Silence enveloped the room. Pei Zizhuo’s expression went blank, and he froze on the spot.
Propping himself up, he asked in disbelief, “You are Danxiao?”
Shen Shu’s heart skipped a beat. Does Pei Zizhuo know Danxiao?
On second thought, this was a task from the Heavenly Mandate’s White Slip. How could such a rookie blunder occur? Hardening his resolve, he replied, “Why would I fake something like this?”
Indeed, why would he?
Danxiao Sanren was considered the filth of the cultivation world, a beast in human skin. Unless the man himself were present, who would willingly take that pot of filth and dump it on their own head?
Pei Zizhuo’s face instantly darkened. When he looked at Shen Shu again, a trace of disgust lingered in his eyes. He considered himself a good judge of character. Whether tall or short, fat or thin, good or evil, beautiful or hideous, he could see right through any skin those monsters wore at a single glance.
Yet the person before him was different. Both his appearance and his aura exuded absolute, pure innocence. He truly was far too good at acting.
Shen Shu was completely bewildered. Why had Pei Zizhuo gone from laughing and chatting casually a moment ago to sporting a face as dark as the bottom of a wok in the blink of an eye?
“Are you all right?” Seeing him sit upright with his lower back braced against the wall, Shen Shu assumed his immortal bone had not set properly. He rose, leaned in, and reached out toward Pei Zizhuo’s waist to check.
Just as Shen Shu was about to touch him, his wrist tightened. Someone had seized his hand.
Shen Shu froze. Raising his bewildered eyes, he asked in surprise, “What is wrong?”
What is wrong? What else could be wrong?
The corner of Pei Zizhuo’s mouth twitched, thinking to himself that this man was far too skilled at feigning innocence. From the very beginning, he had found it suspicious. Shouldn’t a cultivator in the Soul Formation stage possess an abundance of immortal elixirs and spiritual medicines? Why insist on using his own blood as nourishment?
So it was not genuine devotion at all, but calculated schemes. And now, he was boldly groping him in broad daylight!
Tightening his grip, Pei Zizhuo watched Shen Shu’s fair, slender wrist slowly flush red, looking like blood-seeped mutton-fat jade, as if it would snap with just a little more force. Only because this person had helped him so much did he swallow the mouthful of curses on his tongue. Tossing the hand away, he rasped, “I am not used to others touching me.”
“My apologies. I am sorry,” Shen Shu said, pulling his hand back without paying any mind to the red mark on his wrist. He explained, “I saw you sit up and thought you were feeling uncomfortable somewhere. I will not be so reckless next time.”
Putting on the act of a harmless rabbit for who to see?
Pei Zizhuo glared at him and let out a cold sneer. “You truly are considerate.”
The words sounded odd. Shen Shu pulled his hand back timidly, not understanding why Pei Zizhuo had suddenly changed his attitude and seemed so hostile toward him.
Just as he thought to ask for clarification, a clear, prolonged cry of a bluebird suddenly echoed from outside the door.
Someone from the Heavenly Realm had arrived looking for him. Shen Shu had no choice but to swallow his questions. Leaving behind a quick “I am heading out for a moment,” he hurried away.
Pei Zizhuo furrowed his brows as he watched his retreating figure. His gaze darkened, and with a grim expression, he weighed his chances in a direct confrontation should Danxiao decide to strike.
It was hard to say whether he was fortunate or unfortunate. In the cultivation world, the only person capable of mending an immortal bone was Daoist Jiuyou of Penglai Immortal Island. Yet his so-called mending was merely replacing like with like, severing another cultivator’s immortal bone to graft onto his own.
By comparison, Danxiao truly possessed real skill. Recuperating under his method was indeed the most suitable course.
It was just that Danxiao harbored foul intentions toward him. Though he was not an innocent young maiden, he was not entirely indiscriminate either. If Danxiao truly dared to try anything, he would not hesitate.
