In the time that followed, Wenren Sheng sat in He Mu’s lap and finished copying the scriptures.
Although this person always groped him and even slipped his hands inside his clothes, Wenren Sheng still relied on his strong willpower to complete his homework.
Before leaving the study, He Mu clung to him and kissed him for a long time, dawdling until nearly 10 p.m. before returning to the room.
“You don’t want to sleep in another room,” Wenren Sheng said as he hugged the quilt and threw it onto the bed. “Then you have to sleep on the inside.”
He Mu sat on the edge of the bed, picked up the quilt, tugged it, and laughed. “Share the quilt with you?”
Wenren Sheng rubbed his shoes against the floor and muttered, “Of course. Otherwise, what if you grope me at night…”
He Mu made a disappointed expression and said regretfully, “In your heart, I’m actually that kind of person?”
At those words, Wenren Sheng crossed his arms and let out a cold hum.
If not for the kiss marks on his body still burning hot, he might have almost believed He Mu’s nonsense.
Just now in the study, right after he finished copying the scriptures, He Mu had pressed him down on the desk, lifted his clothes, and rubbed and bit at him. His chest and abdomen were probably covered in teeth marks right now. Wenren Sheng didn’t even dare look in the mirror to confirm.
And now He Mu was sitting there all prim and proper, pretending to be a good person. Who would believe him!
He Mu probably guessed what he was upset about. He took Wenren Sheng’s hand and pulled him into his arms, carefully rubbing his waist.
“Does it hurt?” he asked softly.
Wenren Sheng hesitated but didn’t answer.
Although he had been bitten…
But Wenren Sheng could hardly admit it. In truth, it felt incredibly good.
He Mu seemed to understand his body better than he did himself. Every intimate touch brought him excessive pleasure, leaving him utterly defenseless.
Just now, when He Mu’s breath brushed against his ear and his voice vaguely asked if he “wanted to do it,” Wenren Sheng had nearly given in.
But he really didn’t dare. He had no idea at all how two men “did it.” Was it even more intimate than kissing, embracing, and rubbing against each other?
Too depraved…
As Wenren Sheng thought about it, his face flushed red with shame.
“To think I’m… such a lewd person,” he muttered to himself with his hands over his face. “But I’ve only glanced at Spring Palace Diagrams once before. I’ve never…”
He had never even thought about such things!
“So aggrieved?” He Mu teased him. “Could it be you actually considered agreeing just now?”
He wrapped an arm around Wenren Sheng’s waist and pulled him onto his lap.
When Wenren Sheng was shy, he liked to bury himself against people. He pressed his face against He Mu’s shoulder and let out a couple of huffs.
“Who would agree?” Wenren Sheng said stubbornly. “I’m not agreeing anyway.”
He Mu tilted his head against Wenren Sheng’s and lightly stroked his shoulder and arm. In a low voice, he said, “Shengsheng, how did you get so naughty?”
Wenren Sheng took He Mu’s other hand and placed it on his leg, pinching the palm in petty revenge.
He grumbled, “You have the nerve to call me naughty? You bit me so hard it hurts.”
“Hurts?” He Mu asked, puzzled. “Where?”
With that, he ignored Wenren Sheng’s protests, lifted his clothes up, and told him to hold them himself.
“Hold them up,” he said seriously. “I’ve studied a bit of medicine. Let me take a look.”
Wenren Sheng held his clothes with both hands and eyed He Mu skeptically.
“The Mountain God has studied this too? Don’t immortals’ bodies heal on their own?”
He Mu stroked his chin as he examined the kiss marks he had left, answering, “That was before. Now I’m just a mortal. Getting injured is inevitable.”
Wenren Sheng had no choice but to maintain this shameful pose, letting He Mu’s gaze roam over him.
After a moment, his arms grew sore from holding them up. He finally couldn’t help asking, “Done looking yet?”
He Mu smiled then, met his eyes, and teased, “Just being looked at makes you react?”
!!!
Wenren Sheng immediately pulled his clothes down and scolded him in embarrassed fury. “You pervert!”
