After Ling Xuan was promoted to the inner sect, according to Qingyun Sect's rules, he should move into the inner sect disciples' exclusive residences. The inner sect disciples' residences had a quiet environment and complete facilities. Each room came with an independent courtyard and cultivation chamber, and disciples could regularly receive rich cultivation resources. Compared to the simple bamboo hut he had lived in before, it was like heaven and earth. But Shen Qingci was troubled. If he let Ling Xuan move into the inner sect disciples' residence alone, he would inevitably be excluded and bullied by other inner sect disciples again, especially those from the Third Elder's faction. They would definitely target Ling Xuan because of Zhao Peng's incident. If this triggered the hatred plot from the original, all his previous efforts would be in vain.
After much thought, Shen Qingci made a bold decision—to have Ling Xuan move into Yuling Peak's main hall to live with him. This way, he could watch over Ling Xuan at all times, prevent him from being bullied, guide his cultivation up close, speed up the favorability-gaining process, and promptly stop any events that might trigger darkening—killing multiple birds with one stone. Of course, this decision also made him very uneasy. After all, he would be living day and night with the future master-killing male lead. A single misstep could cost him his life. But compared to survival, this awkwardness and unease were nothing.
When this decision was announced, not only were the disciples of Yuling Peak shocked, even Ling Xuan himself was stunned. When Shen Qingci said in the study, "Since you've entered the inner sect, move to the side hall of Yuling Peak's main hall. From now on, I will personally teach you cultivation. Come to the main hall to find me every day at Chen hour," Ling Xuan's eyes were full of disbelief, even carrying deep wariness. He subconsciously said: "Master, this disciple... this disciple can live in the inner sect residence. There's no need to trouble Master." He truly couldn't understand the master's abnormal behavior. Living together meant the time they spent together would greatly increase. He didn't know what the master wanted to do, and his heart was full of unease.
"No need to say more." Shen Qingci cut him off, forcibly maintaining the master's dignity, his tone brooking no argument, but inwardly his heart was pounding, afraid Ling Xuan would refuse. "This is all for Yuling Peak's face. You are my only personal disciple. If your cultivation doesn't keep up, it's my reputation that suffers. Moving to the main hall, I can better guide your cultivation, help you control the spirit-devouring constitution, and help you break through realms sooner." He deliberately used "Yuling Peak's face" and "cultivation" as excuses, trying to make this decision seem more reasonable and fitting for a master's identity.
Ling Xuan was silent for a moment, his hands hanging at his sides slightly tightening, before finally slowly bowing: "This disciple obeys." Though he was puzzled by the master's abnormality, he didn't have the courage to refuse. Over the years, he had long grown accustomed to obedience. Moreover, deep in his heart, there was a barely perceptible expectation. He wanted to observe the master up close, to see if this sudden gentleness was real, to know if the master had really changed.
That afternoon, Ling Xuan packed his simple belongings and moved into the side hall of Yuling Peak's main hall. His belongings were pitifully few—just a few changes of clothes, a tattered cultivation manual, and that half-piece of jade pendant, nothing else. Looking at the young man's empty luggage, Shen Qingci's heart inexplicably ached. The original novel had only focused on describing Ling Xuan's hatred and strength, never mentioning how lonely and helpless he was, without even a decent possession. "Fine, since we're living together, I should give him some decent things. It's an investment anyway." He turned and went back to his storage room, pulled out a brand new moon-white inner sect disciple robe, several rare cultivation manuals, and some gentle nourishing pills, and brought them all to the side hall.
Ling Xuan was making his bed when he saw what Shen Qingci had brought. He paused, his eyes full of surprise. That disciple robe was of excellent quality, the fabric soft, much better than the standard inner sect disciple clothing. Those cultivation manuals were all rare treasures hard to find on the market, greatly beneficial for Foundation Establishment stage disciples. And those pills had a mellow fragrance, clearly not ordinary items. He looked up at Shen Qingci, his lips moving as if to say something, but he didn't know what to say.
Shen Qingci placed the items on the table, his tone somewhat unnatural, deliberately avoiding his gaze: "These are all things I'm not using. Take them. From now on, living in Yuling Peak's main hall, your words and actions must be proper. Don't embarrass me." But inwardly he was frantically complaining: Not using my ass! These are all treasures the original hoarded for years. To win you over, I'm really going all out. You better cultivate well and don't disappoint my efforts, and definitely don't hold a grudge against me!
"Thank you, Master." Ling Xuan stepped forward, picked up the disciple robe, fingertips gently brushing over the fine fabric, a barely perceptible warmth flashing in his eyes. He looked up at Shen Qingci, just meeting the master's flustered, averted gaze. The corner of his mouth curved almost imperceptibly, too fast to catch. It seems the master really is different from before. Perhaps this gentleness is real.
The first night of cohabitation, Shen Qingci fell into great awkwardness and unease. The soundproofing in Yuling Peak's main hall bedrooms wasn't very good. He could clearly hear the sounds of Ling Xuan cultivating from the side hall next door—the sound of spiritual energy circulating, the sound of a longsword being swung. Each sound made him restless. He had always been used to living alone, quiet and free. Now there was a "future master-killer" nearby. He couldn't sleep at all, his mind repeatedly reviewing the day's events, recalling whether he had said or done anything wrong, afraid of revealing any flaws that might arouse Ling Xuan's suspicion.
