Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Not only was Liu Nanzhou's heart in turmoil, but Qi Wuyu, who appeared calm and collected on the surface, was actually so nervous that his palms were sweating. He discreetly wiped his hands on his clothes, then helped Liu Nanzhou up.

This time, it was truly crossing a line. Neither of them spoke, and Qi Wuyu subconsciously licked the corner of his lips.

Liu Nanzhou: "..."

He lowered his head, a shadow falling over his eyes.

Qi Wuyu cleared his throat, his hand forming a loose fist. "Well... it's getting late. You should rest early. I should get going."

However, as they passed each other, Liu Nanzhou suddenly grabbed his wrist.

Qi Wuyu was startled, thinking: *What does he mean by grabbing me? He wouldn't want me to stay here, would he? That wouldn't be proper—it would make me seem rather indecent.*

Suppressing the urge to smile, he asked, "What's wrong?"

Liu Nanzhou's hand trembled slightly as he gripped his wrist. Qi Wuyu noticed that the tips of his ears were slightly red, as if he were struggling to say something.

Qi Wuyu raised an eyebrow slightly. *Could it really be what I guessed? If Liu Nanzhou actually says it, should I agree? And how should I agree without seeming too frivolous? Ah...*

Qi Wuyu's mind buzzed with delightful thoughts, already prepared to agree. So much so that when Liu Nanzhou finally spoke, it didn't register at first.

"Master, if you... you don't have to pity me."

Qi Wuyu nodded instinctively. "Hmm..." Then, after a moment, he processed the words and stared at Liu Nanzhou in shock. "Wh-what?"

Liu Nanzhou released his hand and lowered his gaze.

He had nothing special to offer, aside from a passable appearance. His temper was stubborn and withdrawn, and he rarely interacted with others, let alone had any friends. Now, with the Heart Demon plaguing him, he was nothing but trouble. He couldn't think of anything about himself worth liking, much less what Qi Wuyu could possibly see in him.

The only reasonable explanation was that Qi Wuyu was doing all this out of pity, to appease his Heart Demon.

"You don't have to demean yourself to..."

Qi Wuyu couldn't bear to listen any longer and raised a hand to stop him. "Enough."

Liu Nanzhou obediently fell silent.

Qi Wuyu felt a fire burning in his chest, as if it were scorching his heart and lungs. He frowned at Liu Nanzhou, truly wanting to see what was going on in his head. *Am I too old to understand young people these days?*

So, in the world of the young, does "kiss" mean "I pity you"?

Qi Wuyu couldn't comprehend it. He tried to untangle the logic but found it impossible. Finally, he asked bluntly, "Are you out of your mind?"

Liu Nanzhou looked at him with an expression that said, "I already know everything; you don't have to lie to me."

Qi Wuyu: "..."

*You know nothing!*

He took a deep breath and began to reflect deeply: *It's my fault. I didn't explain anything before acting, so the order was clearly wrong. It's normal for him to misunderstand. It's fine. What's the big deal? I'll just clarify things.*

Qi Wuyu calmed his emotions, though his tone still carried a hint of irritation. "What is there to pity about you? You have arms and legs, and you're no less capable than anyone else. What makes you pitiable?"

Liu Nanzhou's eyes flickered.

Qi Wuyu softened his tone, his gaze burning as he looked at Liu Nanzhou. "Liu Nanzhou, from the day you entered my sect, I told you that no one can force me to do something I don't want to do. Taking you as my disciple was my choice, and what I'm doing now is also my choice. It's not because I pity you. It's because my intentions are impure. I'm disregarding ethics and norms. I'm even prepared to face the tribulation. And you say I pity you?" He grew more agitated as he spoke, grabbing Liu Nanzhou by the collar. "I just want to be with you. Is that clear enough? Which part didn't you understand? Do I need to explain it again?"

Liu Nanzhou's mind was momentarily buried under this torrent of words. He was so shocked he couldn't speak, blinking as his eyes reddened and the mark on his forehead threatened to reappear.

Qi Wuyu quickly covered his forehead, cursing the Heart Demon. "Get back inside and stay there."

Liu Nanzhou snapped back to reality and looked at Qi Wuyu, whispering, "I... I understand."

Qi Wuyu released him. "If you understand, then go to sleep. If you keep thinking nonsense, I..."

He stumbled over his words, finally blurting out, "I'll starve you for a day!"

Liu Nanzhou smiled faintly. Qi Wuyu felt somewhat embarrassed but didn't mind. He pushed Liu Nanzhou toward the bed, pulled the blanket over him, leaving only his head exposed. Liu Nanzhou, for some reason, was unusually obedient, letting Qi Wuyu arrange him as he pleased, only his eyes following Qi Wuyu's movements.

Qi Wuyu was amused. "What are you looking at?"

Liu Nanzhou's lips twitched. "I... I feel like this isn't real."

But he wouldn't even dare to dream of such a thing.

"Hmm?" Qi Wuyu chuckled softly and flicked his forehead. "Don't act coy after getting what you want."

Liu Nanzhou grabbed his hand, but before he could speak, Qi Wuyu leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Does this feel real now?"

Liu Nanzhou's breath hitched. Qi Wuyu pulled his hand back and waved to extinguish the lamp. "Sleep well."

"Qi Wuyu." In the darkness, before Qi Wuyu could turn to leave, Liu Nanzhou called out to him.

Qi Wuyu raised an eyebrow slightly. Many people had called his name, but this seemed to be the first time Liu Nanzhou had addressed him like this. It felt like a cat had gently scratched his heart.

Liu Nanzhou looked at him earnestly and said, "I will be good to you for the rest of my life."

Qi Wuyu chuckled softly. "Alright."

With that, he turned and left.

