CH 39

Ling Ye spoke after a moment, “Have you considered the consequences?”

Shen Liuxiang thought he was referring to saving Zhou Xuanlan and how others might criticize them, so he said, “Senior Brother, you worry too much. After all, I am a Harmonization stage cultivator. Who can do anything to me?”

“I’m talking about Zhou Xuanlan,” Ling Ye’s tone became slightly heavy, “He is still young but possesses the ability to resist cultivators in the Mahayana stage. Even great demons like Ao Yue, even if they awaken their bloodline, would find it difficult to do so.”

The night wind blew against the door, making a clanging sound.

Ling Ye asked, “If you save him today, and in the future, he leads the demon race to conquer the cultivation world, what will you do?”

Shen Liuxiang hesitated for a moment, then tucked in Shen Bubu, who was snoring, and said, “He is not a bloodthirsty person; he won’t do that. But if it comes to that, I will do everything to stop him.”

Seeing that he had made up his mind, Ling Ye only left a sentence, “Keeping him alive in the Demon Suppressing Prison is my biggest concession.”

Shen Liuxiang sneered.

Being locked in the Demon Suppressing Prison for the rest of one’s life is no different from death.

After Ling Ye left, Shen Liuxiang secretly contemplated.

Ordinary cultivators are not a concern; the ones who can stop him are none other than those in the Harmonization stage, like Lan Xiaosheng, Ling Ye, and the newly advanced Harmonization cultivator, Ye Bingran.

A direct confrontation wouldn’t have much certainty.

As he was pondering countermeasures, a jade talisman flew into the room through the window slit.

It was from Lan Xiaosheng, inviting him to meet at the Floating Solitude Pavilion.

The moonlight was dim, obscured by thin clouds. Besides Lan Xiaosheng, there was another person in the pavilion.

Ye Shi stood by the side with a pale face. When his eyes met Shen Liuxiang’s, he quickly averted his gaze.

“Having your soul searched must have been painful,” Lan Xiaosheng poured a cup of tea and handed it to Shen Liuxiang.

Shen Liuxiang didn’t take it. He looked at Ye Shi and said with a stern gaze, “The disciple from the Sword Sect was not killed by Zhou Xuanlan. You know this, yet you’re distorting the truth.”

Ye Shi clenched his fists, lowered his head, and remained silent.

Lan Xiaosheng said, “Try the tea first.”

Shen Liuxiang stared at him for a while, then took the tea and tasted it, “Ordinary tea.”

He couldn’t detect anything special about it; it couldn’t even be considered good tea.

“This tea was given to me by my master,” Lan Xiaosheng lifted the teapot and swayed it in the air.

“He told me that it was the first time he went out on a sect mission as a youth and he received this tea from a tea farmer he saved from an evil demon. He has kept it until now as a reminder not to forget his original aspiration in cultivation.”

Shen Liuxiang tapped the white porcelain tea cup with his finger, gazing at the rising steam, and said coldly, “But he forgot and fell into darkness.”

“You’re right,” Lan Xiao Sheng lowered his eyes.

“But we, as his disciples, failed to notice it in time, so we are at fault. And now, we cannot sit idly by.”

Shen Liuxiang’s voice carried a hint of sarcasm, “So you want to sacrifice my disciple.”

“I called you here to clarify the situation,” Lan Xiaosheng said, “The matter involving the demon beast has spread throughout the Three Realms. Whether or not he killed the Sword Sect’s disciple is no longer important. Countless eyes are watching, and if the Sword Sect releases him unharmed, they will have no face to stand in the cultivation world.”

Shen Liuxiang squinted his phoenix-like eyes, “If the news of Yu Fusheng falling into darkness spreads throughout the Three Realms, how much face will the Sword Sect have left?”

Lan Xiaosheng: “You rarely push people like this.”

Shen Liu Xiang: “You all pushed me.”

Lan Xiaosheng fell silent for a moment and then said, “If you want to save Zhou Xuanlan, I won’t intervene. As an exchange, you must keep the news about Master falling into darkness. I’ve already sealed him within a barrier, and I will guard him to ensure he won’t come out.”

Shen Liuxiang contemplated for a moment and nodded.

