The Years I Served as My Master's Cauldron - Chapter 4

Shen Yunjin turned back to the firewood shed.

He felt a pang of regret. He hadn’t gone down the mountain to fetch water or gather firewood for several days. Usually, he relied on these menial chores to trade for food, but ever since the day his Divine Seal went berserk, the kitchen workers had treated him like a plague. The moment they saw him, their expressions would change, and they would scramble away faster than rabbits.

Now, with his stomach growling from hunger, he truly regretted wasting the box of peach blossom pastries that Xie Weiyuan had thrown to the floor.

In the end, he went to the back mountain to pick some Fusang berries to stave off his hunger. After returning to the shed and eating a few of the berries, he collapsed into the straw pile, exhausted, and drifted into a fitful sleep.

His new clothes were already stained with straw dust, becoming just as filthy as the rags he usually wore. He had long been accustomed to this kind of life, always missing one meal after another. Today was no different from any other day; as long as he could fall asleep quickly, he wouldn’t suffer too much from the hunger.

Shen Yunjin forcibly suppressed his hunger and closed his eyes, trying to coax himself to sleep.

His sleep was incredibly light. The vigilance he had cultivated over the years allowed him to catch even the slightest rustle in the firewood shed.

Tonight, however, was unusual. A subtle, strange sound came from the window sill­-

Shen Yunjin’s eyes snapped open. His gaze fixed on the source of the noise, but he only caught a glimpse of a black shadow vanishing in an instant.

Someone is watching me?

Shen Yunjin speculated inwardly. Frowning, he slowly approached the window, only to find two small meat buns wrapped in lotus leaves, along with an introductory heart cultivation manual of the Nine Nether Sect.

The buns were still emitting wisps of heat, and the rich, savory aroma of meat wafted into his nose, causing his stomach to give an embarrassing growl.

He did not rush to eat them. Instead, he picked up the Nine Nether Sect manual. Something he had once craved but found unreachable was now within his grasp, yet he felt no joy. He simply flipped through the pages, staring at the dense, small text.

The person who left these things had already fled. Who could it be?

After a moment of hesitation, he tossed half of one bun to a stray dog crouching by the shed that was drooling at the sight. Only after watching it gobble the food down did he feel safe enough to eat the remaining buns.

Warmth filled his stomach, and a surge of emotion welled up inside him. He pondered, In this world, who would still be willing to treat me well? Who would dare to risk the night to secretly deliver these things to me?

Shen Yunjin held the heart cultivation manual, reading the contents by the moonlight. He blinked, unable to believe that all of this was real, so he lowered his eyes and examined the empty lotus leaf carefully.

Several days passed, and the mysterious person arrived on schedule every night. Sometimes they brought piping hot buns, sometimes small, exquisite snacks, and other times they would bring basic secret manuals or sword techniques.

Shen Yunjin grew suspicious; he couldn’t understand why this mysterious person was hiding from him.

He went down the mountain to find some firewood, placing it into a brazier to make the drafty shed feel warm and cozy.

At the dead of night, he feigned sleep. Today, he had deliberately placed his straw pile closer to the window to prevent the person from escaping again.

Sure enough, footsteps arrived as expected. The person placed two meat buns on the window sill once more.

Shen Yunjin was determined not to let this person slip away today. He leapt up from beneath the window and pinned the person’s wrist just as they were about to withdraw it. The person was dressed in black night-clothes, wrapped tightly from head to toe, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed. They had a tall, upright stature it should be a man.

The other party was startled by his sudden movement and trembled, but quickly reacted, dropping the buns and attempting to flee.

Shen Yunjin did not want to miss this chance to reveal the person’s identity, so he gripped their wrist tightly.

“Who are you? Why are you helping me?”

The man did not respond, instead struggling violently to break free from Shen Yunjin’s shackles. But Shen Yunjin’s strength was astonishing, and he refused to let go no matter what.

The two wrestled, neither willing to yield, nearly coming to blows.

Then, with a rip, the man’s sleeve was torn by Shen Yunjin, and he finally managed to break free.

