Chapter 9
There was not even a folding screen in the room.
He was no longer a child. He could hardly change clothes in front of Shizun.
That would be far too inappropriate.
Ying Weiye froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.
“I nearly forgot.”
He folded his arms and leisurely admired Qin Youzhou’s embarrassment.
“Our Youzhou is all grown up now. Of course it’s only natural for you to feel shy.”
“Shizun!”
Qin Youzhou rarely became flustered.
“I’m not shy. I’m just…”
He fell silent.
In the end, the farce concluded with Ying Weiye going out to buy food while Qin Youzhou changed in a corner facing the wall.
Qin Youzhou’s vision was still terribly blurred, but he could make out the outlines of things more clearly than before.
The gift the Winter God had given him was the partial clearing of the blocked and necrotic spiritual meridians around his eyes.
Qin Youzhou was still not quite accustomed to it.
After changing into his outer robe, he tucked his clothes securely around himself so that everything below his neck was completely covered, then carefully studied the incense burner beside the bed.
【Oh my~ Shizun, don’t look. This isn’t proper~】
The system hummed and whined, suddenly going mad as though it had stumbled across something particularly delicious.
【I’m not shy—】
Qin Youzhou’s ears burned fiercely.
He said with righteous indignation, “You can tease me if you must, but do not make improper remarks about my Shizun.”
【Hmph. He was clearly the one teasing you first.】
The system snorted.
【Host, you were obviously embarrassed.】
Qin Youzhou ignored it, took out a Daoist scripture, and began reading.
【Host, do you think you might ever fall for another man?】
The system crept closer and asked furtively.
One of its previous hosts had been exactly like this.
They had ended up with someone they originally disliked in the novel.
At first, they denied it to the bitter end.
Later, they humiliatingly discovered just how wrong they had been.
“No.”
Qin Youzhou lowered his head and took notes.
“Cultivating the Dao requires a clear heart and few desires. Love can easily ruin one’s path.”
【My heavens! There’s even the Heartless Dao!】
The system drew in a horrified breath.
【Host, the number of flags surrounding you just keeps increasing.】
“It cannot really be called the Heartless Dao. It is merely that romantic attachments can easily disturb one’s Dao heart.”
Qin Youzhou always felt that the system, like Shizun, enjoyed saying strange things.
He earnestly advised it, “Besides, you should also think less about love and romance. You came here all alone. If you continue dwelling on emotional matters…”
Fifteen minutes later…
The system blinked its vacant little bean-shaped eyes, its expression gradually becoming enlightened.
Master, please stop reciting. Stop reciting…
Had it not bound itself to a Daoist cultivator?
Why did he sound like a young monk?!
“I bought some food. Eat whatever you like.”
Ying Weiye returned at exactly the right moment, rescuing the pitiful system from Qin Youzhou’s relentless sermon on abstinence.
The food covered the entire table, and most of the dishes were Qin Youzhou’s favorites.
“Thank you, Shizun.”
Qin Youzhou carefully helped arrange the food containers.
“I heard the scallion-oil fish here is excellent, so I asked a waiter to buy one. It should be delivered shortly.”
Flood dragons enjoyed eating meat, especially fish.
The system: …
What? Does indulging in the pleasures of food not break your rules?!
Qin Youzhou had never shown even half the coldness he used while preaching to the system when speaking to his Shizun.
The system trembled with anger.
The system pathetically raged for a moment.
Then the system silently shut itself down.
That night…
Qin Youzhou lay on the bed, idly considering the system’s words.
Falling for someone…
He had too many things to do.
Love was something far too distant.
Once he fell for someone, he would have to spend time treating them seriously and properly.
Then he would have no time to cultivate or see patients.
Moreover, marriage required money.
He had none, and he could not ask Shizun to pay for his marriage.
Qin Youzhou could not imagine what sort of person he might like.
Nor could he imagine what expression Shizun would make if he brought someone back to Xuanxing Peak.
So after thinking about it for only a brief moment, he dismissed the absurd idea entirely.
With his poor eyesight, Qin Youzhou did not notice that on the other side of the bed, Ying Weiye lay on his side and silently watched him for a long time.
Only when Qin Youzhou fell deeply asleep did he finally look away.
Perhaps because something had gone wrong during yesterday’s sacrifice and the common people had not been able to fully enjoy themselves, Yao City remained extraordinarily lively the following day.