Although he didn’t want Zhou Xuanlan to be slandered, at present, he could only do his best to protect his life and help him escape from the Demon Suppressing Prison.

With Lan Xiaosheng not intervening, the rest of the Sword Sect members would no longer pose a threat to him, except for Ye Bingran.

“Bingran’s parents died at the hands of demon beasts, and he has some emotional issues that I can’t handle,” Lan Xiaosheng saw what was on his mind and reminded, “But you have to deal with not just him. As far as I know, Jin Xiangtian and his men have rushed here overnight.”

The involvement of Xiyang Sect was within Shen Liuxiang’s expectations.

He nodded slightly, stood up, and left. Suddenly, Lan Xiaosheng threw a storage bag to him, containing various treasures, high-grade magic tools, top-grade pills, and precious spirit herbs.

“I originally planned to give all these things to you and Bingran when you two succeeded in your cultivation. But now it seems unnecessary,” Lan Xiao Sheng said.

Shen Liuxiang was astonished.

The person who informed the original Shen Liuxiang, kept an eye on Ye Bingran’s actions, and took away the gifts turned out to be the head of the Sword Sect?!

If he wasn’t feeling so heavy-hearted, he would have burst into laughter. Who knew that Ye Bingran had such a teacher who would play tricks on him like this?

Shrouded in the night, Shen Liuxiang walked back to his room lost in thought. When he crossed the threshold, his figure suddenly staggered, nearly falling.

He reached out to support the door, his face turning pale, and his soul throbbed with pain again.

Shen Bubu hurriedly jumped off the bed, “Daddy, are you okay?”

In Shen Liuxiang’s mind, some unfamiliar fragments suddenly flashed, followed by severe pain.

His vision went black, and he fell to the ground.

“Daddy!”

After about half a cup of tea’s time, Shen Liuxiang woke up in a daze, hearing sobbing sounds by his ear.

Shen Bubu tugged at his sleeve, trying to move him onto the bed, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t budge him a bit.

He suddenly felt overwhelmed with sadness, tears rolling down, “I can’t help Daddy with anything.”

Shen Liuxiang rubbed his forehead, digesting the additional memories while sitting up and patting Shen Bubu’s head, “Don’t cry. I’m fine.”

Shen Bubu’s tearful eyes looked at him, and he couldn’t help but burrow into his embrace. His little face was buried in the warmth of Shen Liuxiang’s clothes. After a while, he ran out of the room.

Shen Liuxiang sorted out the recovered memories.

A blurry figure of a man was teaching him a spell. His voice was cold and pleasant, “The technique of mutual life and death allows you to share the damage. It’s equivalent to having two lives, but be careful when using it. If one person dies, the other won’t survive either.”

Shen Liuxiang’s eyes flickered slightly. He locked himself in the room for nearly half an hour, practicing alone until Shen Bubu came back cheerfully.

The little boy held a shiny golden fruit, “Eat this, big brother. This way, Daddy won’t be sad anymore.”

Shen Liuxiang reached out and touched the golden fruit, and a vast and pure spiritual energy surged into his body.

He was slightly surprised, “What is this?”

“Grandpa the team leader gave it to me,” Shen Bubu lowered his head, his ears turning red.

Shen Liu Xiang raised an eyebrow and unintentionally noticed a golden leaf above his head, appearing droopy and wilted.

Shen Bubu noticed his gaze and quickly covered his head, stepping into the room, “I’m so thirsty, I need to get some water, or else Bubu’s leaves will wilt.”

Shen Liuxiang hesitated for a moment, put away the golden fruit, and hurried to the Demon Suppressing Prison.

Inside and outside the prison, there were disciples guarding it. To enter, one needed to hold the Sect Master’s token and pass through multiple layers of checkpoints.

It seemed that Lan Xiaosheng had instructed the disciples not to follow him when he arrived at the place where Zhou Xuanlan was imprisoned.

Shen Liuxiang closed the door behind him, and his vision became pitch-black. He took out a spirit stone and approached Zhou Xuanlan with the faint light.

He handed the golden fruit to Zhou Xuanlan’s lips, “Bubu gave this to you.”

Zhou Xuanlan’s face was hidden in the darkness, not clearly visible. Only his eyes were faintly glowing. He smiled slightly upon hearing Shen Liuxiang’s words, “Having him accompany Master, I feel much more at ease.”

