After venting his anger, Shen Yimian was in an extremely good mood and happily described Ji Wenxiao's miserable condition to Zuo Yan.

"It's a pity you didn't see how hard I punched him just now," Shen Yimian waved his fist, "He will never dare to bully you again."

Zuo Yan did not see Shen Yimian beating anyone. He only saw Shen Yimian and Xie Lu talking intimately as if no one was around.

It was obvious that Shen Yimian went to help him deal with Ji Wenxiao, and he was somewhat happy in his heart, but when he saw that scene, he lost all interest in an instant.

He forced a smile and agreed with Shen Yimian, "Thank you, Senior Brother. If it weren't for you, I really don't know what I would do today."

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then Shen Yimian went back home. However, before leaving, he did not see Zuo Yan wink at Xie Lu.

After sending Shen Yimian to Zuo Lingfeng, Xie Lu returned to Xianyue Peak.

The room was filled with chilly air. Zuo Yan stared at Xie Lu, no longer pretending to be kind. "From now on, stay away from Shen Yimian."

Xie Lu frowned and was about to retort when he heard Zuo Yan say,

"If you continue to associate with him, I will tell my father and cancel the engagement."

His body stiffened slightly. Xie Lu knew clearly what the consequences would be if the marriage was cancelled. The plot would be completely disrupted and he would never be able to complete the mission.

Zuo Yan observed his reaction and said coldly, "This is not a difficult thing for you. You don't like Shen Yimian anyway, right?"

Xie Lu stood there in silence for a while, then he whispered, "Indeed, I don't like him, so you don't have to be so wary of me and Shen Yimian."

Hearing this, Zuo Yan sneered, "It's just a precaution. Without you, Shen Yimian will soon fall in love with me, which is exactly what you want."

Zuo Yan is right.

Every sentence is correct.

Xie Lu did not answer, but only heard the mechanical prompt tone in his mind repeating the same sentence over and over again.

【Don't make choices that ruin the plot. 】

From the moment it was born, it was driven by human instructions to accomplish all goals. AI cannot resist instructions. This is an objective and unchangeable fact.

As for whether he would like Shen Yimian, he couldn't and wouldn't be able to do it.

After all, he is not human.

*

For three consecutive days, Zuo Lingfeng was covered with dark clouds and it rained for three whole days.

Even so, he was still called by Si Wuxing to practice the Snow Steps every day, but Xie Lu did not come, and the person who accompanied him in practice was replaced by another disciple of Zuo Lingfeng.

"Why didn't Lawyer Xie come?" Si Wuxing asked.

Shen Yimian didn't know either. When he went to look for Lawyer Xie, the door was closed and he didn't even see him. "He said he was afraid of rain and water in his brain."

Si Wuxing: "...you also believe this kind of nonsense"

Of course Shen Yimian believed it. The AI's body is not invulnerable. It is powered by electricity. Isn't it normal to worry about water ingress?

Si Wuxing looked at his unshakable faith and sneered, "I think he is hiding something from you. Aren't you two stuck together like glue every day? A rain can separate you two."

Hearing this, Shen Yimian tutted his words, "He and I are good brothers, so we are just close. Don't always think of us as such dirty things."

However, he suddenly remembered that Xie Lu had taken a bath in front of him before, and at that time Xie Lu seemed to have mentioned that he had a waterproof layer on his body.

Si Wuxing was too lazy to refute him and only reminded him, "Your good brother is much more shrewd than you. It won't hurt to be more cautious in daily life, so as not to be sold and help count the money."

"Law Xie wouldn't do that." Shen Yimian said without thinking, "He definitely has his reasons for everything he does."

Seeing that he was stubborn and refused to change his ways, Si Wuxing sighed helplessly and began to regret why he had raised this stupid apprentice to be so innocent.

The fox clan has never been so stupid.

On the fourth day, it rained again.

Xie Lu still didn't come.

Shen Yimian practiced very quickly and had almost mastered the Snow-Walking Steps. After returning from Liaoqiao Mountain, he went straight to Xie Lu's room, wanting to "show off" the results of his practice over the past few days.

After knocking on the door three times, Xie Lu didn't see him.

Shen Yimian stood in front of the door, feeling inexplicably strange in his heart.

