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“The Soldier Silk will strangle and ruin one’s spiritual veins. Almost all the spiritual veins in his body are nearly shattered…” “What will the Medical Sect Master do now? “Pour the Resurrection Elixir into his mouth, don’t stop!” “How is his pulse?” Has the pulse started to recover?”
…
One after another, the voices seemed to be close yet also very far away, before they gradually disappeared into the depths of Gong Wei’s chaotic consciousness.
Gong Wei tried his best to open his eyes, and he seemed to be helpless. He couldn’t stand on his feet and was only able to curl up in the depths of the misty peach forest, trembling.  At this moment, his right pupil glowed brightly—as red as blood. Next, he saw the man named Ying Kai squatting before him, reaching out his hand patiently to stroke his hair. In the next second, he turned his gaze and saw another handsome young man looking indifferent. He was standing a distance away with a sword in his hand as he scrutinised Gong Wei.
For reasons unknown, the moment he laid eyes on that man, Gong Wei sensed a piercing pain rising from his chest. A great sorrow intertwined with joy engulfed every inch of his consciousness like a torrent
Immediately afterward, there was a clear deep echo that surfaced in his mind——
That is Xu Shuangtze.
I have to kill Xu Shuangtze.
“Don’t be afraid, how long have you been hiding in this peach forest? Do you want to leave?” “He is watching us. He is learning how to be a human being.”
Xu Shuangtze’s voice sounded good, and he looked so handsome, Gong Wei thought amidst the intermittent pain in his chest.
I like him so much, can I stay by his side and not leave?
…
“I’ll bring him to the Medical Sect and have Brother Mu examine him.” After the two argued, Ying Kai finally made a decision. He smiled and stretched out his hand to Gong Wei, asking in a kind voice, “Shall I bring you out of here?”
That dream ended abruptly.
Gong Wei opened his eyes wide and saw Ying Kai’s palm in front of him.
In his daze, he could recall how things would develop next. Gong Wei looked at Xu Shuangtze, who was standing nonchalantly, before he timidly turned towards Ying Kai. Then, he was led out from Cang Yang Mountain to the Correctional Palace in the Immortal Alliance. In the decades that followed, he was entangled in feuds, experienced life and death and up until a sword pierced his heart on the Ascension Platform, Gong Wei never managed to return to that same peach forest.
If this time, he were to choose a different path right from the start, would the ending be different?
An instinctive and raging impulse suddenly rose from the depths of his heart.
That pain in his chest filled the young Gong Wei with an unprecedented courage. He forced himself to glance at that towering and aloof man as he opened his arms wide, “Want…Want hug…”
He was too young and hadn’t learned how to speak like regular people.  He only remembered that the first feeling he felt when he came into this world was sadness, but he didn’t know why.
He could only stutter in a choked voice, repeating a few words in vain, “Want hug…”
The dreamscape morphed once more.
In the next moment, Gong Wei was falling from the sky like a baby bird, but before fear could strike, he was embraced by someone with a scent of white sandalwood. Someone held on to him tightly, protected him fervently, and gave him a tender kiss on his temple.
“You won’t die,” the man said in a low voice.
“You’ll be fine after a nap.”
…
“I can only repair the spiritual veins to this state for the time being. How he recovers after this is up to fate.”
A young man in his twenties had a faint and eerie purple light coalescing at his fingertips. He then retracted his hand from between Gong Wei’s eyebrows.
The man had a gentle and handsome face and bore a celestial aura. He wore a pale green gauze robe and a platinum dagger hung at his waist instead of a typical jade pendant. The shape of the blade was curved and thin, much like a willow leaf.  As long as this person shut his mouth, he had the appearance and demeanour of a refined gentleman.
Unfortunately, his true and unlikeable nature was revealed once he spoke, “Tsk tsk tsk, this man is too fortunate to be treated by me, the esteemed Medical Sect Master. Otherwise, after encountering the most venomous and ruthless Soldier Silk of the Artefact Sect Master, this inhuman creature would have been tsk tsk tsk…”
This man was none other than Mu Duozhu, the Golden Boat Medical Sect Master.
Gong Wei was curled up sideways on his bed. His eyes closed and his face was pale with a turbulent expression. He held onto Xu Shuangtze’s arm tightly with both hands and Xu Shuangtze stood still, allowing him to do so as he wished even while he asked, “Why is he like this?
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.
