Chapter Twenty-Three

"Senior Martial Brother?" Cen Yan, walking beside Xu Ziyang, noticed his expression was off. He followed his gaze.

Pei Zhan was tall. The dark arm guards at his wrists cinched his sleeves, hinting at the muscular lines of his arms. He walked into the room next door as if entering his own residence.

Cen Yan was momentarily stunned. In the three years Chu Rong had been in the sect, only Xu Ziyang had exchanged polite words with him on the surface. Pei Zhan had never spoken a single word to Chu Rong.

When had Pei Zhan started associating with Chu Rong?

Pei Zhan had a strong personality. Chu Rong would likely be at a disadvantage against him. Cen Yan instinctively took a small step forward, as if to protect Chu Rong as he had for the past three years. But then he remembered the evidence he had uncovered earlier and stopped.

He and Pei Zhan had never seen eye to eye. As long as Pei Zhan wasn't coming to cause him trouble, what happened to Chu Rong was his own fault.

Cen Yan looked away from the room next door and pushed open his own door: "Senior Brother, come in."

To his surprise, Xu Ziyang didn't seem to hear him. His expression grim, he walked past Cen Yan's door.

The two rooms shared a wall. Xu Ziyang only needed to take a few steps to reach the room next door.

The door was open. Incense smoke curled inside. Orchid petals on the windowsill swayed gently. Sunlight streamed through the window, falling on the desk where a porcelain medicine bottle sat.

Chu Rong's black hair was loosely tied with a purple ribbon. He stood before the desk, his blue-grey, uneven mask like that of a demon, yet oddly not frightening.

Instead, the stark contrast made him appear even more strikingly beautiful, breathtaking.

Pei Zhan?

A flicker of light passed through Chu Rong's eyes. He glanced at the man before him, then tilted his head, his gaze sliding to the tall, upright figure in the doorway. Strands of hair fell over his neck, revealing the shocking bruises on his fair, slender throat.

And Xu Ziyang?

No. Xu Ziyang and Cen Yan had been inseparable lately. Cen Yan was likely there too.

Instead of bothering Cen Yan and Xu Ziyang, who he usually couldn't stand, why were they all coming to him?

Xu Ziyang's gaze swept over Chu Rong's neck. His pupils contracted slightly. His expression darkened.

Before Chu Rong could ask anything, Xu Ziyang smiled and walked slowly into the room. His voice was gentle and low, but his eyes were cold: "Entering without permission, Junior Brother Pei. Is that appropriate?"

Pei Zhan also noticed the alarming bruises on Chu Rong's neck. He remembered he hadn't used much force yesterday. He hadn't expected a mortal's body to be so fragile. Just that pressure had left such marks.

Pei Zhan frowned slightly, turning to look at Xu Ziyang with a mocking gaze: "I dared kill the spy in the dungeon. What's Wusong Residence that I can't enter?"

"Junior Brother Pei is always so genuine." Xu Ziyang's eyes narrowed slightly, a warm smile curving his lips. His tone was still gentle, yet subtly oppressive. "We fellow disciples have been together for years, our relationships close. It's fine if you're usually a bit casual. But we are cultivators, after all. We should observe some rules. Especially since Young Master Chu is Junior Brother Cen's savior and a guest of Qingyang Tianzong. In his presence, you should restrain yourself, lest your erratic behavior frighten him and damage Qingyang's reputation."

His words practically accused Pei Zhan of being unrestrained and lacking manners.

"Guest?" As if hearing a joke, Pei Zhan scoffed mockingly, looking at Xu Ziyang with a knowing smile. "Is this how Senior Martial Brother treats a guest? By allowing Cen Yan to accuse him on trumped-up charges and smear his name?"

He had indeed been in seclusion for the past year and a half. But after extracting Wen Yuan's memories, he had a pretty good understanding of what had happened within the sect. Especially the incident a few days ago, when Cen Yan had made a big show of forcing Chu Rong to confess. Everyone in the sect knew about it.

On the surface, Xu Ziyang was gentle and polite. But in reality, he was no different from Pei Zhan—he had never really taken Chu Rong seriously. Just a few days ago, his attitude had been unchanged.

Why was he suddenly defending Chu Rong now?

Even Cen Yan, standing behind Xu Ziyang, showed some surprise on his elegant face. He looked questioningly at Xu Ziyang's back. The evidence he had uncovered, Xu Ziyang had seen. He knew it wasn't false.

Chu Rong listened quietly to the two main leads sniping at each other. He lowered his thick eyelashes, lost in thought. Judging by the scene, the two main leads still couldn't stand each other, just like in the original text.

Only the location had changed—from the front hall to his room.

Chu Rong's jade-white fingers, hidden in his sleeves, curled slightly. He suppressed his thoughts, his hoarse voice coming from behind the mask, the end of his question lilting: "Do you need something?"

The tense standoff in the room paused abruptly.

"No." After a moment, Xu Ziyang looked back, his smile warm. The previous oppressive atmosphere vanished instantly. "Junior Brother Pei just lost his way on the way to the Disciplinary Hall for his punishment."

His gaze swept over Chu Rong's neck before returning to Pei Zhan. His usually gentle voice carried a chill: "Isn't that right, Junior Brother Pei? Hall Master Yan is still waiting for you."

Pei Zhan's eyes narrowed dangerously. After a long moment, he gave a mocking laugh, turned his head, and said to Chu Rong in a matter-of-fact tone: "I'll come find you again tomorrow."

With that, he twisted the arm guards on his wrists and strode out of Wusong Residence.

Chu Rong was baffled. Pei Zhan was coming back? In the original text, besides tormenting the original owner before his death, Pei Zhan and the original owner had no interaction, right?

