Before leaving with Su Yunyu, Xiao Shuying gripped the corner of his robes, raised his face, and feigned a pure and innocent expression, speaking with a practiced, timid voice:
“Master, could you wait a moment? I need to go get something.”
The family head, standing to the side and acting perfectly proper, almost glared daggers at him. How dare he make an Immortal lower himself to wait for him?
Even Xiao Qingran felt resentful toward this fellow; he was simply ungrateful. If it were him, he wouldn’t care about “things” or whatnot; he would have followed immediately.
Ignoring the secret annoyance of this pair of scum-father-and-son, Xiao Shuying, after receiving a nod of approval, walked straight toward a place in his memories that was both familiar and strange.
The Xiao residence was the premier family in Nanlin Province. The mansion was magnificent, with towering gatehouses and intricate courtyards. He passed through winding corridors and casually grabbed a candle.
The candle flame burned steadily. The popping sound accompanied the creak of pushing open a door, illuminating this small corner of the world as he entered the dilapidated room.
Xiao Shuying held up the candle and examined it for a few seconds. This was his room in the Xiao mansion, the site of his initial tragic plight.
He had thought he would be trapped within that specific time period of his past life, unable to escape for eternity.
He had not expected that fate would intervene this time, bringing him back to the very beginning. Since that was the case…
Since he was born deemed to curse his mother, born to be a harbinger of disaster, then he might as well destroy this place where he had once existed entirely.
Xiao Shuying’s expression was devoid of emotion, yet he curled his lips in a cold sneer and tossed the candle onto the tattered bedding.
Only after the flames began to consume the bedding in a steady, methodical rhythm did the firelight reflect the chilling darkness deep within his eyes.
The space distorted within the burning heat. Xiao Shuying turned and left, closing the door firmly to seal off everything being destroyed inside.
Just as he walked out of the corridor, he saw two people blocking his path, standing with arms crossed and looking at him with arrogant, high-and-mighty expressions.
After ninety-nine lives, he didn’t remember everyone in the Xiao household, but he recognized these two they were the exact same people who had pinned him to the ground and beaten him just before Su Yunyu arrived.
It was these same people who, every few days, would falsely accuse him of theft and take pleasure in bullying him without rhyme or reason.
In the night air, Xiao Shuying’s gaze darkened. The two of them, oblivious, merely scoffed:
“Don’t think that just because someone has taken you in, you’ve forgotten your roots. Let me tell you, once that person learns of your power as a disaster star, they will surely cast you back here without a second thought.”
The other chimed in with a laugh: “Exactly. And then you’ll just be an embarrassment to our Xiao family.”
The two of them laughed until their features were scrunched together. Seeing Xiao Shuying remain silent, they grew annoyed and shamed, stepping forward to push him:
“Hey, little disaster star, we’re talking to you.”
With that, their old habits resurfaced, and they couldn’t help but shove him around. Xiao Shuying stared at them steadily. The memories of being tormented in every conceivable way flooded his mind, and a murderous aura began to gather in the depths of his heart.
This murderous intent flared up, scorching his heart and viscera before flooding into his meridians.
Just then, the man pushed him again, and the baleful energy burning within his inner sanctum surged into a massive wave.
In an instant, the two of them flew backward in an arc, crashing into the rockery with cries of pain. They were clearly in excruciating agony, yet they cried out in terror:
“Why… why can’t I move?!”
The sharp cry brought Xiao Shuying back to his senses, but he didn’t care about their miserable state. He merely raised his hand and made a hollow grasping motion.
It was strange. His body clearly had its meridians severed and was struggling to hold any energy, yet just a moment ago, the powerful strength he possessed in his first life seemed to have returned in an instant.
He tried a few more times, only to find his dantian empty and his meridians aching again. He had no choice but to give up. He sauntered past the two of them and walked away with elegant, measured steps.
By then, the air was permeated with a faint scent of scorching. Before following Su Yunyu away, Xiao Shuying looked back at the Xiao mansion below. Seeing the sparks of fire like tiny stars, he curled his lips and smiled.
It was better to burn it all down—to burn away everything that had ever connected him to this place.
