Chapter 21

Wen Qingyin fell asleep, but his sleep was not peaceful; he kept sinking into a chaotic mess of dreams.

In the dream, he as a child was being fed pastries by a group of herbal cultivators, but he turned his head, pointed at a passing little sword cultivator selling cold noodles nearby, and said in a clear voice, "I want him to feed me."

In a dream of a banquet at sea, he collapsed drunk beneath a flower wall, his face flushed as he leaned on the shoulder of the person beside him, his lips almost touching Pei Junheng's neck: "The jade flute feels awful; let the jade flute rest."

In the dream, his right palm ached; he gripped the mud‑stained sword tassel, watching Pei Junheng's receding back, then stumbled and seized the half‑broken jade double ring, turned and left Dragon Ridge Mountain.

Wen Qingyin dreamed of many things; finally he piloted a small boat across the black, boundless sea, yet his palm still hurt terribly.

In the uneasy dream he suddenly opened his eyes and saw blood seeping from his wounded palm.

Probably he gripped the jade slip too tightly in his sleep, causing the wound on his palm to split open.

Wen Qingyin picked up the jade slip to check; until now, Pei Junheng has not replied to his message.

He expressionlessly changed the gauze on his hand, poured his own homemade medicine onto the palm, and the unhealed wound hurt so much his hand kept trembling.

But Wen Qingyin was thinking about Pei Junheng.

He hadn't dreamed of those past events for a long time, but since entering the academy he has been dreaming of them repeatedly.

It's all Pei Junheng's fault.

It seems as if he alone cannot leave Dragon Ridge Mountain from back then.

Wen Qingyin didn't understand why Pei Junheng could obviously beat him, yet withdrew his sword at the end.

If it was pity for his palm being stabbed by the sword, why did he point the sword at him then without any hesitation?

His palm has only ever been wounded twice, both times by Pei Junheng's sword.

Wen Qingyin went alone to Rainbow Rain Pavilion for class.

Today Rainbow Rain Pavilion lacked the liveliness of the first day's lesson; only the green and blue groups were present inside.

Asking Chi Feiqian, he learned that after the first day's lesson, due to different cultivation methods, talisman and herbal cultivators studied together in Rainbow Rain Pavilion, while sword and artifact cultivators studied elsewhere.

"Where do they study then?" Wen Qingyin pressed.

"Are you asking about the sword cultivators?" Chi Feiqian's meaningful gaze fell on Wen Qingyin's unnatural expression; just as Wen Qingyin thought his intentions had been seen through by this smiling, fox‑like person, Chi Feiqian leisurely gave the answer he wanted: "The sword and artifact cultivators are at Star‑Plucking Pavilion."

Having received the answer, Wen Qingyin turned to leave, but Chi Feiqian called out: "Don't rush off yet; class isn't over."

How could he still have the mind to worry about that class!

Yet Wen Qingyin still turned around, only to see Chi Feiqian smiling as he handed him a talisman: "This talisman has a stilling effect; it can make the one who bears it stand still in place for a moment."

Could Chi Feiqian have sensed something?

But Chi Feiqian didn't mind Wen Qingyin's doubtful gaze; after handing over the talisman, he slipped away mysteriously.

Wen Qingyin stayed in Rainbow Rain Pavilion until today's lessons ended, then rose and headed for Star‑Plucking Pavilion.

During class he repeatedly peeked at the jade slip, but never saw a reply from Pei Junheng.

Wen Qingyin suspected more than once that his jade slip might be malfunctioning; in fact, Pei Junheng had already blocked him, so Pei Junheng could not receive his messages.

Otherwise, how could Pei Junheng be like a timid turtle, afraid to reply to his messages?

The Star‑Plucking Pavilion of Yingzhou Academy is the tallest building in the academy; standing on it, one feels as if they could reach out and pluck the stars set in the firmament.

As soon as Wen Qingyin arrived at Star‑Plucking Pavilion, he saw sword cultivators in moon‑white uniforms, one of whom looked very familiar.

Qiu Sanchi, who was there, was taking advantage of free time after class to bask in the sun beneath Star‑Plucking Pavilion when the perfect sunlight was suddenly blocked.

Wen Qingyin got straight to the point: "Where is Pei Junheng?"

Qiu Sanchi:?

"No, why are you here again?" Qiu Sanchi said, a green dog‑tail grass dangling from his mouth, his words jerking as he spoke, "Our young sect master certainly doesn't want to see you."

