Chapter 37
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“The puppet threads will strangle his spiritual veins, almost all of his spiritual veins have shattered…” “What should we do, Medical Sect Master?!” “Inject the remaining elixir into him, don’t stop!” “How’s his pulse? Is it starting to recover?”
…
The voices rose and fell, sometimes sounding close, then suddenly distant, gradually fading away into the depths of the chaotic consciousness.
Gong Wei struggled to open his eyes, feeling as if he had become very small in a daze. He couldn’t even stand on his own two feet, so he curled up his body tremblingly, hiding in the misty depths of the peach forest. His right pupil was as bright and intense as blood, seeing the person named Ying Kai squatting in front of him, patiently patting his head; then his gaze shifted, seeing another cold and handsome young man holding a sword not far away, casting a scrutinizing gaze.
For some reason, upon seeing that man, a sudden intense pain pierced his heart from his left chest cavity, and the inherent immense sadness and joy engulfed his entire consciousness like a torrent.
Then, a clear voice emerged from the depths of his mind—
That was Xu Shuangce.
I must kill Xu Shuangce.
“Don’t be afraid, how long have you been hiding in the peach forest? Do you want to come out?” “He’s observing us. He’s acting as if he’s a human being.”….
Xu Shuangce’s voice was so pleasant, and he looked so handsome. Gong Wei thought intermittently amidst the pain in his left heart.
I really like him, can I stay by his side?
…
“I’ll take him to the Medical Sect to have Brother Mu take a look at him.” After some arguing, Ying Kai finally made a decision, reaching out his hand gently towards him, asking kindly, “Can I take you out?”
The dream froze at this moment.
Gong Wei widened his eyes, looking at Ying Kai’s palm in front of him.
In his mind, he had already recalled how things would unfold next—he watched Xu Shuangce indifferently, and finally, timidly held Ying Kai’s hand, being taken away from Cangyang Mountain, to establish the Punishment Hall in the Immortal Alliance; in the decades that followed, there were entanglements of gratitude and resentment, farewells and separations, until he was stabbed through the heart on the Ascension Immortal Platform, never able to return to this initial peach blossom forest.
If this time, he deviates from the predetermined path from the beginning, would the outcome be different?
A strong instinctive impulse surged from deep within his heart.
In that unconscious moment, as the painful chest seemed to fill with unprecedented courage, Gong Wei forced himself to turn his head to the other side, stretching out his hands towards the man who looked down on him, with distant eyes.
“… want… hug…”
He was small and hadn’t learned to speak yet. He remembered that his first feeling in this world was sadness, but he didn’t know why.
He could only stutter and make more choking sounds, futilely repeating, “Want… hug…”
The dream suddenly changed.
In the next moment, he fell from the sky like a bird, but before he could feel fear, he fell into a pair of arms filled with a soothing fragrance of sandalwood. Someone was tightly and securely protecting him, and a gentle kiss fell on his temple.
“You won’t die,” the deep voice said.
“Just sleep for a while.”
…
***
“The soul veins have been temporarily repaired to this extent, now it depends on his own destiny.”
A young man in his twenties gathered faint purple light between his fingertips, retracting his hand from the center of Gong Wei’s brow.
He had a refined and handsome face, with an air of elegance and Daoist charm. Adorning his waist was not a jade pendant, but a small dagger made of pale gold, shaped like a slender willow leaf. If he were to keep his mouth shut, his entire demeanor could be described as otherworldly and transcendent, but unfortunately, as soon as he opened his mouth, his true nature was revealed: “Tsk tsk tsk, luckily he had the good fortune to encounter me, a dignified Master of the Medical Sect, personally intervening. Otherwise, this creature, neither human nor demon, would have been long gone, especially encountering the most venomous and vicious puppet threads in the hands of the Iron Sect…”
This person was one of the three sect Masters of the current era, Mu Duozhu of the Golden Boat Medical Sect.
Gong Wei curled up on the bed, lying on his side, his eyes tightly closed, his face pale, and his expression seemed very uneasy. He held onto Xu Shuangce’s hand tightly and didn’t let go. Xu Shuangce stood there motionless and asked, “Why is he like this?”
Mu Duozhu said solemnly, “This is because even in a coma, he doesn’t forget to respect his teacher and uphold righteousness.”
Xu Shuangce: “…”
They stared at each other for a while, Xu Shuangce’s cold and ruthless black eyes staring straight at Mu Duozhu’s face. The physician couldn’t hold it for long. “Alright, actually, it’s because the patient’s condition is special right now. His soul veins are extremely depleted, so he instinctively seeks reliance on the strongest spiritual power around him, much like a person in desperate need of food and warmth. To solve this, it’s simple; we need to infuse a large amount of spiritual power into him, but that might be a bit slow. In fact, there’s a faster way…”
Xu Shuangce asked, “What method?”
