Chapter 261: Here

Chapter 261 I'm Here

The prescription was handed to Xie Shu, who raised his brows slightly. "Must it be this way?"

Wu Buke wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "The Immortal Lord's injuries are too severe. Both internal nourishment and external treatment are indispensable. The spring in the back mountain is a healing spiritual spring. If I add some medicinal herbs and supplements, it might help alleviate his condition somewhat."

Xie Shu nodded. "Then make the preparations."

With Song Xiaoyu's plot approaching, Xiao Wu's body couldn't afford any mishaps.

By the time the moon dipped westward, Wu Buke reported that everything was ready. Xie Shu stood up and walked into the bedroom, lightly touching Xiao Wu's cheek.

The ill are often drowsy, barely conscious for a few hours a day. Xie Shu drew him out from under the blankets. "Immortal Lord?"

The warmth of the bedding made Xiao Wu frown when Xie Shu's cold fingertips brushed against him, rousing him from sleep. The faint scent of sandalwood rose from the Boshan incense burner in the hall, and in his daze, he remembered where he was and who was beside him.

The body under Xie Shu’s touch stiffened slightly.

Xie Shu paid it no mind, assuming the Immortal Lord just wasn’t accustomed to closeness. Supporting Xiao Wu’s back, he helped him sit up. "Your condition shows no sign of improving. I’ve asked my friends to take a look. There’s a spiritual spring in the back mountain of Wuwang Palace that might help ease your pain. Let me take you there."

"..."

Xiao Wu turned his head away, avoiding the touch. "No need to trouble yourself."

Xie Shu replied patiently, "It’s really no trouble. It will benefit your health, Immortal Lord. Please come."

"..."

Odd.

If Xie Chunshan had acted with the authority of the Palace Lord, Xiao Wu would have maintained his cold, dignified demeanor as an Immortal Lord. If Xie Chunshan had resorted to torture, Xiao Wu would have endured it. But now, Xie Chunshan was acting as the Pharmacist, speaking gently and tending to him—how was he supposed to respond?

Xiao Wu didn’t know.

During the silence, Xie Shu had already wrapped him in a fox-fur cloak and held out his hand, palm up. "Immortal Lord?"

Xiao Wu couldn’t walk on his own. Xie Shu was waiting for him to take his hand.

Lord Pingwu stayed silent.

Xie Shu asked again, "Immortal Lord?"

Given Xiao Wu’s nature and manners, he couldn’t just brush off someone speaking kindly—even if that person was Xie Chunshan.

So, after hesitating briefly, he reached out his hand.

Xie Shu took hold of it.

From the moment Wu Buke finished preparing the medicinal bath, Xue Sui had dismissed all the servants along the way. Only Xie Shu and Xiao Wu remained on the path.

The spiritual spring was located in a secluded part of Wuwang Palace’s back mountain. The Palace Lord had long surpassed the need for such springs for cultivation, so the place was half-forgotten, seldom used. There were no paved stone paths, only a narrow trail trodden through the bamboo forest—twisting and hard to navigate.

Xiao Wu, still unwell, could barely manage a few steps in the courtyard. Halfway through the journey, his legs ached and gave out.

Gritting his teeth, he assumed this was just another of the Palace Lord’s cruel whims and wouldn’t ask Xie Chunshan for help.

It was Xie Shu who noticed the problem first.

He stopped. "Immortal Lord, can you not walk any further? Should I carry you?"

Here is the improved translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

As heaven is my witness, Xie Shu genuinely saw nothing unusual about it. Back in his previous life, when he'd been in intensive care, hadn't he been carried around just the same? It was simply part of patient care.

Yet Xiao Wu's grip on his hand abruptly tightened, and he turned sharply, his narrow elegant eyes widening in shock and disbelief—even though his pupils were clouded with cataracts, Xie Shu could still read the emotions clearly.

Xie Shu said, "I meant nothing by it. At our current pace, we won't reach the healing spring until tomorrow morning."

