'I should take him out of here.'
That much was necessary. Wu Zhu couldn't die, not yet.
Zheng Xie looked at Wu Zhu's mangled, half-conscious form. His flesh was flayed, skin pale from blood loss, and breath shallow. The stench of iron clung to him like mold to rot.
Then flung the boy's body over his shoulder like a sack of rice.
He turned back, retracing his steps through the winding tunnels, leaving the broken corpse of the demonic centipede behind.
When he finally exited the cave system and arrived at the outer court of the sect, he was greeted not by solemnity or silence—
—but by screaming.
A loud, shrill, distinctly human cry.
Zheng Xie raised an eyebrow.
There, near the training ground, was Liang Yu, his face beet red and twisted in agony as he stood on his hands. Or tried to.
His legs wobbled in the air while Wan Ruo and Yun Shi stood on either side, watching him with scholarly scrutiny. Each of them held a long, menacing stick, tapping it rhythmically into their palms like executioners waiting for the cue.
"Keep that core engaged, you degenerate," Wan Ruo said, expression cold.
"If your legs shifts one more inch, we start over," Yun Shi added with a smile that could peel skin.
All around them, the inner court disciples cackled like hyenas, their laughter mixing with Liang Yu's pleas for mercy.
Zheng Xie walked through it like a shadow among the disciples. No one interrupted him. They were all busy tormenting Liang Yu.
He made his way to the elite court, straight to the sect's medicinal hall. The doors slid open with a gentle creak, and the warm scent of herbs and ointments poured out.
The receptionist looked up, expression bored.
Until he saw what—or rather, who—Zheng Xie was carrying.
Wu Zhu.
And he was barely breathing.
The man's face turned pale as parchment. He rushed forward, reaching out with both arms to gently receive the unconscious cultivator. Blood soaked through his sleeves in seconds.
"Oh no… what happened to him?" the receptionist gasped, already signaling for senior healers. "These wounds are messy… serrated damage, internal bruising, ruptured veins… did he fight something weaker and lose? They look chaotic. Thank you for bringing him back. Where did this battle take place? Was he venturing near the ravines?"
Zheng Xie's gaze drifted to the blood that had dried onto his robes, the sticky crimson patches darkened into near black. He looked back toward the receptionist, face unreadable.
"I found him near the caves outside the sect perimeter," he said calmly. "He was mid-battle against a Tempered Realm demonic centipede. Something went wrong. He was already on the verge of collapse when I arrived."
He paused just long enough to make it believable.
"Since he's a fellow sect disciple, I carried him back. His condition was severe. I've done my part. I'd like to take my leave now."
The receptionist, who had begun working on Wu Zhu's stabilization, nodded quickly.
"Of course. You've done more than expected, Zheng Xie. I'll make sure the elders hear of this. You saved his life."
Zheng Xie gave a shallow bow, then turned and walked out without another word.
By the time he stepped outside, the sun had long since set. The gentle breeze brushed against his cheek, playing with strands of his hair.
Zheng Xie closed his eyes for a moment, letting the wind pass over him like a confession.
'I've broken your teachings again… Master.'
His jaw clenched.
'And I'll keep doing so. As many times as it takes. I hope you could find it in your heart to forgive me for being a bad pupil.'
A voice interrupted his thoughts, soft and crystalline.
"Brother Zheng? What are you doing out here so late? Are you… alright? You have blood on your robe."
He opened his eyes slowly.
He already knew who it was. The voice was familiar.
Ling Xue.
The girl who moved like snowfall and spoke like winter's breath.
She stood a few steps away, her silver-white hair glinting under the moonlight like a stream of silk. Her robes were immaculate as always, a soft contrast to the faint gleam of her twin blue eyes. Cold and measured, like twin glaciers observing the world from above.
Zheng Xie turned his head slightly to look at her.
Her presence was like a blade wrapped in silk. Beautiful, poised, and always solemn.
"I was just… taking in the night air," he replied coolly, brushing a speck of dried blood from his sleeve.
Ling Xue's eyes narrowed slightly. "You've been in a fight."
"I was not the one fighting," he said.
She frowned, stepping closer. "Then whose blood is that?"
"A fool's."
Zheng Xie's gaze remained locked on the horizon. His voice was low, barely above a whisper.
"One who thought he was ready to fight monsters… and found out the hard way he wasn't."
She turned her head slightly, her eyes narrowing toward the distant mountains. "Did someone venture into the ravines again? Even after all the warnings?"
