“What kind of spirit… I’m at my wits’ end! Why don’t you go out… go for a walk, and come back later!”
Lu Xiaochan was almost crying.
“Xiaochan, in this inn, only this room is occupied.”
As Shu Wuxi said this, Lu Xiaochan suddenly trembled.
“Then… then what were those sounds I heard?”
The woman next door… no, the woman’s voice was coming from all directions, as if it was beside his ear, yet also right in front of him.
“That was an evil spirit that feeds on lustful thoughts, called ‘Chuixian’.”
Lu Xiaochan was greatly shocked in his heart, what! An evil spirit had targeted him?
He was blind, unable to see beauty or ugliness in daily life, and according to the old beggar, he hadn’t even grown all his hair yet. How could this ‘Chuixian’ have found him?
“Then save me!”
Lu Xiaochan now envied Shu Wuxi’s indifference to worldly desires. When evil spirits came knocking, they found no gap.
“Calm your mind, and it won’t be able to tempt you.”
“How do I calm my mind?”
Lu Xiaochan’s nose was filled with fragrant breezes, something soft and delicate was sticking to his face, his neck, burrowing into his bones and blood.
“Young master! Young master! This girl misses you so much!”
Lu Xiaochan was dizzy, his soul about to leave his body. He seemed to return to the Wusi Tavern, his eyes restored, seeing a woman of unparalleled beauty. She swayed her slender waist, sitting on the table in front of Lu Xiaochan.
Seductive to the bone.
“Xiaochan, if you still remember what extreme thought is, then ordinary desires won’t shake you.”
In an instant, heaven and earth inverted. Lu Xiaochan’s mind returned to his body. He took a deep breath, only to realize he was covered with a blanket, and someone was holding him tightly through the blanket.
At this moment, the door of the room suddenly opened.
A graceful and charming figure stood at the doorway.
“Young master, that day at the tavern, this girl only saw you once, but can’t forget you. Every day, I think of you a thousand times, just wanting to see you again, to serve you well. To ascend Mount Wu with you, never to part.”
Lu Xiaochan trembled.
“Oh my dear mother — you’re Ren Erniang! You’re Ren Erniang! Don’t come near! I’m not interested in you!”
Now Lu Xiaochan understood. Ren Erniang was immersed in that kind of thing with men. And it was said that although she was over thirty, she was especially charming and graceful. Although the women in town didn’t like her, whenever she walked down the street, men would crane their necks to stare at her.
If there was an evil spirit that fed on lust, Ren Erniang would be the most suitable.
“Young master! This girl misses you so much she can’t sleep at night. Can you really bear to let this girl sleep alone?”
“I can! I can! You sleep best alone! Go away! Go away!”
Lu Xiaochan thought of the previously mentioned young master Chen, who was said to have become as thin as a pole, and Xiao Erge who was left with only his last breath. Frightened, his little face turned pale, and he desperately burrowed into Shu Wuxi’s embrace.
“Don’t be afraid.” Shu Wuxi lowered his head, his warm breath at Lu Xiaochan’s ear.
“Quickly subdue it!”
“I won’t take action. If I subdue it for you today, tomorrow there will be other evil spirits to disturb you. Do you know why it targeted you?”
“I don’t know! I’ve never had that kind of thought about Ren Erniang!”
“It’s because you have spiritual roots, but don’t know how to store your spiritual energy in your dantian. Before, with the Tailing Qingyuan spell in place, evil spirits couldn’t invade within a hundred miles. Now that the great spell is broken, evil spirits from all directions smell your spiritual energy and naturally come to take advantage of you. As long as they can arouse your desires, they can lead you into possession.”
“What? Where did I get spiritual roots from?”
“Listen to me, let go of your fear, imagine your body as a vast ocean.”
“I’ve never seen the sea!” Lu Xiaochan said pitifully.
“Ren Erniang has come in,” said Shu Wuxi.
Lu Xiaochan’s hair was about to stand on end.
Imagine a vast sea…
But what he could imagine in his mind was the endless cloud waves from his dream, extending without limit.
