- • -

Chapter 3

Few dry leaves fell down on the ground with a gentle sway, a sign that it is already fall. The cozy weather made everyone wear another layer of robe to keep themselves warm as they stayed inside the Yun Sect while practicing hard for the incoming Rising Star Cultivation Battle. Lian Ren stared at the cloudy sky as he laid down under the tree, the cozy breeze doesn't seem to bother him because his attribute is originally ice. So the cozy weather doesn't affect him too much.

It's been already three days..... He won't even come out. Is he still alive inside that Pavilion? Lian Ren stared at the piece of dry leaf swaying side by side as it fell down straight on his face, he raised his hand and reach out to grab the fallen leaf and stared at it for a long time. After he escorted Shao Ling three days ago, his Shizun didn't went out of the Pavilion after that. And forbids anyone from coming inside of the Pavilion because of an unknown reason.

That unknown reason made him confused even more, Lian Ren scoffed and flicked the leaf on his hand and the leaf was blasted away with a faint blue spiritual qi covered on it. A figure of a woman was seen from his peripheral vision, walking straight on his way as she wears the gentle smile on her small face. Lian Ren shifted his gaze at him and his lips subconsciously curved into a smile, he stood up under the tree and rushed on Xin Mei's direction.

Lian Ren slightly bowed as a sign of a greeting as he asked.

Xin Mei said jokingly and spoke again,

Lian Ren slightly frowned. He had known that this will happen eventually but he didn't expected it to happen earlier than usual, he placed his both hands on his back and nodded at Xin Mei with a smile.

Xin Mei showed a face of astonishment and replied,

I wouldn't dare. I won't be able to resist myself and kill them instantly. Lian Ren still showed his smile and shook his head with a response,

Xin Mei nodded and spoke,

Lian let out a low hmm.

Xin Mei replied,

Lian Ren raised his eyes,

Xin Mei sighed and answered,

Lian Ren nodded, he wandered his eyes and his mouth became dry as he asked while thinking about that person.

Xin Mei stared at him for a while before answering, Lian Ren nodded again but his face showed a faint look of disappointment.

Xin Mei snickered and continued her words,

Lian Ren knitted his brows and replied,

Xin Mei looked around on the surroundings and took a few steps forward to whisper on his ear,

Lian Ren frowned. He thought that Shao Ling's fever must be because he had stayed outside for a long time, but at the same time, he also remembered that his Shizun had an ice attribute so a bit cold would be nothing to him...... Unless his body is weak and sensitive to things. Well, yes he remembered that Shao Ling's body was sensitive. Just a slight touch of a piece of snowflake would make him shiver in coldness but it wasn't enough to make him go feverish. So why did he suddenly had a fever?

Lian Ren's mouth subconsciously opened,

Xin Mei's eyes raised as he looked at him. Her gentle smile widened even more as she spoke in a joking way.

Lian Ren rapidly tapped his finger from behind and slightly opened his mouth to ask a question,

Xin Mei answered,

Lian Ren nodded and walked past her,

Xin Yue grinned and waved her hand goodbye,

Lian Ren arrived in front of the Azure Cloud Pavilion in no time, he tapped the tip of his index finger on the Azure Blue spiritual barrier covering the whole Pavilion and the protective barrier was distinguished in an instant with just a tap of his finger.

Lian Ren leisurely opened the gate and passed through the jade fountain and opened the door of the Pavilion, he doesn't care if Shao Ling got angry at him because he can just kill him instantly and eliminate the remaining Yun Sect disciples later if he wanted to. But deep inside, he wanted to check on Shao Ling's condition.

The man's silhouette was seen behind the curtains, his painful pants and groans resonated throughout the inner part of the Pavilion and the strong smell of the incense sticks and the thick mist of it's smoke were covering the whole house, making it seem eerie and weird to be looked upon. Lian Ren ignored the sweet but disturbing smell of the calming incense sticks and rushed a step forward to shove the curtains as he lowered on the person lying in front of him.

Shao Ling's night robe was opened and his bare shoulders down to his muscular hips were clearly seen by anyone. He was covered with so much sweat and every air of his breath were thick and hot, it was a very rare sight for Lian Ren because he had never seen his Shizun as a weak person except when he nearly defeated him after massacring the whole Yun Sect disciples and Elders.

Lian Ren remembered that Xin Mei said that she saw him in this state. For some reason, his blood started to boil from the thought that someone had seen Shao Ling in this state except for him. He crouched down and held the stand of Shao Ling's long loose disheveled hair with a whisper,

Shao Ling turned his body to his side. His eyes were tightly closed but his dried mouth was slightly opened and continious pants kept coming out of him, Lian Ren reached out his hand to touch his shoulder but it was too hot like a lava inside a volcano. He gazed down at Shao Ling's perishing expression and pursed his lips before spreading out his palms and letting his blue spiritual qi flowed out of his skin, slowly molding it's shape into a beautiful snowflake.

The snowflake floated and stick itself through Shao Ling's shoulder deep down his skin, giving him a little bit of a cold temperature to ease the burning sensation inside his body. Lian Ren was about to stood up and go out of the Azure Cloud Pavilion but a small slender hand grabbed the hem of his robe, stopping him from going anywhere.

Lian Ren shifted his gaze at Shao Ling. His eyes were half open and few sweats were dripping down his forehead while his cheeks were flushed red like a tomato, he gripped the hem of Lian Ren's robe tighter and pulled him in as he spoke weakly.

Lian Ren didn't realized but his pitch black eyes radiated a bright blue glow as he crouched down again with a heavy breath,

He held Shao Ling's neck and lifted his head up as he leaned closer to him, he let Shao Ling's whole weight rest on his body as he closed his eyes and spread all his spiritual qi inside his meridians in a messy way. The edges of his body radiated a bright blue light that caused the bed where Shao Ling laid to freeze, some part of the floor inside the Pavilion also froze as he gave Shao Ling cold temperature the same amount of what his hot temperature gives.

The balanced temperature both inside and outside gave Shao Ling a lot of comfort to ease the burning pain in his body, he unconsciously leaned closer to Lian Ren and snuggled on his chest with a low gentle whimpers coming out of his dried mouth. His pained expression was not pleasing to look and his frowning brows earlier are now soft and straight. After a few while, Lian Ren put Shao Ling down the bed that was half frozen with an unreadable expression.

He murmured as he put the strands of Shao Ling's hair on the back if his ear as he stared at his sleeping face. He caressed the strand of his long loose hair and stared at him for a long time.

He lived Shao Ling ever since he was young, but he hated him at the same time. He loved Shao Ling because of his maturity and how he treated people fairly on each other but his impression changed when Shao Ling treated him poorly unlike the others. He thought that maybe Shao Ling was the right master for him and he would have no regrets but he said to himself that he thought wrong.

The complicated feeling made him love and hate Shao Ling at the same time, he wanted to chop down his neck and feed his bones to the tigers but he also wanted to kiss his lips and cherish him at the same time. The love and hate that had mixed inside him gave him the hesitation to kill Shao Ling and made him live in hell instead as he watched the Yun Sect he worked hard to manage and strengthen as a fallen Sect to the Cultivation world by his side.

But who would've thought that Shao Ling chose to self-destruct and didn't chose to live beside him instead. And now that they both died he became different..... Lian Ren rested his both palms to his face before gritting his teeth and walking out of the Azure Cloud Pavilion.

- • -