Mu Duozhu blinked, suddenly took a step back, and said solemnly, “Dual cultivation.”
The room fell eerily quiet. Xu Shuangce stared at him expressionlessly, without even moving his eyes.
Mu Duozhu swiftly moved out of the room, maintaining his composure in the upper body, casually saying, “Sect Master Xu, don’t mind my joke. But speaking of which, I heard my disciples talking the other day, saying that Sect Master Xu’s sword outside the Ding Xian Ling was astonishing. In order to resolve the situation as quickly as possible, you didn’t hesitate to crush the elders on the spot. Truly worthy of being the number one grandmaster in the world. What’s shocking is Sect Master Xu’s attitude towards his beloved disciple is completely opposite, completely—um, how should I put it? Completely pitying the weak, cherishing and protecting…”
Xu Shuangce’s right thumb moved slightly in the shadow.
Mu Duozhu instantly flashed out of the room and slammed the door shut.
After a few breaths, there was a click as the door opened again. The physician stuck out half of his head, hurriedly reminded, “Remember to pay the diagnosis fee in gold!”
Without waiting for Xu Shuangce’s reply, he quickly closed the door and fled.
The room returned to silence. Xu Shuangce stood still for a moment, then turned to look at the bed.
Gong Wei unconsciously frowned in his sleep, as if there were many unspoken grievances and anxieties. He tightly held Xu Shuangce’s left hand, which was like a lifesaving straw. His forehead kept rubbing against Xu Shuangce’s arm, and his silky black hair spread out on the bed and sleeves.
“….”
Xu Shuangce finally moved, slowly sitting on the edge of the bed.
With this movement, his left arm bent from being perpendicular to the bed, and Gong Wei immediately hugged him tighter.
When a cultivator’s soul veins are depleted to a certain extent, it becomes fatal. Gong Wei instinctively pressed his upper body against Xu Shuangce’s left arm, with his cheek against the curve of his arm. With just a slight movement, he could see the long and soft eyelashes of the young man rubbing against the white-gold robe due to the tightness of the embrace.
A silent warmth gradually rose, like scorching, fine needles constantly stimulating the nerves, but there was still no change in Xu Shuangce’s calm face.
He just hung his eyes, calmly watching Gong Wei’s face so close, lifted his right hand, and sent a trace of spiritual power into his brow sea, just a touch.
“…”
Gong Wei made an unbearable and indistinct murmuring sound, becoming even more anxious because of this fleeting spiritual power. He seemed to be trapped in a chaotic and viscous dream, struggling to break free but unable to, wanting to wake up but feeling dazed. Subconsciously, he grabbed the front of the robe in front of him and tried hard to lift his head.
The young man got too close, and even his breathing was clearly audible.
Xu Shuangce lowered his head slightly, the shadows of the bed curtains intertwined, making it impossible to see his expression. He seemed to be patiently waiting for something to happen, as his index finger slightly lifted, Gong Wei brought his forehead closer; as it lifted again, he stubbornly followed. This discreet pursuit repeated several times, and Xu Shuangce’s back gradually leaned back, making a slight creaking sound from the bedhead under his weight.
“No…”
Spiritual power trickled intermittently into the sea, but it was far from enough.
Gong Wei seemed to be trapped in a soft and warm sea of clouds, even his lingering complaints sounded light and airy:
“….Mmm…”
As if finally understanding his dissatisfaction, Xu Shuangce’s finger fell on his brow again, and the surging pure spiritual power immediately rushed to every part of his body. Gong Wei’s entire soul veins suddenly relaxed, unconsciously tilting his head up like a thirsty person encountering sweet dew, his nose almost touching Xu Shuangce’s chin.
But then, Xu Shuangce’s fingertip gently lifted again.
Gong Wei became thoroughly anxious.
In an instant, their breaths intertwined. Just as his hand was about to block his own lips, Gong Wei urgently grabbed onto Xu Shuangce’s robe, and his soft, cold lips finally landed on Xu Shuangce’s palm.
It was like an intimate and appeasing kiss.
***
Knock, knock, knock.
Outside the room, Yuchi Xiao knocked on the door a few times, waited quietly for a few breaths, then raised his voice, “Lord Medicine Sect Master, the Alliance Leader requests your presence on the deck for a discussion!”
