Chapter 63

Yue Wuhuan was perplexed, unable to fathom his Master's distress. Perhaps the phoenix kite, having fallen, had triggered a nightmare? In his mind, the Master was usually composed, yet, being isolated from society and unversed in its ways, he occasionally revealed a childlike innocence. Could he truly be crying over a nightmare?

Song Qingshi clutched Yue Wuhuan's robe, refusing to let go, burying his face in his chest and desperately rubbing away tears.

Yue Wuhuan felt a mix of wanting to comfort and wanting to laugh, unsure what to say. After a moment's thought, he took out his purple bamboo flute and played a few cheerful notes.

The melodious sound drew Song Qingshi's attention. He lifted his head, looked at the long flute in Yue Wuhuan's hand, slowly released his grip, and, after a brief pause, obediently lay down, resting his head on Yue Wuhuan's thigh to listen to the music.

To Yue Wuhuan's surprise, perhaps due to the dim evening light, a strange, tormented emotion appeared in Song Qingshi's usually clear eyes, like beautiful crystal clouded by a dense shadow in the dark. This feeling unsettled him.

Song Qingshi turned slightly, gently closed his eyes, and smiled. "I want to hear a happy tune."

Yue Wuhuan temporarily set aside his doubts and played a gentle, foreign melody. He didn't know its name or origin; it was a tune his mother had taught him in childhood, said to depict a happy home and joyful memories. He loved this piece; it reminded him of melting snow and the beauty of spring blossoms.

The music washed away all worries and sorrows.

When the flute fell silent…

Song Qingshi slowly opened his eyes, the gloom in them vanished, returning to their former clarity.

Yue Wuhuan thought he must have been mistaken.

"I've never had a nightmare before, how embarrassing," Song Qingshi tried to salvage his dignity, rambling. "I dreamed that something I really loved disappeared, and no matter how hard I searched, I couldn't find it. It felt like failing mouse experiments countless times and still not knowing why, it was incredibly sad…"

Yue Wuhuan didn't understand the connection between mouse experiments and beloved lost items, but he knew Song Qingshi's thought process was unusual, and that he was a medical fanatic. Experimental failures were a severe blow; every time he finished documenting failures, he would slump at his desk in distress for half an hour, not even wanting dessert.

"Failing mouse experiments so many times is indeed very upsetting," Yue Wuhuan tried to understand his feelings and comfort him. "If I encountered such a thing, I would cry too."

Song Qingshi sat up, rubbed his reddened eyes, and said sheepishly, "Nonsense, you never cry…"

Yue Wuhuan joked, "If Master wishes to see me cry, I'll find some herbs to fume my eyes; perhaps tears will come out."

Song Qingshi was amused. "I don't want to see you cry."

Yue Wuhuan asked, "Then what do you want to see?"

Song Qingshi suddenly leaned closer, scrutinizing his face for a long moment, then whispered, "I want to see your most beautiful self."

Yue Wuhuan froze, touching his face, his eyes filled with bewilderment.

"On the path of cultivation, one's body becomes more perfect with increasing cultivation," Song Qingshi explained after a moment's thought. "Wuhuan is only at Foundation Establishment now. I look forward to seeing you at Golden Core, Nascent Soul… and even higher realms. You will surely be the most beautiful in all existence."

The Master had learned to tell jokes, but unfortunately, he wasn't very good at it; it was overly exaggerated.

Yue Wuhuan didn't dampen his enthusiasm for joking, humoring him with a few chuckles.

Song Qingshi laughed along, then suddenly rose and kissed his lips, mimicking their earlier passionate kiss, deepening it slightly, touching tongues, then pulling back.

Yue Wuhuan was stunned by the kiss.

"You said I could kiss you every day if I liked it," Song Qingshi licked his lips, stating righteously, "You must keep your word! Breaking a promise makes you a puppy!"

Yue Wuhuan tried to refuse: "Master, this isn't proper. Didn't you say you wouldn't do foolish things anymore?"

Song Qingshi tilted his head, thought for a moment, then logically retorted, "I haven't had any alcohol now, I'm very sober, so this doesn't count as foolish."

Yue Wuhuan sighed, "Why do you want to do this?"

Song Qingshi pressed closer, countering, "I like it very much. Don't you?"

Yue Wuhuan was speechless. He couldn't lie and say he didn't like it, because he did. He loved that irresistible feeling, wishing it would never end.

He wanted to retreat.

But Song Qingshi kissed him again, his warm breath gently prying open the lock of his heart, allowing a faint medicinal fragrance to permeate between their lips, as if cleansing all impurities. His clumsy, innocent actions effortlessly made Yue Wuhuan drop his guard; he simply couldn't refuse such ultimate beauty, quickly sinking into the forbidden world.

"You like it," Song Qingshi pulled away slightly from his lips, then touched them again, panting, "I know you like it too."

Yue Wuhuan said in confusion, "Qing Shi, I can't."

Song Qingshi asked, "You said this was a game, why be nervous?"

Once a foot has crossed the line, how easily can it be pulled back?

Yue Wuhuan stared blankly at those pale pink lips, feeling his rationality constantly challenged, almost to the point of collapse. He wanted to get up and leave, but found that the Medicine King Valley's web had trapped Song Qingshi, and trapped himself too. There was nowhere to escape, he could only be pushed step by step to the edge of the cliff, precarious, with no retreat.

Even the most cunning schemer cannot scheme against their own heart.

