Chapter 45#

Chapter Forty-Five#

Faint morning light filtered through the cracks in the mountain rocks, falling onto Xue Jingci’s bed.

The cave was pitch black, with only the persistent sound of gurgling water that never dispersed. A fine mist filled the air, carrying the scent of moss and ancient vines.

Xiao Xun sat by the bed, staring dazeedly at Xue Jingci’s pale profile.

The man’s black hair cascaded like a waterfall, and his thin body was nestled in a white fox fur blanket. He didn’t seem to be sleeping peacefully; his thick, lowered eyelashes trembled, making one’s heart feel lightly and unevenly scratched.

After an unknown amount of time, a slight movement came from the bed. Xue Jingci frowned, subconsciously wanting to turn over.

Xiao Xun reached out to support Xue Jingci’s shoulder, coaxing him softly, “Master, there’s an injury on your back. You can’t turn over.”

The voice was too familiar, instantly making Xue Jingci snap awake.

Xue Jingci slowly opened his eyes.

A butterfly skimmed over his pale back of his hand, its wingtips emitting a faint blue fluorescence, illuminating the chains tightly fastened around his wrists.

Realizing he had been imprisoned, a look of ruthlessness appeared in Xue Jingci’s eyes.

But for some reason, when he saw Xiao Xun’s face clearly, the anger in his heart suddenly dissipated, and his expression gradually softened.

A flash of joy appeared in Xiao Xun’s eyes. He reached out to help Xue Jingci up and held him in his arms, picking up a medicine bowl to feed him.

Xue Jingci subconsciously wanted to push Xiao Xun away, but a voice in his mind rang out, sounding persuasive:

“This is the person you love. You love him so deeply; how could you push him away?”

Xue Jingci was a bit confused, but he still subconsciously didn’t want to be close to anyone and turned his body slightly to dodge.

Xiao Xun was stunned. He let go of Xue Jingci and supported him to sit against the edge of the bed, his behavior gentle and polite.

Adoration and obsession surfaced in his eyes. He gently grasped Xue Jingci’s hand and said, “Is Master blaming me? That day Chen Zhao struck and injured you, yet I wasn’t by your side to protect you.”

At the mention of Chen Zhao, the man’s distorted face surfaced in Xue Jingci’s mind, and he also remembered Xiao Xun wielding his sword to save him.

He stared at Xiao Xun, countless thoughts flashing through his mind. Finally, he just shook his head slightly and said, “I want to eat persimmon cakes.”

Xiao Xun reached out to brush away his messy hair and smiled gently: “Alright, I’ll go buy some for Master right away.”

After Xiao Xun left, Xue Jingci felt his head was heavy and groggy, but he forced himself to stay awake, calling for the system in his mind.

The system leaped out of the space, turning back into the kitten’s form. It rolled over and sat by Xue Jingci’s side, saying with extreme anger, “Host, that bastard actually put a love gu on you while you were unconscious!”

Xue Jingci’s gaze cleared in an instant. He asked, “Love gu?”

The kitten’s cheeks puffed out in anger: “This thing is extremely insidious. Once infected, you will feel that you love him deeply. If you don’t love him or if you fall in love with someone else, you’ll have to endure the pain of ten thousand insects eating your heart!”

“He actually used such despicable means on you, wanting to make you fall in love with him. It’s truly disgusting.”

Xue Jingci frowned in silence. He could vaguely sense that the gu in him was a sub-gu, and the mother-gu was in Xiao Xun.

Once they were close, the gu poison would activate, making him subconsciously follow Xiao Xun’s every word.

Only now that Xiao Xun had left did he manage to regain some of his reason.

“Besides puppetry, the other famous skill of the Xiao family is gu poison.”

Xue Jingci’s gaze turned cold: “It seems he has long been in private contact with the Xiao family and has been lying to me all along.”

The kitten meowed and began to spout colorful language.

The little berry perched on its head and mimicked it with “bo bo bo” sounds.

The system quickly shut up and said, “You can’t learn that.”

The little berry instead used its hands to cover its ears, flew to the table on the side, and mimicked with its mouth, “Pei pei pei.”

Thinking it was good to have someone help with the cursing, the system gradually calmed down, lay by Xue Jingci’s hand, and began to fiddle with the cold and hard chains.

