WPCID 16: Deceived Purity

Shen Zhou was startled awake by noises outside the door.

His eyes snapped open, and he instinctively reached for the spot beside him, only to find a faint trace of lingering warmth.

“…Lu Buzhuo?”

The door was suddenly jolted, followed by the sound of something heavy sliding down, and then a soft voice said, “Don’t call out, stay quiet, and come with me.”

Shen Zhou understood immediately, his wolf ears shooting up in anger.

Though his golden core hadn’t fully formed, he still had a demonic core. Together, they were equivalent to the cultivation of a late-stage golden core, more than enough to deal with a thief sneaking in at midnight to steal his partner.

He grabbed an oil lamp, lit it with a flick of his fingers, and kicked the door open with a single step.

Lu Buzhuo suspected he might have a sleepwalking condition.

Otherwise, it was hard to explain why he’d end up in the inn’s corridor while asleep, only to be entangled by some deranged person.

The man was incoherent with excitement, his eyes gleaming as if he wanted to peel off Lu Buzhuo’s skin to verify his identity on the spot.

“How… how did you end up like this? No, why are you in a place like this? No, no, no… you’re really in Biancheng! You’ve been hiding in Biancheng all along!”

He even reached out to grab him.

Lu Buzhuo dodged in confusion. “Who are you?”

The man grew even more agitated. “You don’t recognize me?! Impossible… Hey, don’t dodge! Let me check your pulse, just one pulse, and everything will be clear.”

The man lunged forward with wolf-like ferocity, and Lu Buzhuo instinctively stepped back, only to trip and crash backward, his head hitting the door with a thud as he slid down limply.

“Ow! Careful, ancestor, if you get hurt, Chu Xuan will have my head!” the man exclaimed. Suddenly remembering something, he glanced nervously at the door, then quickly scooped Lu Buzhuo up, threw his outer robe over his head, and whispered, “Don’t call out, stay quiet, and come with me.”

Lu Buzhuo: “…”

He felt he should at least struggle a bit, or he might actually be taken away. “Wait, brother…”

But before he could finish, a loud bang rang out!

The door was kicked open from the inside, and a shadow, illuminated by the candelabra’s light, shot out like lightning, landing a heavy kick on the man’s waist.

Lu Buzhuo thought he was about to be sent flying too.

Then the robe covering his head was yanked off, and with a tug, he was pulled back like a kite on a string, gathered into someone’s arms, and the robe was tossed aside.

Lu Buzhuo felt dizzy and a little nauseous.

As a sick person, he should’ve been sleeping at this hour.

…

After Shen Zhou reclaimed his partner, he noticed Lu Buzhuo had gone limp, leaning softly against his shoulder, motionless, as if on the verge of death.

He shot a cold glare at the man. “What did you do to him?!”

Xie Xianqing nearly had his waist broken by that kick.

He clung to the railing for a while before shakily standing up, clutching his side. When he turned, he saw the unmistakable wolf ears on Shen Zhou’s head.

Xie Xianqing: “!??”

He blurted out, “This… a half-demon?! Lu Buzhuo, why are you with a half-demon?”

The corridor fell silent for a moment.

The candelabra on the floor flickered faintly.

“…You know me?” Lu Buzhuo rubbed his temple, turning to look at the man. “Who are you?”

His gaze was as bewildered as a newborn pup’s, and with his distant demeanor, Xie Xianqing had no choice but to believe it. He introduced himself: “Xie Xianqing. Ring any bells?”

Lu Buzhuo thought hard for a moment, then shook his head.

“You really…? No wonder there’s been no word from you all these years, no sign of you alive or dead. You don’t know how frantic your junior brother has been looking for you.”

Lu Buzhuo blinked lightly. “You know my sect?”

“What kind of question is that? We grew up together…”

Shen Zhou stood by the door, listening to the man ramble on, but the words broke apart in his ears, and he didn’t catch a thing.

So, Lu Buzhuo had a sect. Shen Zhou thought to himself, does that mean he’ll leave with this man? No one would call his name in that pleasant tone anymore, no one would apply magnolia-scented ointment to his ears, and there’d be no more demonic energy to feed on.

And the kisses—those gentle kisses filled with the scent of bamboo. Lu Buzhuo seemed eager to teach him about being partners, always bringing it up.

Ordinary sects didn’t welcome half-demons, so he wouldn’t be able to follow. Would Lu Buzhuo, once back, find someone else to patiently teach about being partners?

A strange jealousy surged within him, like an unripe, sour fruit being crushed, its juices spilling, turning his heart wrinkled and bitter.

…

When he came to, he realized he’d unconsciously grabbed Lu Buzhuo’s sleeve.

Both of them were looking at him, their expressions unreadable.

Shen Zhou felt a bit displeased at being stared at.

“Are you leaving again?” he asked Lu Buzhuo.

Back then, Lu Buzhuo had lured him up the mountain with a packet of pastries and then disappeared, only returning once to leave a ring before vanishing again.

