Chapter 42
Mu Xize pressed him down onto the bed again and scolded, "You're already injured like this, and you still want to get the Ice Lotus? You're really courting death!"
Mu Qingzhou also struggled to pull Shi Anxu back, and said, "My original intention was to save my senior brother. If my senior brother is like this, then all my efforts will be in vain?"
Upon hearing their conversation, Shi Anxu lay back down. "But your current physical condition can't be delayed any longer."
Mu Xize pulled Shi Anxu's hand in front of him and took his pulse. "It's not like there's no one else. Xingyun and I can go pick ice lotus. You just stay here and recover quietly."
"But……"
Shi Anxu was about to say something when Mu Xize interrupted her.
"Stop with the 'buts'. You were struck by lightning twice and you're still acting like nothing happened. Your internal injuries are severe now, so remember not to use your spiritual power again."
An Xu immediately deflated when he heard that he couldn't use his spiritual power. He had originally planned to sneak out and pick ice lotus while they weren't paying attention.
Preventing him from using his spiritual power now would be tantamount to suicide. Mu Qingzhou risked his life to save him, so he cherishes his life now, because it no longer belongs to him alone.
Seeing Shi Anxu's expression, Mu Xize knew what he had been thinking. He put Shi Anxu's hand back and said, "So don't even think about sneaking out to pick ice lotus. I'll figure something out. You two should stay here and recover from your injuries for the next few days. I'll go and prepare your medicine now."
After saying that, Mu Xize turned and left.
Now only Shi Anxu and Mu Qingzhou were left in the room. Shi Anxu no longer had the courage to kiss Mu Qingzhou earlier, so he turned around and lay down with his back to Mu Qingzhou.
But Mu Qingzhou wouldn't let Shi Anxu off so easily. He reached out and turned Shi Anxu over so that he was facing him.
Shi Anxu didn't dare to look at Mu Qingzhou after he turned her over, and buried her head in the quilt.
Mu Qingzhou chuckled softly on Shi Anxu's head, the deep sound sending a shiver down Shi Anxu's spine.
He couldn't take it anymore and looked up at Mu Qingzhou with a face full of anger.
But Mu Qingzhou only saw cuteness in this anger; he thought Shi Anxu was extremely cute in this state.
"My senior brother has finally deigned to look up at me."
Shi Anxu felt as if he had become a different person ever since he took the initiative to kiss Mu Qingzhou. Where had his former aloofness gone?!
"Don't you understand why I won't look up at you?"
Mu Qingzhou leaned closer to Shi Anxu and said, "I don't understand, Senior Brother, you kissed me first, so what is our relationship now?"
Mu Qingzhou!!! You really know how to bring up the most sensitive topics!
Shi Anxu smiled and said, "Didn't you already know?"
Mu Qingzhou said in a sticky voice, "But I'll only feel at ease if I hear it from my senior brother himself."
Mu Qingzhou, with her wounds and broken beauty, was irresistible to Shi Anxu. He blushed and whispered, "Our relationship now is that of Daoist partners."
Mu Qingzhou pretended not to hear and said, "What did you just say, Senior Brother? Speak louder, I didn't hear you."
Shi Anxu had already embarrassed him enough by saying it once, and he would never say it a second time.
"I've already said it once, so if you didn't hear me, then forget it."
Mu Qingzhou immediately put on a disappointed and heartbroken look, "Well, my wish to hear my senior brother admit our relationship won't come true."
Shi Anxu couldn't stand Mu Qingzhou's coquettishness at all, so he loudly added, "Our relationship is now that of Daoist partners!"
Mu Qingzhou was finally satisfied. He sat up and gently kissed Shi Anxu's forehead.
Shi Anxu felt a little uncomfortable being kissed by Mu Qingzhou and wanted to break free from Mu Qingzhou's hold and go to rest on the other side.
Mu Qingzhou tightened his arms around Shi Anxu, pulling him directly into his embrace. "I only feel safe sleeping with you like this, please don't pull away from me, okay?"
Shi Anxu thought to himself, "My junior brother was injured while saving me, so he should get some rest."
Thinking of this, Shi Anxu immediately stopped moving. He obediently lay in Mu Qingzhou's arms, feeling the intense heat emanating from his body.
Gradually, he felt his eyelids getting heavier and heavier, and finally, unable to stay awake any longer, he fell asleep.
Looking at the peaceful sleeping face of the person he had been longing for in his arms, Mu Qingzhou smiled and closed his eyes.
In the following days, Shi Anxu learned from Mu Xize that Mu Qingzhou's condition could last for another six months, which put his mind at ease, allowing him to focus on recovering.
Under Mu Xize's daily nourishing medicine, Shi Anxu's internal injuries have almost healed, but Mu Qingzhou's condition is getting worse and worse.
During his recovery, Mu Xize and Wen Xingyun both tried to go to Mount No Return to pick ice lotus, but failed several times.
Shi Anxu watched Mu Qingzhou sleep more and more each day, and he was getting impatient. As soon as his injury healed, he told Mu Xize that he wanted to go to Mount Bugui to pick ice lotus.
“Master’s wife, my injuries have almost healed, so I want to go and pick ice lotus for my junior brother.”
