Chapter 289: Extra: If Xie Shu Travels to Xiao Wu’s Childhood

Chapter 289 Extra: If Xie Shu Traveled Back to Xiao Wu's Childhood

When Lord Wuwang visited the Shangling Sect, Xiao Wu was serving his punishment.

The back mountain of the Shangling Sect had a cliff known as the Penance Cliff. The temperature below was chilly, with ancient trees blocking out the sunlight. Xiao Wu had messed up his cultivation practice and was punished with fasting and no water, standing motionless before the cliff.

Daoist Cangshan never set a fixed duration for punishments—it lasted until the disciple remembered their lesson or he was satisfied. Xiao Wu had no idea how long he had been staring at the empty cliff face. Lightheaded and on the verge of collapse, he still forced himself to maintain clarity of mind, waiting for the word of pardon.

Then, a sword qi split the sky, heading straight for the main hall of the Shangling Sect.

It was a pitch-black sword qi, ink-black, unlike any from the sect’s elders. In an instant, the earth shook, and the clouds for miles split apart. It was the sharpest, most domineering sword qi Xiao Wu had ever seen in his life.

A man in wide-sleeved black robes stood atop the sword, his demeanor elegant and his looks unmatched—another sight Xiao Wu had never encountered before.

Behind him, the supervising senior disciples whispered among themselves, saying the man was the Demon Sect Sovereign Xie Chunshan, a once-in-a-century genius of the Demon Palace who had become a palace lord at a young age—not someone to mess with.

They also said he had a volatile temper, his nature sinister and ruthless. If someone so much as glanced at him on the road, he would gouge out their eyes. He supposedly ate children and cultivated forbidden, cruel arts.

In short, he was not a good man.

Xiao Wu only half-heard before ignoring them.

Having fasted without water for so long, and being a young, novice cultivator, his stamina had long reached its limit. He was about to slump against the cliff. Compared to the distant Lord Wuwang, he had to finish his punishment first.

But before long, a young man in inner disciple robes flew in on his sword, stopping before Xiao Wu in a hurry. "Junior Brother!"

Xiao Wu looked up—it was his senior brother, Xiao Xu.

He licked his cracked lips. "Senior Brother, what is it?"

Xiao Xu said, "Come with me, Junior Brother. Master is summoning you by name."

Xiao Wu pursed his lips.

When Daoist Cangshan ended a punishment, he usually just sent a disciple to inform them. There was no need for a direct summons—this couldn’t be good.

Xiao Wu had only recently entered the immortal sect. Still young and not yet able to abstain from food, he was small and barely managed Sword Control, so he had to stand on Xiao Xu’s sword.

He looked up at Xiao Xu. "Senior Brother, why has Master summoned me?"

Xiao Xu didn’t answer, but his downcast eyes held a hint of pity.

Xiao Wu fell silent.

They arrived at the main peak of the Shangling Sect, where Xiao Wu realized that, aside from Daoist Cangshan in the main seat, there was another person in the guest seat. The man lounged lazily in a high-backed chair, a bamboo fan in his left hand and a teacup in his right, sipping leisurely.

When he noticed Xiao Wu, he waved his fan from afar, his brows relaxing into a faint, knowing smile.

Xiao Wu averted his gaze and bowed properly. "Master."

As he moved to kneel, a gentle force lifted him before his knees touched the ground. Xiao Wu looked up—the Demon Sect Sovereign was watching him with a smile, slowly shaking his head.

Lowering his eyes, Xiao Wu dared not look again.

Then, Daoist Cangshan pointed at Xie Shu and said, "Xiao Wu, from today onward, you will follow Palace Lord Xie."

Xiao Wu’s head jerked up.

His eyes were filled with disbelief as he stared fixedly at Daoist Cangshan, his voice trembling slightly, "...Shifu?"

