Chapter 44#
Chapter Forty-Four#
Early the next morning, lightning flashed across the sky, and rain splashed onto the tiles, making a hurried and stifling sound.
Xue Jingci was startled awake by this sound, his temples throbbing from the hangover.
He slowly sat up, rubbed his head, and suddenly saw the system running toward him with the little berry on its head.
“Host, look! A new side mission has been posted!”
Xue Jingci hadn’t even opened his eyes when something cold pressed against his face. He woke up instantly, expressionlessly pulled the little berry off, and tossed it onto the system’s head.
All these years he had been doing missions, and he had no other goals of his own.
After the second failure to take a disciple, he had thought it would be difficult for the main mission to continue and had lost his direction for a time.
Unexpectedly, a side mission had suddenly arrived, and the rewards were so generous.
Xue Jingci looked at the kitten and asked, “What is the mission?”
The kitten shook its head. “Random side missions are only triggered at the right time and place. We’ll know then.”
Thinking for a bit, the kitten tilted its head and studied Xue Jingci, saying jokingly, “But Host, what is your relationship with the Main God? He actually returned all the points you spent before.”
Xue Jingci only shook his head and didn’t speak.
Thinking that the points he had painstakingly saved for many years would soon return, Xue Jingci’s mood finally improved slightly.
He pressed his hands together and bowed to the sky in a proper manner, murmuring under his breath, “Thank you, Lord Main God.”
The aroma of food drifted from the small courtyard. Xue Jingci looked over and saw that the delicacies Guanzi had prepared last night were still kept warm by a magic array.
He picked up the system, walked to the table, and swallowed a few pastries. His pale face finally regained some color.
Guanzi and Shu Mo saw Xue Jingci eating from afar and felt relieved. They went about their own business and didn’t come to bother him.
However, a knock on the door broke the silence of the courtyard.
Xue Jingci thought it was Yin Xinyao and Song Jue. He put down the pastries and went to open the door, only to see the person who shouldn’t have appeared here at first glance.
“What did you come back for?”
Xiao Xun didn’t speak, just quietly looked at Xue Jingci.
The morning light was dim. This was the first time he had seen Xue Jingci in such a sorry state.
The white magic robe that was usually impeccably tidy was disheveled, and the collar was slightly open, revealing jade-colored skin.
A faint scent of alcohol drifted with the cold wind. That person’s gaze was distant and sharp, yet it couldn’t hide the red blood vessels and dark circles under his eyes.
Xiao Xun’s heart began to throb.
Because of the fate issue, he had always wondered if Xue Jingci truly felt affection for him. Now that he had betrayed him in public, Xue Jingci was actually so angry and heartbroken.
Was it because he cared about him?
Xiao Xun couldn’t help but take a step forward and explained gently, “Master, what happened yesterday was because the Spirit Peak Master forced me. He knows I’m from the Xiao family and wants to dig out the secrets of the Xiao family’s puppetry from me…”
Xue Jingci had taken his fate, and he had already retaliated. This matter should be considered even.
After today, they could start over.
Xue Jingci looked at Xiao Xun silently. He had once thought he understood this person well, but now he only felt that he had never seen through him.
“You don’t need to say anything.”
Xue Jingci interrupted Xiao Xun. “The fate of master and disciple between us is over. I suppose I’m not suited to be your master. From today on, we’ll act as if we never met.”
Xiao Xun was stunned. He hadn’t expected Xue Jingci not even to give him a chance to explain.
Yet clearly what he had done to Xue Jingci was not even a ten-thousandth of the harm Xue Jingci had caused him.
Xiao Xun’s heart tightened, and he subconsciously reached out to grab Xue Jingci’s sleeve: “Master…”
Xue Jingci coldly brushed his hand away, his gaze sweeping over Spirit Peak not far away. “There is no Master of yours here.”
With that, he slammed the door shut.
But no one expected that for the next few days, Xiao Xun would actually carry the things Xue Jingci loved to eat and wait at the door without saying a word.
