Villainous Junior Chapter 30
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 30: Blue Fatty
The room was silent.
Zhongli Jing didn't say anything more about the two bottles of peach blossom wine. He said to Meng Chen, "Come here. Let me see your progress during this period."
Meng Chen's heart skipped a beat, but he had no other choice. He slowly walked over to stand in front of Zhongli Jing.
Zhongli Jing glanced at the stiffly standing young man and voluntarily reached out his finger to take the young man's pulse.
"Nascent Soul Stage, ninth layer," Zhongli Jing said calmly after a moment. "You practiced the Xuanjue Technique?"
Meng Chen knew he couldn't hide it from the person in front of him, so he could only admit, "Yes."
He thought Zhongli Jing would ask him why, but the other person just carefully examined his pulse and spiritual energy again, saying, "Your vital energy is stagnant, and many meridians have been severely damaged due to strong pressure. If it had been any later, even your heart meridian might not have been protected." Zhongli Jing withdrew his finger. "Are you still practicing this technique?"
"No," Meng Chen instinctively gripped his right wrist with his left hand and lowered his head, saying, "This disciple was eager for quick success and took a shortcut that shouldn't have been taken. I have realized I made a big mistake and have completely destroyed that ancient Xuanjue scroll."
If the Disciplinary Elder knew that a disciple of Tianji Peak had practiced such a technique, he would surely fly into a rage and send him to the Disciplinary Hall for a whipping. Even the Sect Leader, who usually favored him, would probably berate him with heartache and indignation. But Zhongli Jing didn't say any words of reproach. He just turned to take a few porcelain bottles and handed them to Meng Chen, saying, "Biju Lotus, Ganlu Seeds, and Hundred-Mile Frost. Soak them in hot water to make a medicinal bath. Soak for half an hour every day. It can guide stagnant qi, dissolve blood stasis, and repair meridians."
These immortal herbs were all sacred medicinal materials that ordinary cultivators couldn't see even if they spent their entire lives searching. Each one was extremely precious. For example, the Biju Lotus only grows one flower at the bottom of the North Sea every hundred years. However, Meng Chen didn't feel happy. He stepped back and lowered his head, saying, "These medicinal materials are too valuable. This disciple is unworthy to receive them. Besides, it's just some minor injuries. This disciple can just take some pills when I go back..."
After he finished speaking, he saw that Zhongli Jing's posture hadn't changed, with several small bottles still held out steadily in front of Meng Chen.
Meng Chen had no choice but to accept the few medicinal materials. "Thank you... Master."
The air returned to silence. Meng Chen really couldn't stay here any longer. He bowed and said, "Master has just returned from a long journey and hasn't rested yet. This disciple will take his leave now."
Zhongli Jing didn't say anything, just nodded in response. Meng Chen finally felt a great sense of relief in his heart and immediately retreated from Tianyin Pavillion.
He felt that Zhongli Jing's attitude towards him seemed to have changed somewhat, but he didn't want to investigate the reason behind it at all.
He only knew that in Zhongli Jing's eyes, he was something that could be killed at any time to achieve enlightenment. When the other was in a good mood, he might give some charity. When in a bad mood, any moment could be his death.
Meng Chen was in low spirits and didn't notice someone approaching from the opposite direction. It wasn't until the white skirt hem entered his vision that he looked up, pausing slightly to bow. "Elder Bai."
Bai Bi nodded lightly, her voice as soft as scattered snow. "Is Immortal Lord Zhongli in?"
Meng Chen: "Master is in Tianyin Pavilion."
Bai Bi made a sound of acknowledgment and passed by him, going straight ahead. Meng Chen returned to Qixue Residence. He initially wanted to casually throw away the few medicine bottles he had received, but then worried that if Zhongli Jing checked his cultivation again someday and asked why he hadn't used the medicine, it would be more troublesome to explain.
On second thought, his body was his own. Since he had promised Xue Lang to take good care of his body, it would be better to cherish it a bit.
Sacred medicinal materials, rarely seen in a hundred years - it would be a waste not to use them.
After figuring this out, he walked into the inner room, took off his outer robe, wearing only white sleeping clothes, and walked into the deeper room behind the curtain.
Unlike the large public baths shared by disciples from other peaks, each disciple of Tianji Peak had an independent bath in their own residence. It was very convenient for washing after practice or for medicinal baths after injury.
