Chapter 67

Chapter 67

During Mo Jiao's absence, Zhong Yixiao waited anxiously and silently in his room, feeling happy and fortunate about everything now that he knew the man from that night was Mr. Mo.

As long as it was Mr. Mo, it was fine. If it had been the leader of the demonic sect, Zhong Yixiao would have been scared to death.

Lost in thought, the door was suddenly knocked. Thinking it was Mo Jiao, Zhong Yixiao hurried to open it.

"Mr. Mo... Oh, it's Sister Fang. It's so late, do you need something from me?"

Seeing it was Sister Fang instead of Mr. Mo at the door, Zhong Yixiao's visible disappointment was replaced by embarrassment, as Sister Fang raised her eyebrows meaningfully and glanced into the room.

"Has Mr. Mo left?"

Zhong Yixiao nodded, "Yes, did you come looking for him?"

"No," Fang Qingyan shook her head, speaking gravely, "I came to see you."

Just as Zhong Yixiao was about to ask why, Fang Qingyan said, "Zhong Shidi, please come with me."

What could it be, all secretive? Zhong Yixiao asked Fang Qingyan, who led the way intently, only replying with "You'll know when we get there."

Knowing his sister wouldn't harm him, Zhong Yixiao still felt uneasy, especially with his right eyelid twitching fiercely.

Fang Qingyan led him to a place not far away, still within the inn, to a small courtyard. She stopped in front of a room and gestured for Zhong Yixiao to enter on his own.

Zhong Yixiao slowly pushed open the door and quickly recognized the person inside, immediately crying out in surprise.

"Master! How did you get here?"

Master He Yun remained silent, her expression solemn as she looked at Zhong Yixiao. Fang Qingyan also carefully closed the door after Zhong Yixiao entered, standing guard outside as if to ward off someone.

Master He Yun rarely left the mountain or the Xuan Nu Peak, as the Xianxia Sect was no longer in its prime, now relying solely on her to lead the few dozen female disciples and protect the coveted Qilin Artefact, necessitating cautious actions.

However, recently, almost the entire martial arts world knew that the Qilin Artefact had been taken by Qin Yu, making it unnecessary for Master He Yun to remain at Xuan Nu Peak.

This time, Master He Yun had Zhong Yixiao represent the Xianxia Sect to deliver gifts to Murong Manor, and Zhong Yixiao thought she would not come, as did Mo Jiao and the others, but she indeed came.

The room was very quiet, the lamplight flickered for a moment, and the door was slowly closed.

Seeing his master filled Zhong Yixiao with joy. He poured tea for her, smiling, "Master, when did you arrive? I thought you wouldn't come down from the mountain this time."

Master He Yun just quietly looked at him, took the teacup, and set it aside without a word.

Seeing her solemn face, Zhong Yixiao assumed there was something important she had to say, and asked seriously, "Master, has something happened?"

His first thought was the issue with the Qilin Artefact, assuming Master He Yun was troubled by it, and Zhong Yixiao hurriedly said, "Master, rest assured, I will take care of the Qilin Artefact issue. I will find Qin Yu and retrieve it."

Master He Yun simply shook her head, showing no sign of urgency or even mentioning the Qilin Artefact, instead giving Zhong Yixiao a deep look, her eyebrows furrowed silently, her expression complex.

"I've heard that you've been quite close to a man known as Mr. Mo recently?"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Yixiao's heart skipped a beat, and he laughed unnaturally, "Yes, Master, what about it?"

Master He Yun then asked, "What about the child? The child you brought back?"

Zhong Yixiao could somewhat guess what was coming, and after a moment of rapid thought, he decided to tell the truth. He knelt before Master He Yun, bowing his head, "Master, there's something I need to tell you."

He told Master He Yun everything he knew, and then cautiously pleaded, "Master, Mr. Mo is a good person. Even if he is the demonic sect's ghost doctor, even if he and Jiaojiao are from the demonic sect, they have been kind to me. I wish to stay with them. Besides, Jiaojiao is seriously ill, with little time left, and I want to take care of him with Mr. Mo..."

"Is that how he deceived you?"

Before Zhong Yixiao could finish, Master He Yun interrupted him with a cold laugh.

His words were shocking, and Zhong Yixiao, puzzled, looked up and instinctively argued, "Master, although Mr. Mo indeed deceived me, but..."

He intended to explain more, to tell his master that Mr. Mo was not a bad person, but under Master He Yun's worried and pained gaze, he found himself speechless.

Seeing him like this, Master He Yun struggled to contain herself, finally sighing deeply and saying through gritted teeth, "Such is the demonic sect leader, to toy with my disciple like this!"

Hearing this title made Zhong Yixiao visibly displeased, but seeing Master He Yun's vague but serious implication, it seemed quite grave.

He asked in confusion, "Master, what are you talking about?"

Ignoring Elder Mo's advice, Mo Jiao returned to the inn alone.

The sky was dark, a night without moon, the wind howling.

Mo Jiao, with light steps, pushed open the door to find Zhong Yixiao sitting alone in the room, staring blankly at the flickering candlelight, unblinking, not even noticing Mo Jiao's approach.

It was only when Mo Jiao sat down beside him that he finally turned, startled, and let out a relieved murmur, "You're back..."

"Have you been waiting long?" Mo Jiao asked.

Zhong Yixiao shook his head, then shyly lowered his gaze. His hands trembling slightly, he lifted the teapot to pour a cup of warm tea, holding it without moving, lost in thought, before slowly offering the hot tea to Mo Jiao, speaking softly with his head bowed.

"Please have some tea, Mr. Mo."

His distracted demeanor was a bit odd; Mo Jiao frowned and asked, "What's wrong with you, are you troubled?"