Shen Yunjin reached out urgently to grab him, but lost control of his force, accidentally scratching a long, bleeding gash across the man’s hand.

He hurriedly pulled his hand back, and the man took the opportunity to escape, vanishing into the vast night.

The buns in the lotus leaf were still piping hot, clearly just taken from a stove. Shen Yunjin was completely baffled as to why Ji Yunlan would go to such lengths to hide from him.

His eyes darkened as he ate the buns. After starving all day, he finally had something to warm his stomach.

Shen Yunjin stared blankly at the blood on his fingertips, a rare trace of guilt rising in his heart. Could it really be Ji Yunlan?

He darkened his gaze and tucked the lotus leaf away.

The next morning, Shen Yunjin headed straight to Xuri Residence.

The building had eight levels, housing the disciples of the eight Elders. Ji Yunlan, being a disciple under Xie Weiyuan, naturally lived on the top floor.

Just as he was worrying about how to find Ji Yunlan, he happened to see him squatting in the courtyard, feeding a snow-white rabbit.

The teenager’s apricot-yellow disciple uniform dragged on the ground, stained damp by the soil without him even noticing.

It had to be said that Ji Yunlan was born beautiful a soft, harmless, and gentle beauty. He possessed the gentle, moist temperament unique to water-element cultivators. He was the exact opposite of Xie Weiyuan, who was also a natural water-element cultivator; Ji Yunlan was as gentle as spring water, while Xie Weiyuan was like biting cold ice, unapproachable by anyone.

Shen Yunjin felt a rare touch of awkwardness. After all, not only had he used him to test medicine the other day, but he had also scratched a long, bleeding gash onto his hand last night.

“Junior Brother, I have something to say to you.” The words came out stiffly, as if he were a debt collector. Realizing he sounded too harsh, he added, “It’s not a big deal, really…”

Seeing him arrive, Ji Yunlan smiled. “Senior Brother, what is it?”

“It’s about what happened a couple of days ago… I’m sorry.”

Ji Yunlan seemed surprised that he would apologize, his brows knitting slightly. “Ah?”

“Also, thank you for your help.”

Ji Yunlan’s face showed astonishment. “It’s nothing, it was just a small favor.”

“I gathered some herbs today; let me help you treat your wound.”

Shen Yunjin was terrified that Ji Yunlan might refuse, so he gently pulled his hand over, then froze in place, afraid of hurting him.

“What wound?” Ji Yunlan asked, full of confusion.

Before he could finish his sentence, Shen Yunjin had already pushed back his sleeve.

What met his eyes was a fair, clean wrist completely devoid of any wounds!

“It wasn’t you?” Shen Yunjin’s sword-like brows furrowed, and the strength in his palm deepened instantly.

“What are you talking about, Senior Brother? You’re hurting me.” Ji Yunlan tried to pull his hand back, but Shen Yunjin gripped it tightly.

“Then who could it be?” Shen Yunjin lowered his eyes and muttered.

Suddenly, a surge of spiritual energy struck through the air. Shen Yunjin dodged, looking at the newcomer.

It was Liang Feng.

He was the first disciple Xie Weiyuan had accepted, so he often called himself the “Senior Brother.” Earlier on, this man could be described as Xie Weiyuan’s number one lapdog; he wasn’t particularly good at his cultivation, but his temper was exactly the same as Xie Weiyuan’s. The master and disciple were birds of a feather, singing the same tune, and had bullied Shen Yunjin many times in the past.

A few days ago, he had been sent to Wumu Cliff to retrieve “soiled earth.” Judging by his appearance, he hadn’t even unpacked his gear or sword; he had returned dust-covered and weary, clearly unaware of the turmoil that had occurred in the sect.

“Who told you to bully Junior Brother Yunlan?” The man shielded Ji Yunlan, glaring at Shen Yunjin with an arrogant air.

“…Which eye of yours saw me bullying him?”

