WPCID 31: The Wolf Ears Wouldn’t Perk Up Anymore

The shadow was dragged out again.

He was already numb to it, slumping against the stone pillar. 

“What do you want to ask this time?”

“I remembered some things.” With a disoriented Shen Zhou still outside this time, Lu Buzhu didn’t waste any words and got straight to the point. 

“When this body died in my past life, I wasn’t inside it. By then, I had already been driven out by you… No, you probably thought I was already dead. Is that right?”

The shadow’s expression changed slightly, and he sat up straight. 

“You remember?”

Lu Buzhu knew he had guessed correctly. Taking advantage of the moment before the shadow could collect himself, he pressed his advantage, speaking in a single rush. 

“I must have been hidden in the pendant for quite some time, and my actions were restricted. For a long period, I could only observe through the pendant, so long that I even thought that experience was just… a storybook.”

He paused for a moment.

The shadow was starting to come to his senses. 

“…So?”

“So how did Shen Zhou lose his golden core?”

The shadow looked astonished, not understanding the connection to what had just been said.

After a moment, a strange thought surfaced in his mind, and his expression turned just as strange. 

“Don’t tell me you’re trying to say that I was the one who carved out that half-demon’s golden core, and that you had already been driven out by me before that happened??”

Lu Buzhu said coldly, “Wasn’t that the case?”

The shadow’s eyes grew wider and wider as he stared at him in disbelief.

After a long pause, he suddenly burst into a fit of laughter, laughing so hard the edges of his soul began to blur. 

“Hahahahahaha… Haha, you really are… you’ve really been bewitched by that half-demon! You, you, you…”

He was laughing too hard to speak.

Lu Buzhu’s expression grew even colder, though his eyes lowered.

…

He remembered that there were many residual ancient time arrays in the Cave of a Myriad Bones. He had even studied them for a while when he had nothing better to do.

Once such an array was activated, the reversal of time would erase all traces of memory, with the sole exception of the person standing in the eye of the array at that moment.

…It was Shen Zhou.

That young man, filled with intense hatred, had cut out his body’s tongue, gouged out its eyes, and sliced it a thousand times. Blood had seeped into the stone bricks of the city wall, dyeing the lanterns into crimson nether lamps.

And yet, by a strange twist of fate, he had brought his soul back, only to fall under someone’s control once more.

He didn’t want to think about how heartbroken and resentful Shen Zhou would be if he knew the truth.

The past was gone and could not be changed. Whether it was intentional or not, he only hoped that the things he had done to hurt Shen Zhou were as few as possible.

Even just one less would be enough.

Suddenly, the barrier of his spiritual domain rang with a bang, as if someone was trying to knock it open from the outside.

Lu Buzhu glanced up. 

“.”

His expression softened slightly. Just as he was about to throw the shadow back into the seal under the sea, he saw the shadow’s smile vanish as he said, “It was you.”

Lu Buzhu’s heart clenched, and he snapped his gaze back to the shadow.

“What’s with that look? Don’t tell me you don’t believe it. That half-demon’s golden core possessed the power of endless regeneration. Back then, you carved it out, inscribed eight interlocking arrays upon it, and used it as the eye for another grand array.”

After speaking, the shadow shot him a thoughtful glance, his eyes narrowing as a venomous look appeared. He drew out his words, “The former Sect Master’s heart encompassed the world. Even when he was half-dead himself, he was still concerned about that unfinished sealing array. Once this array was completed, the Cave of a Myriad Bones would have at least a thousand years of peace. All it required was the golden core of a half-demon. A good bargain, wasn’t it?”

It sounded exactly like something he would have done.

…Wasn’t even a single thing a lie?

His heart plummeted. With every heavy beat, a tremor seemed to course back through his blood and into his stomach, twisting it into a tight knot. The sensation made his face pale, and he was on the verge of vomiting.

Lu Buzhu stood there in a daze, unable to tell for a moment whether he was disgusted with the shadow or with himself. He even forgot to seal the shadow away again.

