Wen Xu hurriedly pulled the quilt over to cover his legs, looking up at Yu Qinghan with a smile to mask his inner embarrassment.
“Apologies, Shizun. This disciple was somewhat unseemly.”
Wuwuwu, this is simply too mortifying!
After withdrawing his gaze, Yu Qinghan restrained his expression slightly, his voice cold and calm. “It is fine. Master has seen what those senior brothers of yours look like running around bare-bottomed; you are merely missing your trousers and showing your legs, which is nothing of the sort.”
Wen Xu: “…”
Good grief, Shizun could actually speak of such a humiliating matter so casually! Let us observe three moments of silence for his senior brothers!
Wen Xu offered Yu Qinghan a faint smile and softly asked, “I wonder why Shizun has suddenly returned? Could it be that you have other instructions?”
With his hands clasped behind his back, Yu Qinghan walked up to Wen Xu, looking down at him from a position of authority with an oppressive aura. “Master asks you, why did you go to Feiyu Palace today?”
Wen Xu blinked his eyes and replied, “Well… this disciple has been mindful of Shizun’s saving grace from a few days prior, so I simply wanted to go to Feiyu Palace to see if there was anything this disciple could assist with. I just never expected… to encounter such a situation.”
His eyelashes fluttered lightly and his voice was soft and gentle, making him look innocent and pitiful. It effortlessly caused Yu Qinghan’s heart to soften, reducing his imposing and formidable aura significantly.
“Then did you not encounter the barrier outside when you entered? The barrier set up by Master cannot be broken through by ordinary people unless their cultivation surpasses mine, so Master is truly curious as to how on earth you managed to enter Feiyu Palace.”
If this were someone thick-skinned like Min Zhou or Yuan Xiuzhu, Yu Qinghan would never have spoken with such patience.
However, his little disciple had delicate skin and tender flesh, was physically weak and frail, and was as easily breakable as a porcelain doll. Looking at him made it difficult even to speak in a loud voice.
“A barrier?” Wen Xu instantly thought of that golden light dome. “Was it that layer of golden light?”
Yu Qinghan shook his head. “No.”
Wen Xu looked blank for a moment before remembering that the moment he stepped into Feiyu Palace earlier, the temperature had plummeted abruptly. At the time, he had suspected it was a barrier.
After voicing this suspicion aloud, he indeed saw Yu Qinghan nod.
Wen Xu scratched his head and said with a somewhat helpless expression, “This disciple has no idea how it happened either. At the time, I simply walked right through. Aside from feeling an instant drop in temperature, I did not encounter any other obstruction.”
“That is rather strange.” Yu Qinghan knitted his brows, a solemn expression on his face.
When the left and right protectors had come looking for him together yesterday, neither of them had been able to get inside. Surely the barrier could not have simply failed overnight.
“Shizun, this disciple has a small request. I wonder if you might grant it?”
Yu Qinghan snapped out of his thoughts, lowering his gaze to look at him. “Speak.”
“It is just that this disciple is sickly and possesses low cultivation. Having spent all these years lingering in the Wuji Sect, I have remained completely idle, acting practically like dead weight. Therefore, this disciple was hoping to come to Feiyu Palace every day to serve Shizun closely and find something productive to do for myself!”
Once he finished speaking, Wen Xu flashed an obedient smile, gazing at Yu Qinghan with eyes full of starlight.
In the past, the original host had been timid and subservient, never daring to approach Yu Qinghan, and had spent every day hiding away within this tiny Mingyue Cottage…
“Closely… serve?” Yu Qinghan placed deliberate emphasis on the words “serve closely,” his eyes narrowing slightly.
Wen Xu, however, failed to catch the alternate connotation hidden within the words and continued, “Yes! Pouring tea, serving water, massaging shoulders, beating legs, cooking, and cleaning this disciple can do all of these things! It will serve as repayment for Shizun’s kindness in saving and raising me. Anything is better than idling the days away here doing absolutely nothing.”
Yu Qinghan fell into deep contemplation. Although he previously felt that Murong Wenyu’s words carried some reason, his little disciple’s transformation was simply too drastic, was it not?
In the past, he had not dared to speak to him, had not dared to draw near, and had rarely even met his gaze. Yet now, he was exceptionally eloquent first demanding his scales, and now requesting to serve closely by his side.
What had once been cautious hesitation had turned into bold probing. To think that after merely three days of running a fever and passing out, he could undergo such a massive change. Truly marvelous.
Or could it be that the side effects of that spring breeze night were simply too profound?
Yu Qinghan had always been a decisive person of action, but at this moment, he felt a trace of hesitation. His little disciple admired and liked him so dearly; if he refused too directly, the little fellow might just die of grief.
After mulling it over from every angle, Yu Qinghan stated, “Very well. Since that is the case, starting tomorrow, you shall come to Feiyu Palace to attend to me.”
This would also provide a convenient opportunity to observe at close range why the barrier had no effect on Wen Xu, as well as why his blood was able to pacify the chaotic inner turmoil within him.
“Many thanks, Shizun, for granting this!” Wen Xu was just about to stand up and kneel in gratitude when he suddenly remembered he was not wearing any trousers, causing his newly lifted backside to immediately sink right back down onto the bed.
Noticing this minute detail, Yu Qinghan’s stern lips curved upward slightly, though his gaze remained strictly authoritative. “Throughout the entire Wuji Sect, the only person who knows that Master’s true form is a snake is Murong Wenyu. Now, there is one more person who knows, and that is you, Ah-Xu…”
Hearing this, Wen Xu felt his heart skip a beat, and he immediately straightened his expression. “Please rest assured, Shizun! This disciple will keep my mouth tightly shut and will never let a third person learn of this secret!”
“In that case, very good.”
With those words, Yu Qinghan gave Wen Xu a meaningful look before turning and departing from the place.
This time, he truly left, and would not return abruptly once more.
Yet Wen Xu remained slightly apprehensive that Yu Qinghan might suddenly come back. Only after waiting for a full fifteen to twenty minutes without a single movement did he finally set his mind completely at ease and proceed to wash his backside.