The Years I Served as My Master's Cauldron - Chapter 5

Xie Weiyuan’s wrist was as clean as jade, without a single scar.

It seems I was overthinking it, Shen Yunjin thought. His tightened tension eased, and he stepped back calmly, putting some distance between himself and Xie Weiyuan.

“Disciple has offended Master; please grant your forgiveness.”

Xie Weiyuan seemed annoyed by his inexplicable behavior; his expression was flushed with vexation, and he raised his hand several times only to lower it again. Shen Yunjin was prepared to be punished severely by this man, but in the end, Xie Weiyuan merely glared at him with an expression filled with resentment and anger before flicking his sleeves and returning to Yunyin Palace, presumably to change his clothes.

In the past, if Shen Yunjin had been so presumptuous, he would have undoubtedly received a round of lashes. Yet today, Xie Weiyuan had done nothing at all. He watched Xie Weiyuan’s departing figure with confusion, when did this man become so… good-tempered?

Shen Yunjin stooped to pick up the wooden basin and returned to the firewood shed, still wrestling with the question of who exactly had been offering him a helping hand. If it wasn’t Xie Weiyuan, and it wasn’t Ji Yunlan, who else would come to see him?

He walked back to the dilapidated firewood shed, but suddenly stopped before the door, the wooden door had been splashed with foul-smelling chicken blood.

Sure enough, Liang Feng had no intention of letting him go the moment he returned. The recent turmoil in the sect had not yet subsided, and the disciples still harbored complaints against him. Now that Liang Feng was back and had heard about the incident, he would certainly come to make things difficult. He just hadn’t expected Liang Feng to arrive so quickly.

Shen Yunjin lowered his eyes indifferently. Just as his fingertips touched the door to push it open, he heard the chaotic sound of footsteps coming from behind the shed.

Liang Feng was followed by dozens of people, each one prepared for battle, eyeing Shen Yunjin with hostile intent. He crossed his arms and glared at Shen Yunjin with an arrogant air, holding a torch in his left hand and drawing his sword with his right, the blade pointing directly at Shen’s throat.

It was a familiar opening line.

“Well, well, Shen Yunjin! You actually dared to go on a killing spree in the sect! Today, I shall act for heaven and make you pay your debts in blood!”

Everyone behind him echoed the sentiment, all united in their hatred.

“Pay your debts in blood!”

Shen Yunjin scanned them, ignored them, and reached to push open the door. Seeing his dismissive attitude, Liang Feng’s rage erupted.

“I asked you a question! You still dare to be arrogant!”

As Shen Yunjin went to latch the door, Liang Feng sneered and threw the torch into the firewood shed. The raging inferno instantly engulfed the dilapidated structure.

“What are you doing?” Shen Yunjin finally turned to fury, spinning around to glare at him savagely.

Liang Feng, without another word, slashed his sword at him. The “Dragon-Tiger Saber” carried a violent gust of wind, but Shen Yunjin barely managed to dodge it.

His gaze grew gloomy, and he warned: “Liang Feng, you had better not provoke me.”

Liang Feng had long been accustomed to bullying Shen Yunjin and couldn’t stand his current arrogance. With a livid face, he swung another blow: “Arrogant! Master may be reluctant to kill you, but I don’t care!”

The Dragon-Tiger Saber in his hand was no small matter it was one of the finest spiritual weapons in the world, and having been quenched in Wumu Cliff, its spirit had genuinely improved. Shen Yunjin, empty-handed, could not handle the power of a spiritual weapon; he struggled to parry, his hair drenched in sweat. He was self-taught, never having mastered any proper heart cultivation or sword techniques, and could only rely on the not-yet-fully-awakened Divine Seal within him to parry for a moment.

Shen Yunjin’s moves grew increasingly chaotic, and he fought defensively with growing fatigue. Seeing that Shen had no way to counter, Liang Feng grew bolder with each strike, nearly severing Shen’s arm several times. As the blade drew closer, ready to slice through his throat, Shen Yunjin could only grit his teeth and hold on.

