Late at night, Qing Luan quietly entered the Zi Xuan Hall.
The Zi Xuan Hall, an old reading room not far from Fuling Palace, was too small and thus abandoned by Medicine King Celestial Lord, only used for storage. After Yue Wu Huan took over the Medicine King Valley, he refurbished it, restoring its purpose as a small reading room where he handled internal affairs.
Yue Wu Huan sat at his desk, reading correspondences. Beneath the golden mask, the corners of his mouth were tinged with a trace of pleasant amusement.
However, after many instances of misjudgment, Qing Luan had long stopped relying on facial expressions to speculate about Yue Wu Huan's thoughts. A smile might mask icy killing intent, while anger could simply be a deceptive tactic. He was only portraying the image he wanted you to see; occasional glimpses of his madness were the only truth.
No one dared confront that madness.
Qing Luan performed a nervous bow and obediently stood in place, awaiting new orders.
The Blood King Vine curled up to present a small wooden box, inside of which was an unused "mind bead."
Accepting the mind bead, Qing Luan knew that Yue Wu Huan didn't actually need it to control people's hearts. Its preservation was likely a nod to her loyalty. Medicine King Valley, under his rule, had become a woven web of defenses, vigilantly guarding the treasures within Fuling Palace. All threats had been eliminated, all matters under his control; no secret could escape his scrutiny.
Yue Wu Huan lifted his head, noticing she was still standing there, and softly asked, "Is there anything else?"
After a moment's thought, Qing Luan carefully responded, "How shall we handle the matter concerning An Celestial Lord? Please guide us, Brother Wu Huan."
She was aware of the machinations in the poisonous fog array and also knew the root cause of An Long's fury, making her quite uneasy.
Yue Wu Huan set down the letter he was holding, "Treat him as an honored guest."
With gentle caution, Qing Luan voiced her concern, "An Celestial Lord arrives in quite an aggressive manner; he doesn't seem like someone amiable."
Yue Wu Huan laughed, "Are you afraid he might kill me?"
Qing Luan lowered her head, not daring to answer.
"You underestimate An Long," Yue Wu Huan spoke with a tinge of patience towards his competent and loyal subordinate. "Inheriting the mantle of the Wan Gu Sect is akin to refining gu. When the previous sect leader dies, the nine closest disciples kill each other until one survives to receive the heritage of the Gu God. An Long joined the sect the latest, yet he succeeded in killing eight of his senior sect brothers, washing the Wan Gu Sect in blood to silence all doubts, then step by step secured control over Xi Lin."
A chill ran down Qing Luan's spine at the thought of such internecine conflict.
"Therefore, he's not the type to act rashly," Yue Wu Huan analyzed. "If he killed anyone after intruding into Medicine King Valley, especially killing me, his direct senior brother, he'd be trampling on the honor of the Valley, something the Celestial Lord would not tolerate. He was already poisoned and at the end of his rope. Why would he want to provoke the Celestial Lord and perish together with me at such a time?"
Qing Luan murmured, "But the Celestial Lord has already cured his poison…"
She wasn't a fool and quickly understood. Since An Long hadn't acted when he was angry, he certainly wouldn't do so after calming down.
"When can't he kill me if he wishes to?" Yue Wu Huan shook his head and scoffed. "The celestial realm is teeming with formidable figures; why should he get his hands dirty? Isn't it better to hire someone else to do the job? First pretend to be weak, then disarm the Celestial Lord by having the poison removed. Once he leaves, he can make his move or hire an assassin. If I were him, that's what I'd do…"
Afterward, he could kill the assassin and present his head to the Celestial Lord to win his favor.
Two birds with one stone—why not?
Just like when the Celestial Lord woke up, he had also given up on traps and formations to deal with the intruding An Long, as well as halted the poised poisonous puppets. There was no need to upset the Celestial Lord over such trifles and spoil the good mood of their reunion.