When Mu Xize saw Shi Anxu, he knew that Shi Anxu had come for this matter. He knew he couldn't persuade Shi Anxu, but he still said, "Your junior sister Wen and I have been there several times but we haven't reached the top of the mountain. The No Return Mountain is extremely dangerous. Why don't we wait until our injuries are better before going?"
Shi Anxu replied, "I'm really worried about my junior brother. Don't worry, mistress, I still have the magic artifacts left to me by my master. Nothing will happen to me. If I encounter any danger, I'll just run away."
Mu Xize knew that trying to persuade her would lead to the same result, so he waved his hand, signaling Shi Anxu to go ahead.
After setting it up, he reminded him, "Be sure to pay attention to your safety."
Shi Anxu nodded and said, "Don't worry, Master's wife. If Junior Brother asks, just say I went out to gather herbs for you. Don't tell him the truth, otherwise I'm afraid he'll worry and won't take good care of his injuries."
Mu Xize readily agreed, and then added, "I will tell Qingzhou that, and you must ensure your safety."
Shi Anxu gave Mu Xize a reassuring look, "Master's wife, you can rest assured. I also value my life. I'm leaving now."
Mu Xize watched Shi Anxu's departing figure, the rising steam from the medicine pot blurring his vision. He sighed softly and murmured to himself, "Qinyi, these two children, like us, have suffered so much..."
Shi Anxu sailed to the foot of Mount No Return in his flying boat. The mountain was covered with layers of trees and shrouded in mist.
The flying boat was too big to fly in, so Shi Anxu had to jump off and walk into the Mountain of No Return.
Shi Anxu walked up the mountain, and he didn't encounter any magical beasts along the way. No wonder his master's wife and junior sister Xingyun had been able to come here several times.
However, he didn't understand why his master's wife kept reminding him to be careful when there was no danger on the road.
Could it be that all the monsters have gathered at the mountaintop?
Shi Anxu silently cheered himself on. Even if that was his thought, he was determined to pick the Ice Lotus.
He quickened his pace, but eventually grew quite tired, so he summoned Luoying and flew to the mountaintop with his fan.
The closer Shi Anxu got to the summit, the more difficult it became for him to move. It felt as if something was pressing down on him, getting heavier and heavier, and he couldn't even use his full spiritual power.
He endured the immense weight on his body and gritted his teeth to climb to the top of the mountain.
At the summit of Mount No Return is a lotus pond, surrounded by thick snowflakes.
Three snow-white leopards were resting by the lotus pond.
Just by looking at their size, Shi Anxu felt that he was already destined to be swallowed up by them.
Now he understood why Mu Xize had repeatedly told him to be careful.
Feeling a heavy weight on his body, Shi Anxu couldn't escape even if he wanted to. He now had to rely on the friction of his shoes against the ground to move around normally.
The current situation is extremely unfavorable for Shi Anxu. He doesn't know if the three white leopards feel the same way as him, or if their movements are completely unrestricted.
Shi Anxu had long lost the certainty he had when he made the promise to Mu Xize, but having come this far, he was absolutely not going to give up.
He moved his feet carefully, trying not to make a sound and disturb the white leopard.
Shi Anxu had been moving very steadily until he was almost at the edge of the pond. Then, his front foot slipped into a snow pit, and he fell into the lotus pond.
The water splashed out when they fell into the lotus pond, all of it landing on the three white leopards.
Oh no, those three white leopards are probably waking up soon, I need to find somewhere to hide right away.
Shi Anxu can't run fast at all right now, so he can only plan to hold his breath and hide in the pool.
He looked around, preparing to find a good place to hide, only to find that the water in the lotus pond only reached his waist, thus blocking his last escape route.
He could only watch helplessly as the three white leopards regained consciousness and stared at him menacingly.
Shi Anxu slowly backed away, but the three white leopards just chased him back along the edge of the pool.
It turned out they couldn't go down into the lotus pond. After Shi Anxu found out, he started walking around in the lotus pond without any restraint.
He picked the largest ice lotus from the lotus pond and plucked it.
When the three white leopards saw Shi Anxu pick the ice lotus, they all froze on the spot as if they had seen something incredible.
After a moment of stunned silence, they immediately lay down on the ground in a gesture of submission.
Shi Anxu never expected that just by picking an ice lotus, these white leopards would turn into what they are now.
He took a few steps back and realized that the Ice Lotus was in his hand, so the summit of Mount No Return could no longer press down on him. He quickly retreated to the other side of the lotus pond and prepared to run away.
Unexpectedly, the three white leopards quickly caught up, frightening Shi Anxu so much that he wanted to retreat back into the lotus pond.
However, although the three white leopards had rushed up to Shi Anxu, they did not attack him, but instead remained submissive in front of him.
Shi Anxu asked uncertainly, "Are you trying to acknowledge me as your master?"
The three white leopards roared in unison.
Shi Anxu couldn't understand what the white leopard meant by roaring, so he took it as "yes" for the time being.
He slowly walked forward, placed his hand on the head of a white leopard and stroked it gently. The white leopard immediately made a comfortable "purring" sound.
On the other two occasions, seeing this, the white leopard tried to push the other white leopard away so that Shi Anxu could touch it.
Shi Anxu said with a smile, "Don't rush, don't rush, every leopard will get a share."
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