Chapter 69

Late at night, Yue Wuhuan sat in the Purple Orchid Hall, flipping through information sent over by Ye Yu Pavilion. The more he read, the more intriguing he found it, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

Over the years, Medicine King Valley had become a major client of Ye Yu Pavilion, regularly purchasing large quantities of intelligence. Yue Wuhuan had a knack for spotting hidden clues in seemingly trivial data, yielding substantial profits. Recognizing his acute judgment, Ye Yu Pavilion listed him as a high-value client, prioritizing his requests and even offering complimentary scoops on interesting happenings in the cultivation world.

If the intelligence was too fragmented, Qingluan would first review, categorize, and then present it.

This batch of intel from Ye Yu Pavilion contained a plethora of information about the Path of Emotionlessness.

Qingluan found it odd. Yue Wuhuan was not yet at a stage where his "Dao Heart" would be a concern, nor was he the type to care about others' Dao Heart. If he had plans to eliminate any cultivator from the Path of Emotionlessness, he would have collected targeted information. This wide range of data seemed less about plotting a murder and more about showing concern.

The only Nascent Soul cultivator Yue Wuhuan would care about was the Lord…

Could it be that the Lord followed the Path of Emotionlessness?

Startled by her own speculation, Qingluan pondered Song Qing Shi's disposition. Thinking she might be overanalyzing, she attempted to clarify: "Brother Wuhuan, this isn't the Lord's Dao Heart, is it? I find it hard to believe. The Lord has always been kind and amiable."

Yue Wuhuan glanced at her and smiled, saying, "It is his Dao Heart."

Qingluan felt utterly bewildered. Even in her limited understanding of cultivation, she knew that the Path of Emotionlessness forbade emotional attachments. Given that the Lord and Yue Wuhuan seemed deeply fond of each other, if the Lord's Dao Heart really was of Emotionlessness, then what could be done? Was there still hope for a remedy?

She looked at Yue Wuhuan's relaxed demeanor and tentatively smiled, "Brother Wuhuan, have you found a solution?"

"No, this is the historical data on how cultivators of the Path of Emotionlessness have treated emotional attachments," Yue Wuhuan picked up the documents and read, "Three thousand two hundred years ago, True Person He Nian killed his wife to achieve enlightenment, causing an uproar due to their divine relationship; eighteen hundred years ago, Lady Yue killed her husband and child for her cultivation, breaking through to the Spirit Severing stage, sparking much controversy; fourteen hundred years ago, Swordsman Xue Feng killed his wife for enlightenment, who later escaped and fought him to their mutual deaths at Gui Ling Lake..."

Yue Wuhuan meticulously recounted the tales and outcomes of those Emotionless cultivators.

The path of cultivation was fraught with brutal strife; love and affection were things that could be discarded at any time.

It is widely believed in the cultivation world that ascending to immortality requires severing earthly ties, making the Path of Emotionlessness more attainable. Despite the hardships and emotional severances involved, many self-proclaimed geniuses are still willing to attempt the cultivation.

According to Ye Yu Pavilion's statistics, 40% of Emotionless cultivators had never been in love. The remaining 60% either had lovers before beginning their practice or encountered their true love afterward. All chose to kill their spouse to reach enlightenment. Of these, 20% failed and were either killed in revenge by their lovers or by their lovers' sects.

Not a single one had a happy ending.

Qing Luan had long observed Yue Wu Huan's intense emotions, and she could sense how differently Song Qing Shi felt about him. She thought perhaps there were some emotional obstacles between them that required time for feelings to evolve naturally. However, learning now that her master had cultivated the Path of Heartlessness, and seeing the fates of lovers involved with Heartless cultivators, she could scarcely imagine what would become of their relationship.

Yue Wu Huan's cultivation techniques and lethal poisons were all imparted by Song Qing Shi.

Song Qing Shi's constitution was immune to all toxins, he knew the weaknesses of his poisonous counterpart, and his Ethereal Flame could counteract the Blood King Vine.

Killing Yue Wu Huan would be effortless for him.

Growing increasingly worried, Qing Luan urgently asked, "Brother Wu Huan, what will you do if the Master decides to kill you?"

"Ah, his desire to kill me would mean he's emotionally moved. Would he use a scalpel to cut out my heart? Use potent poison to dissolve me completely? Or employ the Ghost Fire to burn me to ashes?" Yue Wu Huan mused about these stimulating scenarios, and suddenly, his whole demeanor lit up with excitement. "This is the liberation I've been dreaming of—a paradise on earth."

Embracing love also means embracing death. He could be freed from the sea of desires and no longer suffer.

He could even use his life to fortify the conviction of the one he loved.

Could such good fortune truly exist in this world?

Qing Luan looked incredulously at his joyful expression, took a couple of steps back, and stumbled out of the Zixuan Hall, muttering:

"Madmen, all madmen!"

　...

Yue Wu Huan had a photographic memory. Once he finished reading the information on the Ruthless Path, he burned it. He had trained Qing Luan well—she never spoke out of turn. Song Qing Shi was deeply engrossed in his research, recently obsessed with alchemy. He'd been crafting numerous lower-grade elixirs, too busy to bother with trivial matters.

These days, he was sleeping beside his Master every night.

Upon discovering that he moves and clings in his sleep—and that his partner doesn't resist—his Honor grew even more affectionate, likening him to a furnace. Every night, he would take suppressing medication in advance to control his desires and avoid embarrassment. He felt that he should put an end to this but was left speechless every morning when the person in his arms would groggily wake up and greet him with a "good morning" kiss, making it all feel so blissfully honeymoon-esque.

The rate of medication consumption was accelerating; his body was getting used to the effects, requiring increased dosages.