Yue Wu Huan shook his head regretfully, "An Long is a clever man…"
The Blood King Vine entangled around his feet was still restless, clearly troubled by this matter and unable to find rest. Since the Celestial Lord was so bothered by their "misunderstanding," it must be "resolved." He initially thought of several ways to provoke An Long into killing someone within the Medicine King Valley. Now weighing the pros and cons, he had to give up.
What a pity…
Before leaving, Qing Luan hesitated to ask again, "Brother Wu Huan, are you not afraid of danger?"
"Afraid? I'm scared to death," Yue Wu Huan couldn't help but laugh, recalling this amusing scenario. His deep laughter filled the quiet darkness, imbued with restrained madness. "If danger comes, the Celestial Lord will surely be very worried, and he will stick by my side day and night to protect me."
What a life to look forward to.
Looking at his smile, Qing Luan couldn't help but shudder.
...
Within Fuling Palace, Song Qing Shi tossed and turned, sighing throughout the night, unable to untangle this knotty dilemma of life and death.
He wouldn't naively hope that the two could reconcile and become friends; he just wanted to ensure they didn't engage in life-or-death struggles.
Even that seemed incredibly difficult…
An Long was vindictive and unforgiving, often acting two-faced. If he agreed to something only to turn around and kill Yue Wu Huan, retroactively justifying his actions, it would be too late for any repercussions. Yue Wu Huan was an angel, willing to endure anything for him; afflicted inexplicably by the Heart-Eating Gu, he must be harboring some anger, otherwise, he wouldn't have retaliated with the Drunken Bone potion.
He couldn't possibly mistreat the obedient and well-behaved one, who neither talks back when scolded nor retaliates when struck, could he?
If the disciple errs, the master should take responsibility. But in this case, the disciple hadn't erred, so there could be no admissions of wrongdoing.
Perhaps he should let An Long beat him up to release some steam…
Being a Yuan Ying cultivator, he would surely be more resilient than Yue Wu Huan.
Song Qing Shi pondered long and hard, feeling that this unreliable plan was unlikely to work. He considered whether he could bribe An Long into abandoning his vendetta. Yet, the Wan Gu Sect was much wealthier than the Medicine King Valley; apart from elixirs, he had nothing worthwhile to offer…
The next day, he struggled out of bed and found that Yue Wu Huan hadn't arrived. After performing a quick grooming routine with the assistance of the Blood King Vine, he decided to go find An Long and lay his cards on the table. He needed to find out what it would take to put this issue to rest once and for all, and if all else failed, make preparations for defense.
Unexpectedly, upon reaching the garden, he saw An Long and Yue Wu Huan sitting in the pavilion, playing chess, laughing and talking as if they were the best of friends.
Song Qing Shi rubbed his eyes; life felt like a dream.
Yue Wu Huan glanced at his disheveled hair, nodded, and greeted him with a smile, "I was supposed to serve you this morning, but An Xian Zun invited me to a game of chess."
"You invited me, remember?" An Long stared at the chessboard before finally making his move. "Your turn."
Song Qing Shi walked over suspiciously and glanced at the chessboard. An Long had the black pieces, and Yue Wu Huan had the white. He wasn't proficient in Go but could tell that two dragons were entangled in combat, with the black dragon holding a slight advantage.
An Long enthusiastically suggested, "Playing without stakes is boring. Shall we make a wager?"
Yue Wu Huan made his move and responded with a smile, "What would Xian Zun like to bet?"
"No gambling in the Medicine King Valley!" Knowing An Long's skill at chess and fearing that Yue Wu Huan might suffer a loss, Song Qing Shi interrupted, "If you lose, you'll have to wear a paper sign on your head!"
He'd seen his senior disciples do this when they played cards!
Both men stared at him, dumbfounded…
Song Qing Shi banged his hand on the table, "This is my home! What I say goes!"
