Chapter 34: Shapeshifting Formation Shiyi: You Just Got a Little Fatter…
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After a moment, Shen Gurong finished dressing, and Su Xiyan happened to arrive.
Mu Zhe bowed to him respectfully, “Martial Uncle.”
Su Xiyan glanced at him and said, “Go find Xue Manzhuang and take him to Baishang Mountain.”
Mu Zhe didn’t understand why, but nodded in agreement.
Su Xiyan knocked on the door, “Shiyi?”
The door opened, and Shen Shiyi looked up at her, “Senior Sister.”
Seeing that he finally agreed to wear the ice silk, Su Xiyan smiled.
“Let’s go to Baishang Mountain.” Su Xiyan glanced at his short legs and said, “Should I carry you?”
Shen Gurong hurriedly said, “No need to trouble, Senior Sister.”
Su Xiyan, unlike Xi Guxing or Wen Liubing who were assertive sword cultivators, didn’t insist when he saw his refusal.
The two of them walked towards Baishang Mountain. However, just after morning classes, disciples from Jiuchun Mountain and Changying Mountain were returning in groups, and they kept encountering curious gazes directed at Shen Gurong.
Some people recognized him as the “illegitimate son” of Sage Shen and whispered excitedly among themselves, their eyes filled with excitement.
Shen Gurong: “…”
Feeling uncomfortable under so much scrutiny, Shen Gurong finally couldn’t bear it anymore. He tugged on Su Xiyan’s hand and whispered, “Senior Sister, maybe you should…”
Su Xiyuan didn’t catch it clearly and bent down, “Hmm?”
Shen Gurong gritted his teeth and made up his mind, “Senior Sister, just carry me.”
Su Xiyan smiled at his words, bending down to scoop him up in his arms. He draped his large robe over him, shielding his body from the curious onlookers around them.
Shen Gurong felt that his senior sister was truly kind-hearted and much better than that rascal Xi Guxing.
Soon, they arrived at Baishang Mountain.
Lou Bugui saw them coming, puzzled for a moment before asking, “Where’s Xue Manzhuang?”
Su Xiyan set Shen Gurong down and replied, “Mu Zhe will bring him shortly.”
Lou Bugui didn’t understand why Xue Manzhuang needed to be specially brought by Mu Zhe, but there were too many things in this world he didn’t understand. Lou Bugui had long learned to ignore what he didn’t ask about or care about, so he casually acknowledged it and then crouched down, extending his arms to Shen Gurong for a hug.
Shen Gurong’s face clearly read, “This person is blind,” pretending not to see Lou Bugui’s gesture.
Lou Bugui waited for a while, noticing that Shen Gurong didn’t come over. Puzzled, he tilted his head, thinking that Shiyi didn’t understand his gesture. He exaggeratedly waved his hands up and down to make his presence known: “Shiyi, come here, let Senior Brother hug you.”
Shen Shiyi, blind and deaf, gave a confused look, signaling that he couldn’t see what was being said.
Su Xiyan laughed from the side.
Lou Bugui, thinking his junior brother was too foolish to understand even simple words, walked over to pick up Shen Gurong.
Shen Gurong let out a small “wah” of protest and tried to run away, but after a few steps, he bumped into someone. Looking up, he saw Xi Guxing staring down at him with a smirk.
Shen Gurong: “…”
Moments later, Xi Guxing grabbed Shen Gurong by the back of his collar and tossed him into Lou Bugui’s arms, who happily began to cuddle the small bundle.
Shen Gurong’s face was blank, looking utterly defeated.
On Liren Peak, the disciples lived in harmony.
After being tormented for a while, the sound of footsteps came from outside. Shen Gurong quickly dodged Lou Bugui’s hand, which was patting his head, and said, “Senior Brother… Senior Brother, someone is coming.”
If the disciples saw the dignified Sage being cuddled like this, how could he ever face them again?!
—though he didn’t have much face left to lose.
Lou Bugui didn’t understand why someone coming would make him stop and looked at him blankly.
Shen Gurong mustered all his strength to escape from Lou Bugui’s grasp, almost stumbling to the ground as he landed.
Su Xiyan and Xi Guxing were at the nearby table, drawing a formation with cinnabar. Noticing the commotion out of the corner of his eye, Su Xiyan spoke softly, “It should be your disciple arriving.”
Shen Gurong straightened his messy white hair. Looking up, he saw Mu Zhe approaching quickly, holding Xue Manzhuang.
