Chapter 35: A Test of Love

Having only made the suggestion on a whim while watching the recordings, Su Zhuozhi hadn’t expected Xie Jue to agree so readily.

Wait, how had he even started talking to Xie Jue?

He had planned to ignore him for at least the next two days.

Su Zhuozhi pursed his lips, a flicker of annoyance in his eyes. He turned his head and continued studying the past recordings with fixed concentration, pretending he hadn’t spoken.

But Xie Jue didn’t let the opportunity slip.

He leaned in, closing the distance between them, and reached out to take Su Zhuozhi’s hand that hung by his side. Quietly, he said, “In that case, why not let me practice with you, Master? That way, I won’t end up doing something wrong and disappointing you.”

Su Zhuozhi froze, not reacting for a moment.

…Practice what?

He understood soon enough, because Xie Jue held his hand, pulled it over, and without hesitation, slapped himself across the face.

Since Su Zhuozhi’s fingers weren’t tensed with force, they simply rested against Xie Jue’s cheek. Rather than a slap, it felt more like a bewildered touch.

And what was most bizarre was that the look in Xie Jue’s eyes as he gazed up at him seemed almost… expectant.

Did he… like being hit?

Was there something wrong with his mind? This illness was quite severe, wasn’t it?

Su Zhuozhi was utterly baffled. Forgetting his earlier resolve to ignore Xie Jue, he couldn’t help asking, “Are you sure you don’t need to see a healer? I think it’s really necessary.”

Xie Jue still held Su Zhuozhi’s hand. With his back deliberately hunched and his upturned gaze from below, he somehow gave off the impression of a big dog crouching before its owner, acting meek and seeking a pat.

Su Zhuozhi stared at his black hair and found his fingers itching a little.

“Why does he want you to hit him, Daddy?”

A childish voice suddenly rang out. The little boy had run over at some point and stood before them, tilting his face up with curiosity.

“Is it because he did something bad and needs to be punished?”

The child followed up with another question. Children forget easily, their anger and sadness coming and going quickly, but they also hold grudges. He still remembered Xie Jue pinching him and wished his daddy would get revenge.

He waved his chubby little fist, cheering Su Zhuozhi on, “Daddy, hit him hit him! Punish him!”

Su Zhuozhi: “…”

For some reason, although the child’s words weren’t exactly wrong, they struck him as oddly off.

He silently tried to retract his hand.

But Xie Jue curved his lips into a smile. “Master won’t hit?”

Su Zhuozhi muttered, “I hit if I want to, and I don’t if I don’t. Why should I listen to you or a kid?”

With that, he stubbornly pulled his hand back. His fingertips brushed against Xie Jue’s cheek in passing, a touch impossible to ignore, and those narrow, deep eyes were fixed on him unwaveringly, making his scalp tingle.

Su Zhuozhi gripped his own fingers, utterly lost. He had started the joke, but somehow felt like he had lost the upper hand, ending up at a disadvantage.

He repeated, “You really should see a healer. Seriously.”

Xie Jue nodded. “Yes, Master.”

Su Zhuozhi stressed again, “Go as soon as you leave the secret realm. See if there’s any lingering poison.”

Xie Jue asked meekly, “Will Master accompany me?”

Su Zhuozhi agreed without a second thought.

He did care about his own people.

Though he was reluctant to admit it, he had been quite frightened the previous night. Xie Jue had seemed like a different person.

The boy, seeing that Su Zhuozhi had withdrawn his hand and wasn’t hitting, looked disappointed. He hugged Su Zhuozhi’s leg and whined pitifully, “Daddy…”

Xie Jue shot him a cold glare. The child trembled in fear and hastily hid behind Su Zhuozhi, pressing his head tightly against Su’s leg, not daring to show even a strand of hair.

There was a box of recording stones, capturing many events. They had originally planned not to watch all of them, but later discovered that some details of cultivation techniques and battle recordings were hidden within the stones. So they continued watching and learned a great deal.

A day passed, and night fell again. Everything was silent.

For dinner, Su Zhuozhi took out some spirit beast meat to share. The boy, clutching a chicken leg and eating with greasy cheeks, grew even more attached to him. Even when he woke up in the middle of the night, he ignored Chu Ge sleeping beside him and went looking for Su Zhuozhi instead.

