Under the Rebirth Platform stretched a very long road, where all the souls who had come together from the Earth Temple had to line up.
The wooden birth plaques in their hands bore the birth charts for their next reincarnation. The further forward they went, the fainter the souls’ forms became, and their memories of their past lives gradually faded away bit by bit.
Wenren Sheng sat on the edge of the palm leaf fan, silently gazing at the rows of souls below.
He swung his leg, his tail unconsciously swishing twice.
The Underworld was even livelier than imagined. Wenren Sheng had heard as a child that on the road to rebirth, all souls would slowly relive their past lives, then gradually forget them.
No wonder the Underworld required souls to travel in pairs—this road was so long, walking it alone would be too lonely.
Wenren Sheng propped up one cheek, murmuring wistfully, “I wonder if the clan leader has forgotten me…”
He didn’t stay melancholic for long before realizing how eerily quiet the journey had been. White Impermanence not speaking was one thing, but even He Mu hadn’t made a sound.
Wenren Sheng grew suspicious and glanced back at He Mu, only to see him sitting cross-legged at the other end, meditating and regulating his breathing.
Meditating at a time like this?
How strange.
Wenren Sheng stood up and quietly scooted closer to He Mu, telling himself he’d only peek for a moment and wouldn’t initiate conversation.
He Mu’s eyes were closed, his focus intense, hands naturally resting on his knees, seemingly unaware of Wenren Sheng’s approach.
Emboldened, Wenren Sheng waved a hand in front of He Mu’s face.
Unexpectedly, He Mu’s eyes snapped open, grabbing Wenren Sheng’s wrist in an instant.
Wenren Sheng jolted in fright, hastily meeting He Mu’s gaze.
“W-What are you doing?” Wenren Sheng quickly struggled to free his hand. “Why grab me like that out of nowhere?”
He Mu didn’t release him, instead pulling him closer with a smile. “You were just watching me, weren’t you?”
Wenren Sheng’s tail flicked guiltily as he hurriedly denied, “Who said I was watching you? I wasn’t.”
He Mu shifted forward, drawing Wenren Sheng into his arms, and coaxed softly, “Looks like we’ve still got some flying to do. Want to chat?”
Caught off guard and pulled into He Mu’s embrace, Wenren Sheng’s face flushed with two patches of peach color.
His back pressed against He Mu’s chest—though he couldn’t hear a heartbeat or feel warmth, it still felt like his body was a block of ice being warmed, on the verge of melting.
Wenren Sheng hurriedly grabbed He Mu’s arm, wriggling like a live fish, his tail thrashing nonstop.
“We can chat without hugging!”
But He Mu ignored him, grabbing Wenren Sheng’s tail with one hand and leaning in from behind his ear, nuzzling him affectionately.
“You fought for so long earlier—you must be tired,” He Mu murmured lowly. “Want me to rub it for you?”
The moment his tail base was seized, Wenren Sheng froze, his body trembling lightly.
Touched on the tail again…!!
Seeing him go still, He Mu pinched the base of his tail between two fingers and stroked backward with just the right pressure.
The stimulation nearly made Wenren Sheng cry out. In desperation, he chomped down on He Mu’s arm.
No, no—White Impermanence was still up front. He couldn’t make a sound; it’d be too embarrassing…
Wenren Sheng gnawed on him while squeezing his eyes shut and stubbornly declaring, “I don’t want it!”
He Mu let him chew on his arm, still holding the tail firm. “Really don’t want it?”
Wenren Sheng whined twice and shook his head vigorously.
He Mu chuckled, ignoring the resistance as his fingertip pressed and kneaded toward Wenren Sheng’s lower back.
This spot near the tail base was highly sensitive; he knew Wenren Sheng dreaded it there— a few touches and his body would go limp.
Since they were embracing, He Mu’s little movements were well concealed, impossible for anyone to notice.
Wenren Sheng let out two low moans from the pressure, instinctively drawing in his legs, knees pressing together.
“Mm…”
He buried his head low, trembling fiercely, his fluffy tail instinctively curling around He Mu’s wrist as if begging for mercy.
He Mu was only teasing; he didn’t want to go too far. He soon released his hand and soothingly stroked Wenren Sheng’s tail.
“Alright, alright—why such a big reaction?” he teased. “Right, have you decided on a name for that sword of yours?”
Wenren Sheng’s eyes were red-rimmed as he hugged his legs. If he weren’t in this state where shifting back was impossible, he’d have curled into a shameful furball by now.
Too much…
He hadn’t forgiven him yet, and here he was being touched like this!
The tail base was a spot only mates could touch. He and He Mu clearly weren’t at the point of mating—how could he be so brazen…
Seeing no response, He Mu probed, “Shengsheng?”
“Young hero?”
“Wenren Sheng!”
Wenren Sheng jolted back to awareness, panting twice in panic.
“What are you thinking about?” He Mu pinched his wolf ear. “Your ears are so red.”
Wenren Sheng’s ear twitched as he whispered faintly, “Heavenly Heart.”
“Heavenly Heart?” He Mu rubbed the fur on his ear. “Great name. Want to know how to use it?”
Ears were less sensitive than the tail; the rubbing brought more relaxation than anything.
Soon, Wenren Sheng yielded to He Mu’s ear-rubbing technique, his taut nerves easing as he let out two comfortable purrs.
He lazily leaned against He Mu, mumbling, “Like the one in the Earth Temple that hit me?”
He Mu nodded. “Yeah, and you’re a Heavenly Spiritual Root—your Illusion Arts are far stronger than Qianxiang’s. I might even fall for it.”
