I Reborn on the Night I Divorced the Sword Deity, My Childhood Friend - Chapter 8

Before long, Shen Du and Yun Suyi entered the side hall. Upon seeing them, Yuan Muzhou immediately rose to greet them. With a heavy and focused gaze, he gave them a brief overview of Shen Siyuan’s condition. As Shen Du listened, his expression shifted drastically. Without asking further questions, he strode quickly to Shen Siyuan’s bedside and began to examine his state. Yun Suyi followed closely behind.

Although Shen Siyuan was pale and extremely weak, he remained conscious. Seeing the couple, a flicker of joy ignited in his eyes. He struggled to sit up, his voice rasping, “Father, Mother, you finally came.” Hearing Shen Siyuan speak, Yun Suyi’s eyes reddened instantly. She sat by the soft couch and took his hand, gently pressing him back down. “You are injured so severely; do not speak. Let your father channel some spiritual energy into you first to stabilize your dantian.” Shen Du added, “Your mother is right. Lie down; I will heal you.” With both of them insisting, Shen Siyuan put on a docile front, nodded, and obeyed.

Shen Du began the healing process. As his spiritual energy poured into Shen Siyuan’s body to repair the shattered dantian, a wave of sharp pain washed over the boy. Shen Siyuan’s face grew paler, yet he pursed his lips and endured it, looking utterly frail and pitiable. Seeing this, Yun Suyi found it increasingly unbearable and began to wipe away tears with her handkerchief. Noticing her distress, Shen Siyuan endured the pain to offer her soft words of comfort. For a moment, the two of them formed a heartwarming scene of maternal love and filial piety. Any ordinary person watching would likely be deeply moved.

Only Yuan Muzhou, standing nearby, felt his brow knit in a nearly imperceptible frown. Since the couple’s arrival, Yuan Muzhou had stood silently to the side, witnessing the entire display of family affection. Initially, he felt relieved and fortunate that they had come. But as he watched the three of them, a subtle sense of discord suddenly took root in his heart. In his memories of the past life, Shen Du and Yun Suyi were not like this.

Back then, Shen Du was strictly dignified, and Yun Suyi was gentle yet poised. Both carried the aura of great experts and never displayed excessive emotion in public. Even when Shen Junyu met with disaster, Shen Du had merely said calmly, “I suppose this child was meant to face this tribulation; as parents, we can only do our best to assist.” Yun Suyi had only sighed, saying, “This is a private matter of our Yuheng Sect. There was no need for you to sacrifice so much, Muzhou. It has truly been a burden on you.”

The only difference between the two lives was that in the past, Yuan Muzhou had used the Life-Sharing Dao Companion Covenant to save Shen Junyu. In this life, he had not used it for Shen Siyuan. At that time, Yuan Muzhou assumed they were genuinely apologetic and perhaps simply reserved in their emotions, rather than uncaring. But could the difference between two children really cause such a massive shift in behavior? A shadow of doubt rose in Yuan Muzhou’s mind again, and he could not help but watch them more closely.

However, when he saw Shen Siyuan’s pale, pained face, his heart softened instantly. He felt a sudden surge of self-reproach. Shen Siyuan had done so much for him in the past life; how could he harbor doubts over such a small matter? Even if the Sect Leader and his wife were biased, that was their family business. Besides, Shen Siyuan’s personality was indeed more likable to elders. Furthermore, regardless of everything, the couple had never truly wronged Shen Junyu in the past; they simply had not been as fervent as they were toward Shen Siyuan. With this thought, Yuan Muzhou finally let go of his unease.

Just then, Yun Suyi, who had been anxious over Shen Siyuan’s injuries, seemed to remember something. She looked at Yuan Muzhou and asked with a frown, “Muzhou, why is Junyu not here? It is one thing that he failed to rescue Siyuan in time, but why is he not even present now?” Hearing her mention Shen Junyu’s failure to rescue his brother, Yuan Muzhou’s gaze darkened, and he pushed his earlier doubts completely out of his mind. However, out of respect for the couple, he did not expose the truth behind the incident. After a moment of deliberation, he simply said, “There are still disciples from both sects in the secret realm. I thought it would be inappropriate for both Junyu and me to leave, so I had him stay behind.”

As soon as he said this, Shen Siyuan, who had been silently enduring the pain, widened his eyes slightly and looked toward him. Feeling a sense of guilt, Yuan Muzhou avoided his gaze. Yun Suyi believed him, but her beautiful eyes filled with concern. “Your arrangement is correct, Muzhou. But because of this, I fear Siyuan’s recovery will be delayed by many days.” Unsure of her meaning, Yuan Muzhou frowned. “What do you mean, Aunt Yun?”