Seeing Qiu Sanchi turn around to head back to Star‑Plucking Pavilion, Wen Qingyin shouted, "Didn't you say your young sect master is stronger than me? If so, let him come fight me one‑on‑one!"

Wen Qingyin's righteous outburst left Qiu Sanchi speechless for a moment: "You……"

But Wen Qingyin had no intention of letting him off easily, pressing further: "Is Pei Junheng not showing up because he's afraid, or is he simply not as skilled as I am?"

Qiu Sanchi was about to argue properly with Wen Qingyin about their young sect master's martial prowess when a low voice suddenly came from behind:

"What exactly are you trying to do?"

Wen Qingyin and Qiu Sanchi turned to look, and there emerged from Star‑Plucking Pavilion none other than Pei Junheng.

The moon‑white sword cultivator uniform made Pei Junheng appear even colder, like a jade‑colored bamboo.

Gazing at Pei Junheng's shoulder, Wen Qingyin said, "Come with me and talk alone, then you'll know."

Those eyes fixed on Wen Qingyin for a moment; finally Pei Junheng nodded, accepting his invitation.

Seeing Pei Junheng agree, Qiu Sanchi blurted out anxiously, "Wen Qingyin surely has ill intentions; young sect master, you must absolutely not go!"

Yet Pei Junheng had already walked off with Wen Qingyin to the side; hearing Qiu Sanchi's remark, Wen Qingyin rolled his eyes, and as he passed Qiu Sanchi his finger twitched slightly.

As Qiu Sanchi anxiously watched the retreating backs of Pei Junheng and Wen Qingyin, the dog‑tail grass he had been chewing, which had been fine up front, suddenly scattered, its fluffy fibers flying and making him sneeze several times.

How did this dog‑tail grass suddenly "explode"?

After sneezing, Qiu Sanchi was completely bewildered.

As he was wondering, Wen Qingyin, walking beside Pei Junheng, suddenly turned back and made a funny face at him.

Sure enough, this despicable herbal cultivator did it!

Had Pei Junheng not forbidden him from going, Qiu Sanchi would have already shouldered his sword and gone up.

Not long after Pei Junheng and Wen Qingyin had set off, Qiu Sanchi, preparing to return to Star‑Plucking Pavilion, suddenly saw a familiar bunch of green herbal cultivators.

"Where is our young sect master?" Zi Shu Zhi demanded aggressively.

Qiu Sanchi had just been resentful from Wen Qingyin's teasing when Zi Shu Zhi showed up right at his door.

Thus Qiu Sanchi crossed his arms and sneered, "Tch, our young sect master and Wen Qingyin went off to duel; the sect grand competition is merely our young sect master letting you off easy—this time your little sect master will probably end up crying~"

No sooner had those words left his mouth than Zi Shu Zhi exploded in fury: "How dare you talk like that!"

The disciples of Myriad Noon Sword Sect, already resentful from losing the sect grand competition, soon found themselves brawling as the verbal battle between the two sides erupted.

Thus a passing immortal saw the light‑blue and green factions pummeling each other.

"Hey hey hey! What are you doing?" Several immortal elders shouted to stop it, and the chaotic fight was forced to stop.

Facing the immortal elders' questioning, the bruised and swollen Zi Shu Zhi and Qiu Sanchi, in perfect unison, said: "Exchanging feelings."

Immortal Elder: "Do you really think I'm blind?"

If their expressions weren't so fierce, the immortal elder could barely believe their nonsense.

One of the immortal elders, who had been on the scene that day when they entered the academy to handle the clash between the two factions, smoothly looked around and asked: "Where are Wen Qingyin and Pei Junheng?"

This time, they actually didn't see the silhouettes of those two leaders.

The scene fell silent for two seconds, when a sword cultivator loudly replied: "They definitely didn't go to the small grove to duel!" As soon as he said that, he immediately drew murderous glances from sword cultivators and pill cultivators in all directions.

They thought Wen Qingyin and Pei Junheng, those troublemakers, had behaved themselves, but who would have expected they'd still knowingly violate the academy rules and fight in private!

The immortal elder laughed in anger: "A duel? Fine, fine, fine—copy the academy rules for me, and I'll go see if what you say is true."

Meanwhile, Wen Qingyin and Pei Junheng had already walked into the woods at the edge, where it was quiet and deserted, a very convenient place for a private talk.

