Suspicion Takes Root

As Ruyi's heart skipped a beat, a possibility flashed through his mind.

That single flash was enough to deeply wound his heart.

His first reaction was to deny it: "The Suopo Sword Technique was created by this poor monk himself."

These words were not lies, but Ruyi did not say them forthrightly.

The path of the sword was personally led by his adoptive father. If he said that the Suopo Sword Technique was not influenced by his adoptive father in the slightest, that would be a lie.

Yan Wufu also did not wish to probe further, saying: "Then this old man has just been wagging his tongue too much. Sir, do not take offense. Although the Guixu Sword Technique has not appeared in the world for ten years, there are still people who have seen it. The Suopo Sword Technique has been rampant in the world in recent years, forming its own path. If the sword paths are truly similar, there will definitely be people discussing it. Since no one has discussed it, perhaps this old man is just being overly suspicious."

With that said, he stopped in front of the medicine hut: "...However, gathering yin souls, absorbing various ghosts, not restricting righteous or evil energy, and absorbing it all for one's own use, this old man has observed all the sword techniques of the Dao sects in the world, and only the Suopo Sword Technique has a bearing similar to the Guixu Sword Technique."

Ruyi's face was cold as iron, not wishing to discuss this matter further with him: "This poor monk will enter to retrieve the medicine. Many thanks to Sect Leader Yan for leading the way."

Following the prescription in his heart, Ruyi retrieved the medicinal ingredients one by one, returning with a body full of medicinal fragrance.

On the way, old matters from years past surfaced in his mind.

Ever since Ruyi learned to write, he secretly began recording his master's every word and action, when he ate, when he drank, when he rested. What he said each day was all truthfully recorded, practicing his writing while also being able to grasp his adoptive father's preferences.

In addition, he also imitated his adoptive father in his attire, often tucking a wooden branch at his left waist, following behind him, learning his walking posture and his habits when picking up objects.

When the youth discovered this, he grabbed Ruyi by the neck and warned him: "I'm not some good person. Don't learn from me."

However, Ruyi only changed to observing in secret.

Later, in order to give him the ability to protect himself, his adoptive father still began teaching him sword techniques.

He taught the Fengling Sword Technique, saying it was for little Ruyi to build a foundation.

But little Ruyi's observation skills were not bad. He could see that the set of sword techniques his adoptive father often practiced himself was different from the set he taught him.

He wanted to follow closely by his adoptive father's side, to be closer to him, even closer. Therefore, he often observed his adoptive father's set of sword techniques, secretly gaining quite a few insights.

His adoptive father and he differed in stature, so it was naturally impossible to teach hand in hand when practicing the sword.

He often lay under the dense shade, on the cool chair, using a long wooden branch to point at little Ruyi who was using a branch as a sword: "Grip it steadily."

Little Ruyi obediently answered: "Adoptive father, I'm gripping it steadily."

The youth single-handedly grasped a jade wine pot, suddenly exerting force, turning his hand to chop, breaking the branch held level in little Ruyi's hand in half.

Ruyi's hand was extremely steady, gripping the branch that broke three inches in front of his hand, blinking his eyelids in confusion, still unable to understand that this was his adoptive father testing him.

Ruyi's performance greatly satisfied the youth.

He held the wine pot in his mouth, laughing as he took a sip of wine: "That's right."

The amber-colored wine overflowed from the corner of his lips, sliding down his neck, leaving an ambiguous trail of moisture in his collarbone...

...

Ruyi suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Feng Rugu absolutely could not be his adoptive father, impossible.

His adoptive father and Feng Rugu came from the same sect, both having created their own sword techniques, one called Tasha, one called Guixu. These two self-created sword techniques were both derived from the Fengling Sword Technique. It seemed that the Guixu Sword Technique and Tasha Sword Technique should also be similar. Then, it would also be normal for the Suopo Sword Technique, learned through his adoptive father's personal instruction, to be somewhat similar to the Tasha Sword Technique.

His adoptive father had always had a chivalrous air in his youth, acting with panache, loving to freely roam the world. Ruyi could believe that after ten years, he could grow into the steady, restrained, gentle and honest Duanrong Immortal Lord due to the responsibilities he had to shoulder. But he did not believe he would turn into Feng Rugu, whose entire body did not weigh more than a few taels, lazy and lax.

Moreover, if Feng Rugu was his adoptive father, then...

