Don't Pick Up Disciples Randomly by the Roadside - Chapter 4

From the moment Shen Chunyi regained consciousness to falling into a deep slumber, Xuan Shuangxu only counted to three.

Of course, it might also be because he hadn’t slept for several days prior. Although cultivators wouldn’t suffer from sudden illnesses like sudden death from lack of sleep, they too originated from mortals. The ingrained habit of working by day and resting by night, established since birth, wasn’t so easily changed.

However, Shen Chunyi’s sleep schedule had long been a chaotic mess. He could go days without sleep, or sleep for days on end. That night, he slept restlessly, drifting in and out of several dreams—some good, some bad, with the bad ones dominating. Often, he was overwhelmed with sorrow and fear, yet unable to wake. But whenever the dreams grew too dreadful, he would be held in someone’s arms, kissed and soothed. That embrace was much warmer than his own body temperature, perfect for sleeping in. Seen this way, it didn’t seem so terrible after all.

By the time Shen Chunyi could open his eyes, the morning light had already begun to seep in through the window. He rubbed his eyes, propped himself up, and found he could finally move freely again, his voice also returning to normal.

After a dazed moment, he felt his mind was in utter disarray. Unable to bear it, he bent slightly, wrapping his arms around his head and himself. It was all too chaotic.

Some things he hadn’t sorted out, wasn’t prepared for, and lacked the courage to face.

He sighed, only then noticing the empty space beside the bed. Lifting his gaze, he saw the youth obediently curled up on the small table, having spent the night there in discomfort, truly not having climbed into bed.

The bedding promised by the innkeeper hadn’t been delivered either. Xuan Shuangxu hadn’t gone downstairs to ask for it, nor had he shared the bed with Shen Chunyi. Instead, he simply spent the night hunched over the table.

Shen Chunyi buried his face in his hands, rubbing vigorously until he felt somewhat more awake. He stared at the youth for a long while, unsure what to think. After hesitating, he stepped onto the floor in his white socks, moved to the window, and gently patted the youth’s shoulder.

Xuan Shuangxu stirred awake, lifting his head drowsily. His gaze was unfocused, his voice soft and obedient as he said, “Hmm? Shizun?”

He turned his head, noticing the dawn light outside, and realized, “It’s morning?”

Shen Chunyi pressed a hand to his forehead, wondering how this child could be so stubborn. The late autumn nights were still slightly chilly, yet he had spent the entire night hunched over without even a cloak, not knowing if he had caught a chill. And here he was, apologizing first.

Shen Chunyi sighed helplessly, “Get up first. Go lie down on the bed and rest for a while.”

The youth’s eyes glistened in the morning light as he asked, “Shizun won’t let me sleep on the floor anymore?”

Shen Chunyi’s eyebrow twitched. If his folding fan hadn’t been left by the pillow, he would have smacked the youth on the head. At a time like this, he was still worrying about sleeping on the floor? Getting proper rest was what mattered most. “What floor? You’ll sleep on the bed these next few days.”

Xuan Shuangxu obediently agreed and, following Shen Chunyi’s words, began to rise and head to the bed. But after taking only a few steps, he stumbled to one side. Shen Chunyi quickly reached out to steady him, pulling the youth into his arms.

With one arm draped over Shen Chunyi’s shoulder, Xuan Shuangxu barely managed to stand. Shen Chunyi asked, somewhat guiltily, “Did your legs go numb from sitting all night?”

The youth nodded obediently. Shen Chunyi had intended to half-support, half-carry him to the bed so he could rest properly. But when their bodies touched, he realized that Xuan Shuangxu was actually quite a bit taller than him.

Shen Chunyi suddenly felt that his earlier actions had been completely unnecessary, so he slightly increased the distance, intending to let the youth walk over on his own.

But Xuan Shuangxu suddenly pursed his lips, his eyes sparkling brightly as he looked down slightly at Shen Chunyi, his tone tinged with grievance: “Master, my legs really are numb.”

Shen Chunyi had no choice but to continue half-dragging, half-supporting the youth as he moved him to the bed. He sat by the bedside, pulled off the youth’s pair of black boots embroidered with gold, and helped him out of his outer robe. The youth cooperatively lifted his arms, and Shen Chunyi then pulled the quilt over him.

Just as he was about to get up and let the youth rest properly, he saw a pair of bright, sparkling eyes peeking out from under the quilt, gazing at him obediently. It was all a bit too contradictory, as if the one who had pressed him down and teased him last night was just an illusion.

Shen Chunyi didn’t know what to say. He simply reached under the pillow, found the coarse cloth hairband, and walked to the bronze mirror. As he tied his hair behind his back, he changed the subject and asked, “Would you like to have breakfast first? You can sleep after eating.”

