Liu Buli's words made Lu Wuming laugh out loud.
His master was always like this.
When it came to other matters, he was formidable and glorious, as if he feared nothing. But when faced with such a situation, he would turn into a little snail, and as soon as his antennae detected the slightest danger, he would retreat into his shell at full speed, refusing to crawl out again.
Deeply understanding Liu Buli's habit, Lu Wuming did not press the matter further now that his master had spoken.
After all, he knew that, as he himself had said, if he were to absorb all the malice around them, he would surely lose his mind. By then, it wouldn't be his master's disapproval that would stop him.
His master still had that artifact that could make him back off. If he pushed his master too far, and Liu Buli used that thing to keep his distance, he would truly have no way to express his grievances.
Therefore, in the current situation, unless Liu Buli actively asked him to devour the malice, he absolutely could not take the initiative.
However, after a serious assessment, Lu Wuming was mostly certain that even though the surrounding malice looked somewhat terrifying, it should not cause significant harm to his master for the time being.
Since that was the case, there was no harm in doing as his master requested.
When his master could no longer bear it, he would naturally issue new instructions. By then, his master should be able to accept whatever he had to do.
Quickly calculating his own benefits in his mind, Lu Wuming felt that his thoughts were exceptionally sound.
Looking at Liu Buli beside him, he had already found a path forward through the jumbled, stacked rocks. He even called out to Lu Wuming as he walked, "Wuming, don't fall too far behind. Master has found a way inside. Let's go together. Otherwise, if something unexpected happens again and separates us, it would be quite annoying."
Hearing this, Lu Wuming also thought of the same possibility. He quickly took two steps forward, reached out, and took Liu Buli's hand. He said, "Master, hold my hand. That way, we won't be separated."
The warmth from his palm was a familiar touch.
Liu Buli greatly cherished that warm feeling.
He couldn't help but turn back and smile at Lu Wuming. His smile was exceptionally beautiful, causing Lu Wuming to momentarily daze. He even began to involuntarily ponder whether his decision to temporarily let his master off the hook was a reasonable one.
If he were a little more reckless, a little more disobedient, could he have done something to his master right now...
Lu Wuming dared not imagine the scenes that followed.
He was afraid that if he lost control for a moment and did something to his master in this dirty place, his master would surely be angry with him for a long time.
He might even be kicked out and forbidden from entering the house.
He might be locked in the Hall of Reflection, forced to contemplate the mistakes he had been trying to understand for so many years without success.
Imagining that scene, the flames that had just ignited quickly extinguished. Lu Wuming shook his head and sighed softly in his heart.
His master was absolutely a demon.
And not just any demon, but the king of those who devoured people without spitting out bones, whose smile could make one's entire body go soft.
Liu Buli had no idea how many emotions his little disciple's smile had stirred within him.
He simply walked forward, studying the surroundings, occasionally reaching out with his other hand to tap the surrounding rock walls. Then, he pouted and said to the little disciple behind him, "I think this place, if it were the mouth of a monster, wouldn't quite fit. Wuming, feel this. These stones are solid rock. If this were truly a monster's stomach, then what would this be? A stone giant?"
Liu Buli himself was amused by his own thought.
He looked back at Lu Wuming behind him, who was gazing thoughtfully at their surroundings. After a moment, he asked, "Master, in You Siqi's novel, is there no record of anything like this?"
Hearing this, Liu Buli also thought seriously. He then shook his head and said, "The novel doesn't record much about this secret realm. After all, the protagonist of the novel is Shen Muzhi, and whatever he encounters or sees appears according to Shen Muzhi's actions. Shen Muzhi didn't capture that man, so he naturally wouldn't know about this hidden alchemy furnace. Or even if he did know, it wouldn't matter. He wasn't that interested in alchemy, so he naturally wouldn't come to see it."
What he said was not wrong.
But after hearing it, Lu Wuming still frowned, muttering with some dissatisfaction, "You Siqi is still so useless."
"You can't say that," Liu Buli smiled and said, "After all, the current situation is understandable. We found a side quest ourselves, so we can't blame the original plot for not being detailed enough, can we?"
Lu Wuming snorted, clearly unwilling to change his mind.
Liu Buli smiled, looking around, and murmured, "But speaking of which, if my guess is correct, this thing should have been passed down from the mythical era. The gods who could control such monsters are quite interesting to think about."
Upon hearing this, Lu Wuming's brow immediately furrowed.
He didn't care whether the other party was a god or what. He had already felt very angry when Liu Buli was always by Xi Yu's side. Now, with another being that interested Liu Buli, wasn't this forcing him into god-slaying mode?
The light in his eyes dimmed slightly, and Lu Wuming replied in a cold, measured tone, "Master, even if the other party is a god, you'd better not show such an interested expression. Otherwise, if Wuming gets angry, I can't guarantee I won't kill the god along with them."
Liu Buli's mouth twitched. "I didn't mean that, I..."
"If you didn't mean that, then don't say things that show interest in others," Lu Wuming interrupted Liu Buli's explanation in a deep voice. "Or are you deliberately saying this to tempt Wuming, to make Wuming lose control prematurely and do something to you?"