The situation of Liu Buli having a dual soul was indeed a troublesome one.
Perhaps it was because the other soul within his body sensed his thoughts, or perhaps it was because Lu Wuming was not around, but Liu Buli's mental state had been extremely poor lately. During his recovery, Liu Buli could clearly feel that the soul residing within him had attempted to seize control of his body several times while he slept.
However, due to his constant vigilance, the other soul had never succeeded. But with so many attempts, anyone would feel mentally and physically exhausted.
Even when he tried to tell himself to relax, in the quiet of the night, he couldn't help but wonder:
Would he truly retain control of his body when he woke up after this sleep?
Having experienced similar situations too many times, Liu Buli could feel his mental state deteriorating.
Shen Muzhi, as his attending physician, had naturally heard about his current predicament. After listening, he reached a conclusion that aligned with Liu Buli's own thoughts. Shen Muzhi informed him that the injuries sustained from the depletion of spiritual energy had largely healed. The physical obstacles were not an issue. Therefore, if he wished to resolve his soul-related problems, now was indeed a good time.
The current situation was urgent, and everyone understood that this was not something that could wait for Lu Wuming's return.
It was for this reason that after hearing Liu Buli's intentions, Shen Muzhi remained silent for a moment before asking him, "Have you clearly explained your arrangements for the upcoming period to Lu Wuming? I'm not referring to our arrangements, but those from Ghost City. Once you enter the furnace, he likely won't be able to maintain contact with you. Have you made it clear to him what he should do when he can't reach you? It doesn't matter to us, but he needs to be at ease. This way, both of you can rest assured."
Liu Buli smiled and nodded, understanding the importance of this matter.
He pursed his lips, thought for a moment, and then said, "I haven't directly brought this up with him yet, as I'm not entirely sure how long soul refinement will take. So, I plan to discuss it with him properly once all preparations are complete. We've had a general conversation before, and he also told me to deal with my affairs here before going to him. He's a clever child, and I believe he'll be fine handling things on his own for a while."
From the moment Liu Buli uttered the words "He's a clever child," Shen Muzhi's expression had become incredibly complex.
Perhaps this was the legendary "beauty is in the eye of the beholder."
However, in Liu Buli's eyes, he wasn't beautifying Lu Wuming's appearance, but rather exaggerating the capabilities of his not-so-brilliant mind to an extreme.
But ultimately, this was their personal matter. Even if others were concerned, they were still outsiders. Shen Muzhi had offered all the advice he could. As for what came next, he trusted that Liu Buli would figure it out himself and didn't need him to say anything unnecessary.
Having quickly reached a conclusion, the two finished the remaining wine in the jar. With some time left before dawn, Shen Muzhi gave Liu Buli a thorough physical examination once more.
The results were as they had anticipated.
Liu Buli's current physical condition would indeed not hinder him from entering the furnace for self-refinement.
In the following time, neither of them mentioned resting. Seizing this opportunity, Liu Buli wrote down everything Shen Muzhi needed to do while guarding the furnace. He explained each point as he wrote, with great seriousness.
Shen Muzhi listened attentively this time, diligently memorizing every step Liu Buli described. This was because both of them understood clearly that once Liu Buli entered the alchemy furnace, he would have to contend with the materials inside and the other soul within his body.
At that time, he would be unable to give Shen Muzhi any further instructions. Whether the soul within the furnace could be refined, and whether Liu Buli would end up refining himself into an immortal pill, would depend on Shen Muzhi's ability to carry out the tasks he had been instructed to do outside the furnace.
"When Lu Wuming returns, I must let him know what a great deed I've accomplished," Shen Muzhi said, letting out a long sigh after hearing all the instructions. He took the list Liu Buli had written, looked down at the words, and couldn't help but chuckle, "But that's assuming you succeed. If you happen to fail, even if it's not my fault, Lu Wuming will undoubtedly blame me for everything. Then I'll be utterly helpless and wronged."
His words were not entirely unfounded.
Liu Buli couldn't help but laugh as well. He said, "If my plan fails, I can give you some good advice. When you feel things are going wrong, pack your bags and run. That stone is with you, isn't it? Take You Siqi and flee to another world. Lu Wuming won't be able to pursue you there."
Liu Buli had only intended it as a joke, but upon hearing about the stone, Shen Muzhi became even more agitated.
He shook his head forcefully and said, "Don't even mention it. I'm increasingly suspecting that that darn stone is actually useless. The last time you sent your consciousness to that world, I thought the stone acted as a medium. But now I'm wondering if it was all just the help of the Heavenly Dao, and had nothing to do with the stone itself."
Hearing this, Liu Buli looked puzzled. "What's wrong? Have you tried recently, and it had no effect?"
"Not only no effect, it hasn't even flashed with light once more," Shen Muzhi said with a wry smile. "So, you'd better pray for your success. Because if you fail, and I've bet my life on this useless stone, then I'm truly doomed."