The other person gripped Lu Xiaochan’s waist with one hand, using great strength. Their palm was very hot, as if it would burn Lu Xiaochan. He was immediately stunned.
“Don’t touch.”
Shu Wuxi’s icy voice rang out, but at this moment his voice sounded more ethereal and pure than usual, just like… just like the person Lu Xiaochan saw every time he dreamed.
Lu Xiaochan instinctively reached to touch Shu Wuxi’s hand on his waist, but Shu Wuxi let go, and Lu Xiaochan didn’t touch him.
“What was that?” Lu Xiaochan asked.
Shu Wuxi didn’t bend down to pick up that thing, but his voice sounded deeper than usual when he spoke.
“It’s a pity I didn’t crush it for that evil god.”
Lu Xiaochan’s shoulders trembled, suddenly understanding what it was.
He turned around, standing in front of Shu Wuxi. “That’s Jiang Wuchao’s heart, isn’t it?”
“You do care about him after all.”
Shu Wuxi’s voice was very cold, which suddenly reminded Lu Xiaochan of some kind of translucent, icy object, piled up layer by layer into an unscalable high tower.
It turned out that Shu Wuxi hadn’t immediately dealt with Jiang Wuchao, not just to lure Jiang Wuchao into using his sword formation to destroy this sky-covering evil forest, revealing the night sky, so that Shu Wuxi could draw moonlight into the formation and refine this evil god. More importantly, he wanted to use the evil god’s hand to destroy Jiang Wuchao’s heart.
So Shu Wuxi’s killing intent towards Jiang Wuchao was real.
Everyone said that the higher one’s cultivation, the more emotionless and desireless they became.
Shu Wuxi was so powerful, where did this hatred come from, and how could he have killing intent towards Jiang Wuchao?
“Brother Wuxi… what’s wrong with you?” Lu Xiaochan firmly blocked his way.
But how could he stop Shu Wuxi? With just one turn, his robes fluttering, Shu Wuxi bypassed Lu Xiaochan and came to the heart.
He lowered his eyes, raised his wrist, and just as his fingertip was about to release a streak of spiritual energy to cut open the slowly beating heart on the ground, Lu Xiaochan quickly spoke up.
“Brother Wuxi, listen to me! I may mention Brother Jiang occasionally, but I only keep you in my heart!”
Oh my!
To think that Lu Xiaochan, who had said many flattering things just to get a meal, would say something so mushy this time.
Food and wine may pass through the intestines, but he hadn’t even kept himself in his heart, let alone… keeping Shu Wuxi in his heart!
Shu Wuxi’s finger didn’t move, because Lu Xiaochan had grabbed the other end of the Immortal-Locking Ribbon.
“Say that again,” Shu Wuxi turned around.
“Wh… what?” Lu Xiaochan stammered.
“You said, who do you keep in your heart?”
“Naturally… naturally, it’s you I keep in my heart!”
Lu Xiaochan prayed in his heart that Shu Wuxi wouldn’t learn from Madam Meng and try to cut open his heart to see.
“It’s true!” Lu Xiaochan said loudly, “If you don’t believe me… you can feel it!”
Yes, just feel it! Please don’t cut me open!
Shu Wuxi’s hand reached out and covered Lu Xiaochan’s chest.
Lu Xiaochan felt a bit nervous, but when he felt Shu Wuxi’s palm, that nervousness disappeared. He only felt as if his heart was being carefully cradled, treasured in every way.
Suddenly, Lu Xiaochan’s waist was gripped, his toes abruptly left the ground, and before he could react, he was placed on Lushu’s back.
Just as Lu Xiaochan was about to move, his hand grasped Shu Wuxi’s shoulder. The other person leaned in, his ear pressed against Lu Xiaochan’s chest.
“Don’t move,” Shu Wuxi said.
Lu Xiaochan froze there, not daring to move, afraid that if he moved carelessly and accidentally touched even a strand of Shu Wuxi’s hair, he might get his hand slapped.
But at the thought of Shu Wuxi’s cheek pressed tightly against his chest, Lu Xiaochan’s heart began to beat very fast.
“Brother Wuxi… what… what are you doing?”
“I’m listening to your heartbeat.”
Lu Xiaochan froze there, instinctively asking, “What’s so good about listening to my heartbeat?”
“It’s the sound of you keeping me in your heart,” Shu Wuxi answered.
