Chapter 28: The Yao Clan Hindrance and Chaos!
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Xue Manzhuang was almost choked by Shen Gurong, chirping sadly.
Mu Zhe stood dumbfounded for a long time, finally rushing forward in a flurry to rescue Xue Manzhuang before he flew away in distress.
Shen Gurong’s white hair was disheveled, his eyes reddened, and the light-colored eyes that couldn’t see anything were scattered and unfocused due to the falling ice gauze.
Mu Zhe swiftly carried Xue Manzhuang out of the room, calming down during the time he escorted Xue Manzhuang back to Yu Xinghe’s room.
By the time he had composed himself and returned, Shen Gurong was no longer in the spirit-gathering formation. Mu Zhe glanced around and noticed a slight bulge under the quilt on the bed.
Mu Zhe: “…”
Closing the door gently, Mu Zhe lifted the bed curtain and whispered softly, “Master?”
No response came from the master, internally crumbling: [I’m not your master! Your master is dead!]
Mu Zhe: “…”
Suppressing a smile, Mu Zhe unintentionally adopted a soothing tone, as if coaxing a child, “I’ve sent Senior Brother Li Suo to find Eldest Senior Brother. He should be back soon.”
Still, Shen Gurong refused to come out.
Mu Zhe didn’t rush, sitting patiently nearby, listening to his master’s inner struggle.
[Oh, how embarrassing! Just let me die!]
[What’s embarrassing about it? I didn’t want this either. Blame Xue Manzhuang! If it weren’t for him, none of this would have happened!]
[What should I do? What should I do? Will Mu Zhe look down on me as his master?]
[Who cares? I’ve embarrassed myself in front of him so many times already, what’s one more?]
Mu Zhe: “…”
His master was surprisingly self-aware.
Shen Gurong stayed curled up in the bedding for a while longer. Perhaps feeling too stifled under the covers or having resigned himself after too many embarrassments, he finally reluctantly extended his lotus-like hand and gently lifted a corner of the quilt. His hoarse voice came through, “I… I’ve lost my ice gauze.”
Shen Gurong’s soft, childish voice melted Mu Zhe’s heart: “I’ll help you find it.”
Shen Gurong muttered, “Hmm.”
Before he pressed the corner of the quilt down again.
Mu Zhe had never seen such a contrasting person before. If he hadn’t witnessed it himself, he wouldn’t have believed that the revered and aloof Supreme Sage in everyone’s eyes could be so absent-minded and endearing behind the scenes.
But upon careful reflection, Mu Zhe realized that the details he had previously overlooked due to his aversion and fear of Shen Gurong actually revealed that his master wasn’t as unapproachable as he seemed on the surface.
After all, how could someone who could fall off the bed while sleeping and mutter in their dreams be dignified?
Inside the spirit-gathering formation, Mu Zhe found the ice gauze, walked to the bedside, and placed it on the bed.
He gently patted it, signaling that he found it: “Master, I’ve found it.”
Soon, a hand reached out from under the quilt, groped for the ice gauze, and then retreated back inside.
From the slight bulge under the quilt, it seemed Shen Gurong was tying the ice gauze around himself.
Mu Zhe patiently waited.
After a while, Shen Gurong lifted the quilt again, took a breath, and whispered, “Do we have clothes?”
Mu Zhe shook his head. He thought Li Suo would only play for half a day and then return to the mountain, so he hadn’t expected to need fresh clothes.
Shen Gurong pressed the quilt down again.
Mu Zhe was pondering whether to go ask Yu Xinghe for some clothes when the door suddenly opened, and Wen Liubing walked in with a furrowed brow: “What’s going on here?”
Mu Zhe briefly explained the situation. Wen Liubing raised an eyebrow slightly, walked to the bedside, and without hesitation, lifted the quilt.
Shen Gurong: “…”
Mu Zhe: “…”
Shen Gurong, completely naked with hair longer than his height, covered his body in disarray. He had been curled up, and with his only protection suddenly gone, he trembled slightly, raising his reddened eyes in astonishment at the newcomer.
