When Liu Buli had initially explained the situation of his world to Lu Wuming, he had simply stated that his world was a novel, Shen Muzhi was the protagonist, and he was a supporting character.
He hadn't elaborated on the novel's plot, nor what Lu Wuming would have experienced had he not replaced the original Liu Buli.
This was because, in his eyes, those were the hardships the novel's Lu Wuming had endured, and he didn't want his precious disciple to empathize with them.
However, at this very moment, looking at the scene before him, Liu Buli suddenly realized that things were developing in a direction he couldn't control.
Logically, his precious Wuming hadn't experienced those things. He had only just escaped from home and been sold to him by the old monk.
He should have been a blank slate.
But if he was so pure, why did he know this cultivation technique?
"To devour malice and despair, using oneself as a furnace to refine all curses and pain."
This was precisely what the novel's Liu Buli had taught Lu Wuming to do.
It wasn't a bloodline issue, nor a tradition of the Ghost Clan.
Lu Wuming absolutely shouldn't know these things, unless...
An answer suddenly sprang into Liu Buli's mind.
And along with this answer came the memory of their first meeting, Lu Wuming looking up at him in the twilight –
That smile that sent shivers down his spine, making him want to tremble.
Even after so long, Liu Buli still remembered the fear he felt when he saw that smile.
At the time, he had wondered why a child who had just seen the sun and yearned for the world would possess such eyes filled with hatred for everything. But now, seeing Lu Wuming's actions and connecting it with the answer in his heart, Liu Buli suddenly found that everything seemed to make sense.
Staring blankly into Lu Wuming's eyes, Liu Buli remained silent for a long time. Finally, without receiving an answer from Lu Wuming, he trembled and continued, "Wuming, your master has a question for you. Just answer truthfully."
Lu Wuming nodded.
He hadn't figured out how to answer the previous question, and now his master was asking another.
To be honest, Lu Wuming was a little nervous.
However, before he could ponder for too long, Liu Buli spoke. He asked slowly, "Is this your first life? I mean, in your memory, has time ever reversed?"
Liu Buli asked this, but he already had a strong inkling of the answer.
He had read so many novels over the years. He himself had experienced transmigration, so it wasn't difficult to conceive of reincarnation.
And just as he suspected, Lu Wuming was silent for a moment before gently nodding, confirming his question.
Liu Buli gasped.
The fingers of his hand, hanging by his side, trembled incessantly. He tried hard to make his voice sound steady, but when he spoke, it was laced with an uncontrollable tremor. He said, "Wuming, can you tell your master where your previous life ended?"
He hoped the answer he heard would be slightly better.
Perhaps in the first month after being tied up by Liu Buli? Or the first year? The shorter the time, the better.
Though, Liu Buli himself didn't believe this hope.
And in the next second, Lu Wuming's answer shattered all his expectations. With a deep gaze, he said indifferently, "It ended when Shen Muzhi dismembered me and burned me. I don't know if I truly died, but after a moment of dizziness, I found myself back in the present, with the old monk beside me, already at the mountain gate."
After saying this, he looked up at Liu Buli again. His tone carried a hint of joy and subservience that even Liu Buli couldn't fully comprehend. He said, "Master, I learned this cultivation technique in my previous life. Not only the technique, but also a lot of malice and curses I devoured in my past life are still within me. So Wuming can be very strong, very useful. Can you..."
His words trailed off, and he was pulled into Liu Buli's embrace.
His master, who loved cleanliness the most, didn't mind his blood-stained body. The embrace was tight, holding him as if he were the most precious treasure in the world.
Lu Wuming opened his mouth and then, leaning obediently into Liu Buli's arms, revealed a happy smile.
It seemed he had won the gamble...
Lu Wuming's ear was pressed against Liu Buli's chest, so he could clearly hear his master's increasingly rapid heartbeat. He could feel the other's trembling and his tenderness.
After a long, tight embrace, Liu Buli finally spoke. It was still a question. He said, "Lu Wuming, I ask you, who is your master? Is it that beast you encountered in your past life, or me?"
"It's you," Lu Wuming answered without hesitation.
Liu Buli stroked his head and continued, "So from today onwards, learn what I teach you. I will find a way to help you remove these curses that beast inflicted upon you. Even if they cannot be removed, it's alright to keep them, but you must not use them anymore."
"Why?" Lu Wuming asked, puzzled, lifting his head from Liu Buli's embrace. He looked into his master's eyes and said earnestly, "Master, with this, I can become strong very quickly. The more people I kill, the stronger I become."
"So you cannot," Liu Buli sighed, his voice even tinged with a sob. He said, "I want you to see the beauty of this world. I want you to walk in the sunlight, pure and clean. So don't return to the darkness, no matter the reason. Promise me, alright?"
Lu Wuming fell silent again.
Just as Liu Buli was anxiously about to try and persuade him further, he finally spoke, softly asking, "Then... will you also live well in the sunlight with me?"