Qi Shu was brought back to Kunlun by Lingxiao Xianzun when he was twelve or thirteen years old.

At that time his hometown was attacked and the entire village was slaughtered overnight. He hid in a dry well for three days and nights until a white light descended from the sky and lifted him up like a warm embrace.

When that white light dispersed, he saw his Master.

In the days when he first arrived at Kunlun, Qi Shu had not yet come out of the shadow of the destruction of his family, so Gu Hanjiang ate with him, lived with him and took good care of him.

It was not the first time Gu Hanjiang had administered the ointment, and also not the first time that Qi Shu had undressed.

But put into the context of today, at this moment, Qi Shu found it strange.

Especially when his Master said it with a calm, serious expression, as if he didn't think there was anything wrong with what he was saying.

The only one who didn't feel right was Qi Shu.

Qi Shu wanted to escape immediately by throwing out a ground-disappearing talisman. But Gu Hanjiang was still holding his shoulder. The force was light and the palm was cool, but there was an implication that could not be denied.

So, with trembling hands, he could only untie the belt he had carefully put on in the morning with his own hands, under the gaze of his own Master.

The immortal robe was as soft as silk, and just as Qi Shu pulled open the neckline, the garment slipped down along his shoulders.

A small slice of white shoulder was revealed.

Qi Shu was so nervous that he didn't even dare to raise his head, and naturally he didn't notice his Master's sudden shift in his gaze.

As well as the moment of chaotic, slightly disordered breathing.

"Turn around." Gu Hanjiang's voice fell to a husky pitch.

Qi Shu gave an "Oh" and obediently turned around.

On the back of his shoulder, there was a deep wound that had already scabbed over, but was still bright red around the edges.

It was from when he was scratched by the Jiaolong during the battle on Wuying Mountain. The beast's claws were probably poisoned and the wound hadn't healed for several days after the injury. In addition, it was an inconvenient place to deal with on the back of his shoulder, so Qi Shu just let it go.

"It might hurt." Gu Hanjiang whispered, "Bear with it."

Qi Shu had fought the dragon for three days and nights without even frowning at the internal and external wounds he had sustained. So the pain he felt while healing naturally did not matter. He was about to nod when his body suddenly tensed up.

Gu Hanjiang's hand was dipped in the ointment and gently dropped onto his shoulder.

Perhaps because he was afraid of hurting him, Gu Hanjiang moved gently and delicately, making the already slight pain almost negligible. But the skin of the wound was already sensitive, and after being gently brushed with fingers like that, after the cold touch of the ointment had passed, it was replaced by an itch that seeped deep into the marrow.

Qi Shu leaned sideways against the back of the chair, his fingers clenched in his collar, and subconsciously bit his lip again.

The experience had turned the application of medication into a torture.

"Does it hurt that much?" Feeling the trembling of that muscle under his palm, Gu Hanjiang asked.

"...En..." Qi Shu responded in a low voice.

How was he supposed to explain this?

Because he hadn't seen his Master for too long, he couldn't withstand the teasing provocation, and even the application of a soothing medicine could cause a reaction that it shouldn't?

Qi Shu curled up his leg without moving, and his eyes were so red from suppressing his arousal that he looked like he was in severe pain to outsiders, and even his voice was weak, "Is it still, still not done?"

"It’s done." Gu Hanjiang straightened up, his eyebrows furrowed in displeasure, "I asked you to go on a trip down the mountains, but you've become more petulant than before."

He wasn't being petulant, he was showing restraint for fear of scaring his Master!

Qi Shu thought indignantly in his heart.

He got up and straightened his clothes before he realised something as an afterthought, "Does Master mean that it was indeed your command for me to go down the mountain to travel?"

Both Lingxiao Xianzun's retreat and Qi Shu's trip down the mountain had been made without prior warning.

Qi Shu still remembered that on the day of Lingxiao Xianzun's retreat into seclusion, he woke up early as usual and came to pay his respects to his master, only to find the house empty. It was not until the morning lesson when Elder Qing Lan announced that he would be acting as Sect Leader that he realised what had happened.

A cultivator's seclusion could take as little as a few months or as long as three to five years, and when his Master left without saying goodbye like this, Qi Shu was naturally unhappy in his heart.

But he was only a disciple and could not disagree with his Master's decision.

During that time, when he was not cultivating, he would go outside the entrance to the Spiritual Void Cave and stay there for an entire afternoon.

After waiting for more than a year like that, what he got was an order from the Acting Sect Leader to go down to the mountain and travel for a while.

The Kunlun Sword Sect had never forced its disciples to travel outside the mountain. The other party said in a cryptic way that he had already cultivated and was not young, so he should go down the mountain and see the world.

But the implicit meaning was clear to Qi Shu.

Lingxiao Xianzun was now at a critical stage in his cultivation, and he was afraid that his staying at the entrance of the Spiritual Void Cave day in and day out would affect his progress.