Once again, it was Wen Liubing, the troublemaker who never did things properly!
Even seeing Shen Gurong in his infant form, Wen Liubing remained unfazed, as if whether his master was human or bird made no difference to him at all.
Shen Gurong scrambled into the corner of the bed, tears welling up in his eyes, nearly on the verge of crying.
Unable to hold it back any longer, he glared at Wen Liubing and angrily cursed, “You damn troublemaker!”
But Shen Gurong was so small now, even smaller than Mu Zhe. His red-rimmed eyes and childish voice lacked any intimidation, instead making one feel an urge to pinch his little cheeks.
Relieved to find that his master wasn’t hurt, Wen Liubing explained, “Using Phoenix spiritual power to transform is prone to problems. Master doesn’t need to worry. Once we return to Liren Peak, Martial Uncle Lou can take a look and everything will be fine.”
Shen Gurong snatched the quilt back and hid inside again.
Wen Liubing patted the quilt, got up, and left. After a while, he returned with children’s clothes in his hands.
Shen Gurong, who had been suffocating, was sneakily trying to lift the corner of the quilt to catch his breath when he heard the unconstrained footsteps approaching and immediately retreated back inside.
“Master, I’ve investigated the bamboo slips you mentioned. There should be news in about three days,” Hesaid, placing the clothes beside the bed. “Please change into these clothes, and I’ll accompany you back to Liren Peak.”
Wen Liubing’s straightforward nature was almost foolishly direct, and Shen Gurong felt that even if he had nine lives, it wouldn’t be enough to withstand Wen Liubing’s provocation.
After a while, Shen Gurong had calmed down and dissipated his anger. He muttered grumpily, “Fine, you can go out.”
For now, the best course of action was to return as soon as possible and find Xi Guxing Lou to discuss the situation.
Wen Liubing nodded once, stood at the door waiting, and incidentally pulled Mu Zhe, who had been waiting to help his master dress, out along with him.
Mu Zhe: “…”
Shen Gurong was really suffocated. When he heard no sound around him, he cautiously lifted the corner of the quilt and glanced around.
Once he confirmed that the room was empty, he lifted the quilt, took a few quick breaths, and finally felt relieved.
The children’s clothes were often colorful and flamboyant, and the outfit Wen Liubing casually brought in was no exception. The small mustard-yellow jacket made Shen Gurong feel a strange desire for scrambled eggs.
But now wasn’t the time to be picky. Shen Gurong clumsily took the clothes and struggled to put them on.
After busying himself for a half a day, he finally managed to put on his clothes.
Outside, Wen Liubing was talking with Li Suo, whose voice sounded cheerful.
“Senior Brother Sanshui, are you also returning to Liren Peak with us?” Li Suo asked. “Didn’t you say there were urgent matters to attend to and couldn’t come back?”
Wen Liubing leaned against the doorframe with crossed arms and replied, “With Master’s transformation issue, I can’t leave him alone. I need you to take him back.”
Li Suo tilted his head, puzzled. “Transformation issue with the Saint?”
Just then, the door behind Wen Liubing gently opened, and a child with ice-threaded eyes and dressed in a mustard-yellow shirt walked out expressionlessly.
Li Suo looked at him, then at Wen Liubing, an incredulous thought suddenly crossing his mind.
He exclaimed, “S-Saint… Saint… Saint…”
Wen Liubing remained unfazed. “Yes, it’s Master.”
Li Suo nearly fainted.
If the Sage returned to human form and saw the Phoenix Shen and the Little Shen….. would they need to be silenced?!
Enraged, Shen Gurong kicked Wen Liubing’s foot hard.
Wen Liubing, unaffected, bent down and lifted Shen Gurong into his arms. “Let’s go, back home first.”
With the disappearance of the water demon, Fuxian City had started resuming its Flower Festival gradually. Wen Liubing led the group out of the city without looking sideways.