Despite Xiao Wu's young age, he had heard of the infamy of the demonic sects—a place that chewed people up and spat nothing out. Righteous Path cultivators who fell into their hands would either be turned into puppets or made into cultivation cauldrons or human test subjects. In short, a living hell.

Daoist Cangshan glanced at him indifferently, "Palace Lord Xie has demanded you by name. You will go with him. Be obedient from now on and strive to please Palace Lord Xie."

Xiao Wu felt a chill seep into his bones. Stiffly, he bowed, "...Yes."

At this, Xie Chunshan stood up and walked toward him.

Xiao Wu instinctively took a step back but then forced himself and stepped forward, bowing obediently, "Palace Lord Xie."

Xie Shu: "My name is Chunshan. Just call me Chunshan, Immortal Lord. Come with me."

He walked ahead to the open space by the door, called forth his sword, Abyss, and then extended a hand to the Little Immortal Lord behind him, "Come with me."

Xiao Wu lowered his gaze, "I wouldn't want to trouble you."

He obediently stepped onto the sword.

Xie Shu let out a quiet laugh.

This was the second day since his return.

It happened that one day, after training in their cultivation arts with Xiao Wu, Xie Shu had contentedly washed his lover, pulled him close, and fallen asleep—only to wake up many years in the past.

The timeline of this world seemed slightly different from theirs. Xie Shu was nearly twenty years older than Xiao Wu here. He had already risen to the top of the demonic sects, becoming the Lord Wuwang, while Xiao Wu was still a child.

A sweet, jade-skinned, adorable little thing, yet pretending to be solemn, like a little prig.

But it didn’t matter. In the Previous Dynasty, when Xiao Wu first arrived at Wuwang Palace, he had also been rigid. Some spoiling would loosen him up.

Xie Shu softened his voice, "Hold on tight. I’m going to use Sword Control now, alright?"

Xiao Wu replied seriously, "Mm."

Xie Shu then lifted the sword into the air.

He flew steadily, even putting up a wind barrier over Xiao Wu. There shouldn’t have been any mishaps. Worried that Xiao Wu might panic if touched, he kept a distance of a hand’s width apart, letting the boy stand on the sword alone.

There truly shouldn’t have been any mishaps.

But Xiao Wu had just endured punishment, hanging by a thread. He felt sick, dizzy, and muddled—until his legs gave way, and he nearly fallen from the sword.

Only to be caught by an outstretched hand.

Xie Shu halted the sword and steadied him, "What’s wrong?"

Xiao Wu merely shook his head.

His head spun, yet he forced himself to stay tense, bowing stiffly, "My apologies for offending the Palace Lord."

His voice was soft, but his tone was stiffly polite.

Xie Shu: "There’s nothing to apologize for."

As he spoke, he eyed the space between them, then suddenly reached out and scooped Xiao Wu up.

Xiao Wu: "!"

He instinctively struggled: "Palace Lord, wait—!"

Xie Shu softened his voice: "Don’t struggle, you can barely stand. Let me carry you back."

At this time, the Little Immortal Lord was a tiny bundle, pale and doll-like, utterly adorable. Xie Shu cradled him in his arms, patting his back soothingly.

Xiao Wu went rigid.

The flying sword resumed its course.

Xie Shu asked gently, "Are you cold?"

At this altitude, the air was bitingly cold. Xiao Wu's cultivation was still weak, too weak to resist the cold.

Xiao Wu reflexively shook his head, but after a moment, he let out a tiny sneeze.

Xie Shu sighed. "No need to tough it out now."

As he spoke, he retrieved a cloak from his storage pouch—soft fox fur—unfurled it, and wrapped Xiao Wu snugly inside.

The cloak was Xie Shu's size, more than enough to envelop Xiao Wu completely. His face half-buried in the fur as Xie Shu held him securely.

"..."

Perhaps it was Xie Shu’s gentle voice that eased his guard, or perhaps the cloak was simply too warm. After his long penitence, exhausted and drowsy, Xiao Wu, bundled up and listening to Xie Shu's steady heartbeat, closed his eyes and fell asleep.