He gestured vaguely. In his past life, carrying Xiao Wu might have strained Master Xie, but with Xie Chunshan's cultivation, lifting Xiao Wu would be as easy as holding a kitten.

Xiao Wu said hastily, "No need."

He brushed off Xie Shu's hand as if terrified of being picked up, taking two rushed steps forward without checking direction—only to be pulled back by a firm grip on his shoulder.

That light touch set off Lord Pingwu. Xiao Wu raised his voice, uncharacteristically agitated: "No need!"

"...Fine, no need it is. But why the urgency, Immortal Lord?" Xie Shu raised an eyebrow, genuinely baffled by Xiao Wu's panic. It had been a casual remark—if Xiao Wu refused, was Xie Shu going to force it? It even made him question his own understanding of Xiao Wu's character. Wasn't the man supposed to be composed and unflappable, unfazed even if Mount Tai crumbled before him?

Xiao Wu remained silent.

Xie Shu steered him right. "Immortal Lord, you're going the wrong way. It's this side."

"......"

Xiao Wu marched ahead wordlessly.

Given the rare display of determination from the patient, Xie Shu didn't stop him. But when Xiao Wu stumbled over rocks for the third time, he extended a hand helplessly. "Alright, Immortal Lord. You can't see—better follow me."

"......"

It felt more like dealing with a stubborn child.

After half an hour, the sound of flowing mountain springs reached them. The temperature rose gradually, carrying a faint medicinal fragrance.

Xie Shu removed Xiao Wu's fox fur cloak and hung it on a tree. "We're here, Immortal Lord. This is the place."

The former Palace Lord had adored hot springs, especially when shared with his beautiful wives and concubines. The spring's edge was lined with agate, with three tiers of steps arranged like crabapple blossom petals. Medicinal herbs simmered in the water, turning it a rich amber.

The moment the cloak was taken away, Xiao Wu's skin broke out in gooseflesh.

Though blind, he knew soaking required undressing.

But undressing before Xie Chunshan?

His fingers dug into his palms, nearly tearing his inner robe. Had Xie Chunshan gone to such lengths just for this?

Yet given Lord Wuwang's status and his predicament, if Xie Chunshan wanted something, why scheme? He could have bound him in the Abyss Water Prison—what resistance could Xiao Wu offer, with three thousand of his disciples at stake?

His voice emerged stiffly: "Now that we're here, may the pharmacist leave me?"

Xie Shu: "Not now."

Xiao Wu tensed, fingers piercing his palms. He nearly spat out scathing remarks—Is this demonic sect hospitality? Why the pretense, Palace Lord Xie? If you want this ruined body, take it—but Xie Shu added, "There are steps into the spring. The moss is slippery. Without support, you'll fall."

"......"

All sharp words choked back, Xiao Wu managed stiffly, "Is...is that so?"

Xie Shu: "Yes. And if you split your head open, I'll have to carry you back." He sighed. Xiao Wu was kind and gentle to Song Xiaoyu but all icy disdain toward the pharmacist. Was this the immutable divide between righteous and demonic paths?

Here's the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

This fit perfectly with the character he'd created for Xiao Wu.

Though Lord Pingwu wasn't being very friendly, it was a persona he'd chosen himself, and considering Xiao Wu was a patient, Xie Shu didn't have the heart to get angry.

So he shook out a jet-black silk cloth from his sleeve, wrapped it around his eyes, and sighed, "Just touch it and you'll see."

...What?

Before Xiao Wu knew what was happening, Xie Chunshan took his hand and placed it against his own eyelashes.

His fingers twitched slightly, and through the thin fabric covering his face, he felt Xie Chunshan's handsome, straight nose.

Xie Chunshan was the name Xie Shu had used during the game's beta testing, and his face was modeled after his own—high, defined brow ridges over deep-set eyes, yet with unusually long lashes. As if tickled, Xie Chunshan's eyes flickered slightly, the faint tremor of his lashes brushing against Xiao Wu's fingertips, leaving a tingling sensation that completely threw Lord Pingwu off balance.

