Unexpected Care and Lingering Doubts

For some reason, Duan Xi Shen found Xia Niansheng’s gaze unsettling.

Xia Niansheng had indeed been acting strangely recently.

Often, when his eyes met hers, they held an intensity she hadn’t seen before.

This peculiar shift seemed to have begun after Xia Niansheng and White Snow Jade completed a certain mission.

Or perhaps even earlier; after all, she and Xia Niansheng did not meet every day.

However, such observations seemed inconsequential at the moment; of far greater concern was Xia Niansheng’s current injury.

She abhorred crowded places and had rarely attended any grand assemblies as an elder of the Heavenly Spirit Sect.

She had never even once bothered to watch the Sect Grand Competition.

Initially, she had merely regarded Xia Niansheng as a tool, a means to sate her cravings, even exercising extreme restraint to prevent herself from succumbing to addiction.

His status as her personal disciple was a mere facade to mislead others, yet she performed the necessary formalities, occasionally imparting fundamental cultivation knowledge to him.

Xia Niansheng likely simply believed his master was inherently cold and detached.

She soon discovered Xia Niansheng possessed remarkable talent, but what truly surprised her was the day after a Sect Grand Competition, when his face beamed with a radiance she had never inspired in him.

Like a child eager for praise, he had declared to her, “Master, Master! I placed ninth in this Sect Grand Competition! I made it into the top ten!”

Such an achievement was, in truth, unremarkable in Duan Xi Shen’s eyes, yet she had indeed offered Xia Niansheng little guidance.

More significantly, the sincerity in Xia Niansheng’s gaze at that moment had momentarily shaken her original intentions.

Subsequently, Duan Xi Shen devoted more attention to Xia Niansheng’s cultivation, treating him as if he were truly her own disciple.

Then, she unexpectedly learned of his desire to become a Saint Son.

The reason for this ambition, astonishingly, was to find a cure for her.

And this time, he had claimed first place in the Sect Grand Competition.

He had sustained grievous injuries in the process.

It was difficult to describe Duan Xi Shen’s current emotional state, for she was inherently someone who struggled with expressing her feelings.

She couldn’t even bring herself to openly care for another person.

Her eyes flickered.

“Are you truly alright?”

Xia Niansheng nodded.

“I likely over-extended my spiritual energy and fainted on the arena,” he explained. “Senior Aunt Xue took me to Wondrous Medicine Mountain, and Elder Tan treated me. I should recover completely in about half a month.”

His gaze remained calm, as if it were indeed a trivial matter.

Duan Xi Shen was aware that Xia Niansheng had been sent to Tan Qingxi for treatment.

She resented Tan Qingxi’s presumptuous conjectures and interpretations of her, and her condescending attempts to ‘save’ her.

Possessing some medical knowledge herself, she had never before allowed Xia Niansheng to visit Wondrous Medicine Mountain.

Nevertheless, who treated Xia Niansheng was no longer the crucial point.

Despite her disdain for the woman, she could not deny that Tan Qingxi was a remarkably skilled physician.

“As long as there are no lasting complications…”

Today, Duan Xi Shen appeared uncharacteristically concerned for Xia Niansheng; such a display of nagging solicitude was exceedingly rare between them.

Xia Niansheng harbored no illusions of being deeply moved by this; after all, her sudden shift in demeanor stemmed solely from a misunderstanding.

She mistakenly believed his sole purpose in securing first place was to find a cure for her haemophilia within the Nine Provinces Dragon Abyss.

‘Having acquired the [Cultivation Chronicles], Xia Niansheng was confident in his success, yet he couldn’t deny that…’

‘If he were to fail, Duan Xi Shen’s ultimate decision would not be swayed by her current sentimentality.’

‘He knew Duan Xi Shen all too well.’

‘She might appear hesitant, even indecisive, but when the critical moment arrived, she would plunge a blade into your heart without a second thought, all while weeping and claiming she had no other choice.’

‘Hypocritical.’

‘Both playing the victim and the virtuous.’

