Although the words were spoken thus, perhaps because Shen Muzhi's protagonist's love for the world had not completely vanished.
In any case, he truly stayed in that mountain cave for more than ten days. Only when the last trace of spiritual energy on his body was released did he contentedly fall to the ground. It was Lu Wuming who carried him out of the cave.
Honestly speaking, if he could, Lu Wuming really didn't want to help carry him out. This was because Shen Muzhi had broken his promise at a crucial moment. When he was unconscious, he forgot to transform back into a human. As a result, after his spiritual energy was depleted, the spiritual cat, which was originally the size of a lion, shrank to the size of a palm. However, it stopped there. He did not, as they had agreed, obediently turn back into a human.
Looking at the small cat in his hand, Lu Wuming had thought more than once that if he were to have a sudden wicked thought and crush it with a little force, then return and tell the two people waiting that Shen Muzhi had sacrificed himself for this world at the hands of those monsters, perhaps those two people would believe him.
No, whether You Siqi believed him was not that important. In any case, their master would definitely believe him.
But no matter how many times he thought about it, Lu Wuming ultimately did not act. It wasn't that he didn't want to act, but rather that every time he thought about acting, his mind would uncontrollably drift to future events.
Even when they talked about these topics, Liu Buli would earnestly tell him that in Liu Buli's heart, Lu Wuming was the most important. All other people and matters could not compare to him, so even if something unexpected happened, he would never blame him.
Lu Wuming knew these words were not false.
But he also knew that if he were to kill Shen Muzhi, then the relationship between him and Liu Buli would inevitably develop some cracks that he absolutely did not want to see.
Even if these cracks did not appear, given his master's relationship with those two people, Shen Muzhi's death would surely make Liu Buli sad for a long time.
Lu Wuming did not want to see his master sad.
He even less wanted this sad situation to be triggered by him.
Therefore, after weighing all the pros and cons, even though his dissatisfaction reached its peak, he still obediently brought the kitten back. Then he safely handed him over to You Siqi, that weak human.
The moment he saw the kitten, You Siqi's first reaction was a fright.
But when he took the kitten into his hands and confirmed that its breathing was stable and normal, he breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't even need to do any medical examination. He proactively explained to Liu Buli, "Shen Muzhi's condition should just be exhaustion from depleted spiritual energy. Liu Buli, do you have any pills that can restore stamina and energy? Give him one, and his condition should improve significantly."
Looking at You Siqi's calm demeanor, Liu Buli was momentarily unsure how he should react. However, since the other party had made a request, he thought for a moment and followed You Siqi's suggestion. He took out a pill from his spatial pouch and placed it in You Siqi's hand.
Perhaps due to an instinctive trust in You Siqi's aura, the kitten voluntarily opened its mouth as soon as You Siqi approached with the pill. Even though its consciousness was still somewhat hazy, it obediently swallowed the pill You Siqi offered.
Seeing the kitten's well-behaved appearance, Liu Buli knew that Shen Muzhi should indeed be fine. It was precisely because he confirmed this that he couldn't help but curiously ask, "You Siqi, you're not a physician, and you don't have much expertise in this area. You didn't even use spiritual energy to probe Shen Muzhi's condition. How can you be so sure he's really fine?"
Liu Buli asked very seriously.
Unexpectedly, upon hearing his question, You Siqi actually smiled.
Looking down at the kitten in his hand, You Siqi said, "Actually, it's very simple. You've read novels before, haven't you? Similar plots have appeared in novels. It's just that your eyes were all on Lu Wuming, so you didn't remember it that clearly."
Hearing him say that, Liu Buli really began to doubt himself. After seriously considering the content of the novel, Liu Buli immediately understood.
You Siqi was not wrong. There was indeed such a plot in the novel. The plot was not much different. It was that Shen Muzhi's spiritual energy was depleted, and he turned into a palm-sized kitten. As if he had lost his human consciousness, he lay obediently in the heroine's arms.
The subsequent plot, to cater to readers' preferences, naturally became a sweet love story between Shen Muzhi and that female protagonist. However, this was not the type Liu Buli liked to read, so he decisively chose to skip chapters. Therefore, his memory of this part was naturally not as clear as others.
Having spent so much time together, You Siqi knew Liu Buli's personality very well. Because of this, he didn't expect the other party to remember this part. He even felt it was quite impressive that he could recall it after being reminded.
However, it was precisely because of this plot that the few of them could completely relax upon seeing Shen Muzhi's state.
Because in the novel, when this state was achieved, Shen Muzhi did not undergo any specialized treatment. He didn't even have a quiet environment to recuperate. He simply slept, and when he had slept enough, he naturally woke up.
Although Shen Muzhi always said not to associate him with the male protagonist in the novel during their daily interactions.
But the facts proved that when encountering problems, considering him based on the male protagonist's situation was basically never wrong.
With the same thought in everyone's mind, Liu Buli suggested finding an inn to rest for a while. Although the heroine in the novel constantly exploited him and didn't treat him like a human, they were friends after all, and Liu Buli still cared about his life.
Upon hearing Liu Buli's suggestion, You Siqi readily agreed.
Their next plan was to go to Ghost City. So, according to Liu Buli's idea, since they had to find a place to rest anyway, why not find an inn at the border between the cultivation world and the ghost realm? It would also be convenient for them to gather information.
You Siqi did not object to this, and Liu Buli then controlled their long sword and flew towards the entrance of the border.
While carrying out these actions, apart from the initial worry, he hardly glanced at Shen Muzhi again.
Lu Wuming naturally noticed this behavior.
After the long sword flew out, he hugged Liu Buli and whispered into his ear, in a voice only they could hear, "Master, don't you like kittens very much? I thought you would like him even more when he turned into that state. Why aren't you even looking at him? Is it because you don't like his half-dead appearance?"
Hearing Lu Wuming's question, Liu Buli couldn't help but laugh. Shaking his head, he said, "You're overthinking it. He's just sleeping like a cat. To say he's half-dead is a bit excessive. He is indeed cute, and his shrunken form is indeed easy to fall for. But the one who falls for him is definitely not me. You can rest assured about that."
Lu Wuming blinked.
He completely failed to grasp the logic connecting these points.
Fortunately, Liu Buli was accustomed to his foolishness and knew that Lu Wuming would not understand his meaning if he said it like this. So, after a slight pause, he proactively explained, "If it were my past self, perhaps I would indeed be tempted by him. But I am different now. After all, I've told myself that if I have a dog at home, I won't covet other people's cats. This is also a responsibility to our big dog. Don't you think so, Wuming?"