Ch99 - Ice carp

The changes were so sudden that Xie Zhiwei felt it was his fault. He knew better than anyone else what kind of person Mu He was. But time and again, he was blinded by his weak and injured self.

…well, not really blinded. Mu He really was weak and injured. But it was true that Mu He was also vicious and venomous. There was no conflict here; even leopards who ate meat and drank blood had times when they acted cute.

Xie Zhiwei smiled bitterly.

Thank goodness his “old friend” Yin Wushuang spilled the beans. Otherwise, he would’ve gone while leaving Cheese and Mengmeng down.

Pretending to release them to probe the situation, only to recapture them for intensified torture—the protagonist’s definitely capable of acting this way.

If this was the past, Xie Zhiwei would never leave so easily or feel so assured about the hero. In the end, his position had been thoroughly scrambled after Mu He confessed to him. The hero was absolutely delighted that he came back on his own, but if he hadn’t…the iron chains in Faceless’s hands were prepared just for him. Xie Zhiwei also discovered another big problem: the main issue between him and Mu He wasn’t the hero’s mushy feelings, but a fundamental clash between the personas of the original Xie Zhiwei and Mu He. He could even compare them to the previous soy sauce characters: the original Xie Zhiwei was a kinder Shen You while Mu He was a crueler Ming Kong.

Of course, Mu He knew to restrain himself in front of Xie Zhiwei. But he had the oversensitive, suspicious, brutal, bloodthirsty, etc. qualities of every blackened protagonist, which he showed to others without restraint. Cheng Daoxiu, Bai Yu, Bai Jianzhu, and everyone else who mistreated Mu He in his last life had all been eliminated. Xie Zhiwei could either applaud their deaths as a reader, or regard them indifferently as a bystander—because none of them had anything to do with him.

But as time stretched on, the drawbacks of his thinking emerged.

A novel only took a few pages to describe dead bodies as if they were a joke and entertained the readers. Now, he couldn’t even take it if one of his slightly better acquaintances like Chu Zhishi got a broken arm and a few whip lashes. If the hero kept expanding his territory in the future, he would clash with the daoist clan eventually. Yan Zhiwei and Xia Zhiqi both had backbone, while Chu Zhishi already nursed a deep hatred against him. The daoist sect would never bow their heads to Mu He.

Would Mu He treat them any differently? Would he annihilate them thoroughly like all his other enemies?

“So this is what it means to live the story…” Xie Zhiwei mumbled to himself.

“What is shizun talking about?”

The sudden voice startled him with a jolt. Xie Zhiwei looked up to see Mu He standing beneath the hibiscus tree at the courtyard door. Ever since leaving the dungeon, Xie Zhiwei had wandered aimlessly for an entire day. He couldn’t leave, but he was helpless if he stayed. Currently the hero was full of spiritual power so it’d take a long time to break through any boundary fields he tossed out outside.

…in the end I went back to the old place.

Xie Zhiwei steadied his heart and said, “Nothing.”

Mu He approached him with a grin. “Where did shizun go? Disciple was waiting for you the entire time.”

Huh, I have an idea.

Looks like it’s time to use my acting skills again.

“I just looked around casually,” Xie Zhiwei’s expression remained unchanged.

“Since that’s the case, why didn’t shizun wait for disciple to come back and lead the way?” The two of them entered the courtyard while Mu He added eagerly, “Although the king’s manor isn’t as beautiful as the daoist clan, there are many wonderful places that this disciple would like to show shizun.”

Xie Zhiwei stopped and didn’t speak. Mu He observed his expression and probed, “Shizun, did disciple say something wrong?”

“You really believe Master went out to view the scenery?” Xie Zhiwei looked straight at him. “The king’s manor is heavily guarded while I’m an uninvited guest. You actually accept such a poor excuse?”

Mu He faced his gaze with burning eyes. “Disciple believes anything shizun says.”

Xie Zhiwei only replied, “I was lying to you.”

