Chapter 63 Bad Guys Doing Good Deeds

Despite the chaos and turmoil, at least they were able to eat eventually.

Xu Zangyu was the one who started eating, while Xiao Mingxin only ate a few bites, his movements refined and his chewing slow and deliberate. If you ignored the fact that half of his sleeve was burned off, it was still a pleasing sight to behold.

However, a strong person is a strong person; even if they are in a sorry state, they will not lose any elegance because of embarrassment.

When they were almost finished eating, Xiao Mingxin tentatively asked, "Junior brother, are you full? Master has raised more than one spirit chicken."

Xiao Mingxin remained silent until he spoke, at which point Xu Cangyu was speechless.

"I think it's best to stop while you're at it, and besides, you don't need to eat too much at night. Are you still hungry, senior brother?"

Xiao Mingxin shook his head. He was just having dinner with Xu Zangyu. He usually relied on fasting pills and hadn't eaten human food in a long time. Only when Xu Zangyu was around did he feel a real sense of human warmth and excitement.

"You'll be staying at the Bamboo Grove Residence for now. If you want to go out, you must come with me... Never mind, you shouldn't wander around. Let's wait until you've recovered."

After cleaning up the mess, Xiao Mingxin, worried that he might be bored, brought him a large box of books to keep him entertained, and kindly offered to find him new ones after he finished reading them.

Knowing roughly his temperament, Xiao Mingxin found some miscellaneous books about customs and human relationships, so that Xu Zangyu wouldn't fall asleep immediately after reading them.

Xu Zangyu discovered that Xiao Mingxin had likely read all of these books, as some of them contained very neat annotations. The most numerous annotations were about the Dongling region, describing its mountains, which stretched for thousands of miles, and described rare and exotic animals, flowers, birds, fish, and insects.

But the more he looked, the more he realized that the annotations were not right.

The Qiqi Beast is poisonous and should not be eaten.

The small, non-toxic beef is tender and delicious; I'll bring some for my junior next time.

The red-eyed spirit fox, with red fur and white cry, is a cub-like creature, often favored by cultivators, but considered useless.

......

The subsequent records all changed their meaning, and the encyclopedia turned into a complete guide to ingredients.

Xiao Mingxin was so serious, but she turned out to be quite cute in private. Xu Cangyu leaned against the bed and read the boring encyclopedia from beginning to end. Finally, when he got sleepy, he found that Xiao Mingxin was still staying up late to study.

There was only one bed in the room, but it was enough for two people. Xu Cangyu rolled over and said, "Senior brother saved a spot for you. If you're sleepy, remember to rest early."

Xiao Mingxin looked up from among the piles of books. The person on the bed had long since fallen asleep. He put down the book, rubbed his sore eyes, and walked quietly to the bedside.

Her fingers couldn't help but touch Xu Zangyu's face, but in the end she only pulled the thin blanket over him up a little.

Xu Zangyu only regarded him as a good senior brother, but his thoughts were never pure. If Xu Zangyu knew this, he would probably stay far away from him.

Medical books state that suppressing raging spiritual energy requires a cultivation level higher than the opponent's to succeed and avoid backlash. However, he is currently only at the early Nascent Soul stage, and it will take him several decades to reach the Divine Transformation stage at the fastest. But Xu Zangyu cannot wait; he must break through as soon as possible to help Xu Zangyu guide his spiritual energy.

*

The candlelight went out, and the person in the room vanished. A bloodthirsty cultivator broke into the demon realm, where hundreds of demons roamed freely. He had slain countless evil demons, and his plain robes were stained red. At his feet lay piles of demon cores.

The demons of the demon realm trembled at the mere mention of his name, fleeing at the sight of him. Rumors of Xiao Mingxin's appearance had spread that he was a demon descended to earth.

Xiao Mingxin absorbed the spiritual power within the demon core one by one, and the bottleneck of the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm gradually loosened.

Thunder roared, and his blood-soaked body was burned to ashes in the lightning. When he opened his eyes again, it was already dawn.

Using a hand seal to remove the bloody smell from his body, Xiao Mingxin stepped away from the blood-soaked place. His junior brother should be waking up soon; he had to hurry back.

*

Xu Cangyu woke up to the familiar scent, turned around and found that there was no one beside her. The bedding on the other side was neat and tidy without any signs of being moved. Could it be that Xiao Mingxin hadn't slept all night?

I propped myself up, my head throbbing with pain, as if my head had been split in two, and a surge of energy seemed to be constantly churning inside my chest and abdomen.

He let out a muffled groan of discomfort, and suddenly, a melodious piano tune entered his ears, like a gentle breeze in the forest, soothing the turbulent heat of summer. The string in his mind that was about to snap was gradually calming down.

Is Xiao Mingxin playing the piano?

Xu Cangyu, dressed in fine clothes, parted the beaded curtain, passed through the screen, and indeed saw Xiao Mingxin's back.

He was sitting cross-legged on the ground, his fingers stroking the zither. As if sensing Xu Zangyu's arrival, he raised his eyes and smiled. This man, who was usually as cold as ice, was unusually gentle.

Xu Zangyu was stunned.

