Xie Rong saw Xuan Yue looking more serious than ever before. He looked into his Master’s eyes, bit his lip, and made a solemn promise: “I will not let others kill me.”
What I am truly afraid of is not killing itself, but becoming someone who treats life with indifference because of their strength. I am usually easygoing, but I am not without a temper. If someone is trying to kill me, I will certainly fight back. Only a saint would stand still and let someone take their life, and I hate saints. Sometimes, being overly kind harms both oneself and others.
Xie Rong surprised Xuan Yue once again. He had assumed Xie Rong had a cowardly heart, but the boy was actually remarkably clear-headed. Regarding the indifference toward life based on strength, Xuan Yue realized he suffered from that exact flaw. In fact, all high-level cultivators were indifferent to life; they looked at lower-level practitioners as nothing more than ants. In the cultivation world, weakness was the only true sin. The rules were written by the victors, and history was penned by the strong.
Learning that they would be traveling by flying vessel, Xie Rong felt relieved. He could imagine it as an airplane; he would not have to worry about his fear of heights.
On the day of their departure, Xie Rong saw Zhong Mobei’s vessel. It was as luxurious as a small paradise; even the floral decorations were medicinal herbs tens of thousands of years old. Xie Rong had visited Lei Ze’s residence before—the Sect Master was also a Mahayana cultivator and possessed greater family influence than Mobei—yet his quarters were not even half as extravagant.
Zhong Menghui, dressed in a dazzling red gown, spotted Xuan Yue from afar and smiled, though her gaze turned frigid the moment she saw Xie Rong. Xie Rong mused internally: The old saying is true; a woman’s face changes faster than a book. He chose to ignore her. If she wanted to kill him, so be it; Master would never allow it.
Ignoring Xie Rong, Menghui turned to Xuan Yue with a gentle smile. “Senior Brother, I have prepared a room specifically for you. The Spirit Gathering Array inside uses nothing but top-tier spirit stones. I feared you might be bored on the journey, so I brought some inheritance jade slips for you to pass the time.”
Xuan Yue did not even look at her, nor did he show interest in the jade slips. He turned to a maidservant standing nearby. “Where is Xie Rong’s room?”
The maid looked timidly at Menghui. Menghui glared at her. “Are you mute? Did you not hear my Senior Brother ask you a question?”
The maid quickly replied, “Young Master Xie’s room is the one on the far left of the second floor.”
Xuan Yue turned to Xie Rong. “You rose early; go back to your room and rest.”
Xie Rong looked at Xuan Yue’s handsome face and forced a bitter smile. Master, you truly have no fear of Zhong Menghui going mad, do you? If looks could kill, I would have died a thousand times over.
Xuan Yue ignored Menghui completely. As they turned to leave, Menghui blocked the stairs, her smile forced. “Senior Brother, let the servants handle Xie Rong. I encountered some problems with my cultivation in the Ancient Secret Realm and was hoping you could help me solve them.”
Xuan Yue coldly flicked his sleeve, using spiritual power to brush her aside. “I am not familiar with your cultivation techniques. If you have problems, ask your father.”
Menghui knew Xuan Yue was determined to protect Xie Rong. She watched their departing backs with resentment, forcing herself to remain calm as she muttered, “Then, after you have settled Xie Rong, I will keep you company for tea and we can chat about the secret realm.”
Without looking back, Xuan Yue replied coldly, “No need. I am tired and will rest in Rong’er’s room.”
Xie Rong felt an explosion of safety. His steps grew lighter. Zhong Menghui was an unreasonable madwoman; if he lived alone, she would surely plot against him.
This is great! With Master in my room, Menghui can’t hurt me; the worst she can do is glare. When we return to Snow Cloud Peak, I will stick to Master like glue. She looks at me like a venomous snake.
The moment Xuan Yue entered the room, he detected incense that could damage meridians. He stopped Xie Rong from entering and swept his divine sense through the room, finding a broken Spirit Gathering Array, bells that disrupted the mind, and a trace of demonic energy. If Xie Rong had meditated here, his mind would have been corrupted, and his chances of going mad would have been near certain. Disgusted by these petty tactics, Xuan Yue flicked his sleeve, destroying the entire room. He took Xie Rong’s hand and moved him onto his own personal flying vessel.
