Xian Yuzhu’s knees already ached from kneeling, yet Huo Yan continued to nitpick beside him. His temper flared, and he simply stopped caring whether Huo Yan would get angry. He plopped his buttocks straight down onto the floor.
“…”
Seeing this, Huo Yan’s eyes shifted slightly, seemingly perplexed by Xian Yuzhu’s behavior. As soon as Xian Yuzhu saw that calm, deadpan expression, he grew furious. He rubbed his knees forcefully like a disgruntled child and snapped irritably, “My legs are killing me!”
“Besides, the sect rules do not say you cannot use cushions. Why do you insist on making me kneel on the stones?”
Hearing him complain of pain, Huo Yan felt a sense of disbelief. It had only been the duration of a single incense stick. Most cultivators were thick-skinned and sturdy; no matter how pampered one was, it should not be to the point where kneeling for such a brief moment was unbearable. Not to mention, Xian Yuzhu possessed a cultivation at the late Golden Core stage. In battle, a Golden Core cultivator would not consider a severed hand or foot a major ordeal, as they could always be reattached.
Driven by a mix of curiosity and skepticism, Huo Yan reached out, grabbed the hem of Xian Yuzhu’s trousers, and rolled them up without further ado. Xian Yuzhu had not been lying. In just the time it took for an incense stick to burn, large bruises had already formed on his fair, tender knees. The youth’s skin was as white as porcelain or jade, with a hint of pink at the joints, making even the slightest bruise appear exceptionally jarring.
Xian Yuzhu looked down himself and was startled, crying out, “My legs! No wonder it hurts so much.”
Huo Yan fell truly silent this time. He had never seen anyone as delicate as Xian Yuzhu. Looking at the youth’s face, which had turned slightly pale from the shock, he remained silent for a moment before lowering the trouser legs. Seeing Huo Yan’s indifferent reaction, Xian Yuzhu’s eyes instantly reddened. It was not out of grievance, but pure rage. He was in this state, yet Huo Yan did not feel sorry for him, nor did he go find something for him to sit on. He really was heartless!
Huo Yan let out an almost imperceptible sigh. “I have no cushions here. If you need one, have that servant deliver it.”
Xian Yuzhu’s eyes widened instantly, filled with pleasant surprise. “Really!?”
Huo Yan glanced at him. “I will give you only a quarter of an hour. After that, the barrier will close.”
Beaming with joy, Xian Yuzhu sent a voice transmission to Yuan Shun via his jade token. Since Huo Yan had nothing here, he asked for more than just a cushion. Of course, he did not demand too much, as Huo Yan had only given Yuan Shun a quarter of an hour. Even so, it was quite unbelievable.
Clutching his knees, Xian Yuzhu stared at the man beside him who had remained kneeling like a statue from start to finish. He remarked with emotion, “I really did not expect that one day you would actually say something so human.”
That being said, it did not stop Yuzhu from holding a grudge. He was just that kind of bad person; if someone stepped on him once, he would pay them back ten times over. But for the sake of the cushions, he would hit Huo Yan just a little bit lighter later. If Huo Yan was scared and willing to beg him, he might even consider a lighter sentence depending on the circumstances.
Xian Yuzhu naively believed that he would eventually surpass Huo Yan, never even considering the possibility of failure. Poor soul, his mind was only so large and did not hold much; beauty occupied too much space, and his talent was so high that other qualities were naturally weaker than average. Therefore, he often displayed a brand of naivety that made people want to laugh and cry at the same time.
Huo Yan likewise found it somewhat unbelievable. In essence, he was an extremely cold-blooded and rational person. When had he ever been soft-hearted? When his entire family was wiped out in his youth and his closest kin died before his eyes, Huo Yan had only shed a single, hurried tear before immediately calculating how to survive. Having seen the coldness of the world for so many years, perhaps he could no longer be considered human. Humans still felt joy, anger, grief, and happiness, but his core color was only desolation and indifference. Even his sole sense of justice was an act.
Yet just now, upon seeing the bruises on Xian Yuzhu’s legs, he had subconsciously made an exception. Huo Yan lowered his gaze, the depths of his eyes turning somber. It was truly absurd and truly should not have happened. He considered himself someone who was never captivated by beauty. He felt nothing for this junior brother who was always causing trouble and acting out; at most, Xian Yuzhu drew a bit more of his attention simply because he was noisier than others.
Today’s incident served as a warning to Huo Yan. So, when Xian Yuzhu retrieved the cushions and pretentiously offered him one, he replied coldly, “No need.”
