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Join the ServerBefore the morning mist had dissipated, the riverbank of the Qing River was wreathed in curls of incense smoke, with offerings neatly arranged.
The low, solemn sound of chanting filled the air as the villagers bowed their heads and knelt in prayer, whispering their penance while paper money burned into flying ash in a scene of profound solemnity.
Mu An stood on the hilltop, gazing from afar with a complex mix of emotions.
“Junior Brother Mu An, this mission has been reported to the sect and is officially complete. If you hadn’t come this time, I’m afraid I…” Yunnan You gazed at Mu An’s figure, a strange ripple of emotion rising in his heart.
Mu An turned around slowly, and as their eyes met, Yunnan You recalled everything that had happened in the brothel and could not help but blush.
“I will report the situation truthfully to the sect. Since this mission was entirely completed by you alone, all the rewards should go to you. I owe you a favor and will definitely repay you in the future,” Yunnan You said as he pulled a jade pendant from his robes and handed it to Mu An.
“Take this as proof.”
Mu An’s eyes flickered slightly, and making no polite protests, he accepted it, “Thank you for your kindness, Senior Brother. I shall accept it then.”
Seeing this, Yunnan You could not help but breathe a sigh of relief, stealing a glance at Mu An as he lowered his eyes to accept the pendant, a flutter in his chest.
“I wonder when you plan to return to the sect, Junior Brother Mu An? We could travel back together.”
Mu An’s movements paused, and he looked up to fabricate an excuse, “Shizun and I have other tasks to attend to, so I’m afraid we won’t be able to travel together.”
Feeling a pang of disappointment, Yunnan You nodded slightly, “Then please take care on your journey.”
He wanted to say more to prolong their conversation, but his mind felt slow, and for the life of him, he could not think of anything to say.
He looked down at the villagers who were still worshipping, “I hope they will never harm innocent lives again in the future.”
“They wouldn’t dare,” Mu An sneered. “Lingering obsessions are not easily dispelled. Should they commit evil deeds again in the future, those obsessions will inevitably coalesce once more.”
The moment the words left his mouth, Mu An suddenly heard the system’s notification.
[This is bad! Host! There is a new development in the storyline!]
Mu An’s heart stirred slightly, ‘What development?’
[The demon clan elder Qing Ya has been spreading information outside, claiming that you are a demonic spy planted in the Qingyun Sect. He did this to leave you with no way out, forcing you to poison your master.]
‘How does he know I haven’t poisoned him yet? Has he been secretly tailing me all this time?’ Mu An thought to himself that this was bad, ‘System, scan a hundred miles around us. Are there any demons?’
[System scanning… Scan complete. Host, no demons have been detected.] The system was also puzzled, [Perhaps he learned through some other channel that you, your master, and Yunnan You are all in Chen Village. With Yunnan You around, you certainly wouldn’t have poisoned him.]
Countless thoughts flashed through Mu An’s mind.
But clearly, under pressure from Qing Ya, he could no longer afford to delay; he had to proceed with the plot of forced love with his master.
He turned to Yunnan You, “Senior Brother Yun, I have a favor to ask of you.”
With that, he handed the jade pendant he had just tucked away back to Yunnan You.
Yunnan You’s expression froze slightly as he took the jade pendant, waiting for Mu An’s instructions.
“I need you to help me deliver this to the old Valley Master of Medicine God Valley, and ask him if he can find an antidote for it.” Mu An handed a small portion of the poison Qing Ya had given him to Yunnan You.
“At the same time, he pulled out an Earth-rank magical token, “This is a token given to me by Shizun. The old Valley Master should recognize that it belongs to him. When the time comes, ask for the antidote in Shizun’s name, and he will most likely cooperate.”
Though Yunnan You didn’t fully understand, he felt it was highly important.
He accepted the items one by one, though a strange sense of foreboding rose in his heart, “Have you run into some kind of trouble?”
“Senior Brother, please keep this a secret. Do not mention it to anyone except the Vice Pavilion Master of the Ten Thousand Artifacts Pavilion. You will understand in the future.”
Having done all this, Mu An’s heart finally settled slightly.
Although the system had repeatedly assured him that the female lead could neutralize his master’s poison, Mu An was still terrified of any accidents that might accidentally lead to him killing his master.
After accepting his request, Yunnan You left Chen Village that very night, intending to make a detour to Medicine God Valley first.
