Chapter 32

"You little troublemaker."

Gu Tingshuang remained unconscious for an entire day and night, and Ning Shiting did not close his eyes for just as long.

The Qingniao(1) of Xianzhou flew quickly as usual. Typically, they helped Ning Shiting collect the scattered volumes of the Ninefold Spirit Mastery. A few martial brothers and sisters assisted in organising and gathering the materials. On the first day, they would send a message to confirm the needed content and ensure accuracy, and by the second day, the letters would arrive.

Now that Gu Tingshuang’s cultivation had gone astray, Ning Shiting burned Soul Returning Incense throughout the night to stabilise his mind, and then he waited for replies to his letters.

Given the urgency of the situation, he wrote to every martial sibling he knew, and he even sent a letter to Bu Cangqiong, whom he hadn’t dared to contact for years, asking how to resolve issues that might arise during cultivation of the Ninefold Spirit Mastery.

This was an uncharted path, and Gu Tingshuang was navigating the darkness alone. The only hope lay in Bu Cangqiong.

However, the next day, the Qingniao brought back most of the replies. His senior brothers and sisters all expressed that they were unaware of any solutions.

One Shijie sent a voice transmission from a great distance, "Little Mermaid,(2) have you asked Shifu? Over the years, our sect members have scattered across the land, travelling far and wide. Shifu has been in seclusion for a long time and is no longer in Dongzhou. I’m the closest to Dongzhou; I looked for Shifu yesterday, but his residence is already empty."

Before Ning Shiting could respond, the letter he had sent to Bu Cangqiong was returned by the Qingniao, indicating that Bu Cangqiong himself could not be found.

With the only hope he had dashed, Ning Shiting felt helpless in the face of Gu Tingshuang's condition.

Fortunately, although Gu Tingshuang remained unconscious, his pulse and complexion were stable, suggesting that the situation wasn't too dire for the time being.

By the next morning, several renowned doctors from the Immortal Continent had arrived. After checking Gu Tingshuang's pulse, they all agreed there were no abnormalities. At most, they suggested, his prolonged physical weakness and slight exhaustion might have caused him to fall into a deep sleep.

Unable to pinpoint the exact issue, Ning Shiting instructed Ting Shu to bring all the medical books from the study. He then took a lamp and slowly began reading through them.

That night, the temperature dropped again. After a period of dormancy, the snow demons showed signs of reemerging to wreak havoc.

The night wind was icy and piercing. Ting Shu was awakened by the cold in the middle of the night and hurriedly brought a water-warmed brazier to Ning Shiting, with coals heating it.

Since Ning Shiting was a Jiaoren, using a regular brazier would dry out his skin, causing pain and discomfort. Thus, Ting Shu always prepared a water-filled warming pot for him instead.

Even when using a coal brazier, a water cover would be placed on top. While others warmed themselves by the fire, Ning Shiting preferred steam.

When Ting Shu brought it over, he saw that Ning Shiting was still awake and quietly suggested, "Gongzi, let me keep watch over Dianxia. You should get some rest."

The room was filled with a soothing, divine fragrance, and the scent of water near Gu Tingshuang's pillow was heavy and serene.

Ning Shiting shook his head, took the warming pot from Ting Shu, and pulled him down to sit beside him, asking him to sleep for a while by his side.

Ting Shu replied, "I'm not tired."

He looked down and noticed that Ning Shiting's left wrist was wrapped in gauze. In a soft voice, he asked, "Gongzi, are you working on making incense again?"

Ning Shiting replied, "Yes, the Soul Returning Incense is running out. I'm not sure how the Shizi is doing."

Ting Shu sat close to him, watching as he worked on preparing the incense.

There were so many different kinds of ingredients. Using a small spoon, Ning Shiting measured them out; some needed to be burned, while others had to be soaked after burning. A large basin of precious medicinal herbs would yield only a small amount in the end.

Every three hours, Ning Shiting would let out some of his blood, and each time, he could extract a translucent pellet from the final refining tool. Initially, the pellet was blood-red, but it gradually turned a reddish-brown, tinged with amber.

Ting Shu had never watched him make incense before. Though the child was usually playful and spoiled, he was sharp-witted and knew when to mind his behaviour.

After a while, Ting Shu asked, "Gongzi, could you give me a piece of Soul Returning Incense?"

Ning Shiting responded, "Sure. What do you need it for?"

Ting Shu said, "In two days, my Ge will come to take me away. After that, it’ll be hard to see you again, Gongzi. I’d like to have something of yours to keep with me."

Ning Shiting didn’t reply immediately.

He carefully selected a few pieces of Soul Returning Incense from the incense burner, then took out a delicate, beautifully crafted box from his sleeve.

