Chapter 20

When Ling Wuji returned, Chun Chou had actually sensed it.

But he had been so badly shaken that he couldn’t react at all.

It wasn’t until Ling Wuji stepped forward, carefully removed the garment Chun Chou had been biting from his mouth, and gently patted his back that Chun Chou truly came back to himself.

Ling Wuji said softly, “Don’t be afraid. No matter what happened, we’ll face it together. Chun Chou—Wuji-gege will always stay by your side.”

Chun Chou: “……”

That “Wuji-gege”… ahem. Chun Chou still wasn’t quite used to it. Every time he heard it, he had the overwhelming urge to laugh—while not daring to.

Lowering his head, he said quietly, “I’m not sure how to explain it, but… the fire spiritual root inside me is now more prominent than my wood spiritual root.”

Ling Wuji froze for a moment. He casually stored the clothes Chun Chou had bitten into his storage ring, putting them away with great care, then adopted an attentive expression.

Once the conversation turned serious, Chun Chou sobered as well. He climbed up from the ground, sat down in a nearby chair, and spoke with a frown.

“I think I heard Youyou scream. She seemed to be in extreme pain. Someone was hurting her. For some reason, I felt that pain too.”

Unconsciously, Chun Chou raised a hand to his head, as if it still hurt. “I don’t know how I knew—but at that moment, I just knew. Someone took a treasure from Youyou’s body. When it was removed, my fire spiritual root suddenly became extraordinarily prominent—far more than my wood root.”

His expression turned complicated. “At the exact moment that treasure was taken out, it felt like I absorbed part of its power. After that, I could no longer feel Youyou’s pain. I could only sense that the treasure had been placed into someone else’s body.”

After speaking, he formed a hand seal. A wisp of spiritual flame instantly flickered to life at the tip of his index finger.

The fire spiritual energy in the flame was astonishingly pure.

Hearing this, Ling Wuji was both surprised—and somehow not surprised at all.

The difference between him and Chun Chou was simple: Chun Chou was still worried about Xie Youyou. Ling Wuji only cared about Chun Chou.

He took a Spirit-Testing Stone from his storage ring and asked Chun Chou to place his hand on it.

Chun Chou calmed his mind and channeled a thread of spiritual power into the stone.

At first, it emitted a murky white glow. Then gold, green, blue, red, yellow, silver, purple, cyan, black, brown, pure white… a cascade of colors flashed one after another. In the end, the stone displayed a vast expanse of chaotic white light. Only a small portion remained green and red—of which the red occupied roughly twice as much as the green.

Chun Chou: “……”

Ling Wuji: “……”

So this was Chun Chou’s spiritual root composition.

Incredibly, spectacularly mixed.

Anyone who saw it was usually left speechless.

Chun Chou himself was equally speechless.

After adjusting his emotions, he said dryly, “See? My fire spiritual root has really improved.”

Last time they had examined it together as well. The overall result had been similar—except that in that tiny remaining portion at the end, there had only been green light. Now, a trace of red had appeared alongside it.

Ling Wuji, however, did not hesitate to speculate about everyone other than Chun Chou with the utmost suspicion.

“Then,” he said slowly, “if you could retrieve those ‘treasures,’ your spiritual root aptitude would improve. At the very least, it would be better than it is now.”

Chun Chou froze.

Ling Wuji continued, “I always felt that your adoptive parents treated you in a way that was… unusual. Before their accident, you had already studied at a cultivation academy for several years. Even if you stopped afterward, given how thin the spiritual energy in the mortal realm was at the time, it wouldn’t have affected you much.

“Or they could have accepted my suggestion and allowed me to pay your tuition. Given our childhood bond—” he coughed lightly, “—an engaged fiancé covering his fiancée’s tuition would not have been improper.”

Chun Chou’s deer-like eyes widened sharply at him.

Ling Wuji squeezed his hand and went on.

“But they chose neither option. Instead, they risked going deep into the Demon Beast Forest. In the end, they brought back the demon cores—but lost their lives. And before they died, what they said to you was ‘I’m sorry.’

“That is not what adoptive parents say to an adopted child. Based on everything we’ve seen, if anyone owed anyone, it was you who owed them—not the other way around.”

Chun Chou stared at him.

“I know you don’t want to believe these deductions,” Ling Wuji said quietly. “But what happened today—doesn’t that count as evidence? You and Xie Youyou share no blood. How could you, from thousands of miles away, sense her being harmed? How could you know something was taken from her body? And when that treasure was removed, your fire spiritual root improved?”

His gaze darkened slightly.

“These things should not have happened. Yet they did. So the treasure she originally possessed must be related to you. Or at the very least—it once was.”

There was one more thing Ling Wuji did not say aloud. But he knew Chun Chou would think of it.

The tattoo on Xie Youyou’s body had been a Vermilion Bird.

The Vermilion Bird belonged to fire.

And what had just grown stronger in Chun Chou?

Fire.

After a long silence, Chun Chou spoke slowly. “My adoptive parents weren’t even Foundation Establishment cultivators.” He paused. “If someone did something to me back then… that person was very likely not them.”