Mu Duozhu sternly responded, “Even in his coma, he is so respectful to his master…
We Vtejcuahf, “…”
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Xu Shuangtze interrupted, “What method?
Mu Duozhu blinked, suddenly took a big step back, and solemnly answered,
“Dual cultivation.”
The room fell into a frightful silence and Xu Shuangtze stared at him blankly, not even turning to avert his gaze.
Mu Duozhu quickly stepped outside the door with his upper body in the room, smiling he added, “Lord Xu, please do not be offended. I’m only joking. Oh yes, I heard from my disciples about your attack outside of the Dingxian Mausoleum. They said that you did not hesitate to crush the corpses of our seniors on the spot to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. Simply worthy of being the top master of our time! I find Lord Xu’s attitude towards your beloved disciple a stark contrast. You seem very—well, how do I put it? Exceedingly compassionate, loving, and protective…”
Xu Shuangtze’s right thumb moved just ever so slightly in the shadow.
With that, Mu Duozhu dashed out of the room in an instant and shut the door behind him with a loud bang.
After a few breaths, the door creaked open once again. The Medical Sect Master warily poked half of his head in and hastily instructed, “Remember to pay the consultation fee!”
Then, without waiting for an answer, he closed the door and walked away.
Silence returned to the room. Xu Shuangtze stood for a while before gazing back at the bed.
Gong Wei frowned unconsciously in his sleep, as if he was experiencing a lot of unspeakable grievances and uneasiness at that moment. He hugged Xu Shuangtze’s left arm tightly as if it were his life-saving straw and rubbed his cheek against him. His satin-like black hair cascaded onto the bed and the sleeves of Xu Shuangtze’s robe.
“…”
Xu Shuangtze finally moved and sat down on the side of the bed.
With this action, his left arm moved from completely straight to slightly curled. Gong Wei immediately hugged him tighter.
The emptiness of spiritual veins could be fatal to a cultivator. A survival instinct now caused Gong Wei to press his upper body and bury his cheeks in Xu Shuangtze’s arm and elbow respectively. When the man looked down, he could see the youth’s long and soft eyelashes. Because the youth grabbed him too tightly, the man’s impressive white gold robes were now crumpled.
With each breath, his arm heated up silently and soon it felt like hot, fine needles constantly prickling his nerves. However, Xu Shuangtze’s face did not show the slightest change.
He lowered his eyes and looked at Gong Wei’s face in close proximity. It took him a long while before he lifted his right hand, sending a stream of spiritual power from his index finger to between Gong Wei’s eyebrows. His fingertip touched the youth’s skin and he retracted.
“…”
Gong Wei muttered something vague and beyond comprehension. The fleeting presence of this spiritual energy made him even more agitated. He seemed to be trapped in a chaotic and discomforting dream. He struggled to get out of it in vain. He wanted to wake up, but couldn’t snap out of that trance. He subconsciously grabbed the sleeves before him with both hands and tried to raise his head.
The youth came so close that even his breath was incredibly audible.
Xu Shuangtze lowered his head, the shadows cast by the bed curtains were so convoluted that it was impossible to make out his expression. He seemed to be patiently waiting for something to happen. Then, when he raised his index finger slightly, Gong Wei leaned his face closer…with every movement of the man’s finger, Gong Wei attempted to be in skin contact. This repeated several times before Xu Shuangtze gradually leaned back. The bed, now bearing the weight of two people, creaked gently.
“Don’t…”
A trace of spiritual power was injected into Gong Wei’s sea of Qi intermittently, but that was far from enough.
It was as if Gong Wei had landed on a sea of fluffy and warm clouds. Even his long-drawn-out complaints became soft moans,“…Um…”
As if finally realising his dissatisfaction, Xu Shuangtze’s two fingertips tapped tenderly on his forehead again, and a turbulent stream of pure spiritual power gushed into his body. All of Gong Wei’s spiritual veins relaxed at once and he lifted his head unconsciously, like receiving precious dewdrops after a long drought. The tip of his nose was now almost in contact with Xu Shuangtze’s chin.
Yet at this moment, Xu Shuangtze gently lifted his finger once more.
Gong Wei was completely anxious.
At the instance their breaths mingled, Xu Shuangtze had now raised his arm until the back of his palm pressed against his own lips. Gong Wei grabbed his lapels and hurried up. His soft, cold lips finally planted on Xu Shuangtze’s palm.
It was like a tender and flattering kiss.
Knock knock knock.
