Shen Shu was dumbfounded. He did not understand what Pei Zizhuo meant, yet within those amber eyes, he caught a flash of seductive allure.
The Ancestral Witch excelled at breaking people’s minds, capable of triggering hard-to-notice malice hidden deep within the human heart. Even the young master of the Cangyang Sect had fallen victim to its trick, let alone Pei Zizhuo. Could it be that during their exchange, the Ancestral Witch had constructed some kind of illusion, leaving Pei Zizhuo’s speech disordered and his logic incoherent?
Shen Shu put this statement aside for the moment. Right now, their posture was far too awkward and close. Pei Zizhuo’s breath enveloped his entire body. For any man, being in such a disadvantaged position felt thoroughly uncomfortable.
“Zizhuo, listen to me, you’ve been poisoned,” Shen Shu coaxed gently, trying to break free from the restraint. But the moment he moved, he was pinned down mercilessly. That ferocious strength felt as though it could crush his wrist bones.
Shen Shu urged anxiously, “Let me go first. Do you think I would harm you?”
“Let you go?” Pei Zizhuo sneered, a flash of crafty light dancing in his eyes as he stated with absolute certainty, “After letting you go, what would you want to do? You’d want to steal glances at me while my eyes are closed, hold me, embrace me, and get close to me. Don’t think I don’t know what kind of thoughts you’re harboring. Danxiao, this seductive look of yours is truly repulsive!”
Shen Shu’s eyes widened slowly as he stared in disbelief at Pei Zizhuo. He had always possessed an amicable temperament, but at this moment, even he was scolded until his face flushed red. His clear, pretty brows were belatedly stained with anger, and a stifled rage surged within his chest, tightening and aching his heart with a wrenching grip.
What did he mean by seductive? When had he seduced him? Who was seducing whom?
When they were besieged by enemies, he had stepped forward to save him. When his immortal bones shattered, he had helped reconnect them. Even when the cold poison flared up, he had assisted him night after night. Even if Pei Zizhuo was his mission target, he had poured his heart and soul out to treat him like this during ordinary days, and since the man wasn’t carved of stone, how could he be completely oblivious?
Knowing that Pei Zizhuo inevitably harbored a bad temper due to his injuries, he had endured every cold remark and sarcastic barb, coaxing him and never expecting a single word of thanks in return.
Who could have imagined that these gestures of care, consideration, and meticulous nursing were viewed by Pei Zizhuo as indecent seduction? Besides, both of them were men, so what on earth was there to seduce!
Shen Shu felt a stinging sensation at the bridge of his nose. Before descending to immortality, he had been the youngest disciple of his sect, pampered since childhood by his master and senior brothers. When had he ever suffered such grievance?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he grew. The angrier he grew, the less he wanted to endure it. Grievance flushed the rims of his red eyes, moisture pooling within them. Staring fiercely at Pei Zizhuo with those tear-filled peach blossom eyes, he raged indignantly, “What did I do to make you view me this way? Was helping you detoxify and heal wounds a mistake? You’re so strange! Let me go, I’m not helping anymore! Get off me!”
The moisture in his eyes seemed to ignite an inexplicable fire within Pei Zizhuo. His gaze fell upon those damp lips, his eyes darkening. His throat rolled instinctively, and with a note of stubborn firmness, he lowered his voice and said, “I’ll tell you why, because you like me.”
“What?” Shen Shu froze, his expression instantly going blank.
“You saved me, helped me, and took care of me, all because you want me, because you like me.” Pei Zizhuo wore an evil grin, speaking with utter conviction.
“What on earth are you thinking! How could I possibly…”
“Then tell me, for no rhyme or reason between us, why else would you go to such painstaking lengths to save me!”
Shen Shu’s heart grew exhausted as he carefully collaborated whether his remaining thirty percent immortal power could slap him unconscious in a single blow.
Yet, fearing he might fail to control his strength and accidentally slap the man to death, he took a deep breath and said, “Zizhuo, let me go first. Once you let me go, I’ll tell you the reason.”