Her voice was light. "You'd think they'd remember that the sect prohibited it. There were traces of a soul cultivator there—months ago. But some people just don't learn, now do they?"
Zheng Xie smiled, just a curl of his lips. "You're awfully talkative today. Did something good happen? I'd be pleased to hear it. I'm pleasantly surprised, in fact. Especially since you haven't thrown me out yet."
She let out a hushed sigh, lowering her gaze, as if weighing each syllable carefully before speaking again. The moonlight made her silver hair shimmer faintly, like a soft blade catching starlight.
Zheng Xie watched her with an almost lazy smile tugging at his lips. A smile that did quite reach his eyes.
"Brother Zheng," she finally said, her voice softer than before, "I was merely curious about your condition. That's all. As for not throwing you out…" She hesitated for a breath. "You haven't made any moves toward me either. Did you finally lose interest? If so, then… good for me."
She laughed at the end, a brittle laugh with no humor.
Zheng Xie's smirk deepened. He crossed his arms, then leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a whisper, just enough for only her to hear.
"You were waiting for me to make a move, weren't you, Xue'er?"
She didn't blink.
Didn't step back. Didn't recoil.
Nor did she respond to the intimacy of the name.
Her eyes, cold and unwavering, met his gaze with quiet defiance.
"That's a dream for you, Zheng Xie," she said, voice perfectly even. "I wasn't waiting. I was… curious. I thought maybe you had reformed. But I see now, you're still the same insufferable man. I sometimes think you like getting kicked out of the elite court. Doesn't it ever hurt your pride?"
Zheng Xie laughed.
A real laugh. Light, genuine.
It came unexpectedly, even to him.
"My pride?" He looked toward the darkened sky as if remembering something far, far away. "That died years ago, Xue'er. When my spiritual roots were discovered." His voice grew quieter, but there was no sadness in it—just finality. "So tell me, how could someone like me—someone with no place, no future—still have a pride that can be hurt?"
She lowered her head, guilt flickering across her expression for the first time.
"I'm sorry," she muttered. "I shouldn't have said that…"
He waved a hand dismissively, brushing her apology aside like dust.
"Don't worry about it. I'm not offended," he said. "I've learned to let go of such things. The truth is, I haven't lost interest in you… I've just overcome the need to chase after you like a fool. I suppose I've developed some character."
She smiled at that. A small, reluctant smile. One laced with something warmer, something almost fond.
"That's good to hear," she said softly.
Zheng Xie raised a brow. "What is? That I still like you, or that I've grown?"
She tilted her head, her expression distant as her eyes lingered on him. "The latter," she said at last. "I've said it once before, Brother Zheng, and I'll say it again—I don't want to marry you. Not now. Not ever."
Zheng Xie exhaled slowly, shaking his head with mock regret.
"I'm deeply hurt by your honesty," he said with a grin. "But then again, I've grown used to that answer by now."
Then—without another word, without permission—he stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her.
It wasn't forceful, wasn't violent. Just quiet insistence.
His hands slid around her waist with the confidence of someone who knew exactly what he was doing. Their faces now inches apart.
Ling Xue didn't flinch. She didn't struggle or speak.
Her gaze remained locked with his, unmoving.
"I mean it, Xue'er," Zheng Xie murmured. "Whether you want it or not, you'll become mine. One day, you'll be my partner. My equal. My only."
She didn't blink. "That's just your fantasy, Brother Zheng."
He laughed softly against her breath. "We'll see about that. Time has a habit of proving me right. Especially in the next two weeks."
Her brow furrowed. "Two weeks?"
He stepped back, just a fraction. Enough to see her face fully.
Ling Xue's expression remained calm, but he caught it—the faint twitch in her eye, the momentary shift in her stance.
"What's going to happen in two weeks?" she asked.
Zheng Xie only smiled.
He didn't answer.
"What are you two lovebirds whispering about under the starlight?"
A voice chimed in, flirtatious and overly familiar. Sweet as honey, yet with that typical teasing sharpness only one person could carry.
Hei Xanyu.
Zheng Xie casually pulled away his hand from Ling Xue's waist. His expression remained placid, his hands retreating behind his back like a guilty man pretending innocence. Then he gave a graceful half-bow to the approaching figure.
"It was nothing serious," he said, tone light, "just casual romantic talk under this beautiful night sky. Purely harmless things."
