Chu Yu was stumped by the outburst . He gently stroked Xie Xi’s back as the lump in his throat choked off his words . It was a long time before he managed to get his voice back . He mumbled, “Not anymore . I won’t do that anymore…”

The two disciples huddled closer together . Chu Yu sniffed Xie Xi’s familiar smell and took a deep breath to calm himself down . He wiped his eyes and looked up to see Xie Xi still biting his lips and crying with aggrievement . Beneath his heartache, he found some humor in their current situation .

Two grown men, who had not seen each other for more than a year, were now hugging each other and crying the moment they met . What was this situation even… . . ?

Xie Xi only stopped shedding tears after Chu Yu had tenderly coaxed him for a while . There was still a teardrop hanging on to the corner of Xie Xi’s long eyelashes . Chu Yu raised his hand with some difficulty to wipe it away for him . Just as he was going to ask where they were, there was a knock on the door .

A familiar voice rang out from beyond the door . “Ahem… Gentlemen, may I come in?”

Xie Xi frowned . He did not answer immediately and lowered his head to look closely at Chu Yu . Chu Yu’s complexion was white and he looked delicate . Now that his body was that of a mere mortal, being whipped had left behind savage dark red scars . They crisscrossed all over his body, and, overall, it was a ghastly sight to behold . Although the wounds were already starting to heal after the medication had been applied, they would still make one’s heart ache when they looked at them .

After a moment of silence, Xie Xi closed his eyes to hide the pain in them . His hands trembled as he covered Chu Yu with a thin quilt and carefully tucked in the corners . He then replied in a light tone, “You may enter now . ”

The person outside the room was patient and only opened the door to enter upon hearing Xie Xi’s affirmation . Chu Yu turned his head to look through the dangling muslin curtains and vaguely saw the shape of a man carrying something in . Just as he was puzzling over it, the curtains were pulled back, and a young man walked in .

The man was pure and radiant, warm and gentle as jade, with a faint trace of a smile adorning his eyebrows and the corners of his eyes . Chu Yu was momentarily stunned, then asked in surprise, “Young Master Fu?”

It was indeed Fu Chongyi .
　　
Fu Chongyi gave a slight nod . “Young Master Chu, it has been a while . ”

It seemed as if Fu Chongyi had plenty to say, but he kept silent and walked up beside Chu Yu . He extended a finger to point between Chu Yu’s brows and muttered, “A sealed dantian… this kind of situation is extremely rare, but looking at Young Master Chu’s condition, your dantian must have been sealed by some kind of power to protect your dantian and spiritual pulse…”

Chu Yu remembered the voice that came from that green light and understanding dawned on him . Yet, he could not help but feel uneasy when he saw Fu Chongyi’s frown .

It couldn’t be that there was no way for him to recover, could it?　　

Xie Xi soothingly caressed his face . “It’ll be okay, s.h.i.+xiong, I’ll think of a way . ”

Fu Chongyi gave a dry cough . “Comrade Xie, I do have a way . ”

Chu Yu thought, if Fu Chongyi, the most formidable Physician Immortal in the original novel, could not fix him, then it would be basically impossible .

This was fortunate . Otherwise, with this mortal body, he would grow old and die in less than a hundred years . How could Xie Xi accept watching Chu Yu die of old age in front of his very own eyes?
　
He was thinking about it when he saw Xie Xi solemnly cupped his hands in obeisance and bowed deeply to Fu Chongyi . “Thank you . ”

Fu Chongyi shook his head and said, “I still need to look up more information, so Comrade Xie can just take good care of Young Master Chu these next few days . ”

With that, he looked up at Xie Xi’s anxious face and realized that the latter half of his words were utterly superfluous . He smiled and left without disturbing them any further .

It was then Chu Yu asked, “Where are we?”
　
Xie Xi sat at the head of the bed and looked at Chu Yu’s white hair with a complicated expression in his eyes . His voice softened involuntarily . “Linlan’s Fu Clan . ”

“My elder brother doesn’t know?”
　　
Xie Xi replied, “s.h.i.+zun doesn’t know either . ”
　　
“Then it’s all good . ” Chu Yu breathed a sigh of relief . Lu Qingan was still fine, but if Chu Sheng saw him like this, who knew how hard he would cry? With his heart full of guilt, he did not dare to probe any further . He looked at Xun Sheng who was at the head of his bed and asked, “Where is Song Jingyi?”

