Chapter 40 Conflicts Arise

“No need to investigate,” Chu Jianshan suddenly said. “This is that person’s usual trick, as if he’s afraid we won’t be able to find his origins.”

Bai Qianfan chuckled lightly: "He's really generous to give away the secret techniques of the Linyi Sect so readily."

Chu Jianshan said, "In short, leave this matter to us, so there's no need for City Lord Lin to worry about it."

Lin Mumu nodded and went out the door. Bai Qianfan looked at Chu Jianshan, then at Cheng Yuan, and quickly pulled Ji Shi out as well.

Ji Shi was being pulled along by Bai Qianfan, completely bewildered: "I didn't say I was leaving?"

At this moment, only the two of them remained in the room. Cheng Yuan turned to look at Chu Jianshan, as if he wanted to say something, but swallowed it back down.

In fact, when Chu Jianshan and He Kun were confronting each other in the tomb, Cheng Yuan vaguely saw a faint sword light emanating from the Mo Yang Sword. For the Mo Yang Sword to react, he would have to sense Chu Qingyuan's spiritual power. However, at that time, the person holding the Mo Yang Sword was Chu Jianshan.

He wanted to ask Chu Jianshan for clarification, but he felt it was too far-fetched. He wondered if he might have been mistaken at the time.

Seeing Cheng Yuan hesitate to speak, Chu Jianshan threw back the covers, got out of bed, walked to his side, and gently asked, "Does your hand still hurt?"

Chu Jianshan's voice brought Cheng Yuan back to his senses instantly. He smiled and shook his head, saying, "It doesn't hurt anymore."

Chu Jianshan didn't believe him: "Then why do you keep making that face?"

Cheng Yuan replied dismissively, "I probably didn't sleep well."

Chu Jianshan insisted, "I don't believe it. You must be hiding something. Unless you explain it to me clearly, I won't let you go."

Cheng Yuan couldn't help but chuckle at Chu Jianshan's interrogative manner: "Then may I ask, Young Master Chu, in what capacity are you asking this question?"

“Of course it is…” Chu Jianshan’s tone changed: “Friend!”

Cheng Yuan raised his head: "Since we are just friends, then I'm afraid I have nothing to say."

Well, you still hold a grudge.

"Okay, then I won't ask anymore."

Chu Jianshan leisurely sat back down on the bed, but the next second, he seemed to think of something and looked somewhat disappointed.

Cheng Yuan immediately saw what he was thinking, slowly walked to his side, and sat down next to the bed: "What happened in Shuicheng is not your fault."

Chu Jianshan nodded slightly: "I know, but these things are ultimately related to us. I've found that things seem to be getting out of my control."

He continued, "In the past, I was a very impulsive person. I always thought that nothing could stop me. At worst, I could do things on my own and take responsibility for them, even if it meant giving my life. But I have started to see many people pay the price for my impulsiveness."

He looked up at Cheng Yuan, choking back tears: "I'm never afraid of death, but I'm afraid that others will die because of me. I'm afraid that the path I'm on now is wrong again."

Cheng Yuan listened quietly to him, trying to understand more about his past through his simple words: "Did you take any wrong paths in the past?"

Chu Jianshan nodded: "I... broke someone's heart, and now, I don't even have the courage to face him."

Cheng Yuan only asked, "Then do you think he cares about you?"

Chu Jianshan hurriedly replied, "Of course I care!"

“Then there’s no problem,” Cheng Yuan continued. “He cares about you, so he won’t blame you for your impulsiveness. He’ll just feel that he can’t do these things for you.”

Chu Jianshan's throat tightened slightly, and he looked at Cheng Yuan with a smile, asking, "Really?"

"Really, I promise."

Chu Jianshan turned around, forcing back his tears. He had already remembered Cheng Yuan's words, as if he had grasped some kind of bargaining chip, so that he would still have a chance when his ugly lie was exposed.

When he first met Cheng Yuan, he never imagined that he would walk this far with him, so he thought there was no need to reveal his identity. Later, he accepted Cheng Yuan and got used to him being by his side. But slowly, Chu Jianshan found himself becoming timid.

He dared not speak. He was afraid that Cheng Yuan would blame him for deceiving him for so long. He was afraid that even as friends, Cheng Yuan would no longer be willing to stay with him. From now on, he would only have one person again.

On the day Cheng Yuan confessed his feelings to him, he probably didn't even realize the secret joy hidden deep in his heart. It seemed that he also liked Cheng Yuan.

But liking someone isn't enough; there's always a master-disciple relationship between them. The master-disciple dynamic is more exciting than any storybook. He doesn't care, but Cheng Yuan has to maintain his dignity. He's the most outstanding disciple of Changjin Mountain and shouldn't bear such infamy.

He imagined countless possibilities in his mind and tried every possible method, but none of them yielded a good result.

Cheng Yuan didn't understand what he was troubled by, but he saw that he looked like he was about to cry. So he reached out his left hand, which he was used to, and held it. Chu Jianshan subconsciously wanted to pull his hand away, but he was afraid of aggravating his wound, so he didn't dare to move again.

Once skin is touched, the heart is inevitably stirred. Cheng Yuan's Adam's apple bobbed as he asked, "Regarding what I told you last time, do you have a result in mind?"

