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Chapter 44: A Mind at a Loss
Song Qingshi felt it was bad to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations, but it was too late to leave now.
“Master.” Yue Wuhuan perceptively discovered his presence. He threw away the leaf in his hand, nodded slightly to the man beside him and indicated for him to leave. The man didn’t dare to twist the Medicine King Xianzun’s tiger’s whiskers. He bowed in greeting and hurriedly withdrew. Even while reluctantly walking far away, he repeatedly turned his head to look at the beauty.
Even Song Qingshi, slow as he was, felt that something was wrong. After thinking it over for a long while, he couldn’t help asking, “Wuhuan, was that your friend?”
“More of an acquaintance, I think?” Yue Wuhuan walked over with a smile and fixed his mussed up hair for him. He explained, “He helped me when I was injured. It’s something that I’ve always borne in mind. Meeting today was a coincidence. He wanted to reminisce about the past so I exchanged a few words with him here.”
Song Qingshi understood. “He helped you? Then…he’s a good person. You’ll have to thank him properly.”
Yue Wuhuan straightened his hair. He looked at his pure and simple eyes. He said with a smile, “En.”
How could there be that many good people in this world? Moreover, there wasn’t a single one of them who could enter the Golden Phoenix Manor to seek pleasure. This Wu Jing was even more ridiculous. He liked to rescue those beauties who were injured and had met with misfortune. He pretended to be shy and honest and dispensed some small favors. His mouth was filled with honeyed words, pledging undying love, coaxing beauties to be hell-bent on him, to be madly in love with him. Once he grew tired of toying with them, he just made up excuses to dump them. Watching these beauties be filled with so much grief to the point that they wished they were dead filled him with happiness.
There had once been a stupid maid who took it too hard and actually killed herself.
Wu Jing had pretended to shed a few tears. He wrote a few infatuated memorials and then turned around to “help” other beauties in trouble.
Yue Wuhuan had never asked for mercy between the sheets. Moreover, he had a strong desire for death. He didn’t cared about serving the more brutal guests and he would even deliberately provoked the guests’ abusive desires. Therefore, of all the cultivation furnaces in Golden Phoenix Manor, he suffered the most torment and abuse. When Wu Jing had met him, he happened to have just been punished so severely that his body was covered in cuts and bruises; he was hardly been able to get out of bed.
Such beauty, such fragility, and such helplessness made for the best prey…
Wu Jing had been moved by him and was determined to win him over. He launched a strong offensive. He was attentive, gentle and considerate. He also sent medicine for his injuries and various jewelry. From time to time, he told him interesting stories. Too bad that his endurance hadn’t been strong enough and he wasn’t able to control his desire. Seeing that his injury was a little better, he had coaxed him, wanting his body.
How could Yue Wuhuan have failed to understand his nasty thoughts? However, given the circumstances, he had no other choice. He had to pretend to be stupid and accompany him in his farce. Incidentally, he collected information regarding the outside world. Unexpectedly, Wuhuan had acted so well that this guy took it seriously and ever since, he had been unable to forget about his body. Now that he was disfigured, Wu Jing thought him pitiful and fragile, a good prey that was easy to land and wanted trick him again, to get him in his hands and toy with him.
It’s disgusting, truly so disgusting…
The world is so dirty that it’s hard to breathe.
Yue Wuhuan drew closer to Song Qingshi, He quietly sniffed the faint fragrance of his hair and only then did he feel a bit better.
In this world, there was only this one person who was gentle to him and he has never asked for anything in return.
…
The Red Dragon Sect arranged accommodations for them in a nearby town. However, the town was very small and there was no inn. Although the best courtyard had been tidied up for their use, it was still just an ordinary farmhouse.
Yue Wuhuan regarded the dirty room with disdain. He set about cleaning Song Qingshi’s room for him. He placed the full set of bedding he had brought with him and then left, saying that he wanted to go back to his room to clean and see what ingredients were available nearby to cook with.
Song Qingshi had tried to help several times but was rejected. He sat in the corner and obediently read a book, not adding any more trouble.
However, today, he didn’t know why… his heart was a little confused. For the first time, he couldn’t get engrossed in his book. Clearly, his favorite words were right before his eyes but even after a long time, he couldn’t even turn a page. The image of Yue Wuhuan together with that unknown man kept appearing before his eyes. In confusion, he kept thinking about strange things in his mind.
He had been in a coma for ten years and missed too many things…
Yue Wuhuan probably made a lot of friends during those times he had to go out alone, right?
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
His little angel was so smart and kind, capable and resourceful. There are surely a lot of people who truly like him, right?
