Chapter 30

Chapter 30

In Lu Shitu's hazy consciousness, the thing between his lips felt soft and cool, like soft cheese freshly taken from an ice room; biting into it was particularly comforting. Yet he only felt more unsatisfied, wishing he could bite down hard, devour it voraciously, swallow it whole, and melt it into his bones and blood.

Not enough, still not enough...

Rong Yu was stunned for just a moment, but the wolf cub on top of him actually pressed his advantage, starting to try and part his lips, pressing inward.

His tongue was scalding hot, like a branding iron, unstoppable, as if wanting to brand Rong Yu inside and out with his mark.

Rong Yu's body instantly tensed up, as if reacting to perceived danger. In an instant, he struck out with a palm, shoved Lu Shitu aside, quickly got up from the bed, and steadied himself.

Even in this confused state, Lu Shitu's subconscious seemed to retain that devotion and reverence he held for Rong Yu, kissing with restraint. Rong Yu subconsciously raised a hand to lightly touch his lips; though the scalding sensation still lingered, they weren't swollen.

But the intense, almost frightening desire emanating from Lu Shitu... it was like a volcano ready to erupt, making Rong Yu instinctively sense danger, which is why he had acted without holding back.

Rong Yu swiftly pressed Lu Shitu's pressure points, paralyzing him.

The shocks came one after another, too many to handle, and now Rong Yu felt a resigned calm, as if having given up. Suppressing his irritation and anger, he heaved a deep sigh after a moment.

He looked at Lu Shitu, pinched his face, and pulled it left and right quite roughly, scolding as he did: "You little brat. You've grown up, and now you're bullying your Master, is that it?"

Lu Shitu stared at Rong Yu with glistening eyes, letting him do as he pleased, his cheeks already reddened from the pinching, looking utterly innocent.

Who could he complain to about this? The disciple he raised himself—of course, he had to choose to forgive him.

Moreover, Rong Yu knew that this matter was destined to be a loss he had to swallow silently. He couldn't hit or scold him, and even tomorrow, after Lu Shitu sobered up, he couldn't mention it.

Fine. After all, he was a grown man; it's not like any real advantage was taken, so if he was kissed, he was kissed—it wasn't going to cost him a piece of flesh.

Then, Rong Yu dragged Lu Shitu to the outer room for a bath.

Lu Shitu's body was immobilized, but his eyes still dazedly followed Rong Yu, turning red as if holding back.

Rong Yu tested the water in the tub; fortunately, it was still hot. He took off Lu Shitu's outer robe, dumped him into the tub, released the pressure point, and let him soak for a while.

Although not fully lucid, Lu Shitu hadn't completely lost his ability to care for himself. Once in the water, he spontaneously reached for the medicinal ingredients placed on a tray nearby and began adding them to the bath.

Rong Yu left him to it, fetched the antidote the attendant had bought, and put it in Lu Shitu's mouth.

Might as well try this last resort; if it didn't work, he'd think of something else.

Lu Shitu obediently swallowed the pill, licked Rong Yu's fingers with apparent craving, then watched longingly as Rong Yu withdrew his hand.

Rong Yu felt moved: Lu Shitu, though still not clear-headed, seemed much better than before; the previous pain had left his eyes.

This antidote pill was actually quite effective, and worked so quickly—a truly welcome surprise.

Rong Yu then returned to the inner room to wait for Lu Shitu to finish bathing. Meanwhile, he considered the original plot, continuing to think of solutions.

In the original story, it seemed that after Jiang Ziliu kissed You Weiwan, the effects of the drug began to lessen.

To use an analogy, the affected person was like a traveler trudging through a desert, and the beloved one emitting a special fragrance was a fresh spring, capable of quenching his thirst.

Rong Yu fell into deep thought. If that was the case, if Lu Shitu still wasn't better later, perhaps he could quietly take a small item like a sachet from You Weiwan—maybe that would also help alleviate the drug's effects? Surely he didn't have to go call the girl out in the middle of the night and ask her to share a kiss with Lu Shitu to detoxify him or something...

But these two methods... really seemed rather underhanded no matter how you looked at them...

His thoughts wandered aimlessly like this, and coupled with the steam and heat, he gradually grew drowsy without realizing it.

This day had truly been full of twists and turns, extremely stimulating.

Rong Yu unknowingly fell asleep. When he regained consciousness, it was already early morning the next day.

Lu Shitu was preparing tea nearby. Seeing Rong Yu awake, he came over to help him up. "Master, you're awake. What happened last night?"

Rong Yu sat up with his support, rinsed his mouth out, and asked him expressionlessly, "How much do you remember?"

Lu Shitu frowned in recollection, then said slowly, "I only remember drinking some wine at the banquet, and then... it was midnight last night when I found myself asleep in the bathtub. Did I get drunk last night? Did you bring me back, Master?"

Rong Yu secretly sighed in relief, mentally applauding the story his disciple had concocted. After a moment's thought, he replied, "No... actually, you were drugged with a sedative, which is why you passed out. Think carefully, last night, was there anything you did that others didn't?"

He needed to find out the cause of last night's incident. He had a feeling it was connected to Jiang Ziliu...

Lu Shitu first looked slightly startled, then fell into deep thought. After a while, he looked up at Rong Yu uncertainly and asked, "Master, I think... there was a specific food offered to the champion..."

