The Immortal Venerable Used Me and Then Abandoned Me - Chapter 9

Huai Wang’s eyes were a very light shade, yet his features were deeply defined; when he looked up like this, it felt as though he could see right through a person.

He asked, “Why didn’t you explain? Last time, it was the same.”

Last time? Jian Zhu pondered for a moment, recalling the time he was nearly dragged off to the dungeon. He thought: Why else? It’s all for the sake of an amnesiac idiot like you.

Explaining would protect himself, but not explaining protected both Lin Yuan and Huai Wang. Besides, even putting his private feelings aside, he wouldn’t let Lin Yuan fall into a predicament.

Jian Zhu gazed into the distance. “The strong are always silent.”

“A ‘strong’ person at the Nascent Soul stage?”

“…”

Dammit, forgot I was wearing a ‘weak’ persona.

Huai Wang looked at him steadily for a moment, his thoughts unreadable. Then, with a flick of his silver robes, he turned and walked back toward his courtyard.

Seeing him return without another word, Jian Zhu prepared to head back to his own room. But before he even entered the ancient parasol forest, the courtyard door opened again.

Within a few steps, Huai Wang had approached him, holding out an exquisite porcelain bottle. “Healing medicine.”

Jian Zhu’s heart skipped a beat; for a fleeting second, the man before him overlapped with the man from his past. His throat moved slightly. “It’s difficult for me to apply the medicine.”

He held out his palm, attempting to glide across the boundary of Huai Wang’s patience. “If it’s convenient for the Immortal Venerable…”

The blood-red welts flashed before his eyes. Huai Wang’s mind suddenly flickered back to the touch of crimson at the corner of Jian Zhu’s eye that night, heavy with emotion. His thoughts snapped back instantly; he frowned and tossed the bottle over. “If you can’t apply it, find someone else.”

Clack. The cold bottle landed in his palm, the impact making Jian Zhu wince. “Hiss.”

Overlapping? Pure delusion.

________________________________________

Healing and Rumors

After returning to his room, Jian Zhu applied the medicine.

It was indeed high-quality; it dissolved the moment it touched the wounds, releasing a faint, elegant fragrance that soothed the pain. Judging by the severity, he’d likely need to apply it again tomorrow.

He tucked the bottle into his spatial bag, but the communication stone inside suddenly vibrated.

His spiritual sense swept over it, and the youth’s large face was projected before him. “Where are you? Coming out for drinks tonight?”

His palm gave a dull throb. Jian Zhu refused instantly. “No, I’m busy lately.”

The youth sounded disappointed. “Sigh, what are you busy with?”

He replied solemnly, “Attempting to break through.” Huai Wang’s limit of tolerance, that is.

“Never mind then. Cultivation comes first. Remember to contact this Young Master when you’re free.”

Having rejected the youth’s enthusiastic invitation, Jian Zhu found himself unable to sleep. He sat cross-legged and began circulating his energy to focus on his cultivation.

…

After a night of cultivation, he woke up the next morning feeling refreshed.

When Jian Zhu arrived at the academy, the lecturing Elder hadn’t arrived yet. He practiced the familiar motion of using two fingers to pinch the rim of the bottle while applying medicine to his own hand.

Senior Brother He poked his head over from the side. “Performance art?”

Jian Zhu: “Just avoiding the wounds.”

“Do you want me to help?”

“No need.” Jian Zhu tucked the bottle away. “It’s not that much trouble.”

Senior Brother He looked at him with pity. “You are like a proud, lonely cub, silently licking your own wounds.”

Jian Zhu nearly dropped the exquisite porcelain bottle. He steadied his nerves. “Senior Brother, given the chance, I’ll introduce you to someone with similar tastes.”

He could already see the “romance novel” industry rising like a sun in the Three Realms.

The day’s studies concluded. After class, Jian Zhu planned to return straight to Cang Mountain, but he was stopped by Senior Sister Xu before he could leave. “Junior Brother, do you want to come to Yuhui Peak with me for a bit?”

She said, “Didn’t you say Cang Mountain was quiet? I grow a lot of vegetables there. If you like, dig up a few bunches to take back and plant.”

Jian Zhu thought for a moment. Cang Mountain was indeed too stark; it needed a bit of green. “Thank you, Senior Sister.”

