Chapter 66

Hongjun had a splitting headache, as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer. When he woke up, he found himself naked in a dark forest. He reached out to touch the flying dagger and the Five-colored Divine Light, but they were all gone!

"What is this place?!" Hongjun said. "Elder Censor! Ghost King! Mo … "

"Shh." A gentle male voice whispered. "Don't speak, or you'll be discovered."

"Who are you?" Hongjun turned his head, but he couldn't find the source of the voice.

"Walk towards the light and find me." The male voice said again. "I'll try to get you out of here."

Hongjun turned around and saw a speck of light in the depths of the forest, but he couldn't tell whether the voice was a friend or foe.

"Trust me." The voice said.

When Hongjun heard these three words, he was instinctively afraid, but he just stood there without moving. The voice said again, "I can feel your fear, but don't worry, people can be confused by dreams. Everything in the world, even what you see may not be real, let alone a dream. "

Hongjun was touched by these words and slowly walked towards the light.

The light in the forest became slightly brighter, but it dimmed again after a moment. Hongjun was completely naked as he walked through the forest. His bare feet stepped on the fallen leaves on the ground, his heart thumping, constantly looking for some leaves to cover himself.

The light gradually brightened and then dimmed. In the depths of the forest, there was a pool made of stone, and in the middle of the pool was a pool of faintly glowing water.

A young man stood in front of the pool, also completely naked. He was about the same height as Hongjun, and his body was thin but his abdominal muscles were distinct. Under the moonlight and the pool's illumination, his body seemed to be plated with a layer of silver light. When he saw Hongjun, his eyebrows raised slightly and he smiled. It was Lu Xu!

"Lu … Lu …"

Hongjun suddenly saw Lu Xu's almost perfect body and almost had a nosebleed. Little did he know that Lu Xu was also a little embarrassed, and he turned his head and said, "We meet again, brother."

Hongjun: "…"

Lu Xu raised his hand. With a swoosh, a ray of light rolled over and wrapped around each other's bodies. On Hongjun's and his own body's bodies, it transformed into white trousers. Both of them were shirtless. Hongjun said awkwardly, "This is much better."

"Do you want a jacket too?" Lu Xu said, "I know that people in the Dazzling Gold Palace aren't used to wearing clothes. It feels uncomfortable to have clothes wrapped around my back."

Hongjun then waved his hand. The birds usually attached great importance to their wings and were indeed not used to having a top, even if the top would disappear with the transformation of the demon form.

"Where is this place?" Hongjun frowned. "Have you recovered?"

Hongjun scrutinized Lu Xu. Lu Xu let out a long sigh and answered, "This is the 'Deer King's True Life', inside a painting."

Hongjun's previous expression was absent-minded, and now his emotions were complicated. Lu Xu glanced at him, picked up a small wooden cup from the side of the pond, and scooped up some pond water for him. Hongjun was very thirsty, so he drank a cup, then another cup, and drank several cups in succession. Lu Xu then said, "The inner demon is not far from this forest. When I returned to the painting, my soul and the inner demon were separated."

Hongjun said, "Can you come out with me?"

Lu Xu shook his head and answered, "If either the inner demon or I want to leave this painting, the two of us will become one again. In the past, I didn't have a body and could only move as a soul. Now that I've found my human body and the remaining one soul and one spirit, once the inner demon escapes, I won't be able to control myself. Fortunately, you and the Grey Wolf chopped off my horns. "

"You're older than me." Hongjun didn't know why, but he suddenly thought of something else. He laughed and said, "Don't always call me brother. It's too strange."

Lu Xu stepped on the edge of the pond and raised his chin, indicating for Hongjun to look into the pond.

Hongjun glanced into the pond and instantly fell silent.

A brilliant starry night appeared in the pond. Kong Xuan was riding on a child's neck. He knocked on the door of a family, and that family … was the Shiwei Village at the foot of Mount Qilian, the place Mo Rigen had visited before!

The family had just given birth to a newborn. Kong Xuan put the child down, picked up the newborn baby, and touched his chest, abdomen, and back.

Hongjun said, "This is …"

Lu Xu said, "The big one is you, and the small one is me."

Lu Xu looked at Hongjun with an apologetic smile.

After the baby was bathed, he was wrapped in swaddling clothes. Lu Xu's father held the newborn baby, while Kong Xuan held little Hongjun's hand. The two of them sat on the couch and talked.

The scene disappeared.

"Hongjun." Lu Xu smiled and said, "I've been waiting for you for so long."

Then, Lu Xu stepped onto the edge of the pond and threw himself at Hongjun. Hongjun screamed and was pressed to the ground by Lu Xu.

"I was wondering!" Hongjun said, "Why can't you remember anyone else but my name?"

Hongjun pulled Lu Xu up, and the two of them sat with their backs against the pond. Lu Xu was a little sad and said, "At that time, I only had one spiritual soul and one physical soul. I only thought that you looked like him."

"You look like my father," Hongjun said.

"Mm." Lu Xu nodded and answered.

Hongjun said, "A few days ago, I was dreaming of him and my mother."

Lu Xu tilted his head and looked at Hongjun, saying, "Those dreams weren't real. Or rather, not all of them."

Hongjun immediately grabbed Lu Xu's arm and said, "Can you let me clearly dream of them again? I dreamed of Elder Shi, and I also dreamed of Di Renjie … "

Lu Xu spread his hands and answered seriously, "You cut off his horn."

Hong Jun slapped his forehead with one hand, completely helpless.

Lu Xu said, "But when you were young, someone put a seal on your memory. Did you know that?"

"What?!" Hongjun asked.

Lu Xu was about to answer when the sky in the forest suddenly turned gloomy. Waves of thunder-like vibrations came from the distance. Lu Xu immediately pressed his hand against the podium, indicating that Hongjun should not speak.

