Chapter 024: Lickspittle x Scoundrel x Saintly Syndrome (6)

Chapter 024: Lickspittle x Scoundrel x Saintly Syndrome (6)

The Longevity Sect had no objections to the affection between men. Everyone in the sect blessed Si Jinghua and Rong Zijin, jokingly asking when they would bring another joyous occasion.

Rong Zijin was gentle and considerate, willing to indulge Si Jinghua's possessiveness. Soon, they lived together, their days filled with harmonious music and intimate closeness.

The disciples dared not disturb them and stayed out of their way.

Everything seemed peaceful until villagers from the mountain brought a young male courtesan to their door.

"Judge this! Judge this!"

The butcher held up a jade pendant and roughly pounded on the mountain gate. "Clearly, it was your mountain monkeys who sold me this item. I thought it was valuable and took it to the pawnshop, but this courtesan insists it belongs to him!"

The guard refused to open the gate, speaking through a peephole. "Such trivial matters should be settled among neighbors. Why come to our Longevity Sect?"

"Are you blind?" The sharp-tongued courtesan pushed past the butcher and said, "Look closely; the name inscribed on this jade is your Master Si Jinghua, the Venerable Sunworshipper!"

Hearing the master's name, the guard immediately took it seriously, allowing the villagers into the hall for rest and sending someone to urgently report the matter.

How did the Venerable Sunworshipper's jade end up with the butcher, and why was the courtesan claiming it?

When the news reached Luoyuyuan, Rong Zijin was playing the zither, while Si Jinghua lounged beside him sipping tea.

The eldest disciple, Sheng Jun, rushed over, his voice filled with anger. "There are such insolent villagers trying to tarnish my master's reputation!"

Si Jinghua frowned. "What object do they have?"

"A sky-blue floral carved jade pendant," Sheng Jun said. "I went to check, and it indeed bears the inscription 'Venerable Sunworshipper.'"

"It must have been during the wild boar invasion a few days ago," Sheng Jun continued. "Those monkeys must have taken the master's valuables in the chaos!"

"What monkeys," Si Jinghua said coldly. "It was clearly Xiao Baiqiong who incited those beasts and then pretended to know nothing about it afterward!"

"Jinghua!" Rong Zijin's face showed displeasure. "My disciple may be mischievous, but he never lies or steals, nor would he deliberately take your belongings."

"On that day when your house was half-destroyed, we all asked if anything was missing."

"You said it didn't matter, but now that something has happened, let us handle it. Don't blame Baiqiong anymore!"

Every time Si Jinghua heard him mention that troublesome disciple, he felt particularly uneasy.

Due to the courtesan incident, he felt guilty and refrained from further outbursts.

News of the commotion attracted many elders from the sect to judge the situation.

Keding arrived early at the courtyard used for gatherings, finding a good seat to watch the drama unfold.

"I've never heard of this courtesan before."

The system was searching for information, saying, "Si Jinghua leaves his mark everywhere, accumulating a harem later on, each story more scandalous than the last."

"Could it be that he's been causing trouble all along, and these monkeys just exposed it?"

Keding grabbed a handful of five-spice sunflower seeds and quietly started munching.

"I get it, I get it, this is a win by default."

The elders and clan leaders arrived, and Rong Zijin and Si Jinghua appeared simultaneously, signaling the disciples to invite the villagers in for a discussion.

Rong Zijin spoke calmly, calling it a misunderstanding that needed to be resolved.

Si Jinghua remained silent, his face darkened, clearly upset by the slander.

The butcher, fearing intimidation in an unfamiliar environment, brought several companions for support, tightly holding the jade pendant for everyone to see.

Those in the front row recognized the lingering spiritual energy and identified it as Si Jinghua's.

"It's his, no doubt."

"This is a fine sky-blue jade, seemingly bestowed by the patriarch. How did it end up in your possession?"

"Esteemed masters, I am a legitimate businessman," the butcher said loudly, bowing. "The monkeys on the mountain brought down many items recently, trading clothes and trinkets for meat."

"I saw one monkey wearing this jade pendant and traded half a pound of seasoned pork for it."

Rong Zijin, concerned about his disciple, asked, "Was it a brown-haired monkey or a golden-haired spirit monkey?"

The butcher replied without hesitation, "Of course, it was a stinky mixed-fur monkey! Are there golden monkeys in this world?"

Rong Zijin breathed a sigh of relief, turning to look at Si Jinghua meaningfully.

I told you it wasn't Qiong Qiong. He wouldn't do such a thing.

Si Jinghua did not notice his gaze, instead staring anxiously at the courtesan.

The courtesan looked somewhat delicate, but the light makeup added a touch of seductive charm, giving his gaze a certain worldly allure.

Rong Zijin sensed something and began to feel uneasy.

Could it be... Could it be that you've really met him?

The butcher pointed angrily, "I made a fair trade and took the jade to the pawnshop."

"Then this courtesan saw it and insisted it belonged to him. I'm illiterate and don't recognize the characters. Please judge this!"

One of the elders spoke up, "Courtesan, what do you have to say?"

The courtesan circled the butcher, not trying to snatch the jade but instead wrapped his arm around Si Jinghua, cooing, "Long time no see, I've missed you so much!"

Si Jinghua recoiled as if scalded and shook Keding off. When he looked back at Rong Zijin, her face had turned deathly pale.

"Stop spouting nonsense! I've never seen you before!"

"Never seen me?" The young man twirled a lock of his hair and said, "Then I suppose you've never slept with me, or my brother, or even my younger brother?"

