Wen Gen doubted there was tea strong enough in the world to deal with his headache. But as it was, he imagined sipping one, as he made his way to the Xue house.
The mountain path was well filled with sharp rocks, and it's terrain wasn't very inviting to those who weren't active a day in their life.
But knowing the man Yan Qingshan, he doubted he intended for it to.
After all, he thought ruefully, as he climbed the stairs, and Xiong Meng skipped back to his abode, He hardly likes company.
He couldn't help but despise the founders, just a little. First they chose a place near the opening to the demon realm, and then they also picked hard to climb mountains!
Thank goodness qiankun pouches exist!
________________________
As soon as Xiong Meng left, Yan Qingshan set at releasing himself from the clutches of his sheet.
However, he only managed to further tangle up the sheets, when he heard the tell tale steps on stone, and immediately composed himself.
Why, he thought morosely, must I still remain trapped in sheets?!
This is why, their interactions went this:
YQS: *bows slightly, still on bed* This shidi greets shixiong...
WG: No need for shidi to greet, he is unwell after all.
Wen Gen looks a little closely. Without trying to make a big deal of it, he asked.
WG: Is shidi perhaps...stuck in his sheets?
Yan Qingshan had a reputation at stake. He decided to bullshit.
YQS: Hardly! Why would this shidi be stuck in his sheets.
The system's red screen burst into existence, and struck all its alarm noises, [OOC, OOC, OOC! OO- OO- OOOOOOOOOOO- YA- Yan Qingshan would never say that!]
Yan Qingshan clutched his head in pain, as the alarm bells went off without any tire. He bent forward, his brows furrowed in pain as he forced out a daring and perhaps sulky, "Does shixiong beleive this one to be so incapable?"
WG:...
The atmosphere was so awkward that Yan Qingshan sweated bullets.
Perhaps because Wen Gen was a kind merciful soul, or he hardly cared, he just checked his spiritual veins, and moved Yan Qingshan a little bit, before declaring him perfectly fine and left without another word.
___________________________
Yan Qingshan moved within his 'home', getting prepared like he used to do. This time the system made no noise, for there wasn't anyone to see him.
He turned the house upside, searching for any and all scrolls, and lists, or any sort of record. He had found at least 4 yellow books, and began seriously doubting the originals taste.
He forced himself to look away and focus on the task at hand.
The first time, he hadn't really paid mind to what point in the timeline he was.
BIG MISTAKE.
Most of his disciples were buried by the time he really understood. He had just did as the system told him. After all, he had recently died. He was still trying to recover from shock.
Perhaps it was, in a way, only his and his fault the sect was destroyed.
This time it won't, he promised himself.
And launched himself into the mess of Yan Qingshan's home. The man's house was awfully unkempt for such a 'dignified' and 'moral' individual.
Perhaps he would find something about his past too, somewhere within the mess.....
______________________________
The author's summary for He Xiaotong's backstory, to ease the new readers of "The path of the demon lord" into the story.
He Xiaotong, was a slave child.
He Xiaotong knew his parents, and he remembered them. They were who brought him home, and gave him soft words. They would whisper and joke, and he would giggle uncontrollably.
But then they disappeared, and 'home' did too.
To him, it was as if they were gone, and they were.
The slavers took him in. They hurt him, but they gave him food too. Without food, nothing felt really nice. They told him to stay put, he would stay put. They told him to quiet, he stayed quiet.
But beneath his obedience, he was also a liar. He and Xu Bo, they began to plan. They would beg together, and manage to save some of the coins. They would hide it.
Because they had a dream.
They wished to be cultivators. The two young boys, who were slaves, wished to be powerful. To fly on swords, to reach the top.
They managed to find an opportunity to escape, when they were being taken to another buyer on cart. They set the cart on fire, and managed to run away. They reached the gates of Linglian sect, which sook talent even from the dust. It was not one of the four main sects, but it was the only one which would have even a minimal chance of taking them in.
Where even the poor had a chance.
But the master who selected him, he didn't seem to like him? He acted like the sect master had forced him to take He Xiaotong as a disciple.
He and Xu Bo were separated. No longer together. They hardly met nowadays. Curiosity, and fear of abandonment burned in his veins, but he decided to the best he could as a student. Wait for Xu Bo to reach out. Serve his master to the best of his ability, if he was ever called upon.
But all his hopes were met only with punishment. He would be pushed to perform chores for everyone. He wasn't allowed to refuse, and had to do all by himself.
And Yan Qingshan's envy burned. He would whip whenever He Xiaotong made the smallest of errors. From the four arts to martial arts, the smallest of infractions were met with whiplashes and torture for years and years and forever.
Why was he always so unfortunate? What had he done in his last life to deserve such a fate?
He Xiaotong was also a half demon.
This didn't help him. This didn't affect him. If he was a half demon, he was only further scum to his master, and nothing more.
But when the demons invaded the sect, they asked for 10 of the sect disciples, to be given to them as slaves.
And that was when he was truly, and completely abandoned.
Xu Bo didn't bat an eye. Yan Qingshan was discreetly hiding a smile.
The people he has served over the years, they never cared, did they? They didn't even think that he wouldn't wish to help them. They thought he was a slave still. They didn't think that there was anything higher he could be.
And He Xiaotong was nothing if not revengeful.