…

The barrier of his spiritual domain was knocked on again, this time with a sense of urgency.

He returned to his senses. No longer looking at the shadow, he gathered his chaotic thoughts, flicked his hand behind his back to throw the man back into the sea, and opened the barrier to let Shen Zhou in.

A dark, murky ball came rolling towards him.

Lu Buzhu: “…”

When the soul was corroded by demonic energy, the spiritual consciousness naturally fared no better, becoming rather grimy.

Shen Zhou was completely unaware of his unusual state. He looked left and right, and his eyes lit up as he dashed towards the familiar figure. 

“Dao Companion.”

Because he was entangled in too much heavy demonic energy, he tripped halfway and was caught in time by his Dao Companion.

Wolf ears struggled out from beneath the overlapping layers of demonic energy, wagging at Lu Buzhu in thanks.

“Didn’t I tell you to take a short rest?” Lu Buzhu asked in a low voice.

“Something’s wrong.” Shen Zhou stood steadily and looked around warily, feeling an intuition that he shouldn’t let Lu Buzhu stay here alone. 

“I… I wanted to find you.”

Lu Buzhu lowered his eyes and looked at him for a moment, the emotions in his gaze too complex to decipher.

He suddenly swept the man up into his arms, carrying him to a spot on the stone cliff sheltered from the wind. He began to part the tangled demonic energy, stroking it downwards as if pulling off waterweeds.

Shen Zhou was taken aback, finding it a bit strange but very comfortable. He snuggled into Lu Buzhu’s embrace to make it easier for him, his wolf ears swaying in a steady rhythm.

The burrowing motion startled Lu Buzhu, but then he let out a laugh. The gloom between his brows dissipated slightly, and he picked at the strands even more carefully.

The demonic energy that was brushed away gathered on its own, mingling with the remnants of the restrictive demonic energy on his wrist. Instead of returning to Shen Zhou, it began to writhe and try to climb onto him.

He paid it no mind.

Compared to the demonic energy sealed beneath the sea, this small amount was but a drop in the ocean, no matter how much it clung to him. At most, it was just a bit uncomfortable.

In his past life, he had coldly watched Shen Zhou be bullied and humiliated, committing many wrongs. In this life, he had been reborn thanks to Shen Zhou’s pendant and had sealed his evil soul, yet he had also bound him with a life-sharing curse to control him and had complacently enjoyed his care. One thing led to another, and he had ended up tricking the man into becoming his Dao Companion.

…Moreover, Shen Zhou could have avoided becoming a demonic cultivator in this life.

The more he remembered, the more he felt like he had a fishbone stuck in his throat. He felt he had to do something to feel at ease.

Of course, Shen Zhou had no idea what he was thinking. While enjoying his Dao Companion’s grooming, he peeked out from the embrace, staring thoughtfully at the black substance squirming on the ground.

He blinked, and as if suddenly remembering something, he broke free from his Dao Companion’s hands and ate all the demonic energy back up.

Lu Buzhu: “.”

Lu Buzhu reached out, cupped his chin, and lifted it gently. 

“Don’t eat it.”

Shen Zhou: “?”

Lu Buzhu rubbed his ear and repeated in a low voice, “You are not to eat it anymore from now on.”

Shen Zhou thought for a moment. He didn’t understand, but seeing that Lu Buzhu didn’t seem to be in a good mood, he nodded anyway.

After that, Lu Buzhu would often trick him into his spiritual domain, using the demonic energy on his own body to melt away some of Shen Zhou’s.

Although the effect was minimal, it was better than nothing.

The range of the restraining array was also thoughtfully expanded from the main house to include the front courtyard, allowing Shen Zhou to bask in the sun, wreak havoc on the flowers and plants, and relieve some boredom.

He also went to Xie Xianqing to ask for some pills that could suppress demonic energy.

Naturally, Doctor Xie was unwilling to give them out carelessly. He nagged on and on, wanting to take his pulse to prescribe the right medicine for his condition.

