When Lu Wuming uttered these words, Liu Buli didn't quite grasp his meaning. After a moment of blinking and confusion, he finally asked, "Those hall masters were beaten to that state, what use can they still have?"
"To others, perhaps that's the end of it. But for me, they can enhance my abilities," Lu Wuming replied, looking down.
He felt as though he had listened to too much of Liu Buli's talk, to the point where he himself was becoming somewhat lost. At this moment, he even wanted to show Liu Buli his abilities, to reveal that dirtiest, most disgusting part of himself that he himself loathed.
He desperately wanted to know how Liu Buli would react if he were to expose this side of himself.
Would he still say he wasn't dirty?
Lu Wuming didn't know.
But he knew that he was indeed different now.
At least for a fleeting moment, he thought that perhaps he wouldn't be disliked by his master...
With this thought, Lu Wuming finally looked up again, meeting Liu Buli's eyes.
Just as he had expected, he saw only confusion in Liu Buli's gaze. Seeing his gaze shift towards him, Liu Buli merely tilted his head and asked with bewilderment, "What are you using them to improve?"
Lu Wuming offered no explanation.
He knew that at this juncture, action was far simpler than words.
Taking Liu Buli's hand, they bypassed the crowd and skirted around the back mountain to where the three hall masters were being punished.
Perhaps the example had served its purpose, for this time, the subordinates carried out Liu Buli's orders with swift efficiency.
The three hall masters had indeed had their eyes and tongues gouged out, and were thrown out of the sect, bleeding. Not far away was the territory where wild beasts roamed. Once dusk fell and night arrived, the beasts would emerge, and they would likely be torn apart and devoured.
Now, the three lay there, barely clinging to life. The sight, along with the unintelligible roars that occasionally escaped their throats, was undeniably repulsive.
Liu Buli glanced at them, his brow furrowing. "Wuming, are you sure these things can help you improve?"
Lu Wuming did not answer directly.
He looked up at Liu Buli's face and could clearly read the disgust there.
This was an emotion that had never been directed at him before.
Lu Wuming hesitated, fearing that after his next action, Liu Buli would look at him with the same expression.
He was also acutely aware that this was a gamble between him and himself.
No matter how much care or affection Liu Buli expressed, he still couldn't be certain of the depth of his feelings.
So, he decided to take this chance.
If Liu Buli could accept him even in his most wretched state, then he could finally relax, and perhaps, as his master had advised, live with more confidence and trust in the other's heart...
Lu Wuming took a deep breath and gritted his teeth.
His fingers morphed into sharp claws at his side, and he walked towards the three men.
Sharp claws tore through flesh and skin, and as blood splattered, the hall masters, who were already on the brink of death, let out fresh screams and wails.
Without tongues, they couldn't even utter pleas for mercy.
More blood welled up in the empty sockets of their eyes. In their extreme agony, curses born of despair and rage slowly emanated from them.
Liu Buli knew that in the novel, it was the original Liu Buli who had used such things to feed Lu Wuming, turning him into the final monster.
But he hadn't expected that Lu Wuming, who under his tutelage had no opportunity to encounter such things, would, like the Wuming in the novel, begin to devour the increasingly potent curses.
He absorbed this extreme malice from the brink of death, converting it into the ghostly energy that enveloped him. As he did this, Liu Buli could also perceive the aura around him.
It was as dark as an abyss, the ghostly energy so dense it was oppressive, almost suffocating.
It was too profound.
Liu Buli couldn't comprehend how things had come to this, but he also knew that he couldn't disturb Lu Wuming now.
He could only watch in a daze as Lu Wuming completely tore apart the three hall masters, absorbing all their malice and despair. Then, with a long sigh, Lu Wuming turned back to face him.
At this moment, Lu Wuming was covered in blood, his eyes unreadable, appearing only to be even deeper black than usual.
Liu Buli's heart trembled at the sight, and he instinctively called out, "Wuming, you..."
"Master, let me speak first."
Before he could utter anything else, Lu Wuming interrupted him. Taking a few deep breaths, he slowly said, "I am of the Ghost Clan, so I know how to do these things that the Ghost Clan does. I killed those elders. Killing them wasn't for punishment, but simply because this method allows me to become stronger. I feared you wouldn't be able to defeat Duan Liuyun, so I made myself stronger this way, to accompany you and kill Duan Liuyun."
He paused here.
He then looked down at his blood-soaked body, his brow furrowing.
It was truly too filthy.
His fingers slowly clenched at his side, and Lu Wuming took a few more deep breaths. He wanted to say more, but this time, Liu Buli didn't give him the chance.
Before Lu Wuming could speak, Liu Buli had already opened his mouth. His voice trembled as he said, "Wuming, who taught you this technique? Can you tell me?"