Lu Xiaochan felt something crashing in his mind, as if it would destroy mountains and peaks, making everything flow backwards and start anew.
He saw a young man sitting on a green-robed man in his dream, tightly pressing his wrist to his ear.
The young man knew that his audacious behavior was only tolerated because the man lying down allowed it. The young man lowered his head, pressing his face against the man’s chest.
“What are you listening to?”
The young man squinted his eyes and smiled. “Listening to see if your heartbeat is heavy!”
“Why would my heartbeat be heavy?”
“Isn’t it said, ‘Three thousand worlds, all living beings are in one’s thoughts’? With all the world’s people on your mind, how could it not be heavy? But sadly, the people of the world only care about themselves, they don’t keep you in their hearts at all. Only when the Wuyi Sword Sea is about to collapse do they think of asking you, worshipping you for protection!”
“But I’ve never kept them in my heart. I only remember your voice, only know your temperature, and your scent. So I can only keep you in my heart.”
The man’s voice was cold, sounding devoid of emotion, but the young man pressing on him was stunned.
“Then alright, I’ll only keep you in my heart too.”
“You’re lying,” the man’s voice was soft, yet contained a subtle, delicate, barely perceptible joy.
“How am I lying?”
“Your heart still has room for the three thousand worlds of flowers.”
“Oh… yes, it does.”
“Then at this moment, can it be only me?”
“At this moment, I was only thinking of you anyway!” The young man smiled with curved eyes.
With a turn, the young man’s eyes widened as he was suddenly pinned down by the other, his hands held above his head, the man looking down at him.
“What… what are you doing pressing me down! Let me up quickly!”
“I also want to hear what it sounds like when you keep me in your heart.”
The man lowered his head, tilting his ear to rest on the young man’s chest.
“Xiaochan, Xiaochan? Are you angry?” Shu Wuxi’s voice sounded.
Lu Xiaochan immediately came back to his senses, the fragments in his mind dissipating like smoke, impossible to grasp even if he tried.
“I… I’m not angry! Not angry!”
Lu Xiaochan suddenly remembered that Jiang Wuchao’s heart was still out there in the grass! If it wasn’t put back soon, the man might be beyond saving!
“Brother Wuxi, quickly put Jiang Wuchao’s heart back! If he recovers, he can return to his Zhiwu Mountain Villa, and we should hurry on our way to find the Tailing Pavilion!”
“Mm.”
This “Mm” from Shu Wuxi sounded truly melodious to Lu Xiaochan’s ears.
This brother had finally stopped focusing his thoughts on Jiang Wuchao.
Shu Wuxi turned around and looked at the older sister who had cooked catfish tofu soup for them.
“You put his heart back.”
The older sister came over anxiously, cradled Jiang Wuchao’s heart, and carefully put it back.
Shu Wuxi flicked his wrist lightly, releasing a streak of spiritual energy, as casually as possible, with a hint of reluctance. The spiritual energy entered Jiang Wuchao’s body.
He was like someone who had been buried underground for a long time and suddenly got a breath of air. He abruptly opened his eyes and breathed heavily.
Hearing his cough, Lu Xiaochan finally felt relieved.
Although Jiang Wuchao’s heart had been controlled by the evil god earlier, he still had an impression of what had happened.
At this moment, he saw that even though Shu Wuxi had already restrained his spiritual energy, he could still feel the rich spiritual pressure intimidating him.
Shu Wuxi’s face was originally unmemorable due to the “Blocking One’s View with a Leaf” technique, but now, Jiang Wuchao could clearly see Shu Wuxi’s features.
Jiang Wuchao’s master, Ling Niangwu, was already considered an exceptionally handsome man in the immortal world due to his over a thousand years of cultivation. But compared to Shu Wuxi, he was like a firefly competing with the bright moon.
Jiang Wuchao couldn’t describe Shu Wuxi’s appearance with any words. Even looking at him for one more second felt like blasphemy, so he could only immediately lower his head.
“Return to your Zhiwu Mountain Villa,” Shu Wuxi said.
“Yes,” Jiang Wuchao immediately bowed his head in respect.
Shu Wuxi turned around, took a fallen leaf from Lu Xiaochan’s shoulder, and gently tossed it upward.
The leaf flew to the top of Shu Wuxi’s head, suddenly scattering into dust, slowly falling and covering Shu Wuxi.
In an instant, all spiritual energy was contained within his body, and he returned to his scholar appearance.
