Chapter 19
Shoutout to ethanldf for the commission!
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If the scene just now was frozen, now it should be a sudden bombshell, where everyone can’t believe their ears.
Who is he?
What did the Sect Master call him?
Am I hearing things correctly?
The buzzing whispers quickly spread through the crowd, even the elders and daoist spiritual masters couldn’t help but widen their eyes. However, no matter the level of shock from anyone else, it couldn’t compare to Gong Wei’s:
“Um… Sect Master…”
Xu Shuangce’s hand stopped in mid-air, repeating, “Come here.”
All eyes in the room were fixed on Gong Wei, and Gong Wei felt a chill running down his spine. He walked up with a stiff scalp, and then felt a weight on his shoulder.
Xu Shuangce’s hand rested on his shoulder, pressing down as if not noticing anyone else’s expressions, then he turned to Jingxu daoist spiritual master. “Return to Xuanji Hall.”
?
“Who is the youth that the Sect Master brought back?” “Xiang Xiaoyuan? Who is Xiang Xiaoyuan?” “What did you say the Sect Master called him? Say it again?”
…
The uproar of private whispers spread like wildfire, and within half a day, it had spread throughout the entire Cangyang Sect.
However, the focus of all the discussions—the Xuanji Hall—was currently empty and quiet. The building was magnificent and splendid, adorned with curtains and bright lights. Xu Shuangce lifted his robe and sat behind the desk, speaking concisely:
“Undress.”
Gong Wei froze in midair, then hesitated for a while before saying politely, “Sect Master, isn’t this inappropriate?”
Xu Shuangce asked, “Why?”
“Under the bright sun and clear sky, the disciple is afraid of tarnishing the Sect Master’s reputation. Personal dignity is not that important…”
“Cough—” Two disciples guarding behind a distant stone pillar choked on their saliva, then straightened up abruptly, their throats spasming but holding back their voices.
Xu Shuangce’s dark eyes stared at him, but to Gong Wei’s surprise, he didn’t get angry and tell him to leave. After a while, he said calmly:
“You and I are Master and disciple, it’s not a big deal.”
Gong Wei immediately responded, “Disciple is terrified, disciple dare not! Disciple is just a humble outer disciple—”
“The Sect Master educates the people, and everyone in Cangyang Sect, from top to bottom, are disciples of the Sect Master. Is there anything wrong with that?”
Gong Wei: “…”
Gong Wei was speechless, forcing himself to look directly at Xu Shuangce, sincerely praising, “Sect Master’s words are extremely true!”
Under the oppressive gaze from across, Gong Wei slowly reached up to untie his belt, then even more slowly removed his outer robe, as if peeling a grape. After spending the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, when his upper body was completely exposed to the air, he finally realized that the other side didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping him.
Does he want me to undress completely?
If Gong Wei didn’t deeply understand how strict and ascetic Xu Shuangce was, and how unyielding his cultivation of emotionlessness for over a hundred years was, he might have started to speculate in some unsavory directions.
“…”
Forget it, anyway, he doesn’t know who I am. Moreover, it’s hard to say who benefits from undressing in front of Xu Shuangce.
Gong Wei closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, raising his hand to untie his belt. Unexpectedly, at this moment, a voice came from the other side: “Stop.”
Xu Shuangce held a bottle of ointment in his hand and said indifferently, “I just want to apply medicine for you, there’s no need to rush to take off your pants.”
“…”
Behind the stone pillar not far away, there was silence, probably because the disciples guarding there were so frightened that they choked on their breath.
Gong Wei used all his acting skills to hold back his expression, gratefully reaching out to take it. “Sect Master’s great kindness, disciple has no way to repay it. How dare disciple trouble Sect Master for a minor injury? Disciple will take care of it himself…”
Xu Shuangce raised the hand holding the ointment slightly and said, “Come here.”
… Alright, Xu Bai is in a mood today to suddenly act out a deep Sect Master-disciple relationship.
Gong Wei took a deep breath. His greatest advantage was that he could handle any situation. Immediately, he composed himself and said, “Thank you, Master!” Then, he respectfully knelt down and sat.
