Chapter 22: Shanshui Liubing
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As the boat glided along, Li Suo leaned halfway out of the window, lazily watching the crowd on the shore with his chin resting on his hand.
Yu Xinghe, beside Mu Zhe, whispered softly, “Mu Zhe, is senior brother waiting for someone? He’s been looking around since we left.”
Before Mu Zhe could reply, Li Suo turned his head and picked up his folding fan, tapping Yu Xinghe lightly on the head as he chuckled, “You little brat, don’t you know to speak softly when gossiping behind someone’s back?”
Yu Xinghe wasn’t bothered by the tap and continued, “Xinghe is telling the truth. Senior brother has been restless the whole time. It seems like…”
He tilted his head, pondered for a moment, then uttered a scandalous phrase, “…..A lovesick maiden, perhaps.”
Li Suo: “…”
Mu Zhe: “…”
Mu Zhe quietly shifted closer to the window, hoping to avoid getting caught in the crossfire if Yu Xinghe got hit.
A moment later, Yu Xinghe, tears welling up in his eyes, held his head where he had been tapped and sobbed, “Senior brother, Xinghe knows he’s wrong.”
Li Suo chuckled at his antics, “Did it hurt?”
It didn’t really hurt much, but Yu Xinghe knew exactly how to garner sympathy. He nodded with a sniffle and said in a childish voice, “It hurts, it hurts.”
Li Suo laughed for a while, then waved for him to come over. Yu Xinghe came over, looking a bit pitiful.
Li Suo rubbed his head and coaxed him, “Still hurting?”
Yu Xinghe finally smiled and lay on Li Suo’s lap, saying it didn’t hurt anymore.
Mu Zhe pursed his lips, absentmindedly stroking Shen Gurong’s feathers as he gazed out the window, lost in thought.
Shen Gurong tilted his head, feeling a sudden inexplicable sense that little Mu Zhe seemed upset for some reason.
Mu Zhe stared absently at the bright lights outside, suddenly sensing that the usually docile bird he had been stroking was now acting up again. It dodged his hand and flapped its wings, flying to the side.
Mu Zhe’s pupils constricted, a panic rising from deep within him that he couldn’t contain. He almost instinctively reached out to grab the bird and crush it in his hand.
His hand trembled slightly as it rested on the table, realizing that his thoughts were wrong. Mu Zhe forcibly suppressed the rising aggression within him, but it wasn’t easy.
That urge to destroy everything that dared to escape his control washed over Mu Zhe’s mind, and for a moment, his pupils dilated abruptly, as if the same malevolent demon that had possessed him before had returned.
But it was just a fleeting moment; his eyes returned to normal almost immediately.
Mu Zhe suddenly felt exhausted, both physically and mentally drained. He didn’t even bother to deal with Shen Gurong, who seemed to want to escape from him.
“Let him go,” Mu Zhe thought, “He was never mine to begin with, and in the end, he won’t belong to me.”
He lowered his gaze slightly, unable to conceal the exhaustion that permeated his entire being.
Just then, Mu Zhe suddenly felt a strange sensation on his arm.
Looking up, he saw the little red ball vigorously climbing up his arm.
Mu Zhe: “…”
Shen Gurong’s wings still felt slightly sore, and being a pampered young master, he winced with pain at the slightest movement.
Normally, when he climbed up to Mu Zhe’s head, Mu Zhe would hold him and help him up. But this time, Mu Zhe didn’t move at all, so Shen Gurong could only flap his wings and use his two short claws to scramble onto Mu Zhe’s shoulder.
Shen Gurong, exhausted, took a moment to catch his breath before continuing to climb up Mu Zhe’s hair.
Mu Zhe looked at him somewhat perplexed.
Finally, Shen Gurong managed to scramble onto Mu Zhe’s head after a series of rolls and crawls. He took another moment to catch his breath before flapping one of his wings lightly and hopping a few times.
Mu Zhe: “?”
Mu Zhe felt the faint yet undeniable force on top of his head, his expression puzzled as he couldn’t quite understand what it meant.
Shen Gurong noticed that Mu Zhe was still in a daze, so he bounced around anxiously.
“Chirp!”
After three or four times back and forth, Shen Gurong was exhausted, almost sticking his tongue out, before Mu Zhe suddenly reacted.
Was this… comforting himself?