Was Xie Chunshan really just bringing him here for a medicinal bath?

Xie Shu said, "Immortal Lord, please undress. I'll help you down."

"......"

After a long pause, Xiao Wu finally whispered, "Alright."

Xie Shu assisted Xiao Wu into the hot spring. Though he'd been through the cutthroat world of business for years and was no saint, he still disdained the idea of peeping. He immediately backed way off and found a stone bench to sit on.

Xiao Wu found a step to sit on, the water rising past his shoulders. Wuwang Palace was, after all, a sacred site where spiritual energy gathered from across the land—otherwise, the previous Palace Lords wouldn't have chosen this location. The spiritual spring behind the main hall was something truly special, and paired with Wu Buke's carefully brewed remedies, the warm spiritual energy seeped into his meridians, soothing both old ailments and the lingering pain of severed meridians.

The mountains were completely silent, save for the murmuring of the spring.

Leaning against the stone steps, Xiao Wu's body became heavier and heavier in the warmth, until he grew drowsy.

But suddenly, he heard something.

With his vision gone, his hearing became sharper. The bamboo grove's floor was thick with fallen leaves, now rustling as if something was treading upon them. The sound of bamboo leaves merged into a continuous whisper, growing closer and closer—heading straight for him.

Was it... someone else?

Xiao Wu tensed slightly.

Around Xie Chunshan, he couldn't help but assume the worst.

He'd heard of the orgies with wine and bodies among demonic cultivators. They indulged in lust, and when those in power took a fancy, groups of people—sometimes dozens—would join in. Now, sitting naked in the spring, he'd be completely vulnerable if anyone approached.

Even someone as clear-minded as Lord Pingwu couldn't help but feel a wave of panic.

Blind and unable to assess his surroundings, stripped of clothing and security, he felt like a newborn baby. The spring was deep, and with no one nearby, the sounds around him seemed to rise and fall from all directions, impossible to pinpoint. He pressed his hands against the steps, his back against the pool wall, straining to listen for movement ahead.

During an outing, the winding paths of the wilderness might seem charmingly secluded, but when the source of sounds became indiscernible, it turned deeply unsettling.

Was it a person... or something else?

Many demonic cultivators kept beasts, insects, or snakes. Wu Buke, for instance, loved raising snakes and scorpions, while other elders in Wuwang Palace kept toads and flying insects. Xiao Wu couldn't help but wonder—was this one of Xie Chunshan's methods?

Breath caught in his throat, he listened as the footsteps reached the edge of the pool. His brow furrowed deeper. Before coming to Wuwang Palace, Xiao Wu had prepared himself for anything. Even if Xie Chunshan threw him into a pit of snakes, death would be the worst outcome—Lord Pingwu wouldn't bat an eye. But being kept in the palace, fed fine food and medicine, surrounded by warm braziers and swaddled in thick brocade quilts, had made him softer than he'd like to admit.

Besides, Xie Chunshan's attitude these past two days had worn down Xiao Wu's resistance.

Biting his lip, he finally broke the silence with a hesitant voice: "Pharmacist." He kept his voice steady, but it came out tight: "Pharmacist?"

There was no response.

Asking Xie Chunshan for help was unexpected enough. Xiao Wu's body tensed up, his collarbones and jawline forming an elegant curve. He stiffened his neck slightly, flooded with embarrassment and shame, tinged with confusion and helplessness.

Was Xie Chunshan still here?

Were these people, or things, brought here by him?

Was this a punishment?

Did he leave me here?

Xiao Wu shut his eyes tightly, his voice on the verge of cracking: "...Pharmacist?"

"Mm." From a distance, Xie Shu stood up. "I'm here. What's wrong?"

His tone remained gentle and calm.

Somehow, Xiao Wu suddenly relaxed.

Author's Note:

Xiao Wu is one wary Immortal Lord.