The wound on his left shoulder, pierced by a sword wielded by a ghost cultivator, had already begun to heal. This was probably due to being treated with a bucket of expensive Saint Medicine by the disciples of the Medical Sect when he was in Linjiang City—the value of that medicine could build a golden statue of Xiang Xiaoyuan.
But the bottle of medicine in Xu Shuangce’s hand should be even more precious and rare. Gong Wei didn’t know what the shimmering pearl-like medicinal aroma was made of. As soon as it touched his skin, it sent a chill through him. Then, the pain from the wound disappeared completely, and it quickly dried up and scabbed over at a visible speed, accompanied by an indescribable itching as muscles and bones regenerated.
“Don’t move.” Xu Shuangce suddenly grabbed Gong Wei’s right hand, which was about to scratch the wound uncontrollably.
Xu Shuangce’s hand looked cold, and it indeed was. There was unimaginable strength in his fingers and meridians. Gong Wei’s right hand was held in place, unable to move up or down.
He calmly uttered: “The medicine is precious.”
Even though Gong Wei had once stripped naked and played in the water in front of Xu Shuangce in his previous life, that was when he was young and ignorant of the consequences. At least, he hadn’t done it again after being appointed as the Grand Elder of the Punishment Hall. Although he had only removed his upper garment now, Gong Wei still felt extremely embarrassed for some reason, stealing a glance at Xu Shuangce.
Xu Shuangce’s eyes were sharp and his eyelashes, when lowered, resembled a sharp and curved blade. Perhaps due to his consistently expressionless demeanor, his face didn’t give the impression of beauty at first glance, but rather an undeniable and overwhelming pressure.
A chill suddenly surged from the depths of Gong Wei’s heart.
“You… can’t… treat me like this…” He heard his own choked gasping in the illusion suddenly ringing in his ears.
“You can’t treat me like this, Xu Shuangce… I… I like you…”
Why would there be such a hallucination?
When did this happen?
Gong Wei remained motionless on his knees, but his pupils contracted silently, and his gaze involuntarily fell on Xu Shuangce, fixing on his throat, which was so close.
He treated me like that—clear, sad, and desperate voices resurfaced slowly from the depths of his subconscious.
At such a close distance, as long as he reached out his hand…
As long as he reached out his hand…
“How did you get injured?”
Gong Wei suddenly snapped back to reality and trembled slightly. “What?”
Xu Shuangce glanced at him and said calmly, “I’m asking how you got injured.”
Gong Wei snapped out of his daze, and waves of post-traumatic fear surged from his back to the top of his head. He realized he had just walked on the edge of life and death.
But before he could calm down, he immediately showed a look of shame and regret, bowed his head, and said, “Reporting to the Sect Master, the disciple encountered a ghost cultivator outside the Linjiang Mansion and was ashamed of his low cultivation level, so…”
“Wasn’t there Yuchi Xiao?”
“Young Master Yuchi fought hard but was defeated. It was unavoidable, so…”
“Fought hard but was defeated,” Xu Shuangce repeated with a hint of mockery, finally finishing applying the medicine. He released Gong Wei’s hand and sat back in his original position.
The distance between the two finally widened.
Gong Wei let out a breath imperceptibly and immediately put on his outer garment. A strong mix of murderous intent, regret, and fear surged through him, striking his calm demeanor.
“Yuchi Xiao is nominally just the nephew of the family head, but due to the special circumstances of the Yuchi family, the Sword Sect dare not have descendants. Yuchi Xiao is destined to be the heir to the yejin men and has been personally nurtured and taught by the Sword Sect since childhood.” Xu Shuangce wiped the ointment off his fingers onto a handkerchief in a leisurely manner and said, “If even he ‘fought hard but was defeated,’ then the entire Yuchi family, I’m afraid, are all useless.”
――Your criticism is quite extensive.
Sect Master Xu’s arrogance is truly unchanged after sixteen years,” Gong Wei steadied his mind and bowed respectfully. “Master’s words are absolutely true. How could the Sword Sect’s family compare to our Cangyang Sect!”
