The Years I Served as My Master's Cauldron - Chapter 3

In his hazy state, Shen Yunjin felt his blood-stained clothes being removed. Someone was using spiritual energy to treat his wounds. He leaned weakly against the person’s shoulder, yet he couldn’t force his eyes open.

“Cough, cough…”

The person couldn’t help but cough twice, sounding rather frail and sickly. Unfortunately, his eyelids felt as though they had been glued shut, too heavy to lift; he couldn’t see who was helping him.

I don’t know how much time passed before he heard the lanterns under the eaves swaying in the wind, tapping against the fragile window paper with a rustling sound.

This noise finally jolted him awake from his nightmare. He sat up, his head throbbing with a splitting pain. He rubbed his temples and discovered that the Soul-Devouring Nails had been removed, and his wounds were properly bandaged.

Shen Yunjin looked around, realizing he was lying on a carved wooden bed, covered by a warm quilt, with calming sandalwood incense burning in a burner.

Suddenly, a creak echoed, the wooden door was pushed open, and Ji Yunlan walked in with a bowl of medicinal soup. Seeing that Shen Yunjin was awake, his furrowed brows finally relaxed, and he placed the bowl on the wooden table beside Shen.

The porcelain bowl hit the table with a dull thud. “Senior Brother, now that you’re awake, drink your medicine.”

Shen Yunjin tensed, remaining motionless. His dark eyes fixed steadily on Ji Yunlan, his fingertips twitching imperceptibly. Seeing his guard up and knowing he hadn’t fully recovered, Ji Yunlan offered a gentle, spring-like smile. His features were naturally soft, and when he smiled, his eyes looked like two tiny crescent moons.

“What’s wrong?” Ji Yunlan rolled up his sleeve slightly, revealing a fair, delicate wrist, his tone carrying a touch of helplessness.

Shen Yunjin did not answer; instead, he took the medicinal broth into his own hands. Seeing him motionless, Ji Yunlan, concerned for his injuries, urged him gently, “Drink it quickly; your wounds haven’t healed yet…”

Ji Yunlan had been standing considerately by the bed, well-intentioned in his urge to help, but he was suddenly dragged forward by a fierce, rapid force and thrown onto the couch.

Shen Yunjin tightly gripped his jaw, showing no mercy; his fingertips left terrifying red marks on Ji Yunlan’s fair face as he forced the boiling medicinal broth down his throat.

“Mmph!” The bitter broth entered his throat, and Ji Yunlan couldn’t help but cough violently, tears forced out by the agony. He struggled frantically, but he was forced to keep his lips apart, the medicine streaming down the corners of his mouth and staining his snow-white clothes.

“Cough, cough… Senior Brother… you… cough, cough!”

Ji Yunlan could only manage a few garbled words through his choking. It wasn’t until he was on the verge of suffocation that Shen Yunjin finally loosened his grip.

Shen Yunjin had initially suspected that Xie Weiyuan had sent Ji Yunlan to poison him, but the medicine had proven harmless. After a brief silence, he finished the rest of the bowl and added, “Many thanks, Junior Brother.”

Ji Yunlan had not yet recovered from the shock. He stared at Shen Yunjin in disbelief, his voice trembling: “You actually used me to test the medicine…”

Shen Yunjin placed the empty bowl on the wooden table. Even though the man had a good temper and didn’t lose his cool, his delicate brows were still knit in surprise, and he continued to cough incessantly.

Shen Yunjin felt a flicker of guilt, but it was minimal. He sat up, dressed himself, fastened his belt, and prepared to step off the bed. His gaze paused when he spotted a sandalwood food box placed in front of him.

Ji Yunlan was still sitting by the bed, lingering in fear and watching him with some wariness: “This was sent from the kitchen; it’s peach blossom pastry. If you’re hungry, you can eat some…”

Shen Yunjin opened the box, and inside were indeed several delicate, cute-looking peach blossom pastries.

“Where is Master?”

“Still in the Yunyin Palace.”

