Chapter 253: Compassionate as Buddha, Cruel as Demon
"Very well," Lu Heng smiled upon seeing the boy's obedient appearance, and asked, "May I know your full name?"
Faced with Lu Heng's inquiry, the little boy hesitated for a moment and said, "Father, mother named me Shen Wuyou...... At that time, I was not aware of father's name."
The little boy wanted to explain, but Lu Heng was not concerned with the surname.
He nodded and said, "Hmm, Shen Wuyou...... a good name. What about your sister? How do you address your sister?"
Lu Heng's smile was friendly and his tone was gentle.
Seeing that his father was not angry about it, the little boy breathed a sigh of relief and said.
"Returning to father, sister's name is Shen Wuyu. Mother said she hoped that sister would have less contention in her heart and focus on hard cultivation, so she named her Wuyu."
The little boy's narration made Lu Heng nod and say with a smile.
"Your mother indeed did a good job naming you... Hmm, Wuyou, Wuyu..."
After softly reading these two names once, Lu Heng spoke.
"Wuyou, next we have to go down the mountain and go into the world to find your mother's relics on the Luwu Mountain... After your mother passed away, was her corpse treated according to the customs of Fire Pass Country and cremated, or was it buried in the earth according to the customs of the demon cultivators?"
The little boy said, "Father, mother's dying wish was that we follow the customs of human beings, cremate her, and scatter her ashes into the waters of the Pang River, which will flow into the ocean..."
"I see..." Lu Heng thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "No worries, we can go to the Luwu Mountain to see the place where you used to live."
"On the way, we could also go and deal with the trouble of the demon cultivators in the Green Hell Cave, and rescue your sister... Would you be willing to go down the mountain with me?"
Lu Heng smiled and said, "Don't rush to answer. This trip down the mountain is full of dangers and life-threatening situations. When the danger comes, I may not be able to fully protect you, so you should think carefully."
"Staying in Hanyu Mountain, at least someone can protect you. The priest of the Wind Strike Department outside the mountain is a good friend of mine. After I go down the mountain, he will help take care of things here."
"There are two thousand members of the Wind Strike Department here, and no one in the world dares to be presumptuous in Hanyu Mountain. Inside the mountain is the safest place to be."
Lu Heng's words made the little boy hesitate.
He said, "Father... I still want to go with you to save my sister, but I'm afraid I will slow you down..."
Lu Heng smiled at him, but didn't interfere with the little boy's choice.
Under the bamboo pavilion, the little boy hesitated for a long time before speaking up.
"Father...I still want to go down the mountain with you..."
"Oh?" Lu Heng seemed quite surprised and asked with a smile, "Why is that?"
The little boy looked at Lu Heng with concern and said, "If this trip with father is really dangerous, then I cannot leave father alone. If father encounters danger outside the mountain and his life is at risk, I will not be able to rest easy in the mountain."
"I have already lost my mother, and my sister is lost as well. Only my father is left as my family... that's why..."
The little boy was extremely sad and his voice was choked with sobs.
Lu Heng nodded to indicate that he understood.
"I understand. You can go with Sun Yan to pack up the luggage. You will travel with me this time when we go down the mountain... go ahead."
Waving his hand, Lu Heng gestured for the little boy to leave.
The little boy obediently left.
As for Lu Heng, he sat under the bamboo pavilion and watched quietly as the white ape led the little boy out of sight before he let out a gentle sigh.
Somewhat troubled.
Xiao Ai stood behind him and asked softly, "The Wolf God, are you really going to adopt this little guy as your son?"
Xiao Ai's inquiry left Lu Heng silent for a few moments.
Only then did he sigh and say, "It is not that I am trying to adopt him as my son now, but it is because of this little guy's true identity... He sees me as his only support now, but I am not his real father."
"When he called me 'daddy', it did me no harm. Besides, this child is well-behaved and sensible. Even though we only met by chance, we should treat him well and not ignore him."
"But I am not his biological father after all. To him, I am like the moon in the water, the flower in the mirror - no matter how beautiful, it is only a fleeting moment."
"Someday, when the truth is exposed and he is not my own flesh and blood, I, Lu Heng, will be unaffected. However, for this child, it will be... sigh..."
Having said so, Lu Heng couldn't help but let out a sigh, and he couldn't continue.
There is a slight melancholy on his face.
Xiao Ai's expression also became solemn involuntarily when she thought of such scenes.
For this child, such a result is indeed extremely cruel...
After hesitating for a moment, Xiao Ai spoke, "Then... why don't we tell him the truth now? Revealing the truth earlier might lessen the harm he will suffer."
Lu Heng shook his head and said, "With the current state of mind of this child, if you tell him the truth, he will definitely not believe it and might assume that I don't want to acknowledge him."
"Don't be fooled by his apparent weak and submissive demeanor, as he is actually mentally strong."
"If I refuse to acknowledge him, he will lose his last hope and will not stay in the mountains for long. He will definitely try his best to leave."
"At that time, he will be wandering aimlessly in the wilderness, with no family or friends, burdened by the grievances and hatred of his sister being held captive by a demon, his mother's recent death, and his father's refusal to acknowledge him. If he is lured by someone with ill intentions, he may immediately fall into the demonic path and be used by evil demons."
"Even if it means harming him... Although he is not my biological child, I cannot sit idly and watch him fall into the demonic path..."
Lu Heng sighed softly.
Xiao Ai lowered her eyebrows and eyes, and coldly snorted, "It's ultimately the vicious heart of that demon shadow... Hmph! Demonic methods, vicious and despicable!"
Xiao Ai was extremely angry.
Lu Heng chuckled and shook his head, "This is the nature of demonic beings... Without such a vicious heart, how could one fall into the demonic path?"
"Those with a vicious nature often fall into demonic paths, cultivating killing for power, and using blood for cultivating qi. With the influence of demonic power, their hearts become even more cruel and vile. They then kill more people and cultivate even more malicious demonic power, leading to a negative and endless cycle."
"That's why the demons and monsters get killed over and over again, because there are countless people with vicious hearts in the world. If one takes a wrong step and gets used to the taste of that corrosive demonic power, they can never turn back to the right path."
"But even if demonic cultivators are being killed non-stop, we can't just sit idly by and ignore it."
"Since we have seen it, we should find a way to exterminate it. Otherwise, with the cultivation of such demonic cultivators, harming and poisoning mortals would result in a tragedy for all living beings and a catastrophe for humanity."
"Coming after me isn't too bad either way. At least I, Lu Heng, have some countermeasures and won't become a plaything in the hands of demons, unable to resist like an ordinary person."
Quietly gazing at the mountains outside of Hanyu Mountain, Lu Heng's gaze was distant, as if he could see beyond the mountains, a terrifying scene of demons and monsters rampaging and devouring people in the wilderness.
And such a human tragedy has been going on for almost six years now, lasting for five years already within the Fire Pass Country.
Since being exposed five years ago, the demons in the Green Hell Cave are no longer in hiding and have begun to freely harass and attack mortals.
Nowadays, within the cities and towns, the gates are closed and there is a complete absence of merchants. The lives of mortals are as inconsequential as weeds, and there is no longer the peace that existed five years ago.
Five years... who knows how many newborn children have witnessed this terrifying world filled with blood and fear.
And even more unknown is how many children have grown up in such a fearful world...
A hint of compassion flickered in Lu Heng's eyes.
A murderous intent rose in his heart.
After all this chaos, it's time to put an end to this terrifying saga of the demonic dancing...
