Chapter 36: Illness

Chapter 36: Illness

When the Immortal Boat returned to Falling Snow Peak, it was already deep in the night. The moon hung high, casting its glow over the mountain mist like a thin veil, the air sharp and cold. Su Heng stepped off the boat, the chilly wind turning the tip of his nose faintly red.

Back in the Heaven Beyond Heaven, everything was just as it had been when he left—unchanged. They had descended to the lower realm to search for Qu Huaixin and Elder Xuanchen, yet returned empty-handed.

Qu Wenshan, following behind Su Heng, disembarked from the boat, bowed with clasped hands, and said in a warm voice, "Your Excellency, Young Master, if there is nothing else, I shall take my leave."

Immortal Venerable Lingqing gave a slight nod, glancing at Qu Wenshan before silently allowing him to leave Falling Snow Peak.

The autumn wind was bleak and desolate. Su Heng followed Immortal Venerable Lingqing up the mountain and spoke quietly, "Master, shouldn’t we report to the Sect Leader?"

Immortal Venerable Lingqing paused mid-step, a rare flicker of confusion in his eyes. He shook his head casually and replied, "I’ll go see the Sect Leader tomorrow."

Su Heng nodded. Amid their exchange of questions and answers, the two had already reached the small courtyard atop the peak. Su Heng intended to head to his own quarters, but Immortal Venerable Lingqing called him back: "Su Heng, don’t leave just yet."

He turned, with a bright, smiling gaze as he looked back at Immortal Venerable Lingqing. He had wanted to spend more time with his beloved, but staying in his master’s chambers so late would be improper. So he had planned to leave—until the Immortal Venerable gave him an excuse. He seized the opportunity, to secretly savor a fleeting moment of joy with the one he cherished.

"Master, you called for me? Shall I brew a pot of tea?"

Su Heng’s eyes crinkled as he trotted over to Immortal Venerable Lingqing’s side, thinking that brewing tea would be the best way to linger, letting him stay a little longer by his master’s side.

But Immortal Venerable Lingqing shook his head, raising his fan to tap Su Heng’s forehead gently. "You’ve made no progress in drawing in qi lately. Come, tell me—have you read the book I gave you?"

As he spoke, Immortal Venerable Lingqing settled into a rosewood armchair, his eyes half-closed, a hint of a smile curling at his lips.

Su Heng’s smile stiffened. He walked over to his master, crouched down, and rested his head lightly on his master’s lap, pouted innocently. "Master, I’ve memorized all those words, but I still can’t quite understand them..."

"Take out the book. Teach you word by word."

At this, Su Heng lifted his head slightly, awkwardly pulled the book from his storage ring and offered it with both hands.

Immortal Venerable Lingqing looked down at the small head resting against him. "Cross your legs, focus your spirit, and silently recite the contents of the book word for word."

Su Heng nodded casually, his outward compliance perfect. He closed his eyes and murmured inwardly, "Quiet the heart, focus the spirit, sense the changes of heaven and earth, with each breath..."

As he recited, his thoughts drifted elsewhere. He caught the crisp, clean scent of Immortal Venerable Lingqing, imagining his master sitting before him in flowing robes with wide sleeves, eyes slightly downcast, a faint, gentle smile on his face.

Su Heng’s heart was in turmoil.

"Calm yourself. Is your heart calm?"

A voice shattered his thoughts. The moment the words fell, Su Heng tried to open his eyes, but a sudden pain on his forehead startled him. He winced, rubbed the spot, and looked up at Immortal Venerable Lingqing with mild reproach.

Seeing the faint red mark on Su Heng’s fair skin, Immortal Venerable Lingqing’s thoughts seemed to wander, a blush creeping onto his face. His gaze shifted uneasily, avoiding Su Heng as he simply said, "Calm yourself."

Su Heng’s lips turned downward. By now, he had long cast aside the warnings from his father and Zhihua before the journey, showing more liveliness and less restraint.

Seeing how much Su Heng had changed compared to his previous life, Immortal Venerable Lingqing felt deeply satisfied. In his past life, he had never seen such a lively, spirited little one; now, it was a delightful surprise.

But he had never truly abandoned his inner plans. He still wondered what it would be like if Su Heng’s beloved family utterly betrayed him, leaving him with no one in the world to rely on but himself.

Su Heng was his—a beautiful, obedient cauldron.

With that thought, Immortal Venerable Lingqing lowered his gaze to Su Heng, who sat obediently before him. His eyes grew darker, and a dangerous smile curled at his lips.

Unaware of the dark thoughts lurking in his master’s mind, Su Heng frowned, still straining to sense the changes of heaven and earth, silently reciting the familiar content over and over.

As he recited, his body seemed to relax more and more, time slowing down. The furrow between his brows gradually smoothed.

Gradually, he seemed to sense the spiritual energy moving through Falling Snow Peak, as dense as countless threads, surrounding the small courtyard, with the densest concentration around Immortal Venerable Lingqing standing right in front of Su Hang.

Just as Su Hang tried to pull those glowing threads into his body, Immortal Venerable Lingqing, seeing that the time was right, raised his hand and softly channeled the surrounding spiritual energy into Su Hang's body.

The Immortal Venerable's spiritual energy felt light and soft, guiding the spiritual energy to slowly probe into Su Hang's meridians until all his meridians were clear and the energy flowed freely through them.

Su Hang's eyes snapped open. Without a trace of pain, he'd successfully brought qi into his body.

He blinked, stood up, and bounced a little in place. Though he couldn't pinpoint exactly what had changed, he felt an all-around comfort in his body and knew that he had succeeded in drawing qi into his body.

"Master! I made it!"

