Chapter 4
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Pei Yunshu had been meditating the entire night, only stopping when the sunlight streamed into the room the next day.
In his previous life, his cultivation had been sealed, and his legs had been broken. He had grown accustomed to sleeping at night and staying awake during the day, just like an ordinary person. He had forgotten that he was a cultivator and that meditation could dispel fatigue.
However, this night, his meditation had been particularly restless.
He had set up several protective barriers and placed defensive talismans and treasures around him. The sensation of heat and the pattern on his thigh from the previous night seemed like a dream. Throughout the entire night, except for that one moment, everything had been normal.
After resting for a while, Pei Yunshu went outside into the courtyard.
The courtyard had been tidied up by the young servants, and there were some spirit herbs and trees growing along the wall.
He sat down at a stone table and the image of the pattern he had seen last night appeared in his mind again.
The palm-sized black snake pattern was exquisitely detailed, lifelike, as if it wanted to come to life.
But how could he explain this to his master and Senior Brothers? Should he take off his pants to show them the pattern?
Moreover, because of the incident with the blood jade, Pei Yunshu didn’t want to go and find Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master now.
A young servant approached him cautiously. “Senior Brother, should I wash the clothes on the folding screen?”
“En,” Pei Yunshu came back to his senses and asked, “What’s wrong?”
The young servant hesitated, then said, “Senior Brother Yunshu, you should come and take a look.”
Pei Yunshu followed the young servant into the bathhouse. His clothes, which had been hung on the folding screen last night, were still neatly draped there. He felt puzzled and walked closer to inspect them. It was only upon closer examination that he noticed something was amiss on the screen.
Sticky water droplets had slid down the clothes and landed on the screen. The droplet had fallen right onto the center of a peony flower on the vibrant screen.
Pei Yunshu reached out to touch the clothes. The outer robe was dry, and the belt was dry, but the inner garment he wore next to his skin, which was hidden at the bottom of the pile, felt damp and sticky to the touch.
Pei Yunshu withdrew his hand, looking at the transparent substance on his hand. He turned to ask the young servant when they had noticed something was wrong.
But as he turned his head, he saw a flash of red light in the young servant’s eyes.
The shadow of the wall obscured the face. The young servant’s voice was soft and perplexed, “Senior Brother, is something the matter?”
Pei Yunshu said, “It’s nothing.”
He took out a handkerchief and wiped away the sticky substance. When he retrieved the handkerchief, he found a sword emitting a faint blue light in his hand. Without hesitation, the sword was directed towards the young servant, and the blade emitted a melodious resonance.
“Senior Brother…” The young servant began to speak, “What are you doing?”
But the sword’s movement didn’t halt. However, the instant the tip of the sword touched the young servant, it was as if a flower had fallen into a pool of water, creating ripples. When Pei Yunshu came back to his senses, he found himself sitting at the stone table in the courtyard.
A gust of wind rustled his hair as a green leaf twirled down in front of him.
The young servant responsible for cleaning the courtyard emerged from the bathhouse, holding the clothes Pei Yunshu had taken off the previous day. Pei Yunshu blinked, called the young servant over, and took a closer look at their appearance. He then retrieved his inner garment and found it intact, still clean and dry.
“Junior Brother!”
Third Senior Brother’s voice reached them even before he did. Pei Yunshu put down the clothes and said to the young servant, “You can go.”
The young servant was about to leave when the Senior Brothers walked in. Seeing the young servant carrying the clothes, they knew that they were the ones Pei Yunshu had taken off.
Third Senior Brother opened his folding fan and waved it a few times. With a mischievous smile, he used the fan to lift the clothes, not yet close to his nose, when he said playfully, “Smells so good.”
Eldest Senior Brother took the fan from him and lightly tapped him on the head. The young servant lowered their head and quickly left their presence.
“Junior Brother Yunshu,” Eldest Senior Brother held the bundle of snake skin, getting straight to the point, “let’s discuss how to use this piece of snake skin.”