Wenren Sheng nodded thoughtfully.
No wonder his sword had a butterfly pattern—that must be the Illusion Arts incantation.
From now on, he wouldn’t be plagued by illusions or have those bizarre dreams anymore.
Lost in thought, his wolf ears drooped unnoticed, and he actively nuzzled into He Mu’s palm.
He Mu scratched his ear base and asked, “Speaking of which, what did you see in that illusion?”
“Huh?”
Wenren Sheng snapped back to reality.
“N-Nothing… I didn’t see anything…”
“What are you saying?” He Mu lightly flicked his wolf ear. “That illusion was a reflection of my inner heart. We’ve known each other so long—you couldn’t have seen nothing.”
And he’d faintly heard Wenren Sheng’s tearful voice back then—who’d believe nothing happened?
“A reflection of your inner heart…” Wenren Sheng blinked in a daze. “What does that mean?”
He Mu explained, “For example, the illusion I encountered was of you, Wenren Jing, and Wenqu Star together on Fragrant Ze Mountain—that was your inner reflection. But my cultivation is higher, so I broke through quickly.”
“You were in there a long time. What did you see?”
Hearing this, Wenren Sheng slowly pieced it together.
He’d been blaming himself, wondering if he’d turned bad to keep having those dreams.
But from what He Mu said, what he’d seen—the wedding ceremony, red candles, wedding night, some wild man—
Those were things He Mu had truly thought about in his heart?
What twisted taste!
Wenren Sheng shot to his feet, glaring at He Mu in humiliated fury, his tail fur fully fluffed out.
“You actually…”
He Mu sat there, blinking in confusion.
“—actually?”
Wenren Sheng couldn’t take it anymore. He clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and pounced, sinking his teeth hard into He Mu’s shoulder.
This mountain god… what a rogue!
Bite him to death!
But both were soul bodies—one bite didn’t hurt, the other felt nothing—like they were flirting.
Though He Mu didn’t know why he’d suddenly gotten angry, he wouldn’t miss Wenren Sheng throwing himself into his arms. He seized the chance to ruffle his hair vigorously, turning it into a messy fluff.
“Don’t be mad, Shengsheng,” He Mu teased. “I haven’t even said anything yet. Was your illusion full of embarrassing stuff?”
“I hate you! I hate you!” Wenren Sheng released his canines, whimpering as he buried into He Mu’s shoulder. “I won’t forgive you!”
He Mu had no idea which exact words led to this conclusion.
But no helping it—if Wenren Sheng was mad, he’d coax him relentlessly until he cheered up.
Though… why was he calling him a rogue this time, not some heartless liar or big deceiver?
He Mu reflected seriously on his actions.
Ever since abandoning the Emotionless Dao, he hadn’t restrained his desires for Wenren Sheng at all.
Especially lately, after the joy of reuniting, endless lust had surged, making him want to kiss and hold him at every sight.
If the mood turned more intimate, he’d fantasize even deeper—wanting to see Wenren Sheng’s eyes clouded with desire, hear his misty gasps, feel his body slick with thin sweat from him. He’d thought of every version.
And he’d touched plenty: waist, tail, even kissed his mouth.
Rogue? Not wrong.
But he wasn’t a god anymore. Pretending to be some upright gentleman or Liu Xiahui would just leave him suffering.
Who’d want that? Not him.
White Impermanence’s palm leaf fan drifted for a full day and night, finally nearing the target year.
He pointed at a few souls with long rabbit ears below. “From that soul onward, they’re the ones who died in the Gui Mao Year. Lots of demons died that year—you’ll have to look carefully.”
Wenren Sheng excitedly scanned the group of rabbit spirits, subconsciously tugging He Mu’s sleeve. “Bro, I think I see the clan leader!”
He Mu said, “Slow down. I’ll go down with you to find him—he won’t get away.”
White Impermanence landed the fan behind them. Wenren Sheng, single-minded on seeing the clan leader, leaped off before it fully touched down, shoving through the souls to chase Wenren Jing’s figure.
White Impermanence stayed put, leisurely folding his fan and squinting at the fluffy tail behind Wenren Sheng.
“Lord Siming’s subordinate…” he murmured. “Would there be such a demon?”
Before he could look longer, a razor-sharp, murderous gaze swept toward him.
He startled, realizing He Mu was staring hostilely.
“Does Impermanence have other business?”
“Ah, no—” White Impermanence broke into a sweat, flashing an appeasing smile. “None.”
“Then mind your eyes,” He Mu said calmly. “If you can’t, I can manage them for you. Alright?”
White Impermanence glanced at the two divine weapons behind He Mu, knowing he was outmatched. He saluted hastily, then turned away without daring another look at Wenren Sheng, heading back the way they’d come.
Seeing him behave, He Mu’s cold expression softened.
He quickly caught up to Wenren Sheng, patting his shoulder from behind.
“How’s it going? Found him?”
Wenren Sheng squeezed out from the souls, looking dejected—he clearly hadn’t.
“I saw wrong,” he spread his hands. “Too many demons died this year—can’t tell them apart.”
He Mu stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Then call out Wenren Jing’s name?”
Wenren Sheng nodded. “Okay, I’ll—”
“Wenren Jing?” A voice interrupted from behind right then. “Calling me?”
“…………”
That voice…
Wenren Sheng stiffened, pausing for seconds before slowly turning around.
Sure enough, not far off stood a short, elderly soul eyeing them oddly.
“You… know me?”