Xue Manzhuang, looking drowsy, sensed Shen Gurong’s presence and suddenly opened his round eyes. He flapped his wings joyfully and flew over.
“Chirp chirp!”
[Beautiful person! Beauty Fengxue!]
Shen Gurong, expressionless, slapped Xue Manzhuang away as he tried to peck his cheek, sending him rolling to the ground.
Xue Manzhuang didn’t hold a grudge. He got up, shook his wings, and flew back over. This time, he wisely perched obediently on Shen Gurong’s shoulder without trying to get too close.
After delivering Xue Manzhuang, Mu Zhe bowed and was about to leave, but Su Xiyan said, “Don’t go just yet.”
Mu Zhe paused, looking confused.
Xi Guxing, still resentful over the incident where Mu Zhe, possessed by a ghost cultivator, had injured Li Suo, looked at him with increasing displeasure and coldly said, “Stay when you’re told to stay.”
Mu Zhe’s face turned pale, and he lowered his head again.
At that moment, a soft but fierce voice suddenly spoke up, “Why are you being so mean?!”
Mu Zhe looked up in surprise and saw his little master glaring coldly at Xi Guxing. His cheeks were puffed up in anger, giving him a fierce yet adorable look as he said, “He didn’t say he wouldn’t stay. Why are you picking on him?”
Xi Guxing was taken aback by Shen Gurong’s words.
Shen Gurong thought he looked imposing and fierce, defending his little disciple with great authority. However, he forgot that his current body couldn’t support the aura of a sage.
Xi Guxing, snapping out of his initial surprise, clicked his tongue and said, “Fine, I won’t say anything, just don’t…”
Shen Gurong, feeling triumphant, thought, [He must be telling me not to get angry.]
To his dismay, Xi Guxing finished his sentence with, “…don’t act cute.”
Shen Gurong: “…..”.
[You’re the one acting cute!]
If it weren’t inappropriate, Mu Zhe would have burst out laughing. Any discomfort from Xi Guxing’s earlier hostility vanished instantly.
Shen Gurong was furious and decided to restore his true form immediately. If this continued, the little remaining dignity he had would be completely shattered.
Mu Zhe thought to himself, “That dignity is long gone.”
Su Xiyan, having finished drawing the formation, called out to Shen Gurong and Mu Zhe, “Come over and try this.”
Fearing Xi Guxing might target Mu Zhe again, Shen Gurong walked forward, holding Mu Zhe’s hand cautiously.
Xi Guxing, uninterested, sat aside, brewing tea and waiting for the show.
The cinnabar formation looked eerie, each stroke resembling blood, glaring and intense.
“Youzhou has many spiritual beasts, but due to the thin spiritual energy, even those with awakened intelligence can’t transform. Hence, formations like these to aid in their transformation are quite popular,” Su Xiyan explained. “I traveled across Youzhou to finally figure out this formation’s design. This is the first time we’re using it, so I don’t know if it’ll work.”
Xi Guxing chimed in, “Isn’t this kind of formation easily available on the black market in Youzhou?”
Su Xiyan replied softly, “The ones on the black market are sold at exorbitant prices. I don’t have that kind of money, junior brother.”
Xi Guxing: “……..”
Xi Guxing turned his head away, muttering, “I don’t have any money either, don’t look at me.”
Shen Gurong: “……..”
So how have you two survived until now?
Shen Gurong came from a scholarly family, but his uncle was a merchant, so he had never lacked money and couldn’t comprehend what it was like to be short of funds.
Su Xiyan hadn’t expected his stingy junior brother to lend him money. He placed Xue Manzhuang into the formation on the stone table and lightly stroked the surface. The formation suddenly began to rotate.
Shen Gurong stifled the urge to exclaim “Wow!” and mentally repeated the sound several times in amazement.
Mu Zhe: “…….”
Mu Zhe wanted to withdraw his hand but noticed his master seemed to have forgotten about it, so he silently maintained their linked hands.
The formation rotated for a long time, a blood-red light enveloping Xue Manzhuang’s figure, with only faint chirping sounds heard.
After a moment, the sound of shattering glass echoed, and the formation suddenly produced a few sparks before stopping its rotation.
It was ruined.
Xue Manzhuang, unaware of what had happened, flapped his wings and chirped in confusion.
Su Xiyan: “……”
Su Xiyan felt a pang of heartache, while Xi Guxing remarked suspiciously, “Senior sister, it seems the formation you’ve spent years researching didn’t work at all.”
Su Xiyan studied the situation for a moment and said, “The spiritual beasts of Youzhou generally don’t have pure bloodlines, so this formation should be sufficient. It’s likely that the phoenix’s spiritual power is too pure for the formation to handle.”