“In the center of this sea, there is a cave, and the boundless ocean rushes in from all directions.”
What Lu Xiaochan saw in his mind, however, was a scene of changing winds and clouds. Sword energy roamed freely amidst the cloud waves, with ever-changing phenomena led by a figure, converging into the sword in that person’s hand.
At this moment, he felt as if there was a qi lingering restlessly between his lungs, gathering tighter and tighter, until it finally settled.
“Xiaochan, don’t be afraid. You’ve already formed your dantian.”
Shu Wuxi’s voice was soft and gentle. Lu Xiaochan felt extremely drowsy and fell asleep with his head tilted.
Shu Wuxi supported his back and slowly laid him on the pillow.
His expression turned cold as he spoke. “How long do you intend to wait on the side? Is this how Ling Nianwu teaches his disciples?”
Jiang Wuchao, who had been hiding on the inn’s roof, tensed his shoulders.
He had found a camellia hairpin in Xiao Erge’s room. Old Liu said it looked like the one Ren Erniang always wore in her hair. Jiang Wuchao guessed that Ren Erniang hadn’t fled for fear of being tied up and reported to the officials by the town head, but was controlled by the evil spirit “Chuixian”, seducing men everywhere.
He had concealed his own spiritual energy and finally found Ren Erniang.
But he didn’t expect Ren Erniang to come to the inn and try to seduce Lu Xiaochan.
If Shu Wuxi truly was a senior with cultivation higher than Ling Nianwu’s, he could have dispelled the “One Leaf Blinds the Eye” technique. Without needing a sword formation, his own spiritual power could have destroyed “Chuixian”.
But Shu Wuxi deliberately didn’t take action, and even discovered Jiang Wuchao watching from the roof.
Jiang Wuchao had no choice but to reveal himself.
Seeing Jiang Wuchao, Ren Erniang was greatly shocked and immediately ran away.
Jiang Wuchao sent out his flying sword, and the activated sword formation severely injured Ren Erniang’s back.
After falling, Ren Erniang crawled down the stairs like a spider, using both hands and feet.
The street after midnight was empty of people, so quiet it was almost silent, without even the sound of roosters or dogs.
Jiang Wuchao had nowhere to borrow power, greatly reducing the effectiveness of his sword formation. The second “Spirit Howl” dissipated like thin smoke before it could touch Ren Erniang.
Naturally perceiving Jiang Wuchao’s weakness, Ren Erniang turned around and laughed loudly.
“Would the Immortal Lord like me to lend you some seductive sounds to use?”
In an instant, the quiet moonlit night was filled with coquettish teasing, rising and falling, continuous and unending.
Jiang Wuchao’s face immediately turned red.
Ren Erniang walked shamelessly in front of Jiang Wuchao, circling him once. “Could it be that the Immortal Lord hasn’t tasted the joys of love yet? Would you like me to lead you to experience the ultimate pleasure of the mortal world?”
“Presumptuous!”
Jiang Wuchao suddenly thrust out the sword in his hand, and there was actually a bell tied to its hilt.
However, Jiang Wuchao had been holding the bell in his hand all along, and no one had noticed it. Now, as the Minglan sword flew out, a light and clear sound rang out. Instantly, the “Spirit Howl” formation condensed, pressing down on Ren Erniang like Mount Tai.
The evil spirit “Chuixian” inside Ren Erniang darted out from her mouth, crashing around in the formation. As the sword formation tightened, it was finally absorbed into the “Minglan sword” and refined into spiritual power.
Ren Erniang fell to the ground, pale and bloodless. The wound on her wrist, cut by the butcher’s knife, had festered, exposing shattered bone.
“Please, Immortal Lord, save me… save me…”
“You plotted against your husband and harbored evil desires. Now that the evil spirit has hollowed out your body, even if I wanted to save you, I couldn’t.”
Jiang Wuchao shook his head. Ren Erniang’s eyes grew dimmer and dimmer as she breathed her last.
He sheathed his sword and quickly returned to the inn, only to find the room empty.
He felt the bed, still warm, indicating that Shu Wuxi hadn’t taken Lu Xiaochan far.