Though the room was now empty, Qi Wuyu's scent lingered for a long time. Liu Nanzhou touched his forehead, and his heart began to beat wildly, albeit belatedly. Yet, no matter how restless it grew, the Heart Demon never emerged again.

He slept soundly that night.

The next morning, Qi Wuyu woke up unusually early. In truth, he had been too excited to sleep much and rose as soon as dawn broke.

Once up, he refused to stay idle. He first found a vase, then wandered around the courtyard. As the weather grew colder, some of the flowers in the yard were beginning to wither. He picked a few vibrant ones and arranged them in the vase, trimming the excess leaves and branches with scissors to shape them beautifully.

When Liu Nanzhou woke up, he saw Qi Wuyu happily arranging flowers in the courtyard. As he approached, a burst of colorful blossoms greeted him. Qi Wuyu peeked out from behind the flowers. "Do they look nice?"

Liu Nanzhou looked at Qi Wuyu's face and, regardless of whether he was asking about the flowers or himself, replied, "They look beautiful."

Qi Wuyu admired the vase for a while, feeling quite proud of his floral arrangement skills. Once satisfied, he handed it to Liu Nanzhou. "For you."

"For me?"

"The flowering season is almost over. If you want to see them again, you'll have to wait a few months. Take it inside."

Liu Nanzhou took the vase and carried it into the room. As he turned, Qi Wuyu noticed the hair ribbon in his hair—the one he had received from Cheng Yun on Yingchi Island. He reached out and pulled it off.

Caught off guard, Liu Nanzhou's black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, carrying a faint fragrance. He looked at Qi Wuyu curiously. "What's wrong?"

Qi Wuyu rubbed the ribbon between his fingers, and it snapped. "This thing is unlucky. Don't keep it."

Liu Nanzhou gave him a resigned look but said nothing. He carried the vase into the room and casually tied his hair with another ribbon.

Their day proceeded as usual. Liu Nanzhou went to the back mountain to practice swordplay, while Qi Wuyu was summoned by Xie Yongdao for a discussion.

Qi Wuyu entered the room beaming with satisfaction. Xie Yongdao was nearly blinded by his bright smile and asked, bewildered, "Did you get married or something? Why so happy?"

Qi Wuyu considered for a moment, thinking Xie Yongdao probably couldn't handle the truth. For his own good, he just smiled mysteriously and said, "Hmm... something like that."

Xie Yongdao didn't take it seriously at all, just urged him to sit down quickly and stop showing off. "Things have been a bit chaotic outside these past couple of days."

"What's going on?" Ying Nianling asked.

"Wasn't the Pepper Flower Wine incident already resolved?" Zhou Ren said. "The antidote has been distributed to all the sects."

Xie Yongdao's expression turned serious. "The poison is no longer a threat, but the common people affected still want justice for their harmed relatives and friends. Over in Tianmen Five Cities, several smaller sects have been plagued by public outcry to the point they don't even dare open their gates. They can't very well attack civilians, and now the people don't trust us anymore."

This was exactly what Qi Wuyu had worried about earlier. The Tianyao Sect and Chaowu Tian were far from Yingchi Island, so relatively few people there were affected. Moreover, having heard about the Golden Que Valley incident, they had taken protective measures in advance, so the impact wasn't as severe.

But Golden Que Valley and Tianmen Five Cities were different, especially Golden Que Valley. Being so close to Yingchi Island, it had the highest number of poisonings, and the people's protests were the fiercest, even going so far as to confront the sect directly. Zhuang Yanming had been so troubled lately his head was spinning.

"For now, we can only try to placate the people, but how do we compensate for lost lives?" Ying Nianling shook his head.

"Save those we can, give proper burials to those we can't. The disciples involved within the sect have also been disciplined," Xie Yongdao said. "We'll settle this score with the demon clan sooner or later."

"Any leads on the demon who went after Cheng Yun?" Qi Wuyu asked.

"None. He's been quiet for several days, seems to have laid low recently."

Qi Wuyu raised an eyebrow. He didn't believe that person would just stop. "He hasn't changed his nature. He's definitely up to no good."

"..." Xie Yongdao gave him a helpless look and sighed silently. "Everyone needs to be extra vigilant lately. Don't let your guard down."

Everyone acknowledged this. After chatting a bit more casually, they went their separate ways.

Qi Wuyu returned to Fengsheng Wutong. Liu Nanzhou was still practicing his sword. Leaning to the side, Qi Wuyu watched him, feeling completely at ease.

Seeing him return, Liu Nanzhou sheathed his sword and ran over. "What did the Sect Leader want?"

Qi Wuyu shook his head. "Nothing major." He gestured with his chin toward the Shejiang Sword. "How is it? Still burning hot?"

Liu Nanzhou handed him the sword. "Not hot. Want to try?"

He and the Shejiang Sword had gotten used to each other during this time.

Qi Wuyu gripped the hilt. It was still warm, but not scalding. He drew the sword and looked at it with a smile. "Huh? Didn't you say I couldn't use it before?"

The Shejiang Sword flashed with a red light, as if taunting him. Liu Nanzhou shot it a sharp glance, and the sword immediately went still, playing dead.

Qi Wuyu laughed heartily. He twirled the sword in a flourish before sheathing it again. "Alright, let's head back."

"Mm."

Liu Nanzhou returned to the courtyard with him. Qi Wuyu wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he felt like the pear blossom tree in the courtyard had been shedding an unusual amount of leaves these past couple of days.

This tree was unlike others. Although a pear tree, it wasn't afraid of the cold and bloomed all year round, especially in winter. Sometimes it was hard to tell if the branches were covered in blossoms or snow.

Just then, a petal drifted down, swaying gently until it landed on Liu Nanzhou's hair. Qi Wuyu reached out to brush it away, unable to resist ruffling his hair a bit.

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