After Forcibly Kissing My Master, He Became Obsessed With Me - Chapter 10

The next day at the Hour of the Rabbit, as the first light of dawn shimmered faintly.

Xuan Bing woke up in a daze, but he quickly realized something was wrong with his location and shot up into a sitting position.

His gaze swept over the room’s furnishings—this screen, this porcelain, this bed, this incense burner…

Wait, why am I here? Xuan Bing was suddenly jolted awake, recognizing this as Shi Wuzhi’s room.

For a moment, Xuan Bing couldn’t distinguish between his past and present life. He scrambled up and soon spotted someone by the writing desk within the hall—

“…Master?”

Shi Wuzhi sat by the desk, looking at something with a cold and detached expression, acting as if nothing had happened.

“…” It seems nothing actually did happen. Was last night just a dream?

If something had truly happened, would he even be able to stand up right now?

No, no, the main point was: how could Shi Wuzhi possibly like him at the risk of committing incest?!

Xuan Bing shook his head, thinking to himself that unless Shi Wuzhi was also reborn… but Shi Wuzhi didn’t look like he was.

In my last life, he probably treated me so poorly because I forcibly kissed him.

So in this life, since I didn’t kiss him, I wasn’t punished by him… instead, he even gave me a sword…

Xuan Bing pondered slowly.

“Are you awake?” Shi Wuzhi spoke, still not looking at him.

Xuan Bing looked up. “Master, when did you leave seclusion? Why am I here?”

Shi Wuzhi calmly set down his scroll and lifted his eyes to glance at him. “When I left seclusion last night, I saw you outside and carried you back—sleeping there, did you have some urgent matter to discuss with me?”

Xuan Bing moved his lips and shook his head. “…No.”

Seeing that he seemed fine, Shi Wuzhi felt that he likely had no memory of last night and felt relieved. He said, “Then go practice. It is already fifteen minutes past the Hour of the Rabbit.”

Xuan Bing walked out, his movements stiff and uncoordinated.

But he felt as though something wasn’t quite right… where exactly was the issue?

Forget it, I can’t figure it out, so I won’t think about it… off to practice.

Xuan Bing washed his face and began practicing his swordplay.

With Shi Wuzhi’s exit from seclusion, the Four Sects Conference was approaching. The atmosphere within the Ling Shuang Sect became much more harmonious—at least on the surface, they appeared as one big family.

The excuse was that they couldn’t let disciples from other sects think they were fighting amongst themselves.

But Xuan Bing had stirred up trouble again.

He looked at the bill in his hand, his face changing for the first time in this life, finally showing the expression of a child—

“He was the one who provoked me, so why do I have to pay five hundred thousand in repair fees too?” Xuan Bing looked at the disciple in charge of the ledgers in shock and anger. “Shouldn’t this be counted against Xue Bing?!”

Five hundred thousand? How was he supposed to pay that?

On his entire person, he had only three hundred and twenty-nine immortal coins left, plus a broken coin snapped in half.

The person in charge of the ledgers was a disciple under Tan Xiaomo named Ah Jiu. Hearing this, he spoke helplessly, “Junior Brother, yours is already considered very low… do you know how much that kid Xue Bing has to pay?”

They didn’t particularly like Xue Bing’s habit of traveling in packs, but since they were all fellow disciples under the same Master, he couldn’t openly speak ill of Xue Bing.

He could only whisper like this.

“How much he pays is none of my business; it was his own mistake,” Xuan Bing argued reasonably. “I wasn’t in the wrong.”

“No,” Ah Jiu pointed to the bill for him. “We went to check, and your sword intent also damaged some things… there are categories for compensation here, see?”

Xuan Bing recalled back; it seemed he had broken a few things… but were those items worth five hundred thousand?

What kind of place was the Ling Shuang Sect, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold?!

Also, what would happen if he couldn’t pay it back? Would he have to wash dishes to offset the debt? Thinking of this, Xuan Bing closed the bill and said with a serious face: “Senior Brother, what happens if I can’t pay it back?”

