vstars Chapter 22 Lu Yunluo
Chapter 22 Lu Yunluo
Shen Gui carried the boy for about half an hour, until they were far away from the territory of Jimingtun, before slowing down.
The boy in her arms suddenly stirred and let out a muffled murmur.
Shen Gui looked down and saw that the boy's brows were furrowed, his body was twisting slightly, and he was muttering something that was hard to understand.
The effects of the Butterfly Incense are almost gone.
Shen Gui stopped and gently placed the boy on a flat stone by the roadside. He stepped back two paces and waited quietly.
A moment later, the boy suddenly opened his eyes.
Those eyes were unlike those of ordinary children.
His pupils contracted, his gaze sharp and alert. His first reaction was not to cry or bewilderment, but to suddenly roll over, land on all fours, arch his back, and let out a low whimper.
That's the wolf's posture.
Shen Gui didn't move, but just watched him quietly.
The boy's gaze swept quickly around the room, finally landing on Shen Gui.
There was no fear in his eyes, only defensiveness and hostility. His lips were slightly turned up, revealing two rows of teeth that were sharp and uneven, worn down by raw meat.
"hiss."
The boy let out a threatening growl.
Shen Gui crouched down, trying to appear less threatening, and said calmly, "You don't need to be afraid, I'm not here to harm you."
Shen Gui was met with a swift and fierce attack.
Although the boy was only seven or eight years old, his explosive power was astonishing. He used all his strength and pounced on Shen Gui like a little wolf cub, opening his mouth to bite!
Shen Gui's lips twitched slightly, but he neither drew his sword nor retreated.
He simply stretched out his right hand, precisely pinched the skin on the back of the boy's neck, and lifted the boy up like a cat.
The boy flailed his limbs wildly in the air, twisting and turning his body, uttering angry whimpers, but no matter what he did, he couldn't reach Shen Gui's hand.
Even if it's just physical strength, a cultivator at the fourth level of the embryonic breathing stage is not someone a seven or eight-year-old child can easily defeat.
"Behave yourself." Shen Gui grabbed him, his tone indifferent. "It won't do you any good if you bite me, I'm not a chicken."
The boy struggled even more fiercely, twisting his limbs wildly.
Shen Gui wasn't in a hurry; he just held him up and let him struggle.
After struggling for a while, the boy finally ran out of strength, his limbs drooped limply, and he made low whimpering sounds.
Looking at his appearance, Shen Gui sighed softly and changed his position so that he was facing her.
"Can you understand what I'm saying?" Shen Gui asked.
The boy stared intently at him, neither speaking nor moving.
Shen Gui thought for a moment, then pointed to himself: "Shen Gui."
Then, pointing to the boy, she said, "You."
The boy still did not react.
Shen Gui repeated himself, speaking very slowly, and pointed to himself and him again: "Shen Gui, you."
The boy looked at him for a moment, his lips moved, and he let out a muffled "Hiss..."
Shen Gui: "..."
Never mind, no rush.
He put the boy down, and the boy immediately got down on all fours, hunched over, and stared at him warily, but did not pounce on him again.
Shen Gui looked into those eyes and spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but very clear.
"I don't know if you understand, but I'll say it anyway."
"The white wolf that raised you was killed by a very powerful person, who then took it away."
The boy's ears twitched.
A flicker of emotion suddenly appeared in his murky eyes, and a rapid sob escaped his throat, as if asking a question or confirming something.
Shen Gui looked at his appearance and her heart softened, but her tone remained unchanged: "I can't save it. That person is too strong. You're still young, and you can't beat her."
The boy's eyes dimmed for a moment.
Shen Gui stared into his eyes and said, "But if you want to avenge it, then cultivate diligently. When you are strong enough, go find the person who took it away. At that time, no one will stop you."
The boy fell silent.
Shen Gui looked at his eyes, which were gradually calming down, and felt a slight stirring in his heart.
This child, though unable to speak, seems to be able to understand.
"Your name is Lu Yunluo. We all have our own names. My name is Shen Gui." Shen Gui pointed at the boy, his tone calm and firm, "Lu—Yun—Luo."
The boy blinked.
"I am your master." Shen Gui pointed to himself again. "Master. Follow me, and I will teach you cultivation, how to speak, and how to be a person."
The boy looked at him, neither nodding nor shaking his head.
Shen Gui tentatively reached out, wanting to touch his head.
This was a reassuring gesture; he wanted the boy to know that he was not the enemy.
The boy's gaze fell on Shen Gui's outstretched hand, his pupils contracted slightly, but he neither dodged nor pounced.
Shen Gui's hand moved closer and closer, his fingers almost touching the boy's messy hair.
"Snap!"
The boy suddenly turned his head and bit Shen Gui's hand!
