Putting away her golden sword, Lu Zhixue walked gracefully toward Sui Yue with a smiling expression. “This little fox is quite charming. Where did Daoist Sui acquire it? Might I hold it for a moment?”
Hearing this, Sui Yue frowned slightly and tightened his hold on Yun Mu. “No.”
“Oh… haha… If that is the case, I certainly won’t take what someone else holds dear.” Lu Zhixue silently picked up the pieces of her glass heart, which had shattered all over the floor.
Sigh! Kids really have no appreciation for romance!
Although Lu Zhixue muttered inwardly, she didn’t say much else. After all, this was Sui Yue’s spiritual pet, and it was entirely natural for him to decline.
Nearby, Ling Guang had taken a recovery pill and finished regulating his breathing; his wound had already healed. Looking at Sui Yue with complex emotions in his eyes, he spoke rather awkwardly, “Thank you, Junior Brother.”
“No need to thank me. The pills were provided by Senior Sister Lu,” Sui Yue replied indifferently, having no intention of taking credit for someone else’s generosity.
Ling Guang smoothly turned to thank Lu Zhixue instead, exchanging a few polite remarks before returning to Shi Menglan’s side and asking with concern, “Senior Sister, how is your hand?”
“It’s just a small injury, it’s been fine for a while now,” Shi Menglan replied with a smile, stepping up to Sui Yue. “Junior Brother, we can finally rest assured seeing that you’re safe and sound. Ever since entering the secret realm, Ling Guang and I have been searching for you.” Her gaze carried a mixture of scrutiny and care. “The secret realm is fraught with peril, and it’s far too dangerous for you to move alone. From now on, let’s explore together so Second Senior Brother and I can protect you.”
Sui Yue gave a slight nod, considering the matter settled.
He knew very well that the smooth sailing of their journey so far was most likely inseparable from the hidden spirit fox in his arms.
Back at the tree hollow, if not for Yun Mu’s help, his injuries wouldn’t have healed so quickly. Otherwise, he might still be left to fend for himself in that hollow right now.
Thinking of Yun Mu, Sui Yue lowered his gaze to look at the small fox nestled in his arms, only to find it curled up into a ball, fast asleep and seemingly oblivious to everything around it.
Watching this scene from the side, Lu Zhixue muttered to herself, This little fox certainly knows how to pick a spot to sleep. Sui Yue’s arms must be vastly more comfortable than anywhere else.
The group continued exploring the secret realm like a swarm of hornets, thoroughly stripping clean any recognizable herbs and spiritual beasts they encountered. Whenever they occasionally ran into a pair of high-tier ferocious beasts, they would join forces to conquer them together.
Fortunately, they didn’t encounter any more demonic-qi-tainted beast cores further along. It seemed the mastermind behind the scenes wasn’t omnipotent enough to stretch their reach everywhere.
Winding past a clump of blue bamboo draped in spiritual mist and passing through a transparent boundary, a refreshing wave of watery mist mixed with the scent of pine wood rushed over them. The scenery before the group suddenly widened: a mirror-like, expansive lake unfolded between the green pines and emerald cypresses, with clusters of blue-purple waterbell flowers blooming sporadically along the gravel beach by the shoreline.
“Let’s rest our feet here,” Lu Zhixue said, resting her hands on her hips and massaging her aching neck.
No one had any objections. Shi Menglan had already nimbly rolled out an animal-skin rug, while Ling Guang held a mouthful of spiritual-rice plain cakes, his cheeks bulging.
Retrieving a string of bright, translucent Zhiling fruits from her storage pouch, Lu Zhixue handed them to Sui Yue. “Would Daoist Sui care to try some? These Zhiling fruits are unique to the snow mountains of my Tianshan Sect. They taste wonderful, are brimming with spiritual energy, and are extremely nourishing.”
“There’s no need” Sui Yue was about to refuse when a muddled, fuzzy inner voice drifted into his sea of consciousness.
Wow what a treat? It feels like it tastes delicious! I want to eat, I want to eat… ugh!
Suddenly extending its paws to clutch its fox head, Yun Mu wore an expression of intense pain, its tightly shut fox eyes welling up with crystal-clear tears.