However, these chains were forged from profound sky essence iron and could neither be broken nor opened.

The system sighed: “Host, before when I saw Chen Zhao trying to kill you, I was in a hurry and used the last of our points to buy a defensive item. Now I can’t even return it for a partial refund. You can only rely on yourself.”

Xue Jingci nodded: “It’s fine.”

He raised his wrist and moved it. The chains made a clanking sound, echoing in the empty cave.

“I can break these chains, but it will take some time. It seems I’ll have to endure for a few days for now.”

With that, he closed his eyes to meditate and regulate his breath.

At this moment, the spiritual energy in Xue Jingci’s meridians was exhausted, and his entire cultivation had disappeared. But the medicine Xiao Xun had fed him had the effect of warming and nourishing the meridians. At this moment, he could vaguely feel some new spiritual energy being born.

Xiao Xun walked out of the cave, headed down the stone steps toward the eatery at the foot of the mountain. Thinking of Xue Jingci’s quiet and obedient appearance, he couldn’t stop smiling.

However, the smile vanished abruptly when he saw the person standing at the foot of Spirit Peak.

Xie Zheng blocked Xiao Xun with his blade, his eyes filled with ruthlessness. He asked, “Where is Xue Jingci?”

Xiao Xun lowered his eyes slightly and looked at Xie Zheng playfully: “If you want to know, you should go interrogate Chen Zhao.”

Xie Zheng frowned deeply and said coldly, “You’ve been going to Medicine Peak frequently these past few days, buying many herbs that warm the meridians and promote the growth of spiritual energy. But you don’t look injured.”

Xiao Xun looked up at Xie Zheng and smiled vaguely: “The demonic cultivators are gathering to attack the Heavenly Gate array; naturally, I have to prepare more herbs.”

Xie Zheng didn’t speak. His face turned extremely ugly, and he actually tried to walk right past Xiao Xun toward Spirit Peak.

Xiao Xun raised his hand. A flash of light came from his waist, and the array of the entire mountain instantly vibrated, blocking Xie Zheng outside.

“This is not your Shangqing Peak.”

The smile on Xiao Xun’s face faded: “That day in the Torture Hall, Chen Zhao personally confessed that the magic treasure that severely injured Xue Jingci was a gift from Jiang Chengyi. The Young Peak Master truly has raised a good dog.”

Xie Zheng’s face turned pale in an instant. Xiao Xun sneered and bypassed him to continue toward the eatery.

After buying the persimmon cakes, Xiao Xun hurried back to the cave.

Although Xue Jingci had lost all his cultivation and was wearing chains forged from profound iron, the man was too powerful, and Xiao Xun didn’t dare to feel at ease.

Entering the cave, Xiao Xun heard the clanking of chains from a distance. His heart skipped a beat, and his pace quickened.

Xue Jingci was standing by the entrance, seemingly wanting to go out.

The chains had been pulled taut, until they could no longer be extended.

His wrists had been rubbed raw with red marks from the chains, yet he still stubbornly walked forward. Finally, his feet stumbled, and he nearly fell to the ground.

Xiao Xun’s steps paused, his eyes showing a cold emotion.

“Where does Master want to go?”

At this time in his past life, Xue Jingci had been taken away by Xie Zheng’s people and placed in a secret room to recover.

Later, while Xie Zheng was maintaining the Heavenly Gate array, his divine sense was on the verge of collapsing. Xue Jingci had actually escaped from the secret room and gone to save him at all costs, finally falling into the sea of clouds and dying of exhaustion.

Xiao Xun tightly gripped the persimmon cakes in his hand.

In this life, he would never let Xue Jingci go save Xie Zheng.

Xue Jingci turned to look at him. The clarity in his eyes was slowly being covered by a layer of mist, and he spoke slowly, “I… want to find you.”

Seeing the gu poison activate again, Xiao Xun knew that before long, Master would only love him.

Xiao Xun reached out to tidy Xue Jingci’s messy hair, handed him the persimmon cakes, and led him back to the original spot.

Xue Jingci didn’t resist; he only frowned slightly, looking at their joined hands.