The markets that should have closed were still filled with vendors, and the City Lord did nothing to stop them.
Ying Weiye ordered a bowl of mulian jelly and told the vendor to add an extra spoonful of sugar.
He handed it to Qin Youzhou.
Qin Youzhou had loved eating this as a child, and he had always insisted that it be especially sweet.
When the crystal-clear mulian jelly was cut open, brown sugar syrup slowly seeped into the cracks.
Now that he had grown up, Qin Youzhou no longer liked things sweet enough to become cloying.
Even so, he quietly finished the entire bowl.
From farther away drifted the blended fragrance of peach blossoms and wine.
It came from peach blossom brew, Ying Weiye’s favorite drink.
Qin Youzhou remembered how, when he was young, Shizun had tricked him by saying that Qin Youzhou had come as a free gift when he bought peach blossom wine—buy five jars and receive one child.
That day, Qin Youzhou had secretly slipped into Xuanxing Peak’s wine cellar.
He carefully felt his way from jar to jar, refusing to miss even one.
There had been exactly one hundred jars of peach blossom brew.
He had assumed Shizun was raising nineteen other free gifts just like him.
Shizun had lied.
So he was not Shizun’s favorite after all?
And he was not Shizun’s only disciple?
At the human age of five, Qin Youzhou had silently returned to the room and clung to Ying Weiye’s leg, refusing to let go.
Tears gathered in his eyes, but none fell.
“Shizun, did they only give you one Zhou’er?”
Qin Youzhou had very sensibly tried to negotiate with him.
“If there are other Zhou’ers, I can take care of them.”
“But if buying wine gives you more children next time, could Shizun give the other Youzhous to Martial Uncle and the other elders?”
Ying Weiye had been so frightened that from then on, he never again dared speak nonsense so casually.
He had promised Qin Youzhou three separate times that buying wine would not come with children.
“There is only one Youzhou beneath heaven. Your name is unique as well.”
He had stroked Qin Youzhou’s head and spoken with rare seriousness.
“Shizun will only ever have you as his disciple.”
Only one who had been blind and later regained the light could truly behold the daylight.
“Shizun, would you like to buy a jar?”
Remembering something he had once found embarrassing, Qin Youzhou now found it unexpectedly amusing.
“No.”
Ying Weiye’s lips curved faintly.
“Drinking causes trouble. I plan to quit.”
“I see.”
Qin Youzhou did not entirely believe him.
Shizun had tried to quit drinking more than ten times, but he had never succeeded.
Still, each attempt had made him somewhat more restrained than before.
As long as it did not affect his health, it was not a serious problem.
The mortal world held an enormous attraction for every young cultivator who had lived in the mountains for too long.
Qin Youzhou was no exception.
His happiness was visible to the naked eye.
Everything he encountered seemed interesting to him.
But because his temperament was reserved, he did not express it too openly.
Even so, once today ended, he would still have to return to the mountain and resume his monotonous life, repeating the same routine day after day.
Perhaps his desire to descend the mountain truly had nothing to do with Dai Yang.
Perhaps he had merely been trapped inside for too long and wanted to have some fun.
Ying Weiye observed him from the side and temporarily suppressed the doubts in his heart.
Still a child at heart.
“Xiao Zhou.”
They had already reached the end of the market when Ying Weiye suddenly said, for no apparent reason, “It might be a good thing if you never grew up.”
Qin Youzhou carried the obscure medical text he had found and looked at him in confusion.
“Why would Shizun say that?”
He did not think adulthood was a bad thing.
“It’s nothing.”
Ying Weiye looked toward the faint outline of the distant mountains, his voice very calm.
“My madness is acting up. You don’t need to take what I say seriously.”
Children were more obedient.
They believed whatever they were told, did not grow distant from him, and were easier to protect.
More importantly, children did not have to suffer because of love.
Nor did they have to become good people only to be tormented for it.
“Shizun, you must not speak of yourself that way.”
Qin Youzhou frowned slightly.
“You are only suffering from a minor illness. I will certainly refine the proper medicine for you.”
“All right.”
There was a smile in Ying Weiye’s voice.
But when he was not looking at Qin Youzhou, his eyes were hollow and lifeless.
“Shizun will wait for you.”
He would not live long enough to see it.
There was only one purpose left keeping him alive.
Once that purpose was fulfilled and everything returned to its proper course…
He could finally die in peace.
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