After Transmigrating Into The Body Of The Chief Disciple, The Villain Was Reborn. - Chapter 17

Seeing his senior brother staring at the man in the ice coffin with an indescribable, tender look in his eyes, Ning Yuzhao felt a flash of jealousy toward a dead person for the first time. He had never seen his senior brother look at him that way. Lu Shi’an was always kind to him, but his gaze toward his junior brother was always that of an elder watching over a child, never this intense, possessive look that made one yearn to be the sole object of his affection.

Ning Yuzhao felt a profound sense of loss and resentment. He did not want his senior brother’s attention fixed on someone who was already gone. He recalled every memory he shared with his senior brother, the moments that had once brought him warmth and peace. Yet now, Lu Shi’an seemed to see only the man in the coffin, as if he had forgotten everything else in the world.

Suppressing his inner bitterness, Ning Yuzhao tried to shift the focus. He pointed at the ice coffin and said, “Senior Brother, there is nothing here but this ice coffin. When are we leaving?” His voice carried a tremor of urgency and anxiety, a desperate attempt to break the stalemate.

Just then, the sword that had been lying quietly in the man’s arms stirred. It flew out of the ice coffin and circled Ning Yuzhao anxiously, as if trying to communicate something. Finally, the blade landed on the ground and carved two clear characters: “Master.”

The sudden turn of events stunned everyone. They stared at the writing on the ground and then cast confused glances at Ning Yuzhao. They could not fathom why this sword had suddenly appeared and declared him its master. Ning Yuzhao himself was baffled; he had no idea what was happening.

Xiao Heng curled his lips into a smirk and teased, “Could it be, Yuzhao, that you are the reincarnation of the man in that coffin? Why else would the sword only circle you?”

Ning Yuzhao shook his head, his heart full of doubt. He also wondered why the sword felt so drawn to him. Did he resemble the man in the coffin? But the cave was protected by barriers; aside from his senior brother, no one had ever seen his true face. With this thought, he looked up at Lu Shi’an and asked curiously, “Senior Brother, do I look like the person in the coffin?”

Lu Shi’an studied the man in the coffin carefully and then turned back to Ning Yuzhao. He replied earnestly, “No, he looks nothing like you. He is beautiful in a different way.”

There was a touch of softness in Lu Shi’an’s eyes; he found them both beautiful, each possessing their own unique charm. The man in the coffin had a beauty tinged with desolation and vulnerability, while Ning Yuzhao exuded a vibrant, uninhibited spirit. To Lu Shi’an, everyone possessed their own unique light and temperament.

Since there was no physical resemblance between them, the group stopped suspecting that Ning Yuzhao was the man’s reincarnation. The question was brushed aside, and their attention shifted to other matters.

“Senior Brother, what do we do now?” Ning Yuzhao asked. He did not want to spend another moment here; as long as they remained, his senior brother had eyes only for that man.

Lu Shi’an thought for a moment. “Since the sword has spirit and likes you, why do you not ask if it is willing to form a contract with you?”

Before Ning Yuzhao could reply, the Crimson Feather sword began to bob back and forth vigorously in front of him, as if pleading, “I am willing, hurry up and contract me.” Ning Yuzhao, who had taken a liking to the intelligent blade, nodded and began the ritual.

Once the contract was complete, Lu Shi’an looked at the man in the coffin and, after a long silence, declared, “I want to take him with us.”

Even Xiao Heng could not help but speak up, shocked. “Brother Lu, you cannot be serious? He is a dead man, and an unidentified one at that!”

“I know. But whenever I look at him, I feel as if I have known him for a very long time,” Lu Shi’an replied with firm certainty. He did not know why this man was here, but he could not bear to leave him behind.

Seeing Lu Shi’an’s unwavering stance, Xiao Heng asked with a smile, “Since you care for him so much, he wouldn’t happen to be your lover from a past life, would he?”

Lu Shi’an laughed off the question. “Hardly. I just feel a sense of familiarity. Besides, we were able to enter, which means others might find their way here too. If we do not take him, this place might eventually be destroyed.”

Xiao Heng conceded the point; they had already damaged the entrance, and finding this place again would not be difficult for others. He ceased his attempts to persuade Lu Shi’an to leave the man behind.

From the moment Xiao Heng uttered the word “care,” Ning Yuzhao heard nothing else. The phrase “senior brother cares about him” repeated in his mind, making him ache. He had followed his senior brother since he was six years old, and since then, his entire world had revolved around him. He had believed they would always be the most important people in each other’s lives, but now his senior brother had someone else in his heart, even if that person was a corpse. He did not understand the emotion, but he could not help but feel jealous of a dead man.

Seeing Ning Yuzhao’s eyes well up with unshed tears, Lu Shi’an was filled with distress. He pulled the boy into his arms and coaxed, “Yuzhao, be good. Why are you crying? Are you feeling unwell?”

Seeing his senior brother comforting him, Ning Yuzhao could hold it in no longer and buried his face in Lu Shi’an’s chest, sobbing loudly. His tears flowed like a spring, full of grievance. Lu Shi’an could only soothe him, rubbing his back and blaming himself for not noticing sooner. Since the boy had started following him, he had never shed a single tear, always acting with a carefree spirit. This outburst of crying tugged painfully at his heartstrings.

A moment later, Ning Yuzhao stopped and sobbed against his senior brother’s chest. “Senior Brother, I am fine. It is just that seeing you care so much about him makes me hurt. I am no longer the most important person to you.”

Lu Shi’an was left both amused and touched. His junior brother was crying over such a thing; thankfully, it was not physical pain. He wiped away the tears and pacified him. “Do not cry, Yuzhao. I am merely curious about him. You have always been the most important person to me.”

Hearing this, Ning Yuzhao was finally appeased. Resting in his senior brother’s arms, he thought, even if he cares for that man a little, he is a dead man, while I will always be by his side. Moreover, his senior brother had said he was the most important person, and his senior brother always kept his word. No one could take his senior brother away from him.

Xiao Heng, standing nearby, saw the truth clearly. As the saying goes, the bystander sees most of the game; he could see the intense possessiveness Ning Yuzhao felt toward Lu Shi’an. He had sensed a flicker of hostility when they first met, but he had dismissed it as merely the affection of a junior brother for his senior. Now, it was clear that it was something more.

Seeing that neither Lu Shi’an nor Ning Yuzhao realized it, Xiao Heng chose not to speak up. Love was something one had to experience for themselves, with all its sweetness and bitterness. He watched them quietly, pondering the nature of their relationship. He did not want to interfere, preferring to let them discover and experience these feelings themselves; only then would their love be genuine and profound. He believed that only when they truly realized their feelings for one another would they cherish this bond even more.

After calming Ning Yuzhao, Lu Shi’an stored the ice coffin in his internal space, and the three made their way back along the path they had come. As they traveled further away, Ning Yuzhao could not stop thinking about the man in the ice coffin. Even though he knew the man was dead, he could not get past his senior brother’s gaze. He secretly resolved to find the truth and understand the reason behind it all.

Just as they emerged from the cave, they encountered two familiar faces.