Xuan Shuangxu seemed to want to get up, but as soon as he propped himself up on his elbows and half-emerged from under the quilt, Shen Chunyi pressed him back down: “Just lie down and rest. I’ll go downstairs to check.”

The youth obediently lay back down. After splashing some cold water on his face and tidying himself up, Shen Chunyi finally looked less travel-worn and weary. Only then did he step out of the room and head downstairs to find the innkeeper.

There weren’t many early customers in the inn. At this hour, apart from the kitchen master, the only one up and about was the same waiter from last night, sitting drowsily at the front desk, half-heartedly tapping an abacus with a rather lifeless expression.

Shen Chunyi approached the counter, closed his folding fan, and tapped it lightly on the edge. Frowning slightly, he said, “Last night, I asked you to send an extra quilt upstairs. Did you forget?”

The waiter, who had just woken up to tally the accounts, was still groggy. Looking up, he was met with Shen Chunyi’s handsome yet sharp face—which looked even sharper when he wasn’t smiling.

The waiter’s drowsiness vanished somewhat, and he hurriedly racked his brain before replying with a hint of grievance, “How could we forget? We knocked on the door for a long time last night, but no one answered. We assumed both guests had already retired and didn’t dare to disturb you by opening the door, so we left the quilt under the counter here for you to fetch when needed.”

He pointed under the counter. Shen Chunyi glanced over and, sure enough, there was a quilt.

Since that was the case, it wasn’t the inn’s fault. Shen Chunyi figured they must have already been asleep and hadn’t heard the knocking, so he couldn’t say much more.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, he first apologized, then asked, “Does the inn serve breakfast?”

The waiter paused his abacus tapping again and nodded, “Of course we do. How could we not?”

He then pointed toward the kitchen for Shen Chunyi to see: “Our master gets up early every day, preparing all sorts of breakfasts for the guests throughout the year. He’s probably just finished cooking now, so it’s still piping hot.”

Shen Chunyi nodded in thanks and headed to the kitchen. The kitchen master had just taken the iron pot off the stove—it was still scalding hot—and set it on the ground to cool. As Shen Chunyi stepped over the kitchen threshold, a strong peppery aroma wafted toward him with the steam.

Shen Chunyi already had an idea of what was in the pot. Leaning over to look, he saw it was indeed a Central Plains specialty—peppered beef soup! Shen Chunyi rubbed his temples.

Although Shen Chunyi preferred lighter flavors, having grown up in the Central Plains, the morning meals provided to disciples at Taiwu Mountain’s Shuwei Zhai often included this dish. A single bowl would warm him from head to toe, leaving him sweating. As a child, the mere smell of it would make him sneeze, but as he grew older, he somehow grew accustomed to it. Dipping fried dough sticks or pan-fried buns into a rich beef and pepper soup—one had to admit, the Central Plains people knew how to eat.

But Xuan Shuangxu disliked anything with such a strong peppery flavor. Back at Taiwu Mountain, he would only drink sweetened milk or sweet soy milk for breakfast; the smell of pepper would make him sneeze.

Shen Chunyi sighed, stepped out of the kitchen, and turned to leave the main hall, intending to take a stroll through the streets. He estimated it was just past the hour of Mao, with few pedestrians on the streets, though the number of people at this hour wasn’t too sparse. Shen Chunyi hadn’t paid much attention to the area the night before, but now it seemed to be a bustling district of the capital, with plenty of shops and stalls.

By noon, it would likely be lively. After wandering for a while, he found an eatery that had opened early. In front of the shop, a wok of oil sizzled, frying dough twists that churned up golden bubbles. Beside the wok was a covered pot, steaming pan-fried buns sprinkled with scallions and white sesame seeds. Behind the pot, stacks of bamboo steamers billowed with white vapor.

This breakfast stall was run by a husband-and-wife team, both bustling energetically amid the steam, their figures flickering in and out of view. Early workers passing by lined up here, with bamboo tubes and lotus leaves placed in front for those in a hurry to take their orders to go.

Shen Chunyi stepped inside and leaned over to peer into two wooden buckets placed beside the steamers. The one on the left likely held soy milk, its brownish-yellow rim crusted with bean residue and wrapped in a quilt to keep the heat in. The one on the right was probably milk—the shopkeeper had just ladled some out for a customer, and

Shen Chunyi could smell its creamy fragrance from where he stood.

He squeezed into the line, picked up two bamboo tubes the shopkeeper had placed at the front for sale, and was about to ask for a takeaway when a woman abruptly appeared in his line of sight.

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