Chapter 59 Support

When Chu Jianshan returned to the room, he brought him a whole plate of jujube paste cakes. He broke off half of one and stuffed it into Chu Jianshan's mouth, while he ate the other half himself.

The sweet taste melted in his mouth, and Chu Jianshan frowned slightly, asking, "This stuff is so cloying, why do you like to eat it?"

Cheng Yuan chuckled: "Actually, I also find it tiring, but I've been eating it for so many years that I'm used to it."

Chu Jianshan didn't understand: "Since you also think it tastes bad, why have you been eating it for so many years?"

Cheng Yuan felt a pang of grievance and asked softly, "Has Master forgotten?"

Chu Jianshan couldn't recall it for a moment, and hesitated before asking, "Forgot... what?"

Cheng Yuan lowered his head and recalled, "When I was little, I stayed in that dilapidated house and refused to go with you. Every time you came, you would bring me jujube paste cakes."

Chu Jianshan suddenly realized that distant memories were flooding his mind. In fact, he didn't know what Cheng Yuan liked to eat at that time. He simply thought that children all liked sweets, so he bought jujube paste cake. And little Cheng Yuan would always finish it, which made him even more convinced of this.

Chu Jianshan said, "If you didn't like it, why didn't you say so at the time?"

Cheng Yuan lowered his head: "I'm afraid if I tell you, you won't come next time."

Chu Jianshan sighed softly, feeling a sense of melancholy. There are always so many twists of fate in this world, and you can't escape or avoid them.

Chu Jianshan took the remaining jujube paste cake away and advised, "If you really don't like it, don't force yourself. I'll get you something else."

"It's alright," Cheng Yuan said with a smile, "at least it tastes better than plain porridge."

"You..." Chu Jianshan wanted to scold him, but he couldn't help but laugh: "Forget it, I'm too lazy to argue with a patient."

In the end, Cheng Yuan didn't eat much of the jujube paste cake. Seeing that he really had no appetite, Chu Jianshan fed him a couple of sips of water and blew out the lamp to go to sleep early.

Even in the darkness, Cheng Yuan was still restless. Having finally gotten into Chu Jianshan's bed, how could he just obediently go to sleep?

He reached out towards Chu Jianshan in the dark, and even though he couldn't see, he could accurately find Chu Jianshan's waist, pulled him over, and hid him in his arms.

Chu Jianshan patted his hand twice to signal him to let go, but the hand was tightened even more, leaving him speechless.

Chu Jianshan let out a breath and coaxed him, "Go to sleep, stop fooling around."

Cheng Yuan said, "Master, would you please sleep facing me? I want to look at you."

Chu Jianshan was speechless: "How can you see a ghost in this pitch black? Go to sleep!"

Cheng Yuan finally quieted down, but his body was still restless, and he wanted to climb to the other side of Chu Jian Mountain.

Chu Jianshan completely admitted defeat. Cheng Yuan, who was ill, was even more stubborn than usual. He pressed Cheng Yuan back down and turned him over to face him: "Alright, I'm here. Don't move."

Cheng Yuan was delighted and pulled Chu Jianshan into his arms, draping his legs over him and holding him tightly as if afraid he would run away.

As the sound of steady breathing gradually reached his ears, Chu Jianshan finally relaxed and drifted off to sleep.

Before he went to sleep, he was being held in Cheng Yuan's arms, but somehow it turned into Cheng Yuan hiding in his arms. In the middle of the night, half-awake, Chu Jianshan felt the temperature of the person in his arms rise instead of fall. Cheng Yuan mumbled a few words, but he didn't hear them clearly. Only when he got closer did he hear him calling for his master.

One sentence after another, like a dream.

"I'm here," Chu Jianshan patted him gently, trying to wake him up: "A Yuan, wake up, I'm here."

Cheng Yuan slowly opened his eyes, his sweaty hair sticking to his forehead. He was breathing heavily, still not fully recovered from his dream. Seeing the worried expression on the person in front of him, he inexplicably laughed and said something nonsensical: "Master didn't leave...that's good."

Chu Jianshan wasn't in the mood for jokes. He touched the man's body; it was burning hot. "Are you feeling unwell? Do you want some water?"

Cheng Yuan said in a hoarse voice that he wanted to, so Chu Jianshan got out of bed to pour him some water. The water in the teapot in the room had already gone cold, and he was about to go and get a fresh pot when he heard a noise behind him.

Cheng Yuan leaned over the bed and vomited. Since he hadn't eaten much for dinner, he vomited almost all water.

Chu Jianshan hurriedly put down the teapot and ran over, draped his outer robe over him, and patted his back.

