What a Shame

Lin Qingyang had another dream. He dreamed that bailiffs brought him into a courtroom, where he sat in the suspect's seat with handcuffs still on his wrists. Mo Yan, Xue Lanyuan, and Jin Buhuan sat in a row at the judges' bench. Finally, Sect Leader Shi Ruobai appeared and actually took the presiding judge's seat.

At the sight of him, Lin Qingyang could not help shouting, "You're the victim! How can you be the chief judge? I demand your recusal!"

He turned to shout at a bailiff, only to discover that the bailiff had turned into Qi Mo.

Qi Mo looked at him coldly and shoved him back into his seat. Lin Qingyang grabbed Qi Mo's hand, wanting to explain, but Qi Mo shook him off.

"It really wasn't me!" Lin Qingyang shouted.

But Shi Ruobai simply drew his sword, flew down, and cut off his head with a single stroke. His head rolled across the floor, yet his mouth was still shouting, "I demand your recusal! I demand your recusal!"

Lin Qingyang woke from that absurd dream and found himself still in his bedroom at Clear Wind Pavilion. He remained dazed for a while before wondering why he had not been locked up in the Forbidden Abyss. He moved to prop himself up, only to feel pain in every joint, nearly collapsing back down. With some effort, he got out of bed. He had just reached the outer hall when he heard a low male voice.

"You're awake?"

Lin Qingyang jumped. Only after stepping out of the bedroom did he see a man in white robes sitting at the table with his back to him, eating the dishes on it. Qi Mo had made them for him before leaving, but he had been too busy trying to flee to eat them. Now, more than half were gone.

"Sect Leader..." Lin Qingyang called nervously, calculating his chances of knocking him unconscious and escaping.

Shi Ruobai shuddered at those words. He turned to stare at him in astonishment, still holding his chopsticks.

"A-Yang, what did you call me?" Shi Ruobai looked at him with such a wounded expression that he seemed on the verge of tears.

Lin Qingyang could not make sense of his reaction and said nothing for a moment.

Then Shi Ruobai actually began crying. "I know. You still resent me because Master passed the sect leader position to me. It's been so many years, and you still won't forgive me!"

Lin Qingyang was even more confused. What was Shi Ruobai talking about? Wasn't he supposed to be asking about the poisoning? Yet there Shi Ruobai was, crying with tears and snot streaming down his face.

"Please stop crying," Lin Qingyang tried to soothe him.

"It wasn't as though I wanted to be sect leader, but Master wouldn't listen to me. You're my only junior brother, and now even you won't acknowledge me," Shi Ruobai sobbed.

Just as Lin Qingyang was getting a headache, Xue Lanyuan pushed the door open and entered, dark circles under his eyes and hair disheveled, looking thoroughly overworked.

"I didn't do anything. He suddenly got like this on his own," Lin Qingyang hurriedly explained, pointing at the sobbing Shi Ruobai.

Xue Lanyuan seemed entirely used to it. Only when he noticed that more than half the food on the table was gone did he say wearily, "You've only just woken up. Practicing bigu would help your recovery."

Shi Ruobai, however, only said, "You're just in time. A-Yang is awake. Hurry and examine him."

Xue Lanyuan came over and checked his pulse. "You've recovered quite a bit. For the next while, be sure to use spiritual power again."

Seeing Lin Qingyang's confusion, he added, "Master was frozen for too long, and it damaged his brain a little. He doesn't remember a lot of things."

He doesn't remember? So he's forgotten all about me poisoning him! Nobody knows! Can I really be this lucky?

"Can he recover?" Lin Qingyang asked.

Xue Lanyuan sighed. "I'm afraid it'll be very difficult in the short term."

"Oh, I see. What a shame," Lin Qingyang said, fighting to keep the corners of his mouth from turning upward.

Xue Lanyuan frowned. "The memory loss is the lesser concern. What's worse is that he was poisoned for too long and lost most of his cultivation. It'll take at least three to five years to recover to his previous level. What a fine disciple Mo Yan raised!"

Lin Qingyang frowned in thought and asked, "You mean Lei Guang?"

"Master never mistreated him, yet that wretch poisoned him!" Xue Lanyuan said indignantly.

