Shen Qingxian felt stars dancing before his eyes and a buzzing in his ears, as if a hundred flies were throwing a party inside his brain.
Hung up and beaten? Locked in the woodshed?
These words combined like a bolt from the blue, striking viciously against the top of his skull. Just moments ago, he had been shamelessly planning in his heart to "hug the thigh" and "shower with concern," but reality immediately slapped him in the face, telling him: You just broke that thigh yourself!
Seeing his face turn deathly pale and his body sway as if he might faint at any moment, Yue Lingyuan quickly reached out to steady his shoulder, his tone holding a mix of helplessness and reproach. "Junior Brother, why do this to yourself? Although that child has a tragic background and a somewhat sullen nature, he was brought back by you personally. If you truly cannot stand him, surely you could just expel him from the sect? Why torture him day after day like this?"
Shen Qingxian had no mind to listen to Yue Lingyuan’s lectures right now; his brain was screaming, I’m done for, I’m done for!
Given the Proud Immortal Demon Record’s notorious nature, a male lead like Luo Hanchuan—who had maxed out his grudge-holding attribute—would return every grievance suffered in childhood with interest once he grew up. The original Shen Qingxian hanging him up, beating him, and locking him in the woodshed was practically booking a VIP ticket for a future death by "ten thousand arrows piercing the heart, leaving not even a bone behind"!
No, he had to go see. He had to go see how bad the injuries were immediately, to see if he could do something to remedy the situation before the darkening was complete.
Shen Qingxian took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the storm raging in his heart. He waved a hand at Yue Lingyuan, feigning weakness and impatience. "Senior Brother, I understand. I... I am just feeling a bit dizzy. I wish to be alone for a while."
Yue Lingyuan sighed, seemingly accustomed to his cold-hearted attitude. He instructed him to rest well before rising to leave.
As the door clicked shut, Shen Qingxian immediately threw off the covers to get out of bed.
"Ding—"
That annoying system sound rang out in his mind at the most inopportune moment.
[Warning. Detected that Host intends to perform behaviors such as 'visiting' and 'caring,' which severely violate the original character design. OOC function is not yet unfrozen. Please cease immediately.]
Shen Qingxian stumbled, nearly tripping over his own feet. He roared internally, "Screw you! If I don't go check, what if he dies? What if he’s holding a grudge right now, waiting for me to fall asleep so he can crawl over and chop me into pieces?"
[System Prompt: Male lead Luo Hanchuan’s current vital signs are stable. No immediate risk of death. Please remain calm, Host, and strictly adhere to your character design.]
Shen Qingxian gritted his teeth in anger; this trash system really knew how to rub salt in the wound. But he knew the system’s threats weren't idle words. If he forced his way to the woodshed now to give Luo Hanchuan medicine and put on a smiling face, he’d likely be flagged for OOC instantly and sent straight back to his original, dead body.
But... do nothing? Just wait?
Shen Qingxian sat back on the edge of the bed, his fingers unconsciously twisting the tassels on the sheet. His current identity was Shen Qingxian—a narrow-minded, jealous scum of a master who couldn't stand his disciple being better than him.
If he didn't go see, would that fit the character?
Would the original Shen Qingxian go see the person he had just beaten?
Absolutely not. The original Shen Qingxian would only feel relieved after beating someone. He would eat and drink as usual, forgetting the unlucky disciple entirely until the next time he was in a bad mood and needed a punching bag.
Therefore, if he didn't go see him now, that would be the action most consistent with the 'Shen Qingxian' persona!
Shen Qingxian’s eyes lit up, as if he had grasped a lifeline in a chasm of despair.
That’s right! Not going is the normal Shen Qingxian! If I went, that would be abnormal!
Having thought this through, Shen Qingxian let out a long breath and slumped against the headboard. Although his heart was still pounding with anxiety—worried that Luo Hanchuan might be secretly accumulating darkening points in the woodshed due to infected wounds or hunger and cold—at least he didn't have to worry about being wiped out by the system for the moment.