He stared with wide, bloodshot eyes, his breathing growing ragged. Is this… where I die today? he thought in despair.

Suddenly, a gust of wind struck; the Dragon-Tiger Saber was sent flying, and both Shen Yunjin and Liang Feng were knocked to the ground by the gale.

“Which little bastard is looking to die?” Liang Feng coughed up blood, struggling to stand up with the help of his saber.

“Lor… Lord Linghua!” A disciple beside Liang Feng turned pale with terror, calling out in a trembling voice.

Only then did Liang Feng realize that the Master had arrived. Having just returned from Wumu Cliff, he hadn’t yet found Xie Weiyuan to pay his respects, so he hurriedly knelt to perform the ritual. “Disciple Liang Feng pays respects to Master.”

Xie Weiyuan’s cold-as-ice peach-blossom eyes swept over him for only a second before moving away.

Shen Yunjin was still collapsed on the ground. Xie Weiyuan was about to go and help him up when a sudden, urgent OOC (Out of Character) warning in his brain left him dazed. He could only wink at the group of trembling disciples. The disciples, who had just been acting as accomplices, saw him look over and immediately knelt in a collective row.

…Am I that scary?

The System answered helpfully in his sea of consciousness: “Host, based on a comprehensive assessment of the cultivation world, you have the look of an ‘intense, cool, and handsome Dragon-Proud-Heaven’ protagonist, so it’s normal for them to be afraid!”

Xie Weiyuan pulled back his murderous gaze and said coldly: “You, come over and help him up.”

The group of disciples rushed to help the kneeling Liang Feng up. Liang Feng felt relieved, he had been kneeling for ages, and his legs were numb. He thought the Master was finally letting him get up.

Instead, Xie Weiyuan’s eyes grew even colder: “Who said it was him?”

The disciples were so scared they let go, and Liang Feng fell to the ground with a thud, bruising his knees. He gritted his teeth and shouted: “Can’t you be a little slower?”

Xie Weiyuan turned his gaze back to Shen Yunjin. Only then did the group understand his meaning and scrambled to help Shen Yunjin up instead.

Xie Weiyuan coughed twice: “Listen well, all of you. From today on, no one is allowed to bully Shen Yunjin again.”

Before he could finish, the System’s alarm erupted again, nearly deafening him. Terrified of this ancestor, Xie Weiyuan changed his tune: ” He is, after all, the human furnace I personally took in; he naturally must be well-cared for.”

The System’s alarm finally ceased. Xie Weiyuan let out a breath of relief, having successfully bluffed his way through. He left behind a group of stunned youths staring at one another in silence.

Liang Feng was the first to object: “Master, he is a sinner of the sect. Can we really just let him go so easily?”

Xie Weiyuan looked over coldly, his gaze icy enough to freeze a man: “My human furnace is not for you to dispose of.”

Liang Feng looked up in disbelief. Is this still his Master? Usually, they were partners in crime when it came to Shen Yunjin, it was either Liang Feng stepping on him or the Master whipping him. How did everything change just from a trip to Wumu Cliff? Since when did Master have a change of heart toward this little bastard?

“Master, but…”

“Enough. Say no more.” Xie Weiyuan turned to leave, then stopped abruptly.

The fire in the firewood shed in front of him had not yet been extinguished; it was almost reduced to charcoal.

This Liang Feng really knows how to cause me trouble.

Thankfully, Xie Weiyuan was a water-element cultivator, perfect for extinguishing fires. He cast a spiritual spell, instantly summoning a towering wave that doused the flames. Alas, it was too late; the shed was already ruined.

Liang Feng cast a guilty glance at Xie Weiyuan. Shen Yunjin remained expressionless, seemingly waiting for judgment.

“Since that is the case, Shen Yunjin shall move into…”

Xie Weiyuan was about to tell Shen Yunjin to stay in Xuri Residence, but suddenly recalled Liang Feng’s habit of forming cliques, fearing that staying there would only increase Shen’s “Blackening Value.” Visions of “sect bullying” and “public humiliation” flooded his mind. To prevent Shen Yunjin’s Blackening Value from rising further, Xie Weiyuan gritted his teeth and decided to go all out.

