Chapter 382: If: Xiao Wu Travels to When the Game Just Launched 4

Chapter 382 if: Xiao Wu Travels to the Game's Early Days 4

In the office, CEO Xie and the mysterious golden canary were in a silent showdown.

Xiao Wu’s gaze was cold as he jerked his chin toward the door. "Are you coming with me or not?"

Xie Shu: "..."

—This is coercion, right? This has to be coercion!

His eye twitched as he struggled to maintain his CEO composure. "Sir, I must remind you, I am the CEO of this company. There are security guards downstairs."

Xiao Wu tilted his head slightly. "I know. There’s one in this building, three at reception. So? Are you coming with me or not?"

All of them combined wouldn’t stand a chance against a single strike from him.

Xie Shu: "..."

A vein pulsed visibly on his forehead. "What if I refuse?"

Xiao Wu: "Then I’ll take you back by force."

As he spoke, he actually reached out to grab Xie Shu’s wrist. The hapless man, a fully grown adult over six feet tall, had no strength to resist, stumbling along as he was hauled out of his workstation and nearly into the hallway.

Xie Shu massaged his temples exasperatedly. "Stop, stop, stop! I’ll walk on my own."

If the company’s CEO were publicly dragged away by a mysterious, beautiful young man, who knew what kind of rumors would spread tomorrow.

Xiao Wu loosened his grip but didn’t let go, still holding Xie Shu’s wrist warily, as if afraid he might run.

—Xie Chunshan always had too many tricks up his sleeve, and Xiao Wu had been fooled too many times before.

He pulled Xie Shu along as they walked out.

Along the way, they passed offices, the break room, and scattered cubicles. Executives, assistants, and employees all looked up in unison, stealing covert glances at the entangled CEO and the unknown young man. They exchanged meaningful looks before lowering their heads again, making busywork motions, resuming their work.

Xie Shu was manhandled all the way to the parking lot and shoved into the company car.

—Xie Shu was in the driver’s seat, while Xiao Wu turned and took the passenger seat.

Xie Shu barked a humorless laugh.

White-knuckling the wheel, he said, "So you insist I go home, but I still have to drive?"

Xiao Wu leveled him with a look. "Never learned."

He thought to himself: If Xie Chunshan refused to cooperate, he could always use Sword Control to tie him up and carry him back.

Xie Shu: "."

With a sigh, he turned the ignition, started the car, and drove out of the garage.

As they passed the security gate, a woman suddenly ran toward them, calling out, "Xiao Shu, Xiao Shu," as if trying to stop the car. Xie Shu’s expression didn’t change as he floored it, leaving her behind.

Xiao Wu glanced in the rearview mirror. The woman chased the car for a few steps before finally giving up, stopping reluctantly.

Noticing his gaze, Xie Shu chuckled. "My mother. She’s here to shake me down for my brother. I’m not about to hand over a dime."

Driving the point home, he added, as if warning his would-be kept man, "I may have money, but I don’t just give it to anyone. Show me you're worth it. If you’re sincere, you’ll be taken care of."

Xiao Wu was silent for a moment, completely ignoring the implied meaning in his words, and only frowned as he asked, "Was she unkind to you?"

Xie Chunshan was deeply sentimental with a gentle nature. Even the palace’s lowliest servants were carefully protected by him. If he hadn’t been utterly heartbroken, he wouldn’t have acted this way.

Xie Shu: "......"

He replied evasively, "Not exactly well."

Xiao Wu pursed his lips slightly.

He had taken up Daoist cultivation as a boy, enrolling in the Shangling Sect, and had never met his parents. But he had read storybooks and heard his peers talk about missing their families. Whenever his master’s punishments grew unbearable, Xiao Wu would secretly fantasize that his parents were extraordinary immortals who would one day suddenly appear at the mountain gate, announcing they’d come to bring him home. His master wouldn’t dare stop them and would even bow respectfully as they left. Then, he would rush into his parents’ arms, leaving his hardships behind.

Even as he grew older and knew it was impossible, and his fantasies dwindled, the words "father" and "mother" stayed his heart’s last refuge—a place where he could curl up his younger self for comfort.

If Xie Chunshan’s parents were cruel, it must have cut deep.

So Xiao Wu suddenly said, "Well, my master didn’t treat me well either."

"The Shangling Sect’s mountains were bitterly cold, but training never paused for the seasons. Before I learned to use my cultivation to ward off the cold, I often got frostbite. Every winter, it would flare up—aching and maddeningly itchy."

Xiao Wu seldom vented or consoled others. By bringing this up, he hoped Xie Chunshan would feel a little better.

—*See? We both had rough childhoods, but it’s fine. You pulled me out, and I can try to pull you out too—if you’re willing.*

"......"

Xie Shu: "."

Xie Shu was at a loss. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and seriously considered whether he should make a detour to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.

His would-be golden canary was far too immersed in the role—his mind didn’t seem quite right.