Mu He’s face stiffened as the atmosphere chilled.

After a while, Xie Zhiwei added, “Originally, I wanted to leave.”

As he finished the last word, Mu He’s eyes dimmed. “I knew it.”

In this world, the only thing he wanted was shizun’s person. At the same time, shizun was the only one in the world he couldn’t do anything against….why is he always leaving me? Haven’t I restrained myself enough?!

He stared fixedly at Xie Zhiwei before slowly backing away. “Disciple…would rather shizun lie.” Xie Zhiwei was so close in his sights yet still so far away. Mu He did his best to calm down while the desires of his heart screamed, Keep shizun here, keep him! Shizun won’t come back!

He squeezed his eyes shut and in a flash, a huge boundary field made of Black and White Lotus settled over the courtyard. Xie Zhiwei’s mouth curved imperceptibly for a second before he turned to laugh, all of his chilly aura gone. Mu He was still gloomy and grieving, so the sight froze him in place.

Xie Zhiwei sighed. “Originally I wanted to leave, but I thought you’d be unhappy so I turned back.”

Mu He stared at him in a daze while his brain played catch-up.

Shizun left…then came back? Really?

Xie Zhiwei was topped with his overwhelming idol aura as he slowly walked to Mu He’s side and murmured, “Master isn’t leaving this time. No matter whether you believe it or not, Master really can’t leave you be…”

“Believe, disciple believes!” Mu He nodded repeatedly, flushing all the way to his ears. After a pause, he blurted out, “Just then disciple was wrong, disciple shouldn’t have used the boundary field to imprison shizun, but I…”

“No need,” Xie Zhiwei waved a hand. “Leave the boundary be, lest you feel unsettled in your heart.”

Mu He was completely flabbergasted by these words, still reeling from the overwhelming joy in his heart.

Xie Zhiwei silently wiped his sweat. He was walking a dangerous line, but the effects…seemed pretty good?

Sure enough, the hero’s IQ turned unstable after he bent.

Changing sexual orientation is deadly, ah!

Xie Zhiwei purposely asked, “Hm? You don’t want to?”

“Of course I do! Disciple will listen to shizun!” Mu He was so touched his eyes grew wet. “Shizun has been busy all day, hurry back and rest. Disciple will personally order the kitchens to prepare a meal.”

Xie Zhiwei’s heart skipped a beat before he nodded. “Don’t leave out any of the dishes Master ate before.”

“Disciple obeys!”

The adult Mu He had always been calm, his entire persona like a melancholy white lotus in the silent night. But now…he was like a teenager that was all smiles while running off to the kitchens. Before the shocked eyes of the guards, Xie Zhiwei made a beeline straight for his rooms. He shut the doors and made a V-sign with his fingers. Part one of the plan, success!

When it was dark, Mu He led a queue of people busily into the room, where the table was soon covered in gold, silver, and jade dishes and utensils. Xie Zhiwei sat firmly in his seat and glanced at it unperturbed. Thank goodness he’d seen grand scenes in his own life. If this was the original Xie Zhiwei, he’d be feeling nothing but distress right now. How many new daoist robes could he buy with the worth of a single plate here?

The servants finished their work and withdrew, closing the doors behind them. Mu He came over to support Xie Zhiwei. “Disciple had them add a few dishes. Can shizun take a look to see if you’re satisfied?” His heart was expectant, but Xie Zhiwei refused to look and glanced at a chair instead.

“Sit down.”

Mu He didn’t understand, but did as he was told, obediently settling into a seat. And then he was pleasantly surprised to be favored. Xie Zhiwei took his sleeve and pressed two fingers on his wrist. Mu He knew he was checking his pulse, but his thoughts wandered anyways. The fingers were cool but felt like a spark that ignited an oil cloth to burn him up. It had been a long time since he was so intimate with his shizun, though it was only using Black Lotus to seal his consciousness and take advantage of him. At least it was better than nothing and shizun didn’t know, so he wouldn’t blame him.

