Chapter 40

Deep in the night, Qing Luan quietly arrived at the Purple Iris Hall.

The Purple Iris Hall was an old study near the Poria Cocos Palace, previously abandoned by the Medicine King Immortal due to its small size and relegated to storing miscellaneous items. After Yue Wuhuan took charge of Medicine King's Valley, he renovated and restored it to its original purpose as a small study, where he now managed internal affairs.

Yue Wuhuan sat at the desk, reading letters, a slight smile curling beneath his golden mask.

However, after numerous misjudgments, Qing Luan no longer dared to infer his thoughts from his expressions. A smile could conceal chilling killing intent, and anger might merely be a pretense for schemes. He was merely projecting an image he wished to show, with only occasional glimpses of madness revealing his true self.

No one dared to face his madness.

Qing Luan bowed nervously and obediently stood in place, awaiting further instructions.

A Blood Vine brought over a small wooden box containing an unused Divine Sense Bead.

Qing Luan accepted the Divine Sense Bead, knowing Yue Wuhuan had no need for such a thing to control minds. He kept it only as a token of her loyalty. By now, Medicine King's Valley had been woven like a spider's web, tightly guarding the treasure within Poria Cocos Palace. All threats had been eradicated, everything was under control, and nothing escaped his notice.

Yue Wuhuan looked up and asked softly, "Is there something else?"

Qing Luan hesitated before cautiously replying, "What should we do about Immortal Venerable An? Please instruct me, Brother Wuhuan."

She knew of the tampering in the poison mist array and the source of An Long's fury, which unsettled her greatly.

Yue Wuhuan put down the letter in his hand. "Treat him as an honored guest."

Qing Luan carefully expressed her concern, "Immortal Venerable An came with fierce intentions. He doesn't seem friendly."

Yue Wuhuan smiled. "Are you afraid he might kill me?"

Qing Luan lowered her head, not daring to answer.

"You underestimate An Long," Yue Wuhuan said, displaying rare patience with this loyal and capable subordinate. "Succession in the Ten-Thousand Poisons Sect is like refining poison. After the sect leader's death, the nine direct disciples slaughter each other until only one remains to inherit the legacy of the Venom God. He was the last to join, yet he killed all eight senior brothers, claimed the inheritance, then purged the sect of all dissent before firmly seizing control of the Western Woods."

Qing Luan shuddered, unable to fathom such fratricide.

"Thus, someone like him does not act on impulse," Yue Wuhuan analyzed. "If he had killed me—the first disciple—after barging into Medicine King's Valley, it would have been a blatant insult to the Master, who would never let it go. At the time, he was severely poisoned and at his limit. Why provoke the Master and risk destroying each other at such a moment?"

Qing Luan murmured, "But the Master has already cured his poison..."

She was no fool and suddenly realized: if An Long had refrained from acting in his rage, he would be even less likely to do so now that his anger had cooled.

"If he wants to kill me, there's no shortage of opportunities," Yue Wuhuan sneered. "The Immortal Realm is full of powerful figures—why dirty his own hands? Hiring an assassin would be far simpler. First, pretend submission to lower the Master's guard, cure the poison, then strike from the shadows after leaving. If I were him, that's exactly what I'd do..."

He could even eliminate the assassin afterward and present their head to the Master as a peace offering.

Killing two birds with one stone—why not?

Just as he had abandoned the traps and arrays meant for An Long after the Master awoke, and halted the poison puppets lying in wait. There was no need to spoil the joyous reunion over such trivial matters.

Yue Wuhuan shook his head regretfully. "An Long is a clever man..."

The Blood Vine coiled around the Master's foot twitched restlessly, clearly troubled by the matter, tossing and turning in sleepless agitation. Since the Master was so distressed by their "misunderstanding," it naturally had to be "resolved." He had initially devised several ways to provoke An Long into attacking him within Medicine King's Valley, but after weighing the consequences, he reluctantly abandoned the idea.

What a pity...

Before leaving, Qing Luan hesitated and asked, "Brother Wuhuan, aren't you afraid of danger?"

"Afraid? I'm terrified," Yue Wuhuan laughed at the thought, his deep, dark chuckle carrying a suppressed madness in the quiet darkness. "If danger arises, the Master will surely worry day and night, staying by my side to protect me without a moment's respite."

Such a life was truly something to look forward to.

Qing Luan shuddered at his smile.

***

Inside Poria Cocos Palace, Song Qingshi tossed and turned all night, sighing endlessly, unable to solve this life-and-death dilemma.

He wasn't naive enough to expect the two to become friends, but he at least hoped they wouldn't fight to the death.

Even that seemed impossible...

An Long never forgave a slight and often acted deceitfully. What if he agreed to peace only to kill Yue Wuhuan behind his back? By the time Song Qingshi found out, even slaughtering the "Alaskan Malamute" wouldn't undo the damage. Yue Wuhuan was his "Angel," willing to endure anything for him, but the Heart-Devouring Gu had clearly angered him—otherwise, he wouldn't have retaliated with Bone Poison.

He couldn't possibly ask the obedient one to suffer silently, could he?

A disciple's mistakes were the master's responsibility, and since Yue Wuhuan had done nothing wrong, he couldn't apologize.

Maybe he should just let An Long beat him up to vent his anger...

As a nascent soul cultivator, he could take a punch better than Yue Wuhuan.

After much deliberation, Song Qingshi concluded this unreliable plan wouldn't work. He then considered whether he could offer something valuable enough to sway An Long into abandoning his grudge. But the Ten-Thousand Poisons Sect was far wealthier than Medicine King's Valley—aside from elixirs, he had little to offer...