As for certain people, he would grind their bones to dust sooner or later. For instance…
Xiao Shuying turned his head to look at Su Yunyu.
His white robes billowed in the wind, the silver-threaded patterns shimmering under the moonlight. His long hair was like splashed ink, and his skin was like carved jade.
Truly the image of a savior who rescues the suffering.
I fear that in a little while, he will finally reveal his true colors.
In this life, I wonder what method he will choose to kill me.
Regardless, Xiao Shuying would ensure that Su Yunyu died by his hand first.
As for Su Yunyu, he was currently immersed in the triumph of his high-level acting, chatting away with the system while soaring through the air:
“I think my entrance was incredibly successful. If I don’t bewitch this guy into a fool in this lifetime, I won’t take the name Su!”
System 111: [Good luck, dear.]
While they were speaking, they had already arrived at the lodging for the Immortal Sect Grand Selection. It was a massive ark floating on the sea, towering and majestic, its reflection casting upon the water ripples—a scene of true immortal grandeur.
Staying inside were the cultivators who had come down from their sects for the Grand Selection, including Su Yunyu.
He had intended to take Xiao Shuying directly back to the sect, but it was already late at night; returning now would certainly disturb the entire Tianxuan Sect. It was better to settle in for the night and return tomorrow.
Su Yunyu stepped onto the deck and glanced at Xiao Shuying, who was following closely behind him like a shadow. That timid, little appearance truly made him feel delighted.
He thought to himself: No matter how much of a “Long Aotian” you are, right now you’re just a youth you aren’t even as tall as me. With this fragile look, you seem so easy to kill…
No, I must hold back. I need to play the long game to catch the big fish!
Thinking of this, Su Yunyu calmed his emotions, pushed open the door to his resting room, and led Xiao Shuying inside.
The room was sparsely furnished, mostly with utensils made of jade—cold, desolate, and silent.
In particular, the cold fragrance drifting in the air, teased by the cool breeze from the window, made the scent even more elusive.
Su Yunyu walked over, hung up his sword, and picked up a teapot to pour a cup of tea. His movements were calm and poised, but in reality, his mind was wandering, naturally ignoring the piercing gaze of Xiao Shuying behind him.
Not long ago, the surge of baleful energy in Xiao Shuying’s body had granted him the power he possessed when he reached the pinnacle in his first life.
Recalling the cause, it seemed that his hatred for those two people had reached an intense peak at that exact moment.
So, at this very moment, if he could once again grasp that power, couldn’t he kill Su Yunyu right now?
Even if he couldn’t kill him, and even if he were discovered, at worst, he could just start another life.
In any case, Su Yunyu’s behavior in this life was bizarre; he had to strike first. Thinking this, Xiao Shuying looked at the person pouring tea before him, the timidity he had feigned instantly freezing into a cold gaze.
In his first life, this person… wait, it seemed it wasn’t exactly this person, but regardless, back then, when he suffered bullying from his fellow disciples in the sect, this person stood by and watched coldly, indulging them time and again, to the point where he had new wounds on his body every single day.
Later on, when he grasped the secret of being the Spirit of the Three Realms and his cultivation began to show promise, it was this person who discovered it, locked him away, and made him endure the agony of having his blood drained every day.
Not to mention the countless times in previous lives that this person had hunted him down.
No matter which life it was, there was a deep, unbridgeable hatred between them.
Even though the memories of his first life had faded over the long years, the memories of being hunted were still vivid.
Xiao Shuying forced himself to constantly recall those dark times of being locked away and drained of his blood, constantly pushing his hatred to be deeper, to be more intense.
He wanted to hate him enough to regain his strength, to hate him enough to kill Su Yunyu.
However, amidst the surging of Xiao Shuying’s emotions, that person pushed the window open a bit more. A cool breeze rushed in, and the cold scent invaded his sense of smell, abruptly disrupting his intense, frozen murderous intent.
Su Yunyu, still unaware, just turned his head back after opening the window and took a casual, careless glance, noticing Xiao Shuying’s strange expression. He called out to him:
“Shuying?”
Hearing that subtly affectionate call, the baleful energy Xiao Shuying had been gathering was startled and dispersed into nothingness.