Senior Sister Xu immediately and affectionately dragged him toward Yuhui Peak. Jian Zhu glanced at his tugged-askew outer robe, deeply feeling the “enthusiasm” of his fellow disciples.

Compared to Cang Mountain, Yuhui Peak felt exceptionally livable.

Pear trees were in full bloom along the path, the grass beneath their feet was lush and green, and birds flew past in pairs, their chirps pleasant to the ear.

They encountered several disciples along the way. After greeting Senior Sister Xu, they all stole glances at Jian Zhu. Once they were alone again, Senior Sister Xu giggled. “Junior Brother, so many people in my lineage want to talk to you. They keep asking me what kind of person you are.”

Jian Zhu felt a faint sense of foreboding. “And what did you tell them?”

“Carrying a heavy burden while smiling at life,” Senior Sister Xu turned to him. “How was that?”

Jian Zhu gave her his affirmation. “Very good. I barely recognize myself anymore.”

Amidst their chatter, they rounded the front mountain and reached a clearing on the mountainside. A vast expanse of spirit plants grew lush and green as far as the eye could see.

Senior Sister Xu waved her hand grandly. “Look! This is the ’empire’ I’ve built.”

Jian Zhu clapped supportively. “What an appetizing empire.”

In a corner of the field, several Snow-Rain Lettuces were growing vigorously. Their leaves were crisp and tender, curling open in layers, with new sprouts in the center still glistening with water droplets.

Senior Sister Xu plucked several fresh sprouts and stuffed them into Jian Zhu’s arms. “This spiritual plant doesn’t fear the frost. It can grow even on Cang Mountain. Take them back and plant them.”

Jian Zhu cradled the bundle of emerald green. “Senior Sister, you are most thoughtful.”

…

By the time he returned to Cang Mountain carrying his pile of seedlings, Huai Wang was sitting in the courtyard reading.

Jian Zhu stood outside the low fence and returned the small porcelain bottle. “Thank you, Immortal Venerable.”

The bottle was taken into Huai Wang’s hand via telekinesis. He looked up. “Applied it?”

“Mhm,” Jian Zhu said lazily. “I had a Senior Brother help me with it.”

Before Huai Wang could fully process the implication of his words, a cluster of green flashed before his eyes. He looked at the dripping wet seedlings in Jian Zhu’s arms. “What are you carrying?”

Jian Zhu brushed off a few water droplets. “Just planting some vegetables.”

Huai Wang frowned, looking as if he wanted to say something but held back. Seeing no response, Jian Zhu said, “I’ll head back first,” and turned to walk away with his seedlings.

The dark-green figure, bearing the Yin-Yang Taiji emblem on his back, gradually disappeared into the depths of the ancient parasol forest.

Huai Wang withdrew his gaze and put the porcelain bottle back into his pouch. He still remembered Jian Zhu’s mangled hands. To have hands injured like that yet spend all day messing around with such flashy, trivial things. The man truly had no sense of self-preservation.

But ultimately, it was someone else’s business. What did it have to do with him?

…

Upon returning, Jian Zhu planted the seedlings in the clearing in front of his cabin.

He used to grow vegetables back at Jian Mountain, and his skills were still sharp. However, his hand injury made things inconvenient; he tinkered around until sunset before they were all finally in the ground.

After several days of enthusiastic watering, the seedlings grew more and more withered.

Jian Zhu fell into silence: “…”

Could it be that Huai Wang’s territory doesn’t welcome any outside life forms?

Inner disciples all wore a communication stone on their lapels to receive orders and contact peers. He sent a message to Senior Sister Xu, explaining the situation.

She pondered for a moment. “The growth of spiritual plants is related to sunlight, soil, and Feng Shui. If I could inspect it in person, I might know where the problem lies but I can’t enter Cang Mountain.”

Jian Zhu looked down and adjusted the communication stone, and a holographic image of both parties immediately projected. “How about this?”

Senior Sister Xu’s eyes lit up. “Brilliant!”

The sun hadn’t set yet, and the light was plenty. After “scanning” the area, Senior Sister Xu identified the issue. “The Feng Shui in this spot isn’t suitable for nurturing living things, though it’s quite good for cultivation.”

Jian Zhu thought of the crane and had a realization: No wonder Huai Wang moved to the front mountain after getting a pet.