The next morning, he struggled out of bed and noticed Yue Wuhuan hadn't arrived. After a quick wash with the Blood Vine's assistance, he decided to confront An Long and see what price he demanded to drop the matter. If all else failed, he'd have to prepare defenses.

To his surprise, upon reaching the garden, he found An Long and Yue Wuhuan playing chess in the pavilion, chatting and laughing as if they were the best of friends.

Song Qingshi rubbed his eyes, wondering if life was but a dream.

Yue Wuhuan glanced at his messy hair and bowed slightly with a smile. "I had intended to attend to you this morning, Master, but Immortal Venerable An insisted on a game of chess."

"Wasn't it you who asked me first?" An Long stared at the board, studying the board, before placing a black stone. "Your turn."

Song Qingshi approached suspiciously and examined the game. An Long held the black pieces, Yue Wuhuan the white. His own chess skills were basic, but he could see two dragons locked in battle, with the black dragon slightly ahead.

An Long grinned. "Playing for nothing is dull. How about a wager?"

Yue Wuhuan placed his stone and smiled. "What does Immortal Venerable An propose?"

"No gambling in Medicine King's Valley!" Song Qingshi, who had suffered countless defeats against An Long, feared his "Angel" might lose unfairly and interjected, "The loser gets a slip of paper on their forehead!"

He'd seen his senior brothers do this during card games!

Both men stared at him blankly...

Song Qingshi said firmly, "This is my home! My rules!"

He sat between them, propping his chin on the stone table. Chess bored him, so he idly watched the black and white stones exchange places while he wondered if the "Alaskan Malamute" was trying to deceive him again? Was Yue Wuhuan hiding something to spare him worry?

Suddenly, the game's momentum shifted.

The black dragon was lured into a trap, about to be ensnared by the white dragon.

An Long recognized the trap—just like in the poison mist array, every move had seemed harmless until the hidden killing intent revealed itself when he least expected it. His anger flared, his gaze growing fiercer.

Yue Wuhuan sensed the killing intent and smiled at him.

Song Qingshi gave An Long a warning look. "No cheating at chess!"

"Your disciple is bullying me," An Long said mock-seriously, pulling Song Qingshi closer. "Since we're brothers who share joys and sorrows, and this was your idea, if I lose, the paper gets stuck on your forehead!"

Song Qingshi had originally intended to cheer him up, so he readily agreed.

Yue Wuhuan paused for a moment, then twirled the chess piece between his fingers.

The two played for nearly an hour; their battle was intense and brutal, until finally, the black dragon barely edged out the white dragon by half a move...

Song Qingshi was a man of his word. Holding a red paper strip, he walked over to Yue Wuhuan and asked, "Where should I put this?"

Yue Wuhuan smiled. "Wherever Master chooses to place it, I will be happy."

"Alright," Song Qingshi thought for a moment, not wanting to stick it on the mask, and decided to give him a pair of cat whiskers. "I'll make it look proper."

He leaned closer to Yue Wuhuan's face, looking for just the right spot.

Yue Wuhuan fidgeted, laughing uncontrollably. "Master, that tickles."

Song Qingshi put it on crooked, frowned at the crooked result, and quickly pulled it off to reapply. "Stop moving around."

An Long glanced left at the shameless flirt, then right at the clueless idiot, listening to what sounded like their playful teasing. He was so furious he wanted to eat the chess pieces! He had never been in a relationship before, knew nothing of romance, and had never imagined such games could be played! This was a total defeat!

Once the paper was finally in place, Song Qingshi voiced his confusion. "What happened between you two?"

An Long instantly suppressed his anger and chuckled. "We fought and became friends. The Heart-Eating Gu and Bone Poison even the score."

Yue Wuhuan bowed again. "Venerable An's magnanimity leaves Wu Huan in awe."

"Enough, I don’t blame you," An Long waved his hand generously. "You were saving Qing Shi. I was the one jumping to conclusions."

Yue Wuhuan smiled. "Venerable An was also trying to save my Master. Had I known your intentions earlier, I would have opened the gates of Medicine King Valley to welcome you."

An Long praised, "For someone so young, your strategic thinking and skill are truly astonishing."

Yue Wuhuan returned the compliment. "It was only by Venerable An's mercy that I came out alive."

The two exchanged words; their laughter never stopped, as if they were old friends reunited.

Song Qingshi, meanwhile, might as well have been invisible...

He became increasingly aware of his lack of knowledge in matters of emotion and decided he needed to study up.

Whenever Song Qingshi encountered something he didn’t understand, his instinct was to look it up in books. However, the immortal realm had no texts on interpersonal relationships, psychology, or friendship guides, and Medicine King Valley lacked such materials. What to do?

After much deliberation, he suddenly remembered that the mortal world’s storybooks often depicted emotions—perhaps he could learn from those.

So, he wrote to Ye Lin, enclosing a top-grade spirit stone, and asked him to find some storybooks about male camaraderie—preferably those grounded in reality, with genuine emotional depth.

Ye Lin, ever efficient when paid, immediately sent over the books from his bedside, praising them as the hottest stories going around. The brotherhood depicted within was thrilling—ride-or-die loyalty, bound by righteousness, willing to sacrifice everything—utterly captivating and impossible to put down.

Song Qingshi clutched the accompanying book, *The Three Tiger-Slaying Brothers*, like found treasure.

He couldn't be happier with Ye Lin’s efficiency.

Author’s Note:

The trio’s acting skills:

Yue Wuhuan: Oscar-worthy.

An Long: National award winner.

Song Qingshi: I once played a tree in a kindergarten play!