Chapter 31 [VIP]

Jiang Zhuochen stood there, stunned. In an instant, he felt the wind outside stop, the trees stop moving, and even the lights go out. All that remained was the sound of his heart pounding so hard it seemed about to burst out.

"Master..." he murmured, his thoughts sluggish. "Didn't you leave?"

The light hanging outside fell on those not-so-clear eyes, and the starlight surrounded Xu Xing's figure.

This look of complete dependence made Xu Xing's fingers curl up at his side, and his voice became even softer. "No. I was afraid you would have indigestion, so I had someone make you a bowl of soup."

Even if Xu Xing hadn't said anything, Jiang Zhuochen would have forgotten that he had been eating intermittently from noon until evening, and that he might indeed be unable to fall asleep later.

His gaze fell, and the bitter smell in the air was more like medicine than soup.

He picked up the bowl and asked, "Will you leave after you finish drinking, Master?"

It's so bitter, he'll be drinking it for a long time.

Xu Xing caught the reluctance in Jiang Zhuochen's tone, which Jiang Zhuochen had not noticed. He finally couldn't help but raise his hand to stroke the back of Jiang Zhuochen's neck, his thumb brushing past his earlobe and resting behind his ear.

"I'm not leaving." How could he possibly leave like this?

Jiang Zhuochen's awkward heart palpitations started racing again. He instinctively wanted to hide, but he stubbornly kept himself rooted to the spot.

Didn't Master only pat his head before? Why is he hugging his waist, holding his hand, and even now... so natural?

He clings to her every day, but why does he seem so awkward when Xu Xing does the same thing?

Jiang Zhuochen couldn't understand it. The frustration was building up in his heart, and he couldn't find the source of it, making him restless for a moment. So he simply reached out and pulled Xu Xing back a few steps into the room, put the bowl on the table, and hugged Xu Xing tightly.

So annoying.

Xu Xing was amused by him, and his usually aloof face blossomed in the moonlight. He let Jiang Zhuochen act coquettishly, and even put his hands on Jiang Zhuochen's waist to keep him steady if he used too much force.

After Jiang Zhuochen finished fussing, she patted him on the back and said softly, "Did you not like the soup?"

Jiang Zhuochen uttered two words: "No."

"Are you feeling unwell?"

"No." Jiang Zhuochen buried half his face in Xu Xing's shoulder, his voice lacking confidence: "Master, please don't ask anymore."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xing indeed stopped speaking, but he applied some force to the other person's back, eliminating the remaining gap between them.

Jiang Zhuochen felt embarrassed after staying in the quiet atmosphere for a while. Noticing the restlessness of the person in his arms, Xu Xing gently ran his fingertips across Jiang Zhuochen's lower back before releasing him.

"The soup will get cold if you don't drink it now."

Jiang Zhuochen obediently picked up the bowl of soup and gulped it down in two mouthfuls. His face was scrunched up from the bitterness, and he lost all interest in anything. "Master is lying. This is clearly medicine."

Xu Xing flipped his hand and produced a piece of candy, slightly smaller than the ones he used to use to coax him. "Just taste it briefly, don't overindulge."

Jiang Zhuochen quickly grabbed it, put it in his mouth, and chewed it a couple of times, which at least dispelled the unpleasant bitterness.

The overflowing sweetness seemed to seep into his blood, spreading throughout his limbs and senses. Jiang Zhuochen narrowed his eyes, glancing out the window before returning to the bed.

Xu Xing thought, "That scared him."

I shouldn't have been so greedy.

He composed himself and said calmly, "It's getting late, let's get some rest."

Seeing that Xu Xing showed no intention of moving, Jiang Zhuochen looked up at him, puzzled. "Isn't Master going to rest?"

Then, as if remembering something, he asked urgently, "Is Master leaving?"

"I'm not leaving," Xu Xing replied patiently. "I'm not leaving today."

"Then let's sleep together."

No matter how messy his thoughts were, nothing was more important than Xu Xing staying behind. He didn't want to experience the loneliness of being abandoned again.

