After Redeeming the Villain, I Was Obliterated by the System - Chapter 22

His chest felt slick and wet. Without looking, he knew a large patch of red must have bloomed across his front. The Cold Poison had weakened considerably under the suppression of the medicine, but because he had forced the use of his spiritual power, his meridians showed signs of shattering.

The damage from the peach demon’s earlier strike had directly hit his soul. Previously, he had worried that his senior brothers might notice his absence, so he had split his soul, leaving a wisp within this body. This resulted in a consequence: if his other body was severely injured and near death, he would be pulled back to this body, bringing the damage along with him.

He took out an elixir and swallowed it. The wound on his chest slowly stopped bleeding and began to heal, leaving behind a hideous scar the width of a finger. This also meant that his other body would heal simultaneously. Realizing this, he knew he had to return to that body immediately.

Xiao Qingyan used the peach demon’s method to lock the fading soul within Lin Sui’s body. After the demon left and the demonic energy receded into the Demon Core, he immediately circulated his power for a full cycle. When he attempted to use his spiritual power to stop Lin Sui’s bleeding, he found that the wounds had already healed.

Not only that, the lotus mark on the youth’s forehead had turned into a bright red cinnabar. A crisp scent of plum blossoms in the snow lingered in the air. He subconsciously whispered, “Shizun?”

The youth on the ground gave no response, and there were no other fluctuations of energy in the surroundings. Xiao Qingyan did not doubt further. He pressed two fingers against Lin Sui’s wrist; the pulse was weak but gradually became clear and steady. The heart that had been suspended in his throat finally settled. He pulled Lin Sui into his arms, burying his face in the youth’s chest and sobbing quietly.

When Lin Sui woke up, he felt his body being tightly constricted. There was a warm dampness on his chest accompanied by low, muffled sobs. Is the great villain actually crying? Lin Sui was so startled by this thought that he dared not breathe, his body stiffening like a board.

“Senior Brother Xiao? What is wrong?” Lin Sui’s voice was incredibly weak, his tone raspy and filled with exhaustion.

Xiao Qingyan pulled back from Lin Sui’s embrace and noticed the lotus on the youth’s forehead had returned, though its color was much lighter than before. “Junior Brother Lin, you must never act so recklessly again!” Xiao Qingyan spoke sternly, his brow furrowed. His eyes were as swollen as a rabbit’s, and the tip of his nose was red.

Lin Sui could tell Xiao Qingyan had truly been crying. He teased, “Why is Senior Brother Xiao such a crybaby?”

Xiao Qingyan pulled Lin Sui’s hand away and repeated, “Junior Brother Lin! You must never do something so reckless again!”

“Alright, alright. I definitely will not do it next time,” Lin Sui said. However, he thought to himself that he had no desire to shield the villain; if it were not for the mission, he would never have done it. Speaking of missions, he recalled that one of the system’s tasks was to accompany the villain on a mission. This task should be considered complete now, since the truth behind the Scholar’s family had been uncovered.

“Senior Brother Xiao, where is Senior Brother Zhu?” Lin Sui had not forgotten that he had endured this ordeal to save the villain’s White Moonlight. He had to ensure the safety of that person.

“I had Junior Brother Zhu wait at the inn,” Xiao Qingyan replied. After speaking, he lifted Lin Sui in a horizontal carry.

Lin Sui’s eyes widened as he felt himself being lifted. He instinctively hooked his arms around Xiao Qingyan’s neck. “Senior. Senior Brother Xiao, put me down quickly!”

Xiao Qingyan did not budge. He only said, “Junior Brother Lin, you have just recovered from a serious injury. It is not suitable for you to walk. We must reunite with Junior Brother Zhu as soon as possible.”

While the logic was sound, could he not be carried on the back? Being held like this was far too suggestive. As if reading Lin Sui’s mind, Xiao Qingyan explained, “Junior Brother Lin, your wound is on your chest. It is not convenient to carry you on my back.” He gave Lin Sui a slight upward adjustment in his arms and added seriously, “Junior Brother Lin, you are very light, so carrying you is not an effort for me.”

Lin Sui buried his face in Xiao Qingyan’s chest. Was that really what he was worried about? He cared about the fact that he, a grown man, was being carried by another man like a princess. Fortunately, it was the middle of the night and the streets were empty. There was not a single light; the path beneath them was illuminated only by the faint moonlight.

Xiao Qingyan walked slowly. The night breeze made Lin Sui feel exceptionally peaceful. He had not rested well at all over the past few days. Even when he fainted, his dreams were filled with the villain trying to kill him. The original soul had never done anything to wrong the villain. On the contrary, he had brought the villain back to the sect and made him his disciple despite pressure from the elders and senior brothers. The eldest disciple turned out so well; why did the younger one turn out so twisted?

Lin Sui could not figure it out. Drowsily, he fell asleep in Xiao Qingyan’s arms. Xiao Qingyan looked down and saw Lin Sui’s peaceful sleeping face. The lotus had returned to the youth’s forehead at some point, though it was much paler than usual. Although the wounds had healed, the pulse remained weak.

Thinking that all of this was his Shizun’s doing, Xiao Qingyan wished he could pierce Shizun’s shoulder blades, hang him from a bedframe, and lash him with a demonic whip. However, he supposed he should thank his dear Shizun. Otherwise, he would not have been able to tame the demonic energy in his body so easily. He even discovered that while he was forming his Golden Core, a Demon Core had formed within him as well.

“It hurts.”

The junior brother in his arms knit his brows, unconsciously biting his lip until a trace of blood stained his pale mouth. Driven by a sudden impulse, Xiao Qingyan raised his hand and pressed his thumb against the youth’s lip. When he realized his finger was stained with blood, he quickly pulled it away.

“Shizun, it hurts so much,” Lin Sui murmured as tears began to appear.

Xiao Qingyan placed his fingertip on the center of the lotus mark on Lin Sui’s forehead, channeling spiritual energy into him. “Junior Brother, it does not hurt. It does not hurt.”

After entering the inn, Xiao Qingyan took a room key from the attendant and carried Lin Sui inside. As he laid him down, his fingers brushed against Lin Sui’s waist. The person on the bed trembled, a soft groan escaping his throat.

The weak youth’s eyes remained closed. The lotus on his forehead flew toward his heart, and a red light glowed on his chest. A moment later, a dozen red threads emerged from his collar, spreading across his face and body. His delicate, fair neck was covered in red lines. They appeared on his wrists as well, branching out from his palms to the tip of every finger.

Xiao Qingyan did not know what these were, but he sensed no malice from the red threads. On the contrary, they seemed to be repairing something within the youth. The boy on the bed scrunched his face in pain, constantly crying out, “Shizun, Shizun, I am in so much pain. Senior Brother, Senior Brother, I am in so much pain.”

Hot tears slid one by one from the corners of his reddened eyes into his ears, eventually soaking a large patch of the pillow. After about fifteen minutes, frost began to form on the red threads, and wisps of cold air emerged from the youth’s forehead. Soft, broken whimpers escaped his lips.

Hearing this, Xiao Qingyan felt the heart in his chest burn. His face flushed hot. He walked quickly to the table and gulped down a teapot of cold tea before he could finally clear his head. How could he have such thoughts about his junior brother?