He lightly hooked his finger, and the hair tie that had fallen to the ground flew back. Shu Wuxi casually tied up his loose hair.
Lu Xiaochan could tell that Jiang Wuchao’s respect for Shu Wuxi was more obvious than before. He might have already known Shu Wuxi’s identity.
No, no, he still needed to find a chance to talk to Jiang Wuchao and ask about Shu Wuxi’s true identity.
Following such a powerful figure, he couldn’t even brag about who his backer was.
Lu Xiaochan waved his hand. “Big sister! Big sister! Now that the evil god who forced you to be its followers has been subdued, come over here and tell me exactly what happened!”
The older sister came to Lu Xiaochan and began. “Actually, young immortal, your guess was quite close. That evil god was indeed brought here by that woman who escaped to our village.”
It turned out that the woman was originally a concubine of a wealthy household. Out of jealousy towards the main wife, she attempted to harm her but was discovered by the servants, so she fled to He Family Village. After arriving at He Family Village, she pretended to be pitiful and was taken in. She often gave suggestive hints to the men in the village. The woman who took her in decided to marry her to a woodcutter, but she refused, which led to a fight between the woodcutter and the son of the woman who took her in, resulting in their deaths.
The village chief felt the situation was serious, so he gave the woman some clothes and food, asking her to leave He Family Village.
That night, during the village chief’s daughter’s wedding, this jealous woman actually tried to seduce the village chief’s new son-in-law.
When the son-in-law rejected her, she poisoned their wine, killing the newlyweds, and even dug out their hearts before fleeing into the mountains.
The whole village went into the mountains to catch this woman. When they found her, she was hiding in the hollow of an ancient thousand-year-old tree.
The evil spirit within her had absorbed the essence of the ancient tree, killing the villagers who came to catch her, and taking out their hearts to nourish the tree that provided her with essence.
As for Chen Family Village, not far from He Family Village, it was later invaded by the evil spirit. The evil spirit demanded that the villagers of Chen Family Village hand over people with He Family Village bloodlines. The hearts of these people were taken by the evil spirit, turning them into heartless living dead, like that little girl and her father.
The evil spirit needed nourishment, so the people of Chen Family Village would lure passing travelers to worship the evil god.
If a passing traveler harbored feelings of jealousy and hatred, they would become food for the evil god.
Coincidentally, Madam Meng passed by here. She heard the villagers say that the evil god in the mountain could make her husband love her forever and punish the women who stole her husband’s affection. So she insisted on worshipping the evil god.
An Heng knew it was inappropriate as soon as he heard about it. The disciples refused to let her go, and Madam Meng’s maids also advised against it, but she wouldn’t listen.
Her evil thoughts were deep, and that night she was possessed by the evil god, who took the hearts of her two maids.
An Heng led the Meng family disciples into the forest to find Madam Meng, but their cultivation wasn’t enough, and they ended up having their hearts taken by the evil god.
Hearing this, Lu Xiaochan couldn’t help but sigh.
“This… I suppose it’s karma…”
“The story is over, let’s go.”
Shu Wuxi supported Lu Xiaochan’s left leg, pushing it from one side of Lushu to the other.
Lu Xiaochan thought, oh my, he hadn’t even had a chance to talk to Jiang Wuchao yet!
He quickly rubbed his stomach. “Brother Wuxi, it’s already night, isn’t it? Why don’t we go back to the village, have some hot soup and noodles, sleep for a night before setting off? If you want me to hang on Lushu’s back all night, my legs will hurt…”
The villagers all knelt down.
“Whatever the young immortal wants to eat, as long as we have it, we’ll certainly serve you the best food and drink!”
Lu Xiaochan grinned.
“Oh my, I’ve benefited from your light and become a young immortal! Actually, I just want to have another bowl of catfish tofu soup!”
Shu Wuxi neither nodded in agreement nor disagreed.
It seemed that whenever Lu Xiaochan said he wanted to eat something, he never refused.
Back in Chen Family Village, Lu Xiaochan got more than just catfish stewed with tofu! There was also tender local pork and three-yellow chicken stewed with chestnuts. Lu Xiaochan ate heartily as if he had never eaten meat in his life.
Shu Wuxi sat beside him, barely touching his chopsticks, only drinking a few sips of water.