“Let’s put the snake skin aside for now,” Yuncheng said with a clear smile, sitting down leisurely and looking at Pei Yunshu with concern. “Junior Brother, did you thoroughly check yourself for any anomalies after last night?”
Pei Yunshu pursed his lips, his long eyelashes shading his eyes, casting a shadow over them.
Yuncheng observed his expression and said slowly, “Is there an anomaly that you’ve noticed, but you don’t want to tell your Senior Brothers?”
The other two exchanged knowing glances.
“…No,” Pei Yunshu replied, “I’m fine.”
“It’s good that you’re alright,” Yuncheng changed the subject. “Junior Brother, what do you plan to do with this snake skin?”
Pei Yunshu felt a bit perplexed.
In his previous life, every treasure that came into his possession had arrived intact. Now that he had this piece of shed flood dragon skin, he truly didn’t know what to do with it.
However, he had heard that flood dragon skin was impervious to blades and unaffected by water or fire, making it an excellent material for crafting defensive treasures.
In this life, he had made up his mind. If his master or Senior Brothers offered him treasures, he would refuse if he could. If he couldn’t refuse, like with the blood jade, he would find a way to make up for it with something good.
If others were willing to give, it was their business. If he accepted, he would feel uncomfortable.
So even though he didn’t like snakes, he had not refused this time. After careful consideration, he said, “Senior Brother, please use it to make material for a belt.”
Yunjing shook his head. “Junior Brother, you are a great contributor. Material for just a belt is too little.”
The term “great contributor” sounded somewhat embarrassing.
“How about we first use the entire snake skin to make an outer garment for Junior Brother Yunshu? If there’s any left, we can consider making something for little Junior Brother as well,” Third Senior Brother lazily suggested, “The three of us don’t lack defensive treasures.”
Yuncheng nodded gently. “What do you think, Senior Brother?”
“Then, let’s do that,” Eldest Senior Brother didn’t wait for Pei Yunshu to refuse. He had Pei Yunshu stand up and took out a flexible ruler from his sleeve. “Junior Brother, let me measure your dimensions.”
“Senior Brother, you found this, how can you put me first?” Pei Yunshu’s entire demeanor was filled with resistance, every move and word conveyed his unwillingness.
Yunjing remained silent, simply watching him. His normally gentle and accommodating nature was like that of an old cow, but when he became stubborn, he was like a bull that could charge straight into a wall.
Third Senior Brother chuckled beside them. “Senior Brother, we already have Junior Brother Yunshu’s measurements. Why do you need to measure again?”
Pei Yunshu insisted, “I don’t need this.”
However, none of the three Senior Brothers paid any attention to his words. Perhaps they heard, but they didn’t want to follow his wishes.
Regardless of Pei Yunshu’s thoughts, they did what they wanted, paying no heed to his objections.
Pei Yunshu clenched his fist, and his nails formed a crescent mark on his finger.
When the Senior Brothers began to discuss the style of the outer garment, he raised his voice, “I don’t want it!”
The Senior Brothers immediately stopped their conversation and turned to look at him.
Pei Yunshu’s chest rose and fell slightly as he maintained eye contact with each of them. He declared, “I don’t need it.”
The atmosphere froze for a moment. Suddenly, Yuncheng burst into laughter.
He stood up, his tall figure casting a shadow over Pei Yunshu. With his wide sleeves, he covered half the stone table and said warmly, “Junior Brother, let us give this to you. How about we make an outer garment for you? Isn’t that better than a belt?”
Pei Yunshu turned his head away, refusing to look at him.
Yuncheng could only see his jade-like ear and the fine strands of black hair behind it. It seemed that Junior Brother Yunshu was still angry. His breath was slightly faster, carrying a faint fragrance, which reached Yuncheng’s senses.
