MD Ch4 Part 8

I stiffened my neck, enduring the ticklish sensation, and remained silent.

After a long pause, Song Qiyuan raised his head, pouted, and looked at me with a pitiful expression.

“Shizun, why aren’t you answering?”

“…Let go of me first.”

Aside from when I was an infant, no one had held me this long. I was already covered in goosebumps, and I felt like I would develop a trauma if he hugged me again.

He reluctantly released his hold and slid off the bed, but his gaze remained fixed on me.

Relieved to be free from his embrace, I finally spoke.

“As your Shizun, it is my duty to teach and care for you. Don’t worry so much; rest assured.”

A smile bloomed on Song Qiyuan’s pale face. Although he looked exhausted, I could sense the steady flow of profound energy within him.

“Your breathing is stable, which means your constitution is complete. Go back and rest for now. I will teach you a new cultivation technique tomorrow.”

To my surprise, Song Qiyuan shook his head.

“I want to sleep here, beside Shizun. I want to take care of you.”

His eyes reddened as he moved closer.

“You’ve been asleep for five days straight, Shizun. I was so afraid you wouldn’t wake up, so I stayed here to watch over you. Are you going to send me away now that you’re awake?”

What? Was there something wrong with my brain? What was with this tone?

My mind was suddenly flooded with melodramatic scenarios. A pitiful woman abandoned by her good-for-nothing husband, a devoted child giving his all but failing to win the affection of an adult…

“I’m not sending you away.”

Sighing at the sight of the boy’s tears, I said,

“If you want to stay, stay. I don’t mind.”

A smile instantly replaced the tears on Song Qiyuan’s face. The pitiful expression from a moment ago vanished without a trace.

“Thank you, Shizun!”

I moved over to make room for him on the bed and lay back down, exhausted. As I turned my back to him, I felt him climb onto the bed and lie down as well. Sensing the small presence behind me, I began to doubt the authenticity of my own novel.

Ye Wangzhi treated Song Qiyuan coldly? They barely spoke for two years?

Was that even possible? With the child acting like this?

Song Qiyuan’s clinginess made me realize that the next two years wouldn’t be easy.

I remembered the Song Qiyuan before his meridians were restored. The Song Qiyuan who accidentally fell into my arms and blushed with embarrassment. The quiet, obedient Song Qiyuan who always followed my instructions.

Had his brain been rewired when I restored his meridians?

As if he had truly been watching over me for five days straight, Song Qiyuan fell asleep the moment he lay down. The sound of his breathing behind me was strangely comforting.

Was I… lonely?

I shook my head, dispelling the ridiculous thought, and opened my eyes, staring at the darkness outside the window, forcing myself to stay awake. As a cultivator, I barely needed any sleep, yet I had slept for five days straight. If I fell asleep again, I would be no better than a lazy beast.

“Lord, Lord, Lord!”

Ah Jiu’s voice suddenly pierced through my thoughts, startling me. I felt a surge of confusion.

When I asked Song Qiyuan about Ah Jiu earlier, he said he didn’t know and that Ah Jiu had left at dawn. If he was back, he could simply enter the cabin. Why was he calling me from outside?

I quickly got up and went outside. After walking a short distance, I found Ah Jiu. He was injured. A long gash, stained with blood, was visible beneath his ruffled feathers.

The moment he saw me, his eyes reddened, and he rushed into my arms. I hugged him tightly, my heart aching.

“What happened? How did you get hurt?”

“Sob, sob, Lord! You’re finally awake!”

After crying for a while, he finally replied,

“I, I went to take revenge…!”

Before he could finish, my face contorted, and I asked,

“And you got injured by the Qiongqi?”

“N-No! The Qiongqi was hurt even worse!”

Caught red-handed, he quickly switched to a triumphant tone.

I pressed his beak gently and said with a mixture of anger and amusement,

“You foolish bird, never go near the Qiongqi again! Even though this Lord has sealed it, there’s no guarantee it won’t break free again. Even I had a hard time dealing with it; what makes you think you can? You used to be terrified of even its shadow. What made you so brave all of a sudden? Did you really go there to teach it a lesson?”

Ah Jiu puffed out his small chest and declared confidently,

“I’m not scared of that thing! It dared to hurt you, Lord! I’ll fight anyone who tries to harm you!”

Ah Jiu was the closest thing I had to family in this world. His words warmed my heart.

“Lord…”

“Hmm?”

Ah Jiu flapped his wings, flew out of my arms, and looked at me intently, his expression strange.

“Is that child in your room?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Haven’t you noticed he’s been acting strange lately?”

Ah Jiu paused, then added,

“I don’t know why, but he scares me.”

It was true that Song Qiyuan had been acting a bit odd, but scary?

I thought Ah Jiu was exaggerating. Song Qiyuan had been so docile and clingy just a while ago. There was no reason to be afraid of him…

Ah Jiu flew back into my arms, and I smoothed his ruffled feathers. I took out a healing ointment from my ring and applied it to the wound beneath his feathers, saying,

“You’re overthinking it. How could a mere child scare the great Ah Jiu?”

