Fang Liās expression shifted slightly, his heart sinking.
Xie Huai should already understand his circumstances. In this situation, no treatment would work at all. Only cultivating could dissolve the spiritual power in his body, but as a fool, how was he supposed to cultivate?
But Xie Huai was saying he could cure him. Just what did he mean by that?
It couldnāt be that there really was a way to cure him? Or was it for the sake of sounding him out?
On the other hand, Fang Mingyuan was absolutely beside himself with joy at the unexpected news. He was so excited his entire body started trembling, nervous and uneasy and fearful of letting the chance slip as he said, āR-really? He can be cured?ā
Heaven knows how many doctors heād invited in these past years, but theyād all said that there was no wayā¦ā¦
The fortune tellers all said that this child wouldnāt be able to live past twenty.
Watching with his own eyes as this child got thinner day after day, his time limited, yet still completely ignorant to it all, as a father, who knew how much heartache heād been in?
Xie Huai gave Fang Li a profound look and said slowly, āEven if his madness canāt be cured, I can at least promise heāll live a long life of a hundred years.ā
Fang Li: āā¦ā¦ā
Fang Mingyuan fell to the ground kneeling with a plop, tears in his eyes. āA long life of a hundred is good enough, itās good enough! If Yuyi-jun can cure him, youāll be my Fang familyās savior in this life and the next. Iām willing to put up a longevity tabletā¦ā¦ā
Xie Huai waved his hand, and Fang Mingyuan felt a formless force pull him up.
Xie Huai said blandly, āThereās no need for a longevity tablet. Only, your sonās disease has persisted so long that itās become severe. Curing him will take more than a little bit of time. He will need to come back to the ridge with me, is that fine?ā
What wasnāt fine about it?
Fang Mingyuan didnāt hesitate at all and said decisively, āIāll give this foolish son of mine to Yuyi-jun! Everything will be done according to Yuyi-junās arrangements!ā
Fang Liās expression nearly froze solid.
Just like that, he was sold out by his cheaply gotten old man.
If not for the fact that he was a fool, he definitely wouldnāt agree! But if he were to expose himself right now, the Fang family would only think that heād been possessed by a spirit or demon, and Xie Huai was bound to slay him as a spirit or demon. Now that heād boarded this train, it was hard to get off, so he could only continue to pretend.
But do you think that as long as you tell me to go, Iāll go? Do you think that a fool doesnāt have opinions?
Fang Li had a look as though he didnāt understand anything at all, standing there completely unmoving. As the great and mighty Yuyi-jun, you must leave yourself some face, would you really go as far as to use force?
But before Xie Huai had any reaction at all, Fang Mingyuan, seeing Fang Liās appearance, immediately came over to pull his hand and drag him outside. His foolish little son didnāt understand. How rare was it that Yuyi-jun was willing to cure him and save his life, how could he cause trouble for Yuyi-jun?! What if Yuyi-jun left and didnāt bother with him anymore?!
Fang Li: ā¦ā¦
Seeing that Fang Mingyuan had already stuffed him into the carriage, the corners of Fang Liās eyes suddenly turned red. He grabbed onto Fang Mingyuanās sleeves and refused to let go. Are you really going to cruelly send your son far, far away?
Fang Mingyuan looked at his sonās confused, imploring eyes, and his heart immediately softened. He couldnāt bear to let Fang Li leave either, okay? This child had never left home before, and no matter how good Yuyi-jun was, he was still a high and lofty cultivator. He looked cold and aloof, and who knew if he would be able to take good care of this child. He feared that Fang Li would be cold or hungry or suffer grievance on the ridge, but as soon as he thought about how this child was just about to turn twentyā¦ā¦
Those were nothing. Being able to live was more important!
Compared to living a long life of a hundred, none of these little trifles were important.
Fang Mingyuan steeled his heart and ripped away Fang Liās hand. Although he knew that Fang Li couldnāt understand him, he still instructed earnestly, āAfter you go, you have to behave well and do as youāre told. Donāt give Yuyi-jun any trouble, understand?ā
Fang Li: ā¦ā¦
It looked like there would be no choice but to leave today. Fang Li couldnāt help a trace of worry from flitting through his eyes. Not wanting to reveal his identity was one facet of things, but more importantly, everyone in the Fang family was a mortal. What would they do after he leftā¦ā¦ At the thought of the incident from last time, he truly couldnāt feel at ease!