Zhong Yixiao still shook his head. A faint scent filled the air, but Mo Jiao, noticing only Zhong Yixiao's low spirits, didn't mind it. He moved closer, embracing Zhong Yixiao, and felt his body stiffen momentarily, finding it increasingly strange.

"Zhong Yixiao, are you hiding something from me?"

Zhong Yixiao didn't know why he kept shaking his head, his voice carrying a hint of urgency, "No, I just thought you wouldn't come back tonight..."

Is that all?

Mo Jiao raised an eyebrow, still half-doubtful but softly consoled, "You're overthinking it."

Mo Jiao then noticed the incense in the room, a faint aroma with an odd sensation. He disliked the smell, so he gently patted Zhong Yixiao's shoulder and walked towards the incense burner by the window.

"I don't remember you having the habit of burning incense. What kind is this? It smells a bit strange."

Hearing this, Zhong Yixiao followed, his eyes flickering, and responded, "It's a calming incense Sister Fang gave me, with a special medicine added... Mr. Mo, what are you doing?"

Mo Jiao, proficient in pharmacology, quickly sensed the incense contained ingredients harmful to him. Despite finding it odd in Zhong Yixiao's room, he extinguished the calming incense and then turned to smile at Zhong Yixiao.

"It's okay. Though the calming incense is beneficial for most people, you've just undergone a gu-curing process and your body hasn't fully recovered. Better not to light this incense anymore."

"Is that so?"

Zhong Yixiao, as usual, had no objections, his gentle gaze fixed on Mo Jiao, making Mo Jiao's ears turn slightly red, unnaturally turning to open the window to hide his embarrassment.

"It looks like it might rain tonight. It's too stuffy in here; I'll open the window."

Zhong Yixiao didn't object, standing quietly behind him, his eyes showing some conflict, but as soon as Mo Jiao turned back after opening the window, he quickly regained his composure, lifting the cup of warm tea on the table, saying, "Are you thirsty, Mr. Mo? Have some water first."

After resolving the incense issue, the suffocating feeling in Mo Jiao's chest gradually dissipated. He took the tea Zhong Yixiao offered and drank it all, not missing the odd flicker in Zhong Yixiao's eyes.

"What's really going on?"

Zhong Yixiao kept staring at him until Mo Jiao, despite his thick skin, could no longer hold out. Even though they had just shared their feelings today, Zhong Yixiao shyly lowered his head the moment their eyes met, fingers tightly clutching his sleeves, softly requesting, "Mr. Mo, all the guest rooms in the inn are full, and I didn't reserve a room. Could you stay here tonight, if that's alright?"

Naturally, it was more than alright; Mo Jiao hadn't planned on finding another place to stay. When he was smaller, he always shared a room with Zhong Yixiao, so he readily nodded.

"Okay, it's getting late, do you want to go to sleep?"

Zhong Yixiao said, "I'm not sleepy yet, would you keep me company for a while?"

Zhong Yixiao seemed particularly concerned about little Jiaojiao's condition. As soon as they sat down, he began asking about Jiaojiao, his expression revealing his worry and urgency.

Mo Jiao had no choice but to lie, saying, "He's been quite unwell recently, but if there's a chance, I'll bring him to see you."

Thinking Zhong Yixiao missed the child, he smiled upon hearing this, seemingly relieved, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Mo Jiao, lips curling into a light smile, "Really? Once he's stable, can we take him back to Idle Cloud Manor with us?"

Though it was an impossible scenario, seeing Zhong Yixiao's mood wasn't great today, Mo Jiao unusually softened and indulged him.

"We can, let's wait until he's a bit better."

"How much longer do we have to wait?"

There was obvious disappointment in Zhong Yixiao's voice.

Mo Jiao couldn't say for sure; after this trip, he'd either return alive with his adult body restored.

If he didn't succeed, he might not return at all.

Yet, there was another possibility: if he failed to obtain the Qilin Artefact, he might come back to see Zhong Yixiao.

Mo Jiao disliked making empty promises and didn't want to give Zhong Yixiao false hope, so he said, "I don't know."

Zhong Yixiao frowned at him, his eyes showing struggle. He seemed about to speak but then hesitated, looking troubled.

"Too much has happened recently; I want to return to Idle Cloud Manor soon."

Mo Jiao paused, then placed his hand over Zhong Yixiao's, comforting, "Once you're done here, let's go back. If you want to see Jiaojiao, I'll take you to him when I return?"

"Can I really see him again?"

Zhong Yixiao's clear eyes fixed on him, his brows furrowed, mixing many complex emotions, and his guard towards him noticeably increased.

By now, if Mo Jiao couldn't sense something was amiss, he'd be a fool. He didn't know what had happened to Zhong Yixiao; he had only gone out for a while, and upon returning, Zhong Yixiao was acting this way, incessantly asking about Jiaojiao.

Before Mo Jiao could figure it out, he suddenly felt a numbness in his arm, as if a thread was pulling through a complex web of meridians, causing his limbs and joints to instantly ache and soften, reminiscent of the familiar pain that flared up with each gu poison outbreak.

He found it unbelievable, having taken the medicine just a few hours ago, without using any internal energy, let alone doing anything untoward.

He hadn't done anything, yet he was facing the imminent signs of shrinking.

Mo Jiao quickly thought of something... could it be the calming incense given by Fang Qingyan?

But he had extinguished it shortly after entering, and besides that, he couldn't think of anything suspicious, though he knew he had to leave immediately, or the consequences would be dire.

Yet, as he tried to stand, his legs suddenly gave way, forcing him to lean on the table to barely stay upright.

Seeing him turn pale, Zhong Yixiao hurriedly stood up to support him, his eyes wide with panic, filled with disbelief.

"What... what's wrong with you?"