NEBM Chapter 23.1: An Alarming Transformation

Shen Zhixian was very angry these days.

That white jade table he liked very much, he didn’t know which bastard had chopped it in half. The cut was clean and smooth. At first glance, it looked very much like the result of a sword ray attack. Now, the table looked pitiful and helpless.

Angrily, Shen Zhixian painstakingly analyzed the situation and felt that the only person who would have the courage to come up here and dare draw his sword…

Could only be that villainous disciple Yan Jin.

Xiao Caoya saw his angry expression. Its two leaves trembled as it pretended to hold a sword, imitated Yan Jin’s posture that day, slashed, and then collapsed, as if it’d received a wound. It stimulated a blood-spraying sound, “Pucha!”

Shen Zhixian was slightly distracted by it. Flipping the small grass bud that was pretending to be wounded, he said, “What are you doing? ”

Xiao Caoya saw that it had successfully attracted Shen Zhixian’s attention. Its energy was immediately revived, and it began performing once again, acting out: swish—puff—collapse.

Shen Zhixian understood its meaning and his eyebrows slightly knitted, feeling a little hesitant.

After Yan Jin split his white jade table in half, he vomited blood?

What happened? Was Yan Jin also injured?

Shen Zhixian was so deep in thought that he’d forgotten that the elixir in his hand was incredibly bitter. He poured it down his throat all at once. His face suddenly changed. His head pounded, making his brain ache and stars swam before his eyes. He momentarily forgot what he’d been thinking about.

At this moment, a light knock sounded at the door. Yan Jin called from outside, “Master.”

Shen Zhixian swallowed the last bit of the elixir and tried his utmost to calm down before deliberately lowering his voice to call out, “Come in.”

When Yan Jin came in, he saw his fragile master slightly leaning on the soft bed, a thin comforter halfway down his hips and a scroll in his hand. He faintly looked over.

“These days, A’Jin continuously behaved like a master. That jade table, was it necessary to split it just because you’re unhappy with it?”

Yan Jin froze for a moment before finally reacting. He pressed his lips together and whispered, “The disciple will leave at once…”

He spoke too softly during the second half of the sentence and Shen Zhixian couldn’t hear it clearly. As he was about to ask, Yan Jin had already placed a plate of Shen Zhixian’s favorite fruit on the table nearby and silently left.

Shen Zhixian placed the scroll on the couch and looked at the plate of fruit, frowning and thinking about the second half of the sentence.

Finally, he realized that Yan Jin’s quick departure was to try to compensate him.

Yan Jin’s action was very fast. Just a few days later, a new white jade table appeared in the yard. In addition to the table, Yan Jin also bought a warm jade soft bed, positioned just next to the stone table and under the big tree. Very convenient for Shen Zhixian to rest and drink tea.

Shen Zhixian quietly looked into the financial affairs of Fifth Peak. Upon asking, he realized that Yan Jin had bought these items with all the spiritual stones he’d saved in recent years. In addition to Yan Jin’s monthly allowance, Shen Zhixian would also allocate a lot of pocket money to him. Yan Jin actually didn’t use much and left them sitting in his accounts. Until now.

Although the quality was not the best, it was already the best thing Yan Jin could get.

When Shen Zhixian knew about this, he sighed leisurely. Then he lay down on the soft bed with peace of mind, rolled himself up in the comforter, and fell asleep under the warm sun.

Yan Jin was normally introverted and quiet, but he was generally unexpectedly observant enough to understand other people’s preferences. As a result, these things were arranged with the best intentions.

This afternoon, the sun was warm and cozy, making it perfect for people to doze under its warm rays.

Fourth Elder urged Shen Zhixian not to work anymore and to rest in peace. Therefore, Shen Zhixian had no choice but to send a message outside to announce his intention to go into seclusion.

In fact, Shen Zhixian was now as lazy as a salted fish every day. His latest favorite hobby was to rest on the soft jade bed that Yan Jin had especially bought for him and would often lay there for most of the day. When he awakened, he would read until he grew tired. Then, while still holding the scroll in his hand, he would pull up the comforter a little and fall asleep.

As he began to doze, his grip on the scroll gradually loosened until it slipped out of his hand completely. Before the scroll hit the ground, it was easily caught by a strong knuckled hand and carefully placed on the jade table.

Shen Shixian was only half asleep. He knew Yan Jin was near and, coincidentally, he was thirsty. Without opening his eyes, he called to him, “A’Jin, water…”

Yan Jin obediently poured water for him, helped him sit up, and placed the cup of water against his lips. Shen Zhixian took a sip without any precaution and, suddenly, his entire person jerked awake with complete soberness. “This isn’t water. I want water, not this.”

His disciple was unmoved. “Fourth Elder said you should drink this every day.”

Shen Zhixian took a deep breath, wanting to knocking the cup away. But, thinking about the sick and weak appearance he’d been cultivating, he held back the desire. Instead, he lifted his hand up halfway, extended a finger, and lazily pushed Yan Jin’s hand away, all the while pretending to be weak. “Don’t want to drink.”

Yan Jin didn’t force him. He set the cup down, helped him get comfortable on the soft bed, and hesitated for a moment before saying, “Master, that day…”

Not again.

As soon as he heard this opening, Shen Zhixian immediately knew what was coming: Yan Jin wanted to know who he saw that day and what that person said.

Considering Yan Jin’s indifferent temperament, it was strange that he would care so much about what happened that time. They’d gone over this repeatedly for many days now and, each time, Shen Zhixian would quietly change the topic.

In truth, it wasn’t really a big deal to tell Yan Jin that the figure was the former sect leader. The problem lay in what the figure had said. The amount of information was too great, and even Shen Zhixian himself still needed time to process and figure it out. He didn’t want to tell anyone else yet, not even Yan Jin.