Chapter 45: Everyone Loves Little Immortal Mushroom (III)

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Chapter 45: Everyone Loves Little Immortal Mushroom (III)

Shang Ke and Yan Lu escorted Yu Wenjie into Xialiang City. After Yu Wenjie used a secret technique to notify his sect, the three temporarily found an inn to stay at.

Yu Wenjie booked three superior rooms, but Yan Lu did not enter the one meant for him. Instead, he naturally followed Shang Ke straight into his room.

“They booked you a room and you’re not even going to use it. Why didn’t you say so before we paid for it?” Shang Ke gave him a sidelong look.

“He booked what he wanted. I’ll stay where I want. What does one have to do with the other?” Yan Lu leaned against the windowsill and took out the storage ring he had “picked up” earlier that day, removing a jade slip from inside.

Shang Ke moved closer. “What’s that?”

“A cultivation technique.” Yan Lu casually handed him the jade slip.

Shang Ke examined it with his spiritual sense for a while, but the contents might as well have been an incomprehensible heavenly scripture. Nonhuman beings cultivated in a completely different way from humans. They generally had no specific cultivation techniques and instead relied primarily on absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, so their cultivation progressed far more slowly than a human cultivator’s. And because Shang Ke wanted to set a good example for Yan Lu, despite being a Demon Mushroom, he never consumed the vital essence, qi, spirit, or primordial energy of living beings. As a result, his cultivation speed was even slower than a snail’s.

“Can you cultivate this?” Shang Ke looked at Yan Lu with shining eyes. Although he couldn’t understand the technique himself, he could tell that it belonged to the orthodox path. Yan Lu lacked practically nothing now except a complete righteous cultivation technique.

“I can.”

“Then…” Hurry up and cultivate it! The gates to the divine realm are already wide open for you!

“I don’t like it.”

“What?” Shang Ke stared at him in confusion.

“I don’t like this kind of technique.” Yan Lu took a spirit stone from the storage ring and idly rolled it around in his hand, completely dismissive of the jade slip.

“Then what kind of cultivation technique do you like?” Just give me a target. I’ll climb mountains of blades and cross seas of fire to get it for you.

Yan Lu looked at him and answered seriously, “One like yours.”

Shang Ke looked completely bewildered. “What do you mean, one like mine?”

“Free and unconstrained, following the natural Dao, absorbing the essence of all things.” He paused, then added, “And with that damp Demon Mushroom scent.”

The first part was fine, but what the hell did that last part mean? What was a “damp Demon Mushroom scent” supposed to be?!

“Being a mushroom is innate. You can’t become one just because you’re jealous!” Shang Ke snapped. “Just choose a cultivation technique suitable for a normal human and practice it properly!”

“Mm. You’re right.” Yan Lu nodded. “I may not be able to cultivate the way you do, but I have my own method.”

“What method?” Shang Ke paused.

“Refine cultivators’ Nascent Souls and take their power for myself.” Yan Lu said it as casually as if discussing the weather.

Shang Ke: “…” This man’s demonic nature was practically heaven-given.

Shang Ke took a deep breath and attempted to correct his warped understanding. “That’s wrong. Cultivators should pursue the righteous path and cast aside evil thoughts. Otherwise, they’ll fall into the demonic path.”

“So what if I fall into the demonic path?” Yan Lu looked genuinely puzzled. “Little Mushroom, aren’t you a demon spirit of the demonic path yourself?”

Shang Ke was left speechless. That was the painfully undeniable truth. But the only reason he had become demonic in the first place was because of a certain someone, okay?!

Yan Lu placed a hand on top of his head and comforted him. “I think being a Demon Mushroom is quite good. There’s no need to belittle yourself and force yourself to pursue the righteous path.”

He was actually comforting him now! Who was belittling himself? Who was desperately pursuing the righteous path?!

Shang Ke turned around and collapsed helplessly onto the bed.

“Going to sleep?” Yan Lu jumped down from the windowsill, casually removed his outer robe, shifted Shang Ke farther toward the inside of the bed and straightened him out, then lay down beside him. “Good night.” With that, he closed his eyes and peacefully went to sleep.

Shang Ke: “…” For some reason, he suddenly felt that making someone like Yan Lu not cultivate the demonic path was practically a criminal waste of natural talent!