Xie Xi’s gaze suddenly turned icy, and his voice was cold and filled with murderous intent . “Killed . ”

It was a pity that he did not have the time to torture Song Jingyi because he was so worried about Chu Yu . But it was just as well, getting rid of him now would prevent further complications in the future .

Chu Yu nodded his head and said nothing .

Xie Xi added . “s.h.i.+zun has ascertained Song Jingyi’s origins, so there’s no harm in killing him . ” On seeing Chu Yu’s face twitch, Xie Xi blinked and smiled cunningly . “It’s fine if s.h.i.+xiong really wants to know . s.h.i.+di will slowly tell you when your body has recovered . ”

Chu Yu paused and had no alternative but to ask . “​Not even if I give you a small reward?”

He was really curious .

Xie Xi leaned in, closing the distance between them until they each could feel the warm breath of the other party . Although this person was now before him… a trace of uneasiness and anxiety flashed through Xie Xi’s eyes even as a smile was still plastered on his face . “Oh? What ​small ​reward?”

Chu Yu raised his hand, wrapped it around the back of ​​Xie Xi’s neck and lifted his head ​to place his lips on ​​Xie Xi’s​ thin, moist lips . Their ​​warm lips ​clung on to each other,​ and​ Xie Xi’s immediately ​tightened his grip on the quilt​ . Still, he did not make any moves and simply waited for Chu Yu to give him his “small reward”​ on his own initiative​ .

Chu ​Yu had no choice but to ​extend his tongue​ and he licked Xie Xi’s lips​ tentatively . It seemed to itch a little, and Xie Xi’s ​parted his ​lips slightly​ . Chu Yu smoothly​ entered his mouth​, then ​pried his ​teeth open,​ and​ deepened the kiss .

​They had not been intimate for more than a year​ now . ​ Chu ​Yu’s heart thumped just as wildly as the moment he had plunged into the abyss​ . ​ His face, which had originally had been as pale as snow, was now flushed with a tinge of red . His eyes were also slightly closed​, adding some vibrancy to his otherwise frosty countenance .

​​Xie Xi lowered his eyes and to stare at him . His eyes ​gradually ​grew darker . He kept up with his pretense of indifference for only a short ​while before he could no longer ​take Chu Yu’s gentle teasing . Taking back the lead, he reached out to cup Chu Yu’s face and kissed him back fiercely . He even bit ​Chu Yu’s lower lip resentfully, breaching​ ​through ​every line of his defense​ without missing a beat as their lips entangled and ​their breaths​ ​intertwined . Chu ​Yu moaned softly and tightened his embrace around Xie Xi as ​his heartbeat gradually ​​calmed down .

Xie Xi was by his side .
　　
He would never leave Xie Xi again .

It was even more unlikely for Xie Xi to leave him .

​​When ​their lips separated, Chu ​Yu was panting​ . There was a misty layer of tears in his eyes, like ripples of spring water​ . The rims of his eyes were slightly red, and his face was flushed . He​ covered his mouth and​ coughed a few times​ . ​ ​When he released his hand, his lips​ which had been initially pale as pink cherry​ had now turned red as if ​smudged with ​​rouge .

​His obvious white hair had given his features a slightly pale desolate appearance, but his appearance now ​​was beautiful and alluring . Xie Xi ​took only looked at him for a few moments and he nearly lost control . Knowing that Chu Yu’s body could not take it in its current state, he took a deep breath and suppressed the fire in his heart . He lowered his head ​to kiss ​Chu Yu’s lips, then smiled and said, “​No . This reward is too small . I’ll wait for s.h.i.+xiong to recover and then s.h.i.+xiong can give s.h.i.+di a big reward ​before s.h.i.+di reconsiders ​telling ​s.h.i.+xiong​ . ” ​​

Chu Yu’s chest felt stifled to the point of despondency .
　　

　　
In the next few days, Xie Xi closely followed Chu Yu everywhere . Both of them reached a tacit understanding not to talk about their experiences of the last year . Chu Yu’s wounds no longer hurt, and they had also scabbed over . It should not take long for the scabs to heal and drop off and for Chu Yu to recover fully . The only thing was that Chu Yu’s body was still weak . With Xie Xi watching over him, Chu Yu could only stay in bed, with his daily activities consisting of his daily three meals and three bowls of medicine .