Because no one was petting his head, did this chubby little fellow climb onto his head and bounce around count as… comforting?
Mu Zhe was truly stunned this time, so much so that Shen Gurong was exhausted and rolled off his head, landing upside down on the small table before Mu Zhe reacted.
Mu Zhe caught him in a belated realization, lips lightly pursing, a hint of warmth flickering in his previously cold eyes.
He rubbed Shen Gurong’s little head, softly asking, “Does it hurt?”
Shen Gurong didn’t feel much pain, so he softly chirped at him, looking quite obedient.
Mu Zhe smiled, the previous gloom completely dissipated.
Shen Gurong saw him smile and suddenly had a frightening thought.
Mu Zhe could smile at a bird like this, yet couldn’t address Shen Gurong politely as “Master,” always trembling in fear whenever Shen Fengxue appeared, like a mouse meeting a cat.
If he stayed by Mu Zhe’s side in phoenix form all the time, wouldn’t that be more convenient than Shen Fengxue’s status?
Shen Gurong tilted his head, starting to daydream, and finally gritted his teeth, thinking: If pretending to be a phoenix for a while could get him back home, then he might as well continue chirping, with a variety of chirps.
As long as he could go home, he could accept anything.
Just then, the boat suddenly started shaking violently, accompanied by a piercing sound, and the water outside the window surged several feet high as if it had collided with something.
Yu Xinghe screamed, almost falling off his chair, but was caught by Li Suo.
Li Suo, sensing something, placed Yu Xinghe next to Mu Zhe, his expression becoming serious. “Mu Zhe, take care of Yu Xinghe.”
The river water mixed with petals had already flooded into the window, splashing Mu Zhe all over. He was still somewhat shaken but managed to nod firmly in response. “Yes.”
After Li Suo finished speaking, he extended two fingers from his wrist and gave a slight tug, leaving a bloodstain. Then, a spiritual sword was forcibly drawn out from his spiritual vein.
Yu Xinghe held onto Mu Zhe tightly and inadvertently noticed, almost shocked into silence. “Senior Brother! You’re bleeding!”
Li Suo’s face had always been sickly pale. He touched his wrist, and the wound disappeared in an instant.
He smiled at the two of them. “It’s nothing.”
After speaking, he lifted the bamboo curtain and hurriedly descended the wooden stairs from the flying pavilion.
Yu Xinghe was trembling with fear. Mu Zhe patted his head and turned to look out the window.
Outside the boat, chaos reigned. The entire snowy night river seemed like a giant dragon plunging into the sea, churning with massive waves that splashed several feet high. Some of the smaller boats were overturned.
The servant’s words were indeed correct. This boat truly had protective charms from the Liren Peak. Despite the chaos outside, the boat remained largely undamaged. As the huge waves surged forward, they were instantly blocked by a transparent barrier.
Shen Gurong was almost nauseated by the shaking, but upon seeing the chaotic scene outside, he continued chirping anxiously.
Mu Zhe, with a solemn expression, thought he was afraid and gently stroked him, saying, “Don’t be afraid.”
Shen Gurong chirped, “Chirp chirp—tweet!”
Amidst the chaos, a pastry slammed directly onto Shen Gurong’s head, cutting short his chirping.
Mu Zhe, seeing the raging waves outside, silently activated his inner spiritual power, intending to use his limited energy to create a barrier to protect the two of them and the two birds, just in case.
The spiritual power gathered in the spiritual vein, forming a gentle stream, dispelling the surrounding noise. Suddenly, a highly recognizable voice broke into his ears, leaving him stunned.
Shen Gurong was calling out in a hoarse voice.
[There’s a water demon, a man-eating water demon!]
[Isn’t it said that water demons lure living beings into the water to escape reincarnation? Today, I locked eyes with him… Could he be coming to take me as a scapegoat?!]
[Sect Leader Senior Brother! Senior Brother, save me!]
Mu Zhe: “…”
There was a moment of blankness on Mu Zhe’s youthful face as he stared incredulously at the little red bird perched on the table. He felt like he must be in the midst of a ridiculous dream.
He stood in a daze for a while, and outside, the raging waves had completely ceased. The riverbank was now quiet as a tranquil pool, with the flower petals that had once covered the surface all swept to the shore. Not even a single lantern remained lit.
The entire Snowy Night River was unusually calm.
