Transmigrated into a Heartthrob Novel and Went OOC Chapter 22

 Chapter 22

Cultivation was dull, and waking up early was more painful. After being caught and continuously practicing for a month, Fang Chaozhou, though not as miserable as the first time he entered the cold pool, still trembled every time he entered.

As soon as he finished practicing, he immediately wrapped himself in his fox fur coat. He looked at his junior brother, who was dressed in a snowy white robe, feeling somewhat like an elder concerned about the health of a clueless junior.

“Junior Brother, you should put on this robe.”

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“Senior Brother!”

Senior Brother was momentarily stunned when he saw Fang Chaozhou running towards him from a distance. Honestly, except when Fang Chaozhou was a child, he had never seen his junior brother show such enthusiasm towards him.

Seeing Senior Brother, Fang Chaozhou rushed up to him as if he had encountered an old friend from a distant place and hugged him tightly. “Senior Brother, you’ve finally come.”

Sob, sob, he had been so miserable here. Senior Brother had come to rescue him, right?

Senior Brother staggered backward a step due to Fang Chaozhou’s tight hug. He patted his second junior brother’s back with a wry smile. “Why are you so excited? It’s like when we were confined by Master during our childhood.”

As he spoke, he felt someone’s gaze fixated on his hand patting Fang Chaozhou’s back. He raised his head and saw his junior brother slowly approaching.

Junior Brother naturally had an ethereal and graceful appearance in his white robe, while the one in his arms, dressed like a little bear, moved like a little bear.

“Junior Brother.” Senior Brother smiled and nodded at Xue Danrong. “Did you just finish cultivating?”

Xue Danrong remained expressionless, glancing at Fang Chaozhou, who was still clinging to Senior Brother. He coldly replied.

His indifferent attitude was something that the people of Tianshui Sect had grown accustomed to, so Senior Brother didn’t pay much attention to it.

“I came here on Master’s orders,” Senior Brother had just spoken when the bear in his arms raised its head.

Fang Chaozhou’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. “Does Master think that I’m disturbing Junior Brother’s cultivation and wants me to leave?”

Even Senior Brother, who had noticed Fang Chaozhou’s true thoughts, struggled to hold back his laughter. “Of course…” Seeing Fang Chaozhou’s eyes brighten even more, he slowly added, “No, Master asked me to come and see how you’re progressing in your cultivation. To see if Junior Brother is spoiling you.”

The light in Fang Chaozhou’s eyes instantly extinguished.

Senior Brother found it amusing and patted the bear in his arms, adopting a tone that was somewhat playful. “Alright, Second Junior Brother, let me see your sea of consciousness.”

The sea of consciousness is the most important thing for cultivators. It is not easily opened to outsiders and is usually only opened to the Master or one’s Dao companion.

Upon hearing these words, Xue Danrong frowned. “Senior Brother, there are many ways to assess his cultivation. Opening the sea of consciousness is unnecessary.”

Indeed, there were many methods to check Fang Chaozhou’s progress in cultivation, but examining the sea of consciousness was the most convenient and accurate method.

Fang Chaozhou’s Master had seen through his true nature over the past year. They were afraid that Fang Chaozhou would be idle and lazy here or deceive Senior Brother, so they simply asked Senior Brother to examine Fang Chaozhou’s sea of consciousness.

By looking at the sea of consciousness, they would know how Fang Chaozhou had been cultivating during this period.

Fang Chaozhou, not being a true cultivator, was unaware of the danger that opening the sea of consciousness posed for a cultivator. When he heard that Senior Brother wanted to examine it, without hesitation, he intended to open it. However, before he could do so, he was forcefully pulled back several steps.

Xue Danrong’s expression turned unpleasant. “Senior Brother, if the sea of consciousness is to be examined, shouldn’t Master do it personally? Senior Brother should also know how dangerous it is to open the sea of consciousness. A slight mishap can lead to trouble.”

Senior Brother was well aware of this. He explained in response to Xue Danrong’s question, “Master has been away from the sect recently. I received a message through a voice transmission talisman today.”