He slept through being carried into the main hall of Wuwang Palace and tucked into bed.

The bed in Wuwang Palace was huge and soft, the room scented with sleep-inducing sandalwood. Xiao Wu slept until dusk before gradually stirring awake.

Dazed, he blinked, noticed the gold-embroidered drapes, and slowly remembered he was in Wuwang Palace.

Xie Shu sat at a table not far away. Seeing him awake, he smiled. "Little Immortal, time to eat."

Xiao Wu hurriedly got out of bed, bowed stiffly with utmost seriousness. "Palace Lord, Wu is still in repentance."

The sight of such a tiny figure performing such a rigid gesture was strangely charming. Xie Shu waved his fan lazily. "That’s Shangling Sect’s rule. Here in Wuwang Palace, there’s no repentance. Come try the fish."

"..."

Xiao Wu pursed his lips and moved to the table.

Xie Shu had specially set up a high stool for him.

The stool was too high—climbing up would’ve been undignified. After hesitating for a long while, Xiao Wu suddenly felt himself lifted into the air again.

"!"

Light as a kitten, Xie Shu lifted him effortlessly, placing him on the stool before handing him a bowl and chopsticks. "Try it. The fish is just for you."

Xiao Wu clutched the chopsticks, frozen.

He stared blankly at the feast—richly glazed ribs, fish in thick sauce. He hesitated, overwhelmed.

Xiao Wu: "...For me to eat?"

Xie Shu: "Who else?"

He studied Xiao Wu. "Can you use chopsticks? Need a spoon instead? I have one here. Or should I feed you?"

Xiao Wu rubbed the hem of his robe with his fingertips: "...I can... but no, thank you."

He might as well have been treated like a clueless child.

With careful restraint, he extended his chopsticks, picked up a small piece of fish, and put it in his mouth. His eyes brightened—he clearly liked it—but after one bite, he hesitated to take another.

The Shangling Sect forbade taking a third serving of any dish.

Xie Shu sighed and simply placed the plate right in front of him. "Eat. It’s all yours. We don’t stand on such formalities here. Just enjoy it."

Xiao Wu stayed frozen.

He stole a wary glance at Xie Chunshan, as if assessing whether those words were sarcastic. Only when Xie Shu looked away and took a casual sip of wine did Xiao Wu glance at him and swiftly pick up his chopsticks again.

No reaction.

He tried another bite.

Still no reaction.

He let out a quiet sigh of relief and began eating in earnest.

After dinner, back in Shangling Sect, this would’ve been meditation time. Unsure of Wuwang Palace’s ways or whether Xie Shu intended to test medicine on him or something else, Xiao Wu stood to the side, waiting for further instructions. Instead, Xie Shu dragged a chair into the courtyard and flopped into it like a boneless heap.

It was a rocking chair. A soft night breeze whispered through as Xie Shu lounged bonelessly in it.

Xiao Wu stayed rooted in place, wary.

Soon enough, a few attendants scurried over, bringing a food box and another small rocking chair. The small chair was placed beside Xie Shu, and the food box was set on the central table.

Xie Shu: "Little Immortal Lord, fancy some moonbathing?"

"..."

Xiao Wu had no idea what "moonbathing" meant, but since it was the Palace Lord’s order—and if he wanted to survive in the Demon Palace, it was best to obey—he perched stiffly on the chair, back rigid.

Xie Shu gave the chair a push, and Xiao Wu’s stiff posture collapsed.

He tumbled into the chair, rocking wildly. Just as Xiao Wu tensed up, Xie Shu asked, "Fun, huh?"

Xiao Wu: "...?"

Xie Shu: "Loosen up. You’re wound tighter than a bowstring. Try leaning back?"

Confused but obedient, Xiao Wu did as told.

The chair rocked again.

Xiao Wu was just a kid—playfulness was second nature. As the chair rocked, a real smile crept onto his face.