Just then, a pattering of footsteps came from outside the door, followed by a timid childish voice. "Peak Lord... Peak Lord, are you awake?"
Shen Qingxian adjusted his posture and said coldly, "Enter."
The door was pushed open, and a young servant boy responsible for sweeping walked in with his head bowed, carrying a tray with a steaming bowl of spirit tea.
"Peak Lord, the Sect Leader instructed that you drink some tea to calm your nerves." The boy placed the tea on the bedside table, but his eyes couldn't help but dart toward Shen Qingxian, seeming to want to say something but not daring to.
Shen Qingxian picked up the teacup and took a sip without lifting his eyelids. "Is there something else?"
The boy hesitated, then finally plucked up the courage to whisper, "Peak Lord... that is, Junior Brother Luo... he has been crying in the woodshed for a long time. This servant was afraid of disturbing your rest and wanted to go tell him to shut up, but was also afraid... afraid you might blame me, so I came to ask for instructions."
Shen Qingxian’s hand shook violently; a few drops of scalding tea splashed onto the back of his hand, but he ignored the pain. His heart skipped a beat. Crying?
That Luo Hanchuan—the one who would later kill without blinking and possess a heart of stone—was crying now?
A description from the original novel instantly flashed through Shen Qingxian’s mind: Luo Hanchuan was bullied endlessly in his childhood but rarely cried, because tears would not buy pity, only more severe beatings. He learned to chew up all his grievances and hatred, swallowing them into his stomach to fuel his future vengeance.
If he was crying now, did that mean... he was truly heartbroken this time?
Shen Qingxian felt his throat tighten, and a wave of intense guilt surged in his heart. Although the sin wasn't committed by him, the blame was now squarely on his shoulders!
He put down the teacup, but put on an even more disgusted expression. He sneered, "Crying? What is there to cry about? If he can't even handle this little hardship, what kind of cultivation is he doing? Let him cry! He can cry himself to death for all I care!"
The servant boy shivered in fright and quickly replied, "Yes, yes, this servant understands." With that, he retreated as if granted a pardon.
As the door closed again, the cold arrogance on Shen Qingxian’s face instantly crumbled. He buried his face in his hands in agony.
It’s over. It’s really over now.
He frantically apologized to Luo Hanchuan in his heart: Brother, your Master didn't mean it! Your Master was acting for the system just now! Don't cry, please don't cry. When you cry, your Master is panicking like crazy!
[System Prompt: Detected that the Host's previous statement perfectly matches the 'Shen Qingxian' persona. Style Points +10. Current Style Points: 110.]
"Get lost!" Shen Qingxian cursed internally.
What was the use of points? This was just accelerating his sprint toward the guillotine!
Shen Qingxian tossed and turned on the bed, unable to sit still. If he couldn't go see the person, at least... at least he could send some medicine? Or some food?
Although the original owner was a scumbag, he surely wouldn't want to starve his disciple to death in the woodshed? After all, he was the one who picked him up. If he really starved to death, it wouldn't be good for his reputation.
Thinking of this, Shen Qingxian immediately called out, "Someone come."
The servant boy from before ran back in. "What are Peak Lord's orders?"
Shen Qingxian cleared his throat, trying his best to make his voice sound nonchalant and mean. "Go, get some Golden Sore Medicine, and get two cold steamed buns. Throw them into the woodshed. Don't let him die. It would be bad luck to have a death on my peak."
The boy froze for a moment, seemingly surprised that the Peak Lord would show such "mercy," but he quickly reacted and nodded repeatedly. "This servant will go right away! Right away!"
Watching the boy run off, Shen Qingxian felt a little more settled.
Golden Sore Medicine couldn't heal a broken heart, but it could heal physical wounds; cold steamed buns were hard to swallow, but they could fill the stomach. As long as the person was alive, as long as he wasn't starved to death, there was still room for negotiation.
He slumped onto the bed, staring blankly at the white