?"
Hearing the voices, she endured the pain and gasped for breath, "The barrier is gone! There's a monster from the Heavenly Court trying to dissect my Heavenly Spirit Root! The clan leader just fought with it!"
After he finished speaking concisely, he couldn't help but cough and choked on several mouthfuls of blood.
Yi Jinxiang's expression immediately tightened. She placed two fingers on the pulse of the person she was listening to and channeled her spiritual energy into him.
"Don't worry, I'll catch up."
She immediately summoned the blue and white jade fan, cast a spell to shrink the earth, and chased after Wenren Sheng to the place where the fox demon and Wenren Jing were fighting.
As soon as you get close, a gust of wind blows in your face, and even the sound of people being heard makes you take a step back.
Looking up, one could see that a section of the pine trees around them had collapsed during the fight between Wenren Jing and the fox demon, and the two enormous demons stood on opposite sides, facing each other.
Wenren Jing's mouth was full of blood, and he was biting a fox tail between his teeth, staring fiercely at the fox demon.
The fox's face was covered in blood, its body was covered in bruises, and two of its tails had been bitten off.
It lay prone on the ground and screamed twice in pain, its claws digging into the ground, its scarlet eyes fixed on Wenren Jing.
"Old man!" it roared, "Why are you always picking on me?!"
Wenren Jing spat out the fox tail between his teeth and shouted sternly, "You are not allowed to harm my child!"
The fox demon twisted its body and crawled up from the ground in a terrifying posture, crouching low and glaring at Wen Rensheng and the others.
"Your child...?"
The fox demon, panting heavily, sneered.
"That's the child you stole! His mother died long ago, and I clearly killed that she-wolf! He and his Heavenly Spiritual Root should have belonged to me!"
Wenren Jing angrily said, "If you're sick, go get treatment!"
Hearing people's voices made me dizzy, and I could no longer understand what they were saying.
The fox demon and the clan leader know each other...?
My dear mother, it's me again—
Before he could think of anything, the fox demon let out a few more shrieks as if it had gone mad, and pounced on Wenren Jing to start fighting.
"In the entire Heavenly Court, only I know where the Heavenly Spiritual Root descended; I witnessed its birth!"
It shrieked and its sharp claws stabbed straight at Wenren Jing.
"If that damned rabbit hadn't stolen you to Fangze Mountain, I wouldn't have needed to plan for sixteen years. I could have obtained the Heavenly Spirit Root the day he was born!"
Yi Jinxiang's expression shifted, and she spun the blue-white jade fan in her palm before swinging it directly at the fox demon's raised arm.
Her divine power was already sharp, and this time it directly severed one of the fox demon's legs, with blood gushing out from the cut.
"Well!"
The fox demon groaned and rolled to the side in pain.
Yi Jinxiang didn't let this opportunity pass, and immediately got up to chase after the fox demon, engaging in a fierce battle.
Seeing this, Wenren Jing struggled to get up from the ground again.
This time he moved with great difficulty, and it took him several attempts to get up. He looked exhausted.
"Chieftain!"
Hearing the voice, she didn't dare hesitate for a moment, hurriedly went up and hugged Wenren Jing, her voice trembling as she said...
"Quickly, quickly change back!"
Wenren Jing glanced at Wenren Sheng with difficulty, then dispelled the transformation spell as instructed, reverting back to the withered, short old man.
He was probably truly exhausted; he staggered a few steps, but finally couldn't hold on and fell to his knees.
Hearing the voice, he quickly knelt down, took the man's arm, and said nervously, "Clan leader, how can you be so stupid! Don't you know how old you are?"
"I'm not going to die. I had my spiritual root removed once, but I was fine last time. You—"
Halfway through her sentence, Wenren Sheng felt a sticky sensation coming from the hand that was supporting Wenren Jing.
"..."
His pupils contracted, and he slowly withdrew his hand.
His gaze fell almost horrifiedly onto his own palm.
--Blood.
Wenren took a deep breath and stiffly looked in Wenren Jing's direction.
Only then did he notice that Wenren Jing had three bloody holes in his body, almost piercing through his entire abdomen, from which blood was gushing out.
"Chieftain," Wen Rensheng's voice trembled, "Chieftain...you..."
Wenren Jing took a couple of deep breaths, and only after seeing Wenren Sheng's pale face did he belatedly look at his own abdomen.
Only then did he realize that a pool of blood had formed beneath him, and the soles of his shoes were soaked with black blood.
Wenren Jing paused for a second, then turned to look at Wenren Sheng.
The child's face had lost all color, and his once pretty face was now covered in smears of ochre, making him look dirty.
It was exactly the same as the little creature he had first found curled up beside that mother wolf.
What a pitiful child.
Why does Heaven always seem to take away his loved ones from him?
If there truly is a deity in the Nine Heavens who controls destiny, then treating this child is far too harsh.
Wenren Jing's expression turned into a helpless smile, and his withered hand slowly rose up to cup his cheek.
“I’m getting old,” he said weakly. “My legs are weak now. A few years earlier, I could have pulled a few more tails off it.”
"When your spiritual root was first removed... it must have hurt more than what I experienced."
Wen Rensheng shook his head, grasped Wen Renjing's wrist, and helplessly tried to cover the bloody holes.
But no matter how hard he tried to stop it, the blood kept gushing out like an unstoppable spring, quickly soaking Wenren's hands.
Hearing the voice, he felt like he was going crazy. He choked up and said in a trembling voice, "Don't die...don't die!! Don't die, I beg you, clan leader, don't go, don't leave me..."
Wenren Jing sighed softly, took Wenren Sheng's hand, and whispered to comfort her, "It's alright, Sheng Sheng."
“You have a new family, and people who are stronger than me and can protect you better.”
"There are many people in this world who love you, so please stop crying, okay?"
"…………"
After saying this, Wenren Jing coughed a few times, his voice barely a whisper, and said, "Sheng Sheng, my clansmen..."
But his eyelids were so heavy that before he could finish speaking, his consciousness began to cloud.
never mind.
Those children have all grown up and can survive even without anyone to take care of them.
Let him leave Wenrensheng a free and unrestrained life.
After thinking all this through, Wenren Jing had no more energy to think. He glanced longingly at Wenren Sheng, and finally slowly closed his eyes.
"don't want……"
Upon hearing the voices, his eyes lost their color. He tightly embraced the clan leader's corpse, as if trying to hold onto his last remaining warmth.
What nonsense is the clan chief spouting now?
It's clearly gone.
His cherished, respected, and beloved family, his refuge—
From now on, there will be none.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Are the growing pains of sixteen an inevitable part of becoming a great hero?
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