In Ning Shaosi’s embrace, warm and gentle, yet surprisingly strong, he stood firm against the impact. Unmoved, he bore the cold snow that sprinkled onto Lou Muge’s neck from the fox fur on his collar.
Once Lou Muge steadied himself, he released his grip, brushing off the snow that had fallen on him.
Unable to express his gratitude in time, Lou Muge looked towards the person who had suddenly descended. Amidst the falling snow, a figure in a black robe emerged. The person stood up, shook their long hair, and turned to meet his gaze.
Lou Muge sighed, surprised, “You lad, you only find peace when causing a stir.”
“Well, I heard you guys were in trouble, didn’t I?” Wen Changchu, covered in snow, grinned, revealing his teeth. “How’s that? Did I arrive in time?”
“Aren’t you supposed to be tracking Zhang Rong and the others?” Lou Muge inquired.
At the mention of that name, Wen Changchu’s smiling face disappeared. Disdainfully, he replied, “Those three useless fellows went to sleep as soon as night fell. After following them for a few days, I couldn’t figure out what they were up to. I was bored and heard some commotion over here, so I came to take a look.”
He countered, “What did you discover?”
Lou Muge gestured with his chin to the ground behind him. “Turn around and see for yourself.”
The blood and bones, scattered when Wen Changchu landed, had been blown away by the wind. Some partially intact fresh corpses stood up. Wen Changchu turned to look, his right hand emitting a glow as he drew a crescent-shaped knife, showing his pointed teeth in a half-smile. “Finally showed up? Are these things causing trouble?”
“No,” Lou Muge sighed with regret. “They are puppets possessed by demonic gu.”
“Demonic gu? How could there be demonic gu here?” Wen Changchu exclaimed.
This statement triggered a thought in Lou Muge. He turned his gaze towards the stage, saying, “Perhaps… someone brought them here.”
But at that moment, the stage was empty, and the Tao Ming brothers seemed to have been carried away by the wind.
“Let’s deal with these first,” Lou Muge suggested. “Keeping them around serves no purpose, and there are probably more at the cemetery.”
Wen Changchu nodded, and with a swift motion of his blade, he effortlessly crushed several decayed corpses. Lowering the blade, he chuckled, “This is easier than cutting tofu.”
Lou Muge casually remarked, “You’d find cutting tofu easier if you tried.”
The three proceeded towards a dark cemetery. Ning Shaosi illuminated the way with a luminous pearl, revealing humanoid shapes in the distance.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
As Lou Muge had said, the graveyard was filled with emerging skeletal remains. Some slowly advanced, while others struggled to free themselves from the soil. The range of the luminous pearl was limited, but traces of freshly turned earth could be seen on every tombstone.
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Qfc Jtjcumte kjr regqglrfv, “Lbk jw P reqqbrfv ab gfoegylrt atfw?”
Lou Muge extended his hand towards him, “Give me the knife.”
Wen Changchu handed the knife to him, and as Lou Muge felt the weight of the blade, he almost dropped it, quickly stabilizing it with his other hand.
The two hands holding the knife emitted a faint watery glow, infusing the blade with a bit of power, making it light.
With a slight frown, Lou Muge raised the knife, aimed at the ground, exerted force with his arm, and forcefully plunged it into the snowy ground.
The curved blade went halfway into the ground, a flash of watery blue, and then silence.
Lou Muge controlled his strength well—no more, no less. After the blade entered the ground, he retracted it completely.
As he stood upright, ready to turn and address Wen Changchu, his smile froze. The handsome man who had been standing beside him had transformed back into a wolf cub, whimpering and howling at his feet.
Perplexed, Lou Muge questioned, “What’s going on? Why did you turn back into this form?”
Wen Changchu’s furry ears drooped, and he spun in place, howling a couple of times without conveying a clear message.
Lou Muge had intended to have Wen Changchu take the next step, but seeing his current state, he had to give up. He couldn’t have two wolf paws gripping the knife, could he?
Turning to Ning Shaosi, Lou Muge said, “You do it.”
As Ning Shaosi stepped forward, Lou Muge retreated two steps to make room.
“Refurbish the tombstones for them,” Lou Muge instructed.
Ning Shaosi withdrew his gaze, focused on the knife handle, raised his right hand, and a cold wind mixed with snowflakes suddenly rose. It passed through Ning Shaosi’s hair, lifted the fox fur around his neck, and fluttered his brocade clothing.
Lou Muge sensed a faint, non-oppressive yet undeniable force. It was as gentle as the first breeze entering the earth.
However, as Ning Shaosi’s hand grasped the knife handle, a white light descended along the blade. It penetrated the ground, cracked the snow-covered earth, and created a winding pattern resembling a half-moon net.
The earth trembled slightly, the cracks swiftly spread into the darkness, collapsing into several pieces of land as if squeezed by a giant hand. All the tombstones and bones were mashed into the mud, even the pristine snow turned into slush.