Pei Zizhuo spread his palm, condensing a sharp, icy blade faintly shrouded in malevolent qi.
There was no such thing as a bodhisattva descending to the mortal realm, only a fox dressed in sheep’s clothing.
The sun blazed mercilessly, beating down on the boundless, barren land without a single tree for shade. Irritated by the scorching heat, the three-legged bluebird scraped its claws impatiently against the parched earth.
Aware that he had neglected the divine bird, Shen Shu hurriedly retrieved a bottle of clear celestial dew from his Qiankun pouch. With one hand, he took the golden box slung around the bluebird’s neck, and with the other, he presented the celestial dew before it.
The golden box was small. Inside rested five Origin Yin Marrow-Repairing Mysterious Pills, a bottle of Bone-Regenerating Ointment, a small pouch of spirit stones, and a golden message slip covered in fine script.
[Dearest Lingshu, I have advanced the merit points required for the pills on my account, so do not worry. However, while the Origin Yin Pill can nurture the immortal bone, its medicinal nature is extremely cold. It easily triggers cold poison at midnight during the Yin hour, so take extra care.
The mission must be hard work. In a few days, I will bring some osmanthus wine from the Moon Palace to visit you, my dear. Please thank me in person. There is no need to burn a voice-transmission talisman.
Penned by Immortal Wuling]
This Immortal Wuling was one of Shen Shu’s few friends in the Heavenly Realm, as well as the benefactor who had directed him to the Palace of Ultimate Yang to accept the mission.
This benefactor was wonderful in every way, save for being too clingy, always sticking close and addressing him as “my dear.” Still, he handled things with proper boundaries and never made it bothersome.
As for the small pouch of spirit stones in the golden box, Wuling had specifically retrieved them from his celestial abode. It was the savings Shen Shu had accumulated in the Sifang Pavilion before his ascension. Picking through them, Shen Shu reluctantly pressed two mid-grade spirit stones into the bluebird’s possession.
It was not that he was stingy, but that he was truly impoverished. Feeling rather ashamed, Shen Shu stroked the bluebird’s colorful plumage and said apologetically, “My pockets are empty right now. I will definitely make it up to you next time.”
This was no lie. The bluebird resided in the Heavenly Realm. To it, the spirit stones of mortal cultivators were mere pretty rocks, nowhere near as substantial as merit points. Shen Shu intended to repay it with merit once the mission was complete.
The bluebird tilted its small head, studying Shen Shu. Perhaps because it had not seen an immortal so full of spiritual energy and charming grace in a long time, it nudged its head into Shen Shu’s palm, gently rubbing against it with apparent contentment.
Shen Shu repeatedly reminded himself that this was a divine bird, so he could not act rashly, could not touch without care, and could not behave improperly. Only then did he suppress the urge to pet the bird.
The bluebird possessed nine tails, slender and light. Though not as dazzling as a phoenix, it was enchantingly beautiful. Shaking its wings, it shook the two spirit stones onto the ground, left behind a single iridescent feather, gave him another affectionate rub, and fluttered gracefully into the sky.
A bluebird bestowing a feather brought lingering good fortune. Picking up the colorful plume, Shen Shu felt boundless gratitude. “Thank you.”
Returning inside, Shen Shu hummed a little tune, the smile at the corners of his lips impossible to suppress. Thinking about how smoothly the mission was going, his confidence surged, and he was unwilling to waste even a single moment.
Holding the bottle of Bone-Regenerating Ointment, he sat directly before Pei Zizhuo’s bed. Blinking his bright, dark eyes, he stared at him eagerly. “Can you undress yourself?”
Pei Zizhuo startled. Glancing at the bright daylight outside, he assumed the man could no longer keep up his facade and was finally revealing his true colors. The corner of his mouth twitched as he said, “Is it not a bit early to take off clothes right now?”
“Does this require picking an hour? Naturally, the sooner, the better,” Shen Shu replied in confusion.