“Oh,” Xu Shuangce’s tone shifted as he asked, “then, in the opinion of my beloved disciple, what caused the Sword Sect’s family to be inferior to the Cangyang Sect?”
Gong Wei spoke emphatically, “Master’s magical powers are unmatched in the world, and the Sword Sect’s leader is far inferior. Thus, there is a world of difference between them. Master, please judge wisely!”
Even if it were the Xiang Xiaoyuan here, they could not flatter so sincerely, decisively, and genuinely. Gong Wei said several apologies to Yuchi Rui in his heart, thinking, “Who told you to smash their stele with a sword back then? Look at Boss Xu, trying every means to provoke people to scold you. Obviously, he still deeply remembers your grudge…”
Xu Shuangce said, “Yuchi Rui, also known as Changsheng, had an extremely close relationship with Law Flower Immortal. Most of the children of the Yuchi family are unruly and arrogant, with high aspirations but little ability. They are not worth befriending. Stay away from his family.”
Gong Wei thought to himself, “Isn’t the most unruly person in the world you, Xu Shuangce?” He got up with an indescribable expression, but was stopped by Xu Shuangce’s gesture. Sect Master Xu threw the wiped white jade bottle to him, indicating to put it away. Then he suddenly asked, “Earlier on the road, you said you and Law Flower Immortal are sworn enemies?”
Gong Wei replied solemnly, “Law Flower Immortal actually attempted to assassinate the Master, which is truly outrageous. Disciple is loyal to the Cangyang Sect for generations and will never associate with him!”
“You also said you would rather die than let the Law Flower Immortal possess your body.”
“Absolutely not!”
“Very well.” Xu Shuangce glanced at him, then said leisurely, “But the Law Flower Immortal is a generation’s Master. If he forcibly takes over, and you can’t stop him, what will you do?”
“…”
What a good question, Xu Bai. You might as well ask a bullied girl how to protect her dignity.
Gong Wei hesitated under Xu Shuangce’s seemingly smiling but not smiling gaze, opening and closing his mouth several times before finally exhaling and adjusting his mood.
Then, he stood up abruptly, saying resolutely, “Then disciple will kill themselves!”
Clap, clap, clap.
Xu Shuangce slowly clapped his hands and said, “Indeed worthy of being a disciple of my Cangyang Sect.”
Gong Wei bowed politely, cursing this Xu surname internally eighteen times.
Then, Xu Shuangce spoke calmly, “But since you are my beloved disciple, I naturally can’t bear to see you sacrifice yourself.”
He reached out his hand, and a whirlwind condensed out of thin air, carrying golden light as it descended into his palm. Suddenly, it transformed into a jet-black jade slip, glossy and smooth, sealed with a green rope. Upon opening the ink-colored jade slip, countless tiny red characters filled the pages, and at the top, there were three words prominently written – “Soul Fixation Technique.”
“This is a treasure of our Cangyang Sect. As the name suggests, it can completely fix the soul within the body. If you learn the techniques within this book, even someone with the power to move mountains won’t be able to expel your soul from this body.”
Gong Wei’s heart sank, but he didn’t show any sign of disturbance on his face. He respectfully took the jade slip and asked, “Even if the disciple is deceived by someone or coerced into betraying, it still won’t, right?”
Though it was a straightforward question, Xu Shuangce inexplicably paused for a moment before avoiding eye contact and saying, “Yes.”
“From today onwards, you will reside in the Xuanji Hall and no longer return to the residence of the outer disciples. You will focus on studying the Soul Fixation Technique daily, and I will inspect your progress at irregular intervals. Failure to meet expectations will result in severe punishment.” Xu Shuangce waved his hand dismissively, indicating that he didn’t want to discuss it further. “You may leave now.”
?
The ink-colored jade slip was chilling to the bone, yet it felt like a hot potato in Gong Wei’s hands. Once his soul was fixed by this thing, how would he ever return the original owner’s soul to this body?
Gong Wei stood by the side hall window, sighing deeply. Suddenly, he heard a cold voice outside the door, “Why are you lingering here?”
Gong Wei turned around, “Oh, Senior Brother!”
