As she spoke, Banfenghe was about to force-feed the medicine to Qing Qing.
But Li Xian grabbed her wrist first and then shook it off forcefully.
"I don't trust you!"
Banfenghe shook her sore wrist aggrievedly and said, "How dare I harm him in front of you two? I'm just following the sect master's orders. If I don't, it'll be me lying on this bed!"
With that, Banfenghe quickly forced the medicine down Qing Qing's throat.
Her movements were rather rough. A small half of the medicine spilled onto Qing Qing's already shabby collar. The dark-brown liquid spread out, making Qing Qing look even more disheveled.
After finishing feeding the medicine, Banfenghe stepped back as if she had completed her task. Shen Qing took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped Qing Qing's face.
Less than half an hour later, Qing Qing, who had taken the medicine, slowly regained consciousness.
He first opened his eyes slowly and looked around in a daze. When he saw Shen Qing and Li Xian, surprise flashed in his eyes. Then he saw Banfenghe behind them, and the surprise in his eyes faded a bit.
"Li Xian, Shen Qing, why are you here..." Qing Qing's voice was hoarse and sounded extremely weak.
Seeing that Qing Qing wanted to struggle to sit up, Shen Qing quickly propped up his pillow and helped him lean against the headboard.
"Thank you, Junior Sister Fenghe. You're here to feed me medicine, right?"
Banfenghe nodded and said, "I'm here to feed you medicine by the order of the sect master. These two fellow cultivators have something to talk to you. You can catch up first. The sect master will come later."
Saying this, Banfenghe gave Qing Qing a meaningful look and then left.
After Banfenghe left, Qing Qing, who had endured for a long time, began to cough violently, as if he was going to cough out his lungs.
In the end, Qing Qing even spat out some dark-brown medicine juice. His face turned a sickly red from the exertion.
"I'm really ashamed to let you see me in such a miserable state..."
Qing Qing raised his head embarrassedly and gave Shen Qing and Li Xian a wan smile.
Li Xian was a bit angry: "At a time like this, why are you still saying such things? If we hadn't accidentally heard Elder Lianqiao say that you were seriously ill, we would still be kept in the dark. You're in such a state, why did you still hide it from us!"
Qing Qing was a bit surprised: "After knowing you for so many years, this is the first time I've heard you say so many words."
"I thought... you were a stutterer..."
Li Xian rolled her eyes in annoyance and plopped down heavily on Qing Qing's bed, almost collapsing the fragile wooden bed.
"Tell me, what kind of life have you been living in the Qingmu Sect? This shabby hut is not even fit for the handyman disciples of the Five Elements Dao Sect, yet you, the esteemed young sect master, live in such a dilapidated place!"
A bitter smile tugged at Qing Qing's lips: "Originally, this wasn't my courtyard. After I took the pill and fell into a coma last time, I woke up and was moved here."
"The sect master said that my illness was not suitable for recuperation in a bustling place. And because of my... special status, I must keep it a secret. That's why I was moved to this desolate courtyard."
Shen Qing asked puzzledly: "When you were moved here, didn't anyone in the sect find it strange and raise objections?"
Qing Qing shook his head, but the movement made his head throb. It felt like the world was spinning in front of his eyes.
He had been lying in bed for too long and in a coma for too long. And the thin spiritual energy here was not conducive to his recovery. So, Qing Qing felt that the pain in his body had been magnified several times.
After taking a moment to recover, he continued: "Sect Master Qingdai has extremely high prestige in the sect. Generally, no one will question the decisions she makes."
"Moreover, she used to treat me very well in front of others. No one would believe that she would treat me like this..."
"Even I... almost didn't believe it."
The atmosphere suddenly froze. The three of them fell silent.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop as well, just like the atmosphere.
Qing Qing sat on the bed with his hair disheveled, looking extremely broken. Shen Qing and Li Xian felt very heartache for him.
He was so glorious in front of others, but behind the scenes, he was living such a life in the sect.
If it were told to others, no one would believe it.
Seeing Qing Qing's attitude was a bit downcast, Shen Qing hesitated for a moment but still broke the silence in the room and asked, "So what are your plans..."
"Do you know that the poison on you might have been deliberately done by Elder Qingdai? The Ziyanshen I brought before wasn't even used on you..."
"I know!"
Qing Qing's emotions were inexplicably agitated. He closed his eyes to hide the pain in his eyes.
After a moment, he replied in a pained whisper, "I know..."
"The Wansheng Fruit chose me, so I became the young sect master. But my body simply doesn't allow me to refine the Elixir of Immortality. If that's the case, what's the use of being the master of the Wansheng Fruit if I can't become the sect master?!"
"I can't produce the Elixir of Immortality. Why did the Wansheng Fruit choose me!"
Qing Qing raised his hands to cover his face. Sobs of pain leaked out from between his fingertips, making Shen Qing and Li Xian feel extremely heavy-hearted.
Unable to bear seeing his friend so downcast, Li Xian spoke up to console him: "Since the Wansheng Fruit chose you, there must be something special about you. Why do you belittle yourself like this? There must be other ways."
Qing Qing lowered his hands, still with tears streaming down his face.
He suppressed the depression in his heart, his voice tinged with sobs: "There are no other ways... I'm not worthy of the Wansheng Fruit. I know you're here to persuade me to give up the position of young sect master..."
Saying this, he forced a bitter smile: "It's all fine, it's all fine. What do they want? Just take it..."
Seeing that Qing Qing had misunderstood, Shen Qing quickly explained: "No, we're not here to persuade you to give up. We're very worried about you because you're so downcast. We hope you can cheer up..."
"No, no, no!" Qing Qing shook his head frantically, seemingly very resistant. "You don't understand anything. Don't try to persuade me. I've made up my mind."
"I'm just a useless person who can't do anything," Qing Qing's painful and broken state made Shen Qing and Li Xian feel as if they were being crushed by a boulder.
"Qing Qing..." Shen Qing reached out his hand, wanting to pat his shoulder for comfort, but was flung away by Qing Qing.
Qing Qing shouted emotionally: "Don't touch me, don't touch me!!"
Seeing Qing Qing's strong resistance, Shen Qing stood there stunned.
But at this moment, Li Xian sensed something was wrong.
"Shen Qing, step back!"
Hearing this, Shen Qing instinctively took a step back, just in time to avoid Qing Qing's attacking hand.
"The medicine just now is problematic. Qing Qing is starting to act strange. Be careful!"
Li Xian protected Shen Qing behind her and watched Qing Qing warily.
At this time, Shen Qing also came to his senses and noticed that there was something wrong with Qing Qing. His originally pale face showed an unusual redness, and there was a cruelty in his eyes that didn't originally belong to him.
"You also think I'm a useless person, right? Why are you avoiding me? Aren't we good friends?!"
Qing Qing threw off the blanket on him, got out of bed barefoot, and stepped forward menacingly.