Master is pretending to love me - chapter one

The night was deep.

 

Jian Xiu Yun slowly opened his eyes and found himself sitting on a Huanghuali wood chair. There were no candles in the room, only moonlight filtered through the carved window frames, illuminating the room brightly.

 

A faint sandalwood scent entered his nose, and his closed senses gradually awakened.

 

Jian Xiu Yun was somewhat surprised and sat up straight, carefully examining his surroundings. Soon, he realised that he was in his clean room, where he usually practised.

 

But wasn’t he dead?

 

Or rather, he was tortured to death.

 

Jian Xiu Yun looked down at his white clothes and his intact body.

 

A ridiculous idea popped into his mind.

 

Had he… reincarnated?!

 

Memories of his previous life gradually resurfaced.

 

In his previous life, Jian Xiu Yun discovered that he had been living inside a novel called “Supreme Immortal Path.” It was a cultivation novel with a male protagonist who overcame numerous hardships and eventually became the Supreme Immortal, surrounded by numerous beautiful women.

 

Unfortunately, the male lead in the novel was his disliked disciple, and he, as the villain, brought trouble and suffering to the male lead throughout the story.

 

In his previous life, Jian Xiu Yun, a face-conscious individual, disliked the male lead because of the large burns on his face. He constantly mistreated him, even going so far as to extract the male lead’s Golden Core for his own alchemy. As a result, his fate was utterly tragic.

 

After the male lead unified the cultivation world, he threw Jian Xiu Yun into a dungeon, severed his meridians, disabled his cultivation, and not only broke all ten of his fingers but also shattered his entire body’s bones. He then left him to suffer in the dungeon for a whole year before granting him a merciful death.

 

Just as Jian Xiu Yun thought he had finally been released from suffering, he unexpectedly found himself reborn.

 

Recalling the tragic ending of his previous life, Jian Xiu Yun decided to start anew and treat the male lead with genuine care.

 

Even if he didn’t like him, he would pretend to like him.

 

If he couldn’t give true affection, he would give an excellent performance.

 

After arranging his future path, Jian Xiu Yun stood up and decided to go out and investigate what time it was.

 

However, as soon as he stood up, he heard a “clang” sound as something fell from his hand.

 

Jian Xiu Yun bent down to pick up the item from the floor and, under the moonlight, discovered a small dagger.

 

The blade reflected the moonlight, emitting a cold gleam.

 

A dagger, a clean room, and the middle of the night.

 

These scenes combined in his mind, and he suddenly remembered that he had bound Kan Wen Xiao to the clean room like this in his previous life and used this dagger to cut open the male lead’s abdomen to extract his Golden Core.

 

In other words…

 

Jian Xiu Yun’s expression changed, and he bypassed the table in front of him, striding forward.

 

After a few steps, he indeed saw a teenager bound near the furnace in the clean room.

 

Kan Wen Xiao was wearing a disciple’s white robe with blue patterns, sitting quietly on the ground. The upper half of his body was tied with rough ropes, pressed tightly against the cold furnace. It was March now, and even during the day, there was a chill in the air, not to mention in the middle of the night.

 

Kan Wen Xiao shivered from the cold but gritted his teeth, not uttering a word.

 

It seems that calling out doesn’t work.

 

Jian Xiu Yun sighed in his heart when he saw this scene.

 

At present, Kan Wen Xiao is fourteen years old, and it has been ten years since he was brought to Xuyu Sect. Before that, he had experienced the beatings, punishments, and the open dislike that Jian Xiu Yun never concealed.

 

It might be difficult to regain Kan Wen Xiao’s favor at this point.

 

But on the optimistic side, it may not be too late to turn things around.

 

There might still be a chance.

 

Jian Xiu Yun looked at the face before him, a face that had appeared countless times in his nightmares. It looked so similar, yet distinctly different.

 

He composed himself and suppressed the fear in his heart, taking a step forward to help him untie the ropes.

 

Before he could get closer, Kan Wen Xiao’s body trembled, retreating backward while keeping a vigilant gaze on Jian Xiu Yun and the knife in his hand.

 

“What are you going to do?” Kan Wen Xiao’s left cheek was covered in burn scars. In the dark night, with his cautious expression, he looked terrifying.

 

Jian Xiu Yun’s brow furrowed slightly, and he instinctively took a step back, wanting to distance himself from him.

 

However, in the next moment, a chilling voice echoed in his mind.

 

“Do you despise this appearance of mine, Master? If Master were to become like this, would you also detest yourself?”

 

The black figure finished speaking, walking gracefully to the nearby table. He lifted a high-grade candlestick with well-defined fingers and pressed it against his chin, allowing the greedy flames to caress his cheek.

 

Even though they were separated by time and space, the pain of the burning flames on his skin still reached Jian Xiu Yun’s senses. He instinctively reached up to touch his own face, smooth and cold, only a memory.

 

No, everything that happened before must not happen again.

 

With this thought in mind, Jian Xiu Yun hesitated no longer. He took a step forward, crouching down despite Kan Wen Xiao’s struggling, and embraced him before raising the dagger.

 

Kan Wen Xiao closed his eyes in despair, biting his lips tightly, waiting for the pain to come.