Outside the windows of Xuri Residence, pear-blossom clouds drifted by, bringing a faint, refreshing fragrance and blowing open the old window lattices. Shen Yunjin picked up the peach blossom pastry and walked out of the room. He wanted to see what exactly Xie Weiyuan was up to.

Yunyin Palace was Xie Weiyuan’s residence. The palace towered high, surrounded by clouds and mist, built with massive black basalt stones, tiled with glazed bricks, and featuring white walls. Two terrifying Taotie beast statues, nearly a hundred feet high, stood on either side of the palace gate, intimidating all who approached.

The disciple on duty today was Jiang Yuan, the senior disciple of Elder Qingya. He was dozing off while hugging his sword at the entrance. When he saw the “big Buddha” Shen Yunjin, he was jolted into full alertness, scrambling to stand up straight and assume a defensive posture.

This man had gone on a killing spree in the sect just a few days ago, and now he was skulking suspiciously at the door of Yunyin Palace he certainly had no good intentions.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded warily.

Shen Yunjin narrowed his eyes and smiled, pausing before saying: “I’ve come to pay my respects to Master.”

Jiang Yuan looked as if he had seen a ghost, his jaw nearly hitting the floor as if he had heard an earth-shattering legend.

What has happened to this world? Yesterday, it was bizarre enough that Lord Linghua had taken the Soul-Devouring Nails for Shen Yunjin; today, Shen Yunjin was actually acting sycophantic toward Lord Linghua.

If this were anyone else, such a scene of deep master-disciple affection might be normal, but for these two who were usually at each other’s throats wishing to kill one another at every opportunity it was simply inconceivable! Have these two made up behind the backs of the entire sect?

But Jiang Yuan still had some sense; he was determined not to let this high-risk individual inside. He puffed out his chest, attempting to block Shen Yunjin’s path. “What good could come of you going inside? Don’t you dare plot against Lord Linghua!”

“I am Master’s disciple; how could I plot against him? I am merely here to care for him. Move.”

“Don’t get arrogant just because you’re the Sect Master’s disciple. Everyone knows you’re just a ‘human furnace’ raised by Lord Linghua, a tool to increase his cultivation. I bet you haven’t even learned the Nine Nether Sect’s heart cultivation method yet.”

Shen Yunjin’s expression darkened. This remark had struck a nerve. Even though he had been Xie Weiyuan’s disciple for four years, he had indeed never learned the sect’s core techniques. He had even tried to fight Xie Weiyuan over this once, but to no avail.

That man had always been like this; taking him in as a disciple was merely a facade to maintain his reputation as a benevolent master. He wanted to appear righteous, yet he feared raising a tiger, so he didn’t even teach him the most basic techniques, waiting only for the day the Divine Seal awakened to refine him into a human furnace.

The murderous aura in Shen Yunjin’s eyes nearly solidified. Jiang Yuan was frightened by his appearance and stumbled back in a panic. Shen’s eyes were naturally fierce, and despite being only seventeen, the years of hardship he had endured had left him with a deep, accumulated hostility. Looking at Jiang Yuan now gave the latter the illusion that he would be ground to dust in the next second.

Just as Jiang Yuan braced himself for a battle, the pressure in the air suddenly dissipated. As he was about to let out a sigh of relief, Shen Yunjin suddenly struck him on the neck with a thud. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed, unconscious.

Shen Yunjin cast a casual glance at the fallen Jiang Yuan and pushed the door open to enter.

Xie Weiyuan was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, his expression calm and gentle, less sharp than usual. However, his face was as pale as paper, devoid of blood, adding an air of frailty that made him appear sickly and powerless.

The man rarely had such serene moments. Usually, those sharp peach-blossom eyes were filled with keen killing intent, never showing mercy to the world.

Shen Yunjin’s gaze lingered on the sleeping Xie Weiyuan. His fingertips slid downward, finally stopping at the man’s jade-colored neck. Why not just kill Xie Weiyuan now and satisfy the years of accumulated hatred? Xie Weiyuan was unguarded in his sleep wasn’t this the perfect opportunity?