The next day, Shang Ke recovered his spirits, encouraged himself, and resumed doing good deeds and helping people, determined to reform this wicked future demon from the roots up.

Yu Wenjie had damaged his cultivation foundation during the battle, so Shang Ke personally went into the mountains to search for spirit medicine for him, moving Yu Wenjie deeply. And he didn’t stop there. Whenever Shang Ke encountered someone in difficulty, he lent them a hand. Every day, he earned money by gathering mountain fruits and medicinal herbs, weaving various little crafts, playing music for tips, and doing similar work, then used those earnings to help others.

At first, Shang Ke found the whole thing mentally exhausting, but gradually, he discovered that it allowed him to practice his movement techniques and merge with the spiritual qi of heaven and earth more quickly. It was, in its own way, a form of cultivation. From then on, he threw himself even more enthusiastically into the thankless business of “doing good and helping others.”

Yan Lu could not understand it, but he did not stop him either. Every day, he simply watched Shang Ke dash around everywhere, overflowing with energy.

Yu Wenjie, meanwhile, admired Shang Ke immensely and had practically begun regarding him as an unattainably pure, idealized beloved. After barely half a month together, he had already lost his heart to him.

Beneath a large tree, Shang Ke sat on the ground with a pipa in his arms, his fingers dancing across the strings as he played a lively melody. His eyes were lowered in concentration, white hair drifting softly in the breeze. Sunlight filtered through the leaves and scattered mottled shadows across him. His long robe was plain and elegant, his bearing light as clouds, while only his slender lips stood out—deep crimson as blood and glistening with moisture.

Seven or eight children sat around him, quietly listening to the beautiful music, their little heads occasionally swaying with the rhythm. Not far away, the adults also set aside their work and paused with smiles to listen.

Yan Lu leaned against a stone pillar, silently watching Shang Ke beneath the tree. Shang Ke’s figure was reflected in his otherwise emotionless eyes.

Yu Wenjie was utterly captivated, an unmistakable look of infatuation appearing on his face.

Immersed in his playing, Shang Ke failed to notice that the surrounding noise had disappeared at some point. It was as though only the lingering melody of the pipa remained between heaven and earth.

His slender fingers left trails of pale purple mist as they moved across the strings. Light shimmered in his eyes, their corners tilting upward, while his red lips curved into an enchanting smile, making his beauty suddenly and unmistakably demonic. The originally cheerful melody gradually transformed into bewitching demonic music that seized the mind. People within a radius of several thousand meters became dazed and intoxicated, while strands of translucent vital essence drifted from their bodies and slowly gathered toward Shang Ke.

Of everyone present, only Yan Lu subtly curved his lips upward and, without the slightest hesitation, began absorbing the vital essence filling the air.

“What manner of evil spirit dares cause trouble here?!” At that moment, a thunderous shout came from nearby. The voice tore through the air like an arrow aimed directly at Shang Ke, the powerful force of true essence abruptly interrupting his playing.

The moment the music stopped, the surrounding people gradually regained their senses and resumed what they had been doing, completely unaware that anything unusual had just happened.

While Shang Ke was still stunned, several cultivators had already swept over. One white-haired elder shouted, “A mere little spirit dares create chaos here and attempt to drain the vital essence of living people!”

Shang Ke thought back over what had happened and only then realized what he had done. He had taken human form through the influence of a demonic tribulation and formed a demon core. Although he had no desire to harm anyone, the power within his body ran completely contrary to his temperament. Without realizing it, he had activated his demon core and begun drawing in the vital essence of living beings.

The elder activated his sword qi. A clear metallic hum rang out, frightening the surrounding children into scattering in every direction.

Once only Shang Ke remained before him, the elder attacked without the slightest mercy.

“Martial Uncle Qingchong! Don’t!” Yu Wenjie cried out from behind him. “He’s my friend!”

The elder ignored him and continued his fierce assault.

Shang Ke knew without even trying that he couldn’t beat them, so he grabbed his pipa and ran. The elder and several other cultivators chased closely behind him, countless arcs of sword qi flying through the air and carving bloody cuts across his body.

This was Shang Ke’s first time personally experiencing a cultivator’s methods of attack. Sword-light flashed everywhere, killing intent pressed down on him, and they could injure him from several hundred meters away.