Jiang Zhuochen grabbed Xu Xing's hand and lay down on the bed, burying his face in the other's chest. After finding the familiar position, he buried his face in Xu Xing's shoulder, and the look in the other's eyes when he received the little red cloth bag earlier that day suddenly popped into his mind.

He didn't actually understand it at the moment, but the more he recalled it, the more thrilling it became. A deep, turbulent undercurrent seemed to want to tightly envelop him, consuming everything about him without any airtightness.

He should have been afraid, but the warmth of the tide enveloping him made him feel attached, and he unconsciously succumbed to it, easily swayed by the other's emotions.

Why am I acting so strangely today? Even sharing a bed as usual can cause me to subtly curl up my limbs and fidget.

He felt that if he continued like this, he would do something strange, so he decided to try to relieve his boredom by fiddling around.

Xu Xing didn't say a word despite the restlessness, letting him sleep obediently in his arms after exhausting his strength. He watched him silently for a while, then moved his arm and hugged him tightly.

When Jiang Zhuochen woke up, he opened his eyes groggily. After a while, he put his legs on Xu Xing and leaned over to press his face against the other's shoulder.

The strange thoughts from yesterday were buried deep in his mind after a good night's sleep, and Jiang Zhuochen returned to his usual self. His lean chin swayed slightly beneath his shoulder as he thought contentedly that his master's kindness towards him wasn't a bad thing, so why add unnecessary worries? It was better to let things take their course; after all, his master wouldn't harm him.

Xu Xing's hand lingered in the air for a moment before slowly reaching out, as if afraid of disturbing the other person or as if confirming something.

"Is Master leaving today?"

"Um."

"All right."

The slightly regretful tone softened Xu Xing's heart. "Just call me if you need anything, don't play for too long."

"I won't be playing for long." Actually, he wanted to go back with Xu Xing right now, but he had promised to give his senior brothers extra food before he left. If he went back with them now, he wouldn't be able to bring them anything.

So he didn't tell Xu Xing when he would return. After seeing Xu Xing off, he wandered around the village for a while, and then sneaked back to the mountain at night with his bags.

The barrier at the entrance of the mountain gate sensed the talisman and flashed for a moment before returning to its original state. Jiang Zhuochen avoided the gatekeepers and walked in along a small path.

As he reached a bend in the road where the vegetation was dense, a dark figure rushed over, moving so fast that he couldn't react in time. There was no way there could be trouble within the sect, and Jiang Zhuochen hadn't been on guard at all; in an instant, the bag in his hands was snatched away.

He stared wide-eyed in disbelief, then chased after the shadowy figure for a long time, but found no trace of it.

Unable to find the culprit, he could only return to his room to sleep, feeling dejected. The next day, he arrived at the cultivation grounds looking gloomy. His fellow disciples didn't pay much attention to Jiang Zhuochen's clean and tidy appearance; instead, his expression drew them to surround him with concern.

Jiang Zhuochen said indignantly, "I came back last night, but I was robbed by a shadowy figure on my way to find you. Senior brother, when did our sect get thieves?"

“No wonder.” Ling He understood. He explained, “These past two nights, many disciples in the valley have noticed a mysterious black shadow appearing at night, specifically stealing food from others. Its speed is faster than that of ordinary cultivators, making it difficult for the disciples to find it. The sect elders haven’t found any harm yet, so they’ve left it alone. They said it’s a training exercise for the disciples to find this thing.”

Jiang Zhuochen didn't understand, "There are so many senior disciples in the valley, surely they can't catch even one shadowy figure?"

Mo Xiangli smiled and tapped him with his folding fan. "Because it doesn't hurt anyone, the shadowy figure is fast and exhausting, and there's no reward for catching it. The eldest disciple has it all, so naturally not many people want to catch it. It's better to leave the opportunity for others."

"Fine." Although he could understand, Jiang Zhuochen still couldn't swallow his anger; no one had ever managed to snatch food from his hands before.

However, as one of the "others" mentioned by his senior brothers, Jiang Zhuochen, with his low combat skills, would indeed find it difficult to catch the murderer.

