Chapter 34 Mule Meat Sandwich embraced her tightly.
She was the one who wanted to watch it, but she ended up getting scared.
Helpless, Shen Zhou raised his hand to press on the wound and used the illusion magic again to avoid upsetting her.
But Hua Deng suddenly grabbed his hand, still staring at the scar, and said fiercely, "You're not allowed to use it."
Shen Zhou: "Then don't watch it. And don't cry."
Upon hearing this, Hua Deng shed another tear, looked up at him, and said softly, "How did you get so badly injured?"
Shen Zhou met her eyes and finally realized what was happening.
It turns out, I wasn't scared.
He said nonchalantly, "It'll be over soon, wipe your tears."
The streetlights had almost died down, but she could never stand being told not to cry when she was crying, and tears welled up in her eyes and flowed uncontrollably.
Shen Zhou's expression froze, and he sat up straight, forcefully resisting the restriction to search for the contents of his memories.
He used to cry a lot when he was little. What did his mother say back then?
"Tears are a symbol of weakness. You must learn to overcome your own weakness and become a righteous monk like your father."
He stopped crying every time I said it, which proves that it was very effective.
Shen Zhou began, "Tears are..."
Hua Deng: "Woo."
"..."
He froze, swallowed all his words, roughly wiped away her tears with a finger, and said somewhat stiffly, "It's really okay, don't cry... okay?"
Hua Deng: "I don't want to cry either... Please don't say anything, sob sob."
Shen Zhou's eye twitched, and he covered his chest with his hand. When he lifted it again, the wound had disappeared without a trace: "Look, it's healed."
"Do you think I'm stupid?!" Hua Deng was even more upset.
She gently touched the area around the wound with her fingers, trying to heal it with her spiritual power, but to no avail. She asked with a hoarse voice, "Does it hurt, Shen Zhou?"
Shen Zhou said, "I can block out pain."
"You lied to me again." Hua Deng shed another tear and asked again, "Does it hurt?"
"...It hurts quite a bit."
Shen Zhou felt that his head hurt more than his wound.
But after he said that, Hua Deng sniffed, seemingly about to stop crying. She asked, "Who hurt you?"
Without hesitation, Shen Zhou replied, "Yu Heng."
The next second he caught sight of Hua Deng's tearful eyes, and he immediately changed his words: "Counter-kill curse."
Hua Deng was stunned for a moment, which meant that he did it himself.
The counter-kill curse would return to its user at a cost many times greater. She sighed and wiped away her tears: "Isn't killing people so easy for you? Why did you hurt yourself?"
Fearing she would cry again, Shen Zhou answered truthfully, "To remember what happened today."
Hua Deng didn't speak, just watched him quietly.
Shen Zhou felt that familiar restlessness again.
She gave me the exact same look as before.
But this time, he seemed to have no intention of killing her.
He even considered injuring her more severely to see if her eyes would change.
He thought that way, and that's exactly what he did.
The wound, which was showing signs of healing, suddenly started to burst open and bleed. Hua Deng was startled and hurriedly tried to bandage it.
However, before she could take out the pill, her hand was firmly restrained, and when she looked up, she saw Shen Zhou's inexplicably smiling face.
She was anxious to break free, but afraid of aggravating his injuries, so she could only urge him softly, "Chen Zhou, let me go, let me apply the medicine for you, okay?"
Shen Zhou laughed, and his laughter grew wider and wider, causing more and more blood to flow from his wound.
Just as Hua Deng was about to cry again in desperation, Chen Zhou stopped laughing. He pressed his wound as he stood up, picked her up, and raised an eyebrow, saying, "You want to heal me?"
Hua Deng let out a blank "Ah," not understanding what he was trying to do.
Shen Zhou said, "Let's go."
He then draped an outer robe over her and disappeared into the black gap that appeared out of nowhere.
The lights blurred her vision, and when she came to her senses, the scenery around her was completely different.
This time it was neither the Qingyang Sect nor the white jade chamber, but a towering snow-capped mountain.
Shen Zhou stood on the edge of the cliff, with endless clouds and mist before him and a magnificent palace behind him.
He put her down, and Hua Deng was surprised to find that she could walk on clouds, and walk steadily at that.
Where am I?
“Tianhan Mountain,” Shen Zhou said, “is the place with the most abundant spiritual energy in the Nine Provinces.”
As if to verify his words, Hua Deng watched as his cultivation level rose steadily, and the wound on his chest began to heal slowly.
Her heart finally settled down, and she jumped twice on the clouds, asking curiously, "Is this your secret base?"
"I guess so."
"Is it okay if you bring me along?" she asked deliberately. "Who knows, I might betray you someday."
“I can make you forget.” Shen Zhou was clearly unfazed by her threat.
Hua Deng laughed triumphantly: "You forgot, puppetry doesn't work on me."
Shen Zhou said with great certainty, "That was because I only used the lowest level of puppetry on you."
Advanced puppetry techniques are unstoppable.
However, Hua Deng responded with an "oh," and said in a drawn-out tone, "Then you should give it a try."