The force was immense; the teeth were deeply embedded in the skin, as if trying to bite off a piece of flesh!
Shen Gui: "..."
He neither withdrew his hand nor became angry; he simply watched the boy quietly.
The boy bit down hard.
With his cultivation at the fourth level of the Fetal Breathing stage, Shen Gui's skin and bones were far more resilient than those of ordinary people.
Although the boy's teeth were sharp, they didn't even break his skin, leaving only two rows of shallow teeth marks on the back of his hand.
Shen Gui didn't move; he just waited.
After waiting for a while, the boy's mouth gradually loosened, his teeth slipped from Shen Gui's hand, and a trace of confusion flashed in his cloudy eyes.
He seemed not to understand why he couldn't bite through it.
Shen Gui looked at the two rows of teeth marks on the back of his hand, then at the boy's stubborn face, and sighed softly.
"Finished biting? If you're done, behave yourself."
The boy's eyes flickered, seemingly puzzled, but he ultimately did not pounce on him again.
The two sat on the rock, one tall and one short, one calm and one restless, the moonlight casting long shadows on them.
After resting for a while, Shen Gui stood up and dusted off his robes.
"Let's go home."
Before he finished speaking, the boy suddenly turned around, got off on all fours, and nimbly darted into the bushes beside him!
Shen Gui was prepared. He flashed forward and stood in front of the boy, grabbed him by the back of the neck, and lifted him up.
The boy struggled frantically, letting out sharp screams.
Shen Gui sighed, tossed him onto his back, pressed down on his back with one hand and supported his legs with the other, carrying him steadily like a disobedient bundle.
"Stop messing around, you can't escape."
The boy lay on Shen Gui's back, kicking wildly with his limbs and making angry whimpering noises.
Shen Gui ignored him and strode forward.
After walking several dozen steps, the boy got tired of struggling, his fists went limp, and his body gradually relaxed.
After walking a few dozen more steps, the boy's breathing became shallow, and he tilted his head to the side, leaning it on Shen Gui's shoulder.
Shen Gui glanced at the boy, who had already closed his eyes, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, and his lips muttering some indistinct syllables.
Fell asleep.
Shen Gui gently shook his head, taking more steady steps so as not to wake Lu Yunluo.
……
Daling Village.
When Shen Gui carried the boy into the courtyard, Su Wanniang was drying spirit rice in the courtyard.
"Immortal Master is back?" Su Wanniang looked up and saw that Shen Gui was safe and sound. Her worry vanished, replaced by a gentle smile.
Her gaze fell on the boy on Shen Gui's back. She paused for a moment, but did not ask any further questions.
Shen Gui placed the boy on a bamboo couch in the corner of the courtyard and briefly explained the matter of Jimingtun.
He skipped over the story of the white wolf and the old woman.
Su Wanniang listened attentively, nodding occasionally. When she heard the news of Jimingtun's surrender, her eyes lit up slightly, and she said softly, "Immortal Master, you've worked hard."
She glanced at the boy on the bamboo couch, then hesitated, as if she wanted to say something.
Shen Gui knew what she wanted to ask, so he said, "I've taken on a new disciple named Lu Yunluo. This child grew up around demonic beasts since she was little, and her wild nature hasn't been tamed yet, so I brought her back to teach her personally."
Su Wanniang nodded, not asking any further questions, but said gently, "I'll go boil some hot water for him to wash."
"Okay, go ahead." Shen Gui waved his hand.
Su Wanniang turned and left, her steps light and quick, her skirt swaying slightly.
Shen Gui was checking on the boy's condition by the bamboo couch.
"master!"
A crisp sound came from inside the house, and Ahe skipped and hopped out.
A sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, wearing a light blue cloth dress, with long hair draped over her shoulders, bright and lively eyes, and a slender figure.
She ran to Shen Gui's side, grabbed his sleeve, and looked him up and down several times to make sure he wasn't injured. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief and say with a grin, "Master, you're finally back! Ahe was so worried!"
Shen Gui raised his hand and gently ruffled her hair, his tone mild: "What are you worried about? It's not like your master is going out for the first time."
Ahe pouted, about to retort, when her gaze suddenly fell on the boy on the bamboo couch, and she curiously leaned closer.
"Huh? Who's this? Why are they all dirty?"
The tattered cloth covering the boy was no longer recognizable, stained with mud and dried blood. His hair was matted and tangled, and his facial features were illegible.
Ahe tilted her head and examined it for a while before turning to Shen Gui: "Master, did you pick this up?"
Shen Gui nodded: "From now on, he will be your junior brother, named Lu Yunluo."
"Junior brother?" Ah He's eyes lit up. She grinned and moved closer to the bamboo couch, reaching out her delicate white hand to touch the boy's face. "Why is junior brother all dirty? Let your senior sister take a look!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the boy on the bamboo couch suddenly opened his eyes!