“Fourth Junior Brother,” Yuncheng’s voice softened even further. “Senior Brothers have your best interests at heart. Don’t refuse our goodwill, alright? Otherwise, Senior Brother might get upset.”
***
After everyone left the courtyard, Pei Yunshu sat alone at the stone table.
After a while, he took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and began wiping the water stains on the table.
It was a cup of tea that Eldest Senior Brother had poured for him. However, when Yuncheng approached him, he accidentally knocked it over.
His sleeve had become wet as well, but no one had noticed.
Pei Yunshu steadied his still trembling hand. As he looked, he suddenly felt a prickling sensation in his nose.
Among all the members of the sect, the person Pei Yunshu feared the most was Yuncheng.
On the day Yuncheng broke his legs, he had smiled and said, “Junior Brother, don’t be afraid. Senior Brother broke your legs for your own good. This way, you won’t go around bothering little Junior Brother, and you won’t anger Senior Brother, right?”
If Yuncheng were to be described in mortal terms, he would be a refined and noble young master. Pei Yunshu only realized much later that a person like him, when angered, could be quite terrifying.
The phrase “anger Senior Brother” made Pei Yunshu vividly recall the scene when his legs were broken.
He had crawled out, covered in dust, in pain. He had pleaded with Yuncheng, begging him to spare him. He promised that he wouldn’t go near little Junior Brother anymore, he wouldn’t anger Senior Brother again, he would leave the sect, and he would never appear before them again.
But Yuncheng had remained angry. He raised his sheathed sword high and then brought it down heavily onto Pei Yunshu’s knees.
As the sun set and the afterglow bathed his shoulders, Pei Yunshu finally snapped out of his memories and flew on his sword to the sect’s affairs bureau.
Shanshui Sect had more than one peak, but the relationships between the peaks were quite distant. They seldom interacted with each other. However, Shanshui Sect was a major sect in the world, and countless people who sought longevity and eternal youth came to join each year.
Pei Yunshu wanted to take on a task. He didn’t want to stay on Wuzhi Peak anymore. He wanted to go out and see the wider world, even if it was just for a few days. He needed to catch his breath.
When he arrived at the affairs bureau, Pei Yunshu inquired with the elders inside about available tasks.
Pei Yunshu was on the verge of breaking through to the Golden Core stage, so the tasks here were beneath him. After some consideration, he wore a bitter expression and said, “It would be better if you went to find your master and asked him to assign you a beneficial task.”
Pei Yunshu shook his head earnestly. “Elder, please give me any task, preferably one that requires some travel.”
He just wanted to leave right now, to get away as soon as possible.
The elder reluctantly tried to find a suitable task for him, but he still thought it was a waste. So, he privately sent a voice transmission talisman, conveying Pei Yunshu’s request for a task to Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master.
“Just wait,” the elder thought to himself. There was no suitable task for Pei Yunshu here, and there couldn’t be none even at Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master’s place.
After a moment, a beast riding the clouds suddenly appeared on the horizon, charging menacingly towards the affairs bureau.
Hearing the gasps of his fellow sect members, Pei Yunshu turned around and saw the beast already less than a hundred meters away. In the blink of an eye, it had picked him up on its back and soared into the sky again.
A cold wind brushed his face. As Pei Yunshu came back to his senses, he was about to struggle to jump down, but the beast turned its head and fixed him with its golden vertical pupils, its ferocity undiminished. Its massive mouth opened wide, revealing gleaming white teeth, and it let out a roar.
This was his master’s overflow heavens beast, which had recently killed a nest of demons causing trouble down the mountain. Its cultivation level was higher than Pei Yunshu’s.
Pei Yunshu tightened his grip on the beast’s fur and cast a protective barrier around himself, obediently staying still.
The beast’s disdainful gaze swept over him. Carrying this fragile human, it accelerated once again. In the blink of an eye, it had delivered Pei Yunshu to Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master’s residence.
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Nobody collaborates with the poor guy, they prefer the other but they don’t want to let him free