Fu Chongyi had decocted the medicine himself . It was fresh out of the pot, with the strong bitter taste of traditional Chinese medicine . Chu Yu had hardly ever drunk such medicine ever since childhood, so he almost spat it all out onto Xie Xi’s face after taking his first mouthful of the medicine .

Xie Xi was unperturbed by the taste and picked up the porcelain bowl to try it . He murmured, “It’s indeed a little bitter… Does s.h.i.+xiong want to try something sweet?”

Chu Yu nodded his head with tears in his eyes .
　　
Had Fu Chongyi done this on purpose? He could clearly produce a pill for Chu Yu to eat, but he just had to boil this kind of stuff that was so bitter it made his intestines cramp…
　　
Xie Xi saw him nod his head​ and then ​lifted the medicine bowl ​with a trace of a smile on the corners of his lips . He ​took a sip​ of the medicine​, and then ​took Chu Yu into his arms and ​fed it to him the medicine mouth-to-mouth​ . Chu ​Yu was caught off guard ​and choked ​slightly as he swallowed the medicine that was offered to him via Xie Xi . ​The medicine was so bitter he frowned from the whole ordeal . Then, Xie Xi pinned him down on the bed and mercilessly kissed him for a spell . Chu Yu had not even managed to catch his breath before Xie Xi fed him another mouthful of medicine through his mouth .

By the time ​the bowl of medicine ​was consumed, Chu ​Yu’s face had turned crimson​ . He was perspiring profusely, and his eyes were ​awash with the colors of spring . How in the world would he remember if ​ ​the medicine was bitter or not​? ​ ​​

……It sure was sweet .

Being fed this bowl of medicine was even more tiring than fighting a battle with a sword .

Chu Yu felt as if he had been sapped of all his energy while Xie Xi felt invigorated as he left the room with the medicine bowl . The medicine had to be taken three times a day, and so, for three times a day, Chu Yu had to endure Xie Xi’s wanton advances until he eventually had to be carried into the bath to wash up .

This went on for several days . No matter how obtuse Chu Yu was, even he would have realized that something was off . So while Xie Xi was taking the medicine bowl away, Chu Yu snuck out . He had only just stepped out of the room when he heard a conversation just beyond the hallway .

“…He seems to have gotten used to it . s.h.i.+xiong no longer finds it bitter . You can add more coptis root1 . I am not afraid of the bitterness . ”

Fu Chongyi did not know whether to laugh or cry . “Can you still bear to let him suffer?”

Xie Xi snorted lightly . “He deserves it . ”

Fu Chongyi asked, “Aren’t you afraid that he will be angry with you when he finds out?”

Xie Xi paused for a moment, then lightly replied, “No matter how angry he is, I won’t let him leave me anymore . That man is too untrustworthy . He’ll end up leaving the moment I turn my attention elsewhere… Sometimes, I really want to break his legs so that he cannot run away . ”

His tone was light, and his expression should have been cool and calm . But somehow, Chu Yu could still hear the pain behind Xie Xi’s words . His heart ached . Knowing that Xie Xi would return shortly, he quickly and quietly slipped back into his room to lie down .

Fu Chongyi lifted his eyes and smiled . “Then, I wish you the best of luck . ”

Xie Xi calmly walked back to the room Chu Yu was staying in, with pursed lips and slowly walked towards the bed . He lowered his eyes and saw Chu Yu all wrapped up in the quilt . After a moment of silence, he jabbed Chu Yu’s blanket coc.o.o.n gently . “… s.h.i.+xiong, what are you doing?”

Chu Yu’s voice was m.u.f.fled by the blankets and his tone was vague . “What must I do to put you at ease?”

Xie Xi simply took off his boots and outer robe and got into bed with Chu Yu . Embracing the person in the quilt in his arms, he whispered . “I only want to s.h.i.+xiong to be in my possession at all times . s.h.i.+xiong is mine . s.h.i.+xiong must not leave me . It has been this way since young . But since childhood, s.h.i.+xiong has left me twice . Even though you clearly promised me you would never leave…”

Chu Yu felt a little suffocated and poked his head out from the quilt, just right under Xie Xi’s lower jaw . His body was still tightly bound, therefore, could not move, so he uncomfortably s.h.i.+fted and nudged himself up against Xie Xi and then tilted his head to mull over when exactly he had signed an agreement in this screwed up “I Will Never Ever Leave Pact . ” After thinking for a long time, it finally hit him .