‘In a sense, this self-deceptive hypocrisy was even more repulsive than White Snow Jade’s.’

Nevertheless, Xia Niansheng shook his head, casting his gaze downwards.

“For Master’s sake,” he murmured, “any injury is inconsequential.”

‘For Master?’

‘It’s for myself.’

Yet, Xia Niansheng could never be entirely selfish.

Duan Xi Shen paused, startled by his words. With Xia Niansheng’s head bowed, she could not discern the obsidian depths of his eyes.

Only when their gazes did not meet, when she wasn’t being directly observed, could her emotions flow without constraint.

After a few moments of hesitation, she suddenly spoke:

“Until your injuries heal, you’ll have no one to attend to your daily needs, correct?”

Xia Niansheng stiffened, sensing what Duan Xi Shen was about to propose.

Before he could interject, Duan Xi Shen continued, “For the next few days… your Master will personally see to your care.”

****

The Sect Grand Competition was scheduled to last for approximately ten days.

However, the spirits of all the disciples had been ignited by Xia Niansheng’s battle today, leaving those yet to compete practically itching for their turn.

It was undeniable that such internal sect competitions were incredibly effective at fueling a disciple’s passion for cultivation.

Qiu Yan, indeed, possessed a natural talent for managing the sect.

With the day’s competition concluded, Qiu Yan returned to Heavenly Spirit Peak.

Xia Niansheng had fulfilled his promise to her of claiming first place.

Only days prior, he had been at the Foundation Establishment stage, yet after advancing to the Golden Core stage, he had audaciously challenged higher-ranked opponents and, against all odds, seized first place.

And he had suffered such severe injuries.

For no discernible reason, Qiu Yan’s thoughts drifted back to something Xia Niansheng had said.

‘”It’s for Sect Master…”‘

‘Was it for her?’

As one of the most brilliant women in the Eastern Glaze Domain of her era, Qiu Yan commanded countless followers willing to brave any danger for her.

With just a few casual words, she could inspire a multitude to flock to her side.

Yet, no one had ever evoked the particular sensation Xia Niansheng did.

When Xia Niansheng stood bloodied on the viewing platform, his eyes, brimming with untamed arrogance and ambition, had fixed upon her.

‘Would he look at Duan Xi Shen that way?’

She could not deny the rapid beat of her heart in that instant.

Qiu Yan would not deceive herself, nor would she be so foolish as to pretend it was nothing.

‘It was very much something.’

Even when confronting Senior Aunt Xue or White Snow Jade, she never felt this way.

Still, she didn’t believe she had simply fallen for him, fallen for a man.

At most, it was a burgeoning interest.

‘Xia Niansheng… he truly is an interesting person.’

‘Just how far can you go?’

Qiu Yan returned to her residence.

Her manor was not ostentatious, yet it was certainly not small.

Her master bedroom was her private sanctuary, with White Snow Jade’s residence adjacent.

It was fully equipped, boasting a cultivation chamber, a scripture repository, and rooms for handling official matters.

There were even several empty rooms beside White Snow Jade’s quarters, typically used for storing miscellaneous items.

What she hadn’t even noticed herself was this:

‘As she glanced at those rooms, she actually found herself contemplating the possibility of Xia Niansheng living there in the future…’

Just then, White Snow Jade, hearing movement outside, opened her door to find Qiu Yan seated in the main hall, lost in thought.

She knew it was the first day of the sect’s top ten competition, but having been recuperating in her room, she was unaware of the developments.

In her estimation, even if Xia Niansheng’s cultivation had improved, he stood no chance against Zhu Yingying.

“Master,” White Snow Jade greeted Qiu Yan respectfully.

Qiu Yan merely nodded, her expression still thoughtful.

A flicker of unease darted through White Snow Jade’s heart.

“Master… who won first place in this competition?” she asked, her tone calm, striving to appear merely curious rather than overly invested.

Qiu Yan offered White Snow Jade a gentle smile, but her next words caused White Snow Jade’s pupils to contract.

“Xia Niansheng truly exceeded my expectations.”

…