Xie Hansheng’s gaze almost turned into something tangible—wherever it passed, it was like an ice blade slicing across skin.
Shen Changan lowered his eyes slightly, following the other’s gaze to look at his own hand.
The wrist beneath his palm was slender, the skin delicate, as if a single squeeze would leave red marks.
His fingertips went numb, and he vaguely felt that something was a bit improper.
But he didn’t show it on his face. He withdrew his hand with calm composure, a faint smile lingering in his light-colored eyes. “Second Junior Brother, do you feel any discomfort?”
“It’s nothing.” Xie Hansheng had always been sparing with his words. The pain in his meridians could be ignored entirely—except… he twisted his wrist slightly.
His wrist felt a little strange.
Xie Hansheng pressed his lips together and said succinctly, “This has nothing to do with Junior Sister.”
He studied Shu Wanzhao for a moment, seeming to want to say something, but restrained himself with Shen Changan present. He turned his gaze back to Shen Changan. “Junior Sister helped block the Demonic Qi for me, but her cultivation base is still shallow, so I redirected the Demonic Qi back onto myself.”
Huh?
The topic returned to her, and Shu Wanzhao immediately bristled. “Don’t talk nonsense. Who helped you block Demonic Qi?”
The novel’s male lead was supposed to have no mouth, but here he was, running his mouth—mouths all over his body.
Stinking men never played by the script. Shu Wanzhao couldn’t understand how such a simple plot was getting messed up by these men.
This Xie Hansheng was practically her nemesis.
She raised her chin, about to threaten and intimidate him, when—the very next second—Shen Changan suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.
She immediately went still like a cat whose tail had been pinched.
Her body began to tremble, and the just-swelled palm started to ache phantomly again.
She turned her head. Shen Changan held up her hand with one hand, while the other—instead of the intimidating ruler—gently rested on her pulse.
Her gaze scattered over him. His aura was warm and serene, yet his brows were tightly furrowed, as if he had encountered some difficult problem.
He was examining her condition.
When his Spiritual Qi caught the faint, hidden injuries in her meridians, he released her hand under their watchful eyes, took out a small green bottle from his storage pouch, poured out one pill and handed it to her, then tossed the rest to Xie Hansheng.
“This is the demon-expelling pill I refined for Second Junior Brother. Take one first, and I’ll refine more for you tomorrow.” He paused, then said disapprovingly, “Since you were injured, why didn’t you tell me?”
Shu Wanzhao pinched the pill he’d given her, hanging her head unhappily.
To Shen Changan, this scene looked like silent protest.
There were countless matters to handle across the Sect. He considered himself fair and impartial, never targeting anyone. This junior sister was used to being spoiled, and the master had always indulged her—if he didn’t discipline her more strictly, trouble might arise.
This training trip had been something she begged to go on, willing to submit to the Sect’s discipline.
When Xie Hansheng was injured, based on what others had said, Shen Changan had assumed she was the one who caused the trouble.
This time, he had wronged her.
Shen Changan’s lips moved, and finally he let out a helpless sigh. He raised his hand and ruffled her hair. “You’re usually so clever—why did you act foolish at the critical moment?”
She could have explained herself. Why did she stubbornly refuse to speak?
“Senior Brother!” Xie Hansheng suddenly spoke up. “I have something I’d like to discuss with Junior Sister alone.”
He had been watching for a long time.
It was normal for the Senior Brother to take the Junior Sister’s pulse—but why did he always make such inexplicable physical contact?
Shen Changan paused, his jade-like eyes lifting slightly to meet Xie Hansheng’s pitch-black pupils. After a moment of silence, he smiled slowly.
“This trip has brought you two much closer. But your body hasn’t recovered yet—you should rest more and not talk for too long. Be sure to take the demon-expelling pill on time to completely eradicate the Demonic Qi. Senior Brother has matters to attend to, so I won’t stay longer.”
Shen Changan hadn’t known that Shu Wanzhao had been afflicted by Demonic Qi before.
The master was obsessed with cultivation and acted like a hands-off boss. As the Senior Brother of many disciples—like an elder brother acting as a father—he worried endlessly over all the Sect’s disciples. He’d barely had a moment of peace, and now he’d have to refine another bottle of demon-expelling pills.
After he left, only two people remained in the room.
The atmosphere fell into a strange silence.
Although Xie Hansheng was only a few years older than Shu Wanzhao, he was tall and sturdy. Shu Wanzhao only reached his chest. Looking up at him, she felt an inexplicable pressure.
She took a few steps back.
Her gaze drifted, seemingly by accident, to the pill in his hand.
Xie Hansheng seemed to sense it. He stuffed the bottle into her hand, his voice hoarse from an illness not yet healed, and forced out two words. “You eat.”
Shu Wanzhao: “…”
You’d think he was handing her candy. What was there to enjoy about eating an alchemy pill?
