"Home"
"My home—!"
Just as Ji Wang began to wail, Bu Jiu reached out from behind him and covered his mouth, silencing the rest of his heartbroken cry.
"Ugh! Ugh?" Ji Wang's eyes widened as he struggled to turn his head, meeting Bu Jiu's face, which was close at hand and seemed to be telling him to shut up.
"Xiao Bao, save your energy. Use that little bit of spiritual power to protect your heart meridian..." Huai Qing was already pointing at several acupoints on Ji Wang's body. "Internal organs are shaking, spiritual power is depleted, there are many hidden injuries in the meridians, and there is also the backlash left by forcibly activating the formation... Xiao Bao, do you think you have too much time on your hands?"
With his mouth covered, Ji Wang couldn't make a complete sound and could only turn his gaze back to the ruins in front of him.
The once magnificent double-eaved building now has its roof mostly collapsed, revealing the broken, thick golden nanmu beams and pillars inside, as well as the dilapidated attic.
The glazed tiles were shattered, the carved window frames were reduced to fragments on the ground, and the rare and precious ritual objects, ancient books and jade slips, and brocade carpets displayed inside the hall were all reduced to ruins.
“How could it be ruined like this…” Bu Jiu’s voice rang out from behind Ji Wang.
He swept his gaze across the ruins, then over the couch where he had once rested, and finally over the hot spring pool that Ji Wang had specially arranged for him in his previous life.
The pool water is now filthy, and the spirit stones embedded in the pool have long since lost their spiritual power.
“I couldn’t stop them.” Huaiqing closed the medicine box. “Who knew that the Venerable One would come too… I’m already doing well that I survived, protected the town, killed most of the pursuing scum, and prevented them from harming more innocent people.”
Ji Wang opened his mouth, thinking of the objects that held those brief moments of peace vanishing into nothingness, and finally let out a powerless wail: "...The talisman I drew! And that jade bed that could heat up on its own!"
He gasped for breath, his heart aching even more than when he had faced Yueyuan directly.
Looking at his pathetic state, and comparing him to the Yun Shen Dao Zun in her memory who never showed his emotions, Huai Qing couldn't catch her breath and let out a puzzled sigh: "Didn't you say you remembered everything? How come your personality is so different from Yun Shen Dao Zun's?"
Bu Jiu looked at Ji Wang, who was still heartbroken, and added, "In this life, you're rather foolish."
Ji Wang: "...Hmm?"
He snapped out of his heartbreak at the thought of "bankruptcy," turned around, and stared at Bu Jiu with wide eyes, his face full of accusation—"I almost burned myself to death just recently to protect you! How could you join Huai Qing in calling me stupid?"
"Alright, stop sitting here." Huaiqing stood up and gestured for the two of them to go and rest. "We can look for things again if they're lost. You're alright, and your memory is slowly returning. Even if... your personality has gone a little off track, it's still a good thing." He deliberately emphasized the word "gone off track," which earned him a disapproving look from Ji Wang.
"It's better if it's destroyed. Such a place with abundant spiritual energy... it's a real pity that it's only given to the three of us." Bu Jiu didn't move, seemingly talking to himself.
This nonsensical remark made both of them look at him.
"Huh?" Ji Wang was puzzled and didn't react for a moment.
But then he remembered that before going to Wuwangyuan, when he was resting after practicing his sword moves, he had said, half jokingly and half dreaming, "How about we open a mountain gate here in the future? It would be so lively and wonderful."
At the time, Bu Jiu was just resting with his eyes closed, so it's unclear whether he heard it or not.
So he remembered.
The phrase "It's fine if it's destroyed" was telling him, "Look, now that this place has become like this, the 'future' you want most can truly begin from these ruins."
“I can establish my own sect here!” Ji Wang blurted out, his voice trembling with excitement, looking straight at Bu Jiu as if seeking confirmation.
Bu Jiu nodded.
Huaiqing rubbed his temples, feeling that the two people's leaps in thinking and their level of tacit understanding had once again exceeded his comprehension.
One second they were heartbroken over the jade bed, the next they were talking about founding a sect, and in between they even exchanged a knowing glance with each other.
"Wait, you guys..." Huaiqing tried to steer the conversation back to reality, "Even if the ley lines are good, and your ideas are good, given our current strength and situation..."
"I'll take charge of the protective formation," Bu Jiu interrupted him. "As for the ley lines clearing and core protection, I can temporarily borrow the strength of my old subordinates to clear and stabilize them. The rest..."
