The Aloof Master Is Secretly Kissed Every Night by the Paranoid Villain - Chapter 18

Xie Yuan’s eyes widened in an instant.

Fragments of various memories surged into his mind, forcing him to clutch his aching forehead.

Within his chaotic sea of consciousness, Wen Shiqing’s familiar voice seemed to linger.

Such warm, pure spiritual consciousness had resolutely ventured into his own filthy, polluted sea of consciousness.

It had called him back to his senses just when he was about to be coerced by Xuan Qing into forming a master-servant pact.

It had used such trusting, encouraging words.

Telling him: “Xie Yuan, no one can replace you.”

The strange heat that had been spreading since yesterday now almost completely consumed Xie Yuan’s heart.

The impulses that had initially subsided were now germinating again, growing wildly.

Xie Yuan clutched the blood-stained strip of cloth, his fingers tightening uncontrollably as his emotions fluctuated violently.

Tighter and tighter.

Why could he be this good to him?

Why, even after knowing he practiced the Ghost Path, did he not expose him, even going so far as to engage in a spiritual battle with Xuan Qing for his sake?

Xiao Heng was a pure Immortal cultivator, yet he himself practiced the most disgraceful Ghost Path.

If Wen Shiqing were truly a hypocrite, shouldn’t he have immediately abolished his cultivation, expelled him from the sect, or killed him to cover up the scandal?

After all, the world is vast; if the other party wanted a substitute, surely he could have found many who were more obedient and more like Xiao Heng.

Yet, Wen Shiqing chose to save him.

At this moment, details that Xie Yuan had previously overlooked during his time with Wen Shiqing came rushing back to him.

In front of Xie Xiao, he would deflect others to protect him.

Before flying on his sword, he would have him put on a heavy cloak under the pretext of not wanting his clothes to get dirty.

Despite being a cultivator who had long ago reached Inedia, he would prepare many varieties of breakfast for him at the inn.

Under the guise of letting him tend to the peach trees, he opened the Chunjing Courtyard, which consumed vast amounts of spirit stones, solely to keep him from the cold.

And the items Xiao Heng left in front of the courtyard were so comprehensive that it was impossible for a youth devoted solely to cultivation to have prepared them.

And… and… and…

There were too many details.

All of them proved that Wen Shiqing really, truly was secretly being good to him.

Even if the root of it all was Xiao Heng.

This kind of kindness also made him feel a genuine sense of terror.

Terror of what he would do if one day Wen Shiqing were to take this kindness away.

He did not want to lose it.

He could not lose it.

Xie Yuan gritted his teeth, his pitch-black eyes roiling with intense possessiveness.

He held the blood-stained scrap of cloth against his heart.

After a long while, the youth curled the corners of his lips and said in a low voice:

“Master.”

“Since you chose to save the filthy me, don’t even think about abandoning me ever again.”

“From now on, I will use every means possible to stay entangled with you for a lifetime.”

Wen Shiqing “conked out” the moment he returned to Qinglan Garden.

Under the pretext of secluded meditation, he hid in a secret room to take medicine and heal his injuries.

During this time, Xie Yuan came several times.

Each time, he was sternly driven away from Qinglan Garden by Wen Shiqing.

Because he was afraid the other party would discover his abnormality, he did not even show his face, communicating only through sound transmission.

At the same time, he had the system, 00, play the surveillance feed for him.

He then discovered that there was not a trace of dissatisfaction on Xie Yuan’s face; if one looked closely, one could even see the corners of the youth’s mouth slightly upturned.

Wen Shiqing felt inexplicably creeped out.

After all, he had already realized Xie Yuan’s true personality; the boy’s docility was always an act.

Looking back at the past, Xie Yuan had always worn a mask of obedience, his eyes harboring hidden hatred. Unless necessary, he would basically never challenge his authority or come to Qinglan Garden to find him on his own.

If scolded, he would likely be visibly trembling in fear on the outside while being full of disdain on the inside.

But now, looking at Xie Yuan’s expression after being scolded, how could it feel like this kid was secretly enjoying it?

It looked exactly like the hallucinations he had seen in the secret realm…

Thinking of this, Wen Shiqing could not help but shudder.