When he turned the box over, a row of poison needles and concealed weapons fell out. Ning Shiting put them all away into his sleeve, then meticulously washed and wiped the box clean before placing three pieces of Soul Returning Incense inside.

Ting Shu took the box and said, "I only need one piece, Gongzi."

"Soul Returning Incense is a life-saving item. It's good to carry more with you just in case. But I hope you’ll never have to use it, Ting Shu," Ning Shiting said.

Ting Shu nodded, leaning against him for a while. When he felt himself on the verge of tears, he said, "Gongzi, I'll go to bed now."

Ning Shiting replied, "Go ahead."

After Ting Shu left, the room returned to silence.

Ning Shiting stared at the now-empty incense burner, dazed. It took him a moment to realise that he had just given all three of the newly made Soul Returning Incense pieces to Ting Shu.

He sighed softly.

Suddenly, the little wolf curled up on the table moved and lifted its eyes.

Ning Shiting snapped back to reality and bent down to check on the wolf, carefully petting its head through the hand cage. "You're awake? How about I give you something to eat?"

The little wolf, who had a strong appetite, finally managed to open its eyes after a long sleep.

Ning Shiting had been initially shocked and heartbroken by its injuries, but he was somewhat reassured after hearing from the beast tamer that the ancient white wolves had an extraordinary ability to recover, even from broken bones.

As soon as the little wolf had returned, it had nestled in his arms, refusing to let go of his sleeve with its paw, clinging to him in an unusually affectionate manner.

Ning Shiting had held it the entire time. When the wolf eventually fell asleep and he needed to work on the incense, he had someone move its nest onto the table and carefully placed it there.

Now, the little wolf finally opened its eyes, its amber-coloured pupils staring at him.

Ning Shiting cleared a small space on the table, then bent down to pick up the items Ting Shu had just brought over.

It was some pastries, jerky, and a pot of congee kept warm over a low flame—Ting Shu had brought him a late-night snack.

Since Gu Tingshuang had remained unconscious, sustained only by the Soul Returning Incense, the servants had not brought him anything to eat.

Remembering this, Ning Shiting set aside some of the pastries and jerky, planning to feed the congee to Gu Tingshuang later, worried that his body might not hold up otherwise.

He placed the jerky and pastries in front of the little wolf.

The little wolf was so hungry that it was practically drooling, but uncharacteristically, it didn’t rush to gobble up the food.

Gu Tingshuang lifted his eyes to look at Ning Shiting.

Although the Jiaoren didn’t know that his spiritual consciousness was still residing within the little wolf's body, Gu Tingshuang didn’t intend to lower his head and eat the food on the table.

He lifted his chin, remembering that he was in the wolf's body, and reached out with a paw to push the food toward Ning Shiting, as if asking him to feed him. But he forgot that the little wolf had lost one of its front legs, and when he reached out with his paw, he missed his footing and rolled off the table in a fluffy tumble.

Ning Shiting was startled, but he managed to catch the wolf just in time, preventing it from crashing to the ground.

Gu Tingshuang curled up in his arms, feeling Ning Shiting pinch his face with a mix of anger and frustration. "You little troublemaker."

Ning Shiting, feeling sorry for the wolf, began feeding it. As he fed it, he murmured softly, "None of you ever let me have any peace."

It was unclear who he was talking about.

Gu Tingshuang, having suppressed his wolfish instincts for so long, didn’t care much for the pastries, but considering that the little wolf had been starving alongside him for a while, he decided to eat a bit on its behalf.

After overextending his spiritual consciousness, Gu Tingshuang had been resting within the little wolf’s body, and now he felt somewhat better.

Each time Ning Shiting fed him a bite, he ate it.

Once the food was gone, Ning Shiting set down the plate and reached out to check the temperature of the congee. Finding it still warm, he took the bowl and moved to the bedside, bending over to look at the sleeping Gu Tingshuang.

The little wolf on the table suddenly turned its head.

Gu Tingshuang became vaguely aware of something, and a familiar sense of humiliation surged within him—an awkward, uncomfortable, and inexplicable resentment.

In that instant, his spiritual consciousness flared up, violently thrashing about inside the little wolf’s body, desperately trying to break free from the constraints of the flesh and return to his own body. But despite his efforts, he couldn’t succeed. The little wolf's eyes grew brighter, but the person on the bed remained unconscious.

Gu Tingshuang calmed down.

He watched as Ning Shiting gently blew on the spoonful of congee, carefully cradling his head as he tilted the spoon to feed him.

With his spiritual consciousness absent, Gu Tingshuang’s body was like a lifeless puppet—silent and unresponsive.

The warm congee dribbled from the corners of his mouth, and Ning Shiting hurriedly wiped it away with a handkerchief, looking slightly flustered.

"Get better soon, ba..." he whispered.