He finally glanced at Huaiqing: "You assist Ji Wang, and also, keep an eye on him, don't let him do anything reckless again."
Ji Wang was deeply moved, as if he could already see the mountain gate standing tall and the disciples cultivating.
He immediately exclaimed excitedly, "Yes! Let's find a temporary place to stay and start designing the sketches right away! But Bujiu, are your old subordinates... reliable? Won't they be exposed?"
"They are all wandering demons who have received my favor and are outside the various forces. They are good at hiding and can be trusted." Bu Jiu explained simply, clearly having already weighed the pros and cons in his mind. "They are only responsible for the most basic cleanup and will not be involved in the core. After the cleanup is completed, they can stay or leave as they wish without leaving any trace."
His thorough consideration paved the way for Ji Wang's seemingly outlandish idea.
Looking at Bu Jiu arranging everything, and then at Ji Wang, who seemed to have found his backbone and was full of energy, Huai Qing suddenly felt that her worries about "danger" and "impracticality" seemed to become less important.
"Alright." Huai Qing shook his head helplessly. "It seems my identity as a guest elder, chief physician, and part-time supervisor is set. Let's go, future sect leader Ji, let's find a place where we can draw blueprints."
Ji Wang walked closely beside Bu Jiu, and as they walked, he began to mutter his various ideas in a low voice, from the style of the mountain gate to the color of the disciples' robes.
Most of the time, Bu Jiu just listened quietly, occasionally uttering two words when one of his ideas was too outrageous: "Inappropriate."
Night had already fallen.
The flickering candlelight illuminated Ji Wang's somewhat tired face. He put down his pen, stretched his neck, and then let out an exaggerated gasp: "Hiss—my shoulders are so sore...it feels like they've been crushed by a stone."
Before he could finish speaking, a hand had already pressed against his tense neck and shoulder. Bu Jiu had somehow moved to his side, his fingertips pressing on the stiff muscles near his shoulder blade, massaging them gently.
“Hey, right… right here…” Ji Wang immediately squinted his eyes in comfort.
He had barely enjoyed himself when he seemed to remember something, moved his right arm, and frowned again: "My arm is sore too... I've written so many words."
Bu Jiu paused, lifting her eyelids to glance at him. Ji Wang immediately returned an innocent look, and even deliberately shook his "weak and powerless" arm.
Bu Jiu moved her hand down, grasped his forearm, and slowly massaged it from the elbow to the wrist, following the tendons.
Ji Wang's body involuntarily leaned towards Bu Jiu. He secretly glanced at Bu Jiu and, seeing that the other party still looked the same, became even bolder.
Ji Wang drawled out her words, her tone clearly coquettish: "And my legs... my legs are so sore from all the traveling, they feel like they're filled with lead..."
Huaiqing's hands, which were sorting herbs, froze in mid-air. Finally, she could no longer bear it, and a vein seemed to throb on her forehead.
He looked up at the two people over there, one openly enjoying himself and the other seemingly silently indulging them. He squeezed out two words through gritted teeth, breaking the sickeningly sweet atmosphere: "...Enough."
He wished he could finish building the house right now and separate from these two people as soon as possible: "Xiao Bao, you're just suffering from spiritual energy depletion and muscle fatigue, not broken bones. Bu Jiu, you're just spoiling him like this."
Ji Wang blinked, looked at Huai Qing who looked helpless, then at Bu Jiu who had sat up straight again, touched his nose, and muttered softly, "Oh... actually it doesn't seem so sour anymore."
After saying that, he quickly picked up the sketch on the table and held it up in front of the two of them: "By the way, the layout diagram, I've finished drawing it!"
The lines weren't particularly refined, but they clearly marked the terrain of the valley and his initial ideas for the layout of the formation and functional areas. Though somewhat immature, they already showed signs of formation.
Huaiqing temporarily put aside her lewd behavior towards the two and leaned closer to take a closer look.
After a while, he straightened up: "It's starting to look good... Adapting to local conditions is a good idea. If this formation can be built, it will indeed be much more convenient than the previous one."
He paused, pointed his finger at the "disciple's residence" in the picture, and looked up at Ji Wang: "But where are the disciples?"
Ji Wang held the paper, his excitement slightly subsiding.
“Do not contemplate…” he uttered these three words.
"Okay." Bu Jiu's voice rang out the instant Ji Wang finished speaking. Calm, decisive, without any hesitation or questioning.
He didn't even look at Ji Wang; his eyes remained fixed on the sketch, as if he had agreed to something utterly ordinary.