The shadow in Immortal Venerable Lingqing's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a look of satisfaction. He raised a hand, gently placed it on Su Hang's head, and ruffled his hair. "How do you feel? Later, have Qin Rendong come by and check on you."

Su Hang nodded obediently, thinking his master was just worried about his frail constitution from childhood and his late start in cultivating, fearing he might have some ailment.

*

"Host, don't worry. You being the main character of this world is a done deal, and that cauldron is just cannon fodder. That hasn't changed. There's only been a slight hiccup."

A weird voice slowly echoed through Lu Chengyan's mind. He frowned, a weird feeling churning inside him—that one glance in the Golden City had thrown his heart off balance, yet that person was cannon fodder doomed to die on his path to immortality.

The drive to become immortal instantly crushed those budding feelings in his heart. Even though his heart had stirred at the first sight, he still secretly wished that gorgeous young man would die soon.

Better yet, let him die tomorrow.

"When will he die? When will the so-called plot you mentioned be restored?"

Lu Chengyan shoved those weird thoughts aside and asked the system in his head, his voice cold and hard, but the system stayed silent.

Just a weird buzzing sound crackled on and off. Lu Chengyan clicked his tongue to himself.

Ever since entering the Celestial Realm, the system had been saying it would forcibly correct the deviated plot every day, but it had failed each time.

He thought this time would be no exception, but after a long while, an eerily calm and unremarkable voice slowly sounded.

"Plot modification forced successfully."

...

On the other side, on Falling Snow Peak, Su Hang was lying inside Immortal Venerable Lingqing's mandarin duck bed curtains. His inner robe hugged his body, his pale skin popping against the bright red sheets. His wet, deer-like eyes darted around, and a faint blush crept onto his face.

Another reason to sleep at the Immortal Venerable's place!

The sound of footsteps slowly approached. Su Hang's eyes lit up, and he suddenly sat up on the bed. His disheveled hair could not hide his beautiful pupils, and his gaze was fixed on the door.

The door was pushed open slowly. Immortal Venerable Lingqing stepped inside. Seeing Su Hang sitting obediently on the bed, his slender figure and innocent expression made his throat tighten. He walked over to Su Hang and wrapped the bedding around him.

"When Qin Rendong arrives, just lie down in bed. Don't let that person see your body."

As he said this, Immortal Venerable Lingqing couldn't help but imagine that scene—something he absolutely could not accept. It might be better to keep him locked up on the mountain.

Su Hang noticed Immortal Venerable Lingqing's brow furrowing slightly, thinking that he had been impolite and that his master was worried about losing face. He lowered his eyes, hiding a trace of disappointment.

"Lie back down."

Immortal Venerable Lingqing patted Su Hang's shoulder, signaling him to lie down.

Su Hang did as instructed, pulling the blanket tightly around himself, leaving only his displeased eyes and brows visible, his gaze full of silent protest.

Immortal Venerable Lingqing thought he just didn't want to see the physician, so he gently stroked Su Hang's face and patiently comforted him in a soft voice, "Alright, this is the last time."

He was lying to him. If anything came up later, he would still call for Qin Rendong.

As the two chatted and laughed, footsteps that were lighter and quicker than Immortal Venerable Lingqing's rang out, coming to a stop outside the door. Then a voice, breathless yet still cold and unruffled, rang out: "Your Excellency, I am Qin Rendong. May I enter now?"

Upon hearing this, Immortal Venerable Lingqing did not look up. He merely gently brushed aside the disheveled strands of hair on Su Hang's forehead, revealing his bright eyes.

He gave a slight nod and said flatly, "Enter."

Qin Rendong came in at his summons. When she saw the bright-eyed, handsome youth on the bed again, she could only sigh with regret.

At the Ascension Ceremony, all the elders had noticed that Immortal Venerable Lingqing treated this little cauldron differently. For someone as cold-hearted and unfeeling as the Immortal Venerable, if you angered him, you wouldn't even know how you died. She didn't believe such a person could harbor any real affection.

It was nothing more than getting a new little plaything that pleased him, so he wanted to toy with it for a few more days. So he brought this youth into the path of cultivation. Ordinary cauldrons without cultivation, after being used for a few years and losing their looks, could still go home. But someone like this…

He probably would never be able to leave. Once the Immortal Venerable grew tired of him, he would let his spiritual power drain until he died. In all her years of practicing medicine, she had seen too many like him, and not one had been saved.

"Is he that pretty? You keep staring?"

A cold voice slowly rang out. Qin Rendong was startled, realizing she had done something so foolish—staring at the little cauldron's face. The little cauldron seemed embarrassed by her staring and silently covered his face with the blanket.

Qin Rendong turned to look at Immortal Venerable Lingqing. He curled the corner of his mouth, but there was no trace of a smile in his eyes. His dark eyes held a hint of danger.

She quickly lowered her head, averting her gaze. Her usually cold face showed a flicker of panic as she said, "Forgive me, Immortal Venerable."

Immortal Venerable Lingqing shifted his gaze to Su Hang, signaling her to examine his body. Seeing that the Immortal Venerable did not intend to pursue the matter, Qin Rendong breathed a sigh of relief and hurried forward to check Su Hang's condition.

There was nothing unusual.

Qin Rendong wiped the thin sweat from her brow, knelt on one knee and made a bow with clasped hands, saying, "Your Excellency, the young master's internal condition is normal. He can resume his cultivation."

The moment she finished speaking, Su Hang felt a sharp, unbearable pain in his heart. He curled into a ball, a coppery taste rising in his throat, and then he sprayed out a large mouthful of blood.

==========Author's Note:==========

Su Hang: (spits blood)

Immortal Venerable: (stares—)

Qin Rendong: (utterly bewildered)

Thank you to all the lovely readers who've stuck with me this far. I love you all so much!