The side effects of Tianxin Bamboo would slowly accumulate, eventually causing severe harm.

Yue Wuhuan had no other options and didn't care for the consequences. He went into the medicinal storage again to fetch more Tianxin Bamboo, planning to readjust the dosage for a new batch of medicine, only to find that all the Tianxin Bamboo had vanished. Anxious, he hurriedly returned to Fuling Palace.

Song Qingshi had already finished his morning ablutions and was obediently lying on the bed reading, awaiting his return.

Yue Wuhuan smiled and asked, "Your Honor, I've noticed that some infrequently used herbs are missing from the storeroom."

Song Qingshi looked up and answered, "I've recently refined a batch of Qi-Gathering Pills and Vein-Expanding Powders, along with Soul-Stabilizing Pills and Mind-Focusing Pills for you. I also made the Memory-Erasing Pills that Elder Cui from Moshan Sect had ordered; I've been putting it off for a while. You should send them to him tomorrow."

One of the main ingredients for the Forgetfulness Elixir is Celestial Heart Bamboo.

Elder Cui is hot-tempered with a propensity for violence. He fears that he might encounter a tribulation of inner demons when advancing to the Soul-separation stage. Therefore, he seeks the Forgetfulness Elixir as a precaution. This elixir is the best antidote for restraining demonic desires. Should Elder Cui fail to overcome this tribulation, he would perish; but if he succeeds, the Soul-separation cultivators can easily deal with any side effects.

Song Qing prefers research and usually sells his findings. Rarely does he accept custom orders for special elixirs. Occasionally, people offer high sums of money or exotic herbs, seeking the mediation of Night Rain Pavilion to request the revered Medicine King to craft an elixir. Whether he accepts depends on his mood.

All of Night Rain Pavilion's orders are now managed by Yue Wuhuan.

He doesn't recall ever encountering the Forgetfulness Elixir.

When questioned, Song Qing stated unabashedly, "He never reminded me about the promise I made two hundred years ago, so I forgot."

Elder Cui has been framed within his sect, resulting in a broken family and a sharp decline in his cultivation level, plagued by inner demons. Aware that he could no longer fulfill the reward he once promised to Song Qing, he dares not ask for the elixir. Song Qing still remembers the matter, initially planning to wait until Cui reached the Nascent Soul stage again before crafting it. Now he has a reason to use the Celestial Heart Bamboo, so he went ahead and did it, also gifting two bottles of Spirit Gathering Elixirs as he felt it was improper to use the situation as an excuse.

In any case, he's used up all the Celestial Heart Bamboo. There's none left!

Song Qing tentatively asked, "Do you need any particular medicinal ingredients?"

"Not really," Yue Wuhuan couldn't articulate his need for Celestial Heart Bamboo, merely stating ambiguously, "I just noticed the drawer that stored Celestial Heart Bamboo was empty and felt curious. Since you've used it, I'll restock from Night Rain Pavilion later."

After sleeping for so many years, Song Qing wouldn't likely care about such minor matters considering his medicine warehouse has changed a lot.

Yue Wuhuan is dreading the days to come...

Seizing upon Yue Wuhuan's hesitation, Song Qing pulled him into bed, skillfully gave him a goodnight kiss, and then delicately sniffed the faint scent of herbs on his neck. Having spent nearly a millennium among medicinal substances, no one in the world of cultivation could rival his familiarity with them.

From the missing Celestial Heart Bamboo, he roughly calculated the quantity Yue Wuhuan would need for the elixir, thereby estimating the number of elixirs crafted.

If Yue Wuhuan takes it daily, there shouldn't be much left.

Song Qing thinks that Yue Wuhuan has some peculiar inner demons, unwilling to let others know and unaware of other methods to restrain them. Hence, he has opted for this potentially problematic elixir. The onset of inner demons is gradual; it doesn't peak immediately. He plans to observe before diagnosing and treating the issue.

Happily, he snuggled into Yue Wuhuan's arms...

Hold tightly to the things you cherish, lest you lose them.

Yue Wuhuan feels an intense heat throughout his body. The Lock of Affection can restrain his love and ambition but not his body's instinctual reactions. The insufficient dosage of Celestial Heart Bamboo is causing the elixir's effect to wane. The euphoria from the news of the Path of Heartlessness continues to challenge the emotional locks within him. The mere thought of the blissful scenario in which he might get killed afterward excites the inner beast, tempting him to recklessly indulge in bodily ecstasy.

He can't let that happen...

The Master is vulnerable to harm.

Yue Wuhuan gently lifted a strand of hair beside him, brought it to his lips for a soft kiss, suppressing the tremors fueled by extreme excitement. He continuously tried to talk himself out of his troubling thoughts. His physiological response escalated, his breathing became heavier, yet Song Qing, oblivious to his struggle, cozily snuggled into his arms as usual.

He had long noticed that Song Qing's skin had an extraordinary texture, akin to flawless, warm jade. A water-element cultivator, his body was particularly soft and sensitive, ideal for these intimate acts, offering immense pleasure to men. Song Qing had once mentioned that he easily cried when emotionally moved. Yue Wuhuan wondered...

Yue Wuhuan bit fiercely into the back of his own hand, leaving several deep marks stained with blood. He was trying to use the pain to quell the wild thoughts his desires had conjured.

How revolting, how vulgar, how disrespectful!

How could he entertain such sordid thoughts about someone he cares for?

"What happened?" Startled by the scent of blood, Song Qing awoke. Sensing something amiss, he drowsily shifted to straddle Yue Wuhuan, trying to locate the wound. However, his abdomen brushed against something rigid. Piecing together the situation from Yue Wuhuan's awkward expression, he quickly understood what was going on.

They were both men; he understood.