Chapter 5 – Lord of the Wilderness

A warm and soft hand covered Xu Xing Zhi's eyes, blocking his line of sight: "……Senior Brother, it's alright now."

The other hand of Meng Zhong Guang was raised and the spider created by spiritual energy instantly disintegrated into flying ashes.

His fingertips picked and hooked the spiritual energy that Zhou Bei Nan had not enough time to withdraw. He pushed his palm forward.

Outside the tower, thousands of vines suddenly erupted on the sides of Zhou Bei Nan. There was no waiting of his response before he was dragged into the ground.

Zhou Bei Nan was furious: “Meng-“

A vine blocked his mouth decisively.

Soon he only had his head left on the ground.

Lu Yu Jiu placed the repaired ghost spear next to his head and sat a little further away from him. He said with disdain, “Who asked you to do this, you deserve it.”

Zhou Bei Nan: “……”

Xu Xing Zhi was dazed for a long time before he recovered from the coldness of his limbs and his numbed scalp. He blinked his eyes and asked, “Is it dead?”

… The sensation of eyelashes sweeping across the hollow of his palm was miraculous.

Meng Chong Guang retracted his hand back and wrapped it around Xu Xing Zhi's waist. He pressed his forehead against the back of his hand and tendering rubbed. His tone was gentle: “… Senior Brother, rest a.s.sured, everything that brings obstruction will die.”

A s.h.i.+ver swept across Xu Xing Zhi's back, he always felt the meaning of this remark was as indicated. He let go of his legs and he jumped off Meng Zhong Guang's body. He shook his sweaty palm and pretended to be relaxed and said, "That scared me to death.”

He did not know what temperament the original owner had before, but since he was number one in the list of heaven, he thought he would not be so afraid of insects as he was.

He secretly stared at Meng Zhong Guang and observed his reaction.

Meng Zhong Guang smiled and held onto Xu Xing Zhi's chain: “It doesn't matter, Senior Brother need not be shy. Don't you remember that you were frightened by maggot and blew up the whole ghost altar?

Xu Xing Zhi: “……”  Don't remember, never heard of it, how shameful, goodbye.

When the crisis was solved, Xu Xing Zhi realized how ambiguous their postures were.

Beauty at present, it was truly seductive, but he hasn't been confused to forget that the resentment between the original owner and the villain in front of him.

He pushed Meng Zhong Guang aside and said coldly, “Thank you.”

He had yet to finish his sentence and Meng Zhong Guang did not hesitate to pull at the chain and Xu Xing Zhi's body lost its weight. He staggered and b.u.mped back into Meng Zhong Guang's chest.

Xu Xing Zhi was knocked until his head was muddled, and he looked up at Meng Zhong Guang and questioned: “… What are you doing?

Meng Zhong Guang ignored Xu Xing Zhi and said to Zhou w.a.n.g, “Get out.”

Having watched the lively surroundings for a long time, she jumped down from the bedside and considerately closed the door for them before leaving.

Xu Xing Zhi felt regretful that he was not able to inquire more information and he kept looking at Zhou w.a.n.g until she disappeared from the door.

Meng Zhong Guang's eyes slightly swirled: “… Senior Brother, does she look good?"

According to Xu Xing Zhi's distinct nature, he certainly will say the truth, for example, “You look better than her, but if you don't pull it out and it bigger than me, I will certainly marry you to my house.” 云云.

But in view of the wrong situation, he had to continue to pretend to be cool: “… Stop making a fool.”

"Fool?"

Meng Zhong Guang suddenly reached out his hands and grabbed at Xu Xing Zhi's cheeks. In a few seconds, Xu Xing Zhi's face was numb, yet in Meng Zhong Guang's eyes, a faint wave of light prevailed: “… How long will Senior Brother remain aloof at me? How long will I be punished?”

This b.a.s.t.a.r.d, after cheating the teacher and killing the ancestor, I didn't even cry, why are you crying.

Xu Xing Zhi was pinched so painfully as such his gaze were looked naturally unfriendly. He struggled to grab Meng Zhong Guang's front with his inactive left hand and shouted angrily, “Meng Zhong Guang!”

