Chapter 44 Part 2

Lian Yunzhi heeded Mu Cheng’s words and didn’t split his Primordial Spirit, but he said, “I won’t make you wait five years.”

Before leaving, he kissed Mu Cheng and said, “Wait for me to return.”

Mu Cheng said okay.

.

Mu Cheng said okay.

But he didn’t wait for Lian Yunzhi to return.

On the first day, he wasn’t worried about Lian Yunzhi—after all, it had only been one day. Maybe Lian Yunzhi had just entered the secret realm and hadn’t reached Lian Hua Wu’s riverbank yet.

On the second day, he still wasn’t worried—only two days had passed. Maybe Lian Yunzhi had just obtained the Pregnant Body Lotus Root and was preparing to return.

On the third day, he stopped practicing the Divine Soul Technique. Xiaoze State’s winds swayed erratically all night.

On the fourth morning, he left the layered Formations Lian Yunzhi had set for him, carried by the wind to the seaside closest to the Lian Wu Secret Realm.

The Lian Wu Secret Realm was on a small island not far from Xiaoze State. He floated in midair and could even vaguely see it.

He unleashed his Divine Soul Force, extending his Divine Sense to its maximum. He finally caught the voices of cultivators conversing on a distant Spirit Boat.

“…Hey, did you hear? This is the last time the Lian Wu Secret Realm will open.”

“Yeah, I heard there’s only one section of mature Pregnant Body Lotus Root this time—the competition is fierce…”

…

“I heard Lian Yunzhi went too—the one who got the immortal treasure from Xiaoze State and defeated the Linxian Sect Chief Disciple!”

…

Mu Cheng’s eyes snapped open. At the same moment, excruciating tearing pain came from his Primordial Spirit, and no matter how he called to Lian Yunzhi through their Divine Soul Dual Cultivation contract, he got no response.

Gale winds rose abruptly, waves crashing against the shore.

Mu Cheng’s soul swayed in the wind, as if it would be torn apart.

…

Suddenly.

The wind stilled, then sliced leaves like sharp blades to form a little leaf person. Mu Cheng’s soul burrowed into the leaf, and the wind rolled it up, about to hurl it into the sea—

“Hey!”

A voice suddenly rang out from behind.

Mu Cheng’s soul instantly leaped from the leaf. He whipped his head around—

He saw Lian Yunzhi, covered in wounds and filthy blood, standing on a Flying Sword. Mud even splattered his cheek and robe hem—rarely so unclean.

“Why are you so disobedient? Didn’t I tell you to wait for me?”

Lian Yunzhi jumped down from the Flying Sword and limped toward him.

Suddenly, he grinned. He pulled a massive Pregnant Body Lotus Root—over eight feet long—from his Storage Bracelet and tossed it at Mu Cheng’s feet.

His brows danced with delight as he boasted, “See how awesome I am? There was only one, and I grabbed it!”

Mu Cheng’s soul entered the lotus root and instantly formed a physical body.

He strode quickly toward Lian Yunzhi and hugged him tightly without pause.

“—Master is so awesome.”

.

“I’m filthy,” Lian Yunzhi said. It had been a long time since he’d felt Mu Cheng’s warm body; he squirmed uncomfortably in Mu Cheng’s arms. “Let go first so I can cast Dust Removal Technique.”

“Not filthy.”

Mu Cheng released the hug but didn’t let go entirely. Instead, he wiped the mud from Lian Yunzhi’s cheek with his fingertip and leaned in to kiss him.

His kiss was as forceful as his embrace, biting Lian Yunzhi’s lips and tongue, plundering the air from his mouth—as if he wanted to meld him into his bones and devour him whole.

Lian Yunzhi pushed at him a few times but couldn’t budge him. Unsure of his current physical state, he didn’t dare use spells rashly and could only cling to his neck, letting him do as he pleased.

Waves roared deafeningly, but Lian Yunzhi’s world contained only Mu Cheng.

Only when the sea waves calmed and the winds steadied did Mu Cheng finally end the somewhat prolonged kiss. But his hand still gripped Lian Yunzhi’s waist in a half-restraining hold, pulling him close. He dipped his head to peck the slightly swollen lips again, brushed his lips over Lian Yunzhi’s nose tip and cheek, and finally murmured almost against his ear, “What was that just now?”

Lian Yunzhi knew what Mu Cheng meant.

He scrunched his face and grumbled softly, “It was that Lian Hua Wu. Do you know why that Foundation Establishment kid said souls can’t enter the Lian Wu Secret Realm?”

“Why?”

Lian Yunzhi explained, “Because Lian Hua Wu’s lotus roots are the soul-reshaping Pregnant Body Lotus Roots, but the river water in Lian Hua Wu is the soul-devouring Wangchuan River! We all had to dive into the river to grab them, but others prepared soul-stabilizing pills and artifacts ahead of time. I had nothing, so I forcibly sealed my Divine Soul Force and cut off contact with you…”

“What about your Primordial Spirit? Why was it injured?”

“It was just… a minor injury. Who knew the Butterfly Shadow Disguise Pill’s effect wore off so fast? Right after I grabbed the lotus root and surfaced, it vanished… Two groups were chasing me then. To probe the path with Divine Soul Force, I forcibly broke through the Restriction I set on myself…” Lian Yunzhi hung his head sheepishly. “I didn’t expect forcibly breaking the Restriction would hurt so much. I thought it’d be like slowly untying it—since I set it myself…”

Mu Cheng lowered his head, gently pressing his forehead to Lian Yunzhi’s. He sent his Primordial Spirit into Lian Yunzhi’s Knowledge Sea for a shallow fusion, healing him.

Lian Yunzhi’s Primordial Spirit was wilted for the first time, like after a storm—every leaf battered. But as Mu Cheng’s Primordial Spirit brushed over it lightly, the leaves perked up bit by bit.

This Divine Soul Dual Cultivation lasted a long time. Unlike before, it wasn’t stimulating but so soothing that Lian Yunzhi wanted to fall asleep.

Yet after it ended, Lian Yunzhi still couldn’t help laughing.

“What are you laughing at?”

Lian Yunzhi chuckled. “You actually wanted to turn into a leaf person and cross mountains and seas to find me!”

In Mu Cheng’s Primordial Spirit, he’d seen Mu Cheng’s plan: turn his soul into a leaf, float on the sea, propelled by wind—or extend tiny arms as oars to paddle bit by bit to the island with the Lian Wu Secret Realm!

“Good thing I came back first!”

Lian Yunzhi patted his chest in relief.

Mu Cheng asked, “What if I had found you first?”

Lian Yunzhi thought for a moment, didn’t mock his wild idea, but cupped his face, kissed him, and said with curved eyes and a smile, “Then when I saw you, I’d say—Mu Cheng is so awesome!”