Hongjun looked at the horizon vigilantly. The sky was a light yellow like the mural, and the black fog was constantly spreading. It was heading towards the northeast corner.

"It's looking for you." Lu Xu hissed, "After your soul returned, the Inner Demon wrapped you and me into the mural. I took the opportunity to cast a spell and brought your soul into the forest. But is there demonic energy in your body as well? Otherwise, how did it bring you into the mural?"

"Yes." Hongjun answered.

"But after you entered the mural, your demonic energy and soul could not be separated." Lu Xu frowned and said, "Let me see?"

He turned around and stroked Hongjun's chest muscles. Then, he stretched out his hand. His fingers emitted a white light and sank into Hongjun's chest.

In an instant, Hongjun felt Lu Xu's fingers poke directly into his heart. His whole body trembled. However, Lu Xu only touched him for a moment before retracting his hand.

"It's a seed … a seed …" Lu Xu said hesitantly.

"A demonic seed." Hongjun said in a low voice.

The two of them looked at each other. Hongjun answered, "I also just found out."

"You are Tianma's host?" Lu Xu studied Hongjun and said, "But why didn't you absorb much …"

Hongjun answered helplessly, "Don't ask. I don't know either."

Lu Xu looked at Hongjun and seemed to understand something. Finally, he nodded and said, "Don't worry. I will protect you."

Hongjun smiled bitterly. As he smiled, a wave of sadness welled up in his heart.

"They must be looking for you in the Mogao Grotto right now." Lu Xu said, "The Inner Demon will use you as a hostage trapped in the mural and exchange you with them. As long as the Inner Demon comes out again, I can take the opportunity to send you out. Follow me."

Hongjun still had many questions to ask, but Lu Xu patted him and had him stand up. "There's a small path here. Let's go!"

The shadows of the trees danced and the sun shone brightly. Hongjun had stayed in the ice and snow for a long time. When he came here, he immediately missed the summer days in Chang 'an.

"Your house is so beautiful. How long have you lived here?" Hongjun suddenly felt that living in the mural wasn't so bad. It was simple, had verdant hills and limpid waters, and was isolated from the world.

"I don't know." Lu Xu's eyes carried a trace of confusion as he answered, "I've lived in the mural since I was very young."

Ever since Lu Xu's reincarnation process was cut off, he lost all memories of when he was still a White Deer. Perhaps it was because he was full of spiritual power when he reincarnated, but in that glimpse, the ones that left the deepest impression on him were Kong Xuan and his son. He couldn't remember the rest clearly. He only knew that he lived in the mural. Sometimes he was asleep, sometimes he was awake. When he was awake, he was in the mural. When he was asleep, he saw everything in the world with Lu Xu's eyes.

Hongjun said in surprise, "In other words, at that time …"

"Yes," Lu Xu nodded and said, "I saw you and the Grey Wolf. I wanted to bring you to the Mogao Grotto."

Hongjun took a deep breath. Lu Xu was a little sad and said, "The God of Plagues and the Mysterious Fairy both entered the mural. There was also a black dragon. They called him the 'Demon King'."

The two of them walked out of the forest and saw a palace in the distance.

"That's where I lived when I was young," Lu Xu said again, "After they took it over, I was chased out."

Hongjun didn't expect Lu Xu to be even more miserable than him. Growing up, he actually lived in the mural alone. He put one hand on Lu Xu's shoulder and tightened it slightly, asking, "You lived here for eighteen years?"

Lu Xu nodded and said, "Occasionally, I would see myself outside, being taken care of by my parents. It's a pity that they're also dead."

Hongjun's eyes reddened. When he looked up at Lu Xu, they looked at each other for a moment.

Lu Xu said again, "When I was locked up here, I often wondered if you would find me. I couldn't always control the body that lived outside. They were still looking everywhere for my body. I wanted to go find you, but I didn't dare to be too conspicuous. Moreover, I had to return to the mural at any time. Otherwise, they would find me … "

Hongjun was shocked and said, "So that day, in the end …"

In the end, Lu Xu cut off all means of retreat. He controlled his body in the human world and took Hongjun all the way to the Mogao Grotto. But it was also that night that the God of Plagues and Mysterious Fairy hurried over, wanting to forcibly take Lu Xu out of the mural. However, they inadvertently followed the clues and found his body in the human world.

Lu Xu said sadly, "… Once outside the mural, I was controlled by the Inner Demon and invaded your dream …"

The two of them arrived in front of a palace. Hongjun said, "How did the Inner Demon appear?"

At this moment, the people outside the mural were in a mess. The Carp Demon was holding the unconscious Hongjun and shouting Hongjun's name. Mo Rigen was taking Lu Xu's pulse. Li Jinglong was listening to Hongjun's breathing. The two of them couldn't help but argue loudly.

"Quiet!" the Ghost King roared.

"What's the situation?" Atay said.

"He's breathing and has a pulse." Mo Rigen was extremely anxious. "Is he dreaming?"

"His soul has left his body," the Ghost King replied. "What was the last thing you saw?"

Li Jinglong briefly described the scene of the black gas entering the mural. Everyone looked up at the mural of the Deer King. The Ghost King replied, "He entered the mural."

"The magic treasures are still there," Ashina Chong said. "Only the soul is left. Little brother is in trouble."

Li Jinglong looked at the mural and saw that it was faintly shrouded in a layer of black gas. The Ghost King said in a low voice, "Don't panic. I can let your souls leave your bodies and go in to save him."

Mo Rigen suddenly thought of something and said, "In other words, their souls are now stored in the mural. The Devil Qi can also …"

"Let's try it first," the Ghost King replied. "Don't be happy too early."