Ling Wuji’s eyes flickered. “Mm. As long as you understand.”

Chun Chou did understand.

But his brows remained tightly furrowed. “Something must have happened to them. If they were still together, and Youyou’s secret was exposed, the others might not have escaped. If they were already separated…” He swallowed. “Then something must have happened too.”

It suddenly made sense why, in that absurd dream of his, he had only seen Xie Fusheng and Xie Yaoyao becoming great demonic figures—but not Xie Changnian or Xie Youyou.

If that were the case… selfish as it was, he almost wished Changnian and Youyou had turned bad too.

At least then they would still be alive.

His thoughts spiraled. He felt restless and unsettled.

That night, he decided not to cultivate further. Instead, he told Ling Wuji about his visit at the City Lord’s Manor and took out the several storage pouches and demon beast cores he had picked up that day.

Ling Wuji raised an eyebrow—and produced over twenty storage pouches and seventy to eighty demon beast cores of his own.

Chun Chou felt slightly depressed. “…So actually, maybe I shouldn’t go to the City Lord’s Manor at all. I should just follow you.”

Ling Wuji smiled and patted his head. “The City Lord’s Manor has its advantages. You have at least half a day free there to cultivate properly. Increasing your strength is what matters most.

“As for picking up storage pouches and demon cores, I heard from the gate guards that three thousand cultivators entered the city today alone. Tomorrow, another four or five thousand will arrive. The day after that, more will come. Even if there are plenty of things to scavenge in Canglan City, there are far too many people competing for them.”

Adventuring into the Ten Thousand Demon Forest was also an option. But neither of them had been pushed to the brink of desperation. There was no need to risk their lives.

Ling Wuji’s talisman-drawing skills alone would earn him a great deal of spirit stones during this wave of incoming cultivators. And Chun Chou’s position in the City Lord’s Manor provided protection and access to information.

For the two of them, it was just right.

Chun Chou nodded, though his mind was still racing. Not forcing himself, he said goodnight and went downstairs to rest.

Ling Wuji remained in his wheelchair, watching Chun Chou’s retreating figure under the moonlight, his expression unreadable.

He could never quite control himself.

He wanted Chun Chou’s eyes and heart to hold only him.

As for those younger siblings—Ling Wuji did not want them occupying too much of Chun Chou’s thoughts either.

It had been his elder sister who chose Chun Chou for him in the first place, arranging for him to live next door. She believed Chun Chou to be someone deeply loyal and affectionate—someone who, even upon learning he was adopted, could still cherish his family and live happily.

If their lineage was destined to love deeply, she had thought, better that Ling Wuji fall for someone like that.

The outcome could not be too bad.

At first, Ling Wuji had resisted.

Who would willingly allow others to orchestrate who they loved?

And yet—his Chun Chou was different.

He had still fallen for him.

Once, he had admired Chun Chou’s capacity for affection.

Now… he selfishly wished Chun Chou would reserve it for him alone.

Love, after all, was greedy.

And selfish.

The next day.

Chun Chou woke at the beginning of the yin hour—around three in the morning.

He stared blankly for a while, then began meditating. After cultivating for over an hour, he rose and divided the household’s spiritual herbs and plants by area, casting Growth, Rain-Summoning, and Metal-Strengthening spells on each section before restoring his spiritual energy.

He fed the spirit pigs and chickens, cleaned their pens, and even took a bath afterward.

By then, Ling Wuji had prepared breakfast.

They ate together.

“Now that the beast tide has passed,” Ling Wuji said casually, “there’s no need to keep raising pigs and chickens. You have to feed them and clean up every day—it’s troublesome.” Seeing Chun Chou frown, he added, “We could clear the space and grow spirit fruit instead. It would be easier for you.”

Chun Chou muttered, “Then don’t sell them. Have someone slaughter them. We’ll eat them ourselves. Don’t let outsiders benefit.”

He had raised those plump spirit pigs and chickens by hand!

Ling Wuji: “……”

So that was the issue.

He almost laughed—but restrained himself. “Fine. I’ll have someone handle them today. Tomorrow morning I’ll cook them for you.”

Chun Chou nodded firmly. Then after a moment, added, “In a few days it will be fine too. Don’t delay your time going out to pick up cores and pouches.”

Ling Wuji: “……All right.”

After breakfast, Chun Chou prepared to head out with his little donkey.

Ling Wuji caught his hand.

Chun Chou blinked up at him with damp, innocent eyes.

Ling Wuji’s heartbeat skipped.

He steadied himself before speaking.

“Things are already like this. Don’t push yourself too hard. It won’t help. Only by moving forward steadily and improving your cultivation will there be hope. Chun Chou—you must take care of yourself first. Only then will you have the strength to protect others.”

Chun Chou blinked. Then blinked again.

He bent down and hugged the boy in the wheelchair.

“I know. I’ll take good care of myself. My younger siblings are important—but I’ve always known that you and I come first.”

Then, having hugged him, he grabbed the donkey’s reins and ran off.

Ling Wuji remained where he was for a long time.

And then, softly, he smiled.

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