The man had a three-finger-wide black cloth covering his eyes, as if he had an eye disease. Feng Zhu helped him sit down on a chair in the courtyard. "The sun is shining brightly today. You should go out and move around more. Don't stay indoors all day."
Feng Zhu's eyes held a smile, and his tone was gentle and tender.
Such an expression and tone of voice seemed to convey boundless affection to the person in front of him.
Yaoyao had never been treated like this before. She stopped on the eaves and was momentarily dazed.
Xi Zhi smiled as he squeezed Feng Zhu's hand back. "When have I ever not listened to you? Take off this blindfold for me."
"good."
Feng Zhu did as instructed, removing the strip of cloth, revealing Xi Zhi's face to the sunlight.
That was Jingyi's face.
Even though he had his eyes closed due to Xi Zhi's eye ailment, Lu Pianpian could still recognize him.
Feng Zhu and Xi Zhi chatted and laughed, their unspoken affection was obvious to anyone with discerning eyes.
Lu Pianpian suddenly recalled the scene of Huan Changming being taken down the mountain by Jing Yi that day. The two of them stood together, full of affection, and even the palace maids in the Cold Palace couldn't help but praise them as a perfect couple.
A stinging, aching pain rose in her chest, but Lu Pianpian ignored it. It was Yao Yao's body that was hurting; it was Yao Yao who was hurting, not Lu Shaoyan.
“Xi Zhi, I will go on a long trip again in a few days and I will definitely bring back medicine to cure your eyes.” Feng Zhu brushed across Xi Zhi’s eyes. “I should be the one who can’t see. It’s too kind of you to suffer so much for me.”
Xi Zhi shook her head, but instead worried about Feng Zhu. "I'm used to it... My mother has recently been considering passing the throne to me. She's hesitant between you and Senior Brother Yun Shu. You know I'm on your side, so you should stay in the manor these days and not go out, lest Senior Brother Yun Shu take advantage of the situation."
Feng Zhu knelt down in front of Xi Zhi, "The position of Celestial Master is worthless compared to your eyes."
Fengzhu and Xizhi said something else in the courtyard, but Yaoye didn't listen any further.
He flew down from the eaves, his mind filled with Feng Zhu's deep affection for Xi Zhi. The answer to his unspoken feelings for Feng Zhu seemed to already be clear.
He should have asked Feng Zhu earlier. If he had known that Feng Zhu had someone in his heart, he wouldn't have rashly followed Feng Zhu back. What is he now?
A friend in the twilight? Or, as others say, an insignificant idler?
It flew erratically, swaying and stumbling, and accidentally bumped into someone. It was immediately dizzy and fell upwards, but was caught by a hand.
"Senior Brother Yun Shu, what's wrong?"
A butterfly bumped into me.
He swayed for a while before regaining his senses and saw the person he had hit staring at him inquisitively.
Junior brother!
Lu Pianpian shouted in her heart, but unfortunately Huan Juntian, who was attached to Yun Shu, could not hear her words.
"You all go first," Yun Shu said to the disciples behind him.
The disciples listened to him without question. One of them walked away but then came back and whispered in Yun Shu's ear, "Senior Brother Yun Shu, since Feng Zhu returned, he has been guarding Young Master Xi Zhi's courtyard day and night. His ambition to ascend to the position of Immortal Master is obvious. You can't let him get there first!"
Xi Zhi is the Celestial Master's son; pleasing Xi Zhi is equivalent to pleasing the Celestial Master.
Yun Shu nodded to indicate that he understood, and then the disciple left.
Yao Ye tried to fly away from Yun Shu's grasp, but Yun Shu clasped his hands together and trapped her in his palms.
He flew around anxiously in Yun Shu's palm. Yun Shu took him back to her room, locked the door and closed the windows, and then opened her palms to let him out.
Lu Pianpian guessed that her junior brother must have discovered Yaoye's identity. Sure enough, Yun Shu's first words were: "You butterfly spirit, you dare to break into the residence of a demon hunter. What do you intend to do?"
Swaying and frozen in mid-air, not knowing what to do, Yun Shu waited for him for a moment. Seeing that he refused to reveal his intentions, she said, "If you don't tell me, I will have no choice but to hand you over to the executioner disciples and let them question you."
"No! I can explain!" Yaoyao transformed back into human form. "I...I was brought back by Fengzhu. I meant no harm!"
