Lu Wuming wholeheartedly agreed with Liu Buli's statement.
Or rather, from the very beginning, he had already been certain that this matter had nothing to do with them.
That was why he hadn't bothered to listen to so much meaningless chatter.
After all, these matters wouldn't affect his master. Since that was the case, it made no difference whether he listened or not.
Now that the story was over, Lu Wuming yawned again.
Knowing his master's cleanliness, there was no way he would be willing to do anything pleasant with him outside. So Lu Wuming simply chose to give up. He wrapped his arms around Liu Buli's waist, resting his chin on his shoulder, and said, "Master, how much longer until the secret realm opens?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but it should be soon," Liu Buli replied. "This secret realm opened very suddenly, and the entrance disappeared just as quickly. So if we hadn't been waiting nearby, given the distance from our Pill Sect to here, we might have missed it. Coming here in advance to wait, therefore, has no downside."
Lu Wuming hummed in agreement.
Liu Buli continued, "Moreover, as I understand it, the secret realm will likely only open after we meet that woman. After all, according to the plot in the novel, the secret realm exists for two reasons: to enhance Shen Muzhi's strength, and to protect Li Qingcheng. So she is, in a sense, the key to opening the secret realm. I'm just not sure if my assumption is correct."
Lu Wuming nodded. He had actually just asked casually. Whether the secret realm opened or not, and when it would open, he didn't really care.
After all, he was always with Liu Buli.
He had been quite comfortable with his physical activities in the sect a few days ago. Now that he knew his master was still sore, he didn't have any strong desires. So even maintaining the current status quo felt perfectly fine to him. As for when he would feel otherwise?
That would be when he had an idea, and Liu Buli was unwilling to engage in activities under the open sky in the wilderness.
Thinking this, three days passed without any sign of the secret realm opening nearby. Shen Muzhi had clearly been appeased by You Siqi, so even though he found it unbelievable, he quietly waited along with everyone else. Then, on the night of the fourth day, as the group was chatting idly, Lu Wuming suddenly stood up, his expression serious, and said to everyone, "They're here."
Just those two simple words.
Shen Muzhi and You Siqi had no idea what he meant.
Liu Buli, however, reacted instantly. His eyes lit up, and he directly asked Lu Wuming, "Which direction? How many people? How far are they from us now?"
Lu Wuming thought for a moment, then pointed in a direction. "They're still a ways off, but they'll be here before long. Master and the others can just watch; I can handle this myself."
Under normal circumstances, if Lu Wuming had said this, Liu Buli would have gladly stepped aside and left the matter of combat entirely to him.
But this time, he smiled, patted Lu Wuming's shoulder, and said, "Then it's indeed time to prepare, but there's no need to rush out to meet them. We can just wait for them to come to us. Also, I'll handle this one; you just watch. Don't expose yourself. I told you, that woman also has demonic blood in her. So don't let her discover your condition; that's not a good thing."
Hearing this, Lu Wuming could only agree.
Shen Muzhi, who had been listening, finally understood what was happening. He stepped forward and said, "Siqi has also told me what's going on these past two days, so I'll act together with Daoist Liu. I'm just not sure, do we really need to save that woman?"
"If she can be of assistance, there's no harm in saving her. Although I don't particularly like her, in the novel, she did play a role within the secret realm," Liu Buli said with a smile. "Regardless of our choice, we definitely can't side with her pursuers, nor can we stand by idly. Because the principle of the group chasing her is to leave no witnesses. So whether we help them or stand by, they will unhesitatingly attack us after dealing with that woman."
Upon hearing this, You Siqi immediately nodded. "I also think we can save her and see. While Li Qingcheng isn't a good person, she's only trying to survive. At least so far, she hasn't done anything truly bad, so there's no need for us to specifically target her. If she becomes ungrateful and does something wrong later, we can deal with it then; it's not impossible."
Hearing this, Liu Buli couldn't help but widen his eyes. He clapped his hands and laughed, "That's good, You Siqi! For you to say that, you've improved so much!"
"What are you talking about?" You Siqi pouted. "If you asked me to kill someone with my own hands now, I still wouldn't dare. But I can distinguish what the best choice is. Her life up to this point has indeed been one of victimhood, but according to the novel's description, after being rescued, she became the perpetrator. If it's the same this time, then eliminating her before she harms us is only natural."
After all, although no one said it directly, both Liu Buli and You Siqi were well aware that the person Li Qingcheng harmed most in the novel was Shen Muzhi, who had saved her, and no one else.
Therefore, even for Shen Muzhi's sake, You Siqi could no longer afford to be soft-hearted.
Shen Muzhi understood this and was quite moved by the sentiment.
Liu Buli, on the other hand, chuckled and shook his head. He patted You Siqi's shoulder and said earnestly, "Actually, you can rest assured about this. With your current abilities, you can't defeat anyone in this world. So there won't be an opportunity for you to kill anyone; you can be completely at ease."
That statement was far too realistic.
Even though You Siqi was somewhat displeased, he couldn't find any words to refute it. He could only glare at Liu Buli. After a long pause, he turned back to Shen Muzhi and said, "Muzhi, I've discovered that Liu Buli's mouth is becoming more and more capable of bullying people."
Shen Muzhi smiled helplessly and pulled You Siqi into a hug as a form of comfort.
Meanwhile, Lu Wuming, who had been silent, finally spoke again. Looking ahead, he murmured, "Those people will be here soon, Master. Be careful."
Liu Buli smiled faintly. "I know."