Qi Shu looked at the embarrassed face of the Acting Sect Leader, as well as the packages of magic weapons packed for him in advance on the table, and even had a feeling of being swept out of the house.

Therefore, when he first went down from the mountain, Qi Shu had felt a bit of resentment in his heart.

Hearing this question, Lingxiao Xianzun was a little hesitant. He slowly put the ointment down and sat back in the main seat before he softly answered, "Yes."

As expected.

Qi Shu heaved a sigh of relief.

After so much time had passed, the grievances in his heart had actually mostly disappeared.

In fact, Qi Shu had indeed been a bit too much back then. Whose disciple did not do his tasks every day, but instead, for a year, went to his Master's cave where he was in seclusion to keep watch.

His master had given him face by not beating him out.

Qi Shu said sincerely, "This disciple shouldn't have disturbed your seclusion at the beginning, I know I was wrong."

"I have never…" Gu Hanjiang's words trailed off.

Qi Shu blinked.

This is a rare thing, Lingxiao Xianzun is high above, respected and admired by tens of thousands, and has a cold and serious temperament, when has he ever hesitated to speak like now?

Gu Hanjiang: "...It's nothing."

Qi Shu: "But the Master was clearly going to say something just now."

"No." Gu Hanjiang obviously didn't want to talk to him, his face was expressionless as he chased his guest out, "If you have an injury, go back and rest early."

* * *

Qi Shu had another dream.

In the dream, Lingxiao Xianzun was sitting on a rock at the top of a cliff, meditating with his eyes closed. The blizzard was flying on the top of the cliff, but could not come near him in any way.

Lingxiao Xianzu’s internal force was unsteadyHe's on the verge of qi deviation., his brow was furrowed, and a dark qi aura was faintly rising from his brow.

Master—

Qi Shu wanted to wake him up, but just like the previous few times, he couldn’t make a sound or even get close.

So he could only watch as the black qi became more and more intense, gradually engulfing the stream of spiritual energy around Gu Hanjiang's body, and then close in on him in a pervasive manner.

A pained expression appeared on Gu Hanjiang's face, and suddenly, the area around his body shook and he spat out a large mouthful of blood.

The snow in front of him was stained with blood, and Qi Shu raised his head to meet his Master's eyes, which had already become bright red, cold and ruthless.

* * *

Qi Shu cupped the water and washed his face, droplets slid slowly down his chin.

His dreams were becoming more and more outrageous, but they were also becoming more and more real.

As he crouched by the pool in front of the house, he looked up at the darkness of the night and the moon hanging high in the sky and felt quite helpless.

It was okay to have such outrageous dreams, but every time he woke up from them, he couldn't fall back asleep anymore.

It was impossible to live like this.

Qi Shu sighed and wiped the water droplets off his face, intending to return to his house to meditate carefully, when he suddenly heard a crisp sound in the night.

It was like the sound of something being broken.

The silence and coldness of Baizhang Peak at night made this sound even more abrupt. He and Lingxiao Xianzun were the only two people on the entire Peak, so it was self-evident where this sound came from.

"Master, are you awake?" Qi Shu gingerly arrived at the door of Gu Hanjiang's room and knocked.

No one responded.

Qi Shu frowned.

The room was quiet and the candlelight had long since been extinguished, so it was not as if anyone was awake.

But that sound was not fake.

After waiting for a moment without a response, Qi Shu said softly, "Master, I've offended you."

He pushed the door and went in.

The room was dark. It was a good thing that cultivators had excellent eyesight, so even in the darkness, their vision was not affected. Qi Shu made his way to the inner room with ease, but saw no one in sight, only a shattered teacup on the floor.

There was also tea spilled all over the floor.

The quilt on the bed was messy, and Qi Shu reached out and touched it, but it was completely cold.

Qi Shu suddenly panicked a little.

It was the same last time, he had merely woken up and his Master was nowhere to be found.

He wouldn't be…Again?

Qi Shu was about to get up when he suddenly felt a dangerous aura approaching. He didn't have time to bring his sword when he came here, so he subconsciously turned his palm into a blade and slashed hard behind him.

But a pair of cold hands clutched his wrist.

The hands were so strong that they gripped his wrists and twisted them gently, easily pressing Qi Shu's entire body onto the bed.

A cold body came up from behind him.

Qi Shu recognised who it was.

The moonlight poured in through the window, and Qi Shu turned his head and clearly saw Gu Hanjiang's handsome face, that contained no sadness or joy, but had a trace of darkness flickering between his eyebrows.

It was a sign of qi deviation.

Authors Corner

The author has something to say:

It’s only the third chapter, and everyone in the world can see that Qi Shu can’t be the gong, except for himself.

What a miserable boy!

Chapters

1 Comment

  1. ruoruo

    qi deviation?? aiiii, will this be the start of the awakening that our QiQi will have regarding his ‘gong’ status? heeheh

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