When push came to shove, of course the hero was more important. The System quickly issued new orders: “Xie Zhiwei would never stand by while his beloved disciple was being attacked. Please deal with it accordingly.”
Before the System alarm could go off again, Xie Zhiwei had already rushed in front of Mu He to block the palm strike. The hell’s up with “beloved disciple,” ah?
Wait, something’s not right.
Why is there barely any internal energy in this attack?
Xie Zhiwei only felt his palm chill for a second before a cold current seemed to enter his body. He took a look and saw specks of icy light quickly disappear into his hand. So Ming Kong was racking his brains the whole time to target me by using Lu Zhanyun and Mu He?
He silently paid his greetings (curses) to Ming Kong’s whole family before looking up. “What kind of technique is this?”
Ming Kong smiled with success. “No technique, it’s poison.”
Your mother, you dared to scheme against laozi?
Xie Zhiwei continued to pay respects to Ming Kong’s family while saying painfully, “I can’t believe Elder Ming Kong is still aiding the enemy…”
Ming Kong showed no guilt. He only stared at Xie Zhiwei’s face and slowly shook his head. “So similar…”
“Similar to what?” Xie Zhiwei asked.
“Nothing.” Ming Kong came to his senses and continued as if nothing had happened. “There’s no need for Xie zhenren to be saddened. This poison isn’t fatal. It’ll only make you temporarily unable to use your spiritual power.”
Xie Zhiwei tried channeling his energy and found that it was true. Nothing responded. He was furious, but the previous OOC had cut his sense of presence so that he could only make the bare minimum of expressions. “What do you want?!” Dammit hero, can you stop playing dead?! The villain’s about to kill us all!
“I’ve already said I want to do one last thing for the sect leader before I die,” Ming Kong spoke honestly. “Xie zhenren cannot help with this, but you shouldn’t interfere or try to stop me. After the matter is finished, the sect leader will naturally let you go.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
Ming Kong froze and frowned. After some thought, he said helplessly, “I don’t know.”
Right at this moment, Mu He’s eyes flew open. He quickly stepped behind Xie Zhiwei, wrapped a hand around his waist, and unsheathed the Qingping Sword at his hip. In a flash they were on the sword and airborne at nearly superhuman speeds. The main hall of Ashen Cloud Sword Sect was left in the dust, looking extraordinarily lonely in the moonlight. Beneath a willow tree stood Ming Kong looking confused.
Xie Zhiwei could only gape until a pressure tightened around his waist. He looked down and finally recovered his senses.
Well…well f**k, the hero’s finally rising up?
That’s the Qingping Sword ah!!! When Xie Zhiwei unsheathed it he astounded the world. Yet the hero didn’t just unsheathe the blade, but rode it too!
Mu He stood directly behind Xie Zhiwei. Despite his young age and small stature, his movements were identical to the day Xie Zhiwei shielded and protected him on his sword.
Xie Zhiwei was so touched that he could cry.
This is how a hero should act! I’ll even forgive him for having He Zheng’s face!
Mu He had to control himself to stop his hands from shaking, even if his heart was pounding fast. He had finally found a chance with Nie Ting’s help to rescue Xie Zhiwei out of there. Only now did he realize he might have rushed things a bit. Moreover, he could feel the outlines of the body he was holding beneath the daoist robes.
Shizun is so slender.
When he had pretended to faint, he had the guts to use shizun’s leg as a pillow. But all he felt was mostly bone. He thought he’d hidden well, but shizun was wise enough to see through him. Yet instead of blaming him, he even covered up for him in front of Ming Kong.
Nie Ting wanted him to forget about everyone and flee first, but Mu He couldn’t do that. It didn’t matter whether anyone else died, but shizun had to be safe! He was about to speak when he realized his mouth was very close to Xie Zhiwei’s ear. Xie Zhiwei had small, thin earlobes. Supposedly small ears were a sign of bad fortune, but this one looked extremely delicate. A few short strands of hair fluttered around the ear.
Mu He suddenly had an urge to take a bite.
Just like last night, when he wanted to bite shizun’s lips.
Shizun was so thin that it was easy to wrap his arm around his waist and even feel his spine. Still, he seemed rather tasty. If he couldn’t hold back and did that to shizun one day…
“Disciple, tell master the truth,” Xie Zhiwei didn’t turn around, but his voice sounded gruff.
