Liu Buli never expected that his disciple, who had just appeared so gentle and caring, would be thinking about such things.
He took another serious look at the darkening light in the other's eyes, swallowed, and earnestly explained, "Wuming, I think Master should apologize to you for my earlier careless words. In fact, I'm not feeling much better. I just lied because I was afraid you'd worry. I'm still a bit uncomfortable. Once we get out..."
"Master, if you lie, you should be punished," Lu Wuming interrupted Liu Buli once again. He lowered his head and planted a gentle kiss on the other's forehead. "Whether you want to be punished or have a pleasant reward with me, the choice is yours, Master. Wuming won't mind either way."
Liu Buli: ...
Of course, you wouldn't mind, because there's no difference between the two!
He wanted to say more, but Lu Wuming withdrew his gaze, clearly not intending to continue the conversation. He turned and continued walking forward. Just as they had planned, before long, they spotted Shen Muzhi and the others in the distance.
The moment he saw the others, Liu Buli immediately struggled out of Lu Wuming's embrace. After all, there were quite a few people, not just Shen Muzhi and You Siqi, but Li Qingcheng and Tan Wu were also waiting there. Liu Buli was rather thin-skinned and felt embarrassed for others to see him in such a weakened state. Lu Wuming understood this. So, seeing the other person run out of his embrace, he didn't try to stop him.
Watching Liu Buli trot over to Shen Muzhi and the others, Lu Wuming sighed inwardly and eventually followed them in silence. As he approached the group, he happened to hear Liu Buli recounting their encounter with the evil god to You Siqi.
You Siqi listened intently. After hearing the story, he thoughtfully stroked his chin. After a long period of consideration, just as Liu Buli thought he would offer a definitive answer, You Siqi shook his head and offered an awkward smile. "I did consider writing such a character, but it was only in the thought process and not put into practice. So, if you ask me about this character, I really can't tell you much. However, if you're going to Kunlun, Mu Zhi and I can accompany you. I haven't seen a snow mountain yet, so it would be like a trip. I don't see any harm in that."
Everyone was accustomed to You Siqi's uselessness in this regard. So, Liu Buli didn't even feel like complaining. He simply nodded calmly and said, "If you don't know much about that evil god, then there's no need for you to make the trip with us. After all, the aura emanating from that fellow is truly terrifying. Even a mere remnant of his consciousness makes me feel extremely uncomfortable. What's left in Kunlun is his divine soul. We should be fine going up there, but I'm afraid you might not be able to handle it."
He wasn't looking down on You Siqi; it was simply the truth. With You Siqi's strength, which was not much stronger than an ordinary person, it would be hard to say that the evil god's divine soul in Kunlun would not harm him.
Hearing this, You Siqi hesitated for a moment. He glanced back at Shen Muzhi beside him. The expression on the latter's face was one of entanglement and thought, just like his own.
After a moment of silence, Shen Muzhi asked, "If only the two of you go, can you handle it?"
"We can handle it. In fact, for matters like this, I think the fewer people, the better," Liu Buli said with a smile. "With Wuming's abilities, you know them, right? As long as he's here, evil thoughts and malice won't cause me much harm. But if you all come along, I can't guarantee whether my disciple's eyes will see you if we encounter danger."
Although Shen Muzhi's cultivation was much higher than You Siqi's, he was, after all, just a human. The energy of a divine beast could indeed purify malice, but to what extent it could purify it was still uncertain. Therefore, letting them follow rashly would involve some element of risk.
Liu Buli knew this, and Shen Muzhi and You Siqi themselves were certainly aware of it.
So, after a moment of silence, it was Shen Muzhi who chuckled. He said, "Sect Leader, if you put it that way, I can give you a definite answer. I can guarantee that if we encounter any danger, Brother Lu's heart will only contain you and no one else. It has nothing to do with the rest of us."
You Siqi nodded vigorously in agreement.
The two exchanged glances and finally reached a consensus –
The trip to Kunlun would be undertaken by Liu Buli and Lu Wuming alone. For their own safety, they would not be accompanying them.
If they were like this, then Li Qingcheng and Tan Wu, whose cultivation was originally inferior to theirs, naturally would not be accompanying them either.
Tan Wu, however, was kind. He took out several puppets and presented them to Liu Buli. He thought for a moment and said, "Although they might not be needed, if we encounter any mechanisms or the like, they can help. If Daoist Liu doesn't mind, please accept them all. Having some assistance by your side is always better than having none."
Liu Buli actually agreed with this statement.
But the problem was that Lu Wuming, standing beside him, looked down at the puppets. Although he said nothing, the light in his eyes clearly told Liu Buli that if he dared to accept a puppet now, Lu Wuming would definitely burn them all when they returned.
Knowing his disciple's personality, Liu Buli felt awkward refusing Tan Wu's kindness for such a reason.
So, after hesitating for a while, he finally accepted just one of the puppets. He thanked Tan Wu and stored the puppet in his Qiankun bag. Then, ignoring Lu Wuming's increasingly intense gaze, Liu Buli coughed lightly and smiled at everyone. "Wuming and I have discussed it, and we're about to leave this secret realm. You Siqi, think about it again. If there's nothing else you need to find, shall we look for the exit?"