Yun Shu knew that Feng Zhu had brought someone back a few days ago. He scrutinized Yao Ye and asked, "Feng Zhu, what do you want with bringing back a butterfly spirit like you?"
The Demon Hunter's Abode has strict rules. If a demon is brought back to the academy and discovered, the perpetrator will be executed or expelled from the academy.
“Feng Zhu doesn’t know I’m a demon! I’ve hidden my identity from him…” Yao Ye looked at Yun Shu nervously, “Can you not tell him?”
This is even stranger. Yun Shu and Feng Zhu are of similar cultivation levels. He was able to see through Yao Ye's true form. How could Feng Zhu not see through it?
Yun Shu countered with a question to Yao Ye: "Does Feng Zhu truly not know your identity?"
"He doesn't know!"
Yao Ye suddenly remembered that the person in front of him seemed to be competing with Feng Zhu for the position of Celestial Master. Although he did not know the rules of the Demon Exorcist's Mansion, he knew that if Yun Shu told the Celestial Master that he was a demon, Feng Zhu, who brought him into the mansion, would definitely be punished.
Yao Ye didn't want his temporary concealment to implicate Feng Zhu, so he pleaded with Yun Shu, "Please don't tell anyone that I'm a demon. I'll leave tonight and never appear at the Demon Hunter's Mansion again..."
Yun Shu could tell that he didn't want to implicate Feng Zhu. "As long as you and Feng Zhu don't do anything to harm the Demon Catcher's Mansion, the rest is up to you."
"Thank you!"
Yao Ye was sincerely grateful to Yun Shu. Yun Shu looked into Yao Ye's eyes and felt a strange sense of familiarity, but for a moment he couldn't remember where he had seen her before.
Yao Ye disliked leaving without saying goodbye, and before leaving, he planned to bid farewell to Feng Zhu.
The night was quiet and still, with a dim yellow light burning in the room.
Feng Zhu sat at his desk, holding a classic book in his hand, quietly flipping through it.
"Fengzhu." Yaoye pushed open the half-closed door and tiptoed into the room.
"Where did you go?" Feng Zhu asked him without even looking up.
Yaoyao quickly said, "It's too stuffy in the room, so I went for a walk in the yard."
They lie without batting an eye.
Feng Zhu has a keen sense of smell. As soon as Yao Ye entered the room, he could smell the lingering scent on the other person. He had only ever smelled this scent on Yun Shu before.
His intentions were unclear, but he simply nodded without exposing Yao Ye's lie.
As Yaoyao gazed at Fengzhu's cold and indifferent profile, a pang of sadness struck her. He was like two completely different people when facing Xizhi and herself.
One is warm and affectionate, the other is cold and indifferent.
Unlike Xi Zhi, Yao Yi doesn't possess the ability to melt the snow-capped mountain of Feng Zhu.
But Feng Zhu was ultimately his savior, and he couldn't resent Feng Zhu just because he couldn't melt Feng Zhu's heart.
Before leaving Fengzhu, he wanted to do one last thing for Fengzhu as a way of repaying him.
"Fengzhu." Yaoye walked up to Fengzhu, their eyes meeting as they sat facing each other at the desk. "Do you want to become a Master?"
Feng Zhu paused, holding the book, and finally looked at him directly. "Where did you hear that from?"
“I heard it from the disciples who delivered the food,” Yaoye continued. “I also heard that if you heal Young Master Xizhi’s eyes, you’ll be one step closer to becoming a Celestial Master, right?”
Feng Zhu put down the book and said calmly, "Xi Zhi's eyes were injured because of me."
The implication is that, regardless of whether he becomes a Taoist priest or not, Feng Zhu must cure Xi Zhi.
Yao Ye's smile froze for a moment, then her expression returned to its usual lively and cunning look. "I can try to heal that young master Xi Zhi's eyes. If I can cure them, it will be a way of repaying your kindness to me!"
Feng Zhu stared at him silently for a long time, then a smile suddenly bloomed on his lips. "Okay."
He had never smiled at Yao Ye before; this was the first time Feng Zhu had smiled at Yao Ye in all the time they had known each other.
The reason for the laughter was that swaying might cure Xi Zhi.
The next day, Fengzhu brought Yaoye to Xizhi's courtyard.
