Chapter 53 (Error)
"Master...aren't you angry with me?"
Qingjue found it amusing: "What's it to you?"
"I lied when we first met."
"After Xie Nanfeng spoke out, he did not take the initiative to admit his mistake."
“It wasn’t punishment, but I deliberately hid in the water tank. The abuse was real, but my parents died a long time ago. I heard too many things that I shouldn’t have been born, and I was afraid you would think that way, so I selectively concealed these things.”
Jie Nanfeng might be right.
He is a despicable person who rose to power by relying on the sympathy of immortals; he has nothing but the pleasure of showing off these things.
He now wears the finest clothes and wields the finest sword; the people no longer shun him, and his name is no longer the measure of his worth.
He could never forget the insults he received as a child. They insulted his deceased mother and him, calling him a wicked child who should not have been born.
Jie sighed softly and explained, "But apart from this, I didn't lie about anything else. I genuinely didn't want to stay there. At that time, I really wanted to leave."
He was dismembered by his parents, bleeding and being abused for five years. What can a five-year-old boy say about this?
He said they shouldn't have been born, and even if Qingjue didn't make a move, he would kill them all sooner or later.
He said that from the moment Qingjue entered the door, he had already sensed a powerful spiritual energy. He took the initiative to hide in the water tank and saw the blood-red ground through a crack. He was so happy that he almost laughed out loud.
Then he was discovered.
They were discovered by a white-robed immortal.
That single glance was enough to awaken all the senses in my body during the day.
Oh, immortal! Gentle yet powerful immortal!
It was a completely different landscape from any he had ever seen before; it was pure white and pristine.
He never dyed his hair red even when he killed someone; his ink-black hair broke through that touch of red and was imprinted in a child's heart.
He likes his hair.
Please don't treat him like a bad kid.
Five-year-old Jie Zhoujian didn't understand much, but he felt that his mother's growing hatred for the Jie family was not a good thing.
...If I answer truthfully, he'll think I'm too vengeful, right?
...What if he also feels he shouldn't have been born and is afraid to take him with him?
Think of a way, think of a way, he wants to leave, he wants to leave.
Make them feel even more wronged, even more pitiful, even more innocent.
So please, my parents treat me badly.
So please, they are all bad people.
So please.
Take me with you.
Jie Zhoujian was somewhat self-deprecating; he really was good at pretending.
Looking at his sorrowful face, Qingjue's thoughts drifted back to more than ten years ago.
He realized that the child he thought was insightful and calm, the one who could remain so composed even when told that his family had treated him badly, harbored this hope.
It is said that children with good memories can remember things from a long time ago, and may even have vivid images of themselves as infants.
No wonder he seemed off earlier; he'd been thinking about this the whole time.
“A lie is a lie, and you must admit your mistake,” Xie Zhoujian said. “Although I really didn’t mean any harm, at the time I thought that if you were like them and thought I shouldn’t have been born, you wouldn’t have taken me away.”
“If I don’t faint,” Qingjue asked him, “when do you plan to tell me?”
"I..." Jie Zhoujian lowered his head: "I'm sorry, Master. I only said it because of this. I will accept the punishment myself when I get back. It's because my willpower is not strong enough."
“I don’t blame you,” Qingjue said with a helpless smile. “So you’ve been worried about this all along. Your worries were unnecessary. How did you get into the water tank? What lies did you tell back then? I don’t quite remember.”
Jie Zhoujian was taken aback: "...Huh?"
“Actually, I was thinking about something else at the time. The reason is a bit complicated. I’ll explain when you’re a little older. But besides sympathy, you’re very talented, which is one of the main reasons I took you away.” Although the former still played a big part, he always regarded Jie Zhoujian as the male lead. “You’re not without anything.”
Moreover, the fact that the parents had such a tragic relationship clearly makes them the main characters.
"Of course, if you really feel that your motives at the time made you feel somewhat anxious, I can apologize to you. You are very perceptive, and I should have noticed it."
Jie Zhoujian said, "How could that be? Master did nothing wrong, and I didn't think there was anything wrong with it... I'm just afraid that one day, Master will be disappointed in me because of this single reason, and I'm also afraid that Master will find out that I lied back then and will no longer like me."
Ultimately, they were just kids back then.
Adults care about rumors and gossip, so how could children not listen to them?
But who would like a child who lies on the first meeting?
“I don’t think this even qualifies as a lie,” Qingjue said. “At most, it’s just embellishment, only half the truth. If anyone’s to blame, it’s me for not checking properly. You’re just trying to survive.”
Moreover, new flesh and blood have grown in Jie Zhou now.
“So no.” Qingjue raised his hand to touch his head: “I guarantee that no matter if you showed hatred or kindness at that time, whether you were born naturally or not, or whether you used any lies, I will take you away.”
He was aware of his own soft-heartedness, and at least in the end, he would convince himself.