Lin Qingyang said nothing, quickly sorting through the information in his head. It seemed everyone had pinned the crime of colluding with the snake demon to poison the sect leader on Lei Guang. That was hardly surprising, given how he and Chimei had come in and wreaked havoc together, as close as could be. Now one was dead and could not testify, while the other had lost his memory. No one knew he had done it!

Lin Qingyang exhaled. Heavens, you've finally helped me for once. He looked up again to find Shi Ruobai watching him with tearful eyes.

Xue Lanyuan explained further, "Master's memories stop at when he first became sect leader. Back then, you were angry and refused to attend the succession ceremony. Ever since waking up, he's been clamoring to see you."

Lin Qingyang recalled that the original owner of this body had thought he had developed an inner demon back then and gone into seclusion to cultivate and dispel it, missing the ceremony as a result. Presumably, that had been the beginning of their deteriorating relationship.

Seeing Shi Ruobai about to cry again, Lin Qingyang hurriedly said, "Senior Brother, I was resentful for a time, but I've come to terms with it now."

"Really? You're still willing to call me Senior Brother?" Shi Ruobai asked, looking at him.

"We grew up together. How could I distance myself from you over a sect leader position? I'm happy you became sect leader, too. Really," Lin Qingyang said.

Deeply moved by his words, Shi Ruobai rushed forward and hugged him. Lin Qingyang was already aching all over, and the hug made him grimace in pain. Seeing this, Shi Ruobai hastily let go and helped him sit at the table, then picked up a Qiankun Bag lying on it.

"Xiao Lan said you were injured, so I brought you some pills." As he spoke, Shi Ruobai tipped the Qiankun Bag upside down, spilling all sorts of rare pills across the table. Lin Qingyang picked them up to examine them. Not a single one was below first grade. He had still been feeling a little sore about giving Mo Yan that Phoenix Fire Spirit Pill, but now he felt nothing of the sort.

And that was not all. Shi Ruobai picked up another Qiankun Bag and pressed it into Lin Qingyang's hands. It was so heavy that he nearly dropped it.

"Take these spirit stones, too. Buy anything you like, and if it's not enough, just ask me for more." Lin Qingyang opened the bag and looked at the spirit stones inside. Judging by the weight, there had to be tens of thousands. This was no senior brother-this was his god of wealth.

"A-Yang, you've suffered all these years. It's all my fault..." Shi Ruobai's voice began to choke up again.

Afraid he would start crying again, Lin Qingyang hurriedly said, "Senior Brother, the past is past. Let's not bring it up again."

Shi Ruobai looked at him with reddened eyes and nodded through his tears. Looking at Shi Ruobai before him, whose temples had turned white after this bout of injury and illness, Lin Qingyang felt that inexplicable emotion surge up again. His throat tightened, and he actually felt like crying, too.

Shi Ruobai had only just woken up and was still very weak. After a few more words, he reluctantly left with Xue Lanyuan.

Sitting on the bed, Lin Qingyang let out a heavy breath. Beside him, Lin Yao also exhaled deeply. Lin Qingyang looked toward the Windflower Sword next to him.

"Does this mean we don't have to run away?" Lin Yao asked.

"I think so." Lin Qingyang smiled, feeling more relaxed than ever before, as though the blade that had been hanging over his head all this time was finally gone.

He lifted his head and saw his face in the mirror. That familiar face was his, yet somehow seemed not to be.

"He's all right now. Don't worry," Lin Qingyang said softly to the person in the mirror.

As his words faded, Lin Qingyang felt as though some emotion that had been weighing on his heart had disappeared, as though something had left this body. He seemed to feel much lighter, yet also a little bereft.

Lin Qingyang glanced at the food on the table and suddenly thought of something. He hurriedly got up, pushed open the door, and called outside for Feng Shu.

After quite a while, Feng Shu hurried in from outside. "Master, you're awake?"

"Where's that little ingrate?" Lin Qingyang asked.

Feng Shu thought for a moment before saying, "He... probably went back to the Demon-Feeding Facility."

The Demon-Feeding Facility was where demon slaves lived in Golden Spirit Court. Lin Qingyang asked again, "What about his injuries? How are they?"

Feng Shu froze. After the snake demon's attack, many disciples had been injured, and some had even died. Cold Moon Pavilion already had more disciples to care for than it could handle. Who would have time to worry about a demon slave?

When he did not answer, Lin Qingyang frowned in concern.