The Shen family's technique "Po Feng Jue" was an evil skill that cultivated ruthlessness and apathy, slaughtering everything.
The process of cultivation was extremely dangerous. Shen Cheng cut out all else, removed any distracting thoughts, no resentment, no hatred, no sorrow or joy, these were the ten pillars of the technique, making him numb to the world.
Lu Shenxing carefully filtered through the words of the system twice in his mind. It would be better to call it 'Unfeeling Swordsmanship' or 'Ruthless Swordsmanship', instead of forcing him to call it 'Po Feng Jue' and making him misunderstand it until now.
"Why didn't you tell me this in the first place?" Lu Shenxing was depressed. If he knew, he wouldn't have wasted his time.
As if knowing what Lu Shenxing thought, the system's voice sounded, "Ding, Mr. Lu, everything you do in the mission world is your choice. It has been recorded and archived and cannot be deleted."
The implication was he'd dug his own grave and now he had to lay in it.
These were the rules of the game.
Feeling inexplicably trapped, Lu Shenxing's was muddled. He raised his head and asked Hua Bo, "How can one forget love?"
Hua Bo stroked his beard, "Fuchen Beads."
He spoke again, "There are only two in the world. As far as I know, one was taken by the Emperor to give to Princess Changyue many years ago, and the remaining one is in the hands of the head of Taihe Temple."
Youlong Castle had the most meticulous information archives, Lu Shenxing called the chief of the Chifeng Hall who was in charge of the archive and soon knew everything about Taihe Temple.
Just two days ago, the head of the temple had died unexpectedly, and the Fuchen Beads had disappeared.
It was common for people to die all the time, but it was unusual that he was caught up exactly at this moment.
The atmosphere in the hall was heavy. Lu Shenxing leaned back on his chair, his face was stiff and cold, and his body exuded a gloomy aura, as his frustrations gathered in his heart.
"I remember something from long ago." Hua Bo drank a sip of tea. "When I was young, I had a playful mind and I once overheard a conversation between shifu and a few other masters, and heard a name, Shen Liu."
"Later on a trip, I got to know the xiaowang of Qiyi Pavilion, who knew everything about the world, and learned from him that Shen Liu was originally the number one killer in the world, aloof and cold-blooded. There were many dead souls under his sword. One day, someone discovered him dead by the river. All his qi was lost, and his cultivation ruined. Everyone thought it was a vendetta."
"When he died, those he had offended vented their anger and humiliation on his corpse." Hua Bo paused before saying, "I used to be confused about who could've beaten him. Now I understand, what killed him was no great mystery, he did it himself."
Lu Shenxing fell silent as he swallowed the word, 'I can't save him by abolishing his martial arts'.
To abolish his martial arts would affect many lives.
Youlong Castle rose and fell as a grasshopper on a rope, sharing honor and disgrace, but their loyalty was mostly due to their trust in the protection of Shen Cheng.
Shen Cheng had killed too many people. If he became a useless person, who knew how many people would rush over for their pound of flesh.
"Won't his meridians burst if we try to abolish martial arts?" Lu Shenxing still asked.
"The catastrophe is inevitable." Hua Bo sighed, "Shiyi, come back to the valley with me, Lord Gu and Ning Xiang miss you very much."
"No." Lu Shenxing waved his hand and declined the kindness. He couldn't go anywhere now, he can only stay and he'd already wasted more than three years.
Hua Bo gave up, he could see that Lu Shenxing had already decided, he shook his head.
The dark clouds were rolling in, the rain came down in sheets.
Lu Shenxing squatted under the eaves as the violent storm pounced unceremoniously. He wiped the rain off his face, feeling that he was teetering on an edge.
The task wasn't completed, and his target was dying. It seemed that all his good fortune had gone to the dogs.
Somehow, Sangu's face appeared in Lu Shenxing's mind. Sangu's intent in harming him was for Shen Cheng's sake. Then Shen Cheng sealed her mouth to keep something secret...
Lu Shenxing got up suddenly, his eyes were wide, a warm body was pasted to his back and a hand wrapped his waist. He asked sharply, "You know?"
Shen Cheng understood the unprovoked sentence. He calmly nodded and said, "Life and death are fate, don't force it."
