“Elder?” His voice was hoarse, “What happened to you…?”

Zhong Yinyue was still standing at the door, peering inside. It was too dark in there, and he couldn’t see where anyone was.

As soon as Shen Changxue spoke, Zhong Yinyue followed the sound and saw him. His face immediately lit up with surprise and joy, and he hurriedly ran inside.

Worried that the wind would blow in, Zhong Yinyue carefully closed the door.

He rushed in and knelt in front of Shen Changxue.

Zhong Yinyue took out a lamp from his sleeve, performed a spell, and lit it with spiritual fire.

The warm glow illuminated the room. Zhong Yinyue held the lamp carefully with both hands, looked up, and saw that Shen Changxue’s white robe was dirty, blood was seeping from the corner of his mouth, and there were injuries on his face, looking as if he had been slapped by Qian Yao.

As the light shone, Shen Changxue also saw him.

Those worried and anxious eyes suddenly entered his line of sight, and Shen Changxue was momentarily taken aback.

What beautiful eyes! Shen Changxue had never seen such eyes before—no one in this world had ever looked at him like that.

Zhong Yinyue felt a pang of heartache: “Oh my goodness, what happened? Did he hit you in the face!?”

Shen Changxue was momentarily stunned, raised his hand to cover his face, and then, realizing something, quickly turned his face away.

“It’s nothing,” he said in a low voice, “Elder… don’t look.”

Zhong Yinyue was anxious: “Don’t say ‘don’t look,’ I want to see!”

He grabbed Shen Changxue’s hand and pulled him over.

Shen Changxue was unexpectedly weak and was easily pulled over.

Once his hand was released, Zhong Yinyue saw the large area of red and purple bruises on the left side of Shen Changxue’s face, and he gritted his teeth in anger.

But facing Shen Changxue, he took a deep breath and tried to soften his tone: “Don’t be afraid. Just tell me, what exactly happened?”

Shen Changxue turned his eyes away, looking elsewhere, biting his lip and remaining silent.

“Tell me, Shen Changxue,” Zhong Yinyue said patiently, “I promise I won’t go after Qian Yao.”

Shen Changxue finally turned his eyes back to him and looked at him.

His gaze flickered, hesitating several times before saying, “It was… my master who hit me.”

It really was him!

There wouldn’t be anyone else!

Zhong Yinyue continued to ask anxiously, “What on earth happened? Why did he get so angry with you?”

Shen Changxue fell silent again.

Suddenly, the wind outside picked up, blowing in through the cracks of the window beside them.

Shen Changxue shrank back, raised his hand to cover his mouth, and sneezed several times.

Zhong Yinyue immediately understood what was happening. He quickly extended his hand and set up a barrier to block the cold wind from outside.

He also cast a spell on the lamp in front of him. The flame flickered, and the warmth immediately increased, as if that small lamp was a huge heater.

The surroundings quickly warmed up. Shen Changxue relaxed and let out a long breath.

He was still hugging his arms, his eyes downcast, looking like a small, obedient bundle, truly pitiful.

Zhong Yinyue felt even more heartbroken and brought over the food box, asking him, “Can you still move your hands?”

“Not too bad,” Shen Changxue replied.

“Then drink this porridge,” Zhong Yinyue said. “I just heard from the disciples in the palace that you were in trouble, so I hurriedly made some porridge, wanting to sneak into your palace to check on you. When I got to the door and calculated, I found out you were locked in this woodshed by Qian Yao… It makes me so angry! How can he treat his disciples like this!?”

Shen Changxue smiled at his words, a self-deprecating laugh.

“I’m not really his disciple,” Shen Changxue said quietly.

“Of course! You should have that awareness!” Zhong Yinyue said angrily. “How can a master treat his own disciple so harshly? It’s freezing outside, and he locked you in here overnight!? You’re the chief disciple! That heartless old man, that ungrateful dog!”

Zhong Yinyue cursed fiercely, and Shen Changxue did not refute him, quietly listening.

After a moment, he lifted his eyelids.

Zhong Yinyue was good-looking—Shen Changxue had known this before, but he had never scrutinized him as carefully as today.

Zhong Yinyue had a handsome face, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes.

His nose was high, and his features were striking, with a heroic spirit in his brows and eyes. His eyebrows were as dark as ink, and his eyes sparkled in the candlelight, so bright that Shen Changxue could clearly see the anger reflected in them.

Zhong Yinyue continued to curse as he placed the lamp beside him. This lamp had spiritual fire, which was sentient and not afraid of igniting the straw in the room.

He opened the food box and took out a bowl of steaming white porridge, handing it to Shen Changxue.

Shen Changxue withdrew his gaze from Zhong Yinyue’s face. His long hair was disheveled, so he reached up to smooth it back and took the porridge. Their fingers brushed against each other, and Shen Changxue’s hand was icy cold.

Zhong Yinyue frowned, cursing Qian Yao in his heart again.