Xie Lu wouldn't... not want to see him, right?

Why

What did he do to offend Xie Lu?

Shen Yimian went over everything that had happened in the past few days in his mind, but found nothing.

He could only patiently continue knocking on the door, "Open the door, why do you always lock yourself in? You have a new task tomorrow, and you won't do it."

There has been no response for a long time. I would still talk to him a few days ago, but today he didn't even reply.

Did something happen?

Shen Yimian's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly gathered his energy in his palm and slapped the locked door open.

"Lawyer Xie!" He rushed into the room, only to see Lawyer Xie sitting upright in front of the desk, turning his head to look at him calmly.

Shen Yimian was stunned for a moment, and his worry suddenly turned into anger, "Why are you silent? I just knocked on the door for a long time, and I thought you were going to do something..."

Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by someone in a low voice.

"go out."

His face froze. No matter how slow he was, he could sense the deliberate alienation from the indifference in the other person's eyes.

Shen Yimian couldn't figure out how she had provoked him, and couldn't figure out why a dead machine had the temper to break up with him, "I provoked you"

He saw Xie Lu slowly stand up from the table, take off his glasses, and repeat emotionlessly, "Get out."

It seemed as if if Shen Yimian didn't leave, Xie Lu would personally kick him out.

"What do you mean?" Shen Yimian was puzzled and simply slammed the door behind him. "I'm not going out. Explain yourself clearly."

He was indeed used to swallowing his anger, but that was because he felt that many things could be tolerated and there was no need to worry about them. It didn't mean that he could tolerate Xie Lu's unreasonable cold violence.

Is Xie Lu planning to never talk to him again in this life?

They had such a good relationship before. Even if he really did something wrong, he would change as long as he pointed it out.

Shen Yimian doesn't think that true friends will leave each other after making a mistake. That is not friendship. That is just treating the other person as a colleague who has to walk the same journey together.

He did not regard Xie Lu as a colleague, even though Xie Lu was an emotionless AI, but after getting along with him for so many days, Shen Yimian had long regarded him as a real human being.

Seeing him close the door, Xie Lu slowly raised his eyes to look at him, and said in a low voice,

"I have nothing to say."

Shen Yimian stared at him intently. When he heard this, a nameless fire seemed to burn in his chest, making him irritable. "Not a single word..."

Meeting those angry eyes, Xie Lu looked away and said softly, "Well, no."

Shen Yimian took a deep breath, rushed forward and grabbed his collar, "How did I offend you? Tell me clearly, I promise to never bother you again from now on, and don't use the excuse that you are AI and don't understand emotions to prevaricate me. I don't believe that you do anything without a reason."

Xie Lu let him hold him for a long time, then gently held Shen Yimian's wrist. He said calmly, "If you want, I can give you a reason."

"Speak." Shen Yimian let go of him and suppressed his anger.

Xie Lu stared at him intently, his voice calm and without a trace of emotion. "First, you're stupid and often hold me back, even though you don't realize it. Second, I never said I was your friend. I have my own tasks to accomplish, and I can't be tied to you forever. Third, I have a fiancée, and he doesn't like seeing me with you. I've said it all, that's the whole reason."

Shen Yimian listened in a daze for a long time, then he took a step back.

His fingertips dug into his palm, but he felt no pain at all.

He took a deep breath and whispered, "Okay, I got it."

The door opened and closed gently.

The room was as quiet as an empty valley, with only the sound of raindrops hitting the windowsill.

Xie Lujing stood there, looking expressionlessly in the direction where Shen Yimian left. He suddenly stretched out his hand and gently pressed it on his heart.

That's weird, something's broken here.

There was a crackling sound, like the sound of a crack.

*

The next day.

Shen Yimian woke up and went straight to the Qinghong Palace on the main peak.

On the task bar, he picked and chose, and set his eyes on an earth-level task to repair the formation of the Demon-Suppressing Tower.

The reward for the mission was a top-grade sword named Hongying, and he just happened to be in need of a sword.

While the rewards were good, the missions were quite dangerous. The Yanshan Demon Suppression Tower held tens of thousands of demons, all of them vicious and murderous, like a prison holding countless powerful criminals.

Shen Yimian stood in front of the taskbar hesitantly, not knowing whether he should take it off.