The rain was getting heavier and louder, and pattered against the bluestone road crisply, Lu Shenxing still listened to the sound in his ears, his expression unsightly.
"There is too much temptation in the world, too much sorrow." Shen Cheng's eyes flashed tenderly, "Don't be afraid, I will not leave you alone."
Lu Shenxing's thoughts were an endless stream of 'fuck!', he knew that Shen Cheng was serious.
"222, I give up this task."
"Ding, the task is only five percent short, is Mr. Lu sure?"
"Forget it."
The corner of Lu Shenxing's lips hooked very quickly, it was so close, he might as well take a gamble.
What was that five percent? Lu Shenxing turned around as he thought about it, the wound on his forehead was exposed to Shen Cheng. By the time he remembered it, the person in front of him already had a pained expression.
Lu Shenxing immediately moved to comfort Shen Cheng, laughing it off and touching his head over and over again.
"Go put on shoes, change clothes, wash and eat."
The slanting rain soaked his white clothes and Shen Cheng didn't move, his eyes were red.
Lu Shenxing pulled Shen Cheng back to the house, but his thoughts didn't dissipate along with the chill.
After a series of deaths, there was no one else in the Cuizhu Garden except Lu Shenxing and Shen Cheng. Traces of Hua Bo's visit were still detectable, and Shen Cheng noticed it, he was gloomy but said nothing.
Lu Shenxing took off his wet clothes, and Shen Cheng went over and took a comb to comb his hair.
"The other Fuchen Bead is with you." Lu Shenxing said abruptly, his tone affirmative.
"It is destroyed." The comb made a very light sound as it moved from top to bottom, and Shen Cheng's eyes became cold. "There is no more Fuchen in the world."
Lu Shenxing's mouth trembled, pulled into a ridiculous arc. You don't want to fucking live!
His lips were close to the cheeks of the person in his arms, and he caressed them again. Shen Cheng lowered his eyelids, surging with darkness. He loathed and even feared those lifeless days, so he would rather destroy the Fuchen Beads himself, and choose to die than give up the warmth now.
He would decide his own life and death, and no one could take away his memories.
Lu Shenxing pulled back, his scalp hurt. He changed his clothes and went to the kitchen to get food.
Shen Cheng, who stayed in place, removed a few strands of hair from the comb, placed it in his palm, and put it away.
That night, Lu Shenxing stretched out his hand to touch the other side in a daze, and felt a sudden rush. He woke up immediately, and when he turned his head, he was startled by a black shadow in front of the bed.
"What are you doing awake?"
Shen Cheng held a plate in his hand, without a trace of sleepiness in his voice, "Osmanthus sugar cakes."
Getting up quickly, Lu Shenxing fumbled to light the light, the room lit up. Shen Cheng's pale face and body covered in blood were brought into the light.
Shen Cheng pursed his lips, "Chicken blood."
"...did the chicken provoke you?" Lu Shenxing stopped checking.
Shen Cheng held a piece to Lu Shenxing's mouth, and said indifferently, "Noisy."
His nose was full of the fishy smell, but Lu Shenxing opened his mouth to eat. He wasn't surprised, if things continued like this, let alone chickens, even people would be splattered across the floor.
The plate was empty, Lu Shenxing ate to support him, and Shen Cheng's lips lifted, expressing his satisfaction.
After sleeping again, Shen Cheng leaned his head on Lu Shenxing's shoulder and murmured affectionately, "Ji Ji..."
Lu Shenxing irritably lifted the quilt and wrapped it around Shen Cheng, "If it is woken up by you, you can play with it."
It was late autumn in a blink of an eye. Shen Cheng stopped going out, often rubbing against Lu Shenxing, like an insecure cub.
On the contrary, Lu Shenxing wasn't in a rush, and had calmed down.
If he wanted to change Shen Cheng's destiny, the other party must be without sorrow, which is very contradictory in itself.
Only by becoming the walking dead can death be avoided, but Shen Cheng won't live that kind of life.
Even if there were more Fuchen Beads, and Shen Cheng abandons his love and returns to his original state, he would still be buried in the fire.
Either way, he was dead, it was an impossible task.
He can only wait for death, Lu Shenxing bent his legs to watch the sunset, as Shen Cheng watched him. Dusk was near.