“Alright, alright, it’s nothing serious,” He Mu said as he ruffled his hair soothingly. “Your skin is a bit tender. I’ll be gentler next time.”
“Next time? I’m never letting you touch me again!”
“Not even after we get married?”
“…Th-that has to wait until after we get married!”
Besides, Wenren Sheng hadn’t even agreed to be with He Mu yet. How did this guy assume they would keep doing these intimate things?
Was he too soft in his attitude, so He Mu dared to keep taking liberties?
Next time… next time he had to be firmer. He couldn’t keep giving in to every demand. He wasn’t some Bodhisattva!
With that thought, Wenren Sheng suddenly stood up.
He pointed at the bed seriously. “I don’t care. Tonight, you have to sleep on the inside, alone under your own quilt.”
He Mu shrugged. “Fine. But can I hold you while we sleep?”
“No!”
“Not even hold hands?”
“…No!”
The two bickered over sleeping positions for half a shichen. He Mu finally gave up on the idea of holding Wenren Sheng while they slept.
“Alright, I get it. I definitely won’t touch you tonight.”
He Mu made a swearing gesture, then removed his outer robe and placed it on the rack nearby. He lay down on the inner side of the bed, making a show of planning to sleep obediently.
He Mu pillowed his hands behind his head and said, “I’ll stay like this, without moving a muscle.”
Wenren Sheng was already exhausted. Seeing that He Mu was finally willing to let him off, he let out a long sigh of relief.
He warned, “If Brother moves, you won’t be allowed to sleep with me ever again.”
After giving that reminder, Wenren Sheng got off the bed and went to close the window that had been propped open in the room.
Spring nights in Cang Province were rather chilly. Wenren Sheng didn’t like wearing too much to sleep and usually wore only a thin layer.
A cold gust made him shiver. He rubbed his arms and leaned out the window.
Nights in Cang Province were deep and dark, so thick that even moonlight couldn’t penetrate. Even with Wenren Sheng’s sharp eyesight, he couldn’t make out anything.
Wenren Sheng exhaled a puff of cold air and gripped the window frame.
“Tomorrow I have to get up early to go find Master with Brother and discuss how to deal with the Heavenly Court…”
Come to think of it, Master’s Deceptive Illusion was truly impressive. That organization called the Night Touring Gods had been rampant for so long, yet they hadn’t even figured out the direction of Cangzhou City.
If they could keep hiding like this, maybe they could even bring in the scattered demons from outside. Then humans and demons wouldn’t have to fight endlessly day and night.
“…”
But how long could such peaceful days last?
As long as the Heavenly Court existed, the demon clans of the lower realms would live in misery without respite. Hiding forever wasn’t a long-term solution.
Wenren Sheng’s fingers curled slightly, gripping the wooden frame tighter.
He had to grow stronger, and fast—the sooner the better. He needed to ascend to immortality, go to the Heavenly Court, and find the mastermind who had killed his clan leader—
The god who lurked in the Heavenly Court and controlled fates.
“Siming…”
Everything connected to her had to be uprooted.
Wenren Sheng raised his head and gazed at the only star visible on the horizon, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Whoosh.
A flame flickered.
Wenren Sheng felt a sudden gust of wind by his ear, making the fur on his tail stand on end in tension.
He narrowed his eyes, his heartbeat quickening.
“That’s…”
A few seconds later, Wenren Sheng’s pupils contracted. He hurriedly pushed open the window, gripped the sill, and looked outside.
Flowing fire like crimson feathers on arrows streaked across the sky, carving a ferocious scarlet wound through the black night.
Following that single arrow came a dense barrage of sparks—millions of arrows carrying flames, plummeting toward Cangzhou City at unstoppable speed!
“Oh no,” Wenren Sheng said urgently. “Something’s happened!”
With that, he stepped onto the windowsill to jump out.
But as soon as his body leaned out a few inches, a powerful force grabbed his waist. He Mu pulled him back into his arms.
“Calm down, Shengsheng,” He Mu said, holding him tightly and keeping his voice steady. “There’s still the Barrier outside. Don’t act rashly.”
Hearing this, Wenren Sheng finally steadied his breathing and looked out the window again.
