When Shen Xiuyun opened his eyes again, the surroundings were dim. The sky outside the window was a hazy gray, and the white bed curtains draped above the bed were rather conspicuous.
He bolted upright from the bed and scanned his surroundings. This place… this place was!
System: 『The meditation chamber of Master Shen Xiuyun of One-Finger Peak, Xuantian Sect. Host, you’re back again.』
Shen Xiuyun: 『…』
Back again.
Right. He had stayed up late reading a novel, and because he was dissatisfied with the ending of the book Master, Are You Still Running?, he had angrily lambasted the author in the comments section. He failed to catch his breath, died suddenly, and transmigrated into the book as Master Shen Xiuyun… then was killed by his own disciple…
The agony of death seemed to have been seared into his very soul. Just recalling it made him shudder and feel as though he were suffocating.
Shen Xiuyun got out of bed in a daze, not even bothering to put on his shoes. He walked to the table and poured himself a cup of tea, taking small sips.
He caught sight of his reflection in the bronze mirror… a face nearly identical to the one he had in the modern world.
Hair black as satin, robes white as snow, sword-like brows, phoenix eyes, a straight nose, and thin lips.
“Bang bang bang!”
A rapid knocking at the door from outside interrupted Shen Xiuyun’s recollections.
At this hour, who could be coming to find him? They had a lot of nerve, daring to knock on his door like that.
Master’s status within the sect was extremely high. Not only was he the person with the highest cultivation in the sect, but he was also the foremost swordsman in the entire cultivation world. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had the ability to suppress the fierce beast again when it broke free from its seal… though he had sustained severe injuries in the end.
When there was sect business, they always notified him via transmission jade slips. No one had ever dared to knock on his door like this.
Yet the person outside was relentless, pounding away like a debt collector.
Shen Xiuyun paused for a moment, but left with no choice, he threw on an outer robe and went to open the door.
The instant the door opened, the bright moonlight from outside spilled in, hazily illuminating the gap.
A figure slightly shorter than himself stumbled into him, clutching him tightly, a voice tinged with fearful sobs:
“Master, Master, you’re really still here!”
Shen Xiuyun’s entire body went rigid… whether from being suddenly grabbed, or because that form of address reminded him of terrible memories.
Shen Xiuyun’s throat bobbed. He looked down at the person before him, stunned for a long moment before finding his voice: “You are… Zhu Xingyao?”
Zhu Xingyao looked up at Shen Xiuyun, his glistening eyes fixed on him without blinking, as if afraid the person would disappear the moment he blinked.
He corrected earnestly: “Master, it’s A-Yao. Does Master not recognize your disciple anymore?”
Shen Xiuyun’s memory of the day he died in his previous life was far too vivid. Even facing a Zhu Xingyao who hadn’t yet turned villain, he still felt a bit apprehensive.
He pushed the person to arm’s length, his words carrying a faint edge of displeasure. “In the middle of the night, instead of sleeping properly in your room, what are you doing here?”
Zhu Xingyao stuck right back to him like a plaster, wrapping his arms around his waist and refusing to let go, his tone growing even more pitiful:
“Your disciple just had a nightmare. I dreamed that Master was gone, that you didn’t want me anymore, that I couldn’t find Master no matter what.
A-Yao was so scared. Master, stay with me.”
Shen Xiuyun frowned. Why was this Zhu Xingyao a bit different from his impression?
He didn’t seem this clingy and coddled before?
Due to the tragic experiences Zhu Xingyao suffered in his childhood at the Huanyue Sect, he had always maintained extremely high psychological boundaries with others. He was fierce.
Shen Xiuyun still remembered when Zhu Xingyao was divined by the Huanyue Sect to be a cursed star, had his spiritual roots dug out and severed, and was left discarded by the roadside. When Shen Xiuyun rescued him and brought him back to One-Finger Peak, the very first thing Zhu Xingyao did upon waking and seeing him was bite his hand hard.
An absolute wolf cub.
He had raised him with painstaking care for a long time, and even then, he could barely manage to pat the kid’s head.
Could it be the nightmare that made him act so out of character tonight?
“I’m right here, you can see that. Can you go back to sleep now?”
After all, the current Zhu Xingyao was still a pitiful thing who hadn’t turned villain. Though Shen Xiuyun had some lingering grievances about the previous life, he wouldn’t be overly harsh toward someone who hadn’t done anything yet.
Zhu Xingyao shook his head like a rattle drum. “Your disciple won’t go back.”
Shen Xiuyun rubbed his forehead helplessly. “Then what do you want?”
“Your disciple wants to stay with Master.”
“No.”
Shen Xiuyun refused flatly.
There was only one bed in his room. Staying together meant sharing his bed, didn’t it?
He was the Master here. How could he let his disciple lead him by the nose?
No. Absolutely not.
Zhu Xingyao seemed to have his fragile heart wounded by those words. He silently stepped to the side, bowed respectfully to Shen Xiuyun, and said in a desolate tone:
“Your disciple knows he’s not well-liked, and with such a sensitive origin… your disciple knows all of it.