“In that case, let’s wait for Master to return,” Xue Danrong’s tone was resolute, not allowing Senior Brother to examine Fang Chaozhou’s sea of consciousness at all.

Fang Chaozhou, whose arm was held, glanced at Xue Danrong in front of him and then looked at Senior Brother across from him. Why did he feel that the atmosphere was a bit strange now?

Seeing Xue Danrong’s stance, Senior Brother had no choice but to give up. “Then let’s try another method.”

Senior Brother inspected Fang Chaozhou’s recent cultivation progress and nodded in satisfaction. “Second Junior Brother, it seems that you’ve been diligent with Junior Brother around. By the way, Fifth Junior Brother has been working on a new elixir recently. He originally wanted me to bring it to you, but his furnace failed today. It will probably take a few more days before he can deliver it to you.”

Du Yunxi made an elixir for him?

Fang Chaozhou was about to ask what kind of elixir it was when Senior Brother glanced at the sky and said it was getting late and time to leave.

Watching Senior Brother leave, Fang Chaozhou visibly lost his spirit.

He really wanted to leave with Senior Brother.

“Second Junior Brother,” a voice came from behind.

Fang Chaozhou responded without much enthusiasm, his gaze still fixed on Senior Brother’s figure.

He envied Senior Brother’s freedom to come and go as he pleased.

Back when he was studying, he at least had weekends off. But coming here, he had to rise early and work late, as if he had gone back to his high school days.

“Does Second Junior Brother really want to leave with Senior Brother?” the voice behind him sounded somewhat chilly.

Fang Chaozhou paused and turned around to see Xue Danrong’s usually indifferent phoenix eyes now even colder. Perhaps due to his instinctual survival instinct, the words he was about to say reached the tip of his tongue but he swallowed them back. He changed his response, “No, I just haven’t seen Senior Brother in a long time. I wanted to take a few more looks, yes, just a few more looks.”

After saying that, he walked ahead towards the cave.

Why did he feel like Zhichun Island was becoming colder and stranger? It was strange.

In the following days, Fang Chaozhou noticed that Xue Danrong was ignoring him. Even the Sword of Severed Water, when it came to wake him up, did so in a crude manner. The sword would fly outside the cave, let its blade turn icy cold, then swiftly fly into the cave, push aside Fang Chaozhou’s loose blankets, and snuggle against his neck.

Fang Chaozhou shivered from the cold, quickly burrowing deeper into his blanket. But the Sword of Severed Water was prepared and followed him wherever he went. No matter where Fang Chaozhou hid, it would stick to his neck tightly until he was fully awake.

However, with this method being used repeatedly, Fang Chaozhou became smarter.

Before going to sleep that night, he deliberately wrapped a wolf fur collar around his neck, ensuring that the annoying sword couldn’t push it aside.

Fully prepared, Fang Chaozhou fell asleep peacefully. The next day, as usual, the Sword of Severed Water came to wake him up on time. It lifted Fang Chaozhou’s blanket and paused when it saw the wolf fur collar around his neck.

It attempted to push the collar aside with the hilt of the sword but failed.

The frustrated Sword of Severed Water seemed irritated. It circled around Fang Chaozhou several times while Xue Danrong finished getting dressed. Then, with a buzzing sound, it suddenly dove into Fang Chaozhou’s blanket.

In an instant.

Xue Danrong, who was tying his hair, heard Fang Chaozhou’s exclamation from behind the screen.

He had been hearing such sounds from Fang Chaozhou frequently these past few days, so it wasn’t particularly surprising. As a result, Xue Danrong didn’t pay much attention. However, when he heard Fang Chaozhou’s next sentence, he visibly paused his hair tying and even pulled the half-tied hairband off, striding around the screen.

Behind the screen, Fang Chaozhou was already awake. He sat up, embracing the blanket. His black hair scattered, and because of the cold, the wolf fur collar covered most of his face, leaving only a pair of dark eyes exposed.

At this moment, he stared at the Sword of Severed Water in his hand. With his peripheral vision, he noticed Xue Danrong approaching, and he suddenly felt like he had been caught bullying a child and was being reprimanded by their parent. He quickly released his grip and awkwardly smiled at Xue Danrong. “Junior Brother, you’re awake.”