“I haven’t blocked your mouth. You can say it right now.”
“You, what will it take for you to let go of me!” Shen Shu furrowed his brows on the surface, feigning exasperation, while secretly waiting for Pei Zizhuo to lower his guard so he could seize the chance to take him down in one fell swoop.
“We’re both men, so be straightforward. Either state why you helped me, or admit aloud that you like me and that you saved me because you harbor improper intentions toward me.” Pei Zizhuo’s gaze burned brightly, looking thoroughly full of himself.
Shen Shu would rather frankly tell him that he had descended on a mission from Jiyang Palace than stoop to saying such an unspeakable thing. He turned his face away in a huff, stubbornly muttering, “Can’t it just be a good deed for the day? Anyway, I don’t like you.”
“What did you say?” Pei Zizhuo narrowed his eyes, his expression seemingly shrouded by a sudden dark cloud. He forced Shen Shu’s face back to lock gazes with his own, demanding with frantic urgency, “You don’t like me? Why don’t you like me? By what right do you not like me!”
He’s insane. Just let the world end!
Shen Shu had no desire to spar in circles with him, but the hostile aura around Pei Zizhuo suddenly intensified. His breathing grew heavy and ragged, and his phoenix eyes were dotted with crimson, looking on the verge of suffering a deviation!
Truly troublesome! Shen Shu cursed indignantly in his heart. Is he made of paper? Why does he start heading toward demonic deviation the moment things don’t go his way?
Having previously entered Pei Zizhuo’s sea of consciousness, Shen Shu knew that malevolent energy and spiritual qi coexisted within the man in equal measure. If he truly suffered a deviation, it would undoubtedly spell another irredeemable mess.
Weighing the pros and cons, suffering a blow to his pride was ultimately the less costly alternative. Steeling his heart, closing his eyes, and gritting his teeth, Shen Shu blurted out at top speed, “I like you.”
“What did you say? Speak louder.”
“I said I like you.”
“What is it that you like? Make it clear.”
I really want to slice him to pieces! Veins bulging on his forehead, Shen Shu gritted out viciously, “I like you!”
The crimson in Pei Zizhuo’s eyes quietly faded away. Wearing an expression of utter righteousness, the corners of his mouth hooked into a smile, and even the tips of his hair seemed satisfied. “I knew it. How could you possibly not like me?”
He slowly straightened up, speaking with brazen shamelessness, “But I don’t like you. Don’t harbor these thoughts anymore from now on. Learn to keep your distance, or you’ll only end up hurting. Understood?”
“Fine. First, let go of me.”
“I’ll let you go, but take some time to sober up.” Though he said this, Pei Zizhuo’s thumb still intentionally or unintentionally stroked the bones of Shen Shu’s wrist, showing no intention of releasing him.
Shen Shu retained his patience, waiting quietly. Waiting. And waiting.
After about a quarter of an hour, when his wrist bones felt nearly rubbed bare, Shen Shu gritted his teeth and asked, “Why aren’t you letting go yet?”
“Oh,” Pei Zizhuo pouted, releasing Shen Shu’s hand with utmost reluctance while spinning an excuse for himself, “Why is your hand so slippery? I felt curious and touched it a bit more, no other meaning behind it.”
What a wonderful “no other meaning”.
Taking advantage of the moment he turned around, Shen Shu hurriedly fished a handful of pomelo leaves from his universe pouch, grabbed Pei Zizhuo’s head, and stuffed them all in. The movement was fast, precise, and ruthless, leaving not an ounce of sentiment. “Sober up too!”
Pomelo leaves refreshed the mind, yet they could not break the Ancestral Witch’s demonic spell. Shen Shu bit his fingertip and shoved it straight into Pei Zizhuo’s mouth. After feeding him a few drops of blood, he yanked his finger back, swept his sleeves up, and strode away to a distance of five zhang from Pei Zizhuo to seethe in anger.