He slowly shuffled over to Su Zhuozhi, rubbed his eyes with his small chubby hand, tugged at Su’s sleeve, and whined in a childish voice, “Daddy, I need to pee.”

Su Zhuozhi was forced awake. He cast a resentful look at the child and said crossly, “Then go.”

“I don’t dare. Go with me, please.” The boy shook his sleeve and begged piteously.

Su Zhuozhi directly ignored him, pulled the blanket over his head, and turned his back to the child. His entire demeanor clearly expressed refusal and unwillingness, paying no attention to the boy.

The child sniffled, and persistently chanted, “Pee, pee, pee.”

Getting no response, he tried to burrow into Su Zhuozhi’s blanket, wiggling like a little piglet. But as soon as he made a move, his collar was grabbed, and he was lifted into the air, dangling.

He turned his head and saw Xie Jie. His face instantly turned pale, and he trembled in fear, his eyes brimming with tears. “Daddy, save me…”

“He’s not your father.” Xie Jie looked at the child calmly, scrutinizing him.

Despite being terrified, the child mustered the courage to seriously retort, “He is my daddy.”

“Are you looking for death?”

Xie Jie squinted, his gaze dangerous.

The child shuddered violently, tears streaming down, and then, somehow, he pursed his lips and reluctantly called out, “…Daddy.”

Xie Jie froze. He glanced at Su Zhuozhi, thought of something, and a slight smile tugged at his lips. He acknowledged the title, his attitude inexplicably shifted—not quite gentle, but without the murderous intent.

“Fine, I’ll go with you.”

The child was horrified. “……?!”

Suddenly, he didn’t want to pee so much anymore!

“I, I don’t need to…” The child shook his head frantically, holding everything in.

“Lower your voice. Don’t disturb your dad’s sleep.” Xie Jie cut him off, ignoring his wishes, and directly hauled him out of the cave. The child’s weak body struggled in vain, like a little rabbit being carried away.

The moon was dark and the wind was high.

The child was convinced he was about to be killed and silenced, so he wailed even more miserably. Xie Jie grew impatient. “Keep it up, and I’ll kill you right now.”

It was remarkably effective. The child immediately clamped his mouth shut, not daring to make a sound.

Xie Jie found a patch of grass nearby and dropped him on the ground.

The child wobbled as he took off his pants. After a long while, he said tearfully, “I, I can’t pee…”

Xie Jie wasn’t surprised at all.

A puppet—how could it have the needs of a living person?

He had only cooperated because the puppet had said something that pleased him earlier.

So, hearing this, Xie Jie decisively said, “Then go back.”

The child, like a salted fish, was carried back again. With the daunting presence of Xie Jie, he didn’t dare to go and cuddle with his daddy. Instead, he lay down aggrievedly, cursing Xie Jie in his heart—for a whole three sentences before falling asleep.

Xie Jie returned to Su Zhuozhi’s side and carefully covered him with the blanket he had kicked off. Then, instead of stepping back, he stared at Su’s sleeping face for a long time. He couldn’t resist reaching out, his fingertip brushing against Su’s cheek.

Soft, delicate, a little warm.

Hard to let go.

He wanted to take a lick.

Su Zhuozhi, perhaps feeling itchy, unconsciously rubbed against Xie Jie’s fingers. Xie Jie paused, then curled his finger, playfully scratching back.

Su Zhuozhi turned over, trapping Xie Jie’s fingers between his cheek and the pillow.

It would be easy to pull them out.

But Xie Jie didn’t move. He enjoyed this contact of being close.

After they finished watching the recording stones, besides the cultivation techniques, they also learned a lot of information.

For instance, the two predecessors were named Xiahou Ji and Wei Zhilan. Both were exceptionally talented, well-known Core Formation cultivators of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, who had died together in the demon-extermination war five hundred years ago.

They were a devoted couple, having promised each other eternal love. They had also eagerly anticipated having a lovely child, imagining how they would dress it, teach it cultivation, and take it out for festivals as a happy family of three.

That puppet child was meticulously crafted under such feelings. He was virtually their first child, deeply cherished. Even later, when they finally conceived a real child, they didn’t neglect him. Instead, they smiled and said, “Xuanxuan, you’re going to be a big brother. Are you happy?”