Meng Zhong Guang bought this scare, and his eyes reflected a little grievance for a moment, and yet instantly it was burning raging flames again.

Immediately, Xu Xingzhi's clavicle was bitten.

It's a genuine bite. This one bite down, Xu Xing Zhi's scalp went numbed and his tears were close to dropping.

Meng Zhong Guang, who had upgraded from a rabbit to a puppy, was full of hope: “… Senior Brother, call me by my name again.”

His fervent eyes could almost set Xu Xing Zhi aflame.

Although it was unclear what kind of feelings Meng Zhong Guang had towards the original master, Xu Xing Zhi suppressed his doubts in order to get a break away from him and sneered, “Meng Zhong Guang, if you still treat me as your Senior Brother, don't tie me here. I saved your life today. That is how you treated your life-saving benefactor? Did I teach you that before?”

Meng Zhong Guang immediately woke up and hurriedly loosened Xu Xing Zhi and knelt down in front of him: “Yes, Senior Brother. I, I know I'm wrong…"

Xu Xingzhi thought, well, this time he finally understood, this child was a gyroscope that needed to be pulled.

He was thinking when Meng Zhong Guang raised his head slightly and begged, “… But Senior Brother, the wilderness is dangerous. I locked Senior Brother in the room because I fear Senior Brother would run wildly and meeting more danger… Zhong Guang can't afford to lose Senior Brother anymore, even a slight risk cannot be afforded…”　　

Xu Xing Zhi had never been able to resist beautiful things, let alone such a pitying face in front of him.

For a moment, Xu Xing Zhi even felt that a fatherly love arising from his chest and he could not stop it. He was bitten by a puppy and it seemed that it was not so upsetting after all.

Xu Xing Zhi took a deep breath and bargained with him: “But I can't stay in the room all day long, I might as well be in prison.”

Although the wilderness itself was a huge prison, at least it was big enough.

Meng Zhong Guang thought for a moment and reluctantly said: “… Then Senior Brother could go for a walk in the daytime, but don't ever leave the tower, and come back in the evening…”

Although this was not that good, at least he can now gain a little benefit and Xu Xing Zhi did not mind.

When he nodded his head and agreed, Meng Zhong Guang finally showed some smiles and he lowered his body and even held Xu Xing Zhi in his arms.

Xu Xing Zhi was shocked and because of his unbalanced body, he could only instinctively encircle Meng Zhong Guang's neck. “What else are you going to do?”

Meng Zhong Guang sincerely answered, “It's already evening, Senior Brother.”

Xu Xing Zhi looked out of the window frame, only to find that the sky outside was no different from what he had just seen.

Meng Zhong Guang answered Xu Xing Zhi's questions and puzzles: “In the wilderness, day and night are inseparable. But now it's night, really.”

Xu Xing Zhi: “…”

It will be amazing if I believed in your ridiculous words.

Meng Zhong Guang carried Xu Xing Zhi back to the bed and asked, “Senior Brother, let Zhong Guang sleep with you.”

Xu Xing Zhi knew that it was useless to oppose him. If his tone was heavier, he may still see a tearful Meng Zhong Guang, as if someone gave him a great grievance.

He closed his eyes and rolled into the most corner of the bed, making room for Meng Zhong Guang.

Meng Zhong Guang joyfully climbed into bed and pulled at the quilt. He carefully covered Xu Xing Zhi. He only occupied a small area at the outer side of the bed and covered himself with a little of the quilt before he went to sleep peacefully.

Xu Xingzhi couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned for a long time before finally facing Meng Zhong Guang.

After several rounds of tossing, Xu Xing Zhi pressed his gold chain with his right hand to stop it from making a crackling sound, while his left hand slowly drew a dagger from his waist.

He pointed his knife down to Meng Zhong Guang's forehead.

… Everything will be solved once he aims the knife downward.

He can get out of this ghostly wilderness and go back to his home with his father and sister. As long as he never writes this story again, he can say goodbye to the world forever.

However, Xu Xing Zhi felt that everything in front of him had an indescribability strangeness.

