Chapter 19 The White-Eyed Wolf

“Will this really not give us away?”

Yue Xiao looked puzzled at Chu Xuyun, who was leisurely sipping tea.

“Don’t worry, Uncle is easy to fool. As soon as he sees the words ‘champion scholar,’ he’ll believe it for sure.”

“Our Ah Xu has made a formidable friend; Penglai Island has never seen a champion scholar before.” Chu’s father stood up, smiling broadly as he personally poured tea for Yue Xiao, a stark contrast to their initial meeting.

Yue Xiao accepted the tea, guessing that perhaps Penglai Island, secluded and self-sufficient without external conflict, bred such innocence among its people.

“Uncle exaggerates; I’m not worthy of being compared to a celestial lord.” Yue Xiao continued the charade.

Upon hearing this, Chu’s father suddenly snorted, “He has always been disobedient since childhood, insisting on cultivation instead of pursuing an official career. In my opinion, taking an official position would truly honor our ancestors.”

Chu Xuyun casually sipped his tea, ignoring his father’s words.

“A celestial lord possesses great powers, punishes evil, promotes good, and serves the people in many ways.” Yue Xiao couldn’t understand why Chu’s father saw Chu Xuyun as worthless.

Shouldn’t cultivators be more esteemed than scholars?

“Forget it; he never listens to me anyway.” Chu’s father glared at Chu Xuyun, who remained silent, then turned to Yue Xiao. “You must be tired from the journey back. Let’s eat first.”

Yue Xiao nodded.

Chu’s father quickly served a table full of delicious dishes and specially slaughtered an old hen from the courtyard, making a large pot of fragrant chicken soup.

At the sight of the chicken soup, Chu Xuyun lost interest in his tea, his eyes fixed hungrily on the soup, unable to help but swallow saliva.

The happiest thing about coming home was definitely the chicken soup made by his father.

Noticing his eager gaze, Chu’s father lightly scoffed, “Always thinking about food. When will you ever change this greedy habit?”

Chu Xuyun immediately looked up, his face flushing red.

Yue Xiao was still here; Uncle, you shouldn’t say everything out loud!

He quickly turned to Yue Xiao, who also seemed surprised, and turned his head to Chu Xuyun, “I never knew…”

Chu Xuyun pushed the chicken soup towards Yue Xiao.

He wouldn’t eat it.

That wouldn’t count as being greedy, right?

“You have quite the eye to serve the dishes to the guest.” Chu’s father seemed displeased with everything Chu Xuyun did and always found a chance to scold him.

Yue Xiao looked at the chicken soup in front of him and suddenly felt like laughing.

He wondered if Chu Xuyun could relax and become a child in front of his father.

Otherwise, why would he think Chu Xuyun was so cute?

As the meal progressed, Yue Xiao ate properly and praised Chu’s father’s cooking while noticing Chu Xuyun surreptitiously gobbling up his food.

He chuckled to himself, picked up the juiciest chicken leg from the soup with his chopsticks, and gently placed it in Chu Xuyun’s bowl.

Seeing the large chicken leg suddenly appear before him, Chu Xuyun’s eyes subtly lit up, happily starting to eat.

This was given to him by Yue Xiao; it didn’t count if he wanted to eat it himself.

Across from them, Chu’s father alternated his gaze between Yue Xiao and Chu Xuyun, his expression deepening.

“Oh, right,” Yue Xiao suddenly looked up at Chu’s father, “Uncle, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you and Xuyun.”

The dinner table was the most suitable time to bring it up; it wouldn’t be appropriate after eating.

Chu Xuyun, struggling with his chopsticks to tear at the chicken leg, froze at Yue Xiao’s words, inexplicably becoming nervous.

“Can Father agree?

Will Father be angry?

Father getting angry is very frightening.

‘Have you eaten?’ Chu’s father looked at him without waiting for an answer.

Yu Xiao hesitated for a moment and replied, ‘I have eaten.’

Chu’s father suddenly stood up, put down his chopsticks, and pulled Chu Xuyun out of the corner. ‘Go, the guest has eaten and you are still eating. Take the guest outside to stroll around, look at the scenery of Penglai, and do not return for an hour.’

Before Chu Xuyun could react, both he and Yu Xiao were pushed out of the door.

The two looked at each other.

Yu Xiao chuckled softly and said, ‘Xianjun’s father is really enthusiastic. I haven’t finished speaking yet, looks like I can only wait an hour before continuing.’

Chu Xuyun was not very happy, not only because Yu Xiao hadn’t finished what he was going to say, but also because of the half-eaten chicken leg.

Father is like this, warm to outsiders but disdainful of him.

He sighed and obediently took Yu Xiao for a stroll near the house.

Penglai Fairy Island is not very fun. There is no difference between here and outside. What is here is also outside, and what is not here is also outside.

If you must say something, it’s that the spiritual energy here is abundant, nurturing many talents and strange individuals. Even the wild dogs on the roadside are very strong.

Chu Xuyun is one of the best among them. Many cultivators also move here to settle down for cultivation or secluded study. The Ji family moved here from outside, and even among the outsiders who came to cultivate, Chu Xuyun is still the most talented, as if a gift bestowed by heaven upon this land.

Although Chu’s father doesn’t think so.

After seeing the Foundation Establishment child molding a sugar figure, Yu Xiao sincerely exclaimed, ‘A place that nurtures talents and is honest does not deceive me. Only such a place can produce a character like Xianjun.’

Chu Xuyun did not reply. He felt that he was not much different from others except for cultivation; he was inferior to others in everything else.