Ultimately, he just wanted to survive, and his tendency to pretend was only natural.
"...Really? You...aren't you afraid of me, aren't you wary of me?"
Qingjue admitted that if he had known at that time that Jie Zhoujian had such ingenuity and cunning, he might have been truly afraid.
but……
Qingjue said, "I'm afraid because I don't understand you. Trying every possible way to survive is not something to be ashamed of. In fact, you are a good young man of good character."
"No matter what happens to you, you will not be like them. If I had picked up Jie Nanfeng back then, I would definitely regret it. I would never like him no matter what. But it is you. I do not regret it and am extremely grateful for that moment of compassion. Zhoujian is Zhoujian. I do not care about my parents or my family. I only care about you."
"Thank you for your understanding, Master. I've figured it out by now..." Xie Zhoujian's ears turned red instantly, and he turned his head away, saying, "But... Master sometimes says things that make people feel embarrassed."
"..." Qingjue realized what was happening and withdrew his hand. He cleared his throat and changed the subject, speaking faster: "Ahem, so you still haven't answered the question from before. You were too young before, but now you have your chance to take revenge yourself. How do you want to kill him?"
“How can this be?” Xie Zhoujian said in an instant, “Zhoujian is just a junior. How can he decide how a high-ranking prisoner should die?”
"If I say it's okay, then it's okay. Patriarch Yun and the others will definitely have no objections."
"...Zhoujian, I don't know what kind of death would be worthy of the many lives lost before, worthy of my mother's hopeless struggle before her death..." Xie Zhoujian thought for a moment and said, "If his death can have some value, it should be worth it rather than a tragic one."
“I understand,” Qingjue said. “There is indeed something he can be of use.”
"Master, please speak."
"He has spent so much time mastering Gu poison, he is already immune to it, so the Gu poison in his body will not kill him. Just use him as a container to collect other harmful Gu insects and poisons, and then let Xiao Yanzi burn him to ashes."
Qingjue is a ruthless person.
He's a ruthless person with a lot of ideas.
Qingjue never shirked this assessment from the world.
It was something that came easily to me.
“I understand,” Xie Zhoujian understood his meaning instantly and said, “I will inform Senior Brother Qinghuan and Patriarch Yun on behalf of Master, and search for poisonous Gu, and do my best to eliminate more sources.”
“But now,” Jie Zhoujian said again, “Please rest well, Master. I will stay by your side.”
In the following days, Jie Zhoujian took over Qingjue's duties and was rarely seen. Ruan Linglai and the others took turns taking care of Qingjue, even though Qingjue said she was much better and didn't need to do anything.
It's not like someone has to feed her to drink water...
Ruan Linglai exclaimed anxiously, "How can that be? Master, you've fainted! You need to rest properly. I'll take care of things like drinking water!"
What is this brat muttering while knocking over the teapot with one arm in a sling...?
The next day, Yan Shiqun said, "I know you're bored, so I specially took a lot of books from the Yun family's library. Uh... why are all these characters so complicated?"
...Precious footage of the illiterate demon lord who never paid attention in class studying for the first time.
On the third day, Wen Tianyu said, "Master, I recently learned a new spell, the Yun family's water-drawing technique. Would you like to take a bath? There's also a spell that can temporarily turn a person into a caterpillar..."
Wait, no, no, you're such a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to spells, don't flood the house! And don't try to learn everything!
On the fourth day, Aju said, "Master, Master! I specially asked Aunt Yun, the cook, to teach you this dish. Quick, try it and see how it tastes!"
He'd already blown up the storage room and grabbed a spatula! Was this indescribable black mass really not meant to murder his teacher?
Daytime—!!
Jie was so busy during the day that he sneezed.
The Yun family head said, "Oh? Young friend Xie has caught a cold?"
"Thank you for your concern, Patriarch Yun, but... it shouldn't be," Jie Zhoujian said, not feeling any discomfort. "It's probably just a coincidence. It's nothing, Patriarch Yun, let's continue."
"Good, Immortal Lord, this is a very good idea. It can prevent the people from being troubled by other Gu poisons and plagues. Please take some people to check on the mountain over there again."
"Um."
The Yun family head and Xie Zhoujian led disciples from both the Qingyun and Jie families on a campaign to eradicate drugs, so the celebration banquet was postponed for several days.
Even after Yun Yuelin's wound scabbed over, she was still prohibited from participating in strenuous activities.
Bored, he strolled to the door of Qingjue's guest room and went in to chat with someone.
“…Hey,” Yun Yue Lin asked, “Weren’t you resting? Why do you look even more haggard than when you fainted a few days ago?”
With heavy dark circles under her eyes, Qingjue replied abruptly, "It's understandable that concern makes one lose focus."
"ha?"
"Chunhua, I need to talk to you about something."
"...If you call me that name again, there's no room for negotiation!"
"Could you talk to Patriarch Yun and ask him to come back during the day? Could you find someone to help him out?"
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