Isn’t this why I came here today? He only needed to tighten his grip around this fragile neck, and this man would die by his hand. He would never find a better chance.

Shen Yunjin’s lips curved into a sinister smile. As long as he killed this man, he could avenge years of humiliation. His fingertips gradually tightened unconsciously, but just as he was about to exert force, Xie Weiyuan’s eyelashes suddenly flickered.

Shen Yunjin’s heart leaped in shock. His entire body trembled, and he let go in an instant. The instincts left behind by years of subjugation were deeply ingrained; even as his reason screamed for revenge, his body had instinctively assumed a submissive posture. Fear, deep in his bones, made him reflexively drop to his knees.

He immediately felt remorse, Why should I fear this person again? He started to push himself up from the floor, but Xie Weiyuan woke up completely at that moment.

Xie Weiyuan leaned against the head of the bed and coughed twice, his voice hoarse as he asked: “Why are you here?”

Shen Yunjin had no choice but to lift the food box at his side and make an excuse: “Disciple came to bring Master some snacks.”

Xie Weiyuan raised an eyebrow. Isn’t this a weasel paying respects to a chicken, with nothing but evil intentions? Thankfully, the System had just warned him, otherwise, this “Black Lotus” would have definitely killed him on the spot by strangling him.

He was about to take the box and dismiss Shen Yunjin when he was interrupted by an urgent prompt in his sea of consciousness. “Host, please do not go OOC. The original character would not accept Shen Yunjin’s kindness.”

OOC, or “Out of Character,” meant he couldn’t deviate from the original character’s setting a task requirement the System had only just informed him of today. When he asked what the penalty for going OOC was, the System had evasively changed the subject, hiding something.

Xie Weiyuan put on that insufferably arrogant and noble air again, slammed the food box onto the floor, and said coldly: “Cough… you actually dare to come see me!”

His fingertips gripped the quilt tightly, and the scent of incense drifted by, making him cough repeatedly. A flush of thin, angry red spread across his face, but he looked far from intimidating.

Shen Yunjin looked down at the peach blossom pastries scattered on the floor. The plump, pink pastries were now covered in dust, appearing particularly pathetic. He gave a gentle smile: “If Master does not like these peach blossom pastries, Disciple will go get some others.”

Xie Weiyuan forced himself to sit up, his breathing ragged: “No need. You may leave. In the future, you are not allowed to enter without permission.”

Seeing his lips even paler than usual, as if he had lost too much blood, Shen Yunjin frowned and retracted his gaze, asking suspiciously: “Master is so angry, could it be… you are injured?”

It was a question spoken with a hint of concern, but in Xie Weiyuan’s ears, it sounded anything but normal. Shen Yunjin hated him so much that he likely wished him dead; clearly, he was just here to watch him suffer.

Xie Weiyuan swept a glance at him, maintaining his usual noble facade, and retorted with a fierce air: “Do you now dare to disobey my words?”

His fingertips rested on his flute, as if he might turn it into a whip and lash out at Shen Yunjin the next second.

Shen Yunjin’s expression turned cold. He picked up the food box and turned to leave, but for some reason, he stopped for a moment. Xie Weiyuan’s inexplicable rage today made him feel a strange sense of abnormality.

Yesterday, that trace of water-element spiritual energy that protected my heart… was it really Xie Weiyuan?

Some cracks, once they take root in the heart, will slowly sprout. But why should he make excuses for this vicious man? He thought that Xie Weiyuan’s reason for keeping him could only be…

After much hesitation, he finally asked the question that had been buried in his heart for days. Even though he already knew the answer, he held onto a sliver of hope:

“Since Master despises Disciple so much, why didn’t you kill me that day?”

The man, as expected, replied in a cold voice: “You are my human furnace; how could I let you die so easily?”

Xie Weiyuan’s spiritual energy that had protected his heart yesterday was merely fear that he might die and that Xie would be unable to find a new furnace.

He still couldn’t hold any expectations for this man.