Sure enough, just as the arrows were about to hit the city walls, an invisible force repelled them. They “whooshed” and ignited a forest outside the city.
Wenren Sheng’s anxiety didn’t fade. He hurriedly grabbed He Mu’s hand and said anxiously, “But why are there… outside Cangzhou City?”
“What was bound to come has arrived. Cangzhou City can’t hide under the Heavenly Court’s nose forever,” He Mu said, stroking his back to soothe him. “I was planning to discuss this with you all tomorrow, but it looks like we can skip the sleep.”
Wenren Sheng forced himself to calm down and sorted through his jumbled thoughts.
From He Mu’s words, it seemed the Heavenly Court had discovered Cangzhou City’s location.
Talk about… right on cue!
The Barrier was still holding for now, but once it broke, the Heavenly Court’s forces could storm in at any moment, slaughtering the demons in the city and snuffing out the demon race’s last embers.
The Barrier was tied to Master. They had to protect her first.
Wenren Sheng steadied himself, grabbed his sword, pushed open the door, and headed straight for Yi Jinxiang’s room.
He Mu also took Color Kill and donned the Silver Face Mask from the corner, following close behind Wenren Sheng.
The night was moonless and windy, the long darkness stretching on.
By the time they reached Yi Jinxiang’s residence, the door had already been smashed by some unknown force.
Wenren Sheng didn’t dare delay. He drew Heavenly Heart and stepped over the threshold.
Looking inside, he saw Yi Jinxiang standing with sword in hand, coldly staring toward the center of the hall—where a short red-haired woman sat, idly toying with a white jade folding fan. It was Yi Jinxiang’s Divine Weapon.
“Master,” Wenren Sheng hurried forward, worried. “Are you alright?”
Yi Jinxiang had some scrapes on her face. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and rasped, “I’m fine. Why are you here?”
Wenren Sheng explained, “Flocks of fire arrows came raining down from outside the city. I was worried something had happened, so I came to find you first.”
He Mu arrived almost at the same time as Wenren Sheng. He stepped in front of him and eyed the woman coldly.
“Picking a good time to court death, Siming.”
“Don’t be hasty, Lord Cangyu. I’m only here to catch a traitor today,” Siming said with a smile, scanning the group before her gaze settled on Wenren Sheng. “You. You’re the one with the Heavenly Spiritual Root?”
Wenren Sheng felt goosebumps under her stare and gripped Heavenly Heart tighter.
He demanded, “What do you want!”
Siming’s eyes curved as she said unhurriedly, “You’re quite pretty. Have you come of age yet?”
Wenren Sheng didn’t know her, but his keen senses picked up the dangerous aura radiating from her.
This person absolutely wanted his life.
“I’ve come of age,” Wenren Sheng said, sweat beading on his forehead as he forced calm. “If you want the Heavenly Spiritual Root in me, it’s too late now.”
Siming examined the folding fan in her hand and said regretfully, “Indeed. What a pity.”
She paused, then looked back at Wenren Sheng. “I’ve watched you grow up, in a manner of speaking. I’ve chased you for so many years—I’m tired too. How about we make peace now?”
“No,” Wenren Sheng said with a frown. “What do you mean by that?”
Siming rose from her seat, hands clasped behind her back, and paced slowly. “As I said, I’m here for a traitor today. I have no intention of fighting. Hand the person over, and we’ll talk amicably. No one gets hurt.”
Wenren Sheng asked, “Who are you looking for?”
Siming glanced at him and smiled faintly. “This person has the double surname Murong and the given name He. He’s an ascender I personally selected from the lower realms three hundred years ago.”
“Early on, he did work for me and killed quite a few immortals. But then he betrayed me and even dared to scheme against me.”
“Though I hate to lose talent, I can’t leave such a disaster behind. To be honest, I’m here today to take his life.”
Double surname Murong, given name He.
That was…
Wenren Sheng’s face filled with shock. He instinctively looked toward He Mu.
He didn’t know when, but he had donned the Silver Face Mask again. His appearance and voice had returned to their unfamiliar guise, and Color Kill gleamed coldly in his hand.