Seeing Shen Changxue looking so downcast, Zhong Yinyue lost his temper. He stopped cursing Qian Yao and spoke gently, “Just eat the porridge first to warm yourself up. I also brought some healing medicine. After you finish eating, I’ll apply it for you.”

“Thank you, Elder.”

Shen Changxue thanked him without much spirit, and Zhong Yinyue felt even more heartbroken, saying, “With things like this, don’t bother with formalities with me.”

Shen Changxue smiled in response, said nothing, and raised the bowl to drink the porridge.

He didn’t have any visible wounds on his hands, but his fingertips were already frozen and turning purple, trembling slightly.

Zhong Yinyue took out a few hot dishes and served them to him.

Shen Changxue remained silent and slowly finished everything.

The porridge was very hot, warming up his body that had been exposed to the wind and snow for so long.

At such a time, a bowl of hot porridge was no different from a life-saving elixir. After just a few sips, a surge of warmth flooded Shen Changxue’s heart, almost overwhelming him with gratitude towards Zhong Yinyue.

Perhaps it was indeed this bowl of hot porridge that was so precious; memories from the past began to flash through his mind intermittently.

Shen Changxue felt restless inside, but his expression remained unchanged.

He took small sips of the porridge and suddenly remembered that no one had ever dared to defy Qian Yao and riskily bring him anything on Tianjue Mountain.

He stole a glance at Zhong Yinyue. Zhong Yinyue was watching him drink the porridge, his brows slightly furrowed, seemingly very dissatisfied with the current situation.

Shen Changxue knew that he was unhappy with Qian Yao.

There were still people in this world who would feel indignant for him.

A flicker of something indescribable passed through Shen Changxue’s eyes. He lowered his eyelids and quickly tidied up those emotions.

After finishing the porridge, Shen Changxue set the empty bowl aside, and Zhong Yinyue took out the healing medicine.

Under the warm yellow light of the candle, Shen Changxue turned his back to him and slowly began to remove a layer of his white robe.

As the fabric rustled, Shen Changxue gradually revealed only a layer of inner clothing.

That inner clothing was completely stained bright red, sticking to the wounds on his back, and the gruesome sight of the injuries was clearly visible, shocking to behold.

Zhong Yinyue gasped.

He gritted his teeth and began to treat Shen Changxue’s wounds.

Zhong Yinyue carefully used scissors to cut away the fabric that was not stuck to the wounds, saying, “If it pulls on the wounds and hurts you, you must tell me.”

Shen Changxue quietly agreed but did not make a sound throughout.

He carefully disinfected the wounds, peeled away the fabric that was stuck to them, and then covered them with the healing medicine—watching the painful process unfold, Shen Changxue still did not utter a word.

Once everything was taken care of, Zhong Yinyue was afraid he would catch a chill, so he infused some more spiritual energy into the warmth spell beside him, making the surroundings even warmer.

“Does it hurt?” he asked Shen Changxue.

Shen Changxue put on his outer robe and shook his head.

He brushed his disheveled hair back and turned around, holding his outer robe, saying, “I’m used to the pain.”

Zhong Yinyue’s expression was not good: “Does he often treat you like this?”

“Not really,” Shen Changxue chuckled softly, “My master is usually quite good to me. It’s just that I’m incompetent and often mess things up, so I get scolded frequently. This time, getting hit is the first time.”

“He shouldn’t scold you,” Zhong Yinyue muttered, “You’re the chief disciple of Qian Yao Palace, and you handle things the best.”

“Elder, you’re mistaken…” Shen Changxue coughed a couple of times.

He had injuries on his back, and Zhong Yinyue couldn’t pat him on the back to comfort him, so he could only pat his arm.

Zhong Yinyue sighed, “If you don’t want to talk, I won’t force you… It’s just that I really feel heartbroken seeing you like this. No matter what the matter is, it shouldn’t be treated this way. How is this any different from abuse?”

Shen Changxue remained silent.

He had been quiet all night.

The pain wasn’t really that painful. People—or spirits that are not human. In any case, for all living things in this world that have a life, once they have died and experienced the most excruciating pain, this little bit of skin being torn and frostbite seems trivial.

Shen Changxue had already died once.

Now that he was warm all over, Shen Changxue felt a bit unaccustomed. He tugged at his thin outer robe and shrank back a little.

In this room, he was not the only one who had lost himself; it wasn’t just him, the Elder Yu Luan.

Those memories of being skinned and dismembered were still fresh in his mind.

Shen Changxue covered his mouth and began to cough again, turning to look at Zhong Yinyue, who was frowning and gently patting his arm, genuinely worried about him.

How could he say it?

Shen Changxue found it hard to express. Facing Zhong Yinyue, he couldn’t bring himself to say that he had transformed into a vengeful spirit from the point of being skinned and turned into a blood array, reborn back to two years ago as a wronged soul.

When he returned, he stood by the lakeside pavilion watching the snow, wrapped in coldness.

He stood there, and everything had been calculated perfectly in an instant.

He wanted everyone to pay the price, for everyone to accompany him in death.

