Lu Guijiu took the sharp dagger from his hand.

As if completing some ritual, Lu Guijiu solemnly and silently took the dagger and walked towards the trembling Daoist priest kneeling not far away.

Zhang Jingmo liked Lu Guijiu's promise. He liked when Lu Guijiu said, "Master, with me here, no one can hurt you." In this little child, he saw the shadow of the future Lu Guijiu.

Zhang Jingmo watched as Lu Guijiu walked over step by step.

Lu Guijiu quickly reached the pleading Daoist priest. Seeing that Lu Guijiu was a young child, the priest cried out, "Young master, please spare my life. I was blind and failed to recognize Mount Tai..."

Lu Guijiu said, "Actually, I don't want to kill you." His childish voice was tender, still carrying a hint of innocence and confusion.

The Daoist priest thought his pleas had worked, so his cries became even more pitiful, trying to arouse sympathy in the child before him.

However, almost as he was kowtowing to Lu Guijiu, he felt a chill on his neck. The next moment, he saw his own body...

Lu Guijiu was splattered with blood. He seemed to not have expected there to be so much blood in a human body and was stunned on the spot for a moment.

And in his chubby little hand, he was now holding a staring head.

Lu Guijiu looked down at the twitching body that was constantly spurting blood and gradually losing vitality, then looked at the head he was holding. He turned his head and, with his little face covered in blood, gave Zhang Jingmo a smile.

Talent is sometimes a very scary thing.

Zhang Jingmo didn't know when Lu Guijiu had killed his first person in the first life, nor did he know what his reaction was at the time. But it was precisely because of this that the scene before him made Zhang Jingmo feel a bone-chilling coldness.

The first time Zhang Jingmo killed someone, he vomited for half a day and didn't eat meat for a full few months. He was even ridiculed by his fellow disciples.

At that time, he was already in his teens, twice as old as Lu Guijiu.

But what did being twice as old matter? Some things are really determined from the moment you're in the womb.

"Master." The sweet voice brought Zhang Jingmo's attention back. He lowered his head, looked at Lu Guijiu, and called out, "Guijiu."

Lu Guijiu stood in front of Zhang Jingmo and raised the dead head that refused to close its eyes. He said, "The thing you wanted, I brought it back for you."

Zhang Jingmo grunted in acknowledgment but didn't reach out to take it. He just casually waved his hand and turned the head into ashes.

Lu Guijiu looked at the ashes in his hand and patted his palms with a disgusted look on his face. He said, "Master, it's so dirty."

Zhang Jingmo grunted again, still not saying anything. He took Lu Guijiu back to the Lu family estate, but this time, he didn't carry Lu Guijiu.

After returning to the Lu family, Lu Guijiu didn't say he wanted to see his father. Instead, he said he wanted to take a bath first.

Seeing him in such a sorry state, Zhang Jingmo cast a spell and conjured a barrel of hot water in the room. He said to Lu Guijiu, "Go ahead, wash up well." After saying that, he turned and left the room.

Lu Guijiu watched Zhang Jingmo's back and lightly bit his lip. Sometimes he really didn't know what his master wanted. If he didn't listen, his master was unhappy. If he listened, his master was still unhappy.

Lu Guijiu looked at his blood-stained palms and smelled the nauseating stench. He lowered his head, took off his clothes, and climbed into the bathtub.

Zhang Jingmo stood outside the door, not watching Lu Guijiu bathe. He should have been happy because Lu Guijiu was even more outstanding than he had imagined. No wonder in that life, he was able to reach such heights.

Zhang Jingmo was thinking about his own matters when he suddenly heard faint sobbing sounds coming from inside the room. He was stunned for a moment. After listening carefully, he actually discovered that it was Lu Guijiu, who was bathing inside, crying.

But Lu Guijiu seemed unwilling to let Zhang Jingmo hear this sound. He kept splashing water to create the sound of bathing. The more he cried, the more upset he became, and in the end, he even started hiccuping.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Jingmo still gently called out, "Guijiu?"

There was no sound from inside the room. After a good while, Lu Guijiu's voice, pretending to be calm, finally came through. He said, "What's the matter, Master? I'm not done washing yet."

Zhang Jingmo sighed and thought to himself that he was also being too attached. No matter how monstrous Lu Guijiu was, he was still just a six-year-old child. After killing someone and suffering the cold treatment of his elders, no matter how strong he was, he couldn't hold it in.

He didn't say anything more but directly pushed the door open and saw Lu Guijiu, whose entire face was flushed red from holding it in.

As soon as Lu Guijiu saw Zhang Jingmo push the door open, he completely couldn't hold it in anymore. He let out a "wah" and started crying aggrievedly, gasping for breath as if he had suffered a great injustice.

Lu Guijiu hiccuped and stammered, "Ma- Master, don't hate me. I was wrong. Don't hate me..."

Zhang Jingmo took out a set of clean clothes from his sleeve and lifted Lu Guijiu out of the somewhat cooled water. He gently comforted, "It was Master's fault. Guijiu, don't cry anymore..."