Master is kind-hearted and took me in out of pity. Your disciple shouldn’t ask for too much. It’s your disciple who was too greedy. Seeing that Master is well, your disciple should be at ease now. I’ll take my leave. Master, rest well.”
Shen Xiuyun: “???”
What did that tone… like some neglected, aggrieved spouse… even mean?
It made him seem so unreasonable.
“Wait.”
Just as Zhu Xingyao lifted a foot over the threshold, Shen Xiuyun called out to stop him.
Hearing this, Zhu Xingyao’s tightly pressed lips suddenly loosened, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. But when he turned around, he looked at Shen Xiuyun with a bewildered and cautious expression. “What does Master command?”
Shen Xiuyun snapped irritably, “Close the door and get over here to sleep.”
Zhu Xingyao seemed completely oblivious to his Master’s nearly gritted-teeth tone. A sweet smile spread across his face as he dove headfirst into the bed, burrowing under the covers. He nearly obsessively inhaled the familiar scent that belonged to that person lingering on the pillow and bedding, his expression one of indescribable satisfaction.
Shen Xiuyun belatedly realized: 『Seems like I got played.』
The System bubbled up weakly: 『Drop the “seems like”.』
Zhu Xingyao poked his fluffy head out from under the covers, gazed at Shen Xiuyun, who still wore a look of deep contemplation, and urged:
“Master, why aren’t you coming to bed?”
Shen Xiuyun pulled another roll of bedding from the wardrobe, tossed it to Zhu Xingyao, and then slowly climbed into bed.
As he lay down, he narrowed his eyes in warning at the little brat. “Behave yourself while sleeping. If you toss around too much, I’ll kick you off the bed.”
Zhu Xingyao swore solemnly, “A-Yao will definitely be good.” Only when you’re looking.
Shen Xiuyun then closed his eyes and said no more.
Before long, he felt something brush lightly against the space between his brows. His consciousness gradually blurred, and he fell into a deep sleep.
After he had fallen asleep, Zhu Xingyao suddenly opened his sharp eyes.
In the darkness, Zhu Xingyao gazed at Shen Xiuyun’s handsome face. He slipped from his own bedding into Shen Xiuyun’s covers. He reached out and trailed his fingers inch by inch across Shen Xiuyun’s cheek, confirming it over and over again.
The warmth returning to his fingertips told him that the person before him was a living, breathing Master.
He couldn’t suppress the surge of emotion at having recovered what he’d nearly lost.
He wanted to crush the person into his embrace, so that no one could ever separate them again.
A moment later, his lips trembled, and he said in a hoarse voice: “Master, you’ve finally… come back.”
You’ve finally come back to my side.
Zhu Xingyao held Shen Xiuyun even tighter.
He was terrified that it was all just a dream, which was why he had come searching in the dead of night.
Thankfully, Master had truly come back.
In this life, he would definitely protect Master well. He would never hurt him again, and he would absolutely never give anyone an opportunity to exploit.
He wanted Master’s eyes and heart to hold only him.
Zhu Xingyao held Shen Xiuyun, who had fallen asleep under his spell, contentedly. Only when he heard that strong, steady heartbeat did he finally feel at ease.
He had missed Master so much.
But he couldn’t do that.
He had to wait for Master’s consent.
Take it slow. He had plenty of time to teach Master how to like him.
He couldn’t scare Master again.
But after a moment, Zhu Xingyao irritably threw off the covers, formed a hand seal, and vanished from the room.
Two hours later, Zhu Xingyao returned to the bedroom, radiating a bone-chilling cold. When he lay back under the covers and pulled Shen Xiuyun into his arms, the cold made the sleeping figure shudder and shrink back.
Zhu Xingyao let out a helpless, low chuckle.
He tried to hold the person tighter, drawing warmth from his Master’s body. With an arm wrapped around Shen Xiuyun’s waist, he fell into a deep sleep.
When the sky grew bright with dawn,
Zhu Xingyao was still holding Shen Xiuyun, refusing to let go.
He clutched a lock of Shen Xiuyun’s ink-black hair in his hand, mumbling in his sleep: “Master, don’t leave me.”
Shen Xiuyun felt like he couldn’t breathe. His chest was tight and heavy, as if a large stone were pressing down on it.
He dreamed that his Zhu Xingyao was chasing him, and no matter how he ran, he couldn’t get away. That little beast even laughed and told him to run faster.
Shen Xiuyun collapsed from exhaustion.
Run? Run his ass.
He turned back and, without the slightest hesitation, slapped that infuriatingly smug face. However, what he got in return was not Zhu Xingyao’s usual perverse remark of “Master, you didn’t hit hard enough.” Instead, he heard a wounded protest beside him:
“Master, why did you hit A-Yao?”
Shen Xiuyun groggily woke up, still somewhat unable to distinguish dream from reality.
The figures before his eyes overlapped. There was no crimson robe, no mark of demonic corruption. Hiss, his mouth was a bit dry… what was going on?
When he clearly saw the pitiful Zhu Xingyao beside him, where was the sharpness from before? His hair was sticking up in messy tufts, making him look a bit adorably derpy. His eyes were wounded, pitifully clutching his own cheek.
Ah, this?
He hit the wrong person?