He is not Xiao Mingxin.

Although it looks exactly like Xiang Mingxing, it doesn't look like a living person at all. Its figure is vaguely transparent, like a shadow that is barely visible.

"Who are you?"

When the music stopped, Xu Cangyu walked over and sat down in front of him, propping her chin up as she looked at him with curiosity in her eyes.

"There are even semi-transparent people? How come you look exactly like my senior brother?" Xu Cangyu's eyes darted around. "Let me guess, are you my senior brother's... shadow?"

"That's not wrong, is it? I am Xiao Mingxin's sword shadow?" he said.

"A master swordsman can condense a sword shadow, which is nothing but a mass of nothingness." The sword shadow is true, but not entirely. If Xiao Mingxin did not absorb a wisp of consciousness into the sword shadow, he would be nothing but an unknowing and lifeless thing.

To be precise, he is Xiao Mingxin.

However, Xiao Mingxin refused to admit it. Even with his own sword shadow, he was still jealous of the time he had spent with Xu Cangyu.

"Oh...why did my senior brother let you stay here? Where is my senior brother?"

The sword shadow concealed the contempt in his heart; a piece of trash with insufficient cultivation, unable to even save his own junior brother.

Running off to the demon realm to steal the cultivation of demons and quickly break through to the next level—aren't they afraid of losing their lives?

"He went out, he'll probably be back soon."

Sword Shadow was unwilling; he hoped that Xiao Mingxin would be seriously injured and return after some time.

But she also hoped he could come back soon and cure Xu Zangyu.

"Does it still hurt?" Jianying touched his head, her eyes full of worry.

Xu Zangyu finally realized the difference between him and Xiao Mingxin. Xiao Mingxin always controlled his emotions, but he made no attempt to conceal his swordplay.

He shook his head. "Much better, thanks to your calming melody."

Jianying laboriously withdrew his hand; if he could, he wished he could get closer to Xu Cangyu.

But Xiao Mingxin had warned him repeatedly before leaving, forbidding him from being presumptuous.

Jianying knew his concerns; he was afraid that Xu Cangyu would hate him, and that the last bit of brotherhood between them would be gone.

But Jianying didn't care. He wasn't a cowardly coward. He just wanted an answer, even if Xu Cangyu would hate him because of it.

Xu Cangyu noticed that Jianying was staring at him silently for a long time, seemingly lost in thought, so he tilted his head and asked, "What's wrong?"

The sword shadow withdrew its hand and reached back towards his face, its fingertips sliding down his delicate eyebrows to the corners of his eyes, and it lowered its head towards him.

Xu Zangyu noticed something strange: the sword shadow seemed... to have matured.

He's becoming increasingly popular, much like a reckless and naive young man, yet his eyes are fixed firmly on him.

As expected, Jianying kissed him. Although it was within his expectations, Xu Cangyu still couldn't help but feel flustered, his eyelashes trembling. But Jianying seemed even more nervous than him, and began to stammer.

"Do you...hate me? Do you want me to kiss you?"

Suddenly, Jianying drew a sword, her resolve as firm as if facing death. "Don't force yourself. If you really hate me, feel free to stab me a few times."

"Why do you think I hate you?" If I really hated you, Sword Shadow wouldn't have had the chance to get close.

Jianying's eyes lit up. "I thought... you hate men, so of course you'd hate me too. I know what you said to Lu Ming; you still like women?"

Xu Zangyu always speaks to people in a way that suits them, and he wouldn't like Lu Ming's words, regardless of whether they were male or female.

"Then what do you think I would say to Lu Ming? That I like men? Wouldn't that beast think I like him?"

Jianying was overjoyed. Xu Cangyu said he didn't dislike him, which meant he liked him. The thought of Xu Cangyu liking him made Jianying feel his heart, which hadn't been there before, pound wildly, as if a heart had grown inside him, a heart beating because of Xu Cangyu.

He could no longer control himself, and he hugged Xu Zangyu tightly, kissing those alluring lips once more.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew in, and a person burst through the door, deflecting the sword shadow to the side, far away from Xu Cangyu.

Xiao Ming rushed back, holding some snacks in his hand. Although his face was somewhat cold, he could not hide his excitement.

Xu Zangyu raised his eyelids, a smile playing on his lips. Oh, what a coincidence that you've returned?

He wondered how long Xiao Mingxin would stand outside the door.

The smile on Jianying's face vanished abruptly. He stared at Xiao Mingxin with eyes that seemed to regard him as an enemy. Xiao Mingxin looked at him with disdain and withdrew Jianying without any mercy.

It's just a wisp of consciousness, yet it dares to be so presumptuous and step on his head, the one in charge.

His only purpose is to let him know Xu Zangyu's feelings.

"Senior brother."

Xiao Mingxin placed the snacks she had bought on the table. "I remember these are your favorite foods."

A bowl of sweet soup, and osmanthus cake.

Xu Zangyu tried a few bites and indeed liked them. Xiao Mingxin knew his preferences very well; there were things Xu Zangyu didn't know, but Xiao Mingxin knew them like the back of his hand.