……He remembered that there was one night, just over ten years ago where the young shota Xie Xi had suddenly broken into his room . Xie Xi had cried for a short moment and then asked him a few questions . Eventually, in his state of drowsiness, he seemed to have heard Xie Xi saying something . He had vaguely heard the word “will not”, and he had thought the child had been saying words such as “you will not bully me anymore”, so he had nodded with sincerity and then fallen asleep the moment he shut his eyes .

If he was not wrong, then this pact had probably been made at that time…

Chu Yu could neither laugh nor cry . Finally, he leaned against Xie Xi’s neck and laughed . He said softly, “Alright, don’t be afraid . I won’t leave anymore . For real . If you still don’t feel at ease, you can break my legs if you can bear to……” After a pause, Chu Yu felt that it was better not to raise any flag and jinx himself . He quickly added, “Just that, if you break my legs, you can forget about getting into my bed ever again . ”

Xie Xi was speechless for a moment, then lowered his head to kiss Chu Yu’s forehead . “You know my words are harsh, but in reality, I could not bear to do that . If I could, I would have broken your legs the previous time you returned and then brought you back to the sect . ”

Chu Yu paused, then nibbled on Xie Xi’s Adam’s apple without saying a word more .

Two days later, Fu Chongyi entered the room with three pieces of news — two pieces of bad news and one good news .

Chu Yu’s intuition told him that all the three pieces of news were related to himself . His eyebrows twitched . “Let’s hear the good news first . ”

Fu Chongyi smiled . “The good news is that I can help Young Master Chu fully recover today . ”

“The bad news?”
　　
Fu Chongyi asked, “Do you want to hear the bad news first or the worst one?”

There are even different degrees of bad news?

Chu Yu’s heart quivered, and he subconsciously tightened his grip on Xie Xi’s hand as he replied in fear . “The bad news first…”

Fu Chongyi stroked the fox in his arms and sighed . “Tian Yuan Sect had suffered a catastrophe . Although there are few people left now who can hold up the fort, this was, after all, brought about for the sake of confronting Demon Lord Yan Heng . So the major sects in the cultivation world would still show Tian Yuan Sect some respect . ”

Chu Yi, “Oh . ”

Fu Chongyi continued, “A few days ago, Song Yuanzhuo, the sect master of Tian Yuan Sect, suddenly issued an order to kill . ” After a pause, he looked at Xie Xi with a somewhat odd and appreciative gaze . ”……Because the decapitated head of his eldest disciple, Song Jingyi, was sent to the main hall of Tian Yuan Sect . The murderer was easily traceable . ”

Xie Xi said coldly, “So?”

“The main gist of the order Song Yuanzhuo issued was that… Chu Yu, the eldest disciple of Yuan Chen Peak, and Xie Xi, the second disciple, had tortured a fellow disciple to death . Cruel and unscrupulous, they are no longer considered one with the sect . They are henceforth expelled from the sect with immediate effect and will no longer have any ties to Tian Yuan Sect . If anyone slays both of you, they can obtain three of Song Yuanzhuo’s treasured magical weapons . ”

Chu Yu was unmoved .

He had thought it was bad news, but it turned out to be meh . So what if he was expelled from Tian Yuan Sect? All along, he only had one s.h.i.+zun, and that was Lu Qingan . He had never acknowledged the Tian Yuan Sect, a disorganized and disoriented sect that could not even tell right and wrong, to be his sect .

So what if they were hunted down? The Tian Yuan Sect of today was on the verge of collapse, hanging on by a thread . It could barely be considered a mid-grade sect . There might still be some sympathizers in the cultivation world . But it was still worth weighing the strength of the Chu clan against that of Tian Yuan Sect . Whether it was worth offending the Chu clan just for the sake of a few magical weapons was debatable; after all, the Chu clan was renowned for protecting their own to the point of fanaticism .

Song Yuanzhuo was just at his wit’s end, having exhausted his entire bag of tricks . He could not personally avenge Song Jingyi, and so he wanted to use someone else’s power to do so for him . It was a pity that most of those who were willing to lend a hand were too incompetent, and those who were competent had no lack artifacts similar to those three magical weapons that he was offering .

Chu Yu only pondered over it for a moment before he put it behind him and asked, “And the other bad news?”

There was a glint in Fu Chongyi’s eyes . He looked as if he wanted to say something but was holding back out of some considerations . He paused, looked at the door, and then smiled .

“Your elder brother is here .