Yun Suyi hesitated for a moment before sighing. “Your Uncle Shen and I are Siyuan’s blood relatives, but we are no longer in the Golden Core realm. We can only use spiritual energy to alleviate his injuries. But Junyu is different. He is Siyuan’s biological brother and is at a similar cultivation level. In this situation, if he were to use his own Golden Core to warm and nourish Siyuan’s dantian, the chances of Siyuan reforging his core would increase significantly.”

A brief, heavy silence followed. Then, a crisp crack rang out. Yun Suyi looked up suspiciously. “What was that sound?” Yuan Muzhou remained silent for a long time. He lowered his eyes, forcibly suppressing the waves of doubt surging within him. “It is nothing. I am simply unlearned; I have never heard of such a method.” Yun Suyi startled slightly, then gave a soft smile. “This method is not exactly a secret.

Many older cultivators know of it. I suppose you have been too busy with your training to notice such things.” Yuan Muzhou went quiet for a long time before slowly nodding. His voice was flat, without a single ripple of emotion. “Yes. I suppose my knowledge is lacking.”

Silence returned to the side hall. Eventually, Yuan Muzhou spoke as if nothing were wrong. “Uncle Shen, Aunt Yun, I suddenly remembered some sect matters that need arranging. I shall take my leave for a moment.” Yun Suyi quickly replied, “Go ahead; we are here. It was hard enough for you to bring Siyuan back; we should not trouble you further.” Yuan Muzhou’s expression remained unchanged as he cupped his hands and hurried out.

Outside the side hall, in a pavilion surrounded by lotuses, Yuan Muzhou raised his sleeve and silently removed the shattered white jade thumb ring from his hand, tossing it aside. He looked out at the endless stretch of green in the lotus pond and breathed in the scent of flowers, yet his heavy mood did not lift in the slightest.

If such a method existed, why did Yun Suyi never mention it in the past life? Why did she wait until Shen Junyu’s dantian was withered and beyond help? Was she worried about Shen Siyuan’s weak constitution, or was it something else? Yuan Muzhou could not and dared not think deeper. Throughout it all, he still believed Shen Siyuan was innocent. After all, if even he did not know about it, how could Siyuan? But why did Yun Suyi and Shen Du act that way? Or had things truly changed so much with his rebirth that they were different people now, rather than acting with intent in the past? Yuan Muzhou had no way of knowing. After a long time, he closed his eyes, his heart sinking into a void of confusion.

After obtaining the Spring-Surge Stone, Shen Junyu kept it in his palm as he rushed toward the next treasure cave, frantically absorbing its spiritual energy. However, every time he drew energy, the mark on his chest would awaken, just as frantically draining the power from his body. For every bit that went in, only about 10% remained for him. Still, it was enough to replenish some of his earlier exhaustion. Gripping the stone tightly, Shen Junyu thought to himself: “It seems I need to scavenge even more heavenly treasures.”

His speed on his flying sword increased. The demonic cultivator silently accelerated as well, maintaining a consistent distance of about three feet behind him, neither too far nor too close. With Shen Junyu’s determination and the demon’s assistance, they soon secured two more treasures. The harvest was bountiful. Shen Junyu split the loot equally with the demonic cultivator, who accepted it without hesitation.

However, when they reached the third location, they found the contents had already been taken and moved. Standing in white robes against the wind, Shen Junyu looked at the empty cave, his handsome brow furrowing slightly. Although he expected the cultivators in the realm to share information, he had not expected it to travel this quickly. The treasures he had gathered would be enough for an ordinary cultivator, but they were not enough to sustain his unique condition. He had planned to make one big haul and then flee to the Eastern Sea to live a life of freedom. Now, with insufficient resources, things were becoming difficult.

Beside him, the demonic cultivator seemed to sense his concern. He touched the bridge of his nose beneath the silver mask and gave a faint smile. “If you want to take treasures, I actually have a way.” Shen Junyu looked at him. “What way?” The demonic cultivator beckoned with his hand, signaling for him to lean in.

Through their recent treasure-hunting, a subtle understanding had developed between them. Seeing the demon’s serious expression, Shen Junyu hesitated for a heartbeat before leaning his head toward him. His slender neck and fair, soft ear were exposed to the demon’s sight. The demonic cultivator gazed at him for two seconds before leaning in, whispering a few sentences into Shen Junyu’s ear. His voice was low and magnetic, and his warm breath brushed against the shell of Shen Junyu’s ear, making it itch slightly.

But Shen Junyu’s mind was entirely on the words. When the demon finished, a bright light ignited in his light brown eyes. He curled his lips into a slight smile. “A good method. If we do this, I will give you 60%.” The demonic cultivator pulled back. Hearing this, he went silent, a flicker of helplessness crossing his eyes.

After a moment, he smiled with a subtle expression. “No need. We shall stick to fifty-fifty.”

Seeing his generosity, Shen Junyu did not push. “Then let us set off quickly. If they leave the secret realm to spread the word first, it will be too late.” The demonic cultivator let out a soft breath. “Let’s go.”