Pei Zizhuo lay flat on his back staring at the ceiling for half a quarter of an hour before finally pressing his temples and rising with a dizzy, furrowed brow.
He surveyed the space within the guest room in a daze, his gaze eventually landing on a familiar figure sitting hunched in the corner. His train of thought momentarily derailed. He only remembered rushing out of the temple to battle the Ancestral Witch, temporarily driving it back, before forgetting how he had even returned.
Just as he stood up, a sudden wave of dizziness hit him, nearly causing him to pitch forward headfirst. Pei Zizhuo smacked his lips. His mouth was filled entirely with the green astringency of pomelo leaves and a hint of sweet, bloody tang. Reclaiming his wits amidst this taste, he finally recalled what he had done.
“You…” Pei Zizhuo inevitably felt somewhat awkward. How could anyone behave so shamelessly as to demand someone else confess their affection out loud?
Yet this sense of awkwardness lasted only a brief moment. After pondering for a good while, he decided on all accounts that he had done nothing wrong. It was better to lay things out clearly in the open. Otherwise, Danxiao would always harbor illusions, and nipping those undesirable thoughts in the bud early on was for the best, allowing him to keep his distance afterward.
With this thought, Pei Zizhuo looked toward Danxiao, who was sitting hugging his knees in the distance. That lonely and sorrowful back was practically radiating desolation and grief, most likely, his self-esteem had been wounded, leaving him temporarily unable to accept it and feeling unhappy.
Pei Zizhuo was hardly an empathetic soul, but relying on the scraps of conscience he had left, he took two steps forward to stand by Shen Shu’s side. Glancing at the pouting face and reddened eye rims, his heart softened by a fraction. Clearing his throat, he said, “I was a bit too blunt. If you’re willing to let go of this obsession, you and I aren’t incapable of remaining friends.”
Shen Shu cast a bizarre sideways glance at him, asking in confusion, “Has the poison still not worn off?”
“It’s cleared,” Pei Zizhuo raised a hand to brush against his lapel, shaking off the bloodstains, and readied himself to offer words of comfort once more when a shrill scream echoed from outside the door.
Was that sound coming from the main hall? Could the Ancestral Witch have returned?
Exchanging a glance, the two of them sprung to their feet instantly, charging toward the main hall one after the other.
“Stop hitting me! Let me go! Let me go!”
Inside the temple, a man in gray robes lay on the ground holding his head tightly while being swarmed and beaten by injured townspeople, his wails of agony endlessly piercing the air. Seeing that he had all his limbs intact and bore no injuries, it was baffling how he had managed to get beaten into such a state by a mob of wounded patients.
“Cease!” Shen Shu stepped forward, pulling back a few of the heaviest hitters and commanding, “Stop for a moment!”
Recognizing that the savior immortals had arrived, the crowd still seethed with anger, but halted their attacks. A man whose face was half-bitten away stepped forward to explain to Shen Shu, “Forgive us for making a spectacle in front of the immortals, but this man is named Zuo Xiang, a notorious local scoundrel of Baling Commandery. Just now, as we were lying here resting, we didn’t notice when he sneaked in through the entrance. He actually tried to steal this evil deity’s bronze statue! In our momentary agitation, we rushed up and beat him.”
Stealing the Ancestral Witch’s bronze statue? Shen Shu walked up to the man, seeing that he indeed had a bulky object hidden inside his robes. Yet Zuo Xiang bore no external wounds. He didn’t look like someone who had been gnawed on by the deranged victims. When exactly had he entered Mount Chan?
“Who told you to steal the bronze statue?” Shen Shu asked.
Zuo Xiang kept his head lowered, hair draped across his face so his expression remained hidden. His body trembled uncontrollably as he wept, “Let me go! If I can’t leave, the Marriage Temple Master won’t let you off!”
The moment the words fell, a series of dull impacts suddenly reverberated from outside the door, accompanied by muffled, incoherent whispering, as if something was smashing through the doors to charge inside.