The villagers kept their heads low. Shu Wuxi’s demeanor was cold and aloof, seemingly impossible to please. In contrast, Lu Xiaochan beside him chatted casually with the villagers, his words sweet.
Jiang Wuchao had been severely injured this time, his spiritual energy not even completing a few small cycles within his body. He could only meditate alone in his room to circulate his energy.
Lu Xiaochan picked up a bowl of sweet potato rice, fumbled for a while, and was about to walk into the room when he was immediately pulled back by the Immortal-Locking Ribbon.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to check on Brother Jiang, bring him a bowl of rice!” Lu Xiaochan said with a grin.
The other villagers quickly came forward, wanting to take over.
“Young immortal, we can take the food to the immortal inside!”
“You sit and rest, don’t tire yourself out. Leave these small matters to us!”
“No,” Lu Xiaochan looked at Shu Wuxi and said, “I just want to say goodbye to him! Tomorrow we’ll all go our separate ways. It’s only right to say ‘farewell’.”
“Not allowed.”
“…” Lu Xiaochan sighed, “If it’s not allowed, then it’s not allowed…”
Lu Xiaochan sat back down, hugging the bowl of sweet potato rice, slumped over the table, feeling gloomy and sighing repeatedly.
“Oh my, why isn’t the young immortal eating anymore? Our old duck soup is fragrant and helps reduce internal heat!”
“And these sugar lotus root balls, young immortal, have a taste! We can wrap them in oiled paper for you to eat on the road?”
“No need, I’m not happy… I don’t want to eat anymore…”
Lu Xiaochan tilted his head to one side.
The Immortal-Locking Ribbon on his wrist moved slightly, but Lu Xiaochan ignored it.
“Then you can go say goodbye to him, but you must stay one zhang away from him.”
As soon as Shu Wuxi finished speaking, Lu Xiaochan sprang up, hugging the bowl of sweet potato rice, and went into the room to find Jiang Wuchao.
One zhang it is!
He wasn’t going to massage Jiang Wuchao’s legs or back, he just wanted to ask him about Shu Wuxi’s background.
Jiang Wuchao sat cross-legged on the couch, his eyes tightly closed, his lips colorless.
Lu Xiaochan put the sweet potato rice on the table, and when he tried to take another step forward, he was pulled back by the Immortal-Locking Ribbon.
Good grief, it really was one zhang, not even an inch more.
“Brother Jiang? Brother Jiang?” Lu Xiaochan called softly.
He was afraid that if his voice was too loud, it might startle Jiang Wuchao and cause his cultivation to go awry.
Jiang Wuchao slowly opened his eyes, and when he saw Lu Xiaochan, he smiled faintly.
“It’s you, Lu Xiaochan. This time, I must thank you for bringing the senior back to save me.”
“If you really want to thank me, then tell me, how did Shu Wuxi crush that evil god? I couldn’t see!”
Jiang Wuchao looked at Lu Xiaochan and asked in a low voice, “Do you really not know who he is?”
“I really don’t know. But I feel that you now know who he is!”
“He… The sword formation he used to suppress the evil god is a grand formation called ‘Breaking Moon’, which can only be activated by those with at least a thousand years of cultivation,” Jiang Wuchao said.
Lu Xiaochan rubbed his chin. So when Shu Wuxi always talked about what happened 1,372 years ago, he had really lived that long!
“The Breaking Moon formation borrows the power of the bright moonlight in the sky.”
“Oh, oh, I understand! He didn’t immediately deal with you when you were possessed earlier because he wanted you to destroy the ancient forest blocking the moonlight. Once the moonlight fell, he could draw it into the formation to activate this grand formation!”
“Yes, you’re very clever. But the essence of the sun and moon isn’t something just anyone has the cultivation to use.”
“I know, the Sword Master of the Nanli Jingtian can draw upon the essence of the sun and moon! Could it be… Shu Wuxi is from the Nanli Jingtian…”
Jiang Wuchao shook his head. “No, no, no, brother, you misunderstand. The Sword Master of the Nanli Jingtian, Lord Miao Chenwan, is a woman. Shu Wuxi has been with you for so long, could he possibly be a woman?”
Lu Xiaochan’s head shook like a rattle drum.
How could Shu Wuxi be like a woman!
If he were a woman, Lu Xiaochan tilted his head and started to let his imagination run wild. If Shu Wuxi were really the Sword Master of the Nanli Jingtian, the person would definitely be an indescribably beautiful immortal sister!