Pei Zizhuo remained silent, unable to utter a word.
The Bone-Regenerating Ointment was an elixir from Lao Jun’s Pavilion, extraordinarily effective at repairing broken bones. Naturally, the earlier it was applied, the better the results.
Seeing the troubled expression on Pei Zizhuo’s face, Shen Shu recalled his aversion to physical contact. Assuming he was embarrassed, Shen Shu thoughtfully turned his back. “I will not look at you. Go ahead and take them off.”
Still pretending to be a paragon of virtue like Liu Xiahui?
With a dark expression, Pei Zizhuo untied his sash, shrugged off his purple, blood-stained robe, and decisively kicked off his undergarments as well.
His musculature was firm and well-defined. Several long scars crisscrossed along his back. The slightest movement pulled along his entire spine, causing unbearable, sharp pain.
He held the chilling blade tightly in his grip. This blade could not kill a cultivator in the Soul Formation stage, but the malevolent yin qi contained within was sufficient to manipulate a person’s mind.
Pei Zizhuo pressed his chest against Shen Shu’s back. Reaching around to pinch his chin, he leaned close to his ear and deliberately lowered his voice. “I am undressed. Your turn.”
The icy blade silently emerged from his hand, pressing against Shen Shu’s lower back. Just a fraction more, a slight push forward, and it would pierce into the man’s body.
Suddenly, Shen Shu leaped to his feet with a swift rustle. His face flushed bright red as he averted his gaze, pointing toward his lower body. “You, why are you not wearing pants?!”
Pei Zizhuo had broad shoulders and long legs, his skin a cold porcelain white. His chest muscles were firm and well-sculpted, complemented by eight defined abdominal muscles. Further down, that member asserted an exclusively masculine aggression. Standing completely stark naked, the visual impact was staggering.
See no evil. Shen Shu silently recited the Heart-Clearing Incantation in his mind, desperately trying to banish the massive thing he had just witnessed from his thoughts.
Back when he cultivated at the Sifang Pavilion, his senior brothers also loved to go bare-chested. From the onset of summer, they would leave their robes wide open, roaming the mountains with their burly muscles bare for half the year. Perhaps because his senior brothers were all rough, unrefined men, it had never made Shen Shu feel this uncomfortable.
Observing that his flustered, embarrassed reaction did not appear feigned, Pei Zizhuo retracted the cold blade and arched an eyebrow. “You want me to wear pants?”
“It is just applying medicine. Going bare-chested is enough,” Shen Shu said, the heat in his face not yet fading. He tossed a set of white robes out from his Qiankun pouch. “The ones you are wearing are dirty. Wear mine for now.”
Pei Zizhuo’s gaze fell upon the bottle of ointment in Shen Shu’s hand. Extending an open palm, he said, “What medicine is that? Let me see.”
Suspecting nothing, Shen Shu tossed the medicine bottle over and fabricated an origin: “This is an ancestral secret recipe, extremely precious.”
Pei Zizhuo opened the bottle and took a gentle sniff. He detected a soft, faint fragrance blended with ground beetle, eucommia bark, and perilla, which were all fine medicines for bone-knitting. He truly had not lied about this.
“I know you are not used to people touching you, but right now it is not convenient for you to apply it yourself. How about I use a wooden stick instead of my hands and stand further away to help you put it on?” Shen Shu held a broad wooden slat roughly a foot long, standing beside the bed looking obedient and polite.
“No need for such trouble.” Pei Zizhuo set the medicine bottle on the headboard, picked up the pants, and pulled them on.
Pei Zizhuo had always been pragmatic. Since the man wanted to play dumb, why rush to expose him? Moreover, compared to Danxiao’s restless scheming, treating his injuries took priority, not to mention he still held the hidden blade. Lying flat on his stomach upon the bed, he said dispassionately, “You apply it.”
“All right.” Shen Shu was more than eager to do it by hand. By channeling celestial qi along with the application, the efficacy would double.