Shu Mo and Guanzi naturally wouldn’t let him in. Guanzi spoke harshly and would directly mock Xiao Xun whenever he saw him.
“Some things are just thick-skinned. They scrounge for food and drink for so long, then turn around and bite until someone’s roof collapses. Shu Mo, come catch the rat—”
Guanzi sneered. “This courtyard needs to be cleaned to prevent any filth from the gutter from entering.”
Hearing the two compare him to a rat, Xiao Xun’s face turned solemn.
In his life, he hated it most when others said he was of lowly birth. At this moment, the hatred in his heart churned endlessly.
But in the end, Xiao Xun forcibly suppressed it, only saying softly, “No matter. I will wait until the day Master’s anger dissipates.”
“Master is so angry only because he values me. As long as he can be happy, he can punish me however he likes.”
Guanzi rolled his eyes and called him a lunatic.
Since he knew Xue Jingci was good to him, why did he humiliate him in public and make it hard for him?
Who was he putting on this act for now?
He slammed the door shut.
Knowing he couldn’t enter the courtyard, Xiao Xun patiently stood guard at the door, waiting for Xue Jingci to come out.
He waited for two days in a row until another autumn rain took away the last of the summer heat. Xiao Xun finally saw that familiar figure at the door.
Xiao Xun hurriedly stepped forward with a smile: “Master, you’re willing to see me!”
“Junior Brother Xiao, mind your words. There is no Master of yours here.”
Xue Jingci looked at him steadily and said, “After knowing you for so long, I still feel I cannot see through you.”
Xiao Xun met his gaze and said in a low voice, “If Master wants to know something, you can ask me directly…”
Xue Jingci asked calmly, “You’ve entangled yourself with me for so long. What exactly do you want?”
The rain grew heavier. Water droplets slid down the edge of Xue Jingci’s umbrella as if dividing a line between him and Xiao Xun.
Xiao Xun didn’t have an umbrella. He approached Xue Jingci bit by bit, murmuring softly, “What I want… what I want—”
He looked as gentle as jade, but the obsession in his eyes grew deeper and deeper. He could actually show such a pure smile under such a confrontational situation, as if none of these things had ever happened.
“What I want is only Master.”
Seeing his crazed expression, Xue Jingci frowned in disgust, feeling there was nothing more to say to this lunatic.
However, Xiao Xun suddenly approached and grabbed the umbrella handle.
The two were close. Xiao Xun’s fingers tightened bit by bit, stubbornly forcing Xue Jingci to look at him.
Most of his body was still outside the umbrella. The wind blew from behind him but was completely blocked.
Xiao Xun’s boots and hem were soaked with rain, but his gaze was fixed straight on Xue Jingci’s thin wrist.
Whether in his past life or this life, all he sought was to hold onto this person firmly.
Rain kept hitting the umbrella surface, creating a moist space underneath. The two were too close. Xue Jingci’s pupils shrank slightly, and he couldn’t help turning his head to avoid him.
Xiao Xun reached out to gently stroke the hair falling on his shoulder and murmured, “Back in the illusion, the way Master and Pei Huang looked dressed in red… just thinking about it makes me jealous.”
“I wish I could skin him alive and put on those wedding clothes myself to stand with you.”
Xue Jingci’s face instantly turned cold. He forcefully pulled away the umbrella handle and raised his hand to strike him several meters away.
“Xiao Xun, you’ve truly gone mad.”
Xue Jingci turned his back and walked toward the small courtyard. In front of Xiao Xun, he called out to Shu Mo and ordered, “Take all his things out. We don’t keep outsiders here.”
Xiao Xun’s eyes trembled as he watched his belongings being thrown out of the courtyard one by one.
Finally, Xue Jingci pulled out the repaired sword from his robe and broke it in front of Xiao Xun, tossing it onto the water-logged ground.
Xue Jingci hadn’t wanted to be so ruthless, but Xiao Xun’s words about skinning Pei Huang alive had completely enraged him, pushing him past his limit.