There was no response from behind the door.
The treatment had been going on for several hours. Was it still not over by now? Yuchi Xiao’s already tense heart sank further, and he exerted more force on his hand. “Boom, boom, boom!” He knocked again, “Lord Medicine Sect Master, is the treatment not going smoothly? I…”
A calm voice came from inside the room, “Come in.”
It was clearly Sect Master Xu!
Yuchi Xiao’s expression changed suddenly. He pushed the door open, and in front of him was a spacious and elegant room, but dimly lit by candlelight, with bed curtains hanging down, and a secretive and ambiguous scent of medicine and sandalwood floating in the air. A strong hand lifted the curtain, and then the whole person turned over on the bed, revealing Xu Shuangce.
“…” Yuchi Xiao seemed to have suddenly lost the ability to speak, and he suddenly turned his gaze to the heavy silk bed curtains, where he could vaguely see Gong Wei lying curled up on the bed, wrapped in a familiar white-gold robe.
That was the outer robe of the Cangyang Sect Master!
Xu Shuangce was only wearing a black tight inner armor. He straightened his clothes and said calmly, “What’s the matter?”
If it were another disciple, they might have been terrified by now. Yuchi Xiao opened his mouth, heard his own hoarse voice, and said, “Sect Master Xu, you and your disciple are alone in the room, and your attire is disheveled. Isn’t that against etiquette?”
Xu Shuangce’s movements paused slightly, he turned his head to glance at him, his gaze seemed inscrutable.
He asked, “Is this against etiquette?”
A chill shot up Yuchi Xiao’s spine like lightning, and his expression changed abruptly.
But fortunately, Xu Shuangce didn’t say the second half of the sentence.
He let go of the curtain, and his movements and voice were calm and unhurried, as if the previous conversation hadn’t happened at all, “What are you doing?”
During the Medical Sect’s treatment, outsiders were not allowed to approach. Yuchi Xiao had specially intercepted the disciple delivering the message halfway. He originally wanted to inquire about Gong Wei’s recovery, but now he knew there was no need to ask anything. He almost forced himself to bow and said, “The Iron Sect has boarded the ship, and the Alliance Leader requests the presence of all sect masters to discuss the matter of the soldier thread at the Ding Xian Ling.”
In short, it was time to hold the Iron Sect accountable.
Xu Shuangce neither agreed nor disagreed, “Lead the way.”
***
As they stepped out of the room, along the long and wide corridor to the end, the Medical Sect disciples passing by all hurriedly made way and bowed their heads in respect. At the end of the corridor was a spiraling staircase made of white jade. Yuchi Xiao took a step back and made a gesture of invitation, “Lord Sect Master Xu, please.”
Xu Shuangce lifted his robe and calmly ascended the stairs.
It was said that Sect Master Xu and the Alliance Leader were of the same age, so he must be nearly a hundred years old by now. But from his appearance, you couldn’t tell at all, because Xu Shuangce still looked very young, with a kind of handsome fierceness about him. After taking off his outer robe, his lean and tall figure was fully revealed. Especially from behind, you could vaguely see the smooth contours of his back muscles under his clothes as he moved.
He wasn’t wearing a sword. But even without a sword, Xu Shuangce’s terrifying calmness and stability didn’t diminish in the slightest.
“Yuchi Xiao,” he suddenly said without turning his head.
“……Yes.”
Xu Shuangce asked casually, “How did Xiang Xiaoyuan get injured by the soldier thread?”
In that instant, many things flashed through Yuchi Xiao’s mind—the right eye being dug out alive and squeezed into pulp, the head flying with a streak of blood, the blood splattering on the side of the youth’s face, slowly flowing down his snow-white, cold skin… All the scenes froze eventually, and he saw the slender and fatal throat of the youth being pressed against by the sharp edge of the gouchen sword, but he didn’t care at all, allowing the blood to seep into the sword groove in his palm, and when he turned around, the corners of his long eyes were raised with undisguised cunning.
“What answer do you want from me?” he asked with a grin.
“You’re weak, Young Master Yuchi. You didn’t even dare to chop off my hand first or stab me with a sword—what answer do you expect from me?”
…
Yuchi Xiao lowered his gaze, his Adam’s apple visibly bobbing.
“The junior encountered the terrifying corpse of Law Flower Immortal, fought hard but was defeated, and failed to protect Xiang Xiaoyuan, causing him to be affected and injured. The junior is deeply ashamed and asks for punishment from Lord Sect Master Xu.”
“Oh, is that so?” Xu Shuangce’s tone was flat, “Is that all?”
