"What are you two doing?"
Both Wan Yu and Liu Xun snapped back to their sense the moment they heard Elder Chen's cold voice.
Wan Yu didn't expect to see his Shizun appear at this juncture at all. In the past, it was Su Ze who came to look for him, and by the time he returned to his room, no one was there.
Thinking about his 'injury', Wan Yu's eyes couldn't help but twitch.
Seriously, things don't seem to go his way at all...
With an appropriate fear on his face, Wan Yu timidly greeted his Shizun, "... Greetings Shizun."
Elder Chen briefly glanced at his newly accepted disciple. Knowing that he wouldn't get any answer from him, he shifted his line of sight toward the unknown older boy.
"You. Explain."
Being stared at by that pair of stern eyes, Liu Xun reflexively straightened his back. He was not sure whether it was due to the man's pressure as a high-level cultivator or not but he became fearful of him for no odd reason.
Not daring to delay, Liu Xun obediently explained, "Ah, he sprained his ankle and I happened to be nearby."
Even after hearing this, Elder Chen seemed to not be impressed by the news. He wordlessly looked toward the injured area before motioning Liu Xun to follow him back inside.
"Go put him on the bed."
Figuring that Elder Chen would personally check on the injury himself, Liu Xun was happy and quickly did as told not noticing that the child in his hands had a bit of a strange expression the moment he heard those words.
After putting the little protagonist down, Liu Xun was about to excuse himself when he was suddenly cut in by Elder Chen's cold voice.
"You, stay."
Clamping his mouth shut, Liu Xun swallowed his words back into his stomach. Not knowing where to put his feet or hands, he stiffly stood still while looking in their direction.
He thought that it might take a while but surprisingly, the examination only took several seconds.
Retracting his hand, Elder Chen mercilessly dismantled his disciple's lie, "The bone is not fractured nor dislocated. Why are you whining like a baby as if you've lost a leg?"
Wan Yu who is a fully grownup man inside: "..."
Not sure whether it was due to shame or faithfully keeping up with his pretense, Wan Yu simply bowed his head without saying anything in return.
On the sideline, Liu Xun who witnessed this scene couldn't stand still and weakly speak up for the pitiful child, "A child his age would have already cried by now. He is already holding up pretty well..."
He barely finished his words and he was immediately faced with both Master's and Disciple's judging eyes in the next second.
Liu Xun had an illusion that his IQ was being questioned but even if he knew, so what?
One is a Big Ancestor and another is a Little Ancestor, he would only shorten his lifespan by getting on their nerve!
In the meantime, Wan Yu internally groaned at this fool for suddenly jumping out at the wrong time.
For cultivators like them, this skin injury was as good as a small scratch. Ever since four years old, they have been training their stamina and physique. It was ridiculous to complain about this trivial matter.
Nonetheless, Wan Yu still understood that the other party did this out of good intentions for his sake.
"This Disciple has been neglecting his training. I am ashamed to let Shizun see me in such an embarrassing state."
Elder Chen said nothing to his disciple. With a flick of his sleeve, an ointment appeared out of thin air, and fell on the bed.
"Apply this and you, come sit here."
His intention was clear as day.
He is going to give him treatment too.
Liu Xun alternated his gaze between Elder Chen's expressionless face and the spotlessly white bed.
Despite having already cleaned himself, he was still conscious of how embarrassing his state was. He awkwardly declined, "This is not good... I might dirty the bed."
Elder Chen immediately replied without batting an eyelid, "Let him wash it then."
Liu Xun: "..."
Feeling a bit speechless, he couldn't help but look in the little protagonist's direction. Noticing that the little child seemed to hear nothing and quietly tended to his injury, he suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for him.
In the end, Liu Xun still went to sit down as told in a spot right next to the little protagonist.
Elder Chen wasted no time and gently grabbed his right wrist. Soon after, a white light began to gather on top of his palm.
The white light then penetrated his skin and Liu Xun could feel the cold sensation quickly spread from his wrist to the other part of his body in a matter of seconds.
Strangely enough, it didn't feel uncomfortable and threatening which made the earthling Liu Xun became fascinated with this treatment.
This time though, Elder Chen took quite a long time before he took back his hand. He then lifted his eyelids and stared at his patient without saying anything.
As a patient in question, Liu Xun couldn't help but become uneasy in the face of this sudden silence.
"... Is something wrong with me?"
Elder Chen didn't filter his words and honestly said, "You are a total mess."
Liu Xun: "..."
"Continuing with your lifestyle, you might not make it past this winter."
Liu Xun: "..."
"New injuries on top of the old ones without proper treatment and nourishment. How did you even survive till now?"
Liu Xun: "..."
Catching his dumbfounded look, Elder Chen raised his brow, "Don't believe me?"
The flabbergasted Liu Xun tremblingly voiced out his opinion, "Doctor... I am 10... QAQ"
Despite hearing this, Elder Chen didn't feel any remorse. He disdainfully sneered, "So? To death, age is just a number."
Liu Xun: "..."
At this moment, Liu Xun didn't know whether he should be grateful or regret taking this medical counsel from this eccentric Elder.
He felt like he was one step closer to vomiting blood after listening to his diagnosis.
While Liu Xun was lost in his thoughts, Elder Chen suddenly put away his sarcasm and seriously said, "Your spiritual root got dug."
This information not only startled Liu Xun but even Wan Yu who was blending into the background couldn't retain the shock in his eyes.