Xu Ziyang's eyes darkened. A shadow fell over his handsome features.

Pei Zhan's figure quickly disappeared from Wusong Residence. Xu Ziyang withdrew his gaze, his eyes deep like a hidden pool: "Junior Brother Pei is always impulsive, often acting without reason. He's not easy to get along with. Be careful."

"Do you think I can avoid him?" Chu Rong's laugh was humorless. He came back to himself, his gaze sweeping over Xu Ziyang, captivating. "Anyone with sense knows that a mortal is as weak as an ant before a cultivator. Pei Zhan has plenty of ways to make me comply."

Irritation crept into Chu Rong's heart. What was Pei Zhan doing? Why wasn't he following the plot?

"When he comes for you, you can come to me." Xu Ziyang spoke without thinking. Meeting Chu Rong's surprised look, he paused, then changed tack: "Consider it... repaying your kindness."

His guess was correct. Xu Ziyang valued his life-saving debt more than expected. Chu Rong's long lashes behind the mask fluttered slightly. A soft light veiled his eyes, like a glass lamp bathed in moonlight.

Chu Rong was finding the main leads' behavior increasingly hard to understand. Still, better not. He wanted to stay away from all of them.

"Thank you, but no need for now." Chu Rong suppressed his irritation. He wanted to see how things developed. If necessary, he wouldn't hesitate to use Xu Ziyang.

In the original text, Pei Zhan had been clashing with Xu Ziyang lately. Perhaps what Pei Zhan said was just a whim he'd forget tomorrow.

More importantly, the beast riot in the back mountain was about to happen.

Qingyang Tianzong's back mountain had always been home to many beasts. When the sect's location was chosen centuries ago, these were ordinary, non-threatening wild animals. With the mountain-guarding formation, few beasts could enter the sect, so no one paid them much mind.

But though spiritual energy in the cultivation world was thin, it wasn't absent. Centuries had been enough for some wild animals to become spirit beasts.

Spirit beasts were more destructive than wild animals. Soon, they would riot, causing havoc in the back mountain and injuring many outer sect disciples.

Upon learning this, Lian Ci would send the three main leads to suppress them. Beasts had low intelligence; even with some cultivation, they were no match for humans. The rioting beasts would be quickly killed.

The problem was that one of the beasts was special. Before dying, it would release a wisp of its spiritual consciousness. This wisp could invade a person's mind, tempting and guiding them, drawing out their deepest desires and giving birth to inner demons.

The beast's target was originally Xu Ziyang. As a two-faced person, Xu Ziyang's outward gentleness hiding his true nature made him the perfect host.

But as the spiritual consciousness approached Xu Ziyang, Cen Yan, whose feelings for Xu Ziyang had deepened, instinctively pulled him away. The consciousness then entered Pei Zhan, who was nearby.

Influenced by the beast's consciousness, Pei Zhan's unconscious jealousy and dissatisfaction would be amplified, making him even more antagonistic towards the two, almost irreconcilable.

And with Pei Zhan thus occupied, he'd have no time for Chu Rong.

-

Night fell.

A few scattered stars appeared in the sky, flickering.

A figure in coarse linen carried steaming food into Wusong Residence. About half an incense stick later, the figure emerged from the brightly lit room, bowed, and slowly closed the door. He stood quietly for a moment before leaving softly.

Leaving Wusong Residence, Shi Ming didn't immediately return to his quarters. Under cover of darkness, he sneaked towards the Xuanjian Pavilion.

Dong dong—

Two light knocks, and the heavy door was opened from inside. A man with his hands tucked into his sleeves came out, glanced around, and bent to walk to a corner.

Shi Ming followed, lowering his voice impatiently: "Do you have what I asked for? It's carved now, right?"

"Don't worry, it's done. It's right here." The servant took something hidden in his sleeve and showed it to Shi Ming.

The object was wrapped in white cloth, its outline human-shaped. Shi Ming's Adam's apple bobbed. His chest heaved, his breathing instantly becoming heavy.

He swallowed, reaching out a trembling hand to touch the cloth. Just as his fingertips were about to touch it, the servant suddenly withdrew his hand.

Shi Ming's hand grasped nothing, heightening his anticipation. He frowned, his eyes fixed on the wrapped carving, his voice urgent and low: "Give it to me!"

The servant clutched the carving tightly, hiding it in his arms. He pressed his lips together, his expression troubled, reluctant: "May I ask what you plan to do with this carving?"

What else was a carving for but to remember someone? As a carver, the servant should know.

Xu Ziyang could return to the Xuanjian Pavilion at any moment. Shi Ming had no patience for these questions. He reached out, almost snatching the carving from the servant's arms.

"I'm not a freeloader. You won't work for nothing. Here are two low-grade spirit stones as payment." Shi Ming untied the pouch from his waist, tossed it to the servant, and clutched the white-wrapped carving protectively, rushing into the darkness before the servant could react.

Groping his way back to his quarters, Shi Ming locked the door behind him. Breathing heavily, he sat before the candle.

Carefully, he placed the carving on the table, his eyes bright with excitement. Slowly, slowly, he lifted the white cloth.

Beneath it was a lifelike human figure. As he had requested, it had no head. But the clothing, fingers, feet... were carved exactly as he had imagined.

The first sight made his mind buzz. His heart pounded wildly. His face flushed, and his blood ran hot.

His breathing quickened. He leaned close to the carving, almost lying on the table. Uncontrollably, he reached out, caressing the carved fingers, the waist, the feet... Uncontrollable obsession began to cloud his mind.

After an unknown time, he panted heavily, his eyes fixed on the carving's feet. He lowered his head, lowered it, and licked it.

Author's Note:

I felt the last two chapters were a bit thin, so I added this section. Sorry for the wait~