Xiao Xun knew the gu hadn’t been completely planted in his body and needed some time to be nurtured. He soon let go, picked up a sword manual, and asked some questions in a gentle voice.

Xue Jingci turned his head and listened seriously, responding to every question.

It was as if the two had returned to the very beginning; all the cracks were being mended.

For several days after, Xiao Xun stayed in the stone room. Even if he left, it wouldn’t be for more than half an hour.

The system hid in the space, feeling very anxious as it saw the host’s eyes gradually become dazed.

The gu poison was too overbearing, and the host currently had no cultivation, making it hard not to be affected.

Fortunately, on the fourth day, Xiao Xun seemed to be preoccupied with something and didn’t return for the entire day.

Xue Jingci regained his clarity and immediately set to work breaking the chains, but Xiao Xun returned before he could succeed.

He put down the chains and sat back on the bed quietly.

Xiao Xun walked over, gripped Xue Jingci’s shoulders, and lowered his head. “Since I have some free time, let me tell Master a joke. Some time ago, the sect’s Torture Hall interrogated Chen Zhao. He actually refused to admit it to the death, saying he had no grudge against you and would never have struck so ruthlessly.”

“Who would have thought the young master of the Medicine Sect would bring his fiancée along, saying they were here to deliver wedding invitations and invite you to their wedding feast. Learning that you were harmed by Chen Zhao and your whereabouts were unknown, they immediately rushed to the Torture Hall. The young master’s fiancée saw Chen Zhao and instantly recognized him as the person who had insulted her in the lower realm back then.”

Hearing this, Xue Jingci’s eyes flickered, but he didn’t speak.

Xiao Xun looked at Xue Jingci, smiled, and said, “Only then did Chen Zhao confess, saying he struck to kill you because he was afraid the matter from back then would be exposed. Now everyone knows Master is innocent.”

Xue Jingci looked steadily at Xiao Xun and asked, “That day when Chen Zhao struck, you were also nearby. Aren’t you afraid he’ll expose you?”

Xiao Xun’s eyes lit up, and he asked, “Is Master worried about me?”

He shook his head: “No need to worry. He is currently infected with gu poison and simply doesn’t have the guts to speak nonsense.”

Xue Jingci lowered his eyes and asked, “What gu poison?”

Xiao Xun laughed lightly: “Naturally, I won’t let go of the person who harmed Master. That gu poison will make his heart feel as if it’s being drilled into every day, enduring the pain of bone-corrosion. But once midnight arrives, it will release power to repair his body.”

As he said this, a sinister look vaguely appeared on his face again.

Xue Jingci didn’t notice anything unusual. Instead, he softened his voice and discussed with him, “But the sect is looking for me; they will find you sooner or later.”

Xiao Xun didn’t care: “Don’t worry, Master. I am now the Young Peak Master of Spirit Peak; the people of the Torture Hall won’t dare to do anything to me.”

After speaking, Xiao Xun remembered the wedding invitations sent by the young master of the Medicine Sect. Hearing that they would hold a banquet in Penglai and invite guests from all directions, his heart moved, and he looked down at Xue Jingci.

His features actually showed a bit of affection under the lamplight, looking like a gentle and refined young gentleman from a storybook. “The fifteenth day of the eighth month is an auspicious day for marriage. Master, let’s get married.”

Xue Jingci’s eyelashes trembled, and waves of anger rose in his heart, only to be suppressed by the power of the gu poison. After a long time, he said, “Alright.”

Seeing him agree, Xiao Xun was so excited his whole body tensed up, and the light in his eyes couldn’t be hidden.

He said seriously, “I have no relatives. When the time comes, let the Spirit Peak Master witness our marriage. We can’t hold a grand ceremony this time, which truly wrongs Master, but I will surely make it up to you in the future.”

Xue Jingci didn’t speak, only nodding.

Xiao Xun stood up, unable to hide his excitement. He went out once and brought back many red candles and double-happiness characters from his storage bag.

He lit the red candles, gradually arranging the cave into a wedding chamber. Finally, he pulled out red paper and brush and ink to give to Xue Jingci.

“I’ve always liked Master’s calligraphy the most.”

A smile played on Xiao Xun’s lips. His fingertips tentatively slid over the back of Xue Jingci’s hand, and he said softly, “Our wedding contract should be written by Master.”