Before Ahe could retract her hand, the boy opened his mouth and bit her fair finger hard!
Ahe screamed in fright and tried to pull her hand back, but she couldn't outrun the boy's teeth.
At the critical moment, a hand reached out from the side and steadily blocked Ah He's fingers and the boy's teeth.
"Snap!"
The boy bit down hard on the branch.
The branch snapped, but thankfully the boy's teeth didn't manage to bite Ahe.
Shen Gui held a broken branch in his hand, looked at the boy's two rows of teeth grinding together, and said expressionlessly, "I knew it."
Ahe, still shaken, covered her hands, staring wide-eyed at the fierce-looking boy on the bamboo bed. Her face was deathly pale, her lips trembled a few times, but she couldn't utter a single word.
The boy bit off the branch, but didn't let go, still holding onto the broken half tightly, his eyes fixed on Ahe, as if warning her not to come closer.
Shen Gui reached out and gently patted the boy's head.
The boy suddenly turned his head, trying to bite his hand.
Shen Gui was prepared; with a flick of his wrist, he pressed down on the back of his head, rendering him unable to move.
"Stop joking around." Shen Gui said calmly, "This is your senior sister, not an enemy."
Ahe snapped out of her daze, clutching her chest, and looked at the filthy boy with lingering fear. She whispered, "Master, is he... mute?"
"No." Shen Gui released the boy's head, stood up, and sighed. "He was raised by demonic beasts since he was a child. Apart from that mother wolf, he has never seen any other people. He can't speak human language and doesn't know how to get along with people."
Ahe blinked, looking at the boy who was still staring intently at her. Her initial fear gradually faded, replaced by an indescribable heartache.
"Then...then he's so pitiful," Ahe whispered.
Shen Gui glanced at her, a barely perceptible smile curving his lips.
"You're quite thick-skinned. He almost bit your hand just now, and you suddenly feel sorry for him?"
Ah He touched her hand, still feeling a bit scared, but looking at the boy's dirty and skinny appearance, her heart softened.
"Master, does his bite really not hurt you?"
"His physical body, at the fourth level of the Fetal Breathing stage, is impenetrable to a mere mortal child," Shen Gui said calmly. "You can too; infuse your body with magical power, and he still won't be able to bite through it."
Ahe instinctively hid her hands behind her back.
The boy continued to stare intently at her, the sobbing in his throat never ceasing.
Shen Gui looked at the two of them and gently shook his head.
"Alright, Ah He, you go ahead and do your thing. I'll handle Yun Luo's matter."
"Mmm!" Ah He nodded repeatedly, turned and ran, but after a couple of steps she looked back at the boy on the bamboo bed and whispered, "Junior brother, be good, don't bite Master."
The boy, of course, couldn't understand, but just stared at her retreating figure and whimpered a few times.
Shen Gui sat down on the bamboo couch, looked into the boy's eyes, and said calmly, "She's your senior sister. She won't harm you. You'll only be afraid of her if you bite her. You'll understand later."
The boy looked at him, and the hostility in his eyes gradually subsided, but he remained vigilant.
Shen Gui reached out, but this time he didn't touch his head. Instead, he handed him a clean piece of cloth.
The boy looked at the piece of cloth, but neither took it nor bit it.
Shen Gui placed the cloth beside him, her tone indifferent: "Wipe your face, it's filthy."
The boy didn't understand, but he took the cloth.
Looking at the boy's clumsy appearance, Shen Gui sighed inwardly.
This child is much harder to raise than Ahe was back then.
Although Ah He was thin and weak when he was taken in, at least he could speak human language and understood some social etiquette.
This child, however, is like a blank sheet of paper—no, a wild and untamed rock that needs to be polished little by little.
"Take it slow." Shen Gui stood up, his gaze falling on the distant mountains and forests, his eyes calm. "Anyway, we have a long life ahead of us."
……
Once the water was boiled, Su Wanniang brought over a bucket of warm water and placed it in the center of the courtyard.
Shen Gui lifted the boy off the bamboo couch, pointed to the bucket, then to the boy, and said simply and directly, "Wash him."
The boy looked at the bucket, then at Shen Gui, his eyes filled with confusion.
Shen Gui sighed, not expecting him to understand, and directly pushed him into the bucket of water.
The boy suddenly struggled, splashing water everywhere. Su Wanniang exclaimed and quickly backed away, while Ahe covered her mouth and chuckled to herself.
"Don't move." Shen Gui pressed on the boy's shoulder, and with his other hand scooped up warm water and poured it over his head.
The boy gradually stopped struggling. The steam from the warm water rose up and brushed against his dirty face, and a trace of confusion flashed in his cloudy eyes.
