“Chapter 172.”

"Chapter 172."

"Shen Wang had actually sensed something off about Gu Dongting's mood, but it didn't hit him until he asked that question."

"Shen Wang stiffened, cautiously asking: 'Xiao Hei...?'"

"Gu Dongting in his arms raised his head, one eyebrow lifted, a smile that wasn't quite a smile: 'You used to call me brother, why not now?'"

"Shen Wang: '...'"

"For a moment, Shen Wang didn't know what to say."

"Seeing his silence, Gu Dongting's gaze slightly darkened, asking softly and gently: 'What? Aren't you happy to see me?'"

"Shen Wang, exasperated, cupped his face and planted a firm kiss: 'Behave, stop it now.'"

"After the kiss, Shen Wang pulled him back into his embrace: 'Why struggle with yourself? Aren't you all the same person?'"

"His series of actions were smooth and flowing, leaving Gu Dongting completely dumbfounded."

"Gu Dongting, like a kitten forcibly held in human arms, opened his eyes wide in shock and confusion, his usual aggressive demeanor nowhere in sight."

"A few seconds later, he relaxed his body, leaning back into Shen Wang's embrace, his metaphorical bristles smoothed down."

"Shen Wang, feeling this subtle change, heaved a sigh of relief: 'Thank goodness, he's convinced.'"

"The two of them nestled together, undisturbed by outsiders, casting aside worldly concerns, their hearts filled with the joy and relief of having regained what was lost, enjoying this rare moment of peace."

"Suddenly, Shen Wang remembered something. He lifted Gu Dongting's face again, examining closely: 'Is there a way to completely resolve this demon-inviting Gu in you?'"

"Gu Dongting slowly raised his eyes, his long eyelashes fluttering softly, his gaze tender as water: 'Why?'"

"At this moment, the red mole under Gu Dongting's eye had returned to red, although still a bit deep, not as dark as the almost black Shen Wang had seen in the world of consciousness."

"'The demon-inviting Gu draws out your negative emotions, leading you towards demonic paths,' Shen Wang said, gently touching the small red mole with his fingertip, 'It's not good for you.'"

"With memories from his past life, Gu Dongting's personality had become somewhat extreme. Coupled with the effect of the demon-inviting Gu, Shen Wang feared a single misstep could lead him down a path of no return."

"But Gu Dongting laughed, his striking features even more captivating against the backdrop of the red mole: 'The demon-inviting Gu is harmless in itself. It's people's greed and obsessions that lead them astray into the demonic path.'"

"'Do you think I can't control my own greed and obsessions?'"

Shen Wang: "......"

Recalling the past few days, the way the demon-inducing mole turned dark, Shen Wang mused to himself: You're really too confident in yourself.

Overconfident, indeed.

But now... Shen Wang glanced again at the mole, which was gradually fading, skeptical yet somewhat believing.

Gu Dongting smiled and said, "As long as my obsession doesn’t leave me, I'll be fine."

Shen Wang didn't grasp the profound meaning in his tone. Though still worried, he had to let go of the idea of persuading him: "You... just be careful."

Having said this, Shen Wang hesitated to speak further.

Gu Dongting glanced at him sideways, "What else do you want to say?"

After a long pause, Shen Wang, feeling the pressure, slowly began, "Dongting."

Hearing this name, Gu Dongting’s brow furrowed.

Shen Wang sighed, smoothing his furrowed brow, "Dongting, you are you, stop fighting with yourself."

Gu Dongting paused, then scoffed, "I think you prefer him more. I pursued you first, you even slept with me, but in the end, you were with him."

"The previous one plants the trees, the next one enjoys the shade." As Gu Dongting spoke, he became increasingly agitated and suddenly pounced on Shen Wang, "Since you're with him now, aren’t we having an affair?"

Shen Wang's eyes widened: How can this man be so whimsical?

Before he knew it, Gu Dongting was already tugging at his clothes!

