Unlike the ghost tribe's overflowing confidence, Liu Buli was utterly stunned by the situation.
It had been a long time since they had met Lu Wuming, and aside from the time they faced Duan Liuyun, they had never been in such a sorry state. The moment Liu Buli saw Lu Wuming's arm severed, his mind simply stopped working.
Almost in a daze, he was dragged by Lu Wuming as they fled back to the large pit they had found earlier. Only when Lu Wuming could no longer sense the aura of the ghost tribe behind them did he finally stop.
He didn't rush to attend to his injuries. Instead, he turned to look into Liu Buli's eyes. Hiding his severed arm behind his back, he used his other, intact hand to caress Liu Buli's cheek.
Even though he tried his best to mobilize the spiritual energy within him, after having an arm chopped off, Lu Wuming couldn't maintain his body temperature. So, when he reached out to touch Liu Buli's cheek, the cold sensation made the latter tremble involuntarily.
His body instinctively flinched. Liu Buli blinked.
As if a nightmare had ended and he had finally woken up, he quickly looked into Lu Wuming's eyes, his gaze filled with intense worry and panic. He said, "Wuming, let me see your wound. He just... Mmph!"
Before he could finish his sentence, Lu Wuming lowered his head and kissed his lips.
Liu Buli froze again.
He knew this kiss held no other meaning. Lu Wuming simply wanted him to calm down.
So, feeling the other's warmth, Liu Buli's chaotic emotions finally began to subside.
Once his mind was completely stable, he gently pushed Lu Wuming's body, his actions conveying that he was indeed alright.
Sensing his strength, Lu Wuming didn't press on. He slightly separated, but then reached out and pulled Liu Buli into his embrace.
Gently patting his back, Lu Wuming whispered comfortingly, "Shizun, you don't need to be so scared. I'm fine. I'm not like the ghost tribe they spoke of. They truly cannot recover after being struck by a sword. But I'm different. I'm not an ordinary ghost. In the novel, even when Shen Muzhi chopped me into pieces and burned me, I didn't die completely. He only wielded a god-slaying sword, he's not the god-slayer himself, how could he take my life?"
Lu Wuming said this, but he never brought his severed arm in front of Liu Buli.
Liu Buli knew that his arm hadn't recovered yet, and Lu Wuming didn't want him to see the bloody sight, didn't want him to feel any fear.
Even knowing this, Liu Buli couldn't help but tremble a little when he thought of the scene just now.
Lu Wuming maintained his embrace, his lips close to Liu Buli's ear, whispering softly, "Shizun, this is the first time we've encountered such a powerful opponent. To be honest, I'm quite excited. Even if the sword in his hand is something left behind by Xi Chi, it's still debatable whether he's worthy of wielding it. I'm not afraid of him, and you shouldn't be either. You know I'm a fool. If Shizun doesn't help me make decisions, I'll only know how to fight him head-on. And looking at me like this, I'll definitely suffer more losses. You can't bear to see me like that, can you?"
Hearing this, Liu Buli finally came to his senses. He shook his head vigorously and said, "Don't rush back to fight him. You're right, even if he holds Xi Chi's sword, he's not Xi Chi himself. He doesn't even possess divinity, so what is there to be afraid of!"
As he said this, Liu Buli couldn't control the volume of his voice.
His suddenly raised voice, it was unclear if he was comforting Lu Wuming or simply comforting himself.
Lu Wuming naturally sensed his emotional state but didn't comment on anything being wrong. He simply nodded gently, returning Liu Buli a comforting smile. He then kissed him on the lips again. When they parted, he continued to ask, "So, Shizun, have you decided what we're going to do?"
Of course, he hadn't.
Despite his arrogant declaration, the reality was that Liu Buli hadn't fully recovered from his fear and anxiety.
He could feel that he was still flustered by what had happened, and because of this panic, his mind was in chaos. At least for now, it wasn't suitable for too much thinking.
Problems should be solved one by one. Once the immediate ones are dealt with, the unsolvable ones won't cause too much anxiety.
Liu Buli told himself this in his heart, then glanced back at Lu Wuming beside him. After thinking for a moment, he spoke to him, "Before we go back to face him again, we first need to make sure your body is alright. Let me see your arm. How is it recovering now?"
Hearing this, Lu Wuming hesitated for a moment.
Liu Buli could tell that the other didn't want to show him his wound.
After hearing his words, Lu Wuming even deliberately hid his arm further behind him. Avoiding eye contact, Lu Wuming lowered his head. After thinking for a moment, he replied vaguely, "It's okay if Shizun doesn't look, it will heal soon."
The implication was that it hadn't healed yet.
Liu Buli understood and let out a long sigh. He reached out and pulled the arm Lu Wuming was hiding towards him.
He looked down at the situation. It was much uglier than he had imagined.
Perhaps that sword had inherited a lot of the god-slayer's power, to the point where it retained its bloodthirsty nature. Even if the attack wasn't fatal, the malevolent energy from the sword would still relentlessly drive the target towards death.
The most obvious and direct manifestation of this was the wound on Lu Wuming's arm, which was still spreading upwards.
Not only was there no sign of recovery, but it was also continuously worsening. This situation had never occurred with Lu Wuming before. Liu Buli stared at it for a while, then finally gritted his teeth and took out all the wound medicines from his Qiankun bag.
He twisted open the medicine bottles and smeared the ointment onto Lu Wuming's wound as if it were free. His eyes were already red, but he was still trying his best to hold back his tears. Maintaining that posture, Liu Buli said, "枯骨回春 (Ku Gu Hui Chun) is the male protagonist's greatest cheat in the novel. I want to see whose power is stronger, the god-slayer's or the male protagonist's cheat. Wuming, don't worry, even if I'm not Shen Muzhi, I'll find a way to make you recover quickly."