The possibility of Lu Wuming's memories being tampered with was a conclusion they had reached after much discussion among themselves.
Therefore, upon hearing Lu Wuming's words, You Siqi and Shen Muzhi exchanged glances, seeing a similar thought in each other's eyes.
You Siqi pursed his lips and nodded.
Shen Muzhi also sighed and waved at Lu Wuming. He said, "Since your memory is muddled, don't rush to ask me where he is. I still need to watch the furnace. Siqi will explain it to you properly. We are telling the truth; whether you believe us is up to you to decide."
After speaking, Shen Muzhi returned to his alchemy furnace and continued his previous work, using his spiritual energy to maintain the fierce fire beneath it.
You Siqi knew how important that fire was. So, even though Lu Wuming seemed a bit frightening at the moment, he hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath, beckoning Lu Wuming over, and leading him to a clear spot to sit down.
Seeing that You Siqi clearly intended to speak at length, Lu Wuming pondered for a while before joining him, sitting down at a distance opposite him.
Once both were ready, Lu Wuming gestured to You Siqi and asked, "Can you tell me what happened now?"
"Of course, but it might be a bit difficult to explain," You Siqi earnestly cautioned Lu Wuming before he began. "Don't rush now. Liu Buli is not in any major trouble, so listen to me quietly. Don't cause any trouble, or he really will be in trouble."
He spoke with great sincerity.
Lu Wuming stared into his eyes.
Although in his memories, he couldn't quite discern the nature of his relationship with this person, looking at him now, he inexplicably felt that this person wouldn't do anything to deceive or harm him.
And regarding Liu Buli, it should be the same.
After a moment of silence, Lu Wuming finally nodded seriously. He said, "Explain first. What I choose to do after you're finished is my own business, and you don't need to worry about it."
Hearing his tone was relatively normal, You Siqi breathed a sigh of relief. Taking a couple of deep breaths, he drew upon his years of novel-writing experience and meticulously explained the events that had transpired, focusing on the key points.
Lu Wuming listened intently.
However, a confused memory did not equate to an improved intellect.
Even with You Siqi's best efforts to explain, Lu Wuming's eyes still held the same look of bewilderment.
Seeing him like this, You Siqi was at a loss for what to do.
He scratched his hair, contemplating whether to try explaining it to Lu Wuming in a different way. Fortunately, Lu Wuming spoke first, gazing at the distant furnace, and asked word by word, "Are you telling me that Liu Buli... Master is in that furnace right now?"
"That's right, but if you don't want him to be utterly destroyed, you'd best not try to force open that furnace," You Siqi added earnestly. "We're not lying to you. This is what Liu Buli specifically instructed us before he went in. If you don't believe us, I can show you the note he left. He wrote it himself, you should still recognize his handwriting, right?"
As You Siqi spoke, he hastily produced the note Liu Buli had left earlier. Shen Muzhi and the others, as the primary assistants, had been watching the furnace day and night for days and had already memorized everything Liu Buli had told them.
Upon hearing this, Lu Wuming took the note. To be honest, he couldn't tell if the handwriting was indeed Liu Buli's. However, he could tell that the script felt familiar, a familiarity that, like hearing Liu Buli's name, brought him a sense of peace and comfort. So...
This man before him was telling the truth, wasn't he?
Of course, if he could, Lu Wuming wouldn't want Liu Buli to be in that furnace. But according to these two men, if he forcibly opened the furnace, or even just stopped the surrounding fire, Liu Buli inside would be directly stimulated into oblivion by such an unexpected event.
The price was too high.
Lu Wuming frowned in distress.
He then looked worriedly in Shen Muzhi's direction and said, "He's been watching for so long without rest. Can he really keep going?"
You Siqi didn't immediately grasp his true meaning, thinking he was expressing concern for Shen Muzhi. He immediately waved his hands, a bright smile on his face, and said, "Don't worry, Shen Muzhi is in good health and has been taking calming pills these past few days. He can definitely hold on until Liu Buli comes out of the furnace."
"But I'm not worried about his condition," Lu Wuming frowned. "I mean, if he can't guarantee he's always in his optimal state, won't the fire near the furnace be affected? If possible, can I take his place? I can do the rest. I can keep this fire going without interruption."
He spoke with utmost seriousness.
You Siqi and Shen Muzhi also knew that after confirming Liu Buli was in the furnace, Lu Wuming would not be careless about this matter.
However, Shen Muzhi smiled at his suggestion and shook his head, refusing. "It's best not to. Your demonic energy is too heavy. It's different from before. Even if you were to ignite spiritual fire, the flames would still be entwined with demonic energy, which would be a new pressure for Liu Buli. I myself practice fire-attribute techniques, and my spiritual energy is pure, imbued with the essence of a divine beast. This fire is the least harmful to Liu Buli. As for my physical condition, you can rest assured. I promised him I would do this for him, and I won't fail him in this regard."
After speaking, Shen Muzhi's attention returned to the furnace.
Lu Wuming fell into a troubled silence for a moment, then obediently walked over and sat down beside him.
After a moment of silence, Lu Wuming asked, "Is there no way to guarantee that the fire will never go out and its size will remain constant?"
"There is a way," Shen Muzhi said with a wry smile. "But you'd have to find a phoenix. Phoenix spiritual fire is effective and doesn't extinguish. I'm just a spirit cat, a hybrid of a divine beast and a human. So, make do with what we have, and don't overthink it."