Suddenly, Yu Xiao saw two or three wild dogs tearing something under a parasol tree not far away.

Before he could see clearly, Chu Xuyun had already walked quickly over and dispersed the pack of wild dogs.

When Yu Xiao approached, Chu Xuyun was half-crouched on the ground. Those eyes that were always clear flowed with a gentle and heart-wrenching compassion like a temple Bodhisattva.

In front of him was a wild tanuki torn apart by sharp teeth and claws, covered in blood.

Yu Xiao stood still, seeing Chu Xuyun lift his eyes and look at him for help.

But… he had no way.

He was not a cultivator. After falling into the demonic path, he no longer practiced orthodox methods. His demonic energy couldn’t save any lives.

After a long time, Yu Xiao still couldn’t withstand Chu Xuyun’s persistent gaze. He sighed, bent down, and tried to transfer the demonic energy in his palm to the dying wild tanuki.

Although he couldn’t make it like before, at least it could survive.

The tanuki’s body gradually changed in the demonic energy, its eyes turned into different pupils. It was no longer just an ordinary wild tanuki, barely qualifying as a low-level demon beast.

The little tanuki slowly woke up, climbed up from the ground, seeming unaware of the situation, and instantly exploded its fur when it saw two strangers in front of it, then turned around warily and ran away.

‘White-eyed wolf,’ Yu Xiao murmured softly.

Chu Xuyun heard his words and suddenly raised his head, the corners of his eyes slightly curved, and he smiled gently.

He smiled so beautifully, as if for an instant the world was blank, leaving only Chu Xuyun’s faint smile and gentle gaze.

Yu Xiao stared blankly at him, and suddenly a scene from many years ago floated into his mind.

That day, the torrential rain poured down.

The heavens were furious, and the wild wind of the demonic realm kept howling.

Rainwater mixed with blood flowed all over the mountains and plains, forming a winding river, like a venomous snake spitting out crimson seeds, clinging to the grim land.

Thirteen-year-old Yu Xiao stubbornly protected his mother’s cold body from the wind and rain.

His mother was human, killed by a crazed demonic cultivator on the first day of chaos in the demonic realm, her body shattered. Yu Xiao couldn’t even recognize her mother’s original appearance when he found her.

He cried for three whole days until tears no longer came. Yu Xiao wiped away his tears and knelt in front of his mother, piecing her back together bit by bit according to the gentle figure in his memory.

The rain was heavy, washing away the mud on his mother’s face. She was still so beautiful and gentle, quietly closing her eyes.

Yu Xiao was born and raised in the demonic realm and didn’t know what it meant to rest in peace. He felt that his mother hadn’t died yet, just sleeping.

So Yu Xiao stayed by his mother’s side day after day, thirsty drinking rainwater from the mud pit, hungry eating roots from the mountains, until Chu Xuyun arrived.

Chu Xuyun was ordered to eliminate demons and happened to pass by here, seeing Yu Xiao in the bushes like an injured little beast, and Yu Xiao’s mother’s corpse.

He could revive withered flowers, but couldn’t bring Yu Xiao’s mother back to life.

Perhaps remembering himself guarding his mother’s spirit hall back then, or perhaps just kindness, Chu Xuyun thought for a moment and reached out to Yu Xiao.

Yu Xiao was on guard against his approach all over, like a little tanuki that could explode its fur at any moment.

Chu Xuyun silently looked at him for a long time, then gently touched Yu Xiao’s head.

He said, ‘Don’t be afraid.’

Chu Xuyun gently hugged Yu Xiao into his arms, even though he had just turned eighteen.

He seriously said to Yu Xiao, ‘Your mother is no longer here. Her soul is watching you from heaven. Just now she told me that she doesn’t want to see her son sad anymore. Will you listen to your mother?’

Yu Xiao stared at him steadily and uttered a word,

‘Go away.’

Chu Xuyun seemed a little embarrassed. He said no more and quickly reached out to Yu Xiao’s acupoint while Yu Xiao hadn’t moved, forcibly fixed Yu Xiao.

Then, under Yu Xiao’s cold gaze, he used spells to restore his mother’s appearance.

All he could do was this. The dead could not be resurrected, but if they died completely, perhaps they could comfort the living.

Yu Xiao really no longer stared at Chu Xuyun with his eyes, as if he finally understood that what the other party wanted to do was not a bad thing.”

Chu Xuyun released his acupoints and whispered softly, “Do you choose to stay here, or let your mother rest in peace and come with me to practice magic?”

Yue Xiao only hesitated for a moment before turning to kneel and kowtow before his mother. Then he tightly grasped Chu Xuyun’s hand.

He swore to learn magic, by any means necessary, to eradicate all demonic cultivators, to kill them all, until the day he avenged his mother.

But later on, many things didn’t go as he had planned.

In the moment their hands clasped, Chu Xuyun smiled, just like the smile he was showing now, gentle and kind.

He gently patted Yue Xiao’s head and praised him, “Good child.”

Thirteen-year-old Yue Xiao glanced up at him and silently thought to himself,

“Crazy.”

He’s only a few years older than me, so why is he pretending?

Shaking off his thoughts, Yue Xiao looked at Chu Xuyun’s smile again, feeling awkward, he averted his eyes and cleared his throat nervously, “Xianjun, it’s good to meet you.”

Chu Xuyun tilted his head to look at him, puzzled by why he suddenly said that.

Yue Xiao ignored Chu Xuyun’s confused gaze and decided not to explain further.

—Almost forgot, when they first met, he was just as sly as a tanuki.