Xie Huai had originally already turned to leave, but his line of sight swept past Fang Li, not letting the flash of worry in Fang Liās eyes escape him. He couldnāt help but pause his steps.
Could it beā¦ā¦
Fang Li was unwilling to leave with him because he was worried for his family?
Regardless of why he was hiding his identity or what his purpose was, it looked likeā¦ā¦ At the very least, his care and protection of his family members was sincere. When he thought about how the first thing Fang Li had done after returning home was to set up the array to defend against demonic cultivators, Xie Huai pondered to himself for a moment, and three jade charms appeared in his hand.
Xie Huai waved his hand, and the jade charms landed in Fang Mingyuanās hands. He said impassively, āThese are sword talismans that Iāve personally made. They contain a sliver of my sword intent, and they can be used for self-defense.ā
Protective charms personally made by the number one in the world, Yuyi-jun!
Fang Mingyuanās hands were trembling as he cupped the jade charms. Such precious things, and heād been given three of them at once. Y-Yuyi-jun was really far too generousā¦ā¦
What had he done to deserve itā¦ā¦
This jackpot falling out of the sky had struck him dizzy, but it still wasnāt over yetā¦ā¦
Xie Huai then said, āIf you miss your child, you can come to Hollow Ridge to visit him. If you encounter any difficulties, you can also come to the ridge to find me.ā
This time, Fang Mingyuan wasnāt the only one who was shocked. Even Tao Lu was shocked silly.
S-ShixiongĀ wasā¦ā¦
Giving the Fang family a pledge?
Not even he had seen sword talismans personally made byĀ ShixiongĀ before. One had to know that not even a Void Refining cultivator would be able to block a sliver ofĀ ShixiongāsĀ sword intent! A single charm would be enough to drive the whole cultivation world mad, and heād given out three of them at once. The problem was, giving the protective charms hadnāt been enough, and heād even pledged to protect the Fang family.
WithĀ ShixiongāsĀ words, who in the world would be blind enough to dare make a move against the Fang family?
Tao Lu was in a dazeā¦ā¦
This time, he truly didnāt quite understand.
Doing a good deed wasnāt done like this, was it?
Just what was so extraordinary about the Fang family, to be able to makeĀ ShixiongĀ go this far?
Fang Liās heart also quivered.
He couldnāt understand why Xie Huai was doing this either.
Just where had he revealed any flaws?
It couldnāt be that it was because heād exposed Du Mengās plot and had instead attracted Xie Huaiās suspicion?
Fang Li lowered his eyes.
Seeing as there was no more leeway in the matter, it looked like he could only go with Xie Huai first. He needed to be on his best behavior in order to lower Xie Huaiās guard and find an opportunity to escapeā¦ā¦
After all, it was very normal for a fool to wander off and get lost, wasnāt it?
ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦
Xie Huai originally could have traveled by sword, and it wasnāt impossible to bring someone else on his sword, but to a mortal whoād never cultivated before, it was more or less not very comfortable, so they specially rented a carriage.
Tao Lu sat outside driving the carriage, his ears pricked, curiously listening to the sounds coming from inside.
But there wasnāt any sound coming from inside at all.
Xie Huai sat with his back straight inside the carriage, his probing gaze resting on Fang Liās face. The young manās expression was uneasy and aggrieved, playing the part of a fool to perfectionā¦ā¦
Xie Huaiās eyes darkened.
He thought about how that person had also always liked to pretend. Back on Mt. Wanxun, heād tricked that whole crowd of people into running in circles just like thisā¦ā¦
He had the carelessness of someone who treated life like a game, but he also had a kind and gentle heart that wanted to protect others.
Just like the person before his eyes. Even while playing the fool, he thought about his family at every turn.
Everythingā¦ā¦ was so similar to him.
Xie Huai suddenly didnāt dare to think any further. In these nine years, the bone-cutting despair time after time had long made him realize that he shouldnāt cling to any foolish hopes.
To the point thatā¦ā¦ When there was suddenly someone who was truly so similar to that person, he actually didnāt dare to believeā¦ā¦
He was afraid that it was just another fantasy.
Fang Li snuck a cautious peek at Xie Huai.
The closer one got to Xie Huai, the more apparent it became that Xie Huai really was a bit different from before. The thoughts of the Xie Huai of right now were deeper than the Fallen Star Sea, and his every move and action were impossible to fathom.
Even if Xie Huai suspected him because of the matter with Du Meng, was there any need to go this far? Xie Huai was so insistent on bringing him awayā¦ā¦
It couldnāt really be because Xie Huai was going to treat his illness, could it?