Ever since he was possessed by the Nightmare, Pei Zizhuo’s Heavenly Spirit Root had been largely corroded by malevolent qi. Subsequently, his immortal bone was destroyed, and he was exiled to the Soul-Burning Tower. Surviving such a calamity with his Golden Core intact was already a stroke of fortune. Consequently, his constitution had become perpetually cold, unable to gather warmth, which severely hindered his cultivation.
When Shen Shu’s warm fingertips lightly brushed his spine, it felt almost like a burn. Everywhere he touched turned warm and soothing, as if a piece of heated jade were continuously infusing warmth into him.
The immortal bone along his body gradually began to knit together, and the blood meridians that had been obstructed for so long finally cleared. This comforting warmth seemed to carry the power to dissolve all defenses. Pei Zizhuo was nearly overcome by the soothing weariness, experiencing a rare urge to give in to drowsiness and sleep.
Before he could enjoy it fully, the warm touch behind him pulled away, draping the white outer robe over him. “The medicine is all applied. Put your clothes on first.”
The robe on the bed was rather cool, giving an impression akin to splashing cold water over rising steam.
Pei Zizhuo’s drowsiness vanished abruptly. Frowning, he picked up the robe and slipped it on. The sizing fit Shen Shu perfectly, but on his frame, it was a size too small, pulled especially tight across the shoulders.
After adjusting it back and forth without success, he pondered for a moment and simply left the front open, revealing a broad expanse of his chest muscles. Leaning lazily against the bed, he looked up and observed Shen Shu.
Reasonably speaking, Danxiao had kept him here harboring degenerate desires. Regardless of his cultivation level, handling a half-paralyzed cripple would be far easier than dealing with an able cultivator. Yet he was doing the exact opposite. Was he looking down on him, or did he harbor an even deeper conspiracy?
Whichever the case, Pei Zizhuo was not pleased. It was just that Danxiao had played his part so thoroughly up to this point that he had not revealed a single flaw. He simply refused to believe it, knowing a fox would show its tail sooner or later.
Thinking this, he pulled the robe open even wider, letting it hang loosely from his shoulders, exposing a striking view.
Having picked up the Origin Yin Marrow-Repairing Mysterious Pill, Shen Shu turned around only to be startled by Pei Zizhuo’s wanton appearance. He froze in place, the tips of his ears flushing slightly. “You, why are you not dressed properly? Do you feel hot?”
Touching him earlier, he had learned that the cold qi in Pei Zizhuo’s body was already heavy. He had hesitated over the Origin Yin Pill for quite some time, terrified that the cold poison would trigger at midnight and he would not be able to endure it.
Yet turning back around, this person did not seem afraid of the cold in the slightest.
“The clothes are too small,” Pei Zizhuo said, lightly tugging at the outer robe.
So that was why. Shen Shu’s expression eased slightly, and he immediately said, “I will go buy a larger set right away.”
“No need. I prefer wearing it like this; it is airy and cool.”
Shen Shu rubbed his nose, reassuring himself that there were people in this world, just like his senior brothers, who simply disliked wearing shirts. One had to learn to be understanding and not immediately assume the person was frivolous and depraved.
Since he was not afraid of the cold, Shen Shu opened his palm and gestured to him. “This is an internal medicine. If you feel uneasy, you can inspect it first.”
Pei Zizhuo stared at the pill, the corner of his lips curling into an expression that practically said he had anticipated this all along.
“No need.” He picked up the pill, swallowed it in one gulp, let out a cold hum, and glanced at Shen Shu with a half-smile. “With Danxiao Sanren offering such great aid, unless I were utterly ungrateful, how could I ever suspect the medicine of being poisoned?”
Shen Shu froze for a moment, an awkward look crossing his face. “This medicine actually is poisonous. At midnight, it triggers cold poison.”
Pei Zizhuo was rendered completely speechless.