"I thought I asked him to repent in the pond all day long," Xiaoling frowned and asked as soon as she entered, "Explain this!"
Hai sighed in relief. At least she didn't ask why he was tucked in her precious quilt.
"Master," Ru respectfully clasped his hands and bowed to her, "It was I who ordered him to leave the pond."
Xiaoling turned to Ru, "Why did you do that?" Her tone was gentle with Ru, no matter how angry she was.
"He couldn't cultivate his inner channels, so I checked his spiritual roots just to be sure," Ru explained, "I discovered that Mr. Yuan's spiritual roots have been damaged beyond salvation."
Xiaoling and Hai's eyes widened at Ru's discovery, whereas Weisheng cluelessly stayed in his cozy spot, wondering what their jargon meant.
Xiaoling looked at Weisheng before reaching for the corner of the quilt to pull it away. Weisheng's eyes widened when Xiaoling leaned toward him. She pressed her ear against his bare chest. Suddenly, she gasped and pulled up, quickly tucking him back inside the quilt.
"You're right… His spiritual roots don't even look normal!" Xiaoling murmured in concern, "Ru, what causes one's spiritual roots to be damaged to this extent?"
Ru cleared his throat, "As far as my knowledge goes, it's inherently impossible to have such spiritual roots," He explained, "Spiritual roots can be damaged if one committed too many sins in one's previous life. However…"
"However?" Xiaoling narrowed her eyes.
"This much damage can only be due to the Cursed Eye. I can imagine that Mr. Yuan's past life might have some part in it, but if he committed so many sins, he wouldn't be reborn as a human." Ru finished his explanation.
Xiaoling exhaled deeply, "I can't keep suppressing the Cursed Eye using my internal energy…" She murmured, "What should I do?"
"First, Mr. Yuan needs to understand all of these concepts," Ru said, "While he understands these, I shall try and look for a way to fix his spiritual roots."
Xiaoling sighed and nodded, "You two may leave now," She murmured, "Please cook a medicinal porridge for Weisheng. We can't have him catch a cold."
Ru clasped his hands in front of him and bowed. Seeing that, Hai waved his hand cluelessly. Ru and Hai left the room together.
Weisheng exhaled deeply before sitting up. The quilt slipped from his upper body, revealing his bare shoulders.
"You should rest," Xiaoling narrowed her eyes, pulling the quilt up to cover him.
Weisheng shook his head, reaching for his button-up shirt which was folded beside his pillow. He quickly slipped it on, buttoning it right away.
"Weisheng," Xiaoling raised an eyebrow, "If you're planning to go somewhere, forget about it." She muttered sternly, "Lie down. You should rest."
Weisheng sighed, "I feel like throwing up if I lie down," He clarified his actions in a wavering voice.
Xiaoling frowned before laying her hand flat against his forehead, "You're fine. Why do you feel sick?" She asked in confusion.
Weisheng shrugged and looked away. Xiaoling scooted closer to him and narrowed her eyes. He kept his gaze away.
"What's wrong?" Xiaoling asked, "No one is here. You can tell me."
Weisheng quietly shook his head, keeping his gaze away from her. Xiaoling grabbed his chin and pulled his face toward herself. His eyes widened in surprise.
"If you won't say how you feel, how would I know the way to help you?" Xiaoling asked in a gentle voice despite her tight grip on his chin, "You feel sick because of your mind, right? Man up, and tell me. I'll listen without an opinion."
Weisheng's wide eyes slowly shrunk down to a frown. All this time, he had been trying not to think about it. The more he pushed his problems away, the more they came back. He gulped.
"I don't know," Weisheng admitted and looked down, "I don't know what to feel."
Xiaoling slowly let his chin go. His sickness made sense. It had been one week since his childhood best friend's death, two days since he had encountered the Cursed Eye, and only one day since the Cursed Eye had made him murder a person who also used to be his childhood friend. Not only that, he didn't understand anything about the other realms or cultivation. Of course, he was lost.
"Come," Xiaoling spread her arms in front of him, "I can't tell you to feel good about it. But I can comfort you," She smiled and tilted her head.
Weisheng's eyes widened, and he instantly looked away. Suddenly, Xiaoling grabbed his arms to pull him toward her, wrapping her arms around him before he could pull away.
"I won't eat you," Xiaoling assured him, "Just think of me as emotional support for now."
Weisheng, who was putting his strength in pulling away, finally accepted his defeat. Xiaoling was very warm, so he didn't want to pull away anymore.
"What should I do?" Weisheng asked in a low voice. He was asking for genuine advice.
Xiaoling hummed to think, "You should put all your trust in me," She suggested, "I will find answers for you, solve cases for you, and fix your eyes."
Weisheng pulled away to look at her in confusion, "Why are you so nice to me?"
Xiaoling raised an eyebrow before smiling, "Silly Weisheng, I get paid for this!"
Weisheng cracked into a faint smile at last. He diminished his smile with mixed emotions. Although his life was constantly on a bumpy roller coaster ride, he felt like he could blindly trust Xiaoling.
Weisheng awkwardly clasped his hands before him, "Master," He called her, "Fix my problems."
Xiaoling smiled brightly, nodding in approval.