Fang Li was also tired from pretending for a while, so he simply closed his eyes to go to sleep. Forget it, at this point, he could only figure things out as he went. He didnāt intend to walk the demonic path in this life anyways, so seeing as he wasnāt a demon and wasnāt doing anything bad, no matter what, Xie Huai wouldnāt take his life.
No matter how Xie Huai changed, he still had complete faith in Xie Huai on this point.
Xie Huai definitely wasnāt the kind of person to slaughter innocents or prey on the weak.
The carriage was pretty cozy, and it had been reinforced with spells so that it didnāt jostle. Fang Li soon comfortably fell asleep.
ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦
By the time Fang Li woke up again, the carriage had already stopped. He crawled up lazily, about to take a look to see where they were.
Tao Lu squeezed inside to smile at Fang Li and say, āYou must be hungry, Iāll take you to go eat.ā
Fang Li avoided Xie Huaiās gaze and grabbed Tao Luās hand to get down from the carriage. This kid was still so kind and likable. Fang Li had found him pretty cute back thenā¦ā¦
As expected, he had a good eye for people.
They arrived at the county capital.
Tao Lu led Fang Li by the hand to the biggest restaurant in town. He didnāt know what Fang Li liked to eat either, so he ordered a tableful of all kinds of dishes. Seeing the table full of delicious food, Fang Liās mood improved even more. Xie Huaiās younger sect brother sure was much easier to get along with than Xie Huai himselfā¦ā¦
Fang Li truly was a bit hungry, as this body of his got hungry very quickly, so he didnāt stand on ceremony and started chewing.
Xie Huai didnāt touch his chopsticks at all, only lowering his eyes impassively to look at Fang Li with contemplation.
Fang Li knew Xie Huai was looking at him, so he ate with even less restraint, playing the part of a fool with as much vigor as possible. Plus, he intentionally avoided his favorites from before to prevent Xie Huai from getting suspicious.
Tao Lu didnāt eat much either. During the meal, all of his attention was focused on taking care of Fang Li, because when Fang Li wasnāt knocking over this, then he was dropping that, turning the whole table into a chaotic mess. Tao Lu felt his head throb. He really didnāt understand whyĀ ShixiongĀ had insisted on bringing this fool along. If he werenāt nearby to take care of things, and his cold and loftyĀ ShixiongĀ and this fool were left by themselvesā¦ā¦
Tao Lu couldnāt imagine what kind of terrifying image it would be. Forget it, forget it, it was still better to leave taking care of Fang Li to him!
Xie Huai watched and watched, and suddenly, the corners of his lips quirked up faintly.
Fang Liās acting really was good. If not for the fact that heād stumbled upon the events of that night, perhaps heād even suspect that Fang Li really was a fool, but because heād seen this personās other side a long time again, watching him now, Xie Huai instead thought that his performance was a bit meticulous. Besides, Fang Li hadnāt even made this much of a fuss when heād been with Lu Hongdao. He was intentionally trying to put the blinders on him, huhā¦ā¦
Youāre that unwilling to go with me?
Xie Huaiās fingers curled softly, and he looked blandly at Tao Lu, saying, āNo need to bother with him.ā
Tao Lu was startled. āButā¦ā¦ā
Xie Huaiās eyes cooled slightly as they rested on Fang Li without blinking. He said meaningfully, āYouāre getting in the way of his illness acting up.ā
Tao Lu: āā¦ā¦ā
Fang Li: āā¦ā¦ā
Fang Liās hand, which was holding a chicken leg, trembled faintly, and his heart wentĀ thump. That sentence of Xie Huaiās had been rather pointed. Had Xie Huai discovered that he was pretending to be a fool? That, that shouldnāt be the case, rightā¦ā¦
Although Tao Lu was a bit reluctant, Xie Huai had already spoken, so he sat down obediently to one side and stayed put, watching Fang Li eat by himself.
Fang Li quickly became full and had no more energy to mess around. He wiped his hands carelessly on his clothes a few times, then revealed a silly smile.
Xie Huai slowly got up and said, āIf youāre full, letās hurry on our way.ā
It was still Tao Lu who truly couldnāt watch on and helped Fang Li with a cleaning spell to get him tidied up before finally leading him back to the carriage.
Time passed day by day.