“That’s true.”

Ah Jiu tilted his head, readily accepting my praise.

 

***

 

Thanks to Yu Ke’s powerful cultivation and innate healing abilities, coupled with a night of focused breathing exercises, the pain in my chest was no longer as intense. However, the wound on my back was still troublesome. I couldn’t see it, so I needed help applying the medicine.

As I sat on the bed, I sensed movement beside me. I glanced over and met Song Qiyuan’s eyes. He seemed startled, his face flushing crimson. He quickly sat up, his head lowered, and stammered,

“S-S-Shizun, y-you’re awake? Why… Why am I sleeping… here? And…”

He looked up, met my gaze again, then quickly looked down, his ears now red as well.

“W-Why aren’t you wearing any clothes?”

Ah Jiu usually helped me change clothes, and I always kept my mask on. The wound on my back needed to be aired out; otherwise, it wouldn’t heal properly. But Ah Jiu, being the idiot he was, hadn’t taken care of it, so I had simply thrown off my clothes when I returned to the room last night. And now, Song Qiyuan had seen me like this. I hadn’t expected him to be so embarrassed, but I couldn’t resist teasing him.

“You were the one who insisted on sleeping here. Did you forget everything while you were asleep?”

His face turned even redder, then darkened as a thought seemed to occur to him. He jumped off the bed, knelt down, and said loudly,

“I must have been possessed last night. I have committed a grave offense against Shizun. Please forgive me, Shizun!”

Huh? What was with this overreaction? The Song Qiyuan of today was a completely different person from yesterday. But he definitely seemed aware of what he had done. Had puberty hit him already? Was that why he was so moody? I didn’t want to pry, so I just waved my hand dismissively.

“Get up. I don’t blame you.”

“Please punish me, Shizun!”

Was this teenage rebellion? The thought amused me.

“Alright, I will punish you. Apply medicine to my back.”

Song Qiyuan looked up, startled, then quickly reached out and caught the bottle of ointment I tossed to him. His blush returned, and he nodded.

Tsk, tsk, tsk. It’s just two guys; what’s there to be embarrassed about?

His small, warm hands gently stroked my back as he carefully applied the medicine. The wound was deeper than I thought; even his light touch caused a jolt of pain. Fortunately, I was used to pain from my past life, so I didn’t make a sound.

When he finished and turned around, his eyes were red again, and I felt a pang of sympathy. Why was this child always crying?

“Shizun, I’ll prepare a bath for you.”

He seemed eager to escape the awkward situation.

 

***

 

I took out a set of clothes and the prepared copies of the 《Heavenly Dragon Technique》 manuscript, along with a few other ordinary cultivation techniques, and placed them on the table.

Back in my world, I always dressed comfortably when writing. I would wander around the house in my underwear, a t-shirt, and slippers. Since arriving in this cultivation world, I had loathed the extravagant attire I was forced to wear as the Demon Lord.

Lately, I had been mostly focused on healing Song Qiyuan. Despite my own injuries, I still felt guilty about what I had done to him. I was no longer in the gloomy Demon Palace, nor was Gu Jincheng around to watch my every move. I didn’t have to deal with complicated interpersonal relationships either. So why should I continue to restrict myself?

Wearing only an inner garment and barefoot, I stepped out of the cabin and looked at the mist-covered lake. The sunlight filtering through the mist made the water shimmer with a soft, golden glow. The fresh air invigorated me.

“Lord, Lord!”

Ah Jiu landed on my shoulder, flapping his wings excitedly and chirping in my ear.

“That brat looked completely smitten when he saw you! I knew your charm couldn’t be hidden by a mask!”

He nodded emphatically, as if confirming his own words.

Turning my head, I saw Song Qiyuan approaching, carrying a wooden basin. He met my gaze, then quickly looked away, startled.

I gathered the cultivation techniques in my hand, walked over to him, and placed them in the air before him with a smile.

“With your current physique, you need to learn a high-level technique. These are techniques I’ve treasured for a long time. Choose one.”

Song Qiyuan, regaining his composure, placed the wooden basin on the ground and examined the books with a serious expression.

If I recalled correctly, when I first wrote 《Heavenly Demon Tribulation》, I defined the 《Heavenly Dragon Technique》 as an incredibly powerful cultivation method that simultaneously trained one’s profound energy and physique. It allowed one to cultivate potent and stable profound energy while also tempering the body, enabling cultivators to eventually challenge the celestial stars. However, it had strict requirements for the cultivator’s physique, making it unsuitable for ordinary people. But with Song Qiyuan’s current constitution, enhanced by the Qiongqi’s blood, these techniques were now within his reach.

I wondered if my presence would alter this crucial moment.

“Shizun, I choose this one.”

His voice brought me back to reality. With the same determined expression I had described in the book, Song Qiyuan placed his hand on the heavily damaged manuscript of the 《Heavenly Dragon Technique》.

It seemed the storyline hadn’t deviated significantly. The only difference was that I was now Yu Ke, not Ye Wangzhi.