Chapter 51 [VIP]

During the time Jiang Zhuochen had known Xu Xing, he didn't recall ever hearing him speak in such a tone before. His heart felt empty, as if a piece of it had collapsed, filled with the cold wind howling past the window.

He didn't understand what was wrong with him. He looked up and met the other person's turbulent eyes. After a long silence, he replied softly, "I'm just going to find something. I don't know him well."

What are you looking for?

When Xu Xing could truly sense Jiang Zhuochen's favoritism, he couldn't feel happy. He would rather the other party never even glance at him from beginning to end than be like this, as if his soft spot had been hit, with ambiguous attempts to coax him, but with no place for him in his heart at all.

He couldn't even bring himself to think about letting go.

Jiang Zhuochen was unaware of Xu Xing's thoughts. When asked, he truthfully replied, "I'm looking for Teacher Li Mingtian's ashes to see if I can find any clues about my master."

...

He tilted his head, unintentionally brushing against the other person's palm, and slowly recounted the events to Xu Xing.

Xu Xing listened as the man remained silent about his troubles, feeling a pang of sorrow and helplessness in his heart. "Found it?"

"It seems not..." Jiang Zhuochen was too tired. He murmured, resting his head on Xu Xing's palm, and fell asleep in the chair.

He couldn't sleep peacefully, his brows furrowed the whole time. He was suddenly jolted awake, sitting up abruptly and rubbing his temples. He was so dizzy and disoriented that he had forgotten he had taken a nap.

He gazed at the pair of slender hands in front of him, gently pressing them against his temples to ease his discomfort, and said to himself, "By the way, Li Mingtian's soul is extremely unstable. How could a perfectly healthy person suffer from soul loss?"

He still needed to investigate the truth of the matter. A pile of things weighed on Jiang Zhuochen's head, and he rubbed his eyes before realizing that the car had been parked in the garage at some point, and even the driver had disappeared without a trace.

"I'm so tired, can I go back to sleep?"

Xu Xing slowed down his rubbing of his temples, thinking he would never hear that soft, dependent tone again.

Not receiving an immediate reply, Jiang Zhuochen mistakenly assumed the other person was unwilling, and a moment of disappointment flashed through his mind. He pretended to be casual and said, "It's nothing, I'll go outside..."

Without saying a word, Xu Xing pulled him into the bedroom and said, "If you're tired, rest first, and we'll talk when you're awake."

Jiang Zhuochen opened his mouth, and the moment his heavy head hit the pillow, a familiar fragrance wafted over his nose. He shrank back into the blankets and then fell into a deep sleep.

When Jiang Zhuochen woke up, the bedroom was pitch black. He felt the spiritual energy flowing through his body, and finally, after some hesitation, he poured out a pill, chewed it, and sat on the bed to sort out his thoughts.

The illness of soul separation is usually intentional, caused by either a person or a ghost. Jiang Zhuochen is more inclined to believe it was done by a ghost, since Xu Xing sensed his master's soul as soon as he arrived at the exhibition hall.

Then we'll have to go back to the exhibition hall and investigate. It's dark and closed now, which will make things easier; maybe he can find something there.

Having made up his mind, Jiang Zhuochen hurriedly got up, but to his surprise, the lights were still on outside when he opened the door. He went out and saw a figure in the living room.

Xu Xing, sitting on the sofa, noticed Jiang Zhuochen's hurried appearance and asked, "Are you going out?"

Jiang Zhuochen stopped and slowly nodded to him.

The two faced off in silence for a while, until Jiang Zhuochen's mind became increasingly clear from the cold air, and a chill seeped into his skin.

Xu Xing conceded defeat, withdrew his gaze, and spoke weakly, a question that seemed directed at him yet also at himself: "Do you like it that much?"

Jiang Zhuochen didn't react at first, then repeated, "What do you mean, 'like'?"

"You like your master that much?" Xu Xing asked slowly and clearly, enunciating each word.

"I like it." Jiang Zhuochen didn't think much of it. Who wouldn't like their master? This wasn't a question he needed to consider.

Xu Xing felt as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water; the still-unmelted icicle pierced his heart precisely, even the blood that flowed out froze. He futilely tugged at the corner of his mouth, "So much love that you don't even care about your own body?"

“He was the best person in the world to me. He even risked his life to save me,” Jiang Zhuochen explained earnestly, though a hint of sadness lingered in his voice. But the thought of the few wisps of souls collected in the Longevity Lamp gave him renewed strength. “I am determined to bring him back.”

Xu Xing felt a pang of unease. The person who was best to him in the whole world? "I haven't been good to you?"

Jiang Zhuochen glared at him, her words quickening. "You've been yelling at me these past two days. My master wouldn't be like that; he'd never get angry no matter what I do. Of course I should like him."

Realizing he had misunderstood, Xu Xing's frozen body felt as if it had been forcefully pierced by a warm sun. The extreme temperature difference caused his blood to boil, then rush back to his internal organs. He breathed a sigh of relief and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"It's not that kind of liking."

Jiang Zhuochen was stunned. "Which one is it?"

“Holding hands, hugging, kissing…” Xu Xing said each word and then glanced at the corresponding body part of Jiang Zhuochen’s body, and the other person finally realized what he meant.

A blush spread upwards from her neck, and Jiang Zhuochen's breath hitched. Her long eyelashes fluttered rapidly, and she interrupted him angrily before he could utter the last two words.

"Shut up! That's my master!" After saying that, he quickly ran down the stairs and left without looking back.