He quickly shook his head, throwing those images away.

He turned his attention back to the tea Xie Yuan had brewed for him, grabbed a piece of the peach blossom pastry the boy had made, and happily enjoyed watching Empresses in the Palace, which the system had found for him.

After all, Xie Yuan seemed to remember his previous instruction to serve him tea and pour his water; every time he came to Qinglan Garden, he brought different teas and snacks to “pay his respects.”

Although Wen Shiqing scolded him away every time, he always kept the items.

He then discovered that Xie Yuan was becoming more and more proficient at brewing tea and making pastries.

Truly, it would be a waste not to eat it.

Thus, when Wen Shiqing finished his half-month of healing and came out of seclusion on New Year’s Eve, he found that the tea he brewed himself did not taste right anymore.

The reason he chose to end his seclusion on this day was because 00 told him that Wen Shiqing always spent New Year’s Eve with Xiao Heng.

The two of them would eat a New Year’s dinner, make dumplings, set off firecrackers, and stay up late to welcome the new year, just like mortals.

“Master, I brought you a New Year’s gift!” Xiao Heng also returned from his sect mission on New Year’s Eve.

Seeing Wen Shiqing sitting in the gazebo in the courtyard drinking tea, he jumped off his sword with great enthusiasm, carrying a birdcage in his hand.

He held the cage up in front of Wen Shiqing: “This spirit bird has just gained consciousness. I saved it; not only does it have a beautiful cry, but it can also speak human words. I thought it could sing a little tune for you while you drink tea to help you relax.”

With that, he opened the cage and released a bird covered in beautiful blue-green feathers.

“Little Blue, this is my Master. Sing him a song.”

“Greetings, Daoist Wen!” The bird’s voice was crisp. After a polite greeting, it perched on Xiao Heng’s finger and sang quite generously.

It was very pleasant to hear.

Wen Shiqing was in a great mood after listening to it.

Feeling that Xiao Heng was exceptionally filial, he could not help but reach out to stroke the youth’s hair, and then took out a treasure he had found in the secret realm a month ago to give to Xiao Heng.

Neither of them noticed that in the grass in the distance, a small, pitch-black snake poked its head out, reflecting their actions and words in its serpentine eyes before transmitting them to Xie Yuan, who was far away at Chunjing Courtyard.

Almost simultaneously, the teacup in Xie Yuan’s hand shattered under extreme force.

Tea splashed everywhere.

It splattered all over Xuan Qing, who was lying on his wrist.

“Damn it! Are you going crazy again?!” Xuan Qing shrieked as he looked at Xie Yuan, only to discover the snake patterns appearing on the youth’s cheeks. His small eyes widened even further: “Did you use my abilities again to sneak a peek at Wen Shiqing?!”

“You are truly a pervert!”

After the master-servant pact was established, Xie Yuan, as the master, gained the power to utilize Xuan Qing’s abilities.

One of Xuan Qing’s abilities was the ability to release small snakes to investigate situations and share the visual feed with his master.

“A pervert?” Xie Yuan looked down to clean up the fragments, his meaning ambiguous: “That is still better than him harboring such unspeakable thoughts toward Xiao Heng while still deliberately pretending to be close to him as his master.”

As Xie Yuan said this, a bizarre sense of bitterness welled up in his heart.

For the past half-month, because he was worried about Wen Shiqing’s injuries, he had gone to Qinglan Garden so many times, yet he had not been able to see him.

But as soon as Xiao Heng returned, that man immediately came out of seclusion.

The difference in importance was clear at a glance.

As his thoughts churned, pitch-black ghost energy emerged from his palm.

It slowly formed the shape of a bird a small head, a curved beak, and long tail feathers almost exactly the same as the one Xiao Heng had given to Wen Shiqing.

Xie Yuan raised his hand, and the pitch-black bird circled and flew up, looking incredibly lifelike.

But when the bird opened its mouth, the sound it emitted was not pleasant; it sounded more like the wailing of a vengeful spirit.

The youth frowned, and his fingers suddenly curled, causing the ghost bird to instantly shatter and dissipate.

“A counterfeit is, after all, just a counterfeit. It sounds so awful, how could it ever make Master happy?”