“They’re coming! They’re all coming! Hurry and let me go! Otherwise we’re all going to die!” The gray-robed man bolted upright, clutching the bronze statue as he bolted past Shen Shu. But before he could run a few steps, he was knocked unconscious to the ground by Pei Zizhuo, who had just stepped through the threshold.
Pei Zizhuo furrowed his brows tightly, muttering in a low voice, “The corpses have mutated.”
Outside the door, a dense crowd of corpses stood with heads lowered, moving slowly yet with solid steps as they advanced toward the temple, constantly striking the wooden doors and walls with stiff hands. Seeing the door panels loosening and those figures about to charge in, Shen Shu made to step forward, but was grabbed and pulled back by Pei Zizhuo.
“Normal corpse mutation doesn’t happen this fast. Something fishy is going on here. Hide first and stay on standby.”
Pei Zizhuo vaulted forward, sweeping a violent gale outward to violently clear away the approaching walking corpses.
He wasn’t wrong. From death to corpse mutation under normal circumstances required at least twelve hours, and such a large-scale outbreak of walking corpses was definitely artificially induced.
Walking back into the temple, he looked at the bronze statue in Zuo Xiang’s grasp. Why did the Ancestral Witch insist on taking this statue above all else?
An idea flashed in Shen Shu’s mind. He pulled out the broken half of the bronze statue, raised a hand to tap it lightly, and a hollow echo resonated within.
It was indeed hollow inside. The Illusory Realm also belonged to the category of esoteric Dao formations, except that its eight gates were set up in a cumbersome manner, making the Gates of Life and Death exceptionally difficult to discern.
Anything that could make the Ancestral Witch care this much was likely because the formation core was hidden right inside this bronze statue.
With a single palm strike, he shattered the bronze statue. Fine dust swirled up and settled back down, revealing the contents concealed within: a set of neatly folded wedding robes, styled after those worn by a bride.
Before Shen Shu could ponder further, a frenzied, desperate roar erupted from outside the doors, filled with such bitter exhaustion that it seemed intent on tearing the surrounding wilderness apart.
Could it be that we searched the wrong place? Panic gripped Shen Shu’s heart. Herding everyone into the temple, he instructed, “Everyone hide properly, and don’t come out.”
Outside the courtyard, Pei Zizhuo brandished a tree branch, swinging it like a whip to fling away the advancing walking corpses. Yet suddenly, the sluggish, wooden corpses seemed guided by some invisible prompt, immediately turning frenzied and charging forward.
Pei Zizhuo tightened his grip on the branch. A blast of chill dispersed from his palm, transforming the branch into a sharp ice halberd. With wind-like speed underfoot, he skimmed across the ground, kicking up a layer of fallen leaves. His silhouette flashed like lightning, clearing away dozens of door-blocking corpses in the blink of an eye.
Those corpses had their throats pierced, crashing to the ground like heavy boulders. The overlapping bodies did not pile into a mountain, but instead gradually melted into puddles of foul liquid that seeped into the earth. In the blink of an eye, they emerged anew from nowhere, doubling in number for every one that fell, an endless, unkillable horde.
As the intent to kill deepened, it stirred the malevolent energy lurking in his dantian into restlessness. Frowning at the sea of densely packed walking corpses, Pei Zizhuo felt an unaccustomed wave of vexation rise in his heart. Dark clouds seemed to loom before his eyes, and his entire being was swallowed by a surging aura of violence.
“Zizhuo,” Shen Shu’s gaze tightened as he rushed forward, instinctively reaching to grab his hand.
Yet remembering what had just happened in the guest room, his fingertips paused slightly, shifting instead to grip Pei Zizhuo’s sleeve. He coaxed softly, “Calm your mind. You’re about to suffer a deviation!”
Pei Zizhuo lowered his gaze, taking everything in before speaking in a deep voice, “Why aren’t you grabbing my hand anymore?”