Sui Yue initially thought the fox was upset simply because it couldn’t eat, so he smoothly accepted the Zhiling fruits from Lu Zhixue, expressed his gratitude, and sat down by the lake while holding the hidden spirit fox.
System, hurry up and get out here! What on earth is happening to me? Why is my brain throbbing out of nowhere for no good reason?
The System replied: 『 Mu-mu, do you still remember the curse afflicted upon the original body? It’s a forbidden spell brought forth from the womb, nearly impossible to untangle in this era. As the name suggests, the Six-Desires Soul-Severing Curse requires you to sever all six desires; otherwise, you will suffer the agony of having your soul severed and bones eroded. It is far from something an ordinary person can endure, and this was precisely why the original body couldn’t control himself and enjoyed abusing his disciples. Just now, you unintentionally triggered a desire for food that exceeded the threshold, causing the curse to flare up.
But I’m only a wisp of divine consciousness right now! Is it really necessary to suffer this much just for wanting to eat a fruit? Yun Mu, having survived the brunt of the agony, couldn’t help complaining.
The System replied: You should be thankful that you’re currently in a state of divine consciousness, which dampens and relatively lightens the sensation of pain. If it were your physical body, the torment would be beyond your imagination, and the duration would fluctuate depending on the intensity of your desires.
Yun Mu felt like crying even more now. No wonder the original body had stubbornly trained himself into a poker face—it completely wasted such a gorgeous appearance!
Sui Yue was secretly shocked inside. Is that really how it is?
The Six-Desires Soul-Severing Curse, which bans the six desires; the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and intent must all be restrained.
Since this curse was carried from birth, he must have suffered immensely in his childhood. No wonder he had always remained as cold and lifeless as a jade sculpture, and only when beating people up could one sense that he was actually alive.
Given this situation, the place his master should head to most was undoubtedly Mount Dabei—a grand sect of Buddhist cultivators who excelled best in the path of clearing the mind and curbing desires. Why on earth had he entered the Luoxuan Sect instead?
Though a storm of thoughts raged within Sui Yue, his outward expression still betrayed no emotion. His well-articulated fingers picked up a Zhiling fruit and fed it right to the edge of Yun Mu’s fox mouth.
Yun Mu, who had just been tortured by the curse, held the fruit in his mouth while lingering fear still lingered in his heart.
It’s not that I wanted to eat it; my good little disciple shoved it right at me! Not eating it would be a waste, and wasting things is shameful, so I’ll just reluctantly consume it!
Constantly finding himself a rational justification to eat the fruit, his little mouth moved continuously as if afraid someone would snatch it from him.
Perhaps because his desire had been satisfied, the craving faded and the pain caused by the curse’s flare-up gradually receded from Yun Mu’s mind.
Unconsciously brimming with a smile in the depths of his eyes, Sui Yue continued his dutiful feeding.
While enjoying his disciple’s filial piety, Yun Mu simultaneously released his divine consciousness to secretly observe the elites of the various sects.
Tsk tsk, Shen Bingzhang from Haoyang Sect really gives off that upright and righteous vibe. Too bad he’s a bit too rigid; look at him talking to Lu Zhixue—three sentences in and he’s already talking about eliminating demons and defending the Dao. So unromantic. Yun Mu gossiped mentally alongside the system.
The System urged: Can you focus on your own disciple? The black lotus flower of yours has way more potential for drama than them.
Yun Mu glanced at Sui Yue, who was holding him. The youth wore an innocent and harmless expression, feeding him fruit with immense patience.
Him? He’s probably plotting how to kill this master of his without leaving a trace. Yun Mu thought with a touch of regret. If not for knowing the original plot, his obedient appearance right now could genuinely fool me. Who could have guessed that someone like him will eventually become the tyrannical Heavenly Fiend God ruling all directions and slaughtering every single member of the Luoxuan Sect?
Sui Yue’s pupils constricted slightly, the corners of his eyes twitching. Naturally closing his eyelids to suppress the giant waves churning in his heart, he pretended he hadn’t heard a thing.