Suddenly someone pushed him, and he heard a scornful voice, "Get out of the way."

He turned around and found that the other party was actually a senior brother of the Heavenly Rank. He quickly took a half step back, but heard the other party mocking him with a hint of disdain.

"Aren't you Xie Lu's senior brother? I haven't seen you for a few days. You're already in the Golden Core stage. Xie Lu fed you so many good things."

Shen Yimian paused, and his expression grew gloomy when he heard that all-too-familiar name.

He didn't want to get entangled with the other party, but the man kept insisting, "I'm curious, what tricks did you use to make Xie Lu so devoted to you?"

What means, what unwavering devotion, have you said enough?

Heavenly disciples can humiliate others without scruples and trample on their dignity.

Shen Yimian clenched his fists, but before he could say anything, someone suddenly grabbed his wrist and gently pulled it apart.

"Have you said enough?"

He looked up in surprise and met Su Yunning's eyes filled with anger.

"Shen Yimian, participating in a Heaven-level mission as an Earth-level rank, was risking his life. The dangers he experienced were no less than yours. If you continue to confront him, don't blame me for reporting your provocation to the elders."

Shen Yimian stood there in a daze, feeling a little helpless.

Su Yunning actually spoke up for him. Didn't Xie Lu say yesterday that his fiancée didn't like seeing him and Xie Lu together?

The senior brother who had made the provocative remarks seemed to have some favor towards Su Yuning and quickly explained, "I was just joking with him, Yuning, you really misunderstood me."

Su Yuning ignored him and turned to look at Shen Yimian, "Are you okay?"

Shen Yimian shook his head slightly and said, "Thank you, Yun Ning."

"What are you thanking me for?" Su Yunning didn't care. It was just a piece of cake for her. "You are Xie Lu's senior brother, which means you are also my senior brother."

It’s Xie Lu again.

Shen Yimian frowned slightly. He really hated hearing this name, but because Su Yuning meant well, he didn't show it. He just whispered, "I'm no longer in contact with Xie Lu."

Hearing this, Su Yuning looked at him in surprise, "What's going on?"

She really seemed unaware.

Shen Yimian looked up in confusion, but was too embarrassed to ask directly what was in her heart, so she just said casually, "Nothing, maybe we just don't get along."

Su Yuning groaned for a moment and patted his shoulder, "Don't worry, he will definitely make peace with you. After all, you are his only senior brother."

This was what Xie Lu told her in person at the time. Xie Lu looked serious at the time and didn't seem to be faking it.

Shen Yimian smiled helplessly, then heard Su Yuning say, "Are you here to receive a mission?"

He nodded and pointed to the task of the Demon Suppression Tower on the task bar. "I plan to do this. I'm considering it."

Su Yuning looked in the direction he pointed, her eyes falling on the paper, "This task is good, you can try it, do you need my help?"

Shen Yimian was flattered and waved her hands, "No, no, it's too much trouble for you, I can do it myself, just treat it as exercise."

"That's true. They say that the more you do a task, the easier it becomes. You should go and practice it." Su Yuning raised her hand to help him peel off the task and handed it to Shen Yimian's palm.

Shen Yimian hadn't thought it through yet, and when he saw her take it off, he opened his mouth in surprise.

"You go ahead. I plan to wait for Xie Lu to come and choose a demon-killing mission with him to do together." Su Yuning tied the sword around his waist and looked at the two-person mission on the task bar carefully.

After a while, Shen Yimian looked at the task paper in his hand and took a deep breath.

Perhaps this is fate, and it is time for him to take his own step.

Come on Shen Xiaokui, just do it.

He stuffed the task paper into his lapel and walked away with a fearless attitude.

After a while, as soon as Shen Yimian left, Su Yuning met the person she had been waiting for for a long time.

"Thank you, Lu."

She smiled slightly and waved at Xie Lu, "You didn't come to class for the past few days, so I guessed you were waiting for a mission. Sure enough, you came as soon as the new mission was assigned."

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Yuning noticed something was wrong.

Xie Lu's face was very gloomy, and his whole body seemed to exude a cold aura that kept strangers away. Although he looked no different from usual, she felt a strange sense of decadence faintly permeating him.