Cheng Yuan was afraid of getting dirty and tried to push Chu Jianshan away, but Chu Jianshan forcefully pressed him back down: "It's okay, just throw up if you want to, I'll clean up later."

After he finished vomiting, Chu Jianshan cleaned up and then went to find a towel to soak in cold water to cool his forehead. He then boiled a kettle of water, blew on it to warm it, and personally fed him. He was busy with everything in the middle of the night, doing everything himself. He didn't feel tired at all, but he felt sorry for Cheng Yuan because he was in pain.

He wanted to go find Master Li, but Cheng Yuan stopped him, saying it was too late to bother others and that he would feel better after vomiting. Only then did Cheng Yuan manage to keep Chu Jianshan there.

Chu Jianshan had no choice but to sit on the edge of the bed and let Cheng Yuan lie on his lap, gently patting his back to lull him to sleep. If he still felt nauseous or uncomfortable in any other way, he could sense it immediately.

The night was eerily quiet. Just when he thought Cheng Yuan was asleep, he suddenly spoke up, saying, "When I was little, I used to lie on Master's lap like this too."

Upon hearing this, Chu Jianshan also remembered that when he had just brought Cheng Yuan back to Changjin Mountain, Cheng Yuan was sick when he was a child. Chu Jianshan gradually went from being flustered to getting used to taking care of him. However, at some point later, it seemed that Cheng Yuan took care of him more.

When others are sick, they are listless and don't want to talk, but Cheng Yuan is different. He chatters on and on, reminiscing about the past, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, his pace neither too fast nor too slow, like a natural lullaby.

In such an environment, Chu Jianshan finally succumbed to sleepiness and fell asleep leaning against the bedpost. When his head tilted to one side, someone caught it steadily.

Cheng Yuan looked at him, said nothing, and simply placed a kiss on his lips.

When Chu Jianshan woke up the next day, he didn't know how he had been moved to the bed. The sound of the wind blowing through the bamboo forest woke him up. He stretched and reached out to touch the person next to him, but he didn't feel the warmth of that person.

Chu Jianshan woke up instantly, immediately threw off the covers and got up. As soon as he sat up, he saw Cheng Yuan returning from outside. He ran towards him without even putting on his shoes.

"A-Yuan!"

"Hey! Master, the shoes!" Cheng Yuan rushed over anxiously, picked up Chu Jianshan the instant he ran close, and carried him to the bedside.

While being held by him, Chu Jianshan kept touching Cheng Yuan's face and forehead, asking repeatedly, "Does your fever go down? Are you still feeling unwell?"

Cheng Yuan placed him beside the bed, squatted down to put his shoes on, and smiled, "He's fine now, Master, don't worry."

Chu Jianshan felt relieved and lay back down as if he hadn't woken up properly: "It really is true that a good night's sleep will make you feel better. You're still young after all."

Cheng Yuan couldn't help but chuckle, and lay down next to him, poking his cheek: "Why do you say that? Isn't Master also in his prime?"

Chu Jianshan turned over, his back to him: "Compared to you, I'm still old."

Cheng Yuan chased after him: "There's something more to your words. Master has never worried about age before, what is he worried about now?"

Chu Jianshan stubbornly replied, "No, I was just venting."

Cheng Yuan turned him back and comforted him, "Master, there's no need to compare yourself to me. In my eyes, Master is the best no matter what."

Chu Jianshan turned his head away from him: "Anyone can say nice things."

Cheng Yuan smiled and said, "Then how does Master want me to prove it? As long as Master says so, I can do anything."

Chu Jianshan rolled his eyes and said, "I haven't decided yet. I'll tell you when I have."

Cheng Yuan leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Then how about I spend my whole life proving it?"

“No,” Cheng Yuan added, “there’s a next life, and the life after that, and the life after that!”

As he spoke, he tickled Chu Jianshan's waist. Unable to resist the tickling, Chu Jianshan sat up laughing: "Hahaha, stop... I know, I believe... I believe, hahahaha..."

Cheng Yuan smiled and hugged him, burying his head in his shoulder. The two of them snuggled together like that, looking up at the bright sunlight streaming through the window.

The leisurely days didn't last long.

Around the eleventh day of the first lunar month, without obtaining the consent of Changjin Mountain, Shaoxuan Sect, citing Linyi Sect's collusion with the demon race and disregard for human life, joined forces with other sects to launch a punitive expedition against Linyi Sect in Lingnan.

At first, things went smoothly. Linyi Sect was no match for the combined forces of the various sects and suffered repeated defeats, retreating to Guangyan for defense. Just when they thought victory was in sight, for some unknown reason, Linyi Sect suddenly became much stronger, and one of its mysterious armies became invincible.