Xiao Xun’s face changed drastically. He used all his strength to grab the broken sword on the ground. He stood before the tightly closed courtyard door for a long time, his expression dark.
“From now on, there is no longer any connection between you and me.”
Xue Jingci didn’t look at him again, turning and leaving with his umbrella.
Xiao Xun clutched his chest. The cold fabric clung tightly to his flesh, long since soaked through by the storm. He finally couldn’t hold it in and spat out bright red blood.
The red was quickly washed away by the rain and disappeared without a trace.
But his hand still gripped the sword tightly. Even though he was cut all over by the blade, he stubbornly refused to let go.
“Master, I will always get what I want.”
“Since you changed my fate, you must stay and accompany me forever.”
After this day, Xiao Xun did not appear again.
Three days later, there was another knock on the door of the small courtyard. The one who came was Yin Xinyao.
Xue Jingci opened the door and asked, “Senior Sister, what brings you here?”
Yin Xinyao pulled a mission token from her robe and handed it to Xue Jingci. “Recently, there seems to be movement among the demons. The Sect Master has sent us to stabilize the border.”
Just as Xue Jingci was thinking about how to refuse, the system hurriedly approached and said, “Host, the side mission has started! Hurry and agree.”
Thanking the Lord Main God in his heart again, Xue Jingci nodded in agreement and followed Yin Xinyao.
After boarding the spirit ship, Xue Jingci discovered that most of the elite disciples in the sect had been mobilized. It seemed the demons’ movement this time was not small.
The environment at the border was harsh and desolate. Aside from the sect disciples stationed here, there was no sign of human life. Even the towering mountains were bare, revealing hard black rock.
The clouds in the sky were no longer white, but as dense as a black backdrop, pressing down from all sides and carrying an uncomfortable demonic energy.
Most humans would be affected here, but Xue Jingci just stared at the black clouds, seemingly without any abnormality.
The system, with the little berry on its head, asked him, “What do you see?”
Xue Jingci spoke calmly, “Energy. Not tasty.”
The system’s eyes went dark. It had thought Xue Jingci had been staring silently for so long because he was thinking of something profound.
Unexpectedly, the little berry suddenly vibrated and flew up, joyfully flying into the black clouds, rolling around once, and returning with a mouthful of mist.
Xue Jingci pinched it and cautioned, “Don’t eat random things.”
“Bo bo bo joo!”
Xue Jingci nodded. The system was puzzled: “You can understand it?”
“No.”
The system didn’t know what to say. It picked up the little berry and dropped it on its head, telling it not to run around.
Yin Xinyao thought Xue Jingci must still be heartbroken over Xiao Xun’s matter and wanted to find an opportunity to comfort him. Unexpectedly, the situation here was more serious than everyone had imagined.
The demons had used some trick to set up array traps near the border. Many disciples who approached were caught and fell to the ground wailing.
As a medical cultivator, Yin Xinyao went to treat them immediately. Xue Jingci went out alone to patrol according to his assigned task, trying to dismantle the traps.
When he reached a pile of rocks, he suddenly sensed a trace of demonic energy.
Just as Xue Jingci was about to bend down to investigate, a golden light flashed on the ground, followed by a huge net falling over his head.
His expression sharpened as he swung his sword to resist.
This was clearly a magic treasure of the late Nascent Soul stage. Knowing he couldn’t resist it head-on, he first threw the kitten out and then swung his sword against the golden light.
Such a magic treasure being used against him, a Golden Core cultivator—someone clearly wanted him dead.
Chen Zhao was hiding nearby. Seeing that Xue Jingci actually relied on his sword formula to prop open a hole in the net, the last of his hesitation vanished.
This person must not be left alive.
He looked at the golden pestle in his palm.
A few days ago, Jiang Chengyi invited him for a drink and gave him this magic treasure that could abolish another’s cultivation. At first, he thought it was a timely gift, but on careful thought, it felt too coincidental.