Strangely, Xie Shu was exceptionally skilled at reading people’s emotions. Xiao Wu was being completely sincere, not a shred of acting. He genuinely wanted to comfort Xie Shu.

After a pause, Xie Shu said, "It’s all in the past. I stopped caring long ago. They’re nothing and no one worth remembering. Let’s go home and eat."

Xiao Wu hesitated before replying, "Alright."

Xie Chunshan claimed he didn’t care, but Xiao Wu felt otherwise. Every time that woman appeared, Xie Chunshan’s energy turned heavier. It was just that he kept his emotions tightly controlled, never letting them show on his face, which made him seem calm and composed.

Xiao Wu thought, *This isn’t good.*

Wisdom cuts deepest. Xie Shu’s health was already poor. If he brooded too much, letting melancholy fester in his heart, his health would give out—even if he didn’t overwork himself to exhaustion.

Xiao Wu thought, *I need to contact Wu Buke as soon as possible.*

Xie Shu’s assistant was efficient. That very night, ritual paper and cinnabar arrived for Xiao Wu. Without delay, he closed his bedroom door, inscribed the talismans, arranged them according to the formation, then sat in the center, weaving hand signs to ignite the formation.

Thus, Wu Buke—who had been in Yunzhou celebrating the death of the former Palace Lord and the disappearance of the Palace Lord’s wife—suddenly found himself plunged into endless darkness.

Swearing under his breath, he summoned his energy in alertness, only to see their Palace Lord’s wife holding a lantern in the center of the darkness, staring at him with icy indifference.

Wu Buke immediately dropped to his knees.

Xiao Wu had no patience for small talk. He simply said, "There’s a patient by my side—congenital deficiencies, issues with heart and lung function. I don’t have the necessary herbs. How can he be cured?"

"......"

Wu Buke’s face soured instantly.

Even though he was facing his direct superior, he nearly cursed out loud.

Xiao Wu was no doctor, and his description was vague—what exactly was wrong with the heart and lung functions? To what extent? When he said he had no medicinal herbs, did that mean none at all, or just some unusable ones? Without these details, how could Wu Buke possibly diagnose anything?

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, mentally cursing the Palace Lord’s wife ten thousand times before cautiously saying, "Immortal Lord, could you bring the person back to Wuwang Palace so this old bones can check his pulse? Without a pulse reading, it’s truly impossible to make a proper diagnosis."

Xiao Wu coldly refused, "No."

He hadn’t even found a way back himself, let alone bring Xie Chunshan along.

To prevent Wu Buke from realizing he was no longer in the cultivation world—leaving Wuwang Palace without its deterrent and allowing demonic cultivators to run rampant—Xiao Wu concealed the truth, only saying, "He's too high-ranking to meet you. Just tell me what methods exist and what I need to learn."

"..."

Wu Buke thought bitterly. *How exalted could he be?* Back then, hadn’t he been the one to take Xiao Wu’s pulse? Had the Palace Lord’s wife already taken a lover after the Palace Lord’s death, hiding some young mistress away where no one could touch her?

Wu Buke ventured another suggestion, "Could you guide him in cultivation? Once his cultivation reaches a certain level, illness would naturally cease to be a concern."

Xiao Wu replied, "His meridians are too narrow. He can’t cultivate in a short time."

He had already tested it—this life’s Xie Chunshan was born frail, constantly sick. Even with Xiao Wu guiding Qi into his body, it would take many years.

Given the shape he was in, he didn't have that kind of time.

Wu Buke: "..."

He took a deep breath, cursing everything he could in his mind, his mind working overtime, yet he kept his face carefully blank. Xiao Wu didn’t rush him, standing silently in place, his icy stare calmly fixed on him, as if to say that unless he came up with a solution, he wasn't going anywhere.

But throwing out random treatments was out of the question—if this noble figure suffered complications, Wu Buke would be screwed. After a long deliberation, he finally gritted his teeth and said, "Immortal Lord, there is indeed a method that could handle what you're dealing with. It’s just... well... it's kind of..."

Xiao Wu: "Speak freely."

Wu Buke: "There’s an Art here, its contents rather... unusual. It might help you."

Xiao Wu conjured paper and brush in his consciousness space. "Write."

Wu Buke hastily began writing.

He deliberately left out the raunchiest parts, but by the time he handed it over to Xiao Wu, he was sweating bullets.

Xiao Wu didn’t scrutinize it closely and asked another question, "Is there a method to relieve headaches?"

From his observations, Xie Chunshan often suffered from headaches, frequently rubbing his temples. But he concealed it so well that even his assistant hadn’t noticed.

For someone like Xie Chunshan, unless it was killing him, he would never show a thing.

Wu Buke let out a small sigh of relief. "That’s not too difficult. I can teach the Immortal Lord two energy-flow massage methods to alleviate it somewhat. However, it can only ease the pain, not cure it. For a full recovery, further diagnosis or that other method would be necessary."

