The old monk didn't notice Lu Wuming's expression. He led his men to Liu Buli and said with a smile, "Immortal Liu, this is the child I told you about. He doesn't talk much and is quite timid. I'll trouble you to take good care of him from now on."
If one hadn't read that novel and possessed the original host's memories, judging solely by the old monk's demeanor and words, he would appear to be a gentle and benevolent old man.
Liu Buli glanced at him.
As if worried Liu Buli might forget, the old monk discreetly hid his hand behind his back and rubbed his index finger and thumb together, a reminder of their financial agreement.
Liu Buli felt a wave of disgust, but to avoid arousing suspicion, he offered a smile as hypocritical as the old monk's. He nodded and asked, "What is this child's name?"
"When I found him, he couldn't even speak. For convenience, I gave him a name," the old monk said with a smile, ruffling the young man's hair. "He's called Lu Wuming, picked up on the road, with no name. Immortal, do you think this name is fitting?"
The name was truly awful.
Especially since he had carried this name, given by his enemy without any real thought, to his death. It was truly pitiful.
Liu Buli clenched his fist behind his back, but the smile on his face remained unchanged.
He walked over to Lu Wuming, gently patted his shoulder, and then pointed to the stone table nearby. "Wuming," he said, "from today onwards, you are a member of my Dan Sect. Knowing you were coming, I had some pastries made this afternoon and placed them on that table. I'm not sure if they'll suit your taste. You can try them first and wait for me here. It's getting late, and the road is difficult. I'll escort the master down the mountain and be back soon."
Hearing his words, Lu Wuming looked up.
Indeed, several small dishes were placed on the table, holding exquisite and beautiful pastries. As if concerned he might get thirsty, a pot of tea and two teacups were placed beside them.
Seeing this, Lu Wuming was momentarily stunned.
The rage and malice in his eyes flickered into confusion.
He hadn't quite figured out what was happening. Just a moment ago, he had been suffering in flames. The next second he opened his eyes, he was back ten years in the past.
He remembered this old monk; he was the one who had pushed him into the second fiery pit.
Lu Wuming intended to kill him, but if he were to kill him, he would take that bitch from the Dan Sect with him.
That's why he had followed the old monk up the mountain and arrived here.
But what was going on?
Why was Liu Buli different from his memories?
When the old monk had brought him to the Dan Sect previously, Liu Buli had immediately attacked him with a technique, knocking him unconscious.
Why hadn't he attacked this time? And what were those things on the table? Could it be that he had found another way to poison him with food?
It was laughable.
If poison worked, his mother would have been able to kill him years ago. Why wait until now?
Thinking of this, venom and hatred returned to Lu Wuming's eyes. Yet, looking at the food on the table, he still walked over, sat on the stone stool, and without caring if his hands were dirty, grabbed a piece and put it in his mouth. The sweet taste made him forget to chew for a moment.
He had never eaten anything like this.
Because he was a monster, he wouldn't die even without eating or drinking. From a very young age, his mother had discovered this fact, so she had never given him anything that could be called food. Instead, she had fed him plenty of deliberately ruined, dark, mushy dishes mixed with poisonous insects and herbs.
Later, when Liu Buli imprisoned him in the Dan Sect, he had only eaten resentment and despair. Food was a luxury he couldn't beg for, and Liu Buli would never waste anything.
So what was this thing before him?
Lu Wuming had only smelled this scent in the cellar, but he had always known that this scent was too far away from him, that he didn't deserve it, and that it never belonged to him.
But now…
His mouth instinctively began to move, and Lu Wuming devoured all the pastries on the table. He didn't care if there was poison in them.
It was truly too sweet.
So this was what others called food…
Lu Wuming didn't know that tears had already fallen subconsciously as he ate. Liu Buli saw them but said nothing, only smiled, and then turned to leave the courtyard with the old monk.
They didn't know that not long after they left, Lu Wuming, full and satisfied, followed them.
As dusk approached, the reason the Ghost Clan was called "ghosts" was due to their innate abilities, powers inherited from their bloodline, allowing them to conceal themselves in darkness. As long as there was a shadow and they were not restrained, they were almost undetectable.
Lu Wuming hid in the darkness, closely following the two who had left. He did indeed love the taste of the pastries, but he remembered the despair and hatred of his previous life even more.
This was a good opportunity to kill these two beasts.
He would not let it pass.
Outside the Dan Sect, the old monk also dropped his pretense, reverting to the cruel, cunning, and ruthless demeanor recorded in the book. Rubbing his hands, he smiled at Liu Buli and asked, "Sect Master, our agreed-upon transaction, you haven't forgotten, have you?"
"How could I forget?" Liu Buli replied indifferently, then reached into his Qiankun bag.
Seeing this action, the old monk assumed he was taking out gold for him. His smile became even more lewd, and he squinted, chuckling, "Sect Master, your actions make me a little confused. That boy is just a vessel, why bother making food for him? He's a monster, he won't die without eating, why waste these things?"
Liu Buli didn't answer.
What he pulled from the Qiankun bag was not the gold the old monk expected.
With a long sword in hand, the blade was placed against the old monk's neck.
Liu Buli said calmly, "You're right, for some people, eating is indeed a waste. But the one wasting things is not Lu Wuming, but a shameless merchant beast like you."
As the words fell, he didn't give the old monk a chance to speak before acting, causing the tip of the sword to bloom a blood-stained red flower.
The old monk had no cultivation and was not really a monk at all. He was just a scoundrel in disguise, preying on others. Such people were common in this chaotic world.
Watching the other man fall backward in disbelief, Liu Buli's fingers trembled slightly.
Having accepted the original host's memories, his aversion and fear of killing had lessened considerably. Coupled with the fact that the old monk deserved to die in his eyes, the tremor in his heart was much weaker than he had anticipated.
However, he had still taken a life, and he was not entirely accustomed to it.
Liu Buli sighed, sheathed his sword, and used his other hand to steady his trembling one. As he turned to leave, he murmured, "Wuming is a truly unpleasant name. Should I help him think of a new one?"
He muttered to himself as he returned to the Dan Sect.
Instead of going directly to his own courtyard, he went to the kitchen and ordered more dishes to be prepared for Lu Wuming.
Lu Wuming watched him from a short distance behind as he did these things.
The knife was still in his hand, but he couldn't bring himself to strike.
He didn't understand what had gotten into Liu Buli.
But it didn't matter. After he finished this meal, it would be his death day.
Lu Wuming thought this and returned to the small courtyard ahead of time.
Not long after, Liu Buli returned with the dishes. This time, there were not only dishes for Lu Wuming but also for himself.
He placed the food on the table and smiled, "I just sent off the monk. I was afraid what you had might not be enough, so I ordered some more. Try the taste, I quite like it. I wonder what you think."
Lu Wuming ignored him and lowered his head to eat.
Watching him eat ravenously, Liu Buli smiled. "Eat more," he said. "At fifteen or sixteen, you're at the age to grow. Look at yourself, skin and bones. How can you possibly grow? Since you've joined my Dan Sect, don't dwell on the past. From now on, I'll teach you cultivation. Study hard. Consider this your home, relax. No one will bully you anymore."
At the last sentence, Lu Wuming's eating paused abruptly.
He looked up at Liu Buli, his eyes filled with surprise.