She was about to toss it back when a thought struck her—the other party still had Demonic Qi in his body. If he took the demon-expelling pill, how would he develop an Inner Demon? And without an Inner Demon, how would he Fall into Demonic Possession?
Without a hint of embarrassment, she stuffed the bottle into her pocket, crossed her arms over her chest, and gave a light snort. “You know what’s good for you.”
Meanwhile, she secretly said to the System: [Brother System, do I look convincing?]
System: [Are you asking me for a blessing?]
Shu Wanzhao thought viciously, [No way. Aren’t I the vicious supporting female character? I should be ruthlessly bullying him, humiliating him, stealing his pills, forcing him into an Inner Demon…]
The System remained silent, quietly listening to the little fool’s wicked plan while scanning Xie Hansheng, one of the male leads.
Xie Hansheng was tall and imposing, looking down at its host from his height. In comparison, its host appeared delicate and frail—hardly looking like someone who had bullied another person.
The System suddenly felt wistful. Who was bullying whom was still up for debate.
Finally, the man who had supposedly been “bullied” spoke: “Junior Sister, I have something to tell you.”
Shu Wanzhao rubbed the small bottle in her hand and nodded with a haughty air. “What, since you gave this to me, it’s mine now. You want it back?”
“No.” The man was clearly not good with words. His handsome face was solemn as he poured out the speech he had been rehearsing in his heart for a long time. “The circumstances forced my hand back then, but I truly did take liberties with you, Junior Sister. We have shared intimate contact. Though I cannot give you love, I will take responsibility for you and do my utmost to fulfill every request you have.”
He rarely spoke such a long passage. His dark, deep eyes fixed on Shu Wanzhao.
Xie Hansheng was certain that he did not like his Junior Sister, and had in fact once despised her.
But a true man knows what he must and must not do.
His mother had been abandoned by a heartless man back in the day, falling into the hands of his stepfather and suffering all kinds of torment—which was why he himself had a childhood he couldn’t bear to look back on.
He couldn’t give a woman the love she wanted, but he would be a faithful and devoted Dao companion, doing everything in his power to protect her.
“Junior Sister, would you be willing to become my Dao companion?”
The air grew tense with anticipation. Xie Hansheng’s chest trembled, and a hint of color crept onto his pale, injury-paled face. Whether it was his coldly handsome features, his outstanding physique, or his cultivation base, he was a proud son of heaven rarely found in the cultivation world.
When someone like this made a promise, few would refuse.
However, Shu Wanzhao said, “I told you before. I’m unwilling.”
In an instant, his expression turned cold and still.
His tall, upright frame swayed slightly, and he had to brace himself against the doorframe to keep standing.
“Why?” Last time, he had fallen unconscious before he could get an answer. This time, he stared at her intently.
The young woman had delicate features and seemed afraid of his cold face, but she still lifted her chin, her face full of displeasure. “What you mean is that you want a contractual marriage with me.”
“What?”
“Isn’t that so?” Shu Wanzhao had read many old-fashioned novels.
For example, the most typical example of a domineering CEO was the marriage contract—things like “behave as my wife obediently, don’t covet anything that isn’t yours, I can give you everything except love.”
But those plots were all useless on Shu Wanzhao.
Because her father was a CEO himself. Which brat would dare speak to her like that to her face? It was anyone’s guess whose company would go bankrupt by the end of the day.
And now, a tiger fallen to the plains, this little antique not only begged her to take responsibility but also said he couldn’t give her love.
His love wasn’t just worthless—it was also interfering with her script.
Ha, men. Always adding drama to themselves.
Shu Wanzhao’s pretty little face fell. “Who needs you to take responsibility? I’ll just treat it as being bitten by a dog. What happened that night—only heaven knows, earth knows, you know, and I know. I don’t want a third person to find out. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being rude to you.”
How utterly ungrateful.
She glared at him twice, her little mouth having inherited the System’s full legacy, rattling off a torrent of words.
She shut Xie Hansheng up so thoroughly he couldn’t speak for a long while.
His tall figure stood before her, thin lips pressed together as he took the scolding, completely at a disadvantage from his lack of eloquence.
With his expressionless face, he looked rather honest and simple.
When Shu Wanzhao finally ran dry, she licked her lips. Not having been poisoned to death, she asked the System with satisfaction whether the male lead showed any signs of Falling into Demonic Possession.
[Heh.]
The System’s mocking electronic voice came through her mind, and Shu Wanzhao understood.
She needed to keep at it.
She stood on her tiptoes, lifting her chin to make herself look more imposing.
“Man, speak.”
Xie Hansheng’s dark, deep eyes mechanically fell to her tiptoed feet. His chest rumbled, and his voice came out hoarse: “That day when I fell unconscious, I still had some awareness. I heard your voice.”