“Senior brother,” Xu Cangyu smiled silently when he saw that he was still acting. He lowered his eyes and pretended to be sad, “Why did you put away Sword Shadow? Actually, I quite like it.”

Xiao Mingxin's subtle smile suddenly froze, and she forced herself to maintain her composure as it threatened to crumble. "Junior brother likes him? He's just a shadow."

Is he even comparable to a living person? Something that can't even be considered a substitute. Xu Zangyu likes Sword Shadow, but what about him?

Xiao Mingxin's mind was in turmoil, but when he looked up, he saw a sly smile in Xu Cangyu's eyes.

"…………"

“Junior brother…” Xiao Mingxin was helpless. He had been tricked by Xu Cangyu. That cunning look of his was both lovable and hateful.

His heart was in his throat for a long time, but it turned out that Xu Zangyu had deliberately pulled the string.

"Senior brother, is the sword shadow truly an illusion?"

What do you mean by "unconscious"? Nobody would believe that. He has amnesia, not dementia.

Xiao Mingxin's face indeed showed signs of guilt, and his confidence weakened somewhat. "I placed a wisp of my consciousness on the sword shadow..."

"Oh...so that means Sword Shadow is actually Senior Brother." Xu Cangyu said in a high-pitched voice, drawing out the tone, full of teasing.

Xiao Mingxin couldn't lift her head, even though she was trying to remain calm, her ears were already bright red.

"Senior brother..."

Fearing that Xu Zangyu might say something aggressive again, he leaned over and kissed him, almost crushing him in his arms.

Xu Cangyu's breath was completely taken away by him, his tongue sucked until it went numb, and his body pressed completely against Xiao Mingxin's.

He used to be a gentle and refined nobleman, but now he's completely changed.

Like a conquering force, it enveloped his every breath, his hands were also gripped, and another pair of fingers forcefully inserted between his fingers, tightly interlocking the ten fingers.

Xu Cangyu's clothes were disheveled and could not cover his smooth chest at all. Xiao Mingxin could not take his eyes off him after just one glance.

That jade-like skin was soon dotted with red spots.

"Senior Brother, are you there, Senior Brother?"

Someone was shouting at the top of their lungs outside the door; judging from the voice, it was the fourth junior brother from last night.

Xu Zangyu snapped out of his despair, but Xiao Mingxin still wouldn't let go of him. His eyes were dark as he stared at the door, as if he wanted to kill someone.

The most annoying people in the world are those who disturb people's sleep early in the morning, and those who ruin things at crucial moments.

Chen Zhiguang was completely unaware of the situation and took all the blame; only he knew how wronged he felt.

Xiao Mingxin had clearly calculated the time perfectly; according to his usual schedule, he would have been up practicing his sword long ago at this hour. Little did he know that his aloof and self-disciplined senior brother was indulging in lewd acts during the day.

Xiao Mingxin remained silent, deliberately pretending that no one was there.

Chen Zhiguang was puzzled. "I saw smoke coming from Senior Brother's small kitchen last night. There's no reason why he wouldn't be here."

Even with Xu Zangyu's thick skin, he couldn't continue with another person present. He coughed twice and nudged Xiao Mingxin, "Fourth Junior Brother, you've come so early in the morning, you must have something important to discuss?"

Outside the door, Chen Zhiguang still hadn't given up and called out a few more times. Only then did Xiao Mingxin reluctantly get up, walk out of the room, and break the illusion array of the Purple Bamboo Forest.

"What's the matter?"

Chen Zhiguang was startled by the coldness in his eyes and immediately dropped his playful smile.

Strange? Who offended the senior brother?

Chen Zhiguang hesitated before speaking: "Actually, it's nothing serious, it's just that... my herb field was stolen last night, and this morning Master was also cursing that someone stole his spirit beast and deliberately left behind its feathers to provoke him. Master was so angry that he told his disciples to make sure to catch the culprit."

“I just happened to see smoke coming from here, Senior Brother… but I know it definitely wasn’t you who did it.”

Xiao Mingxin: "I did it."

Chen Zhiguang: "Oh... Ah???"

"Junior brother is hungry, so I borrowed some of your medicinal herbs."

"??????"

Chen Zhiguang didn't know whether to be surprised that his senior brother spoke so frankly about stealing, or to be surprised that he was talking nonsense.

There was only one junior brother that Xiao Mingxin could mention; the others were either junior brothers or disciples of a certain peak.

But Xu Zangyu has been missing for five years. Could it be that Senior Brother is still dreaming?

Could it be that he's become abnormal like Senior Brother Chu?

Xiao Mingxin didn't explain further and walked into the room. "Since you're here, it saves me the trouble of looking for you. Come and see how your third senior brother is doing."

Third senior brother...

Chen Zhiguang held his breath and, as if possessed, followed Xiao Mingxin to the room, where he indeed saw someone.

Xu Zangyu, standing alive right in front of me.

He slapped himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"Third Senior Brother, you're not dead." Chen Zhiguang's eyes reddened. He didn't have time to grieve and asked what had happened over the years. Then he heard Xiao Mingxin say, "He has amnesia. He doesn't know anything even if you ask him."