He stepped down the stone stairs. “Senior Sister Xu, help me see if there’s any other spot on Cang Mountain suitable for vegetables?”

“Sure thing.”

Jian Zhu circled the back mountain to no avail and headed toward the front. While Senior Sister Xu curiously observed the scenery of Cang Mountain, she couldn’t help but marvel at her own boldness: she was actually helping her Junior Brother grow vegetables on the Immortal Venerable’s mountain.

Passing through the forest to the Crane-Greeting Platform, Senior Sister Xu gazed at the distant peaks and sea of clouds, gasping in awe. “Wow! The view here is so open!”

Jian Zhu changed the camera angle to give her a better look. He walked backward while communicating. “Sister, is there any place suitable for planting?”

“Let me see! I think behind you—” Senior Sister Xu’s voice suddenly cut off, and she froze like a frightened quail.

Jian Zhu: “Sister?”

After a few seconds of silence, Senior Sister Xu whispered tremulously, “Immortal… Immortal Venerable.”

Jian Zhu blinked and heard a cold, indifferent “Mhm” from above his head. He turned around to find Huai Wang standing behind him at some unknown point, looking down at his communication projection.

The transmission was instantly cut; Senior Sister Xu had fled at light speed.

Huai Wang asked, “What are you doing?”

Jian Zhu: “…Taking my Senior Brother on a tour of Cang Mountain.”

“A tour?”

“A cloud tour. Virtual tourism, for short.”

“You certainly seem to enjoy ‘cloud’ socializing.”

The air went still. As soon as Huai Wang said it, he realized he had misspoken. He usually rarely spoke to anyone, but since this person had arrived on Cang Mountain, his emotional fluctuations had been much larger than before.

He glanced at Jian Zhu again. The other man’s thick eyelashes were lowered, masking his expression. His lips were slightly pursed, and a few strands of hair fell by his cheeks, making him look somewhat despondent.

Huai Wang’s fingers curled slightly. “You…”

“I am all alone now,” Jian Zhu suddenly spoke. “I wanted to plant a few vegetables for companionship, but I didn’t expect I couldn’t even keep a vegetable alive.”

The topic shifted so abruptly that Huai Wang couldn’t keep up for a moment. “Mhm.”

Jian Zhu’s face still wore that layer of fragile sorrow, and his melancholic gaze drifted toward Huai Wang’s courtyard. “Unlike the Immortal Venerable, whose spirit crane is so plump and well-fed.”

The overly obvious hint made Huai Wang go silent for a moment. A faint, almost imperceptible sigh escaped Jian Zhu’s lips. “Sigh.”

Huai Wang: “…As you wish.”

He turned and walked back toward his courtyard, pausing after a few steps. “But do not disturb me.”

As the man walked away, the sadness on Jian Zhu’s face vanished instantly.

He swayed his wide sleeves as he walked, looking very much like a cuckoo bird that had just tricked a magpie into giving up its nest. Satisfied, he headed back to his cabin to move his seedlings.

…

The seedlings he dug up from the back mountain still had soil clinging to them, which he left in a trail all the way into Huai Wang’s courtyard.

Jian Zhu didn’t hold back at all. He took a shovel and dug several uneven pits in the yard, buried his little seedlings, and patted the soil down.

The window was open. Huai Wang sat by the desk, turning a scroll, seemingly ignoring the commotion outside.

After a while, the spirit crane flew back from somewhere and stood beside Jian Zhu to watch him garden. Jian Zhu had his long sleeves rolled up, revealing his forearms; his movements were graceful and fluid.

The crane poked its little head over to nuzzle his hand, letting out a series of “cluck-cluck-cluck” sounds.

Huai Wang glanced outside. The shadow of the low fence was cast on the ground, disrupted by the flapping of the crane’s wings, and a few splashes of green leapt into view. The vast snow outside the courtyard was soaked in sunlight, making the figure in the yard look warm and radiant.

He dazed for a moment, failing to look away.

Not two heartbeats later, he heard the man outside babbling to himself:

“Seedlings planted all around, Cang Mountain’s beauty now is found.”

“If you want your days to be bright, Cang Mountain needs some green in the white.”

Huai Wang: “…”

SLAM! The carved window was thrown shut from the inside with a heavy force.