Lu Buzhu had many secrets, and there were still many things he had yet to figure out. Not wanting to cause others undue worry, he talked his way around the man in a few sentences, grabbed the medicine, and prepared to leave. Unfortunately, he was caught red-handed by his junior martial brother, who was just returning to the room.

And so, the two of them joined forces to keep him there, examining him meticulously from head to toe, not even sparing a single strand of hair.

Chu Xuan frowned, striking first. 

“Senior Brother, why do you have so many bite marks on you?”

Xie Xianqing’s carefully worded diagnosis was suddenly stuck in his throat. 

“…”

Lu Buzhu was frank. 

“Shen Zhou bit me.”

Xie Xianqing: “………”

Xie Xianqing: “Can we stop talking about bite marks for a second? Let me ask you! Why is a piece of your soul missing?! It’s only been a few years! The moment I’m not around, you go and get yourself all dismembered!! Don’t tell me that half-demon bit that off too!”

The two martial brothers immediately fell silent.

The healers of Shuyu Peak were often young but held a high seniority. Even the Grandmaster of Xiaoyin Peak would have to endure such a scolding.

Fortunately, Lu Buzhu quickly remembered his greatest weapon. 

“I don’t remember.”

Xie Xianqing rapped his fan with a thump. 

“Then what’s with the array in your spiritual domain?? Using a Tribulation Stage cultivation base to channel power backwards into your spiritual domain to create a seal—do you have a death wish?!”

Practice makes perfect. Lu Buzhu looked innocent. 

“I don’t remember that either.”

Xie Xianqing snapped open his fan, the four characters for “utterly useless” nearly shoved in his face as he spat, “You don’t remember this, you don’t remember that, do you at least remember that I’m a healer! You’re in such a serious condition, yet you dare to hide your illness from the doctor! Why didn’t you come find me yesterday? Why didn’t you come find me the day before? You just had to drag it out until today! The ancestral creed of my Shuyu Peak is to keep an eye on you lot from Xiaoyin Peak who throw your lives away, and you’ve truly surpassed your master, you’ve—surpassed—your—master!”

Lu Buzhu was being driven back step-by-step by the scolding. He turned to flee outside and was about to slap a lightness talisman on himself when his path was blocked by a sword held horizontally.

“Senior Brother.” The other man looked at him with concern. 

“Let Xie Xianqing take another, closer look at you.”

Lu Buzhu had always responded better to a gentle approach than a hard one. 

“…”

He gave a helpless laugh, tossed the lightness talisman aside, and obediently allowed himself to be pushed and pulled back into the house by the two of them.

Just a wall away.

At the edge of the tiled roof, shaded by a tree, a pair of dark eyes had appeared at some point, watching silently through the leaves.

Shen Zhou clung to the wall, not making a sound.

Even in his muddled state of mind, it wasn’t hard to see that while the three of them were bickering and teasing, they were very close.

Strange scents always appeared on Lu Buzhu. He had rubbed them off many, many times, only for them to appear again the next time.

Shen Zhou didn’t like strange scents.

Every time these scents appeared, his heart would beat very fast, so fast it was uncomfortable, as if he were about to lose something. Even clinging to Lu Buzhu all night long couldn’t quell his anxiety.

He had bitten him, bitten him until he bled, but the other person didn’t care. He hadn’t taken it to heart, brushing it off lightly or placating him with a kiss, seemingly unwilling to give up doing the things that made him pick up those scents.

Now, he had found the reason.

The neighboring courtyard was very lively, so lively that when Lu Buzhu stood there, it was as if he belonged there—laughing, talking, covered in unfamiliar scents. He was so close, and yet so far away.

Shen Zhou raised his hand and gently tapped the invisible restraining array. He couldn’t get through.

He was left all alone on this side.

So it wasn’t that he was about to lose something. It was that he had never possessed it in the first place.

The wolf ears slowly drooped down.

It seemed they would never perk up again.