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The Medicine King’s Valley has never celebrated a joyous event. Should he prepare a lot of dowry for Wuhuan? No, that’s not right. Wuhuan was a man. He should prepare the betrothal gift. But putting it that way seemed wrong too. He didn’t understand these emotional matters and he didn’t have anyone to discuss it with. Anyway, he will have to properly bless them. He will need to pay attention to what he says. He’ll prepare a draft in advance and memorize it well. He’ll keep it steady so that he won’t overturn the car and embarrass Wuhuan.
The more Song Qingshi thought the more panicked and confused he became…
Finally, he couldn’t help it. He stood up and decided to go out for a walk and dispel his chaotic thoughts.
It was dusk and the sun was setting. The cool night breeze helped a lot to clear his confused mind. He felt a little stupid and wanted to find something to do.
On the side of the road, some children were playing some unknown game. They wanted to push a big rock into the ditch, but they couldn’t push it no matter how hard they tried. They then began to quarrel, blaming one for being weak or blaming another for being useless.
Song Qingshi watched by the side for a while. He then walked over and said to them, “You can try to use the principle of leverage.”
The children looked at the beautiful cultivator in confusion.
Seeing that they didn’t understand, Song Qing picked up a branch, squatted down on the ground and drew a formula, carefully explaining, “Levers can be divided into first, second and third class levers. Now that you have to move a heavy object, we’ll use a first-class lever. First, we calculate the weight of the stone and then…”
The children looked at the formula on the ground and then looked at him in horror. They kept backing away before turning around and fleeing. They asked their companions as they fled:
“Was he stupid?”
“He’s a lunatic, right?”
“I think that might be the new schoolmaster.”
“Mommy, I’m scared!”
“…”
Song Qingshi stayed squatting on the ground in a daze. After a long time, he dropped the branch in his hand and got up slowly. He looked at the physics formula drawn on the ground and smiled awkwardly. He had tried many times to communicate with people. However, he never managed to do it well. Sometimes, he infuriated the other party and sometimes he was met with awkward silence. More often, he was simply ignored…
He didn’t even know where exactly he had failed.
He shouldn’t impose…
Song Qingshi sat quietly on the grass under a tree, listening to the calls of crickets, watching the clouds under the moonlight changing into various shapes in the sky, turning into dragons, birds, mice, cats…They changed back and forth. It was so interesting. No matter how much he looks, he would never tire of looking at them.
He was used to living alone and didn’t feel lonely.
Let the dragon into the sea and send the phoenix to the sky.
When patients recover, they were discharged from the hospital.
It was fine even if he has to stay where he was by himself…
…
Yue Wuhuan made dinner. He couldn’t see Qingshi and felt uneasy. After searching around for a long time, he finally found Song Qingshi staring in a daze under the tree. He didn’t know what the other was thinking about. Most probably, he was thinking about his unfinished experimental problems. He breathed a sigh of relief, smiled and shook his head. Suddenly he felt like pulling a prank. He cast a Light Movement spell and quietly jumped up the tree. He observed for a long time and once he was certain Song Qingshi hadn’t noticed him, he suddenly set about and shook the tree. Leaves fell like rain, falling down one after another, falling all over the head and face of the person underneath.
Song Qingshi was stunned by the shower of leaves. Just when he was about to investigate with his mental probe and use the alchemical fire to strike back, he heard a familiar laughter up the tree. A little embarrassed, he called out, “Wuhuan.”
Yue Wuhuan jumped down and landed beside him. He asked with a smile, “Master, aren’t you afraid of enemy attacks?”
“You didn’t have any have murderous intent,” Song Qingshi explained, “My Underworld Ghost Fire would have automatically released upon sensing murderous intent. So, there’s no need to worry.”
Yue Wuhuan was stunned for a bit. He said, tone serious, “You shouldn’t casually tell others about this. Otherwise, you might be targeted and trapped.”
“Only you know about this,” Song Qingshi was afraid that he was worried and quickly said, “I’m not a fool either so how could I just tell others about my safeguards? Even if someone finds out about this in battle, once the Underworld Ghost Fire is released, they won’t be survivors to tell it so I’m not afraid of them making irresponsible remarks.”
Yue Wuhuan said helplessly, “Why tell me?”
Song Qingshi thought for a while. “You’re not ‘others’.” This was his little angel.
Yue Wuhuan was relieved and asked,
“Master, what are you doing here?”
“I’m looking at the clouds.”
“The clouds?”
“En.”
“I’ll watch too.”
“Huh? Wuhuan likes this kind of thing? But…everyone says it’s boring,” Song Qingshi shook off the fallen leaves off his body. He turned his head in surprise but saw that he had already taken a seat next to him. He quickly said, “There’s nothing in the sky.  I’m just watching the clouds change shape. You don’t need to accompany me, you can do what you want to.”