Ah Jiu gave a slight smile: “It will be reported to the respective Masters and charged to the expenses of the Shanglian Palace.”

Xuan Bing’s expression turned distressed: “…For real? Then won’t I be skinned alive by my Master?”

“It’s not that extreme. It’s only five hundred thousand; at most, you’ll be punished by the Sect Leader to transcribe books or organize the library.” Ah Jiu whispered, “I’m telling you, Xue Bing has to pay thirty-eight million. This morning, I heard his parents scolding him over the transmission jade until he was dog-tired… Tsk tsk, being an only son is nice; he only got scolded.”

Xuan Bing now suspected that the trap Xue Bing set for him was right here.

After all, everyone knew he was a beggar and couldn’t pay this money.

If he couldn’t pay, it would be reported to Shi Wuzhi, and then he would be punished by his Master again.

“What is the latest I can pay the debt?” Xuan Bing asked through gritted teeth. “Can you not tell my Master for now?”

Ah Jiu patted his shoulder understandingly. “There will be a unified settlement of accounts after the Four Sects Conference. The conference lasts for half a month, so just figure out how to pay it back yourself!”

Xuan Bing smiled bitterly.

“Helping other disciples carry things at the conference also pays money,” Ah Jiu said quietly. “There’s also a Great Family that throws money around during their entrance… you can take some Disguise Pills, pretend to be a servant, and pick some up.”

“?!” Xuan Bing’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

In his last life, he had been too busy focusing on his cultivation to catch up to Shi Wuzhi and hadn’t gone to the opening ceremony of the conference at all.

“Of course it’s true,” Ah Jiu sighed. “My family is also quite poor, why would I lie to you?”

Xuan Bing looked down and only then noticed that this Senior Brother actually had patches on his clothes.

Now he believed it.

On the eve of the conference, in the deliberation hall of Baifeng Peak, it was a quarter to midnight, and the lamps were brightly lit.

“Tomorrow, the four Great Families—Zhou, Xue, Feng, and Jun—will all arrive,” Tan Xiaomo said, looking at the indifferent Shi Wuzhi. “Especially the Xue family. Since you didn’t accept their child… the head of that house will likely nag quite a bit.”

Feng Qing was wearing a golden robe. Upon hearing this, she glanced at Shi Wuzhi. “Let him nag then. It’s not like he can eat Second Senior Brother.”

Tan Xiaomo was dressed in white with a pale complexion, looking like someone who had been bedridden with illness for a long time.

Among the Four Venerables, according to their seniority as fellow disciples, Tan Xiaomo was the eldest, followed by Shi Wuzhi, then Feng Qing, and finally Han Yunzhi.

The four of them were fellow disciples who had grown up together since their youth; at a rough estimate, this friendship had lasted for decades.

As long as those of the Immortal race possessed spiritual power, they could maintain an ageless appearance.

They could use techniques to keep their appearance forever at a time they preferred. For instance, Shi Wuzhi kept his appearance at twenty-seven, while Feng Qing liked being younger and stayed at twenty.

But it was only agelessness.

If they were struck dead by heavenly lightning for failing a tribulation, or if they were killed by a joint attack, they would still die.

“He can’t eat your Second Senior Brother, but the Xue family holds an extraordinary status in the Lower Cultivation Realm. When disciples go on missions, they inevitably have to ask for favors from them…” Tan Xiaomo said faintly.

Feng Qing thought about it and agreed, so she asked Shi Wuzhi, “Why not accept him? It wouldn’t hurt to take one more.”

Shi Wuzhi lowered his eyes. “If there is a first, there will be a second. This time he sent a talented one; if I start this trend, what if he sends untalented ones next time? Besides, going under Senior Brother’s sect didn’t wrong that child, did it?”

It was probably the first time they had seen him speak so much, so everyone looked over.

“Senior Brother, do you really dislike the Xue family that much?” asked Han Yunzhi, who had remained silent until now.

Han Yunzhi wore a gray robe and had a heavy look of grievance on his face. After all, the conference was organized by him alone, and having been busy for a month, it was normal for him to be listless.

