When asked about the books, Shen Xiuyun stammered, his tone weakening as he said, “I read them.”
The books Yun Siqing had given him were overly serious… classical Chinese texts in traditional script, with an absurd amount of annotations. Just looking at them made him want to doze off.
They were nowhere near as interesting as the four illustrated secret manuals the System had given him.
It was just that sometimes, he couldn’t shake the feeling that those four books were smuggling in some private content he couldn’t understand. When he asked the System, the System just brushed him off.
“In one year, the cultivation world’s Assembly of Heroes will take place. The proudest talents of every major sect will come to Xuantian Sect to compete. If you don’t want to lose too much face, you must whip Zhu Xingyao into shape.
Alternatively, you can hand him over to me to teach. I guarantee I’ll have him reborn.”
As long as Zhu Xingyao ended up in his hands, he would make sure no trickery would work.
He was not his junior brother… he wouldn’t be so easily fooled.
Shen Xiuyun wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. “Senior brother, you already work so hard managing the sect on ordinary days. I won’t trouble you with this. I will definitely teach him well.”
Was he joking? Yun Siqing was a devil of a Master. Sending Zhu Xingyao into Yun Siqing’s hands would be nothing short of throwing a lamb into a tiger’s mouth.
Besides, his disciple would definitely think he didn’t want him anymore, or had even found someone to abuse him. The turn villain value would shoot up like crazy.
An increase in turn villain value = himself getting subjected to this and that.
And then dying once more in that manner.
No, no, no. Absolutely not!
In the bamboo cottage, Zhu Xingyao extinguished the tiny light screen in his palm… it had been showing the scene inside the meditation chamber.
He still vividly remembered the last time Yun Siqing had called his Master away and tripped him up. This time, he kept an extra eye out.
His true cultivation surpassed that of the two people in the room, so the minor trick he had pulled went undetected.
Yun Siqing truly had too much free time… so much that he wanted to discipline him on his Master’s behalf.
It seemed he would have to find something to keep Senior Uncle busy.
Senior Uncle had so many disciples. Occasionally having a disobedient one leave him overwhelmed and frantic would be quite normal, wouldn’t it?
Also, those books his Master could barely bear to put down on ordinary days were actually given by Yun Siqing.
The few times he had caught his Master reading, his Master always stowed the book away in a flash, afraid he would see something, and quickly changed the subject, not wanting him to ask further.
So they were from Yun Siqing… was that why he treasured them so much that he never let him so much as glance at them?
At this thought, a cold glint flashed through Zhu Xingyao’s eyes. Displeasure stirred in his heart, and he found Yun Siqing increasingly obtrusive.
He really wanted these meddlesome people to never appear before his Master again.
“Creak…”
The sound of a door pushing open suddenly rang in Zhu Xingyao’s ears.
Shen Xiuyun walked in from outside, his expression serious. His gaze rested on Zhu Xingyao’s face for a long moment… there was scrutiny, confusion, and words caught on the tip of his tongue.
Could someone tell him why, just now when he pushed the door open, he received yet another System notification that Zhu Xingyao’s turn villain value had increased by 1?
What on earth was this youth thinking about all day long?
He really wished the System could give him a mind-reading cheat.
The male lead’s thoughts were sometimes simply too hard to guess.
Zhu Xingyao, on the other hand, had already put away that frosty aura from moments ago. He smiled sweetly and guided Shen Xiuyun to sit down.
“Master finished talking with Senior Uncle so quickly?”
“Mm, I was afraid of making you wait.” Shen Xiuyun paused, then asked, “Have you applied medicine to yourself?”
“There’s one spot I haven’t gotten to. The wound is on my lower back, and your disciple can’t reach it. But your disciple has thick skin and tough flesh, so the wound should heal in a few days.”
Zhu Xingyao poured Shen Xiuyun a full cup of tea, showing no intention of troubling Shen Xiuyun to do anything.
Shen Xiuyun frowned and said, “Go get the medicine. Your master will apply it for you.”
“Yes.” The delight in Zhu Xingyao’s eyes was on the verge of overflowing.
Although having his Master apply medicine was both sweet and painful, he savored every moment of it.
Shen Xiuyun twisted open the lid of the ointment jar, lifted his chin, and instructed, “Take off your clothes.”