Yue Wuhuan looked at him, the smile in his eyes growing deeper. “No matter what we do, so long as we’re together, nothing’s boring.”
Song Qingshi stared at him blankly. For some reason, his ears went a little hot and his eyes were a little wet.
Fortunately, the darkness of the night blocked the view of this loss of self-control.
Yue Wuhuan didn’t say anything more. He sat quietly and accompany him quietly… It was obviously the same boring thing. But with company, he really became happy. Just like when they would spend time in the study before. Even when they weren’t doing anything, just reading books, he found it more interesting than usual.
What is this feeling? Is there a theoretical explanation in some book?
Song Qingshi thought hard for a long time, but couldn’t think of an answer.
This was a feeling he had never experienced before. It was impossible to describe but he really liked it.
If he worked harder to treat Wuhuan even better, could he keep this feeling for longer?
Is this too selfish?
Song Qingshi secretly took a look at Yue Wuhuan and found that he seemed to be in a very good mood. He finally plucked up the courage to ask, “That person today, he’s a good friend of yours? You and him…” He didn’t know what words to use to describe his own problem.
Yue Wuhuan came back to his senses and said with a smile, “Master must be joking. I’m not good friends with him. We just had a passing acquaintance.”
Song Qingshi stumblingly said, “He saved you. Should I, we give him a gift as thanks…?”
“En, don’t worry, Master. I have already prepared a thank you gift for him and I’ve already sent it.” Yue Wuhuan’s smile became brighter. His eyes were filled with unclear light. “Although I don’t know if Wu Daxia will like, he’s a good person and he definitely won’t refuse my gift and embarrass me.”
Song Qingshi worriedly asked, “If he doesn’t like it, do I need to prepare a different gift?”
“No need,” Yue Wuhuan paused suddenly, seeming like his thoughts had wandered. After a while, he smiled again. His voice became a little low and his breath was bit disordered. It seemed that he was restraining some sort of extreme happiness. He took a few deep breaths and re-adjusted his emotions with the Emotion Locking Gu. He then slowly approached Song Qingshi and gently laid his head on his shoulder. After a while, he whispered, “He’s going back overseas soon. If… Master manages to meet him again in the future, you can give it to him then.”
Song Qingshi said happily, “Okay.”
Yue Wuhuan looked greedily at the person beside him, letting the beautiful phoenix eyes under his golden mask to be dyed with the color or desire.
He had set a trap early on and he was finally welcoming in a delicious prey.
…
In a secluded and quiet room, there was a faintly beautiful silhouette within the dark gauze canopy. The prey had avoided everyone to get here and snuck in quietly. He then snuck his hand into the brocade quilt, ready to be attentive to the beauty who was already lying within, ready to relive his dreams of getting back together.
However, what he came in contact with was a cold stiff hand.
The prey realized that this had the marks of a trap. He made a quick decision and immediately broke the beauty’s neck.
The beauty with the broken neck, horrifyingly turned around and let out a weird laugh, “Kekekekeke—”
The prey was horrified to discover that this was not a living person but a corpse — a Poison Puppet, whose scarred face was riddled with stitches, like a frightening doll coming out of hell. He was so scared, all he wanted was to escape. But he only ran a few steps before he found that he was losing the ability to control his body. He wanted to call for help but his throat stiffened and he couldn’t make any sound.
The Poison Puppet crawled over like a spider and entangled him with its twisted hands and feet, injecting even more venom into him.
Immediately afterwards, countless Blood King Vines came spreading from all directions. Twisting and twining, they penetrated into his body from his mouth and from his skin. They wreaked havoc inside of him, shattering bones inch by inch, breaking internal organs bit by bit.  Afterwards, they slowly sucked his blood, corroding and swallowing him up…
The hunter was hunted instead. The moth that fell into the spider’s web watched helplessly as he walked towards death.
There was no chance of escape, only despair…
Hell was the most fitting place for him.
…
Yue Wuhuan sat with Song Qingshi for a long time — until he, through the Blood King Vine disposed of everything, found a place to hide the Poison Puppet and cleaned the scene, leaving no trace behind. He then used his spiritual consciousness to destroy those vines soiled by that disgusting thing, re-growing new ones in their place…Finally, he stood up and said, “Master, it’s getting late. The sweet-scented osmanthus soup must have gone cold by now.”
Song Qingshi quickly jumped up. “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
Yue Wuhuan smiled and said, “Sorry, I was just thinking about something important, so I forgot.”
“So, turns out you can also be absent-minded like I am?”
“Occasionally…”
“Are you coming down with something?”
“No.”
…
The two talked and laughed, walking farther and farther away.
Under the eaves, a hungry spider wove its web carefully, waiting patiently for the white butterfly flying in the sky.
Now, this was a real feast.