The Truth Behind It All

Yue Wuhuan thought the Immortal Venerable was about to dig out his eyes. He trembled all over with nerves.

Having finished the examination, Song Qingshi asked in puzzlement, "Are you cold?"

Yue Wuhuan stiffly shook his head.

"If your eyes are not causing you discomfort, we can treat them later." Having weighed the urgency of each matter, Song Qingshi returned to the table, removed his gloves, picked up the divine-sense bead, and came back. "I found a white powdered medicine beneath your fingernails. A preliminary examination confirmed that it contains deer-spring herb and bewitching-fragrance flower, which have a powerful aphrodisiac effect. I also found plant compounds in the incense scent on your clothes and feathered skirt that attract felines. That is why the yao tiger attacked you of its own accord at the Myriad Beauties Banquet."

He found out...

Yue Wuhuan thought despairingly.

After countless attempts to probe the edges of the Joyous Union Brand's rules, he had found this loophole: slaves could not kill themselves, and slaves had to obey their masters in all things. But masters enjoyed seeing slaves put on obscene performances, and they also enjoyed seeing slaves toyed with to death.

The only thing he could get his hands on was aphrodisiacs. By extracting their hallucinogenic components and increasing the dose severalfold, he could make an animal lose its reason.

So he had calculated the timing. He sealed the drug in a wax pellet to delay its effect inside the yao tiger, then prepared a scent on himself that would attract the tiger. Once the atmosphere at the banquet had grown lively, the drug-stimulated tiger would charge forward and certainly choose him as prey. He would feign the dazed state of someone drugged with an aphrodisiac and step forward on his own; the guests would assume it was entertainment arranged by Jin Feiren and applaud.

Jin Feiren cared greatly about appearances and had just acquired a new favorite. He would never spoil his guests' enjoyment for Yue Wuhuan's sake. With the slightest hesitation, the yao tiger would lose control completely and tear him to pieces.

Yue Wuhuan had carried out the plan resolved to die. He had never imagined that he would survive to have the truth exposed.

At Jinfeng Mountain Manor, any slave found to show signs of disobedience was severely punished. And what he had done—plotting against his master—was an absolute violation of the rules... But so what?

Yue Wuhuan's panicked heart gradually calmed. He recalled when he had first become a slave. Because he had refused to submit, and because his wood-element spiritual root was well suited to recovery, under the Joyous Union Brand's control he had endured every humiliation in the world. He had struck all manner of shameless poses and been forced to admit that he was more wanton than the most licentious courtesan in a brothel. And because those beasts found that he did not react to bedchamber matters, they had used countless medicines to turn him into someone exquisitely sensitive, until even the friction of ordinary cloth caused him unbearable discomfort.

Whenever he thought he had reached the limit of hell, he learned that hell had depths still lower. In the end, after realizing that his despair and resistance only made those people happier, he gave up those meaningless struggles. He also gave up the hope of living long enough to escape the Joyous Union Brand.

His body was already thoroughly sullied. It disgusted him so much that he only wanted to destroy it...

God knew that when the yao tiger pounced and tore open his body, he had felt no pain at all—only ultimate pleasure.

Whether they gouged out his eyes, cut off his limbs to make him into a human test subject, threw him into a pleasure house to be ridden by thousands and crushed beneath tens of thousands, or gave him to wild beasts for sport, there was no punishment left in this world that could make him feel pain.

Yue Wuhuan's smile faded. He stopped putting on an act, cast the divine-sense bead a cold glance, and challenged him disrespectfully. "Now that you know, what do you intend to do?"

Song Qingshi declared with absolute certainty, "Someone is trying to harm you!"

Yue Wuhuan's challenge failed so completely that he nearly choked on his breath. He thought he had misheard. "What?"

Song Qingshi thought his deduction was brilliant—although he did not read many novels, his senior sister had said that protagonists were all good people, because a bad person could not pass domestic publication censorship as a protagonist. The system's introduction had also said that the protagonist shou's fate was tragic, so this injury must surely be part of the original novel's plot.

Based on the social news he had read, there was an eighty percent chance that someone in Jinfeng Mountain Manor was jealous of the protagonist shou's beauty and favor and wanted to ruin him. That was why they had put drugs on his body and beneath his nails! Thus, after meticulous deliberation, Song "Sherlock Holmes" Qingshi cautiously concluded, "I suspect the person who groomed you that day did it. Later, I will find the culprit and see justice done for you."

"No." Yue Wuhuan felt the corner of his mouth twitch. He could not believe that a dignified Immortal Venerable could be so foolish, yet the other man seemed to be seriously determined to make him believe he was foolish. Yue Wuhuan did not know what expression to wear, and in the end answered stiffly, "That will not be necessary..."

Seeing how kind he was, Song Qingshi became even more certain of his guess. He pressed the divine-sense bead into Yue Wuhuan's hand. "This belongs to you. Keep it yourself."

Yue Wuhuan realized that no new divine sense had been imprinted on the bead and was utterly dumbfounded.

"I looked into this thing," Song Qingshi explained. "The Joyous Union Brand involves sorcery and curses, so it is rather complicated. Medicine King Valley has no way to break curses. I have already had a medicine servant put out a reward through Night Rain Pavilion. The master of Night Rain Pavilion said that while a method to break the curse is not particularly valuable, it is rare. It will take some days before there is news."

Yue Wuhuan stood stunned for a long time before asking hoarsely, "What... will I have to give in return?"

Song Qingshi had received help from many people, and no one had ever asked for anything in return. He had also helped many people, and had never asked for repayment.