Meng Chen poured the few medicinal ingredients into the bath, tested the water temperature, then took off his shoes and socks, and stepped barefoot into the pool. The warm water, combined with the faint fragrance of the herbs, gently surged around Meng Chen. He leaned against the pool wall, closed his eyes to ponder his thoughts. Having just come out of the Taixuan Secret Realm and then gone to Tianyin Pavilion, his mind had been tense all along. Now that he was back in his own quarters and slightly relaxed, plus the medicinal herbs in the water taking effect, he unknowingly fell asleep right there in the bath.
When Xue Lang sneaked in, this was the scene he saw.
Earlier in the secret realm, he had watched helplessly as Zhongli Jing took Meng Chen away. His heart had been terribly anxious, pacing restlessly outside Tianyin Pavilion for several rounds. When he finally saw Meng Chen come out, he immediately wanted to chase after him, but was then called by Zhongli Jing.
He suddenly remembered that he hadn't formally paid respects to his master since joining the sect. So he had to go in and exchange a few bland pleasantries with him, then immediately rushed to Qixue Residence. After searching around without finding anyone, he saw the outer robe hanging on the screen in the inner room, and had a thought to look further.
He swore to the heavens that he had no impure intentions, only wanting to confirm the person's safety with his own eyes before leaving. Who knew that when he carefully took a peek, he would find the young man soaking in the water with his eyes closed, showing no reaction to someone entering. He didn't know if he was asleep or what.
"Meng Chen?" he called out softly, probing, "Are you asleep?"
He was far away, and the hot water in the bath was giving off white mist. He could only see the young man motionlessly leaning against the edge of the bath, his jet-black long hair spread out on the water surface.
Seeing no response from the young man, Xue Lang became more worried. He cautiously took a step forward. "Meng Chen? Are you asleep?"
The young man still didn't respond.
Xue Lang started to panic a bit and moved closer. "Meng—"
He was so focused on calling out that he didn't notice a bar of soap right under his foot. He stepped on it and slid forward a big step with a "whoosh," doing a split and landing on his bottom, sliding unobstructed all the way into the bath with a splash.
With a loud "plop," water splashed up to the sky. Even if Meng Chen was in a deep sleep, this commotion would wake him up. The sword placed by his hand immediately unsheathed, slicing through the misty water with a "swoosh," and pressed against the chest of Xue Lang, who had just floundered up from the water. Xue Lang spat out a mouthful of pool water and immediately raised his hands, shouting loudly. "It's me!"
Meng Chen recognized the intruder, and the killing intent that had flashed in his eyes immediately retreated. The long sword obediently flew back into its scabbard. "Sneaking around, why didn't you make a sound?"
"I did call you!" Xue Lang angrily wiped the water off his face. "You were sleeping too deeply to hear!"
Meng Chen: "...Oh."
"What do you mean 'oh'!" Xue Lang said discontentedly, "If you want to sleep, go sleep on the bed. How could you fall asleep here? What if the water gets cold and you catch a chill? You're a grown man, how can you still be so careless..."
He rambled on endlessly, his gaze inadvertently falling on Meng Chen, and suddenly he went quiet.
Earlier, he was too far away to see clearly. Now he realized that although Meng Chen was wearing a single layer of clothes, it had become completely transparent when soaked in water. The skin below his neck was dazzlingly white, and he could even faintly see... see...
Xue Lang suddenly raised his head, forcibly fixing his gaze on Meng Chen's face. But he found the scene equally deadly. The medicinal bath had a blood-activating and bruise-dispersing effect. The young man's usually cold, pale face had now turned unusually rosy. Mist condensed into crystal-clear water droplets on his profile, slowly sliding down his jaw. His eyes were incredibly moist, completely lacking their usual cold sharpness, appearing misty. Paired with his reddened eye corners from the heat, there was an inexplicable... softness.
Meng Chen saw Xue Lang's entire person slowly turning red at an alarming rate, he was both surprised and amused. "Why are you blushing..."
As he spoke, his gaze inadvertently glimpsed his own disheveled state, and he suddenly fell silent.
Xue Lang looked like a shrimp cooked in boiling water, his gaze stiffly lifting upwards, not daring to look at him at all. Meng Chen hadn't felt anything was wrong at first, but infected by his demeanor, he also felt a hint of awkwardness and embarrassment.
He nonchalantly sank his body deeper into the pool water. "...You go out first."