At that very moment, Rong Yu had also thought of the same thing and blurted out, "The Suī fish eye?"

Lu Shitu stopped, his eyes bright and soft as he looked at Rong Yu, and nodded. His gaze was calm, fixed intently on Rong Yu, somewhat resembling a docile animal.

The Suī fish was a local specialty of Xizhou, caught from the Sea of Bitterness. Its body was dull gray, much like the mist over the Sea of Bitterness, and it was once rumored to be condensed from mist, hence its common name, "mist fish."

The gray skin of the Suī fish was very pungent, so even with the most meticulous preparation, the flesh remained strong-smelling, with a loose, poor texture, making it unsuitable for eating.

But it had one very unique feature: it had three eyes, the extra one located on top of its head, unusually large and bright. It was said that in ancient times, there was a secret method to turn this third eye of the Suī fish into a luminous pearl, extremely valuable, but the method had long been lost.

Gradually, the third eye of the Suī fish acquired a new purpose: it was presented to the champion of each Sword Immortal secret realm to signify their supreme status among their contemporaries.

Last night, if there was anything Lu Shitu did that others didn't, it was that he alone ate the Suī fish eye.

Rong Yu nodded, indicating he understood, and planned to investigate the matter later. For now, he had something more important to address.

Rong Yu hesitated for a moment, then decided to be direct. "Shitu," he began, "do you have... someone you're in love with?" As he spoke, his gaze naturally met Lu Shitu's, striving to project the image of a gentle, understanding elder.

Come on, little Lu, spit it out. Your Master already knows; he'll definitely help you fulfill your wish.

However, upon hearing this, Lu Shitu looked somewhat bewildered. He unconsciously raised a hand to touch his chest, seeming puzzled, and said strangely, "In reply, Master, I do not... have someone I'm in love with."

As he spoke, he seemed to feel something was amiss, frowned slightly in surprise, and fell into thought as if pondering something.

Rong Yu felt frustrated at his inability to get through. Seriously, kid? You're hiding this from me, given our relationship? Or... have you not even realized you like her?

Rong Yu thought carefully and tried a different approach. "Then, right now, what is the thing you most want to do?"

This time Lu Shitu answered quite smoothly: "To rebuild my spiritual root, cultivate properly, and become strong."

Alright, that answer was fine. Rong Yu guided him patiently: "And why do you want to cultivate and become strong?"

Lu Shitu looked up, gazing intently at Rong Yu, his tone sincere, almost like a vow: "I will protect you, Master, and never let you face danger again."

Rong Yu choked on his tea, nearly spitting it out. He coughed for a while before catching his breath. "...That's very thoughtful of you, you're a good kid. But..." But that's not what I was asking about! So single-minded? Just focused on getting stronger and being dutiful to your Master? What about your personal matters that clearly need addressing?

Rong Yu felt he was using up all his limited knowledge of adolescent psychology. He thought again and decided Lu Shitu needed to recognize his own feelings first.

So, thinking hard, Rong Yu tried once more to enlighten him: "If you love someone... then when you're near them, your heart will beat very fast, and you'll feel warm and expansive inside; as long as they are present, you won't see anyone else but them, and you'll want to keep looking at them forever. They seem to shine; after they appear, the world feels different."

The more Lu Shitu listened, the more confused he looked. He glanced at Rong Yu repeatedly, seeming to want to say something but ultimately remaining silent.

Rong Yu, seeing he was listening seriously, felt assured that this child would take his words to heart and would understand sooner or later. So he decided to give one final push, concluding: "Shitu, cultivation is important, but if your eyes are only on cultivation, you'll miss too many other important things. When you want to hold someone, hold them tightly. Don't miss the chance."

Upon hearing this, Lu Shitu frowned, seemed to ponder earnestly for a moment, then hesitated and said, "Master... do you truly mean it?"

Rong Yu laughed, "Of course."

To his surprise, Lu Shitu leaned forward slightly in the next second and wrapped his arms around Rong Yu. His strength was somewhat forceful, and his body was very warm, instantly enveloping Rong Yu.

Rong Yu was taken aback, both amused and exasperated. He patted Lu Shitu, signaling him to let go.

Lu Shitu paused, obediently released him, his ears slightly red, and his expression seemingly somewhat satisfied.

"Letting you embrace when you want doesn't mean this!" Rong Yu almost wondered if he had said something wrong. So he mentally reviewed his words again and thought to himself: It was perfectly clear, very much in the style of an open-minded elder. Good, very good, absolutely no problem.

Thus, Rong Yu let the matter rest and continued, "As for the matter of the drug... leave it to me. I will see that justice is done for you."

Lu Shitu seemed surprised, "Someone wanted to harm me? But I haven’t made any enemies, and I don’t feel unwell now."

Rong Yu’s expression turned cold as he said, "Fear not, no one can harm you, and we don’t need to understand the thoughts of such people. But if this was truly a setup... I will make them repay a hundred times over."

Author’s note: Praying! Hope the story stays safe.

(By the way, Little Lu is already sixteen now. Remember when he said four years ago that the Immortal Sword Secret Realm would be in four years? Well, it’s been four years now. Even if they haven’t done anything, Little Lu is already at an age in this world where he can marry and have children. No need to worry, friends.)