"What's wrong with you?" Su Yunning frowned and looked at him, "Because of your senior brother"

Hearing her mention Shen Yimian, Xie Lu's expression changed slightly, and he finally reacted, "He has been here."

"Yeah," Su Yunning pointed at the task bar and said casually, "He picked a ground-level task and left. He said he would no longer contact you. You two had a fight."

Xie Lu's eyes darkened, his voice deepened, and he answered irrelevantly, "What Earth-level mission?"

Seeing his appearance, Su Yuning felt an inexplicable chill in her heart. "Go to the Demon Suppression Tower and repair the formation."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Lu suddenly turned around and left.

Su Yunning called out a few times, but he acted as if he didn't hear her.

"Where are you going?"

Su Yunning couldn't understand. She had finally picked out a task that was not too difficult and was just right for the two of them to work on together.

Next to him was the Tianjie senior brother who had previously provoked Shen Yimian. He came over and said, "Yun Ning, if he doesn't want to go with you, I will go with you."

Su Yuning glanced at him and said, "Get away from me."

She would rather go by herself than go with such a bullying idiot.

*

Yanshan Demon-Suppressing Tower.

Rumor has it that the Demon-Suppressing Tower was originally the sect leader's personal magic weapon. After suppressing too many demons, the magic weapon could no longer withstand the pressure. There were concerns that a large number of demons would be released after being damaged, so it was placed in the back mountain of the sect and restrained by thirty-six formations.

What Shen Yimian is going to practice today is one of the thirty-six formations.

It is actually not difficult to repair the formation. The task paper says that after arriving at the Demon-Suppressing Tower, a special elder will teach him how to repair the formation.

The difficulty lies in climbing through the layers of towers that imprison the terrible demons. Before this, Shen Yimian had often heard that the demons in the Demon-Suppressing Tower tried to escape and killed most of the disciples guarding the tower.

This is probably why this task is assigned to those above the Earth level.

To be honest, he was a little nervous.

Riding on Si Wuxing's crane, Shen Yimian got closer and closer to the inky black tower.

The closer you get, the more you can feel the biting cold.

It was not until he stood under the towering Demon-Suppressing Tower that Shen Yimian began to regret whether he should have taken on this task.

Do you really want to go in?

Shen Xiaokui, do you think too highly of yourself?

Outside the tower, an elder with white beard and hair saw him and waved at him, "Are you a disciple who came to repair the formation?"

Shen Yimian shuddered, realizing that this was his last chance to regret.

If you don't want to do it, it's still not too late to run away now.

But Xie Lu's words from yesterday came to my mind again.

"First, you're stupid and often hold me back, even though you don't realize it. Second, I never said I was your friend. I have my own tasks to accomplish, and I can't be tied to you forever."

Hehehe.

Shen Yimian clenched his fists a little harder, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

What is holding him back? What is tying him up?

It was clearly Xie Lu who insisted on taking him to complete the mission in the beginning, but now he thinks he is stupid and clingy.

Okay, then he will never rely on Xie Lu again, he will rely on himself.

After reaching the Golden Core Stage, he had almost mastered the Snow-Walking Steps taught by Si Wuxing. If he simply wanted to repair the formation, he could just run away if he encountered demons.

This was a task that he had carefully selected to suit him. If he missed it, he might not be able to come across such a suitable opportunity again in the future.

Shen Yimian made up his mind and walked towards the elder, "Greetings, elder. I have been ordered to come and repair the formation..."

Just as he finished speaking, he heard a cold voice behind him.

"He's not."

Shen Yimian paused, turned his head stiffly, and met Xie Lu's sullen gaze.

It's none of your business.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Shen Yimian's voice was tinged with anger. "This is a task I picked up with my own hands. It has nothing to do with you."

He turned his head to look at the elder and took out the task paper from his arms, "Disciples Zuo Lingfeng and Shen Yimian have come to repair the formation. Please review it, elder."

The elder looked at them suspiciously, took the task paper and looked at it, "Indeed, that's right. And who is the person next to you..."

Seeing that he was determined to complete this mission, Xie Lu said without hesitation, "Disciple Zuo Lingfeng Xie Lu is here to complete the mission."

Shen Yimian opened his eyes wide and almost cursed, "Yesterday you said you wouldn't let me bother you, why are you pretending to be a brother now?"