On the corridor outside, Yuchi Xiao knocked on the door a few times and waited for a few breaths before hollering, “Medical Sect Master, your presence is required for a discussion!”
There was no response from behind the door.
The treatment had been going on for several hours, were they not done yet? Yuchi Xiao’s heart sank, and he couldn’t help but rap on the door more anxiously, ‘Knock, knock, knock!’ After a few more times, he said, “Medical Sect Master, is treatment going well?” I—”
An unhurried voice came from the room, “Come in.”
That was Lord Xu!
Yuchi Xiao’s expression changed as he pushed the door open at once. The room facing him was wide and elegant, dimly lit by the candlelight. The bed curtain was draped and the air carried the scent of both medicine and eroticism. A powerful hand lifted the curtain, a man came down from the bed. It was Xu Shuangtze.
“…” Yuchi Xiao seemed to lose his ability to speak at this. Then he abruptly peered through the silk bed curtain which draped over the bed on all sides. He could vaguely see Gong Wei curled up on his side, wrapped in a familiar white and gold robe.
That was clearly the outer robe of Lord Xu!
Xu Shuangtze was now donned in his black, fitted inner armour. He straightened his lapels and asked plainly,”What’s the matter?
If it were any other junior, they would have been terrified by now. Yuchi Xiao gaped before he heard his own raspy voice, “Lord Xu, you and your disciple are all alone in the room and not fully clothed. That is not appropriate, is it?
Xu Shuangtze paused for a while, turned his head and glanced at him. His eyes seemingly mocking him.
He asked, “Oh, is this not appropriate?”
A chill flashed from his spine to the top of his head like a bolt of lightning, and Yuchi Xiao’s gaze dimmed.
Fortunately, Xu Shuangtze did not continue.
He let down the bed curtain without haste. And as if the earlier conversation did not happen, he asked, “Why are you here?”
The Medical Sect Master did not allow outsiders to approach when he was administering aid. Yuchi Xiao only dared to come after he intentionally stopped and replaced a disciple who was on his way over to pass a message.
He originally wanted to inquire about Xiang Xiaoyuan’s recovery, but he now knew that it was not necessary. Almost forcing himself to bow, he spoke, “The Artefact Sect Master has already boarded the ship, and Lord Ying has invited all the Sect Masters to head over to discuss the matter regarding the Soldier Silk.”
In a nutshell, it was time to settle scores with the Artefact Sect Master.
Xu Shuangtze was noncommittal, “Lead the way.”
The two of them walked out of the room and paced along the long and wide corridor. Some medical disciples who passed by them on either side all quickened their pace and bowed their heads in salute. At the end of the corridor, there was a white jade spiral staircase leading upwards. Yuchi Xiao stepped aside and made an invitational gesture, “Lord Xu, this way please.”
Xu Shuangtze flicked his robe and stepped forward steadily.
Legend had it that Lord Xu and Lord Ying were born in the same year. The two would be nearly a hundred years old at present. However, this was impossible to tell from mere appearance. Xu Shuangtze still looked in his prime, with sharp and beautiful features. The absence of his outer robe further accentuated his tall and slim figure. Especially from the back, one could vaguely make out the smooth contours of his firm back muscles under the fitted attire as he walked.
He didn’t bring No Way Out. But the lack of a sword did not reduce any inch of Xu Shuangtze’s terrifying aura and composure.
“Yuchi Xiao,” he uttered without looking back.
“…Yes.”
Xu Shuangtze asked casually, “How did Xiang Xiaoyuan encounter the Soldier Silk?”
At that moment, many scenes flashed across Yuchi Xiao’s mind—the right pupil which was dug out and crushed into a bloody mess before him, and the severed head which was tossed aside, leaving a gruesome trail even in mid-air. And the blood which splattered from the severed neck onto the youth’s face as well as how it trickled down that snow-white cheek… Each finally froze.
Then, he saw that youth’s thin and fair chin lifted by the blade of Gou Chen. But the youth didn’t care. Blood was still dripping from his palms and running through the sword’s groove, and his alluring eyes glanced back with undisguised deviousness.
“What answer do you want me to give?” The youth asked with a grin.
“You are too weak, Young Master Yuchi. You don’t even dare to sever one of my hands or stab me twice–so what answer is it that you wish to hear?”
…
Yuchi Xiao lowered his gaze and gulped silently.
“The junior encountered the awakened corpse of the Lotus Immortal and could not subdue it. He failed to protect Young Master Xiang, and prevent the attack on him. This junior is ashamed and awaits punishment from Lord Xu.”