Although Xu Shuangce didn’t personally take disciples, there were eight disciples guarding the Xuanji Hall entrance, who had been personally instructed by him for many years and were no different from the sect’s direct disciples in the eyes of outsiders. Twenty years ago, when Gong Wei repeatedly came to see Xu Shuangce, he was always turned away at the Xuanji Hall entrance. Eventually, the Grand Elder himself became annoyed and personally cast a spell on the eight guardians, freezing them in place like coffin boards. Each of them had a yellow talisman affixed to their foreheads with four words handwritten in bold strokes: Coffin Board Guardian.
The visitor was the leader of the eight outer disciples, Wen Xiuyang. He had the same coffin-like face as before, and he placed a food box on the table, saying, “By the order of the Grand Sect Master, your meal.”
Gong Wei sighed, finding solace in his meals in this bleak world. “Senior Brother, you could have just sent someone to call me. There’s no need to trouble yourself personally… What’s this?!”
Inside the food box was a large porcelain bowl with clear water-boiled cabbage, devoid of any oil, reflecting Gong Wei’s blank expression like a mirror.
Wen Xiuyang said, “By the Grand Sect Master’s decree, before fully grasping the Soul Fixation Technique, you must undergo trials of self-discipline. Two ounces of water-boiled vegetables daily are sufficient.”
“…” Gong Wei’s lips trembled slightly. After a moment, he pleaded in a low voice, “Senior Brother, I’d like some meat…”
Wen Xiuyang didn’t actually look like a coffin at all. He had sword-like eyebrows, starry eyes, and a tall stature, even exuding a hint of charming young man’s aura. However, as soon as he spoke, the cold and rigid demeanor of a coffin’s interior enveloped him: “No.”
“Junior brother, I am seriously injured, and I have lost too much blood…”
“No.”
“Senior brother…”
“I am not like you, being personally accepted as a disciple by the Master. I dare not call myself your senior brother.”
Gong Wei pretended not to understand his implication: “Don’t be so stubborn, senior brother. Look, the Master educates the world, and everyone in the entire Cangyang Sect is a disciple of the Master. Being a disciple of the Master is even better than being a blood-related brother! Therefore, you are…”
“Stop it!”
Wen Xiuyang finally couldn’t bear it and turned to leave. Gong Wei hurriedly took a few steps after him, “How about a jar of meat sauce, Senior Brother—” But before he could finish, “Bang!” The door was slammed shut heavily.
“Gloomy coffin board,” Gong Wei rubbed his hands in frustration. “So stubborn. No wonder he ranks below Yuchi Xiao.”
Thinking of elder nephew yuchi, Gong Wei couldn’t help but feel nostalgic. At least when he hung out with Yuchi Xiao and Meng Yunfei, they could eat roast chicken as much as they wanted. Back then, he found them annoying, but now that he had fallen to the point of living next door to Xu Shuangce, he suddenly felt that even eldest nephew yuchi was incredibly generous and lovely.
Gong Wei sat sadly in front of the big porcelain bowl, picking out two cabbage leaves with his chopsticks, sighing deeply before tossing them back into the bowl. Suddenly, his fingers touched something warm yet rigid.
It was a jade pendant.
His spirits lifted suddenly, and he reached into his sleeve, pulling out Yuchi Xiao’s engagement token, the Qilin Blood Jade Pendant!
When he left Linjiang City, Xu Shuangce had thrown him into the carriage single-handedly. At that moment, he saw Young Master Yuchi chasing after him and gesturing towards the waist where the jade pendant hung, quickly forming the words, “――Call me if you’re in danger!”
But everything happened so quickly that Gong Wei didn’t have time to respond. After returning to Cangyang Mountain, he was too busy dealing with Xu Shuangce. Every word he spoke had to be carefully weighed in his mind before he dared to speak it out. Therefore, he didn’t think about the jade pendant at that time.
“――Yuchi Xiao,” he rubbed his chin, pondering.
Each major sect or family had tokens carried by their members, mostly jade pendants, gold rings, pendants, etc., often inscribed with secret protection spells. In times of crisis, these tokens could automatically unleash spells to protect the owner from disasters. Before Xu Shuangce transformed into “General Bai” and entered the Illusory World twenty years ago, he took a gold ring from the Cangyang Sect with countless incantations inscribed on it. Later, he gave it to “Madame Xu” as a token of love. That gold ring was such a treasure.