Xian Yuzhu rolled his eyes and stuffed the two layers of cushions under his knees, thinking to himself that the bastard did not fall for it. Had Huo Yan accepted the cushion, news of the Sect’s Head Disciple slacking off during his punishment would have spread by the next day. This man was famous for his strict discipline; if the disciples knew their rigorous Eldest Senior Brother was secretly lazy, his already poor popularity would surely go from bad to worse!
Unfortunately, Huo Yan did not take it. Xian Yuzhu settled down for a while, looking slightly regretful. In less than half an hour, he started clamoring about being hungry again. Yuan Shun had just brought him a plate of Pea Flour Cake and a pot of hot milk from a Celestial Cow Beast. Xian Yuzhu did not want to wait for them to go cold.
Xian Yuzhu asked Huo Yan with a mock show of politeness. While he sounded nice on the surface, he was thinking: If Huo Yan dares say no, I will lung at him and scratch his face into a mess.
Huo Yan did not say yes or no, only reminded him indifferently, “If you wish to break through to the Nascent Soul stage before next month’s secret realm trial, you had better cultivate diligently.”
All cultivators begin Bigu fasting once they pass the Foundation Building stage. From then on, they no longer consume the five grains of the mortal world, ensuring their meridians remain free of impurities. Furthermore, Bigu tempers a cultivator’s temperament and greatly benefits cultivation. Xian Yuzhu, of course, understood this principle. But his talent was so great that his cultivation level would slowly increase even if he spent all day sleeping, so he never bothered with such self-restraint.
“These peas were grown on the Celestial Mountain; eating them only provides spiritual energy.” Not to mention the milk of the Celestial Cow Beast; as the name suggests, it was a beast washed in spiritual energy that grew up eating spirit grass and celestial herbs. Once the milk was boiled, it had no gaminess, only a faint, sweet fragrance.
Xian Yuzhu gave a light sneer, ignoring Huo Yan, whom he viewed as an uncultured country bumpkin, and began eating and drinking to his heart’s content. Hearing the rustling sounds beside him, Huo Yan closed his eyes and frowned. The fingers hidden beneath his sleeves slowly curled into a fist. He exhaled silently. Once the half-day was up, he would definitely send this person away.
Huo Yan’s silence was a form of compromise. For someone like him, who only knew how to follow rigid rules and did everything by the book, enduring someone eating while being punished beside him must have been excruciating. Xian Yuzhu arched his eyebrows triumphantly and pinched an entire piece of Pea Flour Cake, stuffing it into his mouth. As he chewed, his cheeks puffed out; his head was held high like a victorious rooster. If he had a tail, it would surely be pointing to the sky.
“…”
Xian Yuzhu’s various little movements naturally did not escape Huo Yan’s eyes. He simply did not understand: what was there to be so proud of? It was just a plate of pastries. Having eaten and drunk his fill, Xian Yuzhu clearly behaved himself more. He did not cause much trouble for the next few hours, and soon evening arrived as darkness fell.
Huo Yan slowly stood up. He looked down from his height at the person beside him who was dozing off even while kneeling. His handsome face was sliced by light and shadow, giving his usually serious and ascetic expression a hint of grim coldness. “Time is up. Have someone come pick you up.”
Xian Yuzhu’s sleepiness vanished instantly. He moved his aching neck and turned to look out the window, realizing the sun had set at some point. He pushed off his knees to stand. He had envisioned this movement to be very suave, but his legs were so numb he stumbled anyway. Fearing that lunatic Huo Yan might secretly laugh at him, Xian Yuzhu immediately pretended nothing had happened, straightened his back, and flicked the dust off his neat hem.
Huo Yan did not laugh; his face remained expressionless. After delivering his order of eviction, he walked to the other side of the room on his own and began to meditate and cultivate.
Xian Yuzhu, feeling inexplicably frustrated: “…”
Still acting! Looking at him made one’s fists go hard.
When Shen Jue received Xian Yuzhu’s voice transmission and came to pick him up, he noticed his little martial nephew’s expression was rather poor. Even receiving a candied hawthorn stick did not cheer him up much; it seemed he truly could not get along with a child like Huo Yan.
“Martial Uncle, let us go quickly!”
“Alright.” Shen Jue nodded and took Yuzhu’s hand to lead him away.
The conversation between the two gradually faded until they walked out of sensory range. Inside the room, Huo Yan slowly opened his eyes. His gaze fell upon the leftovers of the Pea Flour Cake Xian Yuzhu had eaten. The plate was nearly empty, save for a single piece of pastry that had been half-bitten. The cross-section revealed a row of neat, tiny tooth marks. Having sat out for a long time, it had become a bit dry, and crumbs fell away as it was picked up.
Huo Yan rubbed his fingertips together, his brow furrowing. It was too cloyingly sweet.