Xiao Wu nodded. "Demonstrate."

For a cultivator, circulating Mana wasn’t difficult—it merely involved guiding spiritual energy from certain acupoints to others, balancing the disordered energy flow. Thus, after Wu Buke demonstrated the massage technique once, Xiao Wu mastered it.

Xiao Wu: "You may leave."

Wu Buke bowed deeply, then hurried away as if fleeing.

Xiao Wu, meanwhile, stashed the manual in his robe and returned to his room. He manifested the contents of the book in the air, sat at his desk, lit the small lamp, and focused intently as he read carefully.

Then his expression shifted, his ears turning bright red.

—Wu Buke, how dare he give him this kind of thing!

Seething with anger, he clenched his fists, wanting to drag Wu Buke back and beat him up. However, Xie Chunshan's condition was urgent, and there was no other solution at the moment. In the end, Xiao Wu took two deep breaths, spread the book open, and began reading carefully.

It was already past ten by then.

Xiao Wu, who followed a strict routine, was about to turn off the lights and sleep when he heard faint footsteps from the next room.

He frowned.

Next door, CEO Xie had stealthily gotten out of bed, intending to go downstairs to make himself a cup of tea.

Xie Shu didn’t understand why, as the CEO of the company and the homeowner, he had to tiptoe around like a thief. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, he was afraid—afraid of being caught by Xiao Wu.

The stairs were carpeted, and Xie Shu wore soft slippers, making his steps nearly silent. But as soon as he took one step down, a sudden chill ran down his spine. He turned his head to find his future little canary standing at the bedroom door, frowning at him with a disapproving stare.

Then, Xiao Wu stepped forward, lifted Xie Shu’s arm, and snatched the tea bag from his hand.

Xie Shu: "..."

He tried to salvage some dignity as CEO with a stern expression, but Xiao Wu abruptly spoke, his tone gruff and tense: "Drinking tea this late—do you even want to sleep?"

Given Xie Shu’s health, he needed a full eight hours of sleep every day.

Xie Shu’s authoritative words stuck in his throat, dissolving before they could be spoken. What came out instead was: "I do this every night."

"Every night?" Xiao Wu raised his voice. "Do you have any idea how poor your health is? Your Mana channels and energy are already a tangled mess, and you do this every night?"

Xie Shu dismissed it, thinking, So what? What does it matter?

No hobbies, no attachments—his only goal was to grow and fortify the company. The stock division was already settled, so even if his health deteriorated, even if he dropped dead right now, his so-called younger brother wouldn’t get a single cent.

Sometimes, Xie Shu wondered why he worked so relentlessly. Was it to spite his indifferent parents? To prove something? Or was it simply because life felt so hollow and unreal that he desperately needed something to fill the vast emptiness?

Eventually, he grew accustomed to the busyness, leaving no time for such thoughts. The reasons no longer mattered.

At that moment, Xie Shu truly wanted to tell Xiao Wu that it wasn’t a big deal—he didn’t care. As long as Xiao Wu behaved well during this period, even if his health took a turn for the worse, he would leave him a fortune sufficient for a comfortable life.

But when Xie Shu looked up and saw Xiao Wu staring at him intently, his dark tea-colored eyes filled with worry and concern, the words died in his throat.

This guy... actually seemed to care about him.

Yet they were strangers who had only met a day ago.

This was something he had never received from his parents, his drinking buddies, or anyone else who should have cared.

Looking down to hide his momentary lapse, Xie Shu looked up again with his usual calm and gentle demeanor.

He reached for the tea bag in Xiao Wu’s hand and smiled. "Give it back. I’ve had headaches and insomnia for years. Whether I drink it or not, I can’t sleep. At least this way, I can stay alert and go through a couple more documents. Tomorrow, I’ll take you shopping and open an account in your name."

Based on Xie Shu’s sketchy understanding of these relationships, wasn’t this what kept canaries happy—shopping trips and credit cards?

Though they’d only known each other for a day and Xiao Wu hadn’t received any benefits yet, Xie Shu didn’t mind paying upfront. He inwardly mocked himself, feeling like a lonely senior falling for a scam—so desperate for genuine companionship that he’d willingly pay through the nose.

After all, it wasn’t like he had much else to offer.

But Xiao Wu wasn’t pleased at all. His frown deepened as he stepped around Xie Shu, retreating a step and hiding the tea bag behind his back.

"Xie Chunshan," Xiao Wu said. "I don’t want you to take me shopping. I want you to go to sleep now. If your headache keeps you awake..."

Recalling Wu Buke’s massage techniques, he omitted the parts about Mana and acupoints, simply pointing toward Xie Shu’s bedroom.

"Then I can massage you and get you to sleep."

Author's Note:

##Shocking! Two Mystic Leaders Misunderstood as Materialistic Gold-Diggers—Is This Moral Decay or the Distortion of Humanity?!##