“Oh, is it so? “Xu Shuangtze voice was flat, “Just that?”
Yuchi Xiao responded calmly, “Just that.”
At this time, the two of them went one after the other, following the circling white jade steps to the end, and in front of them was an indoor corridor with carved beams and painted buildings.
When Xu Shuangtze reached the last step, he suddenly turned around and said, “Beloved nephew.”
Yuchi Xiao froze in reaction, “Lord Xu, please speak.”
In the distance, some medical disciples were passing by, and when they saw the two men standing on the staircase, one in front of the other, one taller than the other, they all remained with their heads lowered, keeping a good distance and not daring to approach.
Xu Shuangtze said, “After my disciple returned from Linjiang City, his left shoulder was already gravely injured. He mentioned that it was inflicted by a ghost cultivator after you failed to subdue it. This time, he followed you to the Ding Xian Mausoleum and got planted with Soldier Silk. His spiritual veins were shattered and this injury is more serious than before. He once again became collateral damage due to your inability to suppress the opponent.
Yuchi Xiao couldn’t utter a word.
Xu Shuangtze slowly added, “Beloved nephew still needs to study and practice harder.”
He was monotonous, as if calmly stating an irrefutable fact. However, Yuchi Xiao seemed to have been dealt a heavy blow head-on. His ears buzzed, and it took him a long time before he gritted his teeth and answered “…This junior is grateful for Lord Xu’s teachings.”
A figure flashed past in the distance, and it was Mu Duozhu who was walking towards them from the end of the corridor. Seeing this, he cried out strangely, “What are you doing?”
Xu Shuangtze didn’t answer. He took out something from his sleeve, and it was an item as red as flames. It was the Qilin pendant that he confiscated from Gong Wei previously!
“Once shattered, this pendant can take the place of its bearer in death. It is too precious for my disciple.” He handed the jade pendant to Yuchi Xiao, and said, “Beloved nephew, take it back.”
Mu Duozhu didn’t know what was going on. He only saw the Golden Gate’s young master’s terrible expression, yet that young man did not utter a word. He could only take the jade pendant and hold it in his hand as he took a step backward.
It looked as if the young man was about to withdraw and turn back. But for some reason, he paused and took a deep breath.
“Lord Xu.” He raised his eyes and met Xu Shuangtze’s gaze, asking in a very clear voice, “This junior and Xiang Xiaoyuan went through life and death together and forged a deep friendship. I am deeply concerned about having to see him injured and bedridden. May this junior visit him?”
Only direct descendants of such top families could display such courage and confidence.  Xu Shuangtze stared down at him. This expression could have been admiration for the young man or perhaps just mockery. After a long while, he answered, “Go.”
Yuchi Xiao bowed politely, turned back, and walked down.
His figure soon disappeared at the end of the spiral white jade steps. Mu Duozhu was full of doubts. Just as he was about to ask something, he heard Xu Shuangtze whisper, “Those who do not learn from the wrongdoings of others, shall shed tears when they see their own coffin.”
Mu Duozhu was surprised, “What?”
Xu Shuangtze made no response, turned around, and walked towards a closed door at the end of the corridor. As he approached, the carved bronze door swung open.
A fresh breeze swept from the ends of the blue sky and in the distance, there were rolling mountains with several villages and cities appearing like numerous sandboxes. Xu Shuangtze stepped onto the white jade pavilion and looked out from the balustrade at the end of the high platform. Beneath it was a magnificent, huge and solid deck.
He was on a massive golden ship sailing high in the sky!
The seats were already set up in the pavilion. There were two red sandalwood armchairs at the highest point, one of which was occupied by Ying Kai, who was clutching his forehead with one hand. He appeared weary and was silent. Diagonally under Ying Kai’s left-hand corner was the Sword Sect Master, Yuchi Rui. He too appeared fatigued due to the aftereffects of the illusionary art. He was holding the divine sword Tower of Rakshasa in his right hand, while his left hand pulled out some five-spice peanuts from his pocket and tossed them into his mouth.
Xu Shuangtze walked to the other red sandalwood armchair and sat down. Mu Duozhu also lifted his robe before sitting. Everyone turned their eyes to the chair in the middle and stared at Changsun Chengfeng in unison.
“…”
The Artefact Sect Master was at a loss for words and leaned back heavily on the back of his chair. He let out a long exhalation before crying out sincerely, “Everyone, I really had nothing to do with this!”