He shook his head and said, “That person was wearing a mask.”
“Then were there any notable characteristics? Why would someone dare to break into the Star Sect and injure people so boldly? Were they still coming for the Linglong Pagoda?” I asked several questions in a row.
He did not answer, only staring fixedly at me, his lips parting slightly. “Is Senior Brother concerned about me?”
Of all times to be cheeky, he was still playing around.
“Senior Brother, I hurt so much,” he said, putting on a pitiful expression.
“I will go to the pharmacy and find some pain-relieving pills for you,” I said as I stood up.
However, my hand was caught by Duan Qianyue.
“Senior Brother just needs to give me a kiss,” he said.
I looked at him. “What relationship does Junior Brother think we have?”
Seeing that he could not answer, I continued, “We are fellow apprentices. We cannot do such intimate things. I hope Junior Brother will maintain your self-respect.”
His expression turned serious, yet his hand still gripped me tightly. “Then Senior Brother can take me as your cultivation partner.”
“Does Junior Brother love me this much? You actually want to take me as your cultivation partner.” I truly hadn’t expected this, as I had thought he was just acting on a whim.
“Yes, I love Senior Brother.” After finishing, he asked, “Does Senior Brother love me?”
I knew my heart might hold a tiny bit of fondness for him, but I could not help remembering that he was the protagonist. Even if his love for me were genuine, there could be no outcome. Once he ascended to godhood, what would become of me? It was wisest not to start a relationship destined to have no result.
Seeing that I remained silent for a long time, he spoke again, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t love me, and it doesn’t matter if you don’t take me as your cultivation partner. As long as Senior Brother knows that I love you, that is enough.”
The obedient guise he put on made me feel quite unaccustomed to it.
By this time, the sky was completely bright. “You rest here. I will go explain the situation to Master and then find some pain-relieving pills.”
With that, I pulled my hand free from his grasp.
On the way, I ran into Yaoshuang.
“Eldest Senior Brother, where are you going so early?” she asked.
“Junior Brother Qianyue was injured by someone inside the sect in the middle of the night yesterday, and I am going to report it to Master,” I said.
“Oh? Xiaowu got hurt too. Could they have been injured by the same person?” she asked.
I asked her for the details, and she said that late last night she had seen Junior Brother Xiaowu returning from Luo City looking rather unhappy, though he wasn’t injured. Today, passing by his quarters, she smelled the scent of blood and went to knock on the door. Xiaowu said he was fine and refused to open the door, so Yaoshuang left. She had originally intended to look for Duan Qianyue, but she hadn’t expected to run into me.
I told her Duan Qianyue was at my place, so she changed direction and headed over there. I went to report to Master, then visited the pharmacy to grab some pills, planning to check on Xiaowu first.
I knocked on the door.
“I said not to bother me,” he said.
“Then I’ll leave?” I said.
Just as I was about to walk away, the door opened, and Chen Xiaowu rushed out and threw his arms around me. “Senior Brother!”
Finding it rather amusing, I teased him, “Didn’t you say not to let anyone bother you?”
“I meant them. You and them are naturally different.”
I hadn’t expected Xiaowu to have grown so influential within the sect; it seemed things had truly changed a lot over the past few years.
He hugged me so tightly it felt uncomfortable, so I pulled his hands away. “Yaoshuang said you were hurt.”
“It’s nothing, just a minor injury,” he said.
“How did you get hurt?” I asked.
He hesitated for a moment before saying, “I was careless while exterminating demons and got wounded by a fiendish entity.”
I figured that Luo City only had minor demons, so how could they possibly injure him? Besides, Yaoshuang had said he looked fine when he returned yesterday, merely unhappy. Still, seeing that he was reluctant to talk about it, I decided not to press further.
I took the jade pendant off my neck. “I am returning your protective jade pendant to you.”
“Senior Brother should keep wearing it.” He refused to take it.
“This was given to you by your mother; you shouldn’t just hand it to people casually.” I took his hand and placed the pendant back into his palm.
“What is that fragrance in your room?” I asked.
“Senior Brother, do you remember when you took me around the streets of Luo City to shop? We bought a lot of things, and one of them was an incense candle. Lighting it produces this exact scent. Whenever I smell it, I think of Senior Brother. When I went to Luo City this time, I happened to see it and bought some more,” he said.
Mentioning Luo City reminded me, “I originally wanted to return to the Rong Prince’s Residence today, and I even thought about visiting you since you were exterminating demons in Luo City.” We chatted casually for a bit.
“Then I can go back with Senior Brother right now.” He looked delighted.
“You’re injured, so let’s save it for another day. Where are you hurt, and is it severe? Let me take a look,” I said.
“It’s a minor wound, just a scratch across the chest.”
“Then you should get plenty of rest. I’ll leave these bottles of pills with you. See if any of them are useful, and I’ll head back first.”
When I returned to Leisurely Cloud Tower, Duan Qianyue was giving me a resentful look.
“Where is Yaoshuang? Didn’t she say she wanted to come see you?” I asked.
“She left long ago. Why was Senior Brother gone for so long?”
I frowned. I had spent so much time chatting with Xiaowu, leaving the male and female leads with absolutely nothing to say to each other?
“Where did Senior Brother go?”
“I went to check on Xiaowu. He got hurt too.”
“The scent on Senior Brother’s body is the same as the person who injured me yesterday.”
I looked at him. “You weren’t trying to say Xiaowu was the one who hurt you, were you?”
He didn’t answer, instead saying, “I stabbed that person through the left chest with a sword yesterday.”
That couldn’t be right. What reason would Chen Xiaowu have to act so ruthlessly toward Duan Qianyue?
“Stop letting your imagination run wild. It’s just a common incense candle scent; you can buy it anywhere in Luo City.” I handed him the medicine. “Take these and sleep here for a bit. I am going to the back mountains to cultivate.”
Before long, the spiritual crane I had sent to Ayun yesterday returned. Ayun reported that Tang Ying only had a mother living with him in Ma’an Town.
I instructed Ayun to keep an eye on Tang Ying at all times and report any strange behavior to me.
I delivered meals to Duan Qianyue at noon and in the evening. As it was getting late, I borrowed two books from the library pavilion and headed back.
Seeing that Duan Qianyue looked fully prepared to take over my bed, I gathered a quilt and laid it out on the floor.
“The bed is so big, Senior Brother, why sleep on the floor? Could it be you are afraid I will do something to you at night?” Duan Qianyue said with a smile.
“Even if Senior Brother sleeps on the floor, I can still do something to him,” he added.
Ignoring him, I lay down and went straight to sleep.
That night, I had a nightmare. A massive python was tightly coiled around me, and no matter how I struggled, I could not break free. Its forked tongue licked across my face, scaring the wits out of me. Suddenly, the snake transformed into human form, turning into Duan Qianyue, pestering me to dual-cultivate with him. Kissing my lips wasn’t enough; he started taking off my clothes and reaching for my lower body. I woke up in a cold sweat.
Duan Qianyue was sitting beside me, looking at me with a smiling expression. “Did Senior Brother have a nightmare?”
Seeing that I was genuinely frightened out of my wits, with my forehead covered in sweat, he reached out to wipe it for me. I dodged out of the way, hurriedly got up, and fled in a panic.
Once I calmed down, I felt I was making a huge fuss over nothing. It was just a dream; what was there to run from?
“Brother Yu.” It was Feng Qiubai calling out to me.
I was surprised to see him appearing inside the sect.
“I told you we would meet again very soon.”
I only found out later that Feng Qiubai had come to recruit disciples and impart his talisman-making arts. At the time, I was still wondering why everyone seemed so reluctant to learn how to draw talismans.