Xue Danrong’s long hair was untied, and between his snowy white fingers, there was a deep blue hairband. He glanced at the Sword of Severed Water, which was hovering motionless in mid-air, before looking at Fang Chaozhou and furrowing his brows. “Did the Sword of Severed Water just burrow into your clothes earlier?”

Fang Chaozhou was about to nod when he saw Xue Danrong absorb the sword into his hand.

Xue Danrong looked down at the sword in his hand, and his gaze suddenly turned colder. In the next instant, the Sword of Severed Water flew to a sharp point on the stone wall.

On that day, Fang Chaozhou noticed that the Sword of Severed Water didn’t follow him to the Cold Pool.

Without the supervision of that annoying sword, Fang Chaozhou felt much freer. Taking advantage of Xue Danrong’s meditation, he took out a small lacquered red wooden tray from his storage ring and let it float on the water’s surface. He then placed a plate filled with various snacks on it, alongside an unread novel.

It was simply perfect.

When he had read almost half of the novel and felt that the sunlight had weakened, Fang Chaozhou immediately collected all the items. Shortly after he put everything away, there was a sound from Xue Danrong’s side.

Xue Danrong would come to check on him halfway through his cultivation. Today was no exception. Fang Chaozhou pretended to close his eyes and cultivate, and suddenly, he felt something brushing against the corner of his mouth.

At the same time, Xue Danrong’s cold voice rang out.

“Second Senior Brother, you forgot to wipe your mouth,” Xue Danrong said.

Fang Chaozhou froze, and after a while, he extended his tongue and licked the spot that had just been brushed.

He intended to destroy the evidence and didn’t realize that Xue Danrong, standing in front of him, saw this scene and his expression subtly changed.

With white mist lingering, the red tongue emerged and swept across the fair skin.

Xue Danrong only glanced at it before turning his face away. He lowered his head and looked at his fingertips, his tone abruptly becoming stern. “Second Senior Brother…”

Before he could finish his sentence, something pressed against his lips.

Following the social rule of repaying kindness with kindness, Fang Chaozhou stood up and forcefully stuffed one of his snacks into Xue Danrong’s mouth. Seeing the youth’s phoenix eyes widen noticeably, Fang Chaozhou smiled in an appeasing manner. “Is it delicious?”

Xue Danrong looked at Fang Chaozhou, slowly lowered his eyes, and rolled his tongue over the snack in his mouth, which carried a sweet taste. He hadn’t eaten anything in a long time.

Although Xue Danrong was young, he had always held himself to high standards. It took others several years or at least one year to achieve fasting, yet he managed to completely eliminate his appetite within three months.

He never ate snacks that even cultivators could enjoy.

The sweetness instantly spread in his mouth, and a different emotion hid beneath his dense, long lashes.

“Not delicious,” he said coldly.

“Really? Then let’s try a different flavor.” Fang Chaozhou pulled out another type of snack from his storage ring. “This one isn’t as sweet, a bit sour.”

Xue Danrong’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, about to speak, but his mouth was once again stuffed with a snack.

Fang Chaozhou looked at him expectantly. “Is it delicious?”

Xue Danrong’s brows furrowed even tighter this time, but he didn’t say anything. He turned around and went ashore, seemingly unwilling to speak to Fang Chaozhou anymore. Seeing Xue Danrong walk away, Fang Chaozhou breathed a sigh of relief.

He managed to keep the snacks, that was close!

Not long after Xue Danrong left, Fang Chaozhou saw his jade token flying over from where he had left it on a stone by the shore. It displayed a few words written by their Master.

The Master asked him and Xue Danrong to come over together.

Fang Chaozhou’s eyes immediately lit up, and he quickly stood up from the cold pool. As he was getting dressed, Xue Danrong returned. It was apparent that Xue Danrong also received the message. He put on the disciple robe of the Tianshui Sect, tied up his long hair with a jade crown, and his face was as beautiful as peach blossoms, yet his overall temperament remained as cold as ice and snow.

While Fang Chaozhou was getting dressed, Xue Danrong slightly stepped aside, waiting until Fang Chaozhou finished before leading the way with his sword towards their Master.