These people were dressed in black, their faces were covered with masks, and their figures were thin but their strength was great. They could use blood-condensing artifacts and were not afraid of injury. Any one of them could be compared with the cultivation of an elder of a small sect.

To reach this point, they could only think of one possibility—the demon race.

Everyone thought to themselves, "As expected, the Linyi Sect has long been colluding with the Demon Clan. No wonder they are so audacious and presumptuous, proclaiming themselves as their Lords."

Thus, Linyi Sect, relying on the demon army, fought all the way to the doorstep of Shaoxuan Sect. Shaoxuan Sect was besieged and, at the last moment, sent a plea for help to the other sects.

The first sect to receive the request for help was Changjin Mountain. The two sects were not far apart, so Changjin Mountain should have been the first to send people over. Other sects seemed to be observing and waiting for Changjin Mountain to make a decision.

All the elders of Changjin Mountain gathered at Guiyan Hall. Chu Jianshan, out of personal reasons, also brought Cheng Yuan along. When they entered, Jiang Yan only glanced at him and didn't say anything, so it seemed that today's topic was also related to Cheng Yuan.

"Everyone, I'm sure you all know what the situation is like outside and what predicament Changjin Mountain is in," Jiang Yan said first.

Li Xi, standing beside him, nodded and replied, "All the sects are waiting for Changjin Mountain's decision. If we send someone over, we'll be openly at odds with Linyi Sect. But if we don't send anyone, it might be difficult to gain their support, after all..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but instead looked up at Cheng Yuan.

"After all, we still have the young master of Linyi Sect here," Old Mr. Wang casually leaned back in his chair, continuing her words, "There's no need to speak so timidly. This young Cheng Yuan doesn't necessarily want to be this lousy young master; it's just an identity forced upon him by Linyi Sect. Do you really think they want to welcome back this young master? They're just trying to make things difficult for Changjin Mountain."

The old Mr. Wang who was speaking was the same Mr. Wang who looked after the garden in Bai Qianfan's story. Although he did not hold a high position and had no great ambitions, he liked to lie in a chair every day to bask in the sun and look at the flowers and plants. However, it is said that he was once a great talent in his youth and protected Changjin Mountain for more than ten years.

However, for some unknown reason, he later requested a demotion and spent his days tending to the herb garden. If Jiang Yan hadn't repeatedly invited him, he probably wouldn't have appeared here this time.

Li Xi bowed slightly to Mr. Wang: "What you say is true, but I am also thinking of Changjin Mountain. The young master of Linyi Sect is here now. If we delay handing him over, people may suspect that we have ulterior motives. If we do not go to support him, others may think that we have defected."

Old Wang chuckled: "That's quite a pointless statement. We at Changjin Mountain have never taken sides, so where does this talk of defection come from?"

“That’s true,” Jiang Yan continued, “but Cheng Yuan is indeed the young master of Linyi Sect without a doubt. We know this in our hearts, but outsiders don’t know it, so it’s understandable that they suspect us.”

"Then what do you plan to do!" Old Wang said, pointing at Cheng Yuan, his voice trembling with emotion. "You want to hand this child over? Let me tell you, it's impossible! I've practically watched him grow up. I don't believe you haven't considered the consequences of handing him over to Linyi Sect!"

"Uh..." Chu Jianshan, unable to get a word in edgewise, hurriedly tried to smooth things over: "Mr. Wang, please calm down, let's talk this out..."

"You're indecisive too!" Old Wang suddenly pointed at Chu Jianshan's nose and cursed, "Your own apprentice is about to be eaten by someone else, and you still have the mind to smooth things over!"

"I..." Chu Jianshan felt wronged and muttered, "Why are you suddenly scolding me again? I should have just kept quiet..."

Cheng Yuan couldn't help but chuckle, and Chu Jianshan pinched his arm.

"Qingyuan," Jiang Yan turned the tables on him, "what do you think of this?"

Chu Jianshan lowered his head and pondered: "I will naturally protect my disciple; handing him over is impossible."

Li Xi said, "But if we don't hand over the people, then the only option is to support the Shao Xuan Sect. Immortal Venerable Chu, haven't you always been unwilling to see Changjin Mountain get caught up in the fighting?"

Chu Jianshan raised an eyebrow and said, "Who said there's only one way?"

"Oh?" Old Wang seemed intrigued. "Do you have any good ideas?"

Chu Jianshan rested his hand on his chin, while tapping the armrest of his chair slowly with his other hand: "They only asked Chang Jinshan to provide support, but didn't say who else would go."