Leaving with his sword in hand, Li Suo climbed up the wooden ladder and, seeing that the two of them were unharmed, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Yu Xinghe immediately rushed over when he saw him, frightened. “Senior Brother, what happened just now? Was it a ghost cultivator?”
Li Suo reassured him, “Nothing happened. It was just a small water demon, and it has already been driven away by Zhuxie.”
Yu Xinghe finally relaxed, but he was still very scared and refused to let go of Li Suo’s hand.
Leading Yu Xinghe away, Li Suo saw Mu Zhe, who looked utterly lost, and thought he was frightened. He was about to comfort him when he heard a voice coming from below the wooden ladder.
“Lord! Lord, are you alright?!”
“I…I’m fine, but…he got away.”
“You did your best. If it weren’t for your discomfort, you could have subdued that water demon with a single blow!”
“Yes, yes, sir, let’s get off the boat first.”
“No…”
Then came a heavy footsteps sound coming up the wooden ladder, as if someone was coming up.
Li Suo was startled.
Shen Gurong heard that the water demon had been driven away, and immediately felt relieved.
Thinking that Mu Zhe was frightened, he was trying to comfort him by snuggling against Mu Zhe’s cold palm, softly calling out, “Chirp, chirp.”
[Don’t be afraid, the water demon has been chased away.]
Mu Zhe looked at him in astonishment, still unable to come to his senses for a moment. Rarely, his immature face showed vulnerability and sadness that couldn’t be concealed.
Feeling even more heartache for him, Shen Gurong hopped onto the table next to the scattered pastries, picked up a round pastry, and carried it over to Mu Zhe’s hand.
[Here, have this, it might help you feel better.]
Mu Zhe looked at him with mixed feelings.
Seeing that Mu Zhe’s complexion had improved somewhat, Shen Gurong hurriedly went to fetch another pastry for him.
Wen Liubing followed his Zhuxie disciples and accurately found the small compartment near the window of the flying pavilion.
Li Suo had already opened the bamboo curtain with a delighted expression on his face, his eyes full of gleams as he looked at the people not far away.
Wen Liubing, accompanied by several Zhuxie disciples, walked quickly towards them. He still held a bloody long sword in his hand, as if he had just come back from killing someone, giving him an extremely intimidating demeanor. The guests in the adjacent compartments were all scared and shrank back, afraid to look again.
Encountering the actions of the Zhuxie faction was never a good sign.
Wen Liubing walked up to Li Suo’s side and stared as the disciple token, now winged, flew around in the air for two rounds before gently landing on… a chubby little bird.
Wen Liubing was momentarily stunned.
Meanwhile, Shen Gurong was still persistently offering pastries to Mu Zhe. As he was selecting a round pastry, he suddenly felt something land on his forehead.
He looked up and saw a black and white butterfly.
The instinct of a phoenix took over, and Shen Gurong spread his wings and fluttered.
Li Suo finally came to his senses and exclaimed joyfully, “Senior Brother Sanshui!”
Wen Liubing had already felt queasy once, and now he felt dizzy. It took him a moment to recognize Li Suo. He took off his wide-brimmed hat and nodded slightly as a greeting.
Then, to everyone’s surprise, Wen Liubing suddenly bent down formally, bowing respectfully to the chubby little red bird that was chasing the butterfly on the table, as if it were a fellow disciple.
Shen Gurong was also taken aback. Who was this person?
Wen Liubing spoke solemnly, “Disciple Sanshui pays respects to Master.”
As soon as these words were spoken, there was a moment of silence all around.
Everyone stood still as if struck by lightning, their gazes unconsciously drawn to the chubby little red bird.
Shen Gurong: “…”
Shen Gurong looked at the man in front of him, feeling a sense of confusion as memories associated with this person flashed through his mind.
[Wen Liubing, Sanshui, Shen Fengxue’s senior disciple.]
Shen Gurong: “…”
Oh.
Shen Gurong wasn’t sure if he was stunned by the sudden exposure of the man’s identity. Amidst the chaos of everyone’s reactions, he felt an eerie calmness settle over him.
He saw through the worldly affairs, his senses clear.
[Wen Liubing, right?]
Shen Gurong thought expressionlessly.
[Very well, you are expelled from the sect.]
Author’s note:
Shen, expelled his disciple when embarrassed. Gurong, with an angry look.
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