At this time, Shu Wuxi was carrying Lu Xiaochan in one arm, walking under the night sky.
Before them was a river, submerged in darkness, adorned only by sparse stars that flickered with the flowing waves.
Lu Xiaochan’s head rested on Shu Wuxi’s shoulder. As Lu Xiaochan’s nose tip nearly touched Shu Wuxi’s chin, Shu Wuxi’s throat tightened, but he still turned his face away.
He raised his right hand slightly.
“Lushu, how long do you intend to laze about in this Handan River?”
Suddenly, the calm river waters stirred. A vague, enormous creature emerged from the water, slowly walking onto the riverbank.
It was a spirit beast, shaped like a pure white steed, but several times larger than an ordinary horse, trailing a fiery red tail. Only a bit of moonlight leaked through the thick clouds, falling on it and transforming into a visible yet intangible, translucent spiritual light.
Seeing Shu Wuxi, its gaze, initially annoyed at being disturbed, immediately turned docile. It lowered its head and prostrated itself before Shu Wuxi.
“I need to take your master away from here.”
Hearing Shu Wuxi say this, Lushu lowered its head and whimpered, then gently nuzzled the deeply sleeping Lu Xiaochan with its ears.
“He has lost his cultivation, and I don’t have my sword with me, so we can’t fly away,” Shu Wuxi turned his face, able to see Lu Xiaochan’s small nose tip. “If you come with us, you can also take care of him along the way.”
Hearing this, Lushu immediately shrank, transforming into a nimble white horse, and prostrated itself before Shu Wuxi.
Shu Wuxi lifted Lu Xiaochan horizontally and placed him on Lushu’s back.
Lu Xiaochan, usually restless during the day, now quietly pressed his face against Lushu’s neck.
On Shu Wuxi’s expressionless face, the corners of his mouth dipped slightly. His fingertips nearly touched Lu Xiaochan’s cheek, but he drew back his hand as if waking from a dream, inhaling sharply.
“If only you could stay like this forever.”
Shu Wuxi turned around, walking in front.
Lushu, silent, kept its head low, quietly following behind him, along the Handan River and into the Yuyu Forest.
Lushu Town was surrounded by mountains and forests. At night, except for the faint starlight, almost nothing on the ground could be seen clearly.
But Shu Wuxi walked straight ahead without turning his eyes, occasionally stopping to look back at the sleeping Lu Xiaochan.
By the time Lu Xiaochan woke up, it was already daylight.
He rubbed his eyes, wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, and nearly fell off Lushu’s back.
“Ouch! Where am I?”
Lu Xiaochan haphazardly grabbed Lushu’s fur, steadying himself, and immediately began feeling around everywhere.
“Shu Wuxi—Shu Wuxi, where are you?”
“I’m right in front of you,” Shu Wuxi’s voice sounded.
Only then did Lu Xiaochan let out a sigh of relief.
“You scared me to death! What is this? Is it a donkey? Or a mule?”
Lu Xiaochan reached out to grab Lushu’s ears. Lushu moved discontentedly, nearly flipping Lu Xiaochan off. A strong hand directly supported Lu Xiaochan’s left leg, putting him back in place.
Lu Xiaochan immediately groped around again, almost grasping the other’s wrist, but the other quickly withdrew their hand.
“Didn’t we agree that you’re not allowed to touch me?” Shu Wuxi’s voice sounded, with a hint of coldness.
Beneath the coldness was a sense of unease and nervousness.
Lu Xiaochan sat there stiffly, thinking Shu Wuxi would whip him with a bamboo branch, but after waiting for a while, nothing happened.
Could it be that Shu Wuxi had forgotten to bring the bamboo branch?
Really, why was it okay to touch through clothes, but not directly?
“I was afraid you were gone. How about we make a deal? If you won’t let me hold your hand, can I at least pull on your sleeve? That should be okay, right?”
Lu Xiaochan tilted his head, his eyes wide open, the faint dawn light falling on his face.