According to logic, this is a false world created by himself, but he just stayed here for one day but Xu Xing Zhi had already produced a sense of down-to-earth reality.

These characters were no longer dummies created on paper. They have flesh and blood, can move and laugh, can speak and can be angered, can play a prank and have tender feelings.

… Including Meng Zhong Guang.

He might look like an immature puppy, but when he hugged himself and covered his eyes, including now, he has a warm body temperature.

For Xu Xing Zhi, perhaps the best way was to fight quickly and decisively. But the characters that came alive through his writing gave a wonderful feeling and Xu Xing Zhi could not convince himself that he was going to kill a fake person in a book.

Xu Xing Zhi gave a light self-mocking laugh and put away his dagger. He lay down with his eyes closed.

… He was not the real Xu Xing Zhi. He had never experienced the hatred and the pain of his bone sliced away. Therefore, it was difficult for him to have a genuine hatred for Meng Zhong Guang.

On the contrary, he had a little affection for Meng Zhong Guang.

Meng Zhong Guang is a living person. He walked from his dream to his story and now he came to face to face with himself.

Xu Xingzhi needed to find other reasons to kill him. Otherwise, he will not be able to do it.

Meng Zhong Guang slowly opened his eyes after Xu Xing Zhi had put down his dagger and relieved of his heart-knot before falling asleep.

His eyes stopped at somewhere in the s.p.a.ce.

It was impartial, it was exactly where Xu Xing Zhi had stopped the dagger at.

Meng Zhong Guang sat up silently and watched Xu Xing Zhi's sleeping face.

In the end, he gently brushed across Xu Xing Zhi's lips with his finger and murmured, “Senior Brother, I've been thinking, where have you been these years?”

Later, with a sudden look, he smiled and said to himself: “… ah, I guess, Senior Brother is with Jiu Zhi Deng, isn't that right?”

“I am in the wilderness, and you are out there with him day by day. Senior Brother listened to his slander and came to kill me. Is that so?"

With that, Meng Zhong Guang raised his hand and strangled Xu Xingzhi's throat.

The long breath circulated like beads under his palm. With a little effort, he could easily break his throat.

He didn't know how long he had maintained this position but Meng Zhong Guang released his hands in the end. His expression was complicated and he whispered: “Senior Brother, I know that you will always change your heart. It doesn't matter. I'll wait a while longer.

In between his speech, a light fragrance of plants dissolute in the room.

Meng Zhong Guang lay down again, but he was no longer as restrained as before by leaving more room for Xu Xing Zhi.

He wrapped his limbs and warm body tightly around Xu Xing Zhi and stuck close to his ear. He said slowly with his breath, “Thank you for not killing me today. But, Senior Brother, you have to be punished a little bit.

Xu Xing Zhi, who gave up the a.s.sa.s.sination, fell asleep very quickly. In a twinkling of an eye, he fell asleep. But somehow, his body was gradually burning up and getting hot. His limbs was paralyzed and numb and he had no strength at all.

In his sleep, foreign bodies akin to vines climbed up his thighs, slowly grabbed his ankles and separated his legs. It coiled around and played with him patiently, and often buried its head downward, taking a sip in the rippling stream.

Xu Xing Zhi wanted to struggle, but his hands and feet were weak and sore as if there were layers of convolution clouds that brutally yet gently wrapped him up and floated him into the air.

He was anxious to break away from this strange dream but he could not do anything about it. He woke up from fright with charred lips and dizziness. He got up and wanted to drink water but when his feet touched the ground, he felt a tender pain at the root of his thighs. He couldn't support himself and fell onto his knees.

Meng Zhong Guang was roused from this sleep and got out of bed quickly, he held onto Xu Xing Zhi from behind. “Senior Brother, what's wrong?”

Xu Xing Zhi's body was so sensitive that he could not be afforded to be touch at all. With this one touch, he almost couldn't control his foot and roll Meng Zhong Guang out.

After a moment's delay, he regained his voice: “It's nothing. Just had a nightmare. Pour me a gla.s.s of water.”

