He Mu collapsed to his knees on the ground, his pupils turning gray. He soon stopped breathing.
Wenren Sheng’s hand trembled imperceptibly. He took a deep breath, forcibly steadying his mind, and raised his gaze to Siming.
“Will this do it?”
Siming covered her mouth, unable to suppress the smile at the corners of her lips.
She didn’t even glance at the dead He Mu. She lunged forward instead and grabbed Wenren Sheng’s shoulders, excitement flashing in her eyes.
“Really?” she said. “You’ll really listen to me?”
Wenren Sheng’s brows furrowed slightly as he dodged back a step. “My realm hasn’t reached the Mahayana Realm yet. I can’t ascend right away. I need time to cultivate.”
A brilliant smile hung on Siming’s face. “No problem. I’ll wait for you. Wenren Sheng, do you know how happy I am?
“For so long, you’re the first one willing to come to me of your own accord. Ah—you’re Wenqu Star’s disciple. That means I’ve beaten Wenqu Star again!
“I’m so touched. Wenren Sheng, the one who understands me best in this world is actually a lowly… oh, no, you’re not like those monsters anymore. You’re my confidant!”
“…………”
Siming’s temperament was erratic and changeable. Wenren Sheng stood in place, narrowing his eyes as he watched her mutter to herself like a mischievous child. He stayed silent.
Atop her head, a blue butterfly had quietly descended.
This was the mark of the Illusion Arts.
Thanks to this trick, she hadn’t noticed anything amiss.
Siming stayed excited for a good while before finally calming down. She smoothed her chest and flashed Wenren Sheng a radiant smile.
“Even if you’re a monster, I’ll treat you well, Wenren Sheng. Cultivate properly these years. In five years, I’ll come find you and take you to ascend, okay?”
Wenren Sheng gripped the hilt of his sword and said, “No need for you to come fetch me.”
“I insist on fetching you.”
Siming patted his shoulder, revealing a satisfied smile.
“You killed the human infiltrator in Cangzhou City. You’re about to become a hero among the monsters. Enjoy these five years of glory, great hero.”
Being called a “great hero” in this situation filled Wenren Sheng with disgust.
He immediately brushed Siming’s hand away and said impolitely, “Don’t touch me. When are you leaving?”
“Ah…”
Siming looked around and only then noticed that quite a few monsters had gathered nearby.
Their killing intent was strong. Almost all of them glared ferociously, and many of the larger ones had shifted to their true forms, towering over two men high. They cast shadows around Siming, as if ready to pounce and kill at any moment.
“Night Touring Gods… how did they break into Cangzhou City?”
“The city lord was injured by this human!”
“Young hero, step back quickly! Don’t fight her!”
Wenren Sheng saw the situation turning bad. He hurriedly shot glances at those monsters, signaling them not to act rashly.
Siming let out a light sigh and smiled faintly. “I really shouldn’t linger.”
She clapped her hands, and two black-robed, masked dead soldiers dropped down beside her. Each held a Firework Paper Tube in hand.
These were the things that ignited the gunpowder.
Cangzhou City had many residents, and plenty of monsters still didn’t know what was happening here. If she really had buried that much gunpowder, detonating it now would cause considerable casualties.
Wenren Sheng’s expression sharpened. He raised his sword and shouted, “What are you doing? I’ve already killed as you said!”
Siming winked at Wenren Sheng as her hand slowly pulled the fuse.
“What am I doing…
“Of course, setting it off.”
The two dead soldiers yanked the fuses in unison.
Wenren Sheng’s pupils contracted. The moment she uttered those words, the Heavenly Heart in his hand shot toward her, about to sever the fuses.
Bang!
“—Just kidding.”
With those words, a streak of flame burst from the paper tube, shooting skyward like a white rainbow.
Wenren Sheng looked up and saw it soar over a hundred zhang high before exploding in a ring of firelight, speckling the entire night sky with points of starlight.
No explosion followed.
When he looked down again, Siming and the two dead soldiers had vanished, leaving only a few half-burned paper tubes behind.
“Ha…”
Wenren Sheng panted heavily twice, his legs giving out as he fell back onto his rear.
His hand touched the ground and immediately felt a layer of sticky blood. Wenren Sheng turned and saw He Mu, whom he had just pierced through the heart with a sword, lying right behind him.
He scrambled up and straddled He Mu, leaning down to touch his face.
