Lu Wuming didn't know what he was thinking as he closed his mouth, leaving the last question unspoken.
After tidying his clothes, he retreated back to Liu Buli's side. Glancing at the other's profile, he cautiously asked, "Master, is there any more food?"
Liu Buli then realized that the pancake earlier might have been too little for the boy.
He quickly took out two more from his Qiankun bag and offered them all to Lu Wuming, saying, "Master brought plenty this time. If you're not full, just tell me. I'll never let you go hungry."
Lu Wuming nodded.
Then he thought and asked, "Then aren't you eating, Master?"
Liu Buli shook his head and chuckled lightly. "You eat, I'm not hungry."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Wuming had already lifted the pancake to his lips. Liu Buli's mouth twitched. He turned to look at the boy, whose eyes were filled with stubbornness, as if he wouldn't stop until Liu Buli took a bite.
Liu Buli had no choice but to open his mouth again.
He took a bite, and only then did Lu Wuming retract it, contentedly beginning to chew.
A moment later, the pancake was offered to Liu Buli's mouth again. He was too lazy to resist anymore. As long as Lu Wuming gave it to him, he would eat. Before long, the two of them had shared the two pancakes.
Liu Buli's mind was elsewhere, so he hadn't noticed that the boy seemed to be doing it intentionally. Each time he bit into it, when he pulled it back, he would only bite where Liu Buli had bitten.
Master smelled fragrant, and the places he had bitten became even more fragrant and sweet.
Lu Wuming found himself falling in love with this taste, just as he had once yearned for the sunlight, infatuated and mad.
Full and satisfied, the boy leaned into Liu Buli's embrace and fell asleep.
Liu Buli looked at the bonfire before him, silently channeling his spiritual energy to guard the surroundings.
He wasn't worried about any wild beasts in the forest, but he remembered what the city guards had said. Those ghost tribes could roam within the city and might also venture out into the forest.
Nowhere was safe.
If any danger arose, he had to be prepared.
The flames crackled as they consumed the branches, and in the windless night, everything seemed so quiet.
After a long while, when the night was at its deepest, Liu Buli finally frowned. He slowly lifted the sleeping Lu Wuming from his embrace and placed him on the soft grass beside him.
Drawing his sword, he scanned the surroundings and spoke with a chilling voice, "Since you've come, stop hiding. It's just me and my disciple here. I'm injured, and he's not a threat. If you're too scared to show yourselves even now, I'll be very disappointed in you."
Perhaps his words had pricked their pride, or perhaps his wounded appearance made them feel at ease. Regardless, not long after he finished speaking, a hunched figure appeared among the bushes.
He held a scythe-like weapon. In the firelight, he looked at Liu Buli's face, licked his lips, and let out an unpleasant laugh from his throat.
When he spoke, his voice was hoarse and grating, like fingernails scratching on glass. He said, "I smelled it long ago, little Daoist priest. Your scent is truly intoxicating. Such excellent blood, you are a supreme delicacy. Everyone in this city can't compare to you. If you obediently let me eat you, I promise to be gentle and won't hurt you."
Liu Buli raised an eyebrow, his expression cold.
Looking at the man's utterly hideous face, he scoffed, "Keep your voice down, my disciple is still sleeping."
"Your disciple? Does he carry the scent of our ghost tribe? You might have raised the wrong person." The man's laughter grew louder. Pointing at Lu Wuming, who was still asleep, he said brazenly, "Even if I don't eat you today, he'll eat you later. You say he's your disciple? That's great. I can give him a share, and you won't have died in vain."
As the man spoke, he brandished his scythe.
Liu Buli narrowed his eyes, ensuring Lu Wuming was still asleep. He decisively drew his sword and charged forward.
In a novel, apart from the protagonist, almost everyone dies from talking too much.
Liu Buli didn't consider himself the protagonist of this world.
Therefore, he knew when to shut up and act, at least that way he could live a little longer.
The sword light flashed, and the ghost tribe member proved to be more troublesome than he had imagined.
Especially when they moved away from the firelight, the surrounding darkness was vast. The man's figure seemed to melt into the darkness. Once he entered the darkness, Liu Buli found it difficult to track him.
His wounds grew more numerous as time passed, and Liu Buli knew this couldn't go on. Gritting his teeth, he pondered a solution, and his gaze instinctively flickered towards Lu Wuming's direction.
Then he saw a tall, thin ghost tribe member grab Lu Wuming's clothes. With a turn, he disappeared into the vast darkness, taking the boy with him.
"You're seeking death!"
Liu Buli roared and turned to pursue.
But the night was too deep.
Darkness was the ghost tribe's perfect shield.
This was an innate racial advantage that Liu Buli couldn't overcome.
Watching Lu Wuming being taken away with his own eyes, Liu Buli was furious. But the person behind him attacked again, leaving him no choice but to turn and continue the fight.
However, this time was different from before. Previously, fearing that the lingering power might harm Lu Wuming, Liu Buli had held back somewhat. Now that Lu Wuming was gone, Liu Buli unleashed his full power, bursting with all his spiritual energy to its extreme.
These people were targeting him, and he didn't care.
Touch his beloved, and everyone would die.
...
Liu Buli was unaware that another ghost tribe member was moving rapidly through the darkness. Before long, he brought Lu Wuming to the edge of the forest.
As he put the boy down, he looked back, only to find Lu Wuming's eyes wide open, showing no signs of just waking up.
The man paused for a moment, then chuckled knowingly, "So you were pretending to be asleep? What's wrong? Were you also waiting for an opportunity to devour that delicacy beside you? Don't rush. We'll take you away, and he'll surely be flustered. We don't eat our own kind. After we deal with him, we'll give you a share when we feast."
No, I just wanted to see what a ghost tribe member was like.
Lu Wuming replied in his heart.
His gaze shifted upwards, and he carefully observed the man. Then, he slowly frowned, his eyes filled with intense disgust.
So this was the ghost tribe.
No wonder people called them monsters.
They were indeed ugly and disgusting.
Was this the bloodline flowing within him?
It was utterly sickening.
The anger in his heart surged, and Lu Wuming's gaze towards the man grew colder. His fingers transformed into claws at his side, and he slowly raised his hand, then suddenly revealed a stunning smile.
These creatures didn't deserve to exist in this world.
And they wanted to harm Master? They were truly overestimating themselves.
Lu Wuming's smile widened.
The madness that had been suppressed within him for too long could finally be unleashed without restraint.