Menghui, seeing this, stomped her feet in rage and ran to Zhong Mobei to complain. “Father, look at Senior Brother! He is being too protective of Xie Rong. I used to prank Lin Mingsi and the others, and Senior Brother never got angry, but now he gives me the cold shoulder for this Xie Rong! I put those things out in the open; if Xie Rong is too stupid to see through such simple tricks, then it is his own fault for going mad.”
Mobei sighed, putting down his jade slip. “You knew how much Xuan Yue cares for this disciple, yet you resorted to such petty means. You even procured demonic energy. You know better than anyone how Xuan Yue loathes demonic cultivators.”
Menghui scoffed. She knew exactly how much he loathed them, which was precisely why she did it. If Xie Rong were tainted by demonic energy, Xuan Yue would be disgusted by him and might even kill him himself. She restrained her rage, deciding there would be plenty of chances to kill the boy later. Xuan Yue could not protect him forever.
Once on the vessel, Xie Rong asked, “Master, what was wrong with that room?”
Xuan Yue did not hide it from him, explaining the traps and the demonic energy. This was the second time Xie Rong had encountered demonic energy, and he asked persistently, “Master, if I were to become a demonic cultivator, would you kill me?”
Xuan Yue shook his head without a second of hesitation. “No.”
I am a demon myself, he thought. How could I kill Xie Rong because he became one?
Xie Rong beamed at him, his heart overflowing with joy. I knew Master would not kill me. Even if I became a demonic cultivator, I would still be Xie Rong.
Xuan Yue placed a hand on Xie Rong’s shoulder. “I will not kill you, but I cannot protect you forever. Rong’er, you must understand one thing: even I cannot oppose the sect.”
Xuan Yue said this with deliberate helplessness. Xie Rong’s heart sank, and he promised earnestly, “Don’t worry, Master, I will not become a demonic cultivator.” If I ever do, I will run far away; I will never appear before Master and put him in a difficult position.
Listening to these naive thoughts, Xuan Yue smiled. Along the way, Xuan Yue checked his empty storage ring, wondering if the remaining spirit stones would be enough to reach the realm. To save energy, he did not even activate the Spirit Gathering Array on the vessel. Xie Rong, addicted to his “dungeon” games, never noticed the thinning spiritual energy. Xuan Yue found his greatest joy in watching Xie Rong clear those challenges, observing the boy grow stronger with every strike—a masterpiece he had cultivated with his own hands.
One evening, Xuan Yue called out to Xie Rong, who was about to return to his room. “The body-refining spirit wine I brewed is ready. Would you like to taste it?”
Xie Rong sat down, intrigued. Xuan Yue poured half a cup. “This is wine I brewed for myself. It has the effect of strengthening meridians and refining the body. If you feel unwell, stop immediately; do not force it.”
What he called wine was essentially concentrated spiritual medicinal liquid. A single cup would cause a Nascent Soul cultivator’s meridians to burn and potentially destroy half their dantian. He was not sure how strong Xie Rong’s body was, but he knew the boy could handle more than the average person.
Xie Rong smelled the wine—it did not smell like alcohol, but rather like a rich, complex flower scent. He took a small sip and felt a fiery, spicy sensation.
This wine tastes exactly like high-proof baijiu, he thought. I didn’t drink much in my past life, so I might as well enjoy it now.
Xuan Yue watched with a smile. After several cups, he finally held Xie Rong’s hand to stop him. “This wine has a strong after-effect. Stop for a moment.”
He knew the energy from the wine had reached a saturation point in Xie Rong’s body; any more would cause damage. It was meant to make the bones feel as if they were being tempered by flames. Xie Rong did not feel intoxicated, but the heat became unbearable. He loosened his collar and looked up at Xuan Yue, his eyes glistening. “Master, does the after-effect you mentioned mean getting hotter and hotter?”
Xuan Yue nodded, his eyes darkening as he watched Xie Rong struggle with the heat. “Yes, this is spirit wine for body refinement. It has nothing to do with being drunk; if you drink too much, your body will suffer, but your mind will remain clear.”
He had designed it this way because if the mind were muddled during such intense body refinement, the risk of going mad would be far too high. Xie Rong, feeling overwhelmed by the heat, tugged his collar even looser.