Xue Jingci actually didn’t pull his hand away this time, only frowning in thought for a while before nodding in agreement.

The surprise in Xiao Xun’s eyes flowed out uncontrollably. He stopped speaking, as if afraid of disturbing the current warmth and peace, quietly watching Xue Jingci write with the brush under the light.

Master’s aura was as cold as the moon, and he was especially dignified while practicing calligraphy.

But now, those jade-like hands against the bright red paper actually exuded a heart-stirring charm.

Xiao Xun’s heart beat strangely fast, wishing time would pass more quickly.

When the fifteenth day of the eighth month arrived, the sub-gu planted in Xue Jingci’s body would take hold. Even an immortal would be unable to change their ending.

Being confined in the dark cave, Xue Jingci had become much thinner lately. Even the size of the wedding robe was different from his previous magic robe. Xiao Xun felt a bit of heartache for a moment.

Just wait a little longer.

Once he officially became Dao companions with Master, he would treat Master’s injuries and help him fully recover his cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, it was the fourteenth day of the eighth month. Their wedding robes had also been finished. Xiao Xun went out happily to collect them, saying joyfully that he would bring them back for Xue Jingci to try on to see if they fit.

The moment Xiao Xun’s figure completely vanished outside the cave, the obedience in Xue Jingci’s eyes disappeared.

With a movement of his wrist, the seemingly indestructible chains shattered with a crash.

Xue Jingci’s brow was as calm as water. Just thinking about bowing to the Master-Disciple Ceremony with Xiao Xun made him feel extremely disgusted.

But the moment he had the thought of leaving, the gu in his body instantly activated. The intense pain felt like ten thousand ants eating his heart.

The system turned back into a cat and approached Xue Jingci, rubbing against him and asking with concern, “Host, does it hurt a lot when the gu poison activates?”

Xue Jingci shook his head: “This place is not to be stayed in for long.”

He endured the pain and walked out, his teeth and arms trembling, yet he forced himself to hold back.

The little berry tilted its head. Sensing the abnormality in Xue Jingci’s body, it suddenly opened its mouth and bit his fingertip.

It had stolen quite a lot of things to eat lately, and small milk teeth had actually grown in its mouth.

The little berry hugged Xue Jingci’s finger and sucked hard, releasing a domineering power from its mouth. Soon, it sucked out the gu insect hidden in Xue Jingci’s meridians, chewed it casually, and swallowed it.

Having eaten the gu insect in one gulp, it seemed to feel a bit full. Its body swayed, and it fell asleep on the spot from exhaustion.

Xue Jingci looked at it in surprise, feeling that the strange power in his body had completely vanished.

He no longer hesitated, picked up the system, and ran out of the cave.

At this moment, the long-awaited prompt sounded. The side mission that had been silent for a long time was actually triggered now.

[Side Mission: Repair the Heavenly Gate Array]

[Countdown: Three Quarters of an Hour]

Xue Jingci was startled; the time was simply too tight. He quickly looked at the mission location’s direction and pulled a sword from his storage bag.

Although this sword was not his natal sword, it had long since recognized him as its master. Xue Jingci easily pulled it out.

But he only pulled it out.

To drive the long sword to fly with the wind, he must inject vast spiritual energy. But Xue Jingci had lost all his cultivation, and the little remaining spiritual energy had been used to break the chains.

He looked down at the long sword and suddenly made a forceful slash. His palm scraped across the blade, and the scent of blood instantly filled the air.

Blood seeped into the sword body bit by bit along his fingertips, instantly making the sword hilt glow.

“Host, what are you doing!”

The system meowed nervously, wanting to bandage Xue Jingci’s wound, but he avoided it.

“Although there is no spiritual energy in my body now, my blood is intertwined with spiritual energy, and there is still quite a bit of aura left in it.”

The system said anxiously, “The mission time is too tight, and you just escaped from that hellhole. It’s more important to recover first. Besides, the mission grade isn’t low; how can you withstand it with just this bit of spiritual energy!”

Xue Jingci quickly tore a piece of fabric from the hem of his robe and wrapped his bleeding palm.

“Don’t worry, it’s enough.”