Every day, if Fang Li wasnāt hungry, then he was tired. If he wasnāt missing home, then he wanted his mom, truly driving Tao Lu to the point of tearing his hair out. Fang Li himself was also completely worn out, but Xie Huaiā¦ā¦ remained completely unmoved.
Fang Li glanced at Xie Huai. Fine, you win.
Seeing as this trick was useless, then there was no need to waste time on it.
After a few more days, Fang Li acted as if heād gradually accepted his fate and finally stopped raising a fuss. Every day, he would only have a listless, downcast appearance, docilely allowing Tao Lu to lead him around.
In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
Once again, they stopped at a little town.
Xie Huai and Tao Lu could practice inedia, but Fang Li had to eat every day, so they hadnāt been traveling very quickly. Although Xie Huai might suspect him, he wasnāt mistreating Fang Li in terms of living conditionsā¦ā¦
The dishes made by the restaurant in this little town were just average. After a whole journeyās worth of food, Fang Li thought he could at most give them a six out of ten.
Donāt mention it, but with all the stops along the way, heād actually gotten to enjoy all the different kinds of delicacies in this world. He thought he could even become a food blogger now.
Fang Li occasionally felt a bit rueful.
If not for the fact that heād offended Xie Huai so badly just before leaving and that Xie Huai definitely wouldnāt forgive him, it would have been pretty nice to take Xie Huai as a travel buddy for vacationingā¦ā¦
Tao Lu was also getting more and more experienced at ordering food. All of the dishes on the table were things that Fang Li liked.
Fang Li still ate all by himself.
Xie Huai still had that appearance of being immovable as a mountain.
The manās cool face looked indifferent, but in reality, he had been silently observing Fang Li the whole time. Although Fang Liās acting was indeed very good, and he had even avoided behaving similarly to before on purpose, a personās likes and habits, those things that were carved into their bonesā¦ā¦ were impossible to change so easily.
Underneath that flimsy pretense, the person who revealed himself before Xie Huaiās eyes was more and more similar to that personā¦ā¦
Neither of them were very good at handling spice. Although Fang Li pretended to like it and always intentionally picked spicy things to eat, as soon as he had a little too much, his eyes would be full of tears. After reaching the limits of his endurance a few times, he quietly gave up.
Neither of them liked the taste of bitter saltbush. Although Fang Li meticulously avoided the dishes that heād liked before, when it came to any dish that had bitter saltbush in it, he would still rather die than let his chopsticks touch it.
When they ate something that they liked, the satisfaction at the corners of their eyesāperhaps even he himself had never noticed that it was still exactly the same as beforeā¦ā¦
And when they slept, that completely relaxed and languid posture, and even the habit of having one arm bent and one arm hanging down when sleeping on his side was still just like back thenā¦ā¦
Through these little details that were unconsciously revealed even when meticulously concealing himself, what was displayed was instead this personās genuine side.
In the depths of night, Xie Huai had once dreamed of the past time and time again, closing his eyes to sketch out time after time that vision of that person when he had still been hereā¦ā¦
Carving all of that personās tiny expressions and little movements deep into his mind.
So that he wouldnāt be unable to recall so much as what he had looked like as time went onā¦ā¦
And with every passing day that he interacted with Fang Li.
It was like the illusion that had wandered through his dreams hundreds and thousands of times had finally walked out of the nothingness, appearing vividly before himā¦ā¦
The emotions in Xie Huaiās chest were practically impossible to suppress, weighing down on him until he was nearly suffocating.
This was the first time in the past nine years that heād been so close to that personās shadowā¦ā¦
So close that he could nearly touch it.
So, could it be you?
But if you really are him, then when did you wake up, and why must you hide your identity?
If one were to say that you lost your memory, you also clearly remember the secret passage in the treasure vault, and you even know how to set up an array to defend against demonic cultivators. No matter how one looks at it, you donāt look like youāve lost your memoryā¦ā¦
But if you didnāt lose your memory, then why are you avoiding me, why arenāt you willing to acknowledge me?
Do you really want so badly to sever all ties with the past?
Then what about meā¦ā¦
Am I also a part of the things you want to throw away, the things you want a clean cut from? Do you not feel any lingering attachment at all?
Xie Huaiās heart felt like it was being squeezed tight, the depths of his eyes dim and pained.
Do you know how Iāve been surviving for the past nine years?
Just as you wished, Iāve lived up to those things that you were willing to pay with your very life to obtain for meā¦ā¦ Acting as the swordsman who slayed the devil and protects the common people in the eyes of the world.
But as for you, why must you be so ruthless to me?