After all, it was something given by someone else with an unknown origin; he hadn’t planned to use it. But the family didn’t give him many offensive magic treasures; most were defensive treasures to prevent him from killing randomly and causing trouble.
Now he only had this golden net of the Nascent Soul realm, and besides that, this offensive magic treasure of the same realm.
With Xue Jingci’s cultivation, he definitely couldn’t withstand this terrifying hidden weapon.
Seeing that Xue Jingci was about to break through the golden net and escape, Chen Zhao no longer hesitated and slammed the golden pestle into the center of Xue Jingci’s back.
A sharp pain tore through Xue Jingci’s flesh. The black qi suppressed in his body suddenly surged, intertwining with his spiritual energy.
The chaotic spiritual energy made Xue Jingci groan. His head was dizzy, and he used his sword to prop up his body and look back.
Chen Zhao was about to step forward and kill Xue Jingci while his cultivation was locked.
But he suddenly sensed a cold aura wrapping around and enveloping him, as if an invisible thread had bound his hands and feet.
Chen Zhao took an uncontrolled step forward, exposing his entire face to Xue Jingci.
“It’s you.”
Chen Zhao’s expression became distorted. “So what if it’s me? Since you’ve seen me, I’ll let you die knowingly. I’ll let you see clearly exactly how you will die at my hands!”
Xue Jingci coldly raised his sword, noticing that the spiritual energy in his body was rapidly draining. He realized that the thing that had struck him was no ordinary item.
He endured the pain to kill Chen Zhao.
Chen Zhao’s heart felt cold, knowing he couldn’t escape, but then he felt his hands and feet being moved by someone, and he actually dodged with a strange movement.
He was shocked and uncertain, not knowing who was helping him.
Xue Jingci’s sleeves rose, and his sword light was dazzling, cutting off half of Chen Zhao’s hem.
The two fought. Chen Zhao was so scared he withdrew the golden net, letting it all fall on himself. He only dared to defend desperately and didn’t dare to have any more thoughts of attacking.
Perhaps his fate was not to die. Although Xue Jingci’s cultivation was high, the spiritual energy in his body was now constantly draining. In the end, he lost his strength and fell toward the ground in a daze.
Chen Zhao escaped death and boldly approached. Seeing Xue Jingci motionless, he sneered.
“Lin Heng is just a second-generation brat relying on the Sword Peak Master to act like a tyrant. He actually forced me to apologize to you? Are you even worthy?”
He looked at Xue Jingci coldly. “You shouldn’t have recognized me. You forced me to do this!”
Xue Jingci’s consciousness was blurred, and he couldn’t make a sound. The little berry anxiously clung to him. The system quickly returned to the space and used its exclusive points to exchange for an item that defends against a fatal blow.
Chen Zhao stopped talking and thrust his cold sword straight toward Xue Jingci’s neck.
But at this moment, someone landed with a sword, lightly blocking in front of Xue Jingci.
Sword qi clashed. Chen Zhao was shaken back several steps and felt a chill on his neck, as if strangled by an invisible thread.
He was somewhat suffocated, his body swayed, and he finally collapsed unconscious on the ground.
Xiao Xun hooked his fingers, coiling that invisible puppet thread back onto his fingertips, and then turned to look at Xue Jingci.
Xue Jingci’s consciousness was not clear at this moment, but he vaguely recognized Xiao Xun’s figure.
This person… came to save him?
Xiao Xun bent down to pick up Xue Jingci. The person in his arms was very light. Those hands that held a sword were now limply hanging down, long and thin.
He lowered his head slightly, his dark eyelashes trembling, hiding the possessive desire flooding his eyes.
Seeing Xue Jingci staring fixedly at him, Xiao Xun curled his lips and smiled, pressing his finger onto the back of his neck. Soon, Xue Jingci fell into darkness.
The soft body leaned powerlessly in Xiao Xun’s arms. He held Xue Jingci tightly in an affectionate embrace and murmured softly, “So Master’s obedient appearance is this cute.”
“Master, I told you, I would always get what I want.”