Yuchi Xiao said calmly, “That’s all.”
At this moment, one after the other, they reached the end of the spiraling white jade stairs, facing an indoor corridor adorned with carved beams and painted rafters.
As Xu Shuangce stepped onto the last step, he suddenly turned around and said, “Nephew.”
Yuchi Xiao stopped in his tracks, “Please speak, Sect Master.”
Far away, a disciple of the Medical Sect passed by. Seeing the two figures standing one after the other, one high and one low, facing each other on the stairs, they stopped and bowed their heads in deference, not daring to approach.
Xu Shuangce said, “Since returning from Linjiang City, the little disciple has been injured on his left shoulder, and his injuries are very serious. He encountered a ghost cultivator outside the Mansion and Nephew was unable to defeat him, leading to his injury. This time at the Ding Xian Ling, he was implanted with the soldier thread, causing his spiritual veins to shatter and his injuries to worsen. Once again nephew was defeated in battle and he suffered the consequences.”
Yuchi Xiao couldn’t utter a word.
Xu Shuangce continued slowly, “Nephew still needs to train diligently.”
There was no fluctuation in his tone, as if he were stating a fact calmly. But Yuchi Xiao felt as if he had been punched in the face, his ears buzzing, and after a while, he heard himself grit his teeth and say, “…Thank you for Sect Master’s guidance.”
A figure flashed in the distance, and it was Mu Duozhu who approached from the end of the corridor, wondering, “What’s going on here?”
Xu Shuangce didn’t answer. He took out something from his sleeve, and seeing its bright red color like fire, it was surprisingly the qilin pendant he had previously collected from Gong Wei!
“This item can shatter and take the place of death. It is very precious, and the little disciple cannot afford it.” He handed the pendant back to Yuchi Xiao and looked down at him, saying, “Nephew, take it back.”
Mu Duozhu had no idea what had happened, but he saw the face of the Young Master of the Yejinmen change extremely unpleasantly, unable to say anything, and he could only take the jade pendant and clench it in his hand, retreating backward down the steps.
He should have bid farewell and turned around, but for some reason, he stopped in his tracks and took a deep breath.
“Lord Sect Master Xu,” he looked up at Xu Shuangce directly and asked in a clear voice, “Junior and Xiang Xiaoyuan have been through life and death together, with deep feelings between them. Seeing him injured and lying in bed, junior is very worried. May junior visit him?”
Only top-tier aristocratic disciples could have such courage and foundation. Xu Shuangce looked down at him steadily, his eyes flashing with an unknown expression, whether it was admiration or mockery, and after a while, he readily said, “Go ahead.”
Yuchi Xiao nodded and turned.
His figure quickly disappeared at the end of the spiraling white jade stairs, leaving Mu Duozhu full of doubts. Just as he was about to ask something, he heard Xu Shuangce softly say, “People who don’t see others being disciplined shed tears when they see a coffin.”
Mu Duozhu exclaimed in surprise, “What?”
Xu Shuangce didn’t answer. He turned and headed towards the closed door at the end of the corridor, brushing aside the carved bronze door at the end of the corridor.
A fresh breeze blew from the end of the blue tile sky, with mountains and rivers undulating in the distance, and the capital city and villages were as small as a sandbox; Xu Shuangce stepped onto the Han white jade pavilion and looked out from the railing at the end of the platform. Below the pavilion was a magnificent and sturdy deck shining with gold and green.
This was indeed a golden giant ship sailing in the sky!
The seats were already set in the hall. At the east end, there was a chair with rosewood armrests, and Ying Kai was already seated there, holding his head in one hand, silent and tired. To the left of Ying Kai was Sword Sect Yuchi Rui, who, due to the aftereffects of illusion, still looked listless at the moment, holding the divine sword Raksasa Tower in his right hand, and his left hand was pulling out some five-spice peanuts from his pocket to throw into his mouth.
Xu Shuangce sat down on another rosewood armchair at the east end, and Mu Duozhu also settled down below him. Everyone’s gaze turned to the chair in the middle of the hall, all meeting the gaze of Changsun Chengfeng.
“…”
The disciples of the Iron Sect were silent, leaning heavily against the back of their chairs and letting out a sigh, speaking sincerely:
“I have nothing to do with this matter, friends and immortals, please understand!”
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I think CC is innocent.
On the other hand, wow, that scene with GW and XS! I kinda thought XS was just a blunt block of ice so I definitely wasn’t expecting that from him.
̑̑ෆ(⸝⸝⸝◉⸝ ｡ ⸝◉⸝⸝⸝)