Shen Yunjin had no intention of arguing with him; his mind was still occupied by the mysterious person who provided food and manuals. Since it wasn’t Ji Yunlan, there was no need to waste time here, so he turned to leave.

Seeing this, Liang Feng grew even angrier and shouted, “I advise you not to plot against him! If I see you approaching Junior Brother Yunlan again, I’ll make you regret it!”

Shen Yunjin narrowed his eyes and smiled. “And how exactly will you do that?”

Ji Yunlan quickly covered his mouth and dragged him to the side. “It’s nothing, nothing… Senior Brother, say less.”

“Mmmph, mmmph!” Before Liang Feng could finish speaking, he was dragged away by Ji Yunlan.

It seemed Ji Yunlan had something to say to Liang Feng. Fortunately, he had dragged Liang Feng away; otherwise, judging by their usual opening lines, they definitely would have fought right then and there.

Shen Yunjin rubbed his nose thoughtfully. Since it wasn’t Ji Yunlan, who else in the sect would be willing to help him like this?

He remained calm, putting the herbs back into his pouch, and returned to the shed feeling lost, picking up a wooden basin to fetch water from Qiyun Pool.

As he passed Yunyin Palace, he happened to spot Xie Weiyuan’s figure.

The disciple on duty at the gate today was a stranger. Shen Yunjin hid behind a locust tree, watching Xie Weiyuan from afar.

The man was dressed in white, standing with his hands behind his back, his posture elegant and upright—he looked no different from any other day. It appeared he was on his way to the Council Hall to discuss matters with the eight Elders.

He recalled the way Xie Weiyuan had used his spiritual energy to protect his heart last time, and his heart sank.

Could it really be Xie Weiyuan?

Shen Yunjin looked at the sloshing water basin in his hand. He gritted his teeth, deciding to try this method even at the risk of being scolded by Xie Weiyuan.

He deliberately walked with a clumsy, hurried pace, carrying the basin of water as he passed behind Xie Weiyuan, pretending to be just a passerby.

Just as he was about to take a few more steps and splash the water onto Xie Weiyuan, he didn’t expect that the man’s five senses were so sharp he turned around before Shen Yunjin could act, looking at him.

“Shen Yunjin? What are you doing here?”

Shen Yunjin didn’t expect the man to react so quickly. He paused awkwardly for a moment, then gritted his teeth, deciding to gamble he splashed the entire basin of water forward, and a large basin of cold water landed squarely on Xie Weiyuan’s robes.

“…”

Xie Weiyuan, now a drowned rat, looked at him with an expressionless face.

The culprit, Shen Yunjin, looked back with an equally expressionless face.

The two stared at each other for a long moment until, finally, Shen Yunjin broke the silence.

“Master, please forgive me. My hand slipped. Let me wipe it for you.” Shen Yunjin produced a handkerchief from somewhere and made a move to approach Xie Weiyuan.

Xie Weiyuan wanted to say that anyone who believed it was an accident must be an idiot he had clearly stopped moving, yet this person had still splashed the water.

He was just about to refuse when he was forcibly gripped by the wrist by Shen Yunjin. Even though Shen Yunjin was only seventeen, his strength was astonishing, and even his height looked not much different from his own…

Xie Weiyuan wasn’t used to this kind of contact. He wanted to pull his hand back and reply with a cold, haughty: “No need, get out.”

But this stubborn-ass disciple didn’t know what bug had crawled into his head; he held onto his hand tightly, pretending he was going to wipe him dry.

The man even covered up his true intentions by wiping Xie Weiyuan’s cheeks, where his sideburns were half-wet, before finally sliding down to his wrist.

“Master, let me check if this part is wet.” Just as he was about to pull back the sleeve to check Xie Weiyuan’s arm—

Xie Weiyuan pulled his hand back violently, as if stung. “Impudent!”

He pulled once, not a budge.

He pulled again, still didn’t get it back.

He pulled a third time, Xie Weiyuan finally lost his temper.

“What on earth are you trying to do?”

Shen Yunjin, however, swiftly pushed back his wide robe, his gaze falling onto the fair wrist.

……