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 did not have enough time to withdraw. He pushed his palm forward.

Outside the tower, thousands of vines suddenly erupted on the sides of Zhou Bei Nan. Without waiting for his responses, he was dragged under the ground.

Zhou Bei Nan was furious: “Meng-“

A vine blocked his mouth decisively.

Soon, only his head was left out of 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 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 Zhong Guang retracted his hand and wrapped it around Xu Xing Zhi"s waist. He pressed the other party"s forehead against the back of his hand and tenderly rubbed. His tone was gentle: “… Senior Brother, rest a.s.sured, everything that brings obstruction will die.”

A shiver swept across Xu Xing Zhi"s back. He always felt that this remark had an underlying meaning. He let go of Meng Zhong Guang"s legs and jumped off his body. Xu Xing Zhi shook his sweaty palm and pretended to be relaxed before he 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 Heaven Rank, he thought he would not be as 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 time you were frightened by the maggots and blew up the entire ghost altar?"

Xu Xing Zhi: “…”  Don"t remember, never heard of it, how shameful, goodbye.

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

With such a beauty in front of him, it was truly seductive, but he wasn"t so confused as to forget 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 when Meng Zhong Guang unhesitatedly pulled at the chain. Xu Xing Zhi"s body lost its balance and he staggered and b.u.mped back into Meng Zhong Guang"s chest.

Xu Xing Zhi"s head was muddled. He looked up at Meng Zhong Guang and questioned: “… What are you doing?”

Meng Zhong Guang ignored Xu Xing Zhi and told 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 unable to inquire more information. 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 looks good?"

According to Xu Xing Zhi"s distinct nature, he certainly would say the truth; for example, “You look better than her, but if you don"t pull it out and it"s bigger than me, I will certainly marry you to my house.” and so on.

But in view of the inappropriate situation, he had to continue his acts of being cool: “… Stop acting like a fool.”

"Fool?"

Meng Zhong Guang suddenly reached out his hands and pinched 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, so why are you crying?

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

And Meng Zhong Guang bought this reprimand. His eyes reflected a little grievance for a second, but instantly only raging flames was remained.

Immediately, Xu Xing Zhi"s clavicle was bitten.

It was a genuine bite. From this one bite, Xu Xing Zhi"s scalp went numbed and his tears came close to dripping.

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 owner, Xu Xing Zhi suppressed his doubts in order to break away from him. He sneered, “Meng Zhong Guang, if you still treat me as your Senior Brother, don"t tie me here. I saved your life today, is that how you treat your life-saving benefactor? Is that what I taught you?”

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

Xu Xing Zhi thought; well, this time he finally understood. This child was just like a gyroscope that needed to be pulled.

He was still thinking when Meng Zhong Guang raised his head slightly and begged, “… But Senior Brother, the Wilderness is dangerous. I"ve locked Senior Brother in the room because I feared Senior Brother would run wildly and meet more danger… Zhong Guang can"t afford to lose Senior Brother anymore. Even a slightest risk cannot be afforded…”　　

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

For a moment, Xu Xing Zhi even felt a fatherly love arising from his chest and he could not stop it. He was bitten by a puppy and it seemed like 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 a cage.”

Although the Wilderness itself was a huge prison, at least it was bigger than a room.

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 make sure to come back in the evening…”

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

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

Xu Xing Zhi was shocked, and because of his unbalanced position, he could only instinctively encircle Meng Zhong Guang"s neck with his arms. “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 framebonly 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 would be amazing if I believe 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 set heavier, he might even see a tearful Meng Zhong Guang, just as if someone had given him a great grievance.

He closed his eyes and rolled onto the 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 Xing Zhi couldn"t sleep. He tossed and turned for a long time before facing Meng Zhong Guang in the end.

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 would be solved once he plunged the knife downward.

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

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

According to logic, this was a false world created by himself; however, he had only 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 had flesh and blood. They could move and laugh. They could speak and be angered. They could play pranks and had tender feelings.

… Including Meng Zhong Guang.

He might looked like an immature puppy, but when he hugged himself and covered his eyes, including now, he was warm to the touch.

For Xu Xing Zhi, perhaps the best way was to fight quickly and decisively. But the characters that came alive through his writing gave him a subtle feeling. Xu Xing Zhi could not convince himself that he was only 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 cut away. Therefore, it was difficult for him to hold genuine hatred for Meng Zhong Guang. On the contrary, he actually held a little affection for him.

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

Xu Xing Zhi needed to find other reasons to kill him. Otherwise, he would not be able to do so.

Feeling relieved of his heart-knot, Xu Xing Zhi fell asleep after putting away his dagger. Meng Zhong Guang slowly opened his eyes.

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

His gaze was steady, and it just happened to land on exactly where Xu Xing Zhi had stopped the dagger at a moment ago.

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 all 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 while you are out there with him day by day. Senior Brother listened to his slander and has come to kill me. Is that so?"

With that, Meng Zhong Guang raised his hand and strangled Xu Xing Zhi"s throat.

The long breaths circulated like beads under his palm. With little effort, he could easily crush 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 as 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 dissoluted in the room.

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

He wrapped his limbs and warm body tightly around Xu Xing Zhi. He stuck close to his ear and said slowly with his breath, “Thank you for not killing me today. But, Senior Brother, you still must 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 hotter. His limbs were paralyzed and numbed, and he had no strength.

In his sleep, foreign bodies akin to vines climbed up his thighs. They slowly grabbed his ankles and separated his legs. They coiled around and played with him patiently. Oftenly, they buried their 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 there was nothing he could do about it. He woke up from fright with dried 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 kicked Meng Zhong Guang out.

After a moment"s delay, he regained his voice: “It"s nothing. Just had a nightmare. Could you pour me a gla.s.s of water?”

Xu Xing Zhi was unaware that his cheeks were flushed. His tear mole was distinct and there was an aesthetic feeling arising from his lack of awareness of his own beauty.

Meng Zhong Guang obediently went to pour the water. There was an unspeakable joy in his shadow and it almost seemed as if his 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 “Fei Mountain”. Yellow sand was everywhere, and the frost wind was gloomy and harsh. There was a haggard glimmer in the mountain grottoes, which seemed to be extinguished by the strong wind at any time.

Within a 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 below answered, “I saw him 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 as he clapped his hands and laughed, “Good, very good! With him, we have hopes of getting out of the wilderness!”

The man below seemed puzzled for a while. He was 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 gnashing 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 doesn"t know that Xu Xing Zhi has the manner of a cut sleeve, all the Junior Brothers he brought out were all hopeless cause. Jiu Zhi Deng and his friendship is unusual. If we catch his Senior Brother, it is tantamount to holding his lifeblood!”

The more he talked, the more excited 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 excited speech of the Animal Hide Man: “For Xu Xing Zhi to appear 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 the corners of her lips were brought up to a smile. “Did Xu Xing Zhi fail to serve Jiu Zhi Deng in bed? Or did Jiu Zhi Deng send him in with a task? For example, to 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 had 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 instead be self-defeating."

The more he thought about it, the more reasonable he felt it was. He couldn"t help but felt frustrated.

He hatefully said, “Yeah. Xu Xing Zhi murdered his master. Who doesn"t know this in the 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 Hide 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 Hide 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?"

The author has something to say:

Zhong Guang: I have special brain power.

Senior Brother: …get lost.

Zhong Guang: Woof!