This overly swift response caught Huaiqing off guard, who was still deep in thought.
"You two..." Huai Qing raised her hand and pressed her temple, laughing angrily, "One of you dares to bring it up, and the other dares to agree without even asking why, right?"
He pointed at Ji Wang: "Xiao Bao, your memory has returned a bit, but your spiritual power hasn't recovered yet. Going back to Bu Nian Temple? Who knows if there are eyes watching?"
He then turned to Bu Jiu, his tone even more helpless: "And you! He said he was going back to take a look, and you just said 'okay'? Do you know what kind of place that temple is in now? Are there any traps? Couldn't you have asked one more question, or... at least hesitated for a moment?"
Bu Jiu's tone remained calm: "If he wants to go, then let him go. 'His Majesty' is seriously injured now, and those under his command are nothing but rabble-up soldiers."
His few words conveyed absolute confidence in his own abilities, even though he was currently injured.
"Forget it." Huaiqing waved her hand, giving up on continuing to dwell on the matter, since she couldn't persuade him anyway. "You can go, but you must wait until your injuries stabilize and you've recovered at least 50% or 60%."
He put on a stern face: "Otherwise, I'll exaggerate your injuries a little, so you'll be bedridden for at least half a month and can't go anywhere."
Upon hearing this, Ji Wang knew that Huai Qing would no longer object, so he immediately grinned and raised his hands in surrender: "I'll listen to you, I'll listen to everything you say!"
Morning light streamed through the cracks in the broken windowpanes into the makeshift shelter. Ji Wang sat up and heard a considerable commotion coming from outside.
After washing up briefly with the water that had been prepared in advance, he pushed open the slightly crooked door and walked in the direction from which the sound came.
The closer one gets to the former palace, the clearer the sound becomes.
"Hey! This beam is secure!"
"Pile the rubble here, and clear the land over there first!"
"Sir, what do you think of the foundation's orientation? Should it follow the original plan, or should it be slightly adjusted?"
Ji Wang turned past a half-collapsed wall, and the sight before him made him pause, his eyes widening slightly.
What was a shocking pile of ruins yesterday has now been partially cleared into a relatively flat area.
The charred wood and stone were sorted and piled up, and the broken rubble was cleared away, revealing the relatively intact base underneath.
Those busy figures were not human; they all carried a faint aura of demons or earth spirits, yet they did not give off a sinister feeling, but rather a sense of security.
Bu Jiu stood in the center of this bustling scene, wearing a loosely draped outer garment that he had found somewhere, with the cuffs rolled up. He held a roll of simple blueprints in his hand and was whispering something to a burly man with short, brown horns on his forehead beside him.
Huaiqing stood under a makeshift shed not far away, with several bottles and jars and a pile of herbs in front of her. Occasionally, she would look up at the scene and give a few instructions: "Be careful of the residual spiritual energy fluctuations of the formation over there. Don't trigger unstable areas. A'Tu, take it easy. Your injuries haven't fully healed yet."
Ji Wang approached and heard the burly man who was talking to Bu Jiu scratch his head: "Sir... what are you saying? If you hadn't come back then, I'm afraid I would have been eliminated long ago. This little bit of physical labor is nothing."
A young man next to him grinned and chimed in, "That's right, sir. Forget building a house, even if you asked me to bury myself in this ground as the center of the formation, I'd lie down immediately if you just said so!"
His words drew good-natured laughter from several of his companions nearby.
Ji Wang then approached Bu Jiu and asked, "Um... who are these gentlemen?"
Before Bu Jiu could answer, the burly man put down his work, dusted off his hands, and respectfully clasped his hands in Ji Wang's direction. His voice boomed, "This must be Sect Leader Ji! My name is Shi Jian. I was originally a stubborn rock in Shenyu Mountain, a hundred miles away. I was fortunate enough to receive some guidance from you when you passed by, which prevented me from going astray and turning me into this form. I don't have any great skills, just some strength!"
The young man next to him also came over and said with a grin, "My name is Lingmu. Back then, I was targeted by a few demon-catching sorcerers and was almost beaten to death. It was Lord Bujiu who saved me and even found me a safe and shady place to live."
The others also paused their work and introduced themselves, their tone filled with gratitude and respect for Bu Jiu.
The chatter was somewhat noisy, but they all had one thing in common—they had all received favors from Bujiu, some big and some small.
After they had calmed down a bit, Bu Jiu added, "They are all trustworthy people, skilled in construction and cleanup, and not easy to track down."