The puppet boy’s childish face showed surprise and delight. “I’m going to have a little sister?”

“It could also be a little brother. Do you prefer a sister?” Wei Zhilan asked gently, smiling.

“I like both! I’ll be a good big brother!” The child clenched his fists, serious and earnest. Then, very carefully, he gently touched his mother’s belly, greeting his younger sibling.

“Your father and mother also love you. You and your sibling are our most precious treasures.” Xiahou Ji embraced his beloved wife, his eyes soft, filled with the joy of impending fatherhood.

The four of them gathered together, laughing and chatting, painting a picture of a warm and happy future.

But fate had other plans. Shortly after, the great war broke out, with the righteous sects uniting to fight the demon lord and his band of demonic cultivators.

Countless cultivators lost their lives, including Xiahou Ji and Wei Zhilan, and their unborn child.

In the blink of an eye, of the family of four, only Wei Xuan was left alone.

From the moment they named him, the loving couple had already treated him as their own child.

Knowing this background, the group’s gazes toward the child changed. Originally seen as just a mischievous puppet, he was now viewed as the orphan of respected predecessors.

Chu Ge was empathetic. His nose stung and his eyes reddened. He turned away, unable to bear looking at the child. Nie Kai, not good at comfort, directly gave the child a wooden toy he had carved.

Su Zhuozhi didn’t cry, but his expression softened. He became more patient with the boy, asking him what he wanted and promising to grant it.

Wei Xuan showed no sadness, remaining innocent and naive. He only knew that his parents had said they would return, and they surely would. Until then, he could find others to play with. There were so many flowers, plants, and little creatures in the secret realm—he wasn’t lonely at all.

Hearing his newly found handsome daddy say that, the boy happily waved his little arms and made a request, “I want Daddy to cook for me!”

Su Zhuozhi: “…”

Truly knew how to make things difficult for him.

But since he had already made the promise, it would be embarrassing not to follow through.

Su Zhuozhi gritted his teeth. “Fine, I’ll cook for you.”

The young master’s first time in the kitchen was dedicated to the boy in front of him.

Upon hearing that no one else had gotten this, only him, Wei Xuan was overjoyed by the uniqueness. He brazenly laughed, hands on his hips, so carried away that he didn’t even notice the cold glare Xie Jue shot his way.

After a flurry of activity and clattering sounds, Su Zhuozhi finally managed to produce three dishes.

But their appearance was… somewhat indescribable.

Wei Xuan, sitting at the table with chopsticks in hand, excitedly swinging his legs and looking forward to the meal, hesitated when he saw the dishes. A look of disbelief crossed his little face. “Daddy, can this really be eaten?”

Su Zhuozhi nodded firmly. “Of course.”

“Bleh——”

He threw up.

Xie Jue’s brow furrowed, his expression cold. He was clearly displeased with Wei Xuan’s reaction. He had never even tasted something made by the master’s own hands, and yet this puppet dared to vomit it up.

Seeing this, Su Zhuozhi felt awkward. He scratched his cheek. “Is it that bad?”

Although he had never cooked before, he thought he had done a decent job.

Wei Xuan shook his head, eyes full of tears. “It’s not bad.”

Su Zhuozhi’s eyes lit up, but then Wei Xuan finished his sentence, “It’s super super super—bad.”

Repeated ‘super’s and a drawn-out tone said it all.

Su Zhuozhi pursed his lips, hiding the disappointment in his eyes with embarrassment. He hurriedly said, “Then throw it all away.”

But Xie Jue stopped him.

“I want to eat it.”

Su Zhuozhi froze, watching helplessly as Xie Jue, in a composed manner, ate every bit of the dishes he had cooked. His expression didn’t change throughout, let alone reacting as strongly as Wei Xuan had by vomiting and rinsing his mouth.

“How… was it?” Su Zhuozhi asked hesitantly.

Xie Jue smiled and genuinely praised, “Very delicious.”

Su Zhuozhi’s bad mood vanished instantly, his eyes sparkling. He broke into a sweet smile, full of confidence. “See, I knew it! How could my cooking be bad?”

Wei Xuan, on the other hand, stared wide-eyed at Xie Jue, a mixture of horror and admiration on his face.

How could he eat something so terrible and even call it delicious? This man was terrifying! Was he even human?!

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