Xi Guxing responded with an “Oh” and, after pondering for a moment, remarked, “So, the formation is useless.”
Su Xiyan: “……”
Luckily, Su Xiyan had a good temper and didn’t get angry at the aggravating Xi Guxing. Shen Gurong, seeing his kind and beautiful senior sister being bullied, couldn’t help but defend him.
“Why do you talk so much?” Shen Gurong said, “When eating fish, I didn’t see you being so picky.”
Xi Guxing: “……”
Xi Guxing sneered, “Do you want a beating, Shen Chirp Chirp?”
Shen Gurong flinched and took half a step back, hiding behind Mu Zhe.
Mu Zhe was stunned for a moment but instinctively reached out to protect him.
Xi Guxing laughed in exasperation, “What kind of master hides behind his disciple?”
Shen Gurong finally realized what he was doing, but he couldn’t back down now. He stubbornly said, “I’m not hiding.”
Xi Guxing pointed to the ground in front of him and said, “Stand here and say that to me.”
Shen Gurong was too scared.
Su Xiyan rubbed his temples and said, “Stop it, Shiyi, come here.”
Shen Gurong quickly ran over.
Su Xiyan asked, “Can you try to channel Xue Manzhuang’s spiritual power using your contract?”
Shen Gurong had once channeled spiritual power while in the Water Demon Barrier and when the phoenix took shape, but after turning into a small ball, he couldn’t use even a trace of spiritual power no matter how hard he tried.
He tried again, his face turning red from the effort, but he still couldn’t summon any spiritual power.
Su Xiyan patted him gently, not forcing the issue. Instead, he turned his gaze to Mu Zhe.
Mu Zhe felt uncomfortable under Su Xiyan’s gaze and lowered his head even further.
“Don’t be afraid,” Su Xiyan said softly. “I sense that the spiritual power in you is of the same origin as your master’s. Did he….. once use his spiritual power to help you align your spiritual meridians?”
Mu Zhe was stunned for a moment, recalling that when he first entered the Qi Refining stage, Shen Gurong had indeed helped him align his meridians. Since then, he had been able to hear Shen Gurong’s inner thoughts.
He hesitantly nodded.
Shen Gurong felt a pang of guilt, though he wasn’t sure why.
Su Xiyan said, “In that case, you should be able to transfer some of your spiritual power to your master to help him regain his true form.”
Mu Zhe was confused. “Transfer spiritual power?”
Shen Gurong quickly asked, “How do we do that?”
“Just press your palms together.”
Shen Gurong looked at Mu Zhe, rolled up his sleeves, and extended his small hand, asking, “Can you do it?”
Mu Zhe was taken aback again.
Even if Mu Zhe had said no, an ordinary person would have forcefully extracted the spiritual power to restore their original form. But Mu Zhe had no intention of refusing; in fact, he was more than willing.
He was just surprised that Shen Gurong would ask for his consent so seriously for something as simple as this, asking, “Can you do it?”
Mu Zhe’s heart softened unknowingly, and he whispered, “I can.”
Shen Gurong was overjoyed, immediately holding Mu Zhe’s hand and pressing their palms together. He stood on tiptoe, looking like a child eager for a treat, filled with anticipation.
His whole demeanor screamed, “I’m ready, just give it to me,” and seeing this, Mu Zhe couldn’t hold back and poured all his spiritual power into Shen Gurong.
Shen Gurong felt a sudden rush of spiritual power filling his dry meridians, like a stream flowing into a parched riverbed.
Delighted, he immediately recited the incantation for transformation, hoping to use this influx of spiritual power to regain his original form.
Su Xiyan had already taken out a robe, intending to drape it over Shen Gurong once he transformed.
There was a flash of light around Shen Gurong, but it lasted only a moment.
Mu Zhe was still too young, and even though he transferred all his spiritual power, it wasn’t enough to sustain Shen Gurong’s transformation.
As the light faded, Shen Gurong’s face showed clear joy. Without looking, he asked excitedly, “Am I back? Did I make it back?”
Mu Zhe glanced at him, feeling somewhat guilty, and lowered his head.
Xi Guxing almost spat out his tea.
Su Xiyan sighed, as if he had anticipated this outcome. He walked over, crouched down, pinched Shen Gurong’s chubby little face, and gently said, “Shiyi, it seems you’ve only gotten a bit fatter.”
Shen Gurong: “…”
Shen Gurong: “???”
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