As Lu Pianpian swayed within her body, she saw from afar her senior sister Qu Surou holding Jing Yi's hand, looking at her with affection and saying, "Xi Zhi, my son, have you been taking any medicine lately?"
Lu Pianpian felt a mix of emotions. Her senior sister had actually possessed the Heavenly Master's body and become Xi Zhi Niang with Jing Yi's face.
Xi Zhi obediently answered each question. The candle in the wind swayed, and he bowed to the Celestial Master and said, "Greetings, Master. This is a friend I met while traveling. His name is Yao Ye, and he knows some medical skills. I brought him here to have Xi Zhi's eyes examined."
The Celestial Master was very pleased: "You've put your heart into it."
Only after receiving permission from the Celestial Master did Yaoye dare to step forward and examine Xizhi's eyes.
Xi Zhi's eyes were injured by demonic poison three years ago, and the Demon Exorcist's Mansion searched far and wide for famous doctors and rare medicines, but none of them could restore Xi Zhi's sight. Yao Ye was not entirely confident that she could cure him either, so she wrote a prescription for Feng Zhu, "Try this prescription first."
Feng Zhu glanced at the prescription, nodded, and then sent someone to find the medicinal herbs.
Yaoye teased him, "You trust me that much? Aren't you afraid I'll poison the prescription?"
Feng Zhu countered, "Why did you poison the prescription?"
Yao Ye pursed his lips, thinking to himself, "If I poison your sweetheart, I might have a chance." But this was just a thought; he was only joking and never actually intended to harm anyone.
Seeing that he did not answer, Feng Zhu continued, "Since you said you would treat Xi Zhi's eyes, I will believe you."
As Yao Ye listened, her throat tightened, but an even greater wave of sorrow welled up in her heart.
On the tenth day after taking the medicine, someone from Xizhi's courtyard came to tell him that Xizhi's eyes could now vaguely see some light, and he specially ordered his servants to send Yaoye many rare treasures as a token of his gratitude.
Yao Ye was also surprised by the speed at which Xi Zhi's eyes recovered. "Then you should go back and take good care of Young Master Xi Zhi. You must not let him stop taking his medicine." If he stops taking his medicine, the effect will be greatly reduced.
The servant replied, "Alright."
At this rate, Xi Zhi's eyes will regain their sight in less than three months.
However, an unexpected event occurred five days later. Xi Zhi's eyes, which had been improving, suddenly started bleeding profusely and became ulcerated, with the injury being more severe than before.
The Celestial Master flew into a rage and ordered his disciples to arrest Fengzhu and Yaoye.
"I regarded you as my first disciple and I have never treated you unfairly, yet you actually conspired with outsiders to harm Xizhi! Fengzhu, what are you really up to!"
The deed was done, and no amount of explanation to the Celestial Master would change anything. He looked at Feng Zhu and repeatedly denied it, "Feng Zhu, believe me, I didn't mean to hurt Xi Zhi..."
As long as he has faith, that's enough.
Feng Zhu glanced at him, then kowtowed to the Celestial Master and said, "Yao Ye was brought back by me. If you want to punish someone, punish me alone. It has nothing to do with Yao Ye."
The Celestial Master was furious. "Feng Zhu, my son Xi Zhi was so devoted to you, and you still protect outsiders even now!"
"Very well! Then I will grant your wish... Guards! Gouge out Fengzhu's eyes to restore my son's sight!"
Upon hearing this, Yaoye fell into the ice cellar. She watched as several disciples stepped forward and firmly pressed Fengzhu to the ground, their fingers already reaching for Fengzhu's eyes. Yaoye suddenly pounced on Fengzhu and hugged him tightly.
"I...I was the one who healed Xizhi...Now if anyone should be gouged out, it should be my eyes..."
As he spoke these words, Yao Ye trembled all over, yet he still used all his strength to tightly protect Feng Zhu, "Gouge out my eyes, don't gouge out Feng Zhu's..."
“Okay…” Xi Zhi’s weak voice came from outside. He was helped in by servants. His eyes, which were bound with strips of cloth, were filled with blood and looked terrifying. “Feng Zhu, as long as you gouge out Yao Ye’s eyes with your own hands, I will forgive you.”
Feng Zhu pursed his lips and did not reply.
Yaoyao knew that if he and Fengzhu wanted to survive today, one of them had to return Xizhi's eyes.
The swaying could not prevent his savior from losing his eyesight.