In a strange twist of fate, Ning Shiting, a Jiaoren who seemed to possess some kind of magic, caused Gu Tingshuang’s spiritual consciousness, which had struggled unsuccessfully to return to its body, to suddenly succeed at this very moment, leaving the little wolf’s awareness and reentering his own body.

The familiar sensation of his own body returned to him. Just as Ning Shiting was about to set the bowl down, he glanced and found himself staring into the deep, dark eyes of the boy who had just woken up.

Ning Shiting froze.

He was about to say, "You're awake," but Gu Tingshuang’s gaze was so heavy and intense that it seemed as if he had just awakened from a repressive nightmare, his entire being radiating an aura of suppression and silence.

This aura was exactly like what Ning Shiting had seen the first time he entered the prince's manor, through the dense veil of rain—a boy hidden in the darkness, with only a pair of sharp eyes watching him, like a wolf.

"You treat him so well, but have you ever wondered why he’s heartbroken? Ning Shiting," Gu Tingshuang said.

His voice was hoarse, tinged with a faint taste of blood. His eyes throbbed with pain, and the brutal slaughter on the spiritual mountain the day before still lingered in his mind.

The eyes, quiet and gentle like a rabbit’s.

They tore him apart.

Destroyed him.

If they couldn’t, they would turn into a dog, tamed by others, becoming a disgrace and a failure.

"What?" Ning Shiting was momentarily stunned.

"Ting Shu," Gu Tingshuang sneered. "I used to think you were hypocritical because you always did things against your will. But the truth is, you don’t have a heart. You’re kind to people only because you pity them. It must be fun to show your mercy from your lofty perch, isn’t it?"

"He’s leaving, and you know that, don’t you? Oh, you do know. He asked you for Soul Returning Incense, and you gave it to him. When others said he was sad, you changed the subject, pretending you didn’t know what he really wanted."

It was to be kept, to be cherished.

"It's about protecting the ones you hold dear, the only light in your life, the hope that you might be allowed to stay by their side.

Even with something as powerful as Soul Returning Incense, even with a noble status—what does any of that matter?"

Ning Shiting replied softly, "…Dianxia, if you don't like me, there's no need to mock me like this."

He had never spoken harshly before, even when angry. Yet, his tone now was not one of anger but carried a hint of unguarded, immature emotion—something he couldn’t quite suppress.

After all, he wasn't that much older than Gu Tingshuang. He seemed more like a living person now, Gu Tingshuang thought.

The sound of the congee bowl being gently placed on the bedside table echoed softly. Gu Tingshuang closed his eyes, the tension in his fingers gradually easing.

He heard Ning Shiting tidying up, seemingly preparing to leave.

The little wolf, now devoid of Gu Tingshuang’s spiritual presence to bear the pain, whimpered in distress, holding back its cries with great effort, though tears welled up in its eyes, looking pitiful and aggrieved.

Gu Tingshuang said, "I don’t need your pity, Ning Shiting. I am the master of this wolf. My illness will heal on its own, and the wolf’s injured paw will become its badge of honour."

Ning Shiting’s footsteps paused momentarily, then faded away as he left the room.

The wind and snow intensified outside, howling fiercely, yet the door was closed ever so gently.

The Author has Something to Say

Selected Comments from the Previous Chapter (I was too shy to include the compliments, but I totally agree with them! (Bushi)):

Netizen: Fu Jin

• Poor thing!! Will Little Wolf’s paw heal? TUT

Netizen: Gao Ye

• Don’t touch the one on the bed, touch me instead.

Netizen: 156

• It’s the Shizi Wolf! His cold eyes, but his heart is all yours.

Netizen: Chi Zhou

• awsl* Double dose of adorableness.

Netizen: Yuan Xiao Jia Jie

• Hey, can Little Wolf’s paw grow back?

Netizen: Xue Luo Hong Lu Sunny

• What a thrilling chapter!!

Netizen: Pa Lu Lu's Green Pepper

• The tsundere Shizi is so cute.

Netizen: 111

• Wuwuwu, can the paw be saved? Will he become the one-armed hero from now on?

Netizen: Pin Cun Yunnan

• Oh my gosh, right now I’m just counting on Shizi to keep going.

Netizen: cowzki Niu

• After some calculations, this is definitely the Shizi Wolf... but what will he do without his paw? It hurts, QAQ.

Netizen: Ares

• Has Shizi finally realised his feelings?
  
  

• awsl (啊我死了): Chinese internet slang meaning "ah, I'm dying" often used to express excitement or being overwhelmed by cuteness.
  
  

Foot Notes

1. Qingniao: A mythical bird known for its speed, often used as a messenger in Chinese mythology.
   
   

2. 小人鱼 (xiao ren yu) or literally, little fish person.