It took them a week to get back to the sect. As Liu Wei has lost his sword, and Yu Qingyu was badly wounded, they had to resort to renting a carriage. It slowed them down, but there was nothing Yu Qingyu could do about it. Luckily, thanks to sealing his meridians in time, at least demonic qi did not spread. His wounds, although they were not healing well, were not festering either.
To his surprise, Liu Wei continued to change his bandages every day. He was most definitely not gentle about it, and caused Yu Qingyu a lot of pain in the process, but at least he was doing it properly. The first night they stayed at an inn, he just approached Yu Qingyu with fresh bandages, and proceeded to change his dressing without a word.
Of course, Yu Qingyu was immensely grateful for that. He wouldn't be able to do it so well on his own, but at the same time, he would have never dared to ask Liu Wei for help. But since the man offered to help on his own… There was no reason for Yu Qingyu to refuse.
Once they finally got back to the mountain, Yu Qingyu was immediately taken care of by the best healers. He was one of the Peak Masters, after all, so he held a position of high importance within the sect.
Liu Wei, on the other hand, wandered off somewhere on his own, and Yu Qingyu didn't see him again for the next two weeks.
***
"How is Shizun feeling today?"
Yu Qingyu lifted his eyes from the book he was reading. He was sitting on a bed in a large, but mostly empty room on Yuliu Peak, when he was asked to remain until he was fully healed.
The person who had just entered the room was Liu Wei. But now that they were back in the sect, Liu Wei once again resumed his identity as Xue Molin, a filial disciple. After going missing for two weeks, he was like a completely different person. He was constantly in and out of Yu Qingyu's room, coursing between Yuliu and Chunren Peaks, taking care of Yu Qingyu, always saying shizun this and shizun that… But his politeness was full of mockery.
It made Yu Qingyu uncomfortable. He much preferred Liu Wei acting like his real self… But what right did he have to complain?
So he forced himself to play along instead.
"Mn, I'm feeling well, thank you. How are things on Chunren Peak?" he asked, raising the corners of his mouth in a strained smile.
"Everything is fine…" Liu Wei smiled in response. The smile seemed somewhat genuine, which made Yu Qingyu feel a bit alarmed.
"Has anything new happened?" he tried inquiring.
But of course, even if there was anything noteworthy to report, Liu Wei wasn't going to say anything. Instead he answered, "Nothing particularly new. Shizun doesn't need to worry~"
Of course, that had the opposite effect, and made Yu Qingyu even more anxious. He made a mental note to ask other disciples when they visit… But their visits were much rarer, unfortunately. They were coming every day at first, but ever since Liu Wei returned, he completely monopolized Yu Qingyu's time. He probably did something to keep other disciples away.
Thankfully, due to the healers' efforts, Yu Qingyu's wounds were mostly healed. He would be finally released in a few days. He was planning to first figure out what was going on on Chunren Peak, before going back on the journey again. He still had to find the cure after all, and the clock was ticking…
"I will be going on a journey again once I recover," he informed Liu Wei. "Are you going to follow me this time as well?"
"Of course! Shizun, I will follow you wherever you go! Even to another world!" Liu Wei exclaimed enthusiastically.
'Please don't,' Yu Qingyu thought, but didn't say it out loud. Because he knew that Liu Wei will, in fact, follow him to another world. But definitely not with any good intentions!
But he couldn't stop him from doing that, and trying to stop Liu Wei from following him around in this world was pointless as well. It's not like he would listen anyway. So all Yu Qingyu could do was to sigh helplessly.
"Ask Zhao Weixin to visit me later today," he said, turning his eyes back to the book in his hands. "I need to discuss something with him."
"But Shizun, can't you just pass any messages through me? There is no need for Weixin-shixiong to interrupt his training to come all the way here, is there?" Liu Wei protested, with a pouting expression on his face.
Yu Qingyu threw a scrutinizing glance at the man. Liu Wei was trying to keep Zhao Weixin away from him, without a doubt. Something must really be going on.
"Those are the matters regarding the management of Chunren Peak. It is not something that can be solved with a short message," he explained.
Of course, that was just an excuse, but at least one Liu Wei couldn't refute. Xue Molin, although talented in martial arts and cultivation, was not a bookish type. He definitely was not familiar with something like management, which he would consider to be boring and dreary. Meaning, Liu Wei couldn't have received such skills from his system. And back in his original world, he wasn't good at managing people either. That was one of Chen Rumin's responsibilities…
So he could only bow down, and say, "This disciple understands. If Shizun wishes so, I will go and bring Weixin-shixiong now."
"Mn, that would be great." Yu Qingyu nodded lightly, and pretended to return to his lecture. As soon as Liu Wei left the room though, he closed the book and leaned back with a sigh.
Only to straighten back up right away. Although his wounds were mostly healed, he was still not supposed to lie down on his back. He couldn't help but let out another sigh.
'520, what do you think is going on?' he asked the system.
But 520 was none the wiser about the situation, as it could only perceive the world through his eyes. So all it could say, was [Liu Wei's behavior is certainly suspicious. Host should try to have private conversations with the rest of the disciples, or perhaps with other sect members living on Chunren Peak, to figure out the situation and solve any problems before going on a journey again.]
Yu Qingyu nodded his head, lost in thought.
[But Host doesn't need to worry. There are still over four years left,] 520 reassured him.
'Yeah, you're right…' Yu Qingyu finally relaxed a bit, a light smile appearing on his face.
He had no idea just how wrong 520 was…