Hei Xanyu clicked her tongue and scoffed. "Tsk. How utterly shameless! You aren't even going to deny the lovebirds part? Have you no shame left, you unruly junior? I think someone deserves some punishment~"
Ling Xue let out a long, drawn-out sigh beside them. "Since when is he a junior, Sister Xanyu? He's our age. Or are you really discriminating based on his rank just because he's still in the inner court?"
Zheng Xie didn't miss a beat. "Xue'er, you might not know this, but Senior Sister Hei is what we call an old hag. Ah—wait, wait, I meant older… yes, definitely older than us."
Hei Xanyu's eyes narrowed, visibly twitching. "You unruly brat!" she shouted. "Did you just call me a hag?! Take that back, Zheng Xie, or I swear I'll beat that smugness off your face!"
But before she could close the distance, Ling Xue tilted her head in curiosity and turned to him with the most innocent expression she could muster. "Wait… is that true? She's older?"
Zheng Xie nodded solemnly, his face the very picture of exaggerated honesty. "I wouldn't lie to you, Xue'er. I've always believed in respecting our elders."
Ling Xue immediately turned to Hei Xanyu with a graceful, respectful bow. "Forgive me, Senior Sister Hei. I've addressed you improperly all this time. I sincerely hope you can find it in your wise and venerable heart to forgive this foolish junior."
Hei Xanyu choked. "Wha—!? No! Don't listen to that lying bastard! Look at his face, he's smiling like a snake! Don't fall for it, Sister Xue, he's making fun of me!"
Both Ling Xue and Zheng Xie burst into soft laughter, their smiles unconsciously syncing in a rare moment of playful unity.
Hei Xanyu stared at the two of them, mouth open, utterly betrayed.
"Oh great," she groaned. "Since when were you two a team? I thought Sister Xue and I had a deeper bond… and now you're siding with this insufferable man? You traitor! Zheng Xie, you're clearly trying to come between sisters!"
Zheng Xie shrugged with exaggerated helplessness. "You're the one who interrupted my romantic evening. I was having a moment here. A perfect night, a beautiful woman… and then you barged in, flapping your mouth like a jealous bird. What kind of senior are you, really? You've no sense of justice."
Hei Xanyu turned to Ling Xue and took her hand dramatically. "Fine then. Since I'm so unruly, I'm confiscating Sister Xue. You can go spend your night alone, staring at stars and regretting your poor life decisions, you smug bastard."
Zheng Xie chuckled under his breath, that lazy, almost sultry laughter that always made Hei Xanyu's fists itch.
"Alright, alright. If you want her, take her. But I must warn you—I don't take the ramblings of a child to heart."
"You—!" Hei Xanyu stepped forward, fury bubbling in her eyes. "I'll show you a child's ramblings! I'll ram this fist down your—!"
But before she could throw a punch, Ling Xue stepped between them, placing a calming hand on Hei Xanyu's shoulder.
"Let it go, Sister Xanyu," she said gently. "You know what he's like. Mischievous to the bone. It's not worth the trouble."
Hei Xanyu stared at her, then at Zheng Xie, who stood with his hands behind his back, still smiling as if none of this touched him in the slightest.
She sighed, throwing her hands up. "Tch. Fine. Just because my lovely Sister says so, I'll let you live tonight, Zheng Xie. But mark my words—if she wasn't here, I'd have buried you already."
He tilted his head with a soft grin. "How kind of you. As expected of my future sister-in-law."
Hei Xanyu blinked. "Wha—?"
Zheng Xie turned away before she could speak, tossing over his shoulder, "Your sister is going to be my wife, of course she'd protect her husband."
And just like that, he vanished into the inner court shadows, leaving behind the indignant shrieks of Hei Xanyu and the faint sound of Ling Xue's amused sigh.
…
The night deepened. Zheng Xie walked silently through the stone paths back to his cottage. The sky was a sea of ink dotted with stars, but none caught his attention. His thoughts had already turned inward.
'I suppose they're still tormenting poor Liang Yu,' he thought with a small, wry smile. 'That idiot better survive till morning.'
None of the disciples were here currently.
He reached his small wooden cottage—unremarkable, tucked in the far edge of the inner court—and gently pushed the door open.
It was quiet. Still. Not even the sound of wind passed through the windows. A silence only those used to loneliness would find comforting.
He stepped inside and shut the door behind him, then sat cross-legged at the center of the room. His eyes closed slowly, breath stabilizing into a slow, practiced rhythm.
The air in the cottage began to stir faintly as Zheng Xie's cultivation ignited.