But just at that moment, Zhong Yinyue, who was in a hurry, suddenly appeared.

A Zhong Yinyue who rushed over, saying things he already knew.

Shen Changxue’s eyes were dark and complex, the candlelight illuminating his face but failing to penetrate the depths of his eyes.

Zhong Yinyue was patting his arm, lowering his head slightly, seemingly lost in thought.

“Elder,” Shen Changxue suddenly spoke.

Zhong Yinyue looked up: “Hmm?”

“It’s not that the disciple is unwilling to speak,” Shen Changxue said, “It’s just that I’m worried about you feeling guilty.”

Zhong Yinyue was taken aback for a moment, then immediately understood.

“Could it be…” Zhong Yinyue swallowed hard, “Is it because I asked you to prepare the grand ceremony draft that Qian Yao punished you like this?”

Shen Changxue looked at him with a complex expression and nodded.

Zhong Yinyue felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

He should have thought of this!

Zhong Yinyue had embarrassed Qian Yao at the Elder’s meeting, which was why he had been forced into this arrangement. After that, the disciples sent by Qian Yao Palace, except for Shen Changxue, were all freeloading at Yu Luan Palace, not helping at all.

Only Shen Changxue had been unusually helpful—how could Qian Yao, such a petty old man, truly allow this chief disciple to assist him!?

His intention was to have Shen Changxue create trouble for Zhong Yinyue!

But not only did he not create trouble, Zhong Yinyue quickly submitted the draft. Moreover, the draft was written by Shen Changxue himself—this matter would definitely be questioned by the sect leader, and it couldn’t be hidden.

What should have been a huge problem for Zhong Yinyue, which would have made him extremely embarrassed, was instead handled so well that it could rival that of the top elder of Tianjue Sect.

Naturally, Qian Yao felt unbalanced and knew that Shen Changxue must not have listened to him.

So he called him in for questioning.

The questioning yielded results, and naturally, punishment followed.

All of Shen Changxue’s injuries were because of him.

Zhong Yinyue immediately felt extremely guilty and angrily said, “If he asked you to create trouble for me, you should have just done it! Why did you have to help me, and why did you have to help so conspicuously!? I’m already at the bottom of the ranking, and I don’t care about losing face this time!”

“The disciple doesn’t mind being punished this time either,” Shen Changxue said with a hoarse laugh.

Hearing this, Zhong Yinyue became even angrier and wanted to say more, but Shen Changxue spoke again: “Elder, you don’t need to feel guilty.”

“You don’t know, Elder. Although I was picked up from a pile of dead bodies by my master, he doesn’t treat me as well as… he does with others.”

“Everyone says my master is strict with me, with a mouth like a knife but a heart of tofu, always scolding me before softening,” Shen Changxue said. “But even if he is strict, with a mouth as sharp as a poisoned knife, he never lets other disciples be embarrassed in front of outsiders.”

“Only me.”

“Only towards me does my master always say in front of others that I’m useless, like mud that can’t be supported against a wall.”

“I once thought this was because my master valued me the most, that I was his chief disciple, and he had the highest expectations of me, which is why he was stricter with me.”

“But after hearing your words, Elder, I realized it’s not like that.” Shen Changxue said, “The more one values someone, the more they should cherish them. Just like how you, Elder, disregarded the wind and snow tonight, and even the late hour, to come check on me.”

“The most valued disciple shouldn’t be called useless in front of others.”

“But if he looks down on me, why would he keep me by his side as the chief disciple?” Shen Changxue said. “Elder, do you understand what this is for?”

When he said this, Zhong Yinyue also realized that it was indeed quite perplexing.

If he looked down on him, then why keep him around?

So Zhong Yinyue shook his head.

“Because my master thinks of me as his possession.”

“Just like the magical treasures in the secret realm, the pills refined, and the spiritual herbs grown,” Shen Changxue said softly, his voice seeming to dissolve into the wind and snow outside, “So I must obey. If I don’t obey, it would be a great offense, a rebellion against my master, and being beaten to a pulp is nothing.”

“My master’s punishment for me is not to educate me on what I shouldn’t do, but rather… how dare a mere object defy the master.”

“So he is willing to leave me in this freezing weather, and it doesn’t matter if I freeze to death.” Shen Changxue said, “Elder, please don’t feel guilty. Until today, I have never disobeyed. This punishment today is also a way to see my master’s true face.”

Zhong Yinyue was at a loss for words.

He looked at Shen Changxue. Shen Changxue’s face was illuminated by the spiritual fire, very clear, yet it seemed to melt into the light.

His expression was very calm, with an injury on half of his face that had not fully healed with the medicine.

Shen Changxue slightly raised his head and sighed.

“Elder,” Shen Changxue said, “Those in Qian Yao Palace look down on me. Those outside think I’m glamorous and don’t know the hardships within. If I were to speak out, others would only think I’m ungrateful.”

“I’ve been in this mountain for over ten years, and you’re the first one to care for me like this.”

“Though it may be a bit presumptuous, at this moment, I truly wish… if only you were my master.”