He sat between them, resting his head on the stone table. He wasn't interested in watching the game; his mind wandered, preoccupied with concerns. Was An Long plotting another deception? Was Yue Wu Huan keeping something from him to spare him worry?
The state of the chessboard suddenly took a turn.
The black dragon was lured into a trap, on the verge of being strangled by the white dragon.
Observing how the trap was set reminded An Long of the poison mist formation; each move seemed harmless on the surface, revealing its deadly fangs only when he thought he had the upper hand. A fire ignited within him, intensifying the more he thought about it, filling his gaze with increased hostility.
Yue Wu Huan sensed the murderous intent and smiled in An Long's direction.
Song Qing Shi cast a cautious look at An Long, warning, "No cheating in this chess game!"
"Your disciple is bullying me," An Long said with a gleam in his eyes, pulling Song Qing Shi over to sit beside him. "Brothers share weal and woe, so since this was your idea, if I lose, the paper sign goes on your forehead!"
Song Qing Shi, who had intended to cheer him up, agreed without hesitation.
Yue Wu Huan paused, redirecting the chess piece in his hand.
After playing intensely for nearly half an hour, the black dragon narrowly defeated the white dragon by half a piece…
A man of his word, Song Qing Shi approached Yue Wu Huan with a small red paper strip. "Where would you like it?"
Yue Wu Huan smiled and said, "Wherever you place it, I shall be pleased."
"Alright," Song Qing Shi thought for a moment, deciding not to place it on the mask. He opted for a cat-whisker-like placement, "I'll put it somewhere proper and aesthetically pleasing."
He leaned close to Yue Wu Huan's face, searching for the perfect spot.
Yue Wu Huan kept fidgeting, giggling, "Master, it tickles."
Song Qing Shi misplaced the strip and hastily tore it off to reposition, "Stop moving around."
An Long glanced from one shameless fiend to another witless fool. Listening to their flirtatious banter, he was frustrated enough to consider eating the chess pieces! Having never been in a romantic relationship, he was unfamiliar with the subtleties of love and romance. He never thought one could play it this way! What a heavy loss he had incurred!
After affixing the paper strip, Song Qing Shi finally expressed his lingering doubts, "What happened between you two?"
An Long immediately reined in his temper, saying cheerfully, "We fought, and now we understand each other. The Heart-Eating Gu and Drunken Bone are all squared away now."
Yue Wu Huan once again bowed politely, "An Xian Zun's magnanimity has earned my utmost admiration."
"Never mind, it's not your fault," An Long waved his hand magnanimously, "You did it to save Qing Shi. It was my own overthinking and recklessness that led to this."
Yue Wu Huan chuckled, "Had I known of your good intentions, An Xian Zun, I would have thrown open the gates of Yao Wang Valley in welcome."
An Long praised, "You're remarkably astute and resourceful for someone your age. Quite impressive."
Yue Wu Huan complimented in return, "It was your merciful restraint that allowed me the good fortune to survive."
Both engaged in friendly banter, laughing like long-lost friends.
Song Qing Shi felt increasingly like a bystander...
He was more and more aware of his emotional illiteracy and resolved to make up for it.
Faced with the unknown, Song Qing Shi usually turned to books for answers. But in this realm, there were no texts on interpersonal relationships, psychology, or social etiquette. What to do?
After much thought, he realized that storybooks often portrayed emotional complexities; perhaps they could serve as a reference.
He wrote a letter to Ye Lin, enclosing a top-grade Spirit Stone, asking him to find storybooks that portrayed male friendships authentically and sincerely.
Ye Lin, always efficient in his transactions, promptly sent over a storybook he had been keeping by his bedside. He claimed it was the best-selling storybook of late, featuring intricately detailed portrayals of brotherly love—so compelling that it was hard to put down.
Song Qing Shi treasured the storybook titled "Three Brothers Fight the Tiger" that came along with the letter.
He was extremely satisfied with Ye Lin's efficiency.