The Master seemed to understand nothing beyond kissing, and he himself knew nothing of those messy bedroom affairs…

His Emotionless Path remained undisturbed.

If it was just a simple kiss, could he…

Yue Wuhuan was dizzy from the kisses, his thoughts somewhat out of control. He tentatively asked, "Master, can we just kiss?"

Song Qingshi smiled happily: "If Wuhuan likes it, no problem!"

Yue Wuhuan breathed a slight sigh of relief. He lowered his head, beginning to savor the delight he had longed for day and night. His soft hair was completely disheveled, wrapped around his fingertips, unwilling to leave. His white robes were slightly askew, the collar open, revealing a beautiful swan-like neck, his adorable Adam's apple trembling slightly with each breath. He was very grateful that he had taken desire-suppressing medicine for sleep beforehand, so he wouldn't make a fool of himself in such extreme pleasure. Perhaps such medicine needed to become a regular staple for him.

Late into the night, after who knew how long of whispered intimacy and intertwined breaths, they finally stopped.

Yue Wuhuan noticed that Song Qingshi was still tightly gripping his hand, with no intention of letting go. He thought for a moment, then reclined beside the bed, extending his Blood King Vine to gently poke the other's foot, then coiled around it, asking with a smile, "Master, is there a bedtime story tonight?"

"I forgot," Song Qingshi realized this big problem. He thought for a long time, "Let's just chat."

Yue Wuhuan asked curiously, "What do you want to talk about?"

Song Qingshi pointed at the Blood King Vine on his foot: "I want to know how you got it."

He had asked several times, but each time Yue Wuhuan had evaded the question, only saying it was an accidental acquisition and refusing to speak of the hardships involved. Not wanting to press, he had let the matter go. But tonight, he wasn't going to compromise; he insisted on Yue Wuhuan telling him the truth.

Cornered, Yue Wuhuan, thinking the matter was long past, finally told the truth: "I obtained it at Indestructible Peak."

"Indestructible Peak?" Song Qingshi recalled ancient texts and quickly understood. "Is it the Flaming Mountains of the Eastern Continent? I remember it's an extreme fiery wasteland, where not a blade of grass grows, birds are absent, and even spiritual veins are unseen… The fierce flames there are very dangerous, said to burn even souls. You went there… for the Fire Spirit Mushroom?"

The only valuable thing in that extreme fiery wasteland was the Fire Spirit Mushroom.

The Fire Spirit Mushroom was the main ingredient for refining Heartburn Pills, slow-growing and rare in the current world. It was extremely beneficial to cultivators with fire and metal spiritual roots, a true heavenly treasure. Whenever one appeared, it would cause fierce competition.

Yue Wuhuan must have heard news of the Fire Spirit Mushroom's appearance and wanted to refine Heartburn Pills to strengthen his heart meridian.

"I failed," Yue Wuhuan said with some helplessness. As a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, even with his sword techniques, poison puppets, and rune arrays, the chances of failure were quite high when competing for treasures with Golden Core or even Nascent Soul cultivators. "At the time, I disguised my true appearance, infiltrated the treasure-hunting team, set traps in advance, and incited them to fight among themselves. After successfully obtaining the Fire Spirit Mushroom, I encountered new treasure hunters… demonic cultivators from the Perilous Gate Sect. I didn't have time to retreat; they blocked my escape route and told me to hand over the Fire Spirit Mushroom, saying they would spare my life."

Song Qingshi frowned slightly and asked, "The demonic cultivators of the Perilous Gate Sect are all ruthless; since when are they so reasonable?"

"I knew they were lying; they would take my life after getting the Fire Spirit Mushroom. Since I was going to die anyway, how I died didn't matter," Yue Wuhuan couldn't help but laugh. "So, taking advantage of them not knowing my true identity, I thoroughly played with those fools, then threw the Fire Spirit Mushroom into the sea of flames at Indestructible Peak, saying many mocking words. Master, their furious faces were truly amusing…"

The priceless Fire Spirit Mushroom was instantly swallowed and destroyed by the fierce flames.

The demonic cultivators never expected a Foundation Establishment cultivator to dare play such a trick on them; they were so enraged they wanted to extract and torture Yue Wuhuan's soul.

Yue Wuhuan laughed, "Seeing the situation turn bad, I also jumped into Indestructible Peak."

His unexpected action disrupted all their plans.

No matter how angry the demonic cultivators were, none wanted to approach the terrifying area of Indestructible Peak, where both body and soul could be incinerated.

"There are strange swirling currents in Indestructible Peak that can suck in anything flying, so sword flight is impossible. I was prepared to perish with them, but luckily, I was caught by the currents and blown into a crevice in the cliff," Yue Wuhuan recalled the situation with a bitter smile. "There was no way out of the crevice. My fire-resistant robe and fire-proof talismans were at their breaking point. I should have waited for death, but by chance, I discovered the seedling soul of the Blood King Vine. I risked merging with the Blood King Vine, then used it to climb the cliff and escape."

Song Qingshi listened, deep in thought: "Luck?"

"Perhaps," Yue Wuhuan considered. "Ever since I obtained the Blood King Vine, my luck has become much more normal. That suffocating feeling of being crushed by fate at every turn disappeared." Only when killing An Long did the Heavenly Dao intervene again, perhaps An Long's life was not meant to end?

Song Qingshi smiled: "That was a truly dangerous opportunity."

Yue Wuhuan laughed: "It's all in the past now."

Song Qingshi picked up the Blood King Vine and toyed with it in his hand.

Was it really luck?