Hero, although I admire your escape skills, it’s far from being satisfying all right?! Aren’t you supposed to face the threat head-on? Why the hell are you running? Your mother, you even unsheathed the Qingping Sword. Don’t blame your master for interrogating you. If I go OOC any more I’ll be in the negatives!
Mu He was smart enough to guess what Xie Zhiwei wanted to ask. Actually, he’d already planned things out with Nie Ting to seek Xie Zhiwei’s aid if necessary. After days of tentative probing, even Nie Ting had to admit that there were truly good people like Xie Zhiwei in a world of hypocritical gentlemen like Shen You. It’d be a waste not to use him.
Mu He quickly shelved his imagination and said, “Shizun, please allow disciple to confess fully after we land.”
“All right,” Xie Zhiwei said. Confess? Is he gonna tell me about Black Lotus and Nie Ting? Seriously? This is a huge secret he only told Tantai Meng in the original novel.
Could it be…I’m even more impressive than the heroine?
By now they were more than 50 miles from Ashen Cloud Sword Sect. Mu He found some steep-walled cliffs and chose a landing in the middle of it all. Xie Zhiwei beckoned the Qingping Sword back into its sheath before turning to Mu He. “Master has no other intentions. I’m simply curious about your cultivation…why, in the span of only a few days…” He kept his tone light. Who knew if the hero was really going to share his secret? It’s also possible he’ll turn against me and silence me permanently.
Mu He said, “Does shizun still remember the Black Lotus shizun stuffed into my hands after finding me unconscious at the base of the mountain?”
Xie Zhiwei immediately zeroed in on the canon details. “Naturally so. I discovered it next to you, so I thought it was a plaything you dropped.” Yeah, right. Xie Zhiwei in the original novel knew perfectly well it was the Black Lotus treasure. He was afraid it’d be troublesome, so he pushed it onto the hero.
His fault for dying early!
Mu He’s expression grew stern. “Disciple now dares to tell shizun that it was the long-lost Black Lotus.”
Xie Zhiwei was surprised. “The Black Lotus, one of the Four Lotuses of the world?”
“Precisely,” Mu He said before falling to his knees. “But now Black Lotus has assimilated with this disciple’s consciousness. It was originally a rare treasure, but this disciple consumed it so I…didn’t dare tell shizun.”
“How could this be…” Xie Zhiwei mused.
As Mu He predicted, Xie Zhiwei was only stunned but not angry. After digesting his words, he even looked a little happy.
“Master really wasn’t mistaken. You truly are a top-tier talent capable of using the most mysterious Black Lotus.”
Mu He mumbled, “Doesn’t shizun blame me for ruining Black Lotus…” He was cowering on the ground as if he’d committed a grave crime.
Xie Zhiwei sighed and patted his head. “I don’t know who bullied you into feeling so scared. Black Lotus had no owner to begin with and is now being put to use. How is that ruining anything? If it fell into evil hands, or was stored away, or became an object of conquest, then that’d be a true calamity.” He reached out with his hands. “Get up, I only have you as my disciple. There’s no need for so many formalities.”
Although Xie Zhiwei only touched his forearms to lift him, Mu He seemed to feel his warmth spread all over his body. “Shizun, disciple will remember.”
Xie Zhiwei nodded and looked back at the full moon, seemingly talking to himself. “The world is in constant conflict over the Four Lotuses. Although each now has its own master, many tigers are eyeing the prize. It would resolve many grievances if you could own them all.”
Mu He said with fear, “Disciple doesn’t dare. Disciple trusts that the different sects can use them properly.” Since this is shizun’s wish, I’ll make it come true someday even if it sounds impossible!
Xie Zhiwei knew that Mu He was a big-tailed wolf. He might disagree with his words, but his heart would definitely be moved. Even now he caught a gleam in the hero’s eye.
Hero, take care. This is your future mission! It’s just as important as picking up girls!
“Shizun, disciple has another matter.”
“What is it?” Xie Zhiwei asked in the midst of his joy.
“A senior wishes for shizun’s aid.”
Sh*t, are you talking about Nie Ting? Xie Zhiwei’s heart did flip-flops as he gave Mu He a questioning look. Of course, his expression was nothing but kind and accommodating.
Mu He relaxed and closed his eyes before a silver light shone on his forehead. Soon enough, it formed into the shape of a lotus.
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The author has something to say: Nie Ting the father and Xie Zhiwei the mother 2333