Honestly speaking, the moment Wan Yu witnessed his disfigured face, he had already recognized the other person's identity.
Xiao Xu or Ghostface was the only mortal who successfully entered the Heavenly Sect's gate solely due to his sheer willpower.
Unfortunately, this place was not forgiving toward someone who couldn't cultivate. In the end, he was recruited to the Outer Sect and that's it.
Wan Yu has never heard any news of this person again in his past life.
Either like his Shizun declared and he didn't make it past this winter and passed away quietly or...
He laid low, living a mediocre life, and left the sect when he became an adult.
Wan Yu was more inclined to believe the second possibility since this way, it would make sense why the present Ghostface behaved like this after his rebirth.
That's right, he ruled that Ghostface was in the same situation as him.
To be precise, the moment this person interfered with his affair, he had already exposed himself as a variable.
This conjecture was further solidified the moment Wan Yu sensed his anxiety after the other side recognized who he (WY) was.
Where did this nervousness stem from?
His reputation was good and everyone knew that he was fair and just.
Only those who came to make trouble for him should be worried about meeting him again.
If this were to be the case, Wan Yu would gladly send him back to meet King Yama once again.
[A/N: King Yama = King of hell.]
Unexpectedly, so far he didn't detect any resentment or hatred from this person.
His kindness didn't seem to be fabricated either which made Wan Yu restrain his thought of snapping that fragile neck that was close to his hands a while ago.
Yet, after hearing his Shizun's statement, Wan Yu's gaze on that thin and pitiful figure suddenly became complicated.
Not knowing Wan Yu's slight change of mind, Liu Xun who was exposed by Elder Chen only wavered for a bit before nodding his head.
It is no use lying so might as well come clean.
Receiving a positive answer, Elder Chen proceeded to ask, "Who?"
At this question, Liu Xun slowly shook his head.
Seeing this, Elder Chen clicked his tongue in displeasure, "What a shame."
Hearing this, Liu Xun was a bit confused and unknowingly blurted out, "Why?"
Elder Chen looked at him as if he was an idiot and replied in a matter-of-fact tone, "What else? To dig it back."
Liu Xun: "..." Is spiritual root a mere potato to you?
What is this? Why does everything he said doesn't make any sense but at the same time it does??
"Grrr..."
Amidst this somewhat solemn atmosphere, the loud sound of a certain person's rumbling stomach abruptly reverberated throughout the room.
Both Master and Disciple pair instantly turned to look at the culprit in unison.
Liu Xun deeply bowed his head to avoid their gazes. He hugged his stomach hoping that it would stop making this embarrassing sound.
... At this rate, I might as well just dig a hole and bury myself haha.
Surprisingly, Elder Chen didn't make fun of him and turned to his youngest Disciple, "Take him to the small kitchen and bring him to my study afterward."
Wan Yu respectfully obeyed his order, "This disciple understands."
Elder Chen then strode out without saying anything. Liu Xun was almost moved to tears by his unexpected considerable gesture.
Not only did he give him treatment for free, but he even gave him food to eat. What a great man ah!
Completely forgetting Elder Chen's previous sharp tongue, Liu Xun happily followed Wan Yu to the small kitchen.
He was given two big meat buns and a bowl of vegetable soup which was enough for his small body.
Liu Xun took a bite of the meat bun but all of a sudden, he paused.
Wanting to confirm something, he quickly took a sip of the vegetable soup and afterward, he fell into silence.
They were all tasteless.
Liu Xun internally groaned. He should have expected this situation long ago. Since foods meant nothing to cultivators, they didn't care about the taste at all!
Nonetheless, he said nothing and quietly finished his food without leaving anything behind.
On the other hand, Wan Yu has been silently watching from the sideline.
His appearance might not make the cut but his table manner was surprisingly good.
His sitting posture was straight, he didn't make loud sounds while chewing nor spilling any food on the table.
He ate at neither a fast nor slow pace and each bite was chewed properly before swallowing.
As if he was not in a hurry and simply enjoyed a normal meal.
Wan Yu thoughtfully narrowed his eyes at this discovery.
This person should have led quite a decent and honest life in the previous timeline.
"Xu ge, you already finished?"
Still not used to his new name, Liu Xun only realized a beat later that the little protagonist was referring to him.
"... You know my name?"
In return, Wan Yu smiled and meaningfully said, "Should I not know? You are quite famous though."
Liu Xun didn't suspect anything and replied with a light smile, "Oh, nothing. It has been a long time since I heard someone call my actual name."
In Wu Jing's memories, whenever he ran into another person, they would look at him disgustingly and call him 'Ghostface' or trash while mocking him for shamelessly staying here despite being unable to cultivate.
Therefore, Liu Xun was somewhat grateful that the little protagonist remembered Wu Jing's name.
Meanwhile, at the same time, Wan Yu's smile hardened as this was not the reaction that he was expecting.
Being stared at by those pairs of grateful eyes, Wan Yu quickly averted his eyes and turned around.
Putting away his fake smile, Wan Yu beckoned to the person behind him, "Let's get going. Shizun is waiting for us."
Liu Xun uttered an oh and slowly got up from his seat.
However, halfway through, the same soft voice was heard once more.
"You are called Xiao Xu, I know."
Liu Xun looked at that small back in surprise. It then dawned on him why he suddenly mentioned this out of nowhere.
At this realization, Liu Xun's gaze couldn't help but soften.
He gave a light chuckle, "I also know that your name is Wan Yu."