Shen Zhou's eyelids twitched. He stared at her expression and realized that she was truly convinced.
Will puppetry really fail to work on her?
No, he used it on her many times, such as when urging her to practice her skills, and it was undoubtedly effective every time.
The only time it failed was to make her forget.
So... it's not that the puppetry technique is ineffective, but that she can "remember" or "see" it on her own.
Is it that thing inside her body that's helping her?
I don't know how much that thing can help her, or whether it can protect her after he leaves.
Shen Zhou showed no reaction on his face and said, "Then there's no need. I brought you here because I wasn't afraid you'd remember me."
Hua Deng thought so too, so she happily ran into the palace and strolled around, then ran to the back garden and walked from one end to the other.
A faint noise came from deep within the garden. Curious, she walked over, then paused: "What's that?"
Shen Zhou strolled over from behind and said, "Nine Heavens Mysterious Wilderness Sacred Thunder Mule."
Hua Deng: "So it's a mule?"
Shen Zhou: "...Hmm."
Why are you raising this?
“I killed its owner. I saw that it liked me and wasn’t afraid of me, so I brought it home and raised it.”
Looking at its plump and healthy appearance, Hua Deng thought to herself, no wonder, someone is feeding and caring for it, she would like it too.
“You can go up and try it,” Chen Zhou said. “It can carry you flying.”
Hua Deng politely declined: "No, I think my style is more suitable for cranes, or even foals, but you, mule... Ah, what are you doing!"
Shen Zhou supported her waist and placed her directly on top of him.
He patted the mule's head: "Take her out to play, but don't fly too fast, or we'll have mule meat sandwiches tonight."
The mule stiffened, nodded solemnly, and Hua Deng didn't know how he could see the seriousness in the mule's face.
Immediately afterwards, the mule sprouted wings and flapped them twice with great force.
She gripped the mule's ears tightly, afraid of being thrown off.
One second, two seconds, three seconds... nothing happened.
In the subtle silence, the only sound was the flapping of wings in the air, and the mule, drenched in sweat, let out a desperate bray.
Hua Deng: "...Am I too heavy?"
Shen Zhou said with a dark face, "It's because it ate too much and can't fly."
He kicked the mule in the rear: "If you can't fly, then you'll have to fast for the next month. If you still can't fly, I'll cut off all your flesh."
Hua Deng felt the mule's muscles twitch, its wings double in size, and with its tireless efforts, it finally wobbled and flew three zhang higher.
Hua Deng clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Amazing! Almost as good as my first time flying on a sword!"
Mule: "Waaah." The female owner is so much better than the male owner, please adopt me.
Shen Zhou didn't want to look any longer. He casually cast a spell to help it fly higher and more steadily, and then used a spell to fix the lantern to its back. He waved for them to leave.
Hua Deng exclaimed excitedly, "Let's go, Brother Mule!"
With a long bray, the mule carried her into the sky.
After watching them walk away, Shen Zhou turned around, but instead of going back into the hall, he sat on the steps outside the hall and used his spiritual power to heal his injuries.
The Blazing Sky Sword quietly flew out of the Mustard Seed Space and hovered around him, seemingly saying sorry in silence.
Shen Zhou soothingly stroked its sword hilt and fed it several hundred spirit stones.
Seeing this, the other swords also flew out, vying to eat. Shen Zhou patiently fed them one by one, stroking their blades in the same way.
...
"As expected of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Wilderness Sacred Thunder Mule," Hua Deng exclaimed, sitting on the mule's back. "The flying experience was fantastic."
The mule nervously shook its ears, too embarrassed to admit that it was all the male owner's magic that was pulling it flying; in fact, it hadn't contributed anything at all.
The man and his mule roamed freely in the sea of clouds, unnoticed by anyone, but deep within the clouds, a dark figure was hidden.
Jinze lay prone in the clouds, moving slowly forward. He was about to see the woman's true face, and he was determined to—
"ah!"
With a scream, he was struck down from the clouds by Shen Zhou's divine sense and plummeted rapidly.
As if sensing something, Hua Deng looked down and exclaimed, "Will the bird fall down? How silly!"
Mule: "Ooh ooh!" Sorry, Master's little brother, I'll pretend I didn't see it this time.
...
"Shen Zhou, you plotted against me! You're a despicable man who forgets his friends for the sake of women!"
Jinze stood in front of the palace and loudly accused them.
Without turning his head, Shen Zhou said in a calm tone, "When have we ever talked about 'loyalty'?"
Jinze was speechless with anger, but unable to refute it.
There's really no loyalty to speak of, after all, he's been acting like Shen Zhou's grandson for so many years, it's laughable.
He stood there sullenly for a while, and then realized that Shen Zhou was ignoring him. Instead, Lie Tian flew over and circled around him like he had found a playmate.
Upon seeing Lie Tian, Jin Ze's expression softened considerably. He took out spirit stones and fed it another meal. After Lie Tian had eaten and drunk its fill, it transformed into a wisp of black light and entered his chest, falling into a deep sleep.