Shen Wang hurriedly pressed down those disorderly hands, half-laughing, half-crying, "Stop, stop, stop, I was wrong, I shouldn't have brought this up."

The two of them frolicked aimlessly for a while, finally calming down and sweetly embracing each other again, both remaining silent.

Gu Dongting's memories had fully returned, but he always felt that he and the other Gu Dongting were not the same person, unable to let go of the grudge.

The thought of Shen Wang choosing to be with another Gu Dongting gnawed at him, filling him with a sense of rage as if something precious had been stolen from him.

Shen Wang, holding him, also had a complex look in his eyes.

He thought a lot, yet it seemed like he thought nothing at all, his hand absently stroking Gu Dongting’s back as if petting a large cat.

After an indeterminate time, he sighed silently and slowly closed his eyes.

The next morning, Shen Wang and Gu Dongting emerged from the secret chamber together, to the surprise and joy of the Gu family members.

"Brother Shen!" Gu Xiao called out loudly, taking large strides towards Shen Wang, his face beaming with joy, "You're finally awake! We were so worried about you!"

Shen Wang playfully ruffled his hair, teasing with a smile: "Are you worried about me, or are you worried about…

Gu Xiao paused, then laughed, "Brother Shen, what you said... worrying about you means worrying about my brother, doesn’t it?"

Gu Dongting's eyes flickered, and he too patted Gu Xiao on the head.

After circling Shen Wang several times, seeing that he looked normal, the Gu family members were relieved: "It's good you're fine, good you're fine."

After this incident, everyone understood the importance of Shen Wang to Gu Dongting. Gu Da and Gu Father also let go of their reservations, no longer opposing their relationship.

Gu Father patted Shen Wang on the shoulder: "Take good care of yourself; you're not alone now."

Shen Wang was silent for a few seconds, then smiled as usual: "I'll try my best."

Gu Father felt a vague unease at Shen Wang's ambiguous words, but Shen Wang had already left the Gu family's home with Gu Dongting, heading to the special department.

Gu Father frowned, a sense of foreboding nagging at him.

Upon their arrival at the special department, Shen Wang and Gu Dongting caused quite a stir.

A lot had happened in the past few days; everyone was busy dealing with an increasing number of malevolent spirits and coping with Gu Dongting's increasingly icy demeanor. It was a tremendously difficult time.

Amidst their busy schedule, they were also deeply concerned about Shen Wang, frequently inquiring about his injuries and even gathering numerous medicinal pills and spiritual plants for Gu Dongting to use for Shen Wang’s healing.

Seeing Shen Wang awake and safe now, everyone was visibly overjoyed, quickly setting aside their work to come and offer their well-wishes.

"Brother Shen, I just knew you would be fine!"

"Brother Shen, it’s such a relief you're alright. We've gathered quite a few things for you, hoping they might help with your injuries..."

"Brother Shen, you don’t know, these past few days without you, Brother Gu was too much. He was like an emotionless robot, almost crushing us to death..."

These voices merged into a cacophony, noisy yet not unpleasant.

Shen Wang looked around at everyone, seeing their genuine concern and joy in their eyes, and smiled, "Gathering around me like I'm a monkey in a zoo, huh? Alright, I'm fine, disperse now."

The crowd laughed and joked around, their tense and oppressive mood from the recent times instantly lifting. It seemed as if with Shen Wang’s return, they found their anchor.

After showing their concern for Shen Wang, the members of the special department soon dispersed, returning to their respective duties, their expressions no longer as somber as before but rather more relaxed.

Shi Yan, who had walked over unnoticed, couldn't help but remark, "They really admire you."

Unknowingly, Shen Wang seemed to have become an existence akin to 'Big Brother' in the metaphysical world, just like Gu Dongting. With him around, even if the sky fell, everyone firmly believed that he would have a solution.

And if Gu Dongting were added to the equation, the sky of the metaphysical world could never fall.