Their Master was seated in a prominent position. When he saw the two brothers entering, he set down the spiritual tea in his hand and said lightly, “You’re both here. Today, I called you here for one matter. Recently, I went to the gloomy soul sect.”

Upon hearing these words, the expressions on Fang Chaozhou and Xue Danrong’s faces changed.

The Master’s gaze fell on Xue Danrong. “Danrong, your eldest senior brother informed me about what happened during the finals of the cultivation conference. Our Tianshui Sect disciples have no reason to be bullied by outsiders. That scoundrel Li Yiyi relied on his few hundred extra years of life and spewed nonsense. This time, I gave him a good lesson on your behalf.”

Xue Danrong lowered his head. “Thank you, Master.”

“Between master and disciple, there’s no need for thanks,” the Master said, raising his hand. The two brocade boxes that had been placed on the table floated in front of Xue Danrong and Fang Chaozhou. “The red one is for Danrong, and the blue one is for Chaozhou. They are gifts sent by Li Yiyi as an apology.”

As the Master said the latter sentence, his gaze fell upon Fang Chaozhou. “Chaozhou, do you also have a conflict with Li Yiyi? Why does he say he wants to apologize to you as well?”

It was more than just a conflict; Fang Chaozhou had stabbed Li Yiyi in the heart.

In the original story, Li Yiyi also gave something to Xue Danrong but not to him. It seems that his stab changed the plot.

Fang Chaozhou looked at the indigo brocade box floating in front of him, feeling a sense of foreboding.

“I unintentionally got to know Li Yiyi’s son, Li Zhu, before. Li Yiyi found me to help him locate his son,” he carefully explained.

Upon hearing this, the Master nodded in understanding. “That scoundrel’s methods are definitely not righteous, after all, he is a demonic cultivator. In that case, it’s up to you to handle this item yourself. Whether you throw it away or keep it, it’s your own decision.”

After leaving their Master’s presence, they encountered the eldest senior brother. Seeing them, he walked over. “Second Junior Brother, Little Junior Brother, perfect timing. I won’t have to make another trip to Zhichun Island now.”

As he spoke, he took out a small porcelain bottle made of jade and handed it to Fang Chaozhou.

Fang Chaozhou looked at the small porcelain bottle in his hand and paused for a moment. “Eldest Senior Brother, what is this?”

The eldest senior brother glanced at Xue Danrong beside him and simply said, “It’s a newly refined pill by Fifth Junior Brother. He wants you to try it and says it’s good for your body.”

Fang Chaozhou had previously received several bottles of pills from Du Yunxi. Since Du Yunxi’s pills were all sweet, Fang Chaozhou treated them like candy beans and would eat them occasionally. So when he heard the eldest senior brother’s words, he didn’t think much and accepted it.

“Please thank Fifth Junior Brother on my behalf, Eldest Senior Brother.”

Nightfall, Zhichun Island.

Fang Chaozhou sat on a stone bed, staring at the indigo brocade box in front of him. After a while, he sat up straight and glanced at the folding screen. The brocade box that Xue Danrong received today was crimson.

Although he didn’t remember the exact color of the brocade box in the original story, he knew what Xue Danrong received.

Inside the brocade box was a pill that could enhance cultivation, and there was also…

A piece of jade. 

Li Yiyi, that demonic cultivator, had made a jade according to his own standards. He carved peony patterns on it and even engraved Li Yiyi’s name on it.

But the problem now was that the person who stabbed Li Yiyi had become him, and he also received a brocade box. Was that jade in this box or in the box of his Junior Brother?

Fang Chaozhou pondered for a long time, then suddenly remembered the pills Du Yunxi had given him. Whenever he thought about a problem, he felt like eating something.

He had to save his snacks. Today, he had informed his Master, albeit indirectly, that he wanted to leave the mountain. He was almost scolded with his ears pulled by his Master.

Fang Chaozhou opened the bottle cap and casually poured out a pill, tossing it into his mouth.

Indeed, the pill was sweet, somewhat resembling the chocolate beans he had eaten in the modern world. After licking his lips, he couldn’t help but eat two more.

****