In his eyes, the Joyous Union Brand was an evil that violated human nature, the root of the protagonist shou's suffering. It was like shackles around a bird's feet. Once the bird had been saved, removing those shackles was the natural thing to do—nothing worth mentioning.

So he answered generously and offhandedly, "Just cooperate with your treatment and recover with peace of mind."

A medicine servant came to report that the medicine boiling in the courtyard was nearly ready.

Song Qingshi hurried out to check it, lest the medicine fail to achieve its best effect.

Yue Wuhuan stared in disbelief at the divine-sense bead in his hand. His already overthinking heart grew even more confused.

In the world as he understood it, things that cost nothing were the most expensive of all...

Immortal Venerable Yaowang was famously cold-blooded and heartless throughout the Immortal Realm; he had never understood the meaning of pity. What did he want from Yue Wuhuan? His body? His life? Or his soul? Yue Wuhuan thought for a long time, then could not help laughing. He clutched the divine-sense bead tightly and resolved to stake everything on one throw. So long as the restraints could be removed, he was willing to do anything, even sell his soul to the devil...

When Yue Wuhuan saw Song Qingshi carrying in the medicine, he considered Song Qingshi's impression of him and what he might want. His expression swiftly shifted to one of meek fragility. Then he carefully raised his eyes to steal a glance at him, letting precisely the right amount of gratitude show in them, and allowed Song Qingshi to treat and arrange him as he pleased.

This patient was incredibly obedient! He did whatever the doctor asked, drank every dose no matter how disgusting it tasted in a single gulp, and did not make a sound no matter how much the needles hurt or itched! He even thanked the doctor gently and softly. Song Qingshi felt wonderfully accomplished caring for him. He wished every patient in the world were so well behaved.

A wood-element spiritual root possessed astonishing restorative powers. The wound on Yue Wuhuan's shoulder scabbed over in five days.

After examining him, Song Qingshi permitted him to get out of bed and move around. He instructed him to get more sun, then began preparing the next course of treatment.

Neither the former valley master nor Song Qingshi cared much about clothing, so Medicine King Valley had little shark silk or ice satin. The patient clothes prepared by the medicine servants were made of ordinary cotton. Most people found it comfortable, but it chafed Yue Wuhuan terribly. He did not dare go far from the sleeping hall, stopping every few steps.

At night, Song Qingshi noticed that something was wrong with the way he walked and came over to examine him. To his surprise, he had only lightly touched Yue Wuhuan's collarbone, without even moving lower, when Yue Wuhuan nearly embarrassed himself.

Seeing Song Qingshi's startled expression and those clear eyes utterly free of lust, Yue Wuhuan felt a shame he had not known for a long time surge up within him. He could not help avoiding those gentle hands and curling into a dark corner.

Purity and desire, cleanliness and filth—the sharp contrast threw the wretchedness of reality into relief.

Again and again, Yue Wuhuan repeated to himself something he had understood long ago.

Even if the Joyous Union Brand were removed, he could never return to the way he had been...

Awkwardly, Song Qingshi withdrew his hand. Looking at the person hiding in the darkness, he opened his mouth but did not know what to say.

Yue Wuhuan quickly realized that he had been wrong. The other man had long known that he was not clean; trying to hide it would only be more humiliating. He swiftly steadied his breathing, and his body slowly unfolded in the depths of the dark.

He lifted his eyes to Song Qingshi with a smile and spoke the provocative words to which he had long grown accustomed. "It is so hot. Does the Immortal Venerable want to look at this slave's body?"

Rather than let someone discover the miserable state of his body, he would rather display that misery himself. So long as he persuaded himself that he was shameless, his heart would not hurt.

Before he could undo his belt, Song Qingshi snapped back to his senses and abruptly lowered all the bed curtains, blocking the springtime scene in the room.

Yue Wuhuan's suggestive voice stopped short.

Song Qingshi said calmly, "It is too late. A patient needs rest."

Yue Wuhuan sat blankly inside the curtains, watching the vague silhouette outside shutter the luminous pearl and then light the incense burner. A faint medicinal fragrance mingled with the scent of agarwood and washed over him, gradually calming his burning body. He slowly lay down and curled up once more in the empty darkness.

He suddenly realized that no one would ravage him tonight. He would not have to utter those disgusting, obscene words, much less force himself to solicit favor and flatter someone. There was no lewd scent in the air, only an indescribably clean fragrance. It made his ever-alert mind grow drowsy; he could not keep his eyelids open and was forcibly dragged into sleep.

This time, there were no visions of hell in his dream. There was only the fragrance of the white magnolia outside his childhood window...

His body gradually relaxed, and he immersed himself completely in that sweet dream he had not seen for so long.

...

Song Qingshi stood outside the door in a daze for a long time, thinking of many things.

Only after confirming that the soul-calming incense had taken effect did he turn back. Holding the luminous pearl, he gently lifted the curtains, sat beside the bed, and once again used his divine sense to inspect all the hidden problems in that battered body.

After a long while, he withdrew his divine sense and quietly looked at Yue Wuhuan's face. With his eyes closed and his entire body relaxed, the young man had shed his seductive charm. Like a wild cat asleep, he had tucked away his claws and was no longer on guard. It was as though he had forgotten the pain he had suffered and revealed his true self.

Free. Proud. Unyielding...

His life should never have become what it was now.

Song Qingshi gently tucked in the quilt, carefully brushed Yue Wuhuan's disheveled long hair behind his ear, and promised softly:

"I will cure you."