Then if shizun slept over tonight, didn’t that mean he could…try getting even closer to see what happened next? Mu He’s thoughts flittered, but Xie Zhiwei didn’t seem to notice his blushing face. After feeling for a while, he released him and said, “Everything is normal and you have plenty of spiritual power. Master is relieved.”

Mu He silently retracted his hand, a little regretful that he wasn’t suffering an attack of illusions right now. Xie Zhiwei got up to sit at the table, reserved and calm before the table full of delicacies. He was currently grumbling to himself. Why is there always good food when I have a job to do? I didn’t get to eat a feast four years ago in Flying Flowers Township, and now I can only glance at these hard-won dishes. There’s no justice in this world!

Mu He quickly picked up some vegetables with chopsticks and filled up a plate to place in front of Xie Zhiwei. “Shizun, please eat.”

Xie Zhiwei only picked up a piece and chewed it slowly in two bites before setting down his chopsticks with a concerned expression. “Disciple, the three lotuses in your body have yet to meld completely. This will cause issues in the long run, you have to be careful.”

Mu He had been staring at him eat and quickly replied, “Thank you for worrying, shizun. Disciple is fine.”

“How could you be fine when you keep seeing illusions?”

“It’s true, disciple has already found…” Mu He paused and broke into a small smile. “Shizun doesn’t need to worry, this condition won’t last much longer.” Of course it’ll be over soon, but I can’t let shizun know the specifics.

He’ll definitely try to stop me.

“That’s good, then,” Xie Zhiwei didn’t probe, but picked up some white meat from the plate in front of him. “Master usually likes this one, you should try some too.”

Mu He was still lost in thought and was caught off guard when the meat reached his lips. Xie Zhiwei’s smile was close at hand, so clear and beautiful in the candlelight that it was a little surreal. Mu He bit the meat subconsciously and chew mechanically in his mouth.

Xie Zhiwei watched him without blinking until he swallowed before a wry glint shone in his eyes. “How does it taste?”

Mu He didn’t even pay attention to what he ate, much less its flavor. Xie Zhiwei’s actions already made him feel like he was floating on air. He began to fantasize that his master must really have feelings for him now. He was no longer the weak boy of the past and shizun knew how he felt for him. He’d even assaulted shizun in the past.

Shizun should be aware of what his actions meant.

“How about…” Mu He trailed off with a red face. “Shizun try again. Disciple will definitely taste it carefully and tell shizun all about it.”

But Xie Zhiwei only set down his chopsticks with a sigh. “I guess that should be enough.”

Mu He was confused. “What is shizun talking about?”

Xie Zhiwei ignored him and went to open the doors. Mu He was about to stand and follow when his vision went blurry. At the same time, his mouth and throat began to burn. He immediately fell back into his seat, looking up with a vision full of stars to see Xie Zhiwei standing alone in front of the door. The boundary field he’d set up outside was showing uneven cracks as it slowly weakened to the edge of collapse.

He cried out in dismay, “Shizun…cough, cough…is disciple…hallucinating again?”

Xie Zhiwei slowly turned around. “No, you’re allergic.”

Mu He’s eyes grew wide. “Impossible…that…there was no taste… Shizun would never…be cruel…cough…” He clutched his choking throat while pressing his other hand against the chair, struggling to stand up.

Xie Zhiwei took a step back, his robes fluttering in the wind. Mu He suddenly fell silent at the motion even as the boundary field dissipated from sight.

“The flavor is light and the meat has no bones,” Xie Zhiwei’s hands suddenly clenched inside his sleeves, but his voice remained unruffled. “Just then, I fed you ice carp from the North Sea.”

—

Translator’s Note:  That was epic. But also, ow. Anyways, I don’t think Teacher Xie’s acted this hard since his death scene, what a professional, ahahaha…wahhh. But I guess disobedient disciples need to learn the hard lessons sooner or later, sigh.

(To be honest, the ending was foreshadowed as soon as you read the title of this chapter.)

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