Liu Zhuang Xian

Lu Xiaochan instinctively wanted to grab Shu Wuxi, but Shu Wuxi spoke first. “No touching allowed.”

Lu Xiaochan’s hand could only freeze in mid-air, with nowhere to rest.

But being so close, he seemed to hear Shu Wuxi’s heartbeat, his breathing, and feel the strength of his arms.

This feeling was strange, subtly carrying a hint of improper anticipation.

Shu Wuxi turned to the side and embraced him.

Lu Xiaochan slowly turned his face, pressing his ear against Shu Wuxi’s chest. That solid feeling made him want to press harder, while also worrying that Shu Wuxi would scold him for getting too close.

Shu Wuxi set him down, letting him sit on a tattered small cushion.

Without anyone saying a word, Lushu lowered its head, bringing many dry grasses and twigs in its mouth, nudging them into a pile. Then with a flick of its tail, a few sparks fell onto the dry grass pile, immediately igniting it.

The flickering firelight illuminated the entire Earth God Temple.

This Earth God Temple had been abandoned for a long time. Not to mention spider webs everywhere, there was also a thick layer of dust. The earth god statue leaning on a cane had cracked, and the incense burner in front was empty.

Lu Xiaochan rubbed his hands together. Lushu circled around him, almost enveloping him completely.

“It’s so desolate here! There’s no sign of life at all.”

“You’ll get used to it,” Shu Wuxi said indifferently.

Get used to it? Who could get used to a place with no vitality?

“Is where you live like this too? Do you have anyone to keep you company?”

“I used to, but not anymore.”

For the first time, Lu Xiaochan felt that being blind wasn’t a good thing, as he couldn’t see Shu Wuxi’s expression.

“What do you do when you’re alone?”

“Think about someone, wait for someone.”

“How long have you been waiting?” Lu Xiaochan was truly curious about who could hold such a place in Shu Wuxi’s heart.

“One thousand three hundred and seventy-two years.”

Seeing that the sparks were about to burn Lu Xiaochan’s hand as he warmed himself by the fire, Shu Wuxi raised his wrist, and the Immortal-Locking Ribbon swung in an arc. The sparks touched the ribbon and instantly extinguished.

Lu Xiaochan knew that with his short sixteen years of life, he couldn’t comprehend Shu Wuxi’s thousand years of loneliness, but he still wanted to understand everything about him.

“Such a long time… Don’t you ever forget who you’re waiting for?”

Like the old man in town whose wife had passed away many years ago from illness. He offered incense to her every day for over fifty years, but in the end, the old man forgot everything. He couldn’t even remember his wife’s name.

Nothing in this world lasts forever.

Even this lifetime is beyond human control.

“Would you forget how to breathe?” Shu Wuxi asked.

For some reason, Lu Xiaochan always felt that Shu Wuxi was looking at him.

It was an intense yet restrained gaze.

“Do you think I’m dead? Only dead people forget how to breathe!”

Lu Xiaochan giggled.

He knew that the person Shu Wuxi had been waiting for over a thousand years was probably someone he would never meet.

“It’s the same for me. I will keep waiting for him, searching for him, even unto death.”

Lu Xiaochan suddenly reached out his hand towards Shu Wuxi, smiling and saying, “Then give me some money.”

“Are you going to buy alcohol again?” Shu Wuxi lowered his eyes, looking at the outstretched hand.

“I want to buy lanterns! I’ll help you find someone with the lanterns lit!”

Lu Xiaochan shook the Immortal-Locking Ribbon. He felt that at this moment, Shu Wuxi must be smiling slightly.

And it must be an unparalleled beauty in the world.

At this time, there came a knocking sound from the temple door.

“Excuse me, friends inside. I am Jiang Wuchao from Zhiwu Mountain Villa. I’m traveling at night and hope to share lodging for the night.”

Lu Xiaochan’s eyes lit up, and he stood up abruptly. “Hey! Is that Brother Jiang?”

Shu Wuxi’s face darkened. With just a press of the Immortal-Locking Ribbon, Lu Xiaochan was pulled down, falling onto Lushu’s body.

Hearing this, Jiang Wuchao immediately realized that Lu Xiaochan and Shu Wuxi were inside the dilapidated temple!

But Shu Wuxi seemed difficult to get along with. Jiang Wuchao could only bow with clasped hands. “I apologize for disturbing your peace, senior. Please forgive me!”

Shu Wuxi’s profile was vaguely visible in the firelight. He acted as if he hadn’t heard anything.

Lu Xiaochan got up and tugged at the Lock Immortal-Locking Ribbon. “Brother Wuxi, let Brother Jiang come in! It’s pitiful for him to be alone outside, isn’t it?”

“Do you care about this Jiang Wuchao?” Shu Wuxi’s voice was bone-chillingly cold.

Lu Xiaochan scratched his ear. “What’s wrong?”

“You just need to answer me, do you care about him or not.”

For some reason, Lu Xiaochan felt an invisible force bearing down on him, making it hard to breathe.