 

But all he heard was a “clang” sound, and then his body relaxed, falling into a warm embrace.

 

This position only lasted for a second before he was released.

 

Opening his eyes, Kan Wen Xiao found that the ropes binding him were cut, and the dagger he thought would be used on him was thrown aside.

 

He stood up, supporting himself against the furnace, looking at Jian Xiu Yun with confusion in his eyes.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Not even calling him Master showed their current relationship.

 

Jian Xiu Yun opened his mouth but couldn’t find a reasonable explanation. He hesitated for a moment before saying calmly, “Go back and rest.”

 

Kan Wen Xiao showed no signs of relief after hearing this. Instead, his expression became even more serious.

 

It seemed that he didn’t believe Jian Xiu Yun would let him go so easily.

 

Seeing Kan Wen Xiao standing still and motionless for a long time, Jian Xiu Yun gave him a sidelong glance and said, “What? Do you want me to escort you?”

 

Kan Wen Xiao stared at him for a while, not moving, showing an expression of “I knew you wouldn’t let me off so easily.”

 

However, the next moment, he felt a weight on his shoulder, and a warmth spread through his body.

 

Kan Wen Xiao looked down, only to find that a white cloak had been draped over him. Clearly, it was just taken off Jian Xiu Yun.

 

Faced with so much malice from him in the past, and now receiving such ambiguous kindness, Kan Wen Xiao felt panic and confusion.

 

He could only pretend to be tough.

 

His fingers tightly clutched the hem of the cloak, and he said, “You don’t have to do this, thank you, Master,” trying to take off the cloak.

 

However, his hand was stopped by someone.

 

Jian Xiu Yun’s expression was calm, showing no joy or anger. He said, “It’s cold outside. If you don’t want the cloak, how about Master carrying you back?”

 

As he said that, he extended his arm toward Kan Wen Xiao, “Be good, come here, let Master hold you.”

 

Kan Wen Xiao was completely dumbfounded, standing still for a moment without any reaction.

 

After staying dazed for a while, he finally recovered and quickly replied, “No need,” before hurriedly walking away.

 

But before he took two steps, Jian Xiu Yun’s voice came from behind him, “Wait.”

 

Kan Wen Xiao stopped, not looking back, but his expression showed that he expected this outcome.

 

He knew that Jian Xiu Yun wouldn’t let him go so easily.

 

But the next second, he felt a weight on his shoulder, and a warm feeling penetrated his body.

 

Kan Wen Xiao looked down blankly and found that a pure white cloak had been added to his body, clearly taken off of Jian Xiu Yun just now.

 

Receiving such ambiguous kindness after experiencing so much malice from him, Kan Wen Xiao felt flustered and at a loss.

 

He could only pretend to be tough.

 

He tightly gripped the hem of the cloak and asked, “What do you mean by this?”

 

Looking at Kan Wen Xiao’s feigned tough appearance, Jian Xiu Yun smiled faintly. No matter how powerful he may become in the future, he was still a child right now. Jian Xiu Yun felt that his chances of success had increased.

 

“It’s getting cold outside; don’t freeze,” Jian Xiu Yun said simply.

 

Kan Wen Xiao’s expression became even more complex. He really began to suspect whether his Master had been possessed. Otherwise, how could he care about him?

 

“No need, thank you, Master,” Kan Wen Xiao said, feeling uncomfortable with his inexplicable kindness, trying to remove the cloak.

 

However, as soon as he moved, his hand was held down by Jian Xiu Yun.

 

Jian Xiu Yun’s expression remained calm as he couldn’t be read, and he said, “It’s chilly outside. If you don’t want the cloak, how about I carry you back, Master?” He extended his arm towards Kan Wen Xiao, saying, “Be good, come here. Let Master hold you.”

 

Kan Wen Xiao was utterly stunned, standing in place without any movement.

 

After a while, Kan Wen Xiao regained his senses and quickly replied, “No need,” before hurrying away.

 

Just then, he discovered a secret formula in an ancient book, which involved using the Golden Core formed from the bloodline of the Fusang Clan as a medicinal ingredient. Not only could it nourish the Nascent Soul, but it could also aid in breaking through cultivation barriers.

 

And the only person around him with the bloodline of the Fusang Clan was Kan Wen Xiao.

 

On the matter of whether or not to take Kan Wen Xiao’s Golden Core to assist himself, Jian Xiu Yun hesitated for only a second before arriving at an answer.

 

People must act for their own interests, and the heavens and earth shall perish if they don’t.

 

So in his previous life, he quickly took Kan Wen Xiao’s Golden Core.

 

However, the male protagonist was indeed the male protagonist.

 

After losing the Golden Core, he only went through a period of depression before finding an immortal secret manual in the book collection room. It allowed him to cultivate without needing the Golden Core, directly converting the spiritual energy between heaven and earth into internal power.

 

He cultivated all the way to the Great Ascension stage, unifying the world of cultivation.

 

In this life, without Kan Wen Xiao’s Golden Core, he didn’t know when his body would recover.

 

Even if this body remained sickly like this, he accepted it. After all, he didn’t have the courage to take Kan Wen Xiao’s Golden Core anymore.

 

As for what would happen in the future, he would take it one step at a time.