After seeing Yunnan You off, Mu An carried a small bowl of sweet osmanthus soup to Shen Shengqing’s room.
The lamplight flickered softly.
His master sat cross-legged on the couch, dressed impeccably, his cold and aloof features appearing much gentler under the warm glow of the candle.
“Shizun, I just learned how to make sweet osmanthus soup from Sister Hua. Would you like to try some?” Mu An approached, his voice soft and gentle.
Shen Shengqing’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as he opened his eyes.
Entering his view was Mu An’s slightly upturned peach-blossom eyes, his dark hair draping beside his face, accentuating a brilliant and youthful charm.
Mu An set the tray on the table and picked up the porcelain bowl to hand to Shen Shengqing.
Normally, Shen Shengqing did not eat late-night snacks, but Mu An had noticed that as long as it was handed to him by Mu An, his master would rarely refuse.
This was likely because Shizun still harbored some attachment to the mortal world, and thus did not resist eating and drinking, taking a naturally accepting approach to it all.
Upon hearing that Mu An had made it himself, Shen Shengqing’s gaze could not help but fall upon his hands; those fair and smooth fingers should not be doing such chores.
However, since this was An’an’s thoughtful gesture, he would naturally oblige.
Lowering his eyes, he took a sip and praised sincerely, “It is delicious.”
A person whose outward appearance was as cold as snow was nonetheless endlessly indulgent when it came to his disciple.
Mu An felt that if the original owner hadn’t possessed demon bloodline, and had simply continued pestering him instead of going to extremes with a confinement room, Shizun would likely have tolerated him indefinitely which really wouldn’t be any different from dating anyway.
Watching Shen Shengqing calmly swallow the poisoned sweet osmanthus soup spoonful by spoonful, Mu An felt a jittery anxiety grip his heart.
Did it… just complete the mission like this?
Was Shizun truly harboring zero guard, or did he not find anything strange at all?
Seeing him standing off to the side, Shen Shengqing knit his brows slightly. “Are you not going to have some?”
Mu An shook his head in a hurry, “I got full tasting it while cooking the osmanthus soup.”
Hearing this, Shen Shengqing couldn’t help curving his lips slightly, finding the boy utterly adorable for managing to stuff himself full merely from a taste test.
“Don’t make it next time.”
“Hmm?” Mu An’s heart skipped a beat. Could Shizun have discovered the poison?
Yet Shen Shengqing leisurely added the next sentence, “You are my disciple; you don’t need to do these chores.”
Mu An slowly set his mind at ease. “I’ll listen to Shizun.”
Having finished the sweet osmanthus soup, Shen Shengqing suddenly sensed something amiss, knitting his brows slightly.
He felt a sudden contraction in his dantian, and a surge of heat rushed up toward his throat.
He instantly looked up at Mu An, who was so frightened he sprang up from his chair.
Inside Shen Shengqing’s stomach, things were churning tumultuously, and his vision grew dizzy. Even more terrifyingly, his limbs went weak, rendering him completely unable to summon a single shred of spiritual energy.
His vision was gradually flooded by an encroaching blackness, yet he could still sense the presence of another person beside him.
Why…
Why…
He tried to force his eyes wide to look at Mu An, but could only vaguely make out a corner of fabric. A ringing sound buzzed relentlessly in his ears, yet he couldn’t hear even a single flustered “Shizun” from Mu An.
Was it Mu An who poisoned me? No—how could it be!
Shen Shengqing instinctively tightened his grip on the storage ring between his fingers.
If he wanted to, before his spiritual energy completely vanished, he could hurl a magical artifact to blast the person who had poisoned him right before him into flying ashes.
Yet he merely clutched the storage ring tightly, his fingers straining until they turned red, completely unwilling to mount a resistance.
“Pfft—” He couldn’t help coughing up a mouthful of fresh blood.
Instantly, Mu An’s panicked, frantic voice rang in his ears, “Shizun! Shizun!”
Within Shen Shengqing’s dim, darkened vision, a flash of cyan crossed by, and his body was firmly caught.
He couldn’t help the corners of his mouth curling upward.
The next second, he completely lost consciousness.
“System! System, check on Shizun! Is he okay? Why is he vomiting blood!” Mu An’s heart raced frantically. Remembering the look Shizun had given him right before fainting, his chest ached terribly.
In the end, he had still made Shizun suffer.
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