"Pei Junheng, why did you hold back in the sect tournament? You could clearly have tapped my shoulder with your sword hilt." Wen Qingyin stared at Pei Junheng face‑to‑face, not allowing him the slightest escape.

Unexpectedly, Wen Qingyin went to all that trouble to summon him just for the sect tournament matter; a mocking glint appeared in Pei Junheng's pupils, as he had thought…

Pei Junheng didn't want to talk more with Wen Qingyin, the ache in his shoulder still faintly throbbing: "There's no point in bringing this up now."

"No way, let's fight again!" Wen Qingyin reached out to block Pei Junheng, stopping his step as he turned to leave.

Pei Junheng's wrist was slightly cool; the moment Wen Qingyin's hand grasped it, Pei Junheng flicked it away.

"I won't let you go." Wen Qingyin's thin chest heaved violently, his cool eyes almost blazing: "Pei Junheng, what are you afraid of? Afraid of what happened back then? You've always been self‑righteous, do you think this is charity toward me?"

"Between us there's nothing left; you personally severed it back then. Everything is because of you, and you're no different from the others of the Myriad Noon Sword Sect—all of you are hypocrites who betray trust and abandon righteousness!"

Wen Qingyin grew more agitated as he spoke, the tassel on his wrist shaking with his trembling body; these were words he had long wanted to say to Pei Junheng, yet he could neither understand nor make sense of them.

By the end, Wen Qingyin felt his eye sockets almost burning; he stared stubbornly at Pei Junheng, only to be astonished to find that Pei Junheng was no longer his former aloof, carefree self.

Pei Junheng seemed to have been roused to anger by Wen Qingyin's words.

His dark eyes fixed on Wen Qingyin, as if deep flames were surging within.

He didn't know whether he was angry because Wen Qingyin dared to bring up the past, or because those unfamiliar emotions in Wen Qingyin's eyes made him irritable and restless.

Pei Junheng could no longer hold back; the emotions he had concealed in his chest for who knows how long poured out:

"Wen Qingyin, what about you? How good have you become? The Cloud Immortal Sect never properly taught you—this time I'll give you a proper lesson."

Pei Junheng's gaze made Wen Qingyin feel afraid inside; Wen Qingyin had never seen Pei Junheng angry before, but feeling himself blameless, he didn't want to show weakness before Pei Junheng, so he kept his neck stiff and his mouth stubborn.

Still provoking with his mouth, he said: "You're no longer the eternal winner you once were, nor are you my elder brother—stop always using that posture to suppress me."

The Cloud Immortal Sect had nurtured Wen Qingyin too well, leaving him unaware of the immensity of heaven and earth, always speaking his mind as he pleased.

Wen Qingyin's crimson, soft lips kept spouting provocative words without regard for consequence.

Meanwhile, the two strands of spiritual power within Pei Junheng's body began to stir from Wen Qingyin's words, and his gaze upon Wen Qingyin deepened abruptly.

It was like being stared down by a wolf, as if he would be devoured whole in the next second.

A chill rose from behind him, and Wen Qingyin finally realized he was afraid.

He turned to flee, but his wrist was seized—indeed, Pei Junheng pulled him into his embrace.

The gap in physique between the daily‑training sword cultivator and the leisurely herb‑tending pill cultivator was too great; Wen Qingyin had no ability to resist before Pei Junheng.

At this moment, Wen Qingyin became even more certain that Pei Junheng had let him win in the sect tournament.

Pei Junheng lifted Wen Qingyin as easily as picking up a rabbit.

Wen Qingyin suddenly understood Pei Junheng's intention—Pei Junheng actually wanted to… hit him there…!

What humiliation! Even his father had never struck him!

Wen Qingyin struggled all the more violently, but the shackles Pei Junheng forged with his arms were as solid as a mountain—no matter how hard he fought, he could not break free.

Seeing that he was about to be pressed onto Pei Junheng's thigh for a spanking, Wen Qingyin panicked, grabbed something at random from his medicine pouch and flung it at Pei Junheng.

His medicine pouch always held potent drugs; no matter what, they would not let Pei Junheng off easy.

After the pill was thrown, Pei Junheng's movement indeed stopped.

It seems his poison took effect.

Wen Qingyin prepared to take advantage of the moment to get off Pei Junheng's leg, but as soon as he moved, a scorching breath sprayed onto the back of his neck.