He lay in bed, tossing and turning, the more he thought, the more panicked he became, even starting to imagine various scenarios of being killed by Ling Xuan. It wasn't until early morning, when the sounds of cultivation gradually disappeared, that Shen Qingci slightly relaxed. But he still didn't dare sleep deeply, maintaining high alert, afraid Ling Xuan would suddenly burst in. Just as he was drifting off to sleep, he suddenly heard a muffled groan from next door, followed by the sound of something heavy falling.
Shen Qingci's heart tightened. He instantly woke up and, without thinking, got up and rushed toward the side hall. Just as he reached the side hall entrance, he saw Ling Xuan standing in the courtyard, his face deathly pale, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, staggering back a step. Clearly, something had gone wrong with his cultivation. Moonlight fell on him, outlining a cold yet fragile silhouette that made one's heart ache.
"What's wrong?" Shen Qingci subconsciously rushed over, reaching out to support his arm, his tone carrying a barely perceptible note of tension. When his fingertips touched the young man's cold body, he realized he had been too hasty, which might arouse Ling Xuan's wariness. He was about to let go when Ling Xuan tightly gripped his hand. Ling Xuan looked up at him, face pale but eyes bright, carrying a hint of pain and stubbornness: "Master, this disciple's spiritual energy went astray during cultivation. It's fine."
Shen Qingci's heart tightened. Ignoring Ling Xuan's resistance, he reached out to check his pulse and found the spiritual energy in his body was severely disordered, and his meridians had suffered slight damage. Clearly, he had been too eager for quick results and had forcibly tried to break through to the mid Foundation Establishment stage. "Were you too eager for quick results, forcibly trying to break through to mid Foundation Establishment regardless of your condition?" He frowned, his tone carrying a barely perceptible note of reproach and a hint of worry. "Cultivation requires gradual progress. Haste makes waste. If you're this reckless and your meridians are severely damaged, it will affect your future advancement. The loss outweighs the gain."
Ling Xuan lowered his head, avoiding his gaze, his voice low and hoarse: "This disciple wants to become stronger quickly." He was afraid he wasn't strong enough to protect himself, and even more afraid he wasn't strong enough to keep this sudden gentleness. He was afraid the master would grow tired of him one day and return to how he was before, abusing him again. He wanted to become strong, wanted to have the ability to stand by the master's side, wanted to have the ability to protect the master, even if this thought was distant.
Looking at his forbearing yet stubborn appearance, Shen Qingci's heart softened. He pulled Ling Xuan back to the side hall, helped him sit in a chair, took a healing pill from his sleeve, and held it to his mouth: "Open your mouth and take the pill. This is a Spirit-Condensing Healing Pill. It can help you sort out the disordered spiritual energy and repair the damaged meridians." Ling Xuan didn't hesitate, obediently opening his mouth and swallowing the pill. The pill melted on contact, cool medicinal power sliding down his throat, quickly spreading throughout his body, easing the pain in his meridians. The disordered spiritual energy gradually stabilized.
Shen Qingci sat across from him, hesitated for a moment, then said: "Come here. I'll help you sort out your spiritual energy to speed up recovery." Ling Xuan paused, then nodded, walked to his side, and sat cross-legged. Shen Qingci took a deep breath, circulated the spiritual energy in his body, placed his palm on Ling Xuan's back, and gently injected spiritual energy into his body, carefully sorting out the disordered meridians and repairing the damaged tissues.
When his fingertips touched the young man's warm back, both of them felt somewhat unnatural. The air was filled with a faint awkwardness. Shen Qingci deliberately avoided distracting thoughts, focusing on helping him heal, but inwardly he thought: This kid is easier to win over than in the original book, and more fragile than I imagined. I'll need to keep a closer eye on him from now on and not let him cultivate so recklessly again. Ling Xuan could clearly feel the master's gentle spiritual energy flowing through his body, bringing waves of warmth, along with the master's faint scent of ink and sandalwood, making him feel an unprecedented sense of peace. His tense nerves gradually relaxed, and he even felt a bit drowsy.
Half an hour later, the healing was complete. Shen Qingci withdrew his palm. His spiritual energy had been somewhat depleted, and his face was slightly pale. Ling Xuan stood up and bowed deeply to him: "Thank you, Master." His tone was full of gratitude, and the wariness in his eyes had also dissipated considerably, replaced with more sincerity. Shen Qingci waved his hand dismissively, stood up to leave, but was stopped by Ling Xuan: "Master, the night is heavy with dew. Be careful not to catch cold." He turned to look at the young man. Under the moonlight, Ling Xuan's eyes were full of genuine concern, without the slightest pretense.
Shen Qingci's heart stirred. He nodded and quickly left. Back in his own bedroom, he touched his burning earlobes and couldn't help complaining: "This is bad, this is bad. Is this kid trying to reverse-seduce me? No, I need to stay steady. I'm here to save my life, not to fall in love!" But even as he said this, a strange emotion stirred in his heart, something even he didn't notice.