Qing Qing was helped up by Jiang Zhiyun. The consecutive days of coma and taking medicine had made him lose weight rapidly. Standing on his own had become a luxury.
Jiang Zhiyun's eyes were red with heartache. The confession she blurted out in a moment of desperation just now made her feel shy in hindsight.
Both of them blushed and dared not look each other in the eye.
Seeing that Qing Qing had regained his senses, Shen Qing heaved a sigh of relief for the time being.
After recovering together with Li Xian, the two supported each other and came to Jiang Zhiyun and Qing Qing.
"Qing Qing, how do you feel now?" Shen Qing asked worriedly.
Qing Qing showed an extremely weak smile with dark circles under his eyes. "I don't know what came over me just now. A surge of resentment woke me up. When I came to, all I wanted was to kill everything in front of me. I didn't really mean to attack you. Please forgive me."
Seeing Qing Qing return to normal, Li Xian's expression also calmed down. He walked over and gently punched Qing Qing in the chest. "I should have run you through with my sword just now to save myself from such a mess."
Qing Qing staggered a step and smiled at Li Xian. "You're not the kind of person to take advantage of me when I'm down. What happened just now was my fault. I'll make it up to you in the future."
Li Xian quickly refused. "There's no need for all these words between us."
Qing Qing laughed, looking much more energetic.
The two looked at each other and smiled, understanding each other without words.
Qing Qing's small thatched cottage had been completely destroyed, leaving only a mess. The originally desolate small courtyard looked even more miserable.
The group had no choice but to clear a relatively clean area in the yard and sit cross - legged.
"I haven't asked you yet. Why did you suddenly appear here?" Qing Qing asked Shen Qing and Li Xian after taking a short rest.
Shen Qing told Qing Qing everything that had happened just now. Qing Qing's face turned even paler, and he angrily punched the ground.
"I've long known they had ill intentions, but I didn't expect they would drag you into this!"
"Master used to treat me well, but ever since she knew I couldn't change my constitution and couldn't refine the elixir of immortality, her attitude towards me changed. Ban Fenghuo was an orphan girl she picked up from outside half a year ago."
"Although she didn't officially take Ban Fenghuo under her name, she still found a good master for her."
"Cough, cough, cough!!"
Qing Qing suddenly started coughing violently in the middle of his speech.
Shen Qing continued. "Was the master the Sect Master found for her Elder Lianshan?"
Qing Qing nodded while patting his chest. After taking a short break, he said, "Yes. Originally, the Sect Master wanted to put her under Elder Lianqiao, but Elder Lianqiao strongly resisted. There was no other way, so she was put under Elder Lianshan."
"Her sudden appearance made many disciples in the sect dissatisfied. The requirements for selecting direct disciples and inner - sect disciples in our sect are extremely strict. They have to pass tests and trials, a total of five levels."
"Moreover, there's an elimination every six months. If a direct disciple or inner - sect disciple fails the exam, they'll be demoted."
"So Ban Fenghuo took a spot for a direct disciple. Coupled with the Sect Master's closeness to her, some people were dissatisfied."
"Actually, Ban Fenghuo's life in the sect wasn't easy either..."
While helping Qing Qing catch his breath, Jiang Zhiyun said indignantly, "We dislike her not only for this reason but also because of her strange behavior on weekdays."
"When there were things to do, she always clung to the male disciples and ignored the female disciples. Since there are more female disciples in our sect, over time, the sisters didn't like her."
"Qing Qing, you're so kind - hearted. You're the only one in the whole sect who still had a good attitude towards her. But who would have thought she would stab you in the back!!"
Jiang Zhiyun gritted her teeth in anger, looking as if she wanted to tear Ban Fenghuo to pieces and eat her.
Shen Qing asked, "The Sect Master punished you to copy the Pharmacopoeia. You should haven't finished it yet. Is it okay for you to run out like this?"
Jiang Zhiyun looked a bit deflated and hung her head. "Originally, the Sect Master didn't like me coming here, but I couldn't care less. If I didn't come to take care of Qing Qing, who else in the sect would dare to?"
These words made Shen Qing have a clearer understanding of Qing Qing's status in the Qingmu Sect.
"But with Qing Qing in this state, don't Elders Lianqiao and Lianshan care?"
Jiang Zhiyun shook her head and then nodded. "They used to care, but they've been too busy recently and have been away from the sect for some time. And the other elders didn't dare to speak in front of Sect Master Qingdai, so they could only secretly ask me to bring some things here."
"The other disciples in the sect were also afraid of getting into trouble, so they only secretly sent some medicine..."
Hearing this, Shen Qing looked at Qing Qing with heartache, but Qing Qing gave her a reassuring smile.
"I have no more use value, so it's natural for the Sect Master to want to abandon me. But I don't care. It's okay."
However, Shen Qing saw through Qing Qing's disguise. "If you really didn't care, how could you have fallen into the devil's way because of a bowl of medicine from Ban Fenghuo?"
Qing Qing stiffened his back and then deflated with a bitter smile. "Even if I care, what can I do? I can't refine the elixir of immortality. It's inevitable that I'll have to give up the position of young sect master."
Before Qing Qing could continue to wallow in his grief, Shen Qing asked, "What about Wanwusheng? It has already recognized you as its master. If you forcefully break the contract, the backlash will fall on you. You'll not only lose your cultivation but also affect Wanwusheng."
Wanwusheng seemed to understand Shen Qing's words and quietly climbed from Qing Qing's wrist to his shoulder.
It shook its two small leaves, as if resisting Qing Qing's intention to abandon it.
Qing Qing weakly raised his hand and touched Wanwusheng.
"Little guy, I don't want to part with you either, but..."
Seeing that Qing Qing was about to sink into grief again, Wanwusheng suddenly grew thorns and pricked Qing Qing's fingertip.
Qing Qing withdrew his hand in pain and helplessly looked at the naughty Wanwusheng.
"Do you really not want to part with me?"
Wanwusheng turned into a vine and wrapped around Qing Qing's neck, its small leaves gently trembling.
"You don't want to, and neither do I. Since that's the case, I'll fight for you one more time."
Seeing the good relationship between Qing Qing and Wanwusheng, Shen Qing couldn't help but stroke Wu Wang.
Wu Wang emitted a bit of chill on Shen Qing's wrist, as if responding.
After more than an hour of persuasion from Shen Qing, Li Xian, and Jiang Zhiyun, Qing Qing finally cheered up. Of course, Wanwusheng contributed the most.
Just as Qing Qing was about to prepare a potion for himself to recover his body, the sound of many footsteps came from the slope in the distance.
"Sect Master, I don't know what happened either. I only brought Fellow Daoist Shen and Fellow Daoist Li to the young sect master's bedroom, but they angrily drove me out. I don't know if they're going to do something to the young sect master."
Ban Fenghuo's voice was slightly aggrieved, insinuating that Shen Qing and Li Xian were going to attack Qing Qing.
Immediately afterwards, Elder Lianshan's anxious voice came. "Then why did you come to call us only now!?"