Shi Wuzhi: “No.”

“Forget it,” Tan Xiaomo said upon seeing this. “Junior Brother, I have one more matter.”

As he spoke, he pulled out a red letter and handed it to Shi Wuzhi.

“I have read the contents. It says the Zhou family of the four Great Families wishes to form a marriage alliance with you.”

Shi Wuzhi suddenly froze. The hand he was reaching out to take it retracted as if the letter were some kind of venomous beast.

“Marriage alliance? Where did the Zhou family get a daughter from?” Feng Qing asked, bewildered.

“It is the young master of the Zhou family, Zhou Wuanchen,” Tan Xiaomo’s gentle gaze fell upon Shi Wuzhi. “He says he was saved by Junior Brother many years ago and has been unable to eat or sleep since… He will also be coming to the conference tomorrow. You can take the opportunity to observe him.”

Shi Wuzhi’s brow furrowed even tighter.

In his past life, it was this very matter that created a genuine rift between him and Xuan Bing.

That was the worst mistake Shi Wuzhi had ever made.

But… he clearly remembered that the Zhou family had come first and only proposed it after a long time had passed. Why had it been moved forward so much this time?

“Senior Brother, I have no such intentions for the time being. I need to sever my emotions and desires to better my cultivation.” Shi Wuzhi thought it through and refused verbally as well. “You do not need to trouble yourself for me.”

The reputation of the Ling Shuang Sect and his own strength were enough to give him the ability to marry someone he actually liked, rather than sacrificing himself for profit.

As for his past life…

“Very well, then do you have someone you like?” Tan Xiaomo asked again.

Feng Qing gave him no face at all, sweeping a cold glance over them. “Senior Brother, you sound like a pimp… why are you so worried about Second Senior Brother’s lifelong matters?”

Shi Wuzhi nodded in rare agreement.

Tan Xiaomo was quite familiar with Shi Wuzhi. Seeing Shi Wuzhi’s reaction, which differed from the past, he narrowed his eyes as if he had already guessed something.

At the same time—

“Lend me some money; I’m not sure when I can pay it back.”

Inside Gong Guanqi’s room, Xuan Bing found his good brother.

“How much?” Gong Guanqi had also been a bit tired these past few days, speaking listlessly. “The money pouch is over there… take it yourself.”

Xuan Bing gestured with five fingers.

“Five thousand? You’re asking me for just that? Just take it yourself.” Gong Guanqi rolled his eyes at him.

Xuan Bing coughed awkwardly and shook his head. “Not five thousand. Five hundred thousand.”

“?” Gong Guanqi’s eyes widened. “Five hundred thousand? What are you doing? Going to an auction house to make up the starting bid?”

Xuan Bing was helpless. “No, this is the money I spent at the cafeteria.”

It was fine until he said it, but once he did, Gong Guanqi was stunned, his voice gradually rising in pitch. “Did you eat an immortal beast?! Five hundred thousand?! That’s equivalent to half a year of my allowance!”

Xuan Bing covered his ears, refusing to listen.

“Wait, that’s not right,” Gong Guanqi shouted and then remembered something. “The other day when I looked, the highest price seemed to be only a few tens of thousand for one… how could you eat five hundred thousand worth?”

Xuan Bing immediately explained the cause and effect of his fight with Xue Bing.

Gong Guanqi finished listening: “…”

“Why does he keep looking for trouble with you?” Gong Guanqi was puzzled. “Is he sick in the head?”

Xuan Bing felt dejected. “Who knows? Maybe he feels he’s inferior to a beggar.”

Or maybe it was a competitive spirit at work.

“Pah, pah, pah!” Gong Guanqi patted his shoulder and pulled him close in a brotherly fashion. “What beggar? We aren’t beggars anymore… however, if you want me to cough up five hundred thousand all at once, I’m indeed a bit powerless… how about you take the initiative to explain things clearly to your Master?”

Without even thinking, Xuan Bing shook his head in refusal.