He seemed to have never experienced this feeling before.
Shen Gui patiently washed his hair, face, and body, removing layer by layer of grime to reveal the firm skin underneath.
The boy had many scars on his body, some deep, some shallow, some new, some old.
Shen Gui looked at the scars without saying anything, but simply poured the water more gently.
Ah He squatted to the side, her eyes sparkling as she watched, and whispered, "Master, so this is what he looks like... He's quite handsome."
After washing away the grime from his face, the boy's features were revealed: deep-set eyes, a straight nose, and although thin, he had a good foundation.
He will be handsome.
Shen Gui draped a dry cloth over the boy's head, dried his hair, and then took out a set of clean clothes for the boy to change into.
The boy, dressed in new clothes, stood in the courtyard, head bowed, looking helpless, like a wooden stake.
He never wore clothes.
Shen Gui looked at him and nodded slightly: "Much more pleasing to the eye."
Ahe chuckled and circled around him twice, clapping her hands as she said, "Junior Brother is so handsome! He's just too thin. Senior Sister will cook you delicious food from now on!"
Shen Gui thought about Ahe's cooking skills and secretly complained to himself.
I'm afraid it's not much better than raw chicken.
Su Wanniang watched from the side, smiled gently, and said softly, "Immortal Master, is this child hungry? I'll go and cook some spirit rice porridge."
"Go ahead," Shen Gui nodded.
Su Wanniang turned and went to the kitchen. After a short while, she brought over a bowl of steaming hot spirit rice porridge with a few slices of minced meat in it. The porridge had a fragrant aroma.
Shen Gui took the bowl of porridge, squatted down in front of the boy, scooped up a spoonful of porridge, blew on it, and held it to the boy's lips.
The boy looked at the spoon, then at Shen Gui, but didn't open his mouth.
Shen Gui touched the spoon to the boy's lips, and the boy instinctively stuck out his tongue and licked it, his eyes suddenly lighting up!
It was a taste he had never experienced before.
Warm, sweet, and tender, it is completely different from the fishy smell of raw chicken.
The boy suddenly opened his mouth, stuffed the porridge into his mouth, swallowed it down with a gulp, and then stared at the bowl in Shen Gui's hand, making rapid whimpering sounds.
Shen Gui fed him another spoonful.
The boy took the initiative to come over and ate heartily, his mouth full of rice paste, his cheeks bulging.
Ah He watched from the side and couldn't help but laugh: "Master, the way Junior Brother eats is so funny!"
Shen Gui glanced at her: "You weren't much better off when you first arrived."
Ahe blushed, pouted, and remained silent.
The bowl of porridge was quickly emptied, and the boy licked his lips with lingering satisfaction, his gaze fixed on the empty bowl, as if he still wanted to eat.
Shen Gui handed the empty bowl to Su Wanniang: "Fill another bowl."
Su Wanniang smiled and took the bowl, then ladled out another bowl for her.
The boy ate more slowly this time, no longer wolfing down his food, but instead imitating Shen Gui, drinking in small sips.
By the time he had drunk the third bowl, the boy's stomach was bulging, and he finally stopped staring at the bowl.
Shen Gui handed the bowl to Su Wanniang, looking at the boy's cloudy eyes, and said calmly, "Finished eating? Go to sleep if you're done."
The boy couldn't understand, but he seemed to sense the gentleness in Shen Gui's tone, and there was something indescribable in his eyes.
Shen Gui didn't say anything more, carried the boy back to the bamboo bed, and covered him with a thin quilt.
The boy huddled under the covers, staring at Shen Gui.
Shen Gui sat by the bamboo couch for a moment, then reached out and, without hesitation this time, gently placed his hand on the boy's head.
The boy neither bit him nor dodged; he simply watched him quietly.
"From now on, this will be your home," Shen Gui said softly. "Your name is Lu Yunluo, and you are my second disciple. Your senior sister is Ahe, and Su Wanniang from earlier is also a cultivator from the village. So, she is your elder."
"Once you learn to speak and get along with people, I will teach you how to cultivate yourself."
The boy's eyes flickered, and his lips moved slightly.
Shen Gui gently patted the boy's head, without correcting him.
"Go to sleep."
The boy's eyelids gradually drooped, his breathing became long and even, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, as if he were having a good dream.
Shen Gui stood up, looked at the thin face on the bamboo couch, and sighed softly in his heart.
Ahe walked up to Shen Gui at some point, tugged at his sleeve, and whispered, "Master, will Junior Brother... be alright in the future?"
Shen Gui glanced down at her, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Yes."
"Really?"
"Really." Shen Gui looked into the distance, his tone calm but firm, "With us here, he'll be alright."
After a while, Shen Gui added, "We will become better too."