In this life, they’d only just reunited, and now he was about to leave with someone else again.

How absurd.

“…Again?” Lu Buzhuo was puzzled.

But seeing Shen Zhou’s ears droop, he could never resist when those ears went down. He clarified, “I didn’t say I was going with him.”

Shen Zhou’s eyes lit up.

Xie Xianqing was stunned. “You’re not coming back with me?! Do you even know who you are?!”

“No idea.” Lu Buzhuo stepped back slightly, following the tug on his sleeve, and smiled politely. “But you just said I’m from… Kunlun Ruins? And we grew up together, so you’re also a disciple of Kunlun Ruins?”

This wasn’t good. His spiritual platform was filled with demonic energy, making him half a demonic cultivator. Meeting a Kunlun Ruins healer would already be risky, and going back with this man to Kunlun Ruins would be like a sheep walking into a tiger’s den.

He was starting to suspect he’d fallen into demonic cultivation and fled his sect back then.

As he pondered how to trick this man into leaving, he heard a soft, deliberate repetition from behind: “Kun-lun-Ruins?”

Lu Buzhuo: “!”

In an instant, Shen Zhou shot forward like a lithe, agile beast. Demonic energy poured unrestrained from his fingertips, his hands tensing into claws, brimming with unmasked killing intent. With a sweep of his sleeve, he aimed straight for Xie Xianqing’s vital point.

Xie Xianqing was a healer, but not just a healer.

With quick reflexes, he drew a folding fan from his waist, blocking Shen Zhou’s strike with a clang. Using a bit of finesse, he twisted the fan, sending spiritual energy through it, forcing Shen Zhou back.

He held back his strength to avoid hurting Lu Buzhuo, who was behind them.

“A demonic cultivator?!” Xie Xianqing whispered, then looked at Lu Buzhuo in shock. “You’re being held hostage by a demonic cultivator?!”

Lu Buzhuo: “…”

Heaven and earth bear witness—he just wanted to go back to sleep.

Shen Zhou’s ears were now fully erect, leaning forward aggressively, poised to strike, his gaze chilling, ready to fight to the death.

Lu Buzhuo thought for a moment, stepped forward, and rubbed Shen Zhou’s ears, manually pressing them down.

Shen Zhou turned, his ears popping back up: “?”

Lu Buzhuo shook his head, then collapsed weakly against him, coughing into his chin, his body curling as if he might faint at any moment.

Xie Xianqing: “!”

He immediately retracted his fan, ready to rush forward.

Shen Zhou: “!!!”

Flustered, he turned to support Lu Buzhuo, rummaging through his storage ring for pills. Suddenly, he felt Lu Buzhuo’s arm gently wrap around his waist.

In an instant, his body felt light.

Xie Xianqing was half a step too slow, grasping at air, watching as the two vanished before his eyes, leaving only a faintly glowing light-body talisman behind.

Stunned for a moment, he pulled out a jade tablet and sent a thousand-mile transmission to Chu Xuan.

Chu Xuan answered quickly.

His voice held no trace of sleepiness, likely still awake, and was characteristically curt: “What is it?”

“I just saw Lu Buzhuo at this inn,” Xie Xianqing recounted dryly. “He doesn’t remember me, refused to come with me, and ran off with a half-demon… no, a demonic cultivator. Good thing I left a mark on him earlier.”

“He’s been taken by a demonic cultivator?” A soft clink came from Chu Xuan’s side, as if he’d picked up his sword.

Xie Xianqing paused, glancing at the door. “I’m not sure, but when they checked in, they claimed to be… a pair of partners. I suspect this demonic cultivator took advantage of your senior brother’s amnesia and defiled his purity. Now your senior brother is completely devoted to him and even used a talisman to help him escape.”

“…” There was a long silence before Chu Xuan said gravely, “Don’t spread this. Bring them back first.”

“Alright.” Xie Xianqing agreed, then realized something was off. “Wait, don’t spread it, so who’s supposed to catch them? Me?”

Chu Xuan, already stepping out of Xiaoyin Peak with his sword, glanced at the glowing jade tablet and teased, “You’re a healer, aren’t you? Can’t you use some drugs?”

Then he cut off the transmission.

Xie Xianqing: “…”

Miles away in the wilderness, two figures appeared like ghosts.

Lu Buzhuo’s face was pale, sweat beading on his forehead as he leaned against a tree to rest. Beside him, Shen Zhou crouched, holding the light-body talisman, deep in thought.

Using two light-body talismans in a row didn’t require cultivation, but carrying someone this far was still exhausting.

Lu Buzhuo turned, about to ask for some tea, when he saw Shen Zhou toss the talisman aside and start rummaging through his storage ring with purpose.

A moment later.

Clank—a thumb-thick iron chain was fastened around Lu Buzhuo’s wrist.

Lu Buzhuo: “…?”