Liu Buli couldn't tell his condition, he just smiled at him again and said, "Wuming, go out and wait for a while. Master will wipe himself clean. When he's done, he'll call you. We..."
"Master, aren't you letting Wuming help you wipe?"
Before Liu Buli could finish, Lu Wuming eagerly interrupted. For a moment, he forgot his nervousness and looked at Liu Buli pitifully, his expression utterly wronged.
Liu Buli saw this and felt nothing but helplessness.
He really didn't understand what was going on with his disciple. Why was he so keen on taking care of him?
Massaging shoulders, pounding legs, and wiping the body were tasks for servants in wealthy households, yet Lu Wuming did them with such joy. He even felt wronged if Liu Buli didn't let him. Was there something wrong with him?
Liu Buli frowned, and suddenly remembered what Shen Muzhi had said when Lu Wuming had a nosebleed before.
His expression froze for a moment. He pursed his lips and put on a stern face, asking, "Wuming, Master wants to ask you, you want to give me a massage and wipe me down. Is it really like Shen Muzhi said, that you have improper feelings for me?"
Lu Wuming was stunned.
His heart clenched violently.
He didn't know how to answer the question.
He knew his own feelings were too sordid, and he knew his thoughts were too dirty. But he thought he had hidden them well, and his Master shouldn't have found out...
He had never considered what he would do if they were discovered.
Because he wasn't the type his Master liked, and he didn't have the qualifications to stand by his side yet. He only ever caused trouble and didn't even have the ability to protect his Master. With all that... what right did he have to speak of love, or to shamelessly hope for his feelings to be reciprocated?
Lu Wuming was overcome with fear.
And the result of that fear was that he lied to his Master.
Shaking his head, Lu Wuming looked down at the water basin in front of him. He felt his mood was like the water in the basin, capable of stirring up immense waves with just one word from Liu Buli.
Taking a deep breath, Lu Wuming said, "Master, Wuming just feels that you've done too much for Wuming, and Wuming wants to do some things for you. There's no other meaning behind it."
He spoke very earnestly.
Yet, in the end, he didn't dare to look up at Liu Buli's eyes.
Liu Buli narrowed his eyes and stared at him earnestly for a long time.
He was trying to fathom the young man's thoughts. After a long while, he decided to ask for confirmation again, "Wuming, you're not lying to Master, are you?"
"No," Lu Wuming continued to shake his head. "Wuming will not lie to Master. Wuming promised."
Hearing this, Liu Buli immediately smiled.
He also believed his disciple wouldn't lie to him.
He let out a long sigh of relief and directly handed the towel for wiping to Lu Wuming. He stripped off his clothes, lay back on the bed, and said casually, "Fortunately, Wuming, you don't have those kinds of feelings for me. Otherwise, I'd start doubting if there was something wrong with my teaching methods."
Lu Wuming knew that Liu Buli's words were just casual remarks, without any other emotions.
But even so, when he heard them, his heart still ached violently.
It hurt a hundred times more than when he had dug out his own flesh.
What did that mean?
Was his Master afraid that he liked him?
As expected... he was still unworthy.
No matter how hard he tried, he would never be worthy of his Master.
Lu Wuming knew very well that no matter what Liu Buli said to him, he would always be that monster hiding in the shadows.
He yearned for the sun, yet feared it.
Nothing had changed.
Intense self-doubt enveloped him completely. Lu Wuming found that when he looked at Liu Buli again, he couldn't even conjure those lingering thoughts anymore.
His movements became stiff, and everything seemed to return to a few days ago when Liu Buli was unconscious.
He mechanically wiped, trying to make this body cleaner.
This body that would never belong to him.
As he wiped his abdomen, Lu Wuming paused. He looked up at Liu Buli's face again and couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Master, if in the future, Wuming happens to fall in love with you, what will Master do?"
Liu Buli was taken aback.
To be honest, he had never considered such a possibility.
Just like the nightmare he had when he was unconscious, in his heart, the position beside Lu Wuming had always been empty. He couldn't imagine anyone qualified to stand there, nor anyone worthy of that position.
After all, in his heart, Lu Wuming deserved all the best things.
And he had never met anyone in this world better than Lu Wuming.
Staring blankly into Lu Wuming's eyes, after a long while, Liu Buli finally smiled and said, "We'll talk about the future in the future. Life is long, and the roads we travel and the scenery we see will always change. You don't have to worry about falling in love with me, because honestly, I don't think I have anything worth your love. So just relax and live your life. Perhaps one day in the future, you'll meet someone who suddenly makes your heart flutter."
Lu Wuming blinked.
He understood. His Master hadn't directly answered his question.
Why was that?
Was it because he had someone else in his heart, or because he was afraid of hurting him, so he didn't speak the painful truth?
Lu Wuming dared not ponder further, nor dare to ask more. He just bit his lip and murmured, "Master is the best, the best in every way, and Wuming will always like you..."
"Is that so?" Liu Buli heard his voice and couldn't help but laugh.
With his eyes curved into a smile, he seemed to casually reply, "If that's the case, when Wuming grows up and truly falls for me, just tell me directly."
Lu Wuming looked up into Liu Buli's eyes.
Then, he heard Liu Buli say with a smile, "Wuming, remember this, whatever you want, no matter what it is, Master can give it to you. This isn't just about spiritual artifacts or decorative items, do you understand?"