Li Suo held one bundle by the hand, while Yu Xinghe hopped around, asking curiously, “Senior brother, who is that child?”
Li Suo coughed lightly, vaguely saying, “Uh, that… it’s… someone.”
Yu Xinghe didn’t catch it clearly. “What?”
Mu Zhe calmly interjected, “Don’t meddle in others’ affairs. Just mind your own business.”
Yu Xinghe pouted and stopped asking further questions, but his eyes kept turning back to Shen Gurong.
After safely leaving Fuxian City, light rain began to fall from the sky.
Wen Liubing erected a protective barrier, keeping the drizzle outside. Shen Gurong was cradled in his arms, listening to the soothing sound of the spring rain, feeling drowsy.
Just before he could fully drift off, Shen Gurong suddenly felt a piercing gaze from nearby, carrying an undeniable intent to kill.
He snapped open his eyes, but before he could react, Wen Liubing had drawn the Lanting Sword.
Under a mulberry tree in the distance, a figure dressed in black blocked their path, eyes glinting with fierce hostility from beneath a broad-brimmed hat.
Wen Liubing stared back coldly and said, “The Yao Clan certainly gets information fast. I wonder if you have the guts to make a move.”
The black-clad Yao Clan member wasted no words. He transformed into a massive black panther on the spot and roared ferociously, charging at Wen Liubing.
Yu Xinghe screamed in terror and desperately hid in Li Suo’s embrace.
However, Li Suo remained unperturbed. He held Yu Xinghe and Mu Zhe close, covering their eyes with his hands.
In the next moment, a beastly roar sounded ahead, followed by a loud crash. The colossal Yao Clan figure slammed heavily onto the ground, raising a cloud of dust even in the rain.
Wen Liubing’s black robe fluttered gently as he stood, holding the sword in one hand and cradling Shen Gurong protectively with the other.
In an instant, the formidable Yao Clan assailant was severely injured and lay motionless not far away.
Shen Gurong was momentarily stunned.
He had been so close to Wen Liubing, yet hadn’t seen how the sword was drawn.
Turning his head, he looked at Wen Liubing. The usually straightforward and sometimes foolish young man now wore a face full of grim determination, staring fixedly at the fallen Yao Clan member as if staring down a lifeless object.
Wen Liubing walked over slowly, placing the Lanting Sword against the Yao Clan member’s neck with chilling resolve.
“You Yao Clan truly have set up a hidden game in Liren Peak.”
The black panther coughed up blood, its expression fierce as it glared at Wen Liubing.
“Let me guess,” Wen Liubing said coldly, staring back at it. “You must be from that white crane at Lotus Lake.”
Shen Gurong was taken aback. So, that white crane wasn’t from Liren Peak after all; it was merely a Yao Clan spy sent to monitor Shen Fengxue?
No wonder Lou Buqiu had warned him not to trust that white crane.
Before the black panther could speak, Wen Liubing didn’t give it a chance. He raised his hand and swiftly delivered a fatal blow.
The black panther breathed its last.
Shen Gurong: “…”
Shen Gurong had read too many novels where the villains often made a final struggle or rambled on before finally dying. But his big disciple seemed to play by different rules, not even allowing the opponent to speak before taking action.
Finally, Shen Gurong started to see his second foolish disciple in a new light.
Wen Liubing efficiently dealt with a Yao Clan member who had come to seize the artifact.
Luckily, it had only been a day since Shen Gurong left the mountain, and other forces likely hadn’t yet reacted. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have encountered just this half-hearted Yao Clan member on the way.
The journey from Fuxian City to Liren Peak usually took about an hour, but Wen Liubing’s pace was swift. They returned in less than half that time.
Li Suo had informed Xi Guxing in advance of their return, so by the time they reached the Boundary Spirit Stele, Xi Guxing was already standing there with his hands behind his back, waiting.
Upon hearing footsteps, Xi Guxing coldly raised his head, his gaze falling upon Shen Gurong, who was drowsily nestled in Wen Liubing’s arms.
Xi Guxing: “…”
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