However, the Qilin Blood Jade Pendant was even more precious because it had an extraordinary protective spell—
When the wearer was on the verge of life and death, it could automatically shatter and take the place of the wearer’s life.
Because of this, the Qilin Blood Jade Pendant was exceptionally precious, and having it was equivalent to having an extra life. The previous generation of the Yuchi family handed this treasure to his youngest son, Yuchi Rui, before he passed away. Yuchi Rui, after succeeding the sect leader, passed it on to his deceased brother’s son, his only nephew, Yuchi Xiao. However, for three generations, there hadn’t been a life-threatening crisis, so there was no chance to use it, otherwise it would have already turned into dust.
“No wonder you’re always thinking about getting it back,” Gong Wei muttered to himself. “If I accidentally use it one day, it would be a great sin, wouldn’t it, my dear nephew?” As he spoke, the jade pendant suddenly emitted a faint glow, followed by a flash of red light!
Gong Wei was startled. Suddenly, the jade pendant automatically triggered a long-distance viewing formation, and the array crisscrossed in the void. Then, a familiar figure appeared –
Yuchi Xiao was on all fours, sweating profusely, shirtless, his muscular body almost perfect, staring blankly at him.
Yuchi Xiao: “…”
Gong Wei: “…” Yuchi Xiao scrambled up in shock, grabbing the Gouchen Sword in alarm, “What’s wrong with you?!”
Gong Wei covered his eyes with one hand, “It’s nothing, don’t panic! Put down the sword and talk!”
“…” Yuchi Xiao finally noticed the background behind him was the Xuanji Hall of Cangyang Sect, he breathed a sigh of relief, then angrily said, “Why summon me if there’s no danger!”
Gong Wei slightly loosened a finger, revealing half an eye: “No big deal, just wanted to chat with you.”
Following his gaze, Yuchi Xiao glanced at himself, then immediately threw down the sword as if shocked, grabbed the clothes on the floor of the practice room to cover himself, blushing and asking, “What are you thinking? I was just practicing! Are you deliberately trying to peep at me?!”
“Young Hero, you’re overthinking it. If I wanted to peep, wouldn’t it be easier to peek at Sect Master Xu bathing?” Gong Wei grinned and teased, “Besides, I didn’t know your love token was attached with a summoning spell.”
“This isn’t a love token! This is just my… Wait, you didn’t know there was a summoning spell on this jade pendant?”
Gong Wei innocently spread his hands.
Yuchi Xiao’s face grew even redder, not knowing if it was from anger or something else: “Then when you were alone earlier, did you call out to me?”
Gong Wei smiled and said, “Of course, I called you ‘Yuchi Xiao, the wise and mighty hero’.”
“Nonsense! To activate the summoning formation, you have to first say the name of the person being summoned, then state the true relationship between the two, so what did you call me just now?!”
“…” Gong Wei looked at his nephew’s frustrated and red face, finally understanding.
“It seems even your family heirloom acknowledges our true relationship,” he gently replied, “I’m so touched, my dao companion.”
The air fell silent.
Yuchi Xiao took a deep breath, exhaled, inhaled again, then exhaled. After repeating this several times, he finally opened his eyes, spoke slowly through clenched teeth:
“If you don’t return the jade pendant to me next time we meet, I’ll kill you!”
With a swift wave of his hand, a flash of white light, the long-distance viewing formation dissolved into countless points of light.
Gong Wei held his head in one hand, suppressing a smile, his shoulders shaking.
All the frustration dissipated after teasing the young master of the Yuchi family. After a while, he finally took a deep breath, calmed down, put away the jade pendant, and turned around. However, his unfinished smile froze instantly.
The side hall door had been opened at some point, and Xu Shuangce stood against the light, silent and overlooking him
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Thank you for the translation!! I love this so much I just read all the chapters you translated in one go!
Thank You for the chapter ❤٩(•౪•٩)
The ML must realize it’s the MC with how he’s treating him, right?