“Have him move into Yunyin Palace.”

No sooner had he spoken than Liang Feng exclaimed in shock: “Master! If you have him move into Yunyin Palace, wouldn’t that mean he’ll be sleeping and eating with you?”

His words were vulgar, and Xie Weiyuan nearly lost his footing in anger. Xie Weiyuan forced a smile: “Who said anything about sleeping together?”

“But Yunyin Palace has no side halls, only your own sleeping quarters,” Liang Feng retorted, feeling aggrieved.

Xie Weiyuan had forgotten that detail. The original character loved peace and quiet, never allowing others to disturb his sleeping quarters; the massive palace had only been built with one bedroom.

“Then have one built now.”

“Who’s going to build it?”

“Whoever burned the shed will build it.”

A dead silence fell.

The System praised him in his sea of consciousness: “Host, you truly are yourself; you’ve portrayed the sinister villain Xie Weiyuan perfectly.”

…

Liang Feng was full of regret, wishing he could have slapped himself ten minutes ago, but he was unwilling to yield: “Master, this really isn’t necessary. Why not let… Junior Brother Shen live in Xuri Residence and eat and live with us?”

Xie Weiyuan’s face turned dark, and he retorted sternly: “I told you to build it, so build it. Where do you get all this chatter?”

To avoid letting these people see any cracks in his facade, he feigned exasperation, flicked his sleeves, and turned to leave. Liang Feng looked at Xie Weiyuan’s departing back, muttering: “What’s so bad about staying in Xuri Residence? Why build a new one?”

A disciple beside him hurried to crawl over like a sycophant: “Senior Brother Liang, so Shen Yunjin is Lord Linghua’s human furnace?”

“Duh! You only just realized that now?” Liang Feng glared at him.

The disciple looked thoughtful: “That makes sense, then.”

“Makes sense of what?”

“Senior Brother, think about it: since he’s a human furnace, why would Lord Linghua keep him under his nose every single day?”

Liang Feng’s face turned red, not knowing what he was thinking: “What nonsense are you talking about? Master is not that kind of person.”

“But Lord Linghua said it himself! Telling you to build a side hall must be to make it convenient for… that kind of thing.” He gave a mocking glance at Shen Yunjin, who was standing nearby.

Liang Feng’s gaze also fell on Shen Yunjin; not knowing what he imagined, he felt goosebumps all over his body, gave Shen a look of disgust, and led the group away.

Shen Yunjin was left standing alone in front of the scorched firewood shed. He stood dazed in place, looking at the remaining charred charcoal pillars, resembling an abandoned puppy.

Xie Weiyuan wants him to move into Yunyin Palace? To… use him?

Shen Yunjin’s face shifted between green and red. It turned out Xie Weiyuan actually held those kinds of thoughts toward him. If I really move into the side hall, wouldn’t it be…

His ears turned bright red. Thinking of Xie Weiyuan’s icy demeanor, a nameless emotion rose in his heart. But looking at the charred shed, he realized he truly had nowhere else to go.

The side hall was renovated quickly. Liang Feng and his group of minions worked for a few days, finally partitioning off a small room for Shen Yunjin.

Shen Yunjin moved into the side hall with a small bundle on his back. Xie Weiyuan stood on a long terrace, a strange chill rising behind his back.

“Why do I feel like my days are numbered?” Xie Weiyuan asked the System.

“Although the villain looks very dark, his essence is still pure and kind~”

“Pure and kind while his Blackening Value is about to explode?”

“Pure hate can also be considered a form of purity~”

“…What is his current Blackening Value?”

“The current character Blackening Value is 99.5; Host still needs to work hard!”

“So I still have to send things to him on the sly in the future?”

“Yes. When carrying out missions, Host must maintain the original character’s persona and cannot act OOC.”

Xie Weiyuan looked at Shen Yunjin’s thin, weak back and let out a sigh.