Shen Liuxiang’s fingertips tightened slightly, and he couldn’t speak for a moment.

After finishing the palm-sized fruit, Zhou Xuanlan’s brows slightly furrowed. He was about to speak when cold sweat suddenly dripped from his forehead, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Shen Liu Xiang’s face changed, and he placed his fingertips on Zhou Xuanlan’s wrist, trying to investigate his condition. However, a tremendously powerful spiritual force pushed him back.

In the dim light, Zhou Xuanlan’s entire meridians gradually appeared, and countless golden rays circulated among them.

But the convergence point was not in his dantian.

Shen Liuxiang was stunned. Amidst the dazzling golden light, he saw a piece of black scales emitting a suffocating pressure.

His heart skipped a beat, and a thought flashed through his mind.

Before he could voice the question, Zhou Xuanlan furrowed his brows and said hoarsely, “Master, my cultivation is recovering. This spiritual fruit is extraordinary, it couldn’t have come from Bubu.”

Shen Liu Xiang said, “He said it’s from the leader of the Ginseng Peak team…”

His words came to a halt, and his eyes widened in panic as he dashed out of the Demon Suppressing Prison.

Shen Bubu squatted at the door, his head propped up by a dry twig, and several yellow leaves hung from it, emitting a lifeless aura.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up.

Shen Liuxiang froze in place, his pupils contracting.

In his sight, a little face covered in wrinkles appeared, with pale lips and slightly open, lifeless eyes.

“…Bubu,” Shen Bubu’s sight was completely dark, and he couldn’t see anything. But the little hand with wrinkles reached into the air and successfully grabbed Shen Liuxiang’s clothes. The corner of his mouth cracked open, revealing a smile of happiness.

“It’s Daddy.”

Shen Liuxiang held his hand and desperately transferred his spiritual power, his voice trembling, “What happened to you?”

Shen Bubu said, “I feel a bit cold.”

So Shen Liu Xiang reached out and hugged him, “I’ll take you to find the team leader. There must be a way on Ginseng Peak.”

“It’s useless,” Shen Bu Bu shook his head, his little head resting on Shen Liu Xiang’s shoulder. “Daddy, don’t be angry. I didn’t mean to deceive you. The little fruit is actually grown by me. I didn’t have enough golden leaves, so I had to use my whole body’s spiritual energy to nurture it.”

He noticed his cheeks were slightly wet and reached out to touch Shen Liu Xiang’s face.

“Daddy, why are you crying?”

“Daddy, don’t cry. Bubu will be sad. It’s just reverting to my original form. It won’t take long before I can change back.”

Shen Liu Xiang’s voice was hoarse, “How long will it take?”

Shen Bu Bu said, “I don’t want to leave Daddy. I’ll be back soon.”

He touched Shen Liuxiang’s fingers and made a hook with his own, “Bubu is a bit afraid of the dark. When Daddy buried Bubu in the ground, he left a small root on top so that Bu Bu could see outside. Bubu likes to bask in the sun. Daddy, don’t leave Bubu in cold and dark places.”

His voice grew weaker, “Bubu waited in the dark and cold soil for thousands of years. It was Daddy who dug Bubu out… Bubu likes Daddy the most.”

As he finished speaking, Shen Bubu disappeared.

A palm-sized ginseng fell onto Shen Liuxiang’s knee.

T/N: BUBU NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. HE WAS MY FAVOURITE CHARACTER

Anyways whilst I am crying, let’s open up the Theory Corner again…

With the unfortunate disappearance of Bubu, it seems that Bubu is less likely to be OG SLX or part of the SLX… I actually quite liked commenter Chocomint.Bunny’s suggestion that Bubu’s fruit will cure SLX’s poison, but it seems this is no longer possible for the time being… sigh…. Now Yu Fusheng’s relationship with SLX’s master Zhongqing is very suspicious… my top guess is that Yu Fusheng actually has an amicable relationship with Zhongqing… although he is cruel to SLX he seems to speak to Zhongqing as if to justify his actions. It doesn’t seem that Yu Fusheng is searching for something Zhongqing has but rather his whereabouts… perhaps Yu Fusheng has a secret obsession with him…..