“Martial Uncle, don’t!” When Yu Wenjie saw Shang Ke knocked to the ground by a slash of sword qi, his entire body covered in blood, he hurried forward to intervene. “Martial Uncle, he’s my friend. Please show mercy.”

“Mercy? He’s a spirit that harms people. If we don’t eliminate him today, who knows how many living beings he’ll hurt in the future?” Daoist Qingchong pointed his sword at Shang Ke on the ground.

“No, he won’t!” Yu Wenjie pleaded. “He saved my life, and he’s helped many other people too. Even if he is a spirit, he’s a kindhearted one.”

“Have you been bewitched by him?” Daoist Qingchong asked coldly. “He was just playing demonic music and trying to absorb other people’s vital essence. You call that kindhearted?”

Shock flashed through Yu Wenjie’s eyes as he turned toward Shang Ke. Shang Ke struggled to his feet, his robes disheveled and stained with blood, a trace of sorrow in his dark gaze. Sword qi had cut open the left side of his forehead, and blood ran past his left eye, gathering into a crimson bead at the corner before slowly sliding down his pale cheek.

The young man was like flawless jade, exquisitely beautiful beyond compare.

After spending half a month with him, Yu Wenjie could not believe that Shang Ke was truly a malicious spirit. Yet even he had been bewitched by that demonic music just now. If his martial uncle and the others had not arrived in time, the consequences might have been unimaginable.

Yu Wenjie’s expression became conflicted. He no longer knew what to do.

Shang Ke smiled bitterly to himself. One could perform a hundred good deeds, yet a single accidental wrongdoing could seemingly erase all the effort that came before.

Daoist Qingchong had no patience to wait for Yu Wenjie to make up his mind. He raised his sword and attacked Shang Ke again.

Shang Ke initially wanted to counterattack with demonic qi, but when he saw Yan Lu in the distance, he abandoned the idea. Since things had already come this far, he might as well use the situation to prove his point. Even if he were driven into a desperate corner, he would not use demonic arts to harm anyone.

Though his body stood within the demonic abyss, his heart faced the righteous path. Even if the world despised him, his resolve would not change.

Shang Ke firmly restrained his demonic nature and only defended without attacking. More and more wounds appeared across his body, and a mist of tears gradually clouded his eyes, yet his gaze remained unwavering and without fear.

“Immortal Master, please show mercy! Young Brother Shang is a good person!” At that moment, an elderly woman by the roadside suddenly called out in supplication.

“Yes, Immortal Master, please spare him,” another person echoed.

“Don’t hurt Big Brother Shang!” cried the children who had been listening to his pipa earlier.

More and more voices joined them, rising one after another. Every one of these people had received Shang Ke’s help during his time here. His favors might have been small, but to these simple, honest people, they were deeply worthy of gratitude.

Daoist Qingchong and the others stared in astonishment. They had never expected a group of mortals to plead for a spirit. These people had nearly had their minds and souls seized just moments ago without even realizing it. How unbelievably foolish!

Yu Wenjie, however, was deeply moved. He dropped to his knees. “Martial Uncle, please let him go.”

“You!” It was one thing for ignorant commoners to act this way, but even his own martial nephew was doing the same. Had they all been bewitched senseless? Daoist Qingchong was furious. Pointing at Shang Ke, he shouted, “Get out! You’d better never let me see you again, or next time I won’t show mercy.”

Shang Ke rose to his feet and looked around. Then he raised both arms before him and bowed deeply to the kindhearted townspeople. They had not only saved his life; they had also given him renewed hope of completing his mission.

Under everyone’s watchful gaze, Shang Ke staggered away from the little city.

From beginning to end, Yan Lu had merely watched indifferently from the side. After Shang Ke left, he shifted his gaze toward the group from the Flying Star Sword Sect and stared at them for a moment before turning and walking in the direction Shang Ke had gone.

In a forest, Yan Lu found Shang Ke’s bloodstained robe. He swept his gaze around and accurately spotted a wilted-looking mushroom rooted on an old tree stump.

He crouched beside him and said calmly, “You’re clearly a Demon Mushroom. Why insist on walking the righteous path and obeying the laws of Heaven? With your spiritual nature, if you cultivated demonic arts, you could forge a true demonic body and transcend the mortal realm in less than two hundred years. How could those people possibly be your match then?”

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