Jinze showed no discomfort and walked to Shenzhou's side as if it were a normal occurrence.
Four years ago, this man, wielding this very sword, stormed into the Ziyang Palace alone, killed his father and his men, and freed him from his heavy chains.
The Thunder-Suppressing Tower, which had imprisoned him for ten years, collapsed with a deafening roar. He saw the moon again after a long time and staggered after Shen Zhou, leaving a trail of blood with each step.
Shen Zhou said to him, "I will teach you magic so that you can break through to the Nascent Soul stage as quickly as possible. If you want to continue being a demonic cultivator, I will give you the position of sect leader. If you want to become a cultivator again, I will reshape your immortal body and create a new identity for you."
He remained silent, head bowed, offering neither a yes nor a no answer.
Shen Zhou did indeed keep his promise. Every manual he wrote was written by Shen Zhou himself, and every spell he taught was taught by Shen Zhou himself, although he only taught it once, and the rest was left for Jin Ze to figure out on his own.
One year later, he couldn't help but ask, "You're so amazing, what can I do to repay you?"
Shen Zhou handed the Lie Tian Sword to him and replied, "You will be the scabbard for this sword. If I ever lose control, use it to kill me."
Jinze stroked his chest. Lietian was sleeping soundly inside him, showing no signs of losing control. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He sat down on the steps, glanced at the food out of the corner of his eye, and immediately gaped in shock: "How old are you to still be eating candy?"
Shen Zhou slowly unwrapped the candy in his hand, then slowly put it in his mouth, too lazy to answer his question.
"Can you even taste the flavor? Why are you eating candy? Share one with me, I want one too!" Jinze reached into his pocket.
Without a doubt, his finger bones were broken by a sudden force and hung limply down.
He covered his hand and yelled, "Not again! Are you crazy?!"
Shen Zhou held a candy wrapper in one hand and a light pink purse embroidered with delicate camellia patterns in the other, which seemed completely out of place with his temperament.
Jinze suddenly realized: "I know, it was given to you by that woman, right? You even used Lietian for her a few days ago, you're really crazy!"
Shen Zhou finally responded to his noise, but only sparingly gave a single word: "Hmm."
"At your age, you're still using honey traps." Jinze made a face as if he wanted to vomit.
“You’re older than me,” Shen Zhou said, biting into a candy.
"Bullshit! I stopped growing for those ten years in between!" Jinze cursed. "You're the one who's been alive for all those years!"
Shen Zhou remained noncommittal, but Jin Ze pressed on, saying, "Don't be fooled by that woman; she's definitely a spy sent by the Immortal Alliance."
Shen Zhou: "Then kill all the members of the Immortal Alliance, and she won't be one anymore."
Jinze choked for a moment, racking his brains before continuing, "Then let's assume she's innocent, but she definitely doesn't know who you are or what you've done!"
“She knows,” Shen Zhou said with a smile. “She said she doesn’t mind.”
"Impossible, right? So she's ugly? Has a terrible personality? Has extremely ordinary talent and hopes to break through her limits through dual cultivation with you?"
“No,” Shen Zhou said. “She has a Heavenly Spiritual Root, making her more qualified than either of us.”
“…”
"No, why should she?" Jinze roared. "Why should she like you? What do you have that makes her like you?!"
“Maybe I’m a good person,” Shen Zhou said.
Jinze's face scrunched up, looking like he was about to vomit. Shen Zhou then realized something and said, "She doesn't like me, she just gives me 100,000 spirit stones every month."
Jinze: "What?!...Wait a minute, the money you gave me before came from her?"
Shen Zhou: "Hmm."
Jinze: "Damn, she's blind! There are so many better ways to spend this money on you! What are you laughing at?... Don't laugh, it's giving me the creeps! Are you possessed or have you been turned on?!"
Shen Zhou stopped smiling and looked at him expressionlessly: "She's back."
Jinze: "Wait, I can walk by myself—ow!"
Shen Zhou kicked him away.
Hua Deng flew over on a mule's back, and exclaimed in amazement at the dark shadows on the horizon, "These birds can fly so fast, have they all come all the way here?"
Shen Zhou's expression remained unchanged: "It got lost. It's a stupid bird."
Hua Deng: "I can tell, he's really not very smart."
He patted the mule's head, signaling it to land. The mule flapped its wings and glanced furtively at Chen Zhou. With its limited brain, it recalled the conversation between Chen Zhou and the Left Protector.
“Your Highness, one should not let things take their natural course when it comes to a Daoist partner. One should strive to create opportunities to deepen the feelings between the two. Look at my wife and I, we have been like this for so many years.”
The mule's mind cleared instantly. It shook its body violently, knocking the lantern down, and brayed happily twice.
Go for it, my master!
Hua Deng: "..."
Brother Mule, what's wrong with you?
Just as she was about to use magic to levitate, she suddenly felt a tightness around her waist. A hand moved faster than she could, wrapping its arms around her waist and pulling her into a tight embrace.
Then I heard a cold, emotionless voice from above: "Tonight we're having mule meat sandwiches."
Mule: "???"
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