Shu Wuxi beside him slowly extended his hand, lured by something invisible, his fingertips about to touch Lu Xiaochan, just wanting to brush away the messy hair by his ear.
The closer he got to Lu Xiaochan, the stiffer Shu Wuxi’s joints became. From his forearm to his shoulder, the lines instantly tensed up. He stared intently at Lu Xiaochan, his clear eyes suddenly turning into a seething sea of obsession.
A gust of wind passed by, blowing the loose hair by Lu Xiaochan’s ear down. It merely grazed Shu Wuxi’s fingertips, but that strand of hair instantly burst into flames. Shu Wuxi immediately released a thread of true qi, cutting off that strand of hair.
“Ah—” Lu Xiaochan still covered his ears, “It’s hot! It’s hot! It’s hot!”
He almost fell off Lushu’s back.
“Xiaochan! Xiaochan! Are you alright?”
Shu Wuxi wanted to hold Lu Xiaochan up, but just as he reached out, he froze there, his eyes blood-red.
This was the first time Lu Xiaochan had heard such strong emotion in Shu Wuxi’s voice.
He stood up, touched his ear, then touched his face. “I’m fine! Just now, it felt like something burned my ear a little.”
“That was… desire… fire…” Shu Wuxi’s voice was very tense.
Like a taut string, ready to snap at any moment.
“Desire… fire? What desire fire? Whose desire is so intense that it can burn people?” Lu Xiaochan giggled.
Because this was too funny!
If a person’s desire could be so strong, wouldn’t they crush everything they wanted in their palm and still not be satisfied?
I think you’re just unhappy and using immortal method to punish me, right?
“Do you want to touch me?” Shu Wuxi asked.
“Yes! Of course I do! But don’t burn me again…”
Shu Wuxi crouched down and slowly approached Lu Xiaochan, who had fallen to the ground. His gaze was deep, tinged with a hint of extreme madness, but it quickly disappeared without a trace.
“When we go to Tailing Pavilion, even if I have to turn the place upside down, I’ll find a way to touch you.”
“Don’t turn it upside down! Let’s talk to them nicely! What if we upset the people at Tailing Pavilion and they kick us out?”
“As long as in the future… you don’t blame me for being too forceful… and hurting you, it’ll be fine.”
“Huh?”
Lu Xiaochan thought, ‘How could you be too forceful and hurt me?’
He sat there for a long time, waiting for Shu Wuxi to help him up, but after waiting for ages, Shu Wuxi still hadn’t touched him. Lu Xiaochan was extremely disappointed and stood up on his own, clambering up with effort.
“Brother Wuxi! Brother Wuxi! Brother Wuxi!” Lu Xiaochan called out to Shu Wuxi three times, frowning.
“Mm, I’m here.”
“Where are we now? What am I riding on – is it a mule or a donkey?”
“We’ve already left Lushu Town.”
“Oh…” Lu Xiaochan thought that Shu Wuxi probably didn’t want him to continue watching the commotion and meddling in affairs, otherwise they’d never leave Lushu Town in this lifetime.
“What you’re riding now is the spirit beast Lushu. It has been guarding Lushu Town for about 1,300 years. The town was probably named after this spirit beast.”
When Lu Xiaochan heard this, he almost fell off its back again.
“What did you say? This is… this is a spirit beast?” Lu Xiaochan immediately stroked Lushu’s back. “Spirit beast, oh spirit beast, I failed to recognize Mount Tai… oh, oh, I’m blind, please don’t blame me!”
Lushu, who had been rolling its eyes for a long time because Lu Xiaochan kept calling it a mule or donkey, finally felt vindicated and snorted.
Lu Xiaochan never thought he’d have the chance to ride a spirit beast in his lifetime, and his face was full of pride.
After about half an hour, the novelty of riding a spirit beast wore off, and Lu Xiaochan started chattering again.
“Brother Wuxi? Brother Wuxi, are you still there?”
“Yes.”
Shu Wuxi’s voice came from in front.
“Then do you want to come up and sit with me?”
“No need.”
“But what if I accidentally fall off?”
“You won’t.”
“I just fell off earlier!”