Shen Wang, stroking his chin, pondered, "How about you give your position to me?"

Shi Yan: "......Keep dreaming."

As they chatted, they walked towards the office, but upon opening the door, Shen Wang was taken aback.

Zhuo Zheng was sitting nonchalantly in the office, looking utterly bored, with a small coffee table in front of him laden with various snacks, and game controllers scattered around.

Shen Wang, puzzled, looked at Gu Dongting, "Why is he here?"

Gu Dongting's face darkened: "Ever since this guy revealed his identity and helped save the dragon veins, the metaphysical world has practically worshipped him."

As a nation that venerates dragons, China always holds special sentiments towards them. Though Zhuo Zheng is a Jiao (flood dragon), but a Jiao is still related to dragons, after all.

However, precisely because of this, there were always those in the shadows wanting to skin him, draw his tendons, especially those under Gu Yuanjun, nearly chasing him every day.

Zhuo Zheng was exasperated. These pests couldn't harm him, but like mosquitoes that die with a single slap, they were incredibly annoying.

Eventually, Zhuo Zheng agreed to Shi Yan's suggestion and came to the special department to avoid the limelight, finally finding some peace.

After hearing this, Shen Wang couldn't help but laugh: "Driving him to seek refuge in the special department is no small feat."

Zhuo Zheng, seeing Shen Wang, leapt up from the couch: "Shen Wang! You’re alright?"

Just as Shen Wang was about to speak, Zhuo Zheng blurted out impatiently: "You fell into a coma and took Xiao Hua away with you! Hurry up and give Xiao Hua back to me!"

Shen Wang: "......"

He had thought for a moment that this guy had changed and was actually concerned about him, only to be disappointed.

Summoning the little flower from the space, Shen Wang spoke irritably, "Enough, enough. You're acting like a celestial empress breaking up a pair of lovers."

Ignoring his sarcastic remarks, Cong Luo lovingly held the little flower and ran to the side, whispering secrets with it.

At this moment, Shen Wang began discussing serious matters with Shi Yan, "How's the situation now?"

Hearing this, Shi Yan sighed first, "Not good."

During the days Shen Wang was unconscious, traitors hidden within Huaxia emerged one after another. The number of evil spirits also increased, overwhelming the entire metaphysical community.

Even Cong Luo, after moving into the special department, was coaxed and deceived into undertaking several missions.

"The domestic situation is barely manageable, but overseas..." Shi Yan opened his computer and the recent files, "The whole world is in chaos."

Centuries of planning allowed Gu Yuanjun's influence to spread worldwide. The moment he bared his fangs marked the start of the final hunt.

To him, everyone was merely prey in his web.

No one could escape.

Shi Yan remained calm with his subordinates, but now, facing Shen Wang and Gu Dongting, he frowned with worry, "No one knows what the future holds."

Shen Wang pondered for a few seconds, "We haven't reached a dead end yet; there's no need to be so pessimistic."

Shi Yan looked up abruptly, "Brother Shen, do you have a plan?!"

"The purification array I sold to the special department, have you deployed it?" asked Shen Wang.

"In use!" Shi Yan immediately replied, "With the metaphysical world's limited strength, your array... I've made it available to everyone in the metaphysical community."

Initially, Lin Yin Yang, hiding in a small valley, used infant spirits to create a little ghost king. To free those innocent infant spirits, Shen Wang devised the purification array.

It was also there that Shen Wang and Xiao Hei Ge first joined forces.

Thinking of this, Shen Wang and Gu Dongting exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with a hint more laughter.

"Now, with malevolent spirits rampant and the world plagued by evil ghosts, it's only thanks to Shen Wang's purification array that the metaphysical world hasn't completely fallen into a hell on earth."

Shen Wang said, "I'll upgrade the array. Once upgraded, we'll share it with the whole world for free."

Shi Yan was stunned, "All countries? But... how will we charge for it?"

Shen Wang replied, "For free."