As the vague notion reached this point, Ruyi, who had been walking quickly, suddenly stopped.

The wind carried over a faint fragrance of gardenia.

He thought, Feng Rugu always had some overly refined little hobbies, loving to be picky and willful about trivial matters. When he woke up, if he could smell the fragrance of gardenia, perhaps his body would feel a bit more comfortable.

Thinking of this, he lifted his monk's robe, sweeping the jade-colored fallen petals on the ground into a hemp handkerchief, shaking off the dust and wrapping them up. Waiting until he returned to the warm chamber, he personally decocted the medicine and also prepared a few types of candied fruits to sweeten the taste. Thinking these might not suit Feng Rugu's taste, he also picked a few pears. He cut them into small white cubes, soaked them in iced sugar water, placed them on a tray with the medicine bowl, and delivered everything to Feng Rugu's room.

When he pushed open the door, he saw a thin figure wearing the attire of the Fengling Sect, a light fur robe with a loose sash, leaning on the table, bending down to pour tea.

Seeing this, Ruyi's expression was not very pleasant, his tone a bit unkind as he asked: "Why are you out of bed?"

That figure was clearly startled, turning around.

Seeing the person was actually Chang Boning, Ruyi's breath caught.

Discovering the person who came was Ruyi, Chang Boning's expression also became unnatural. He was the first to avoid eye contact: "I... handled the matter of the spirit stones and just returned to Fengling. Then I heard there were internal changes in Jianchuan and thought Rugu had come here. Feeling uneasy, I wanted to come take a look. I didn't expect that as soon as I arrived here, I would see the ice bridge had collapsed and also heard that Rugu had fallen into the water..."

Ruyi lowered his head to look at his own reflection in the tea-colored medicinal soup, feeling a bit of indescribable stiffness: "I was unable to take good care of Lord Yunzhong."

Chang Boning hurriedly said: "I'm not blaming you."

After he spoke, the room fell into an eerie silence.

Neither of them knew what to say. For a time, only the fragrance of gardenia flowed quietly.

Ruyi thought, perhaps it was because they had not seen each other for ten years. He always felt there was some inexplicable distance and unfamiliarity between him and Chang Boning.

But before he could feel sentimental about the changes in the world, Chang Boning lightly coughed and walked forward, reaching out to take the tray, politely saying: "You've worked hard. Quickly go rest. I heard from Fuchun and Luojiu that you also fell into the water..."

But Ruyi tightly gripped the corner of the tray, not letting go.

Chang Boning tried to take it but could not, feeling a bit surprised.

Ruyi said: "Adoptive father rushed here the whole way, travel-worn. You must be tired. Feeding medicine is a small matter. Let Hongchen take care of it."

Chang Boning held the other end of the tray with both hands, hesitating whether to let go or not.

According to the etiquette he had learned, this medicine was personally prepared by Ruyi. Since he was willing to attend to Rugu taking the medicine, he should let him.

But Chang Boning did not really want to let go.

Normally easygoing Chang Boning, for the first time, chose to follow his heart. Gripping the edge of the medicine tray, he insisted, "Rugu has always been picky and doesn't like taking medicine. When he first came to Fengling as a child, he couldn't adapt to the environment. On top of that, he experienced a family tragedy and was bedridden with a confused mind. We had to coax him to take medicine, one spoonful of candied fruit followed by one spoonful of medicine, only then would he take it. He was really spoiled. Attending to him while he takes medicine is truly taxing. Let me do it, there's no need to trouble you. When he wakes up, I will inform him that you prepared the medicine and candied fruit."

As Ruyi thought about the image of little Feng Rugu nestled in his adoptive father's arms, acting spoiled, his chest couldn't help but fill with a sour feeling, making his throat dry and his voice hoarse, "Adoptive Father..."

The bed curtain they had just put down was lifted a little, and Feng Rugu threw out two pillows from inside, angrily saying, "So noisy! I just fell asleep!!"

Ruyi turned around and caught one with his back, while Chang Boning caught the other with one hand in midair and brought it back to the bedside, gently saying, "Rugu. Sorry."

Seeing that it was Chang Boning, Feng Rugu, who had a splitting headache, was stunned for a moment. He immediately broke into a smile and tugged on his sleeve, expertly acting spoiled, "When did Senior Brother arrive?"