Ji Wang listened in a daze, looking at this person, then at that person, and finally at Bu Jiu.
He suddenly realized that behind the title of "Ghost King" Bu Jiu might not just be killing and fame. Over the long years, he had also casually saved many such minor characters and formed many good relationships unknown to outsiders.
And these forces, which may seem insignificant on ordinary days, will quietly gather when he needs them.
"I see..." Ji Wang smiled and bowed to the group. "Thank you all for coming to help! You've all worked hard!"
"It's not hard at all!"
"It is our honor to serve you, Master Ji!"
"Sect Leader, you've chosen a great location! The earth's veins are truly abundant!"
Everyone responded quickly, making the atmosphere even more lively.
Huaiqing also heard the commotion and called out from under the shed not far away, "Let's catch up later! Let Xiaobao drink his porridge first!"
Ji Wang quickly responded and walked briskly toward Huai Qing. Behind him, Shi Jian whispered to his companion, "Look, how amiable the sect leader is, he's really..." The rest of his words were not heard clearly, as if he had been interrupted by Ling Mu.
Ji Wang sat down in front of Huai Qing, holding the warm ceramic bowl. After a moment of silence, he spoke: "I didn't have time to thank you yesterday... but thank you before."
Huai Qing was wiping several newly selected spirit stones with a soft cloth when she heard this. A hint of confusion flashed in her eyes, and she asked softly, "Thank me? What is it about?"
Ji Wang pursed his lips, his gaze drifting outside the shed before settling on Bu Jiu. He organized his thoughts before slowly saying, "I clearly never taught you anything proper. But in the years I was away, you always stayed with Bu Jiu in my place..."
Huaiqing listened quietly, her movements of wiping the spirit stones completely ceasing: "It was my choice."
He said softly, “It’s not really ‘replace’ him. After all, you often say that you’re worried about him being alone, afraid that he might go astray, or that he’ll be too lonely.”
These words came from a casual remark by Daoist Yun Shen back then, but Huai Qing kept them in her heart.
Huaiqing picked up the teacup in front of him, the rising steam blurring his features: "No matter what, you gave me a place to stay where I don't have to wander."
He spoke calmly, yet every word was sincere.
Ji Wang didn't say anything more, but simply raised the ceramic cup beside him and solemnly gestured towards Huai Qing.
Huaiqing understood, and with a smile, she raised her cup. The two cups of tea gently touched, producing a crisp sound.
After three days of orderly and busy work, the entire valley was completely completed.
Everyone shed the fatigue of the past few days of work, sat in twos and threes, talking and laughing loudly, praising each other's great achievements over the past few days.
After a round of drinks and the merriment subsided, Ji Wang cleared his throat, picked up his wine glass, and stood up.
His movements were not exaggerated, yet they naturally attracted everyone's attention: "Thank you all for your hard work these past three days. Without your strong support, it would have been impossible to achieve this new look in such a short time."
He raised his glass, his tone becoming more serious: "If any of you wish to stay, you are very welcome!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the demons looked at each other, their eyes exchanging a mixture of surprise and hesitation.
They came to help out of gratitude for past favors, and after finishing their work, they planned to leave and continue their separate lives, never considering the option of "staying."
Shi Jian was the first to react. He stood up, his massive body creating a gust of wind, his voice trembling with excitement: "Sect Leader...you mean we roughnecks can stay? Settle down here?"
Seeing their excited or expectant expressions, Ji Wang nodded vigorously and affirmed, "Of course."
As he spoke, he looked at Bu Jiu, seeking his final support.
Bu Jiu remained seated, simply nodding as he met Ji Wang's gaze.
Although he didn't say anything, this gesture already represented his attitude—Ji Wang's decision was his decision.
Huaiqing smiled and added, "You're welcome to stay. However, there might be dangers in the future, so please think carefully."
"I've thought it through!" Shi Jian thumped his chest loudly. "With the adults and the sect leader here, and with Mr. Huaiqing here, this is the best place!"
Upon hearing this, Ji Wang raised his glass high: "Alright! To our new home, to the days to come—cheers!"
After exchanging glances, the group rushed forward, all wanting to be the first to clink glasses with Ji Wang.
Ji Wang's wine glass bypassed everyone else and stopped in front of Bu Jiu: "Won't you have a drink with me?"
The surrounding demons tactfully made way for them, still laughing and joking, but their eyes were filled with curiosity as they secretly glanced in their direction.
As if he had known this all along, Bu Jiu, under everyone's gaze, presented his cup to the hand that Ji Wang had been waiting for.
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