He leaned closer to his fellow disciples, his smile brighter than any wildflower. "Why don't you all come with me to find out what's going on? That's a feast I painstakingly brought back for you all; how can I let it go to someone else for nothing?"

Xu Chang'an put his arm around his shoulder, "Little Eighteen, even if you tell the truth that you can't beat them, your senior brothers will..."

Ling He pushed Xu Chang'an aside, covered his mouth, and smiled maliciously. "I won't waste time on this."

Shen Hezhou knew what kind of trick they were up to as soon as he saw their deadpan expressions.

"Seventh Senior Brother," Jiang Zhuochen said with a hint of sarcasm, "you were punished by Master too?"

"Hope I'm doing well." Ling He's eyes darted around, and she exchanged glances with her fellow disciples, chuckling. "Recently, Junior Brother has recovered from his serious illness, and we senior brothers are worried that you've fallen too far behind in your cultivation, so we want to help you review."

"What do you want me to do?" Jiang Zhuochen listened attentively.

"How about retrieving items from a distance?" Ling He said. "If the items Junior Brother retrieves are more valuable than ours, I'll agree to go with you."

"What's so difficult about that?" Jiang Zhuochen said confidently. His master had given him a bunch of rare magical treasures, so why would he be afraid of them being cheap?

Xu Chang'an saw through his little scheme and slowly added, "Taking your own things doesn't count."

"Then I'm not afraid." Even a novice disciple could know this spell by heart, so he could use it with ease.

A wisp of light condensed at Ling He's fingertips, and a jade teacup from some unknown table fell into his hand. He raised an eyebrow, his face full of 'See how good I am to you?'

Xu Chang'an laughed heartily and retrieved a golden-patterned book from the top floor of the library. Mo Xiangli opened his closed hand, revealing a pill radiating crimson and orange light. Even Chen Hezhou shook his head helplessly and joined the competition.

Jiang Zhuochen hummed twice, raised his hand, and began to cast a spell.

Just as he was reciting the incantation, his mind suddenly went blank, and his eyes flashed with emptiness and confusion.

Strange, what was the mnemonic again?

Jiang Zhuochen's fingers moved unconsciously, before he remembered. The wisp of confusion dissipated with the wind, but his hand trembled slightly for a moment because of it.

A flash of light appeared, and a large, moon-white outer garment fell from thin air, covering his head.

The clothes still carried the cool scent of cedar, and the cuffs were embroidered with delicate cloud patterns in silver thread. Jiang Zhuochen slowly pulled off the clothes, his heart skipping a beat.

He brought over the coat his master wore today.

The air was still; the sound of falling leaves could be heard.

Jiang Zhuochen held the outer garment, his face even more dazed than his fellow disciples. Wait a minute, he had only intended to take the jade ruyi from his master's room; surely his hand couldn't have slipped into the Inner Affairs Pavilion like that?

Or did he simply not notice that his fingers had just danced a little?

Xu Chang'an was the first to gasp, taking a large step back as if the clothing were a man-eating monster.

He was completely unaware that the jade teacup in Ling He's hand suddenly shattered at his feet with a 'crack,' his Adam's apple bobbing as he stared intently at the silvery-white cloud pattern.

Shen Hezhou's lips twitched a few times, and he said with a wry smile, "You, you really are..."

Should he say the other party was too skilled or too audacious? They even dared to steal their master's robes. Putting aside the value, their lecherous behavior would have made any other senior uncle rush over and execute them on the spot.

The senior disciples retreated in panic, and the birds and beasts scattered immediately.

"Hey, don't walk so fast!" Jiang Zhuochen shouted. "See you at 9 PM tonight, I'll be waiting for you all, fellow disciples."

Only after his senior brothers had disappeared did Jiang Zhuochen guiltily touch his nose and go to return Xu Xing's clothes.

A note from the author:

Happy holidays everyone!

I don't know if I've been too busy or just lazy lately, but I haven't been able to update my chapters even after several days. So I've decided to update daily during the upcoming National Day holiday to give myself a sense of urgency. Let's work hard! Let's strive!