“Brother,” he swallowed hard, his voice hoarse. “Wake up quick!”
He Mu’s face was deathly pale, blood gushing from his chest and pooling on the ground. The thick metallic stench made Wenren Sheng’s stomach churn.
Why wasn’t he waking up?
His heart nearly stopped. The He Mu on the ground had truly stopped breathing, devoid of any life.
But according to his plan, He Mu should have come back to life unharmed right now—no injuries anywhere, no blood at all. Then he’d pat Wenren Sheng’s head and praise him for a job well done.
Before leaving the Splendid Palace, that’s exactly what Wenren Sheng had told He Mu.
He knew Siming was a madwoman with no regard for life. To save everyone in Cangzhou, he had no choice but to use the Illusion Arts.
So, Wenren Sheng had used the Heavenly Heart’s technique to create an illusion realm nearly identical to reality.
To convince Siming, he deliberately pulled both himself and her into the illusion at the same time, letting her witness him killing He Mu with her own eyes.
He had communicated the plan to He Mu in advance and instructed him to dodge that sword outside the illusion.
…But why hadn’t the illusion ended after so long? Why hadn’t he snapped out of it?
“Brother,” Wenren Sheng leaned down and hugged He Mu, his face paling. “D-don’t scare me…
“I’m so scared. Wake up, please?”
“Mountain God…”
“He Mu, wake up…”
The more he called, the more frantic Wenren Sheng’s breathing became, until it fell completely into disorder.
He knew the illusion was fake. This dead He Mu was fake too.
But the sensation of killing was real.
It was so real that Wenren Sheng couldn’t distinguish illusion from reality. The sounds of the blade piercing ribs, slicing skin, and stabbing flesh were amplified a thousandfold, crystal clear enough to make his stomach acid rise, nearly causing him to vomit.
Only now did those possibilities he never dared think about rise sharply in his mind.
What if… this was real?
What if his Illusion Arts had failed entirely, and he’d truly killed He Mu by mistake? What then?
Wenren Sheng’s head spun dizzily. The blood flowing from He Mu felt like an icy sea, mercilessly smothering his breath without mercy.
He had already lost one closest kin. If it happened again, he really wouldn’t be able to bear it.
Wenren Sheng curled up with a sob, his body trembling faintly.
“Brother…
“I don’t want to be apart from Brother.”
…
“Isn’t it that taking this butterfly away will wake him up?”
“Should we kill the butterfly?”
“No way. What if he wakes up and sees the butterfly dead, then cries? Back on Fragrant Ze Mountain, he loved chasing butterflies the most.”
“He cast Illusion Arts on himself and scared himself to tears. Wenren Sheng, you really are…”
“Don’t talk about him like that. He’s under a lot of mental pressure already. Aren’t you his master? You just forgot how he risked everything to save you?”
…
The distant voices grew clearer and clearer.
Wenren Sheng’s consciousness gradually cleared. A strong heartbeat began to thump steadily in his arms, vibrating against his body.
He slowly opened his eyes, and Duoxiren’s big face suddenly appeared before him.
“Whoa—Young hero, you’re finally awake!”
Wenren Sheng jolted in fright, his body instinctively shrinking back.
Seeing Wenren Sheng awake, Duoxiren scrambled up in a panic and ran around announcing it.
“The young hero’s awake—
“Hey, the young hero’s awake! Everyone, he’s fine now!”
Wenren Sheng blinked, still not fully grasping the situation, when he felt a hand cover his head and ruffle his hair.
“Awake?” It was He Mu’s voice. “You suddenly threw yourself into my arms just now, shaking nonstop. You scared me pretty bad…”
Wenren Sheng dazedly turned his head and realized he was straddling He Mu, his whole body draped over him.
He Mu looked perfectly fine, no gaping wound on his chest. He even smiled warmly at him.
He had woken up.
The massive stone in Wenren Sheng’s heart crashed down.
He lunged forward and hugged He Mu’s neck, confirming in disbelief, “This is real?”
He Mu nodded with a smile. “Yeah. Your trick was brilliant. That Siming acted like a total idiot and just ran off. Even lit off a couple of fireworks on her way out. She’s nuts.”
With that, He Mu rubbed noses with him. “Shengsheng, you were so brave. You did great.”
Hearing this, Wenren Sheng’s awareness slowly returned.
His plan had succeeded.