"Who in the Burning Green Pavilion doesn't know Master Si?" He laughed. "This butcher is ungrateful; I retrieved this jade for Master, and not only did I get no reward, but now you're trying to disown me?"

The crowd erupted into a commotion, and some began whispering among themselves.

"No wonder he's plagued by misfortune; even the birds in the sky chase him to peck at him. It must be karma for being so promiscuous."

"Yes, why would that venomous spider bite him and no one else? Why only him?"

"A courtesan might lie, but surely all the boys in the Burning Green Pavilion can't be lying together!"

"Ugh, I wouldn't dare look twice at that place!"

Rong Zijin felt as though she were being pierced by needles under those gazes. She dragged Xiao Baiqiong away and fled from this place of right and wrong.

Before they reached the gate, tears were already streaming down her face, which she hastily wiped away with her sleeve.

Xiao Baiqiong was dragged away halfway through the spectacle by his master.

"Master?"

"How could he be so heartless? He deceived me, saying he loved me deeply, yet he dallied with others!" Rong Zijin sobbed. "I cared for him day and night while he was ill, never knowing who he truly cared for!"

The system suddenly perked up: "It connects! The plot connects!"

"Every time that scoundrel hurt his heart, he would come to the supporting character to lick his wounds, then continue to throw himself at him. Your situation is exactly the same!"

Before Xiao Baiqiong could speak, Si Jinghua and Feng Qinqin rushed over.

At this point, Si Jinghua didn't care about the jade pendant anymore. He paid off the butcher and dismissed the young man, then hurried over to explain.

Feng Qinqin feared her master would be deceived again by this smooth-talking rogue and rushed over as well.

"Stay away from my master! Don't break his heart again!"

Si Jinghua reached out to hold Rong Zijin's hand and raised his voice. "Listen to me!"

"I admit I once lingered in brothels, but it was because I was cursed with misfortune since childhood and was called a disaster star!"

"Zijin, you grew up safe and sound, without a care in the world. But I suffered from illness since childhood, and my cultivation far lags behind yours. Have you ever considered my feelings?"

Once his thoughts flowed, Si Jinghua's gaze became more pained, and his words grew more urgent.

"Whenever you laughed carefree, have you ever thought about me, living like a rat in the gutter, unsure how long I'd live?"

"I was suppressed! I was in pain! No one understood my struggles!"

His impassioned speech left both Rong Zijin and Feng Qinqin stunned.

Keding whispered, "Wow, he's CPU-ing Master!"

System: "Such advanced ABC techniques; I give it a perfect ten."

Rong Zijin took a step back, her voice hoarse. "It's my fault... I didn't notice your suffering."

"But if you say you love me, why did you still indulge with others?" She said, her eyes red. "Not just once, not just one person..."

Si Jinghua took a deep breath, ready to throw caution to the wind.

Yes, I'm a rotten person, unworthy of anyone's love. If that's the case, let's part ways!

How many people had abandoned and toyed with him besides Rong Zijin?

Before Si Jinghua could speak, Xiao Baiqiong suddenly shouted, "So what! It's all in the past!"

"What Master fears most now is that you'll abandon him, do you understand!"

"Love requires courage to face rumors and gossip. As long as you show him a little affirmation, his love will have meaning!"

Feng Qinqin looked thunderstruck, but Rong Zijin seemed enlightened and nodded through her tears.

"Ding, defense value +10." The system buzzed. "What's going on here? Now he's breaking down instead?"

Si Jinghua was suddenly interrupted, and his mind went blank.

He was supposed to cut ties with Rong Zijin completely!

He had always found a secret pleasure in being abandoned and betrayed, but now it had stopped abruptly, distorting his expression.

"Baiqiong is right," Rong Zijin gripped Si Jinghua's hand tightly. "Let's forget the past. As long as you still love me and want to walk this path with me!"

Feng Qinqin grabbed her hair. "Master, please come to your senses! Aren't you afraid he has venereal diseases?"

"We're destined not to be together," Si Jinghua slowly closed his eyes. "Zijin, I am cursed with misfortune and am weak. I don't deserve you."

"Zijin, find someone better. Let's part ways!"

Feng Qinqin pinched Xiao Baiqiong hard, urging him to stay silent so her master could part ways with this scoundrel peacefully.

Xiao Baiqiong immediately spoke up: "No! You're not just worthy of him; you're incredibly worthy of him!"

"Uncle Si, you are a reincarnation of the Imperial Star, destined to quickly reincarnate and ascend to the throne!"

Si Jinghua froze. "How do you know?"

"You are not an ill-omened star; you are very noble!" Xiao Baiqiong shone upon this dark spirit like the sun: "In the future, you will be above all others, robed in dragon attire, who could live better than you in this world!"

Enough! Enough! Stop blessing me!

Si Jinghua was desperately trying to corner himself with self-destructive thoughts, only for Xiao Baiqiong to drag him back into the bright sunlight by his heels, almost driving him mad.

"I don't believe it, I don't want to hear it, stop talking!!"

He screamed in pain, leaped onto a cloud, and swiftly fled the scene.

"Ding, fifteen points of defense broken, total sixty-two!"

The system said, "I didn't quite understand. Could you explain it to me?"

"Masochists are like this," Keding said. "The more they feel abandoned, the more they think it's their fate, and they enjoy it immensely."

"So..."

"So we need to warm him like a spring breeze! Melt him like the sun! Water him like a spring!"

"Keding Spring, take care of the one next to you first." The system said, "Rong Zijin is about to cry herself silly."