Lu Wuming's actions were swift.
At least for Shen Muzhi and the other two, he had given them very little time to prepare themselves mentally. The last remaining cultivator who was still breathing was, like his companions, reduced to a pile of perfectly severed meat chunks under the sharp claws.
The roars and wails of humans seemed to echo incessantly in their ears.
Lu Wuming absorbed the aura of despair and madness from everyone, then turned, and just as Shen Muzhi had predicted, his gaze landed on the direction where he and You Siqi were.
You Siqi's legs went weak, and he almost lost his footing, collapsing onto the ground.
Fortunately, Shen Muzhi, standing beside him, steadied him, preventing such an embarrassing incident from happening.
However, even so, Shen Muzhi's own expression was not much better than You Siqi's. Glancing in Lu Wuming's direction, he cleared his throat and hesitantly began to persuade, "Wuming, don't be so agitated. That woman's cultivation isn't that high. If Daoist Liu is with her, it's definitely not Daoist Liu who will get hurt. As for this secret realm..."
"Take me to find him."
Lu Wuming directly interrupted Shen Muzhi's explanation. His eyes were so cold that they revealed no emotion, and his voice was devoid of any inflection.
Even without him saying much, Shen Muzhi understood. Lu Wuming was clearly telling him that if he continued to blabber, he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't make a move on them.
You Siqi was on the verge of tears from fear.
Fortunately, Shen Muzhi had weathered his fair share of storms. So, even though he was equally tense now, he still managed to adjust his emotions. Clearing his throat, he braced himself and explained to Lu Wuming, "The plot written in that novel only covers the area where we are now. Liu Buli might have gone to other places, but he knows this is a key location, so he will definitely come here."
Lu Wuming frowned slightly. "You mean I should do nothing and just wait here for my master to find us?"
Shen Muzhi couldn't fathom Lu Wuming's current mood, but he knew that You Siqi's abilities had reached their limit. Asking him to lead them to a place he didn't know to find Liu Buli was simply too difficult for him.
So, even though he knew the current situation was very disadvantageous to them, Shen Muzhi looked into Lu Wuming's eyes and finally nodded firmly. He said, "It's not that you have to wait in place. I mean we can look around. After all, this is the core area of the secret realm. Since we've arrived first, there's no problem in exploring here. When Daoist Liu finds us, wouldn't he be happy if we've already obtained all the treasures?"
The last few explanations were entirely Shen Muzhi's attempt to probe. He didn't expect Lu Wuming to act independently in Liu Buli's absence, and the reality was as he had thought. Lu Wuming shook his head and walked over to lean against the wall, as if turning himself into a statue.
A statue waiting for his master's return.
With that, the surroundings fell into an eerie silence.
You Siqi, certain that he was out of danger, let out a long sigh of relief. Then he tugged at Shen Muzhi beside him and said, "Muzhi, we..."
"Shh," Shen Muzhi stopped You Siqi's words and said, "We don't know how long it will take Liu Buli to find this place, so before he comes, it's best for us to keep a low profile. Otherwise, look at Lu Wuming. He's not someone who can control himself. The fact that he hasn't attacked us immediately is already a great improvement. Don't ask for too much. I think you understand what I mean."
Hearing his statement, You Siqi fell silent for a moment, then obediently nodded. He raised a hand to his mouth and made a zipping motion. Since the two had been together for so long, Shen Muzhi understood the meaning of this gesture without needing further explanation.
Nodding with satisfaction, he then ruffled You Siqi's hair. Shen Muzhi finally reached out and pulled You Siqi into his embrace.
His lips brushed against the other's ear, and he lowered his voice, saying, "Siqi, we can't move places right now. So if you're scared, just close your eyes and lean into me. Trust me, no matter what happens, I'll still be able to handle it."
Since he said so, You Siqi responded with a sound and obediently did as he was told.
To be honest, he really didn't have the courage to face the extremely tragic murder scene next to them. Since Shen Muzhi had noticed and found a way to comfort him, he naturally wouldn't refuse.
Sighing deeply in his heart, You Siqi once again prayed that Liu Buli would come to see them soon.
If only for his own safety, if he could see Liu Buli alive and unharmed, he would be extremely grateful to him.
...
Just then, Liu Buli, who had already walked some distance from the initial area, suddenly sneezed. Rubbing his nose, he blinked, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
Li Qingcheng was by his side. The moment she saw his smile, the woman couldn't help but be momentarily lost in thought. After a two-second daze, as if to hide her fleeting infatuation, Li Qingcheng put on a stern face and asked somewhat fiercely, "What are you smiling about all of a sudden? Have you made a new discovery?"
"No," Liu Buli replied curtly.
He then glanced at Li Qingcheng beside him and noticed the deepening suspicion in her eyes. To prevent her from imagining things in a stranger direction, Liu Buli had to speak again, adding, "Where I come from, sneezing means someone is thinking of you. I was just thinking that my disciple must be anxious because he can't find me. He must be missing me terribly right now. Thinking about something like this makes me feel very happy, so I smiled. Do you find this explanation satisfactory?"
To be honest, this was a theory Li Qingcheng had never heard before.
She should have continued to be suspicious, but seeing the smiling eyes of Liu Buli, she inexplicably felt that he might not be lying to her.
The two looked at each other for a long time.
Li Qingcheng finally moved her lips and said, "No one has ever thought of me, so I don't understand what you're talking about."