Xu Xing Zhi was unaware that his cheeks were flushed. His tear mole was distinct and he had a kind of aesthetic feeling brought up by his unawareness of his beauty.

Meng Zhong Guang obediently went to pour the water. There was an unspeakable joy in his shadow and the dog's tail was wagging.

Xu Xing Zhi was lifted up and leaned on the head of the bed. He felt that Meng Zhong Guang looked cute in this manner.

In the corner of the wilderness, there was a hill, named “Sealed Mountain”. Yellow sand was everywhere, and the frost wind was sad and tight. There was a haggard glimmer in the mountain grottoes, which seemed to be extinguished by the strong wind at any time.

Within the rock cave.

A man wearing animal hide leaned forward and his eyes shone. “Did you see it clearly? Is it really Xu Xing Zhi?"

A man at below answered, “I saw it when I was evacuating. The one who stood beside Meng Zhong Guang was indeed the head disciple of Qing Jing Jun of Fengling Mountain. Xu Xing Zhi!” At that time, on the day of the heaven rank compet.i.tion, I had the pleasure to meet him and I still remembered it clearly.

The animal hide man looked happy and he clapped his hands and laughed, “Good, Very good! With him, we have a hope of getting out of the wilderness!”

The below seemed puzzled for a while, unable to comprehend.

The animal hide man pressed down his joy and said, “I ask you, who is the Lord of Fengling mountain now?”

Mentioning the man, all the people below him were gnas.h.i.+ng their teeth with hatred. A voice reluctantly answered, “Jiu Zhi Deng.”

The animal hide man answered, “That's right, as long as we catch Xu Xing Zhi and trade with Jiu Zhi Deng, he will certainly let us out!”

Someone objected: “Jiu Zhi Deng is so sick and frenzied. He always wanted us dead. How could he because of Xu Xing Zhi…..”

“Why not?” Jiu Zhi Deng, like that Meng Zhong Guang, was brought up by Xu Xing Zhi himself. Who don't knows Xu Xing Zhi has the manner of cut sleeves, all the junior brothers he brought out were very ill. Jiu Zhi Deng and his friends.h.i.+p are unusual if we catch his Senior Brother, it is tantamount to holding his lifeblood! “

The more he talked, the more exciting he became, the more enthusiastic he looked. “I've had enough of being a tramp for so many years!” As long as Xu Xing Zhi is caught, we can……”

A beautiful woman leaned on the stone wall and thought for a long time before interrupting the excitement of the animal hide man's self-talk: “Xu Xing Zhi appeared so suddenly in the wilderness, don't you think it's too strange?” For more than a decade, the only person who has the key to the wilderness is Jiu Zhi Deng. How did he get in?"

“She played with her newly dyed nails and corners of her lips lifted a smile. “Did Xu Xing Zhi fail to serve Jiu Zhi Deng in the bed? Or did Jiu Zhi Deng send him in with a task? For example, kill his good junior brother, Meng Zhong Guang? After all, Meng Zhong Guang is now in the wilderness, and no one dares to say two if he called one. If he has a plan to rush out of the wilderness, won't Jiu Zhi Deng have a headache? If it was these two possibilities, catching Xu Xing Zhi will not help you, but it will be self-defeating."

The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it was. He couldn't help but feel frustrated.

He hateful said: “Yeah. Xu Xing Zhi murdered his master. Who doesn't know in this world? What kind of things can't be done by such villains?”

The woman was exasperated at the failure and clicked her tongue twice. She stepped close to the animal skin man and sat down on his stone pedestal. Her chest was close to his arm and she was full of laughter. “But who said Xu Xing Zhi was useless?”

The animal hide man: “… what do you mean?”

The woman teased at the animal skin man's chapped lips: “Jiu Zhi Deng is far away from the wilderness, but… don't you want to rule over Meng Zhong Guang? Don't you want to take back the position of the Lord of the Wilderness he took away?"

End of Chapter 5.

Translated at rrrrhexiatranslations

The author has something to say:

Zhong Guang: I have special brain power.

Senior Brother: …get lost.

Zhong Guang: Woof!