He had used the Illusion Arts to trick Siming into leaving. He had really done it!
No one was hurt. He Mu wasn’t dead, and his body was fine…
But as he thought this, Wenren Sheng still felt a sticky sensation on his hands. He looked down and saw they were covered in blood.
Wenren Sheng’s pupils shrank. He hurriedly looked down and spotted a wound on He Mu’s side abdomen that hadn’t been there before.
“What’s this?” he asked tremulously. “Didn’t you say you dodged? Why are you still…?”
He Mu belatedly glanced down and realized. “Oh, I was afraid she wouldn’t smell blood and get suspicious, so I stabbed myself. But it’s fine. My body—”
“You didn’t listen to me,” Wenren Sheng said, eyes reddening as he glared at him, choking up. “I told you to dodge my sword. I said no injuries allowed!”
He Mu quickly grabbed his hand and explained, “This doesn’t count as an injury, Shengsheng. I don’t even feel pain. Don’t worry. It’ll heal in a bit.”
“It’s bleeding! How is that not an injury?!”
Wenren Sheng wiped his tears and pressed down hard on He Mu’s wound, crying as he channeled Spiritual Power into him.
“I hate you. I hate you so much. From now on, I won’t talk to you anymore!”
“…”
He Mu was speechless. He silently watched Wenren Sheng’s actions. The kid straddled him, shoulders quivering lightly, tears pattering down nonstop, looking just like he’d been bullied.
This time, He Mu really felt wronged. He had never meant to bully Wenren Sheng over something like this.
After a long moment, he tucked a stray lock of hair behind Wenren Sheng’s ear and murmured, “Sorry, Shengsheng. I was too reckless.
“My body’s been through ascension. My organs are long useless. Even if you stabbed right through them, I wouldn’t die. I… thought you wouldn’t mind.”
Wenren Sheng kept crying. His legs were so weak from fear he couldn’t stand, and He Mu’s wound kept bleeding, leaving him frantic and aggrieved.
“Who wouldn’t mind? You don’t cherish your own body, so why should I?” Wenren Sheng sobbed. “I’m not sleeping with you anymore. Tonight, you sleep on the floor. I hate you!”
By now, he’d said “I hate you” so many times that He Mu started wondering if Wenren Sheng’s “hate” meant something else.
“Alright, then I’ll sleep on the floor.”
Helplessly, he pinched Wenren Sheng’s dirty little cheek and said,
“But if you hate me so much, why cry when you thought I died? Shouldn’t you be like that woman, happy enough to set off fireworks?”
“As if you’d get off that easy,” Wenren Sheng huffed sulkily. “You have to stay alive, suffer all kinds of hardships for life, and stick by my side forever.”
“Oh—”
He Mu smiled.
“So you mean you want to marry me?”
“How did you get that from it?!” Wenren Sheng cried, hiccuping from sobs. He rubbed away his tears with his palm and fumed, “And why would I marry you? You’re so mean, always bullying me…”
—Though he often teased him into laughter too, protected him at every moment, cherished him like a treasure. Every kiss landed with utmost care, full of love.
What way was there to refuse, really?
He couldn’t think of any. He could only stay stubborn.
He Mu gently gripped Wenren Sheng’s wrist with one hand and tilted up his chin with the other.
He cried like pear blossoms in rain, blue pupils brimming with tears that overflowed, wetting his lashes. So beautiful, so pitiful.
Wenren Sheng must have been a greedy little fish in his past life, to repay so many tears in this one.
A gentle smile melted in He Mu’s eyes. He lowered his head and kissed the corner of Wenren Sheng’s lips before saying, “Being with you is a heavenly blessing that I couldn’t obtain even after several lifetimes. How could it possibly be suffering?”
“I’m serious, Shengsheng. I really want to marry you. I really want you to marry me.”
“…………”
Marry…
After repeating the word once in his heart, Wenren Sheng took a deep breath. His face suddenly turned as red as a boiled crab, white steam billowing from his head.
What nonsense was this bad guy spouting?
Marry or not marry, with the Mountain God, getting married… Didn’t that mean…
Becoming his bride, wearing a red veil, bowing to the high hall together, becoming husband and wife—just like in that dream of his?
This was simply—
The next second, Wenren Sheng’s mind went blank. His entire body turned into a soft mochi ball, and he fainted dizzily into He Mu’s arms.
Too embarrassing…