Chang Boning said tenderly, "I just came in not long ago. Seeing your lips were chapped, I wanted to pour some water for you to drink. After going through such a severe cold, are you still feeling unwell?"

Feng Rugu joked, "It's not that serious, I was just ambushed and fell into some water, that's all."

Chang Boning lightly pushed his forehead, trying his best to pretend to be angry, but his tone couldn't be harsh no matter what, "Do you think you're a dumpling?"

Feng Rugu was feeling dizzy and his eyes were swollen. Being pushed, he let out an "Ow" and fell back onto Ruyi, who had brought the medicine to the bedside. He clung onto him, "I can't get up, I can't get up."

However, with this push, Chang Boning sensed something was wrong.

He rubbed his fingertips, feeling the abnormally high temperature lingering on them, and instantly became nervous, "Rugu, why is your fever so high?!"

He was about to hug Feng Rugu, but Ruyi had already wrapped an arm around Feng Rugu's waist and laid him flat on the bed, his face cold but his actions gentle enough, "Lie down properly."

Then, he spoke concisely to Chang Boning, "Adoptive Father, waist pillow."

Seeing Feng Rugu's sudden high fever, Chang Boning no longer cared about competing with Ruyi over who would feed him the medicine. He passed over the soft pillow in his arms to prop up Feng Rugu's waist.

And Ruyi naturally picked up the medicine bowl, along with a small plate of salted plums, and fed Feng Rugu the medicine.

The medicine bowl was made of jade. The medicine was served warm in a small bowl, not too hot to hold in the hand. Every time he fed a spoonful of medicine, Ruyi strictly followed Chang Boning's instructions, feeding him a plum to relieve the bitterness and using a small spoon to gently scrape the corners of his mouth to prevent the medicine from spilling out.

Chang Boning stood by the bedside, his lips pursed lightly, and asked with concern, "Rugu, are you... unharmed?"

The reason he rushed over as soon as he heard that someone in Jianchuan was in cahoots with the mastermind behind the scenes, that Tang saber swordsman, was because he was worried that Feng Rugu would be forced to take action and trigger the Seven Flowers Seal.

A few days ago, he had just repaired it for Rugu once, and the state of the Seven Flowers Seal had not yet stabilized. If Rugu were to activate his spiritual power again in a short period of time, the speed at which the flowers bloomed next time would only be faster and more uncontrollable.

Feng Rugu saw the worried look on Chang Boning's face. The fingertips hidden under the blanket circled behind his back, imperceptibly caressing the blooming area on his lower back.

He looked up and gazed intently at Ruyi, who was feeding him medicine. After a moment, as if he had made up his mind, he smiled easily, "It's okay, I held onto the zither string as soon as I fell."

The meaning was very clear: I did not use my spiritual power, Senior Brother please rest assured.

Hearing him say this, Chang Boning let out a breath imperceptibly.

But Ruyi slightly furrowed his brows.

...This did not match the facts.

Unexpectedly, just as he was about to speak, Feng Rugu seemed to have seen through his intentions. He pinched Ruyi's sleeve with two fingers, shaking it twice like a child wanting candy, "...Isn't that right, Great Master Ruyi?"

Seeing his pale face with that mischievous smile, Ruyi felt both hatred and pity, wishing he could add two more finger marks on his face.

He expressionlessly scooped up a spoonful of medicine without adding any candied fruit and directly shoved it into Feng Rugu's mouth.

Feng Rugu's face immediately scrunched up from the bitterness, exhaling and tearing up, looking extremely pitiful. Seeing him like this, Ruyi's mood improved slightly.

After Feng Rugu took the medicine and was helped to lie down and rest by Ruyi, Ruyi closed the door, turned around, and called out to Chang Boning, who was still lost in thought, "...Adoptive Father."

Chang Boning was about to raise his hand to put on his eye veil when he heard the call. He gently responded with an "Hmm?", "What is it?"

Chang Boning's every move, every word and action, indeed had the demeanor of an immortal, and his face had not changed much from ten years ago. But when facing such a Chang Boning, Ruyi felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity rising from the bottom of his heart.

He suppressed this strange feeling and said, "Adoptive Father, you and I have not sparred for a long time. I wonder if Adoptive Father would be willing to give Hongchen some pointers on the sword again."

Author's Note:

Ruyi: A kind of honey-like misconception about fighting with dad over stepmom.jpg