Even Lushu, who was surrounding him, was trembling incessantly.

“I… I just think Brother Jiang is a good person! He saved me! If it weren’t for him, I would have been gutted by the vicious Mrs. Meng that day!”

“I’m asking, do you care about him?”

Lu Xiaochan swallowed hard, suddenly worried that if his answer displeased Shu Wuxi, would Jiang Wuchao’s life be in danger?

Having been a beggar all his life, even if he couldn’t see others’ expressions, he could hear their tone. He knew he had to flatter and cater to their preferences.

But what did Shu Wuxi like?

“In this world, I once only cared about one person, the old beggar. Later, the old beggar choked to death on peanuts, and I was left alone. After so many years, you finally found me, bought me food, and took me to treat my eyes. No one has been as good to me as you—so I care about you the most.”

Lu Xiaochan spoke with great emotion, his toes fidgeting on the ground. He was nervous inside!

“Lying.”

Shu Wuxi’s voice was flat. Lu Xiaochan hated this emotionless nature of his the most.

“I’m not lying!”

“When you’re sincere, you don’t have this expression.”

Damn, I don’t even know what I look like when I’m sincere, how can you know?

Lu Xiaochan quickly tugged at the Immortal-Locking Ribbon. “Brother Wuxi! Brother Wuxi! Brother Jiang is really a good person! If anything happens to him, I won’t be able to live with my conscience!”

With just a flick of his wrist, Shu Wuxi pulled Lu Xiaochan down in front of him with the Immortal-Locking Ribbon.

“Who do you care about the most?”

“You!” Lu Xiaochan said decisively.

Only then did Shu Wuxi raise his face. “Come in.”

Outside the door, Jiang Wuchao finally let out a sigh of relief.

However, he didn’t come in alone. He was carrying another person on his back.

Lu Xiaochan tilted his head, listening to Jiang Wuchao’s footsteps, and couldn’t help asking, “Brother Jiang, who are you carrying?”

“It’s An Heng.”

Lu Xiaochan was stunned. Wasn’t An Heng the disciple of the Meng family, the one who had pulled him out of the Immortal Lord statue?

How did he end up with An Heng?

Jiang Wuchao set down the person on his back, and once again bowed respectfully towards Shu Wuxi, though Shu Wuxi still ignored him.

Just as Lu Xiaochan was about to give Jiang Wuchao a big smile, the Immortal-Locking Ribbon on his wrist tightened, almost making him cry out in pain.

“Lu Xiaochan, I didn’t expect to see you here. To be able to travel with such a senior and receive his guidance, it’s truly enviable.”

Jiang Wuchao’s words were both polite and an attempt to probe the relationship between Lu Xiaochan and Shu Wuxi.

Lu Xiaochan waved his hand. “Now, you’re also sharing this Earth God Temple with this senior. Such a rare opportunity, you could also ask him for guidance!”

Jiang Wuchao smiled. He could tell that forget about guidance, it was already quite “fortunate” that Shu Wuxi hadn’t lifted a finger to drive him out.

“Brother Jiang, is An Heng dead? You’re such a good person, even collecting his body?”

“He’s still barely alive, but won’t make it through the night. Do you remember Mrs. Meng who attacked you that day in the Immortal Lord temple?”

“Yes, I remember!”

If his nose wasn’t mistaken, the carriage he and Shu Wuxi had passed belonged to Mrs. Meng. Since there was a smell of blood coming from inside, could it be that the tyrannical and jealous Mrs. Meng had died?

“She’s gone. When I first arrived at this small village, it was just yesterday. At that time, smoke rose from chimneys, and villagers were busy with their livelihoods, chatting and laughing. Her carriage was parked in front of a house in the center of the village. I even saw her servants borrowing a villager’s kitchen to cook for her.”

“What? Yesterday?”

That’s impossible! The smell Lu Xiaochan had detected when passing through this village was definitely not from a single night’s decay and ruin!

And where had all the villagers gone?

“I’m not on good terms with her, so to avoid her, I stayed at a house on the east end of the village.”

“Then what happened?”

“After midnight, I suddenly noticed how quiet the village had become, without any sign of life. So I got up, and to my shock, the house I was staying in had become dilapidated, with insects crawling about! I rushed out to check the village, and the entire place had completely changed!”

“What’s going on?”

It was all like the ghost stories the old beggar used to tell Lu Xiaochan!

“I was worried about Mrs. Meng, so I went to her carriage. But her two maids in the carriage were already dead, and the others were nowhere to be seen. I heard the sound of fighting nearby, which seemed to be from the Meng family disciples. But when I followed the sound, I only found An Heng lying on the ground, severely injured. The others had vanished.”

Jiang Wuchao sighed and transferred a bit more spiritual energy to An Heng.

An Heng’s lips moved slightly, but it wasn’t clear what he was saying.

“An Heng? An Heng?” Jiang Wuchao leaned down.

Lu Xiaochan listened carefully and then spoke, “Did he say something?”

“Yes! He’s too weak to speak clearly, but it seems like he’s begging for mercy!”