Chu Jianshan feigned ignorance: "Wh...what happened? I don't remember."

Cheng Yuan exposed him: "Don't play dumb, you know what I'm asking."

Chu Jianshan calmed himself down: "The result...didn't I tell you everything?"

As soon as he mentioned it, Cheng Yuan remembered the two cold and ruthless words that had come out of his mouth. He gently rubbed Chu Jianshan's hand with his uninjured thumb: "Chu Jianshan, is there something you're hiding from me?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Jianshan instantly stiffened, and the hand that Cheng Yuan was holding tightened unconsciously: "No, what could I possibly hide from you? Didn't Bai Qianfan already tell you about Xie Yin?"

Cheng Yuan just stared at him without saying a word, as if trying to read his thoughts through his eyes: "It's not about him, I'm talking about you. Do you have some kind of trouble?"

Chu Jianshan took two deep breaths. He knew that Cheng Yuan would not give up unless he made a decision. So he hardened his heart and said solemnly, "I have no excuse, Cheng Yuan. I just don't have any feelings for you. I have never liked you."

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere between the two became subtle. He dared not look at Cheng Yuan again, and simply lowered his head to wait for Cheng Yuan's reply.

Cheng Yuan looked at him, then chuckled softly: "The more decisive your answer, the less I believe it."

"You!" Chu Jianshan didn't expect his words to have such a backlash: "You weren't like this before."

In his memory, Cheng Yuan never liked to express his emotions, so when he confessed his feelings to him, Chu Jianshan found it unbelievable. Now that he had said such harsh words, he could still talk to him calmly. Shouldn't he have turned his back and left immediately?

Cheng Yuan didn't argue, but just tightened his grip on his hand: "Actually, I don't know what's wrong with me. Why do I always force you to make a choice in this matter? I just feel... I shouldn't miss out on you like this."

Chu Jianshan closed his eyes tightly, determined not to let Cheng Yuan continue to wallow in this, or it would be too late when the truth came out.

Chu Jianshan abruptly pulled his hand back, causing Cheng Yuan's wound to ache, and he hissed.

Chu Jianshan was startled and wanted to check his hand, but forced himself not to move.

Cheng Yuan joked, "What do you mean? Even if you don't like me, you don't have to repay kindness with enmity."

Chu Jianshan's expression was serious, showing no sign of laughter: "Cheng Yuan, you and I both know that we can't be together. Stop deceiving yourselves."

Cheng Yuan paused for a moment, then dropped his joking expression and asked softly, "Why?"

Chu Jianshan looked up and met his gaze: "There's no reason why. Just like a withered tree can't bloom, we were destined to be apart."

Cheng Yuan didn't speak this time. The two looked at each other, neither knowing what the other was thinking.

"Um...may I come in?"

The silence was broken by Ji Shi, who peeked inside from the doorway, wondering what the two were arguing about again.

"Senior Brother Bai said the medicine should be drunk while it's hot," Ji Shi said, carefully watching the two of them as he carried the bowl inside. "If it gets cold, it might affect the medicine's effectiveness. Chu Jianshan, you should drink it quickly."

He placed the medicine bowl on the low cabinet by the bedside, but neither of them spoke to each other. Ji Shi clearly sensed that something was wrong and ran out like a rabbit.

Cheng Yuan remained silent for a long time before giving in, picking up the medicine bowl and advising, "Drink your medicine first."

Chu Jianshan remained motionless and silent.

So Cheng Yuan picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful, blew on it, and brought it to his lips: "It's really not hot."

Chu Jianshan turned his head away from his movement. Cheng Yuan thought he was afraid of bitterness, so he coaxed him, "I didn't have time to buy candied fruit this time. After you finish this bowl, I'll go buy some right away, okay?"

Chu Jianshan finally spoke: "I won't drink it, and you don't need to buy it."

Cheng Yuan put down the medicine bowl and looked at Chu Jianshan: "Stop making a scene. Let's put aside our issues for now. Your health is the most important thing."

Chu Jianshan retorted, "I'm not making a scene. I'm being serious. Cheng Yuan, I don't like you, and you don't need to do anything for me. Doing this will only make me feel indebted to you."

Cheng Yuan smiled wryly: "So you have to be so meticulous about everything?"

He continued, "My feelings for you are my own business. I don't want this to affect your mood. If you don't like it, then leave it alone, until... until I also leave it alone."

Chu Jianshan said to himself, "But it's already affecting me."

"What?"

Chu Jianshan repeated, "Your feelings have already affected my mood. This feeling should never have existed in the first place."

Cheng Yuan gripped the bowl tightly, almost crushing it, but facing Chu Jianshan, he took a step back and changed the subject: "How about you drink your medicine first?" As he spoke, he brought the bowl of medicine to Chu Jianshan's lips.

With a clang.

The medicine bowl was smashed on the ground, and the dark medicine spilled all over the floor.

Cheng Yuan could no longer hold back and questioned Chu Jianshan: "Do you hate me that much?"

Chu Jianshan suppressed the bitterness in his heart and said stubbornly, "Yes, I hate you. I don't want anyone to share my burdens. You'd better go back to your Changjin Mountain. You'll still be the enviable closed-door disciple of the Southern Immortal Venerable."