In the blink of an eye, everything before them became a clean, barren land.
Ning Shaosi released the knife handle, turned to Lou Muge, and spoke with uncertainty, “How is this?”
Lou Muge blinked, then regained his composure, saying to Ning Shaosi, “Excellent.”
With affirmation, a smile crept into his eyes. On the side, Wen Changchu seemed dissatisfied, tapping his front paws as if disapproving of the scene.
Lou Muge grew fonder of the child, satisfied with every aspect – humble, well-behaved, emitting an endearing aura.
Unnoticed, Wen Changchu, displeased by the prolonged attention, nibbled at his hem, pulling it back.
Lou Muge bent down, playfully nudging him with his toe, telling Ning Shaosi, “Let’s go, see how the mortals by the stage are faring.”
Wen Changchu whimpered, following at Lou Muge’s side, his curved blade, embedded in the ground, turned into a wisp of smoke, silently vanishing.
After the wind ceased, snow fell. Amidst the chaos, the surviving few supported each other, gathered around the fallen.
Lou Muge walked over, pushing aside onlookers, crouching by a prone body. He flicked the person’s head, revealing a bitten neck.
A conspicuous tooth mark encircled the neck, not bleeding, yet unsettling due to the dim light. Lou Muge squinted, about to inspect closer, but Ning Shaosi intervened.
He handed a luminous bead to the dead man’s neck, revealing a blood hole within the tooth mark, eerie and bloodless.
“Nether insects have burrowed in; avoid excessive contact with the corpse,” Ning Shaosi cautioned. “These are living parasites.”
On hearing this, others stepped back. Lou Muge contemplated, reaching above the corpse. “The soul is gone.”
Similar to the late Mr. Zhao, the soul vanished as soon as death occurred. However, with three nearby, no one could perform a secret ritual without their knowledge, unless the perpetrator surpassed their combined strength.
Lou Muge felt uncertain, his powers sealed within. Beside him was the shape-shifting Wen Changchu and the child posing as Ning Shaosi.
He suddenly found this first trial exceedingly challenging.
Observing the two silent immortals nearby, the group deliberated. Eventually, they began burying the dead, but Lou Muge couldn’t resist commenting, “What’s the use? They might rise again.”
Ignoring him, they buried the body, yet shallowly. When the sun melted the snow, half the corpse would likely resurface.
“Enough, let’s return to the city,” Lou Muge rubbed his face, muttering, “This place is truly mysterious.”
Still shaken, the group, now grateful for the rescue, discarded their previous reservations, fully trusting these seemingly godlike outsiders.
Without delay, they responded to Lou Muge’s suggestion, leaving their belongings behind, hastily heading towards the carriage.
Lou Muge silently followed behind, his gaze shifting among the few people until it settled on Tao Ming. The young man, supported by his brother, tapped a wooden stick, appearing shaken and unsteady.
While others might not have noticed, when Lou Muge rushed over earlier, he clearly saw Tao Ming bitten firmly on the neck. Yet now, he looked completely fine, with no traces on his neck—quite suspicious.
Moreover, Lou Muge had already observed that the Tao brothers had numerous questionable aspects. Lost in thought, he suddenly felt something warm placed in his hand. Interrupting his thoughts, he raised his hand to find a familiar oiled paper package.
Turning to the side, he saw Ning Shaosi slightly pursing his lips, seemingly a bit shy, saying, “For you to eat.”
Lou Muge wasn’t hungry, but with food in hand, he instinctively wanted to open and see what it was. Opening the package, a peach blossom scent wafted out.
The oiled paper contained three pieces of peach blossom cake, emitting a warm fragrance. Lou Muge’s heart pounded as he took one out. The small and delicate cake resembled a peach blossom.
Feeling somewhat stiff all over, he moved his creaking hand to his mouth. The sweet taste, accompanied by the scent of peach blossoms, filled his mouth instantly, especially the honey in the center, making it intensely sweet.
Unable to maintain his composure after tasting the honey, Lou Muge looked at the person beside him in astonishment. “Peach blossom cake with honey from the Peach Blossom Tower?”
Having once stood in a long queue for this pastry and later regretted not getting it, Lou Muge was overjoyed. Ning Shaosi’s clear eyes curved as he lightly smiled, “Still like it?”
Like it?
Almost there, just one word, yet it held two meanings.
But at this moment, having tasted something he had yearned for many years, Lou Muge was too happy to notice this small detail. He immediately embraced Ning Shaosi’s neck. “From now on, you are my brother,” Lou Muge declared.
“…I dare not,” replied Ning Shaosi.
Now I want to taste a peach blossom pastry with honey filling inside too QAQ
Thank You for the new chapter (ღゝ◡╹)ノ♡
💖💐💖💐
Dare not be his brother, but dare be his husband lolol