"...Oh!" Xue Lang immediately swam towards the pool edge with uncoordinated movements, almost slipping twice in the water. He finally made it to the shore, but then stepped on another bar of soap. This time he lunged forward, face-planting onto the bluestone floor at the edge of the bath.
Meng Chen winced just hearing the sound, and hurriedly asked loudly. "Are you alright!?"
"I'm, I'm fine!" Xue Lang got up covering his nose, not daring to look back, and rushed out in a panic.
Meng Chen shook his head, amused by the youth's clumsiness, and slightly puzzled by his own strange emotions moments ago.
He didn't think too much about it, also exited the bath, changed into clean clothes, and walked out of the inner room.
Xue Lang had also dried his clothes, but looked quite miserable, with a red nose tip and a large blue bruise on his forehead. Seeing his appearance, Meng Chen couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Xue Lang felt even more embarrassed by his laughter, sullenly silent, only fiddling with a blue fluffy little head in his palm.
Meng Chen saw the chubby little bird in his hand and showed obvious surprise in his eyes.
This bird... he had seen it before.
In his previous life, this little blue bird had also appeared by Xue Lang's side. Seeing how cute the bird was, he had been interested in asking about its breed, but every time he remembered his relationship with the bird's owner, he would give up the idea.
Later, his escape from the cave was entirely thanks to this little blue bird — it miraculously passed through the traps and barriers at the cave entrance, flew into the cave, used its beak to peck through the golden chain he could never break, and led him to escape.
If he hadn't immediately encountered Zhongli Jing afterwards, he might have truly escaped to freedom.
No matter how intelligent a bird is, it couldn't possibly do so many things without reason — it was only then that he connected all the dots and understood which side Xue Lang truly stood on.
Meng Chen looked at the little blue bird and finally asked the question he had always wanted to ask in his previous life. "What's its name?"
Xue Lang raised the bird in his hand, gesturing for Meng Chen to look at its body shape. "Blue Fatty."
Blue Fatty gave Xue Lang a resentful glance, then noticed a particularly handsome beauty in front of it. It immediately perked up, fluttering its wings to land on Meng Chen's shoulder. It chirped twice coquettishly, squinting its eyes and tilting its head, nuzzling Meng Chen's neck with its fluffy little face.
Meng Chen naturally liked it too, allowing it to nuzzle affectionately several times, then cradling it in his palm and gently stroking its feathers with his fingers.
Xue Lang watched Blue Fatty, who seemed to be in bliss, and felt a surge of jealousy. He walked over and grabbed the bird back, saying, "It insisted on coming with me, actually wanting to play with a white crane here."
Xue Lang considered himself a good owner, remembering his promise to help Blue Fatty pursue the white crane.
Of course, more importantly, birds should play with birds. Why cling to people?
Meng Chen understood and gestured for him to come to the courtyard. He plucked a leaf and gently blew on it against his lips.
As the whistle faded, a crane's call sounded. A pure white form soon appeared on the horizon, circling down and joyfully landing on Meng Chen's arm.
Meng Chen smoothed its feathers and indicated it should go play with Blue Fatty. The white crane took one look at Blue Fatty and immediately turned its neck away disdainfully, spreading its wings to fly to a nearby tree branch, clearly looking down on the short, chubby little bird.
Blue Fatty's eyes lit up at the sight of the white crane. It immediately flapped its wings excitedly and flew up, landing on the same branch as the white crane. However, due to its considerable weight, it nearly broke the branch. The white crane glared at it angrily, avoiding it by flying to another branch.
Blue Fatty, knowing no retreat, shamelessly continued to pursue.
The two birds played this game of chase around the courtyard for several rounds. Finally, whether tired or resigned, the white crane looked back at the panting chubby bird, raised its neck high, and primly extended one wing towards it.
Blue Fatty was overjoyed, immediately stretching out its short little wings to snuggle up to the white crane intimately.
The two birds, wing in wing, ran to the spring to drink water together.
Seeing this scene, Meng Chen couldn't help but laugh softly. Xue Lang also remarked, "This white crane is really stubborn. It clearly likes the other, yet still pretends to be disdainful."
Meng Chen was even more amused inwardly. "Never mind birds, aren't some people just like that?"
Xue Lang suddenly froze.
Meng Chen had only meant to tease him, but after saying it, he realized there was something slightly off about it.
The atmosphere fell into silence for a moment.