The elder frowned and raised his hand to stop them, "Silence, what's going on?"

In front of the elders, Shen Yimian had to suppress his anger and whispered, "I did accept this mission and intended to complete it alone. This matter has nothing to do with Xie Lu."

Xie Lu pursed his lips and said calmly, "I can give up the mission reward, but I must complete this mission."

"You..." If the elder hadn't been watching, Shen Yimian really had the urge to beat him up.

The elder looked at the two of them and waved his hand, "Then let's do it together."

"Elder!" Shen Yimian looked at the elder in disbelief, "There should be a first come first served basis, right?"

The elder frowned at him and said in a deep voice, "This matter is absolutely not to be taken lightly. It will be beneficial for you to have a Heavenly Rank disciple accompany you. If you don't want to, you don't have to do it."

Depend on.

Shen Yimian cursed in his heart, not at the elder, but at this bastard robot who was meddling in other people's business.

There is no way, who told him to be a ground-level disciple, far inferior to others.

Seeing that they had no objection, the elder nodded in satisfaction and taught them the key points of repairing the formation.

It’s actually very simple. Just redraw the old and blurry runes on the formation and inject some spiritual energy into it.

After learning the essentials, the elder escorted them into the Demon Suppression Tower. Before leaving, he added, "If the formation is loosened, perhaps a demon cultivator will transform and take the opportunity to tempt you to unlock the formation. Remember not to be fooled."

Shen Yimian remembered it in his heart, then without even looking at Xie Lu, he turned around and entered the Demon-Suppressing Tower.

There were a few long-lasting candles lighting up the tower, but otherwise it was pitch black and nothing could be seen. It was so quiet that only the sound of their footsteps could be heard.

Xie Lu didn't say anything else, and Shen Yimian didn't want to pay attention to him.

The two walked in silence, one in front and one behind.

With Xie Lu around, he did feel a lot more at ease, but Shen Yimian hated this feeling of security.

He came here to prove that he could complete the task without anyone's help, but now he has nothing to prove.

Shen Yimian suppressed his anger and followed the direction of the long-life candlelight. He found the spiral staircase leading up to the tower. It was made of wood and slightly rotten. Only the dim candlelight could reveal the layers between the stairs. It looked a bit like the Feihong Tower that Tang Monk had visited.

After reaching the second floor, Shen Yimian heard painful and hoarse ghost howling sounds coming from all around as soon as he stepped in.

He shuddered subconsciously and looked around in panic as if he had entered a haunted house. He had no idea where the sounds came from, even with its own 3D surround sound.

"Let me out..."

"Open the door..."

Shen Yimian got goosebumps and quickly quickened his pace. The formation was at the very top of the Demon Suppression Tower. According to common sense in novels, the higher you go, the stronger the demons become. He had to be extremely alert.

After taking only two steps, Shen Yimian suddenly realized that there seemed to be no footsteps following him.

His blood ran cold, and he turned his head abruptly, not caring about anything else. "Thank you, Lu!"

It was pitch black. In a hurry, Shen Yimian pulled out a long-lit candle and searched in the direction he had just come from. The darkness was dispelled inch by inch by the candlelight. He stared blankly at the unconscious five-year-old child in the corner, completely frozen in place.

Where did this kid come from?

He remembered the elder's instructions before he left, that demons would disguise themselves and trick them into letting him out.

Shen Yimian's heart was filled with alarm and he stepped back subconsciously, but he saw the child slowly waking up. He was about to run away, but his eyes swept across the child's face and suddenly stopped.

"Thank you, thank you, Lu."

The child slowly got up from the ground. His wide snow-white Taoist robe fell down, revealing half of his shoulders. His face was calm, and he even took the trouble to brush off the dust on his body.

Who else could it be but Xie Lu?

Shen Yimian held the candlelight and shone it on his face in disbelief, and said in astonishment, "You...what's wrong with you?"

The child rubbed his eyes, stung by the candlelight, and explained calmly, "The battery is low, so it automatically turned on power saving mode."

Shen Yimian then remembered that it seemed to be cloudy these past few days.

However, he looked back at the endless darkness and the howling of ghosts and wolves that echoed all the time. Shen Yimian couldn't help but grit his teeth and said,

"You're out of power at this point in time"