But being comforted, Lu Guijiu cried even more miserably. He clung to Zhang Jingmo's shoulder, tears falling like they cost nothing, even soaking Zhang Jingmo's clothes.

Lu Guijiu said, "I'm so scared. I'm so scared... Master, I'm so scared..."

Zhang Jingmo stroked Lu Guijiu's soft back and said, "Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. Master is here."

Lu Guijiu asked, "Does Master hate me?"

Zhang Jingmo sighed, "Master doesn't hate you. Master was just thinking about how to teach you in the future." If he was too merciful, he could only become a stepping stone under others' feet in the world of cultivation. But if he was too accustomed to killing, he was afraid of raising a monster that even he himself couldn't control.

Zhang Jingmo had never taught a child in such a hands-on way, so when he saw Lu Guijiu's performance that was too different from ordinary children, he inevitably fell into confusion.

Lu Guijiu cried and cried, and then fell asleep on Zhang Jingmo.

Zhang Jingmo, on the other hand, fell into distress. He thought about it all night but couldn't figure it out. In the end, he could only think that he might as well follow the will of heaven and let things develop naturally. The next day, when Lu Guijiu woke up, he saw Zhang Jingmo sitting beside him with his eyes open.

Lu Guijiu called out to his master in a hoarse voice.

Zhang Jingmo sighed, "You're awake? Now that you're up, get ready quickly. Your father and brother are waiting for you outside."

Lu Guijiu obediently nodded. His eyes were still slightly swollen, obviously an aftereffect of yesterday's crying.

After getting dressed, Lu Guijiu happily went out of the room with Zhang Jingmo. As soon as they entered the main hall, they saw Lu Guijiu's father, who had recovered his health, and Lu Chengrong, who was in high spirits.

Seeing Zhang Jingmo, Lu Guijiu's father bowed and respectfully called him "Immortal Master".

Lu Guijiu excitedly ran to his father's side, clamoring for his father to hug him.

Lu Guijiu's father picked up Lu Guijiu and said, "Boy, you've gotten heavier again. In a couple of years, you'll be a big kid, and your father won't be able to carry you anymore."

Lu Guijiu acted coquettishly, "I want Father to hug me!" He was the youngest son at home and had always been doted on, often acting spoiled - but strangely, he had never been so unrestrained in front of Zhang Jingmo, even though he seemed to have already regarded this master as one of the most important people in his life.

Seeing this harmonious family scene, Zhang Jingmo just watched quietly, occasionally responding with a few words, but did not want to get involved.

However, when Lu Guijiu ate the breakfast prepared by his father, he did not stop him.

Lu Guijiu hadn't eaten worldly food for a long time. He also knew that eating too much was not good. Although Zhang Jingmo didn't say anything, he was very disciplined.

Lu Guijiu's father told Lu Guijiu many interesting things that had happened since he came in, and his eyes became increasingly gentle as he looked at his youngest son.

If he didn't know that the Lu family could not give Lu Guijiu a broader future, he probably wouldn't have the heart to send his youngest son to such a distant mountain.

But since the decision had been made, he could only harden his heart, grit his teeth, and forge ahead through thorns and brambles.

From this point of view, the people of the Lu family were quite similar.

Lu Guijiu stayed at the Lu Manor for a day, reminiscing with his father and brother. Near dusk, Zhang Jingmo, who had been silent for a long time, softly said, "Guijiu, it's time to go."

The hall suddenly fell silent.

Lu Chengrong's eyes were also filled with melancholy as he looked at his younger brother. He really wanted Lu Guijiu to stay, but after experiencing this incident, he realized that he could not keep Lu Guijiu even more.

Because neither he nor his father could protect the six-year-old child in front of them.

Seeing the room fall silent, Zhang Jingmo placed a talisman on the table in front of him and said, "When this talisman is completely burned, I will know."

Lu Guijiu's father's eyes lit up.

Zhang Jingmo said, "But I will only come once, so it's up to you to decide whether you want to burn it just because you want to see Lu Guijiu or use it in times of crisis."

Lu Guijiu's father's gaze wavered for a moment as he looked at the talisman.

Zhang Jingmo said, "I have calculated the fortune of your Lu family. After surviving this calamity, you can rise to prominence within three years, and the family's fortune will not decline for a hundred years."

Lu Guijiu's father asked, "What about after a hundred years?"

Zhang Jingmo smiled upon hearing this and said, "After a hundred years, you will be a handful of yellow dirt. What happens to the family then has nothing to do with you."

Lu Guijiu's father seemed to understand something and said, "Guijiu, listen well to your master."

Lu Guijiu nodded.

Lu Guijiu's father and Lu Chengrong gave Lu Guijiu some more instructions and then indicated to Zhang Jingmo that they could leave.

Zhang Jingmo looked at the little child who was not even as tall as his waist, but still bent down and picked him up into his arms. Then, with a wave of his sleeve, they disappeared from the Lu Manor.