His efforts had failed at the final hurdle. He felt a flicker of irritability, though it didn’t show on his face. Suppressing his disgust, he feigned innocence and naivety, lifting his face to ask:
“What is it, Master?”
Dammit, could he have noticed something?
But that’s fine. It would be better to just discard these false pretenses and kill me outright like in the last life.
This way, he wouldn’t have to waste effort guessing Su Yunyu’s bizarre intentions and would only have to deal with pure, murderous intent.
Thinking of this possibility, Xiao Shuying even felt a subtle sense of excitement, wondering if this person was truly about to reveal his true colors.
However, while he was thinking all of this, Su Yunyu was completely oblivious. Seeing his strange expression, he simply assumed he was feeling unwell.
Thinking back to when he had first appeared and this “Long Aotian” was being bullied, Su Yunyu’s mind whirred. He walked over, took Xiao Shuying’s wrist, gently pushed up his sleeve, and stroked the blue and purple bruises, asking:
“Does it hurt?”
Before Xiao Shuying could answer, he took a bottle of spirit medicine from his space. Just as he was about to let go of Xiao Shuying’s wrist to open the medicine, he thought of something, paused slightly, and instead leaned over, opening the red silk seal of the bottle with his teeth.
Sure enough, having studied so many master-disciple romance texts, I have already mastered the routines. Su Yunyu was smug, his movements of biting the silk seal slowing down unconsciously.
So much so that even Xiao Shuying couldn’t help but notice his pale lips biting the red of the bottle seal; the color of the silk contrasted with his exceptionally fair skin.
The bitter aroma of the spirit medicine wafted out, mixing with the cold scent on Su Yunyu’s body, making even the bitterness taste as sweet as licorice.
Just as he was about to speak, Su Yunyu had opened the bottle, set the slightly dampened silk aside, and said to Xiao Shuying:
“This is ‘Upper Spirit Jade Marrow.’ You only get one drop every hundred years; it can heal wounds and also strengthen the physique.”
He then reached out to pull Xiao Shuying’s sleeve back down. The only reason he was being so attentive was purely because he intended to win his heart.
However, such an act made Xiao Shuying feel that everything about this man was bizarre. He suddenly recalled the slight pause this man had made when opening the bottle, and a hypothesis he deemed reliable emerged in his heart.
Could it be that he has poisoned the medicine? That must be why he is so concerned about my injuries.
That must be it. His attitude has changed simply to lower my guard, so that he can kill me later.
But this method of poisoning the medicine—hasn’t Su Yunyu already used it for many lifetimes?
Every time he tried to poison me, it was always himself who ended up being poisoned to death. How could anyone be so incompetent at killing?
Xiao Shuying couldn’t help but want to sneer. He lowered his eyes to hide his contempt, and when Su Yunyu reached out to pull his sleeve down, he pulled his hand away.
He didn’t even look at Su Yunyu’s expression, only acting as if he were being considerate of his Master:
“No need to trouble yourself, Master. I can do it myself.”
If he really had poisoned the medicine, doing it himself would also achieve the goal.
But the next moment, Su Yunyu firmly took his wrist again, his tone cold yet leaving no room for argument:
“You are injured; how could I let you do it yourself?”
Just kidding. I need to win his heart; how could I let Xiao Shuying apply the medicine himself? I’d be a total fool.
Besides, applying medicine is a perfect way to get closer to him—it’s very suitable for doing it in person.
As he leaned in, the hair on the side of his face fell, casting mottled shadows against his snowy skin under the moonlight, which only accentuated his beauty.
Especially when he lowered his gaze, his long eyelashes fluttered like moths landing, lazily beating their wings.
Xiao Shuying watched for a moment, a desire for destruction rising in his heart.
This man was full of pretenses; he truly wanted to tear off this skin of gold and jade to reveal all the filth hidden beneath.
But it was obviously impossible right now. Xiao Shuying shifted his gaze to the spirit medicine that hadn’t yet been applied, and suddenly, an idea struck him.
He couldn’t help but curl his lips, thinking that although he couldn’t kill him yet, perhaps he could try a different approach.