Xu Xing stared in the direction Jiang Zhuochen had left, his fingertips tapping on the sofa armrest, a dark glint flashing in his eyes. He hadn't considered that possibility before; did that mean he had a chance?

Jiang Zhuochen circled the venue, found a secluded spot, and climbed over the wall to enter. He probed the keyhole with a wisp of spiritual energy, and with a click, he quickly slipped inside.

It was pitch black all around, with only the faint moonlight filtering through the window for illumination. He stopped, and reason gradually returned.

He had acted impulsively when he first thought of this clue, and then Xu Xing's words threw him into a state of turmoil, causing him to arrive here with his eyes closed. But in his current state, even finding ghosts would be difficult, let alone finding his master's soul.

Master's spirit... Oh right! I've been so tired these past two days that I forgot Master could respond to me. Wouldn't it be faster to just ask him?

But as he was about to take out the longevity lamp, he inexplicably recalled what Xu Xing had said not long ago, which played on a loop in his mind with powerful and clear words.

Jiang Zhuochen's heart raced, and he felt uneasy all over, as if the air around him had become hotter. He blinked, then glanced around aimlessly, a sudden wave of guilt rising from the depths of his heart that he couldn't suppress no matter what he did.

He was somewhat annoyed and tried desperately to convince himself that he felt guilty for coming to steal in the middle of the night, not for anything else. After repeating this ten times and finding it had no effect, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to remain calm as he took out the longevity lamp.

The longevity lamp slowly floated into the air; perhaps because it had collected too many souls, even the flame had brightened slightly. Sensing the gaze, the souls drifted out from the wick of the flame.

Jiang Zhuochen coughed, rubbed his nose with his knuckles, and lowered his head. When he looked up again, there was a blue light and shadow in front of him, which startled him so much that he took a step back.

"Master, Master..."

The spirit seemed to realize it had frightened him, and slowly retreated a little. It floated back in front of Jiang Zhuochen once he was standing still, and then touched his forehead.

Despite the fact that their skin was touching without any sensation, Jiang Zhuochen felt as if his master was comforting him, and his heart leaped with joy. He raised his hand, and his soul fell into his palm.

"Master!" Jiang Zhuochen called out excitedly, then pouted and complained aggrievedly, "I'm so tired, and I've used up all my spiritual energy... If we had sent other senior brothers when we made the deal with the Heavenly Dao, wouldn't Master have been resurrected long ago?"

"It's all your fault. You spoil me every day, making me unable to concentrate on my cultivation."

The soul listened quietly as he finished being coquettish, then curled its end around Jiang Zhuochen's little finger and affectionately rubbed against the back of his hand.

Jiang Zhuochen's eyebrows curved into crescent moons. If his master were here, he would probably wait for him to finish complaining, then gently hug him and pat his hand like he was comforting a child.

Enveloped by that reassuring aura, he would immediately feel at ease and hug it until he was completely satisfied. Since he couldn't hug anyone right now, he could only reluctantly touch the invisible soul, and his mind gradually calmed down.

"Master," Jiang Zhuochen forced himself to clear his mind since he was already here, and asked, "Is your soul here?"

The blue spirit swayed its end.

Jiang Zhuochen perked up. He looked around. The place wasn't too big or too small. Although he knew the soul was here, he couldn't sense it and didn't know where to start looking for it.

He carefully collected the soul, allowing his master to continue resting in the lamp, while he took out the luminous pearl and went inside.

The crisp sound of footsteps echoed in the quiet night, each step striking Jiang Zhuochen's heart. Ever since he learned that he could add things to paintings, he noticed that the graininess of the darker parts of some paintings had become quite obvious.

He moved through the rooms, the luminous pearl carefully illuminating each painting, leaving a brief, pale blue glow on them.

As Jiang Zhuochen walked, he suddenly stopped in front of a painting. The painting depicted two hastily drawn small flowers intertwined in the wind, their stamens overlapping each other, strangely resembling...

Every thought and idea was magnified infinitely in the dead of night. He suddenly remembered the few words Xu Xing had said, and they became increasingly profound to him. His fingers, which were holding the luminous pearl, twitched, then he gripped it tightly, his expression shifting and changing in the flickering light.

He gritted his teeth. "What's wrong with this guy today?"

Who do you like? What do you like? If you have nothing better to do, you might as well come and help him with his work, or at least find a job. Why are you saying all this nonsense for no reason?

He's been thinking about it several times all night!

That's my master, a sage and immortal, how could he be defiled by love and affection... Jiang Zhuochen paused, only the word "love and affection" occupying his mind.

He lowered his head awkwardly, trying to conceal his expression with the ends of his hair.

His steps became noticeably hurried. He muttered to himself to stay calm while forcing himself to focus his attention back on the paintings, counting from the beginning how many paintings had been covered in dust.

His restless mood gradually cooled as he searched for the painting, and he leaned against the wall to organize the clues.

If he counted correctly, there were a total of twenty-three paintings. He paid special attention to the dates; the earliest one was twenty-three years ago, after Zhong Bai died.

Jiang Zhuochen's half-closed eyelids snapped open, a sense of absurdity welling up within him.

To prove his hypothesis, he burned the talisman to ashes and muttered a few words. The talisman ash floated into the air from his palm and was deliberately sprinkled onto all the paintings. Sure enough, the areas with particles in the twenty-three paintings lit up.

That person actually used ashes as paint to paint their artwork!

A note from the author: