The Villainous Shizun Is As Beautiful As A Flower

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Zhou Xuanlan remained silent. In the candlelight, his pitch-black eyes appeared especially deep and mysterious.

Having scolded him enough, Shen Liuxiang let go of his hand and looked at the formation. “I’ll transfer some spiritual energy to you first.”

Zhou Xuanlan lowered his eyes, glanced at his hand, and then sat cross-legged within the array. After circulating his internal energy for several dozen cycles, he opened his eyes.

Seeing this, Shen Liuxiang stepped into the array. Transferring spiritual energy only required physical contact. He intended to shake hands with Zhou Xuanlan to perform the transfer. However, just as he extended his hand, he saw the duplicate take out a thin rope from his storage pouch.

“Disciple is prepared with a spiritual energy rope.”

After speaking, he wrapped the rope around Shen Liuxiang’s wrist and tied the other end to his own.

Once everything was ready, he transferred his spiritual energy to Shen Liuxiang. He found that the spiritual energy flowed smoothly through the rope. A faint smile appeared on his lips. “It’s okay, Master.”

Shen Liuxiang: “…”

He untied the bow on his wrist while speaking, “If it seems like you haven’t been touched enough, extend your hand here. I’ll hold your hand to transmit the spiritual energy.”

Zhou Xuanlan frowned slightly. “Transmitting spiritual energy takes about half an hour. Holding hands for so long isn’t advisable.”

Shen Liuxiang narrowed his eyes slightly and saw Zhou Xuanlan earnestly explaining how transferring energy from one person’s body to another’s would amplify their perception of each other’s presence. Holding hands would intensify this sensation.

This was problematic.

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Shen Liuxiang tugged at the corner of his lips. “In that case, I’ll have to use a verbal method.”

Zhou Xuanlan looked puzzled. “What method?”

With that, a slightly cool fingertip pressed against his thin lips. A low, threatening voice whispered in his ear, “If you don’t obediently extend your hand, I’ll press against your lips to transmit the energy.”

Zhou Xuanlan’s heart suddenly raced, and his breath faltered for a moment.

“With… with my hand.”

Shen Liuxiang couldn’t help but reveal a shallow smile. “Don’t accuse me of bullying you.” He held Zhou Xuanlan’s hand and transmitted his spiritual energy. “You’re just too reserved. It’s no big deal for a teacher to hold hands.”

Zhou Xuanlan gazed at their hands intertwining, lips pursed, but he remained silent.

They were too close.

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He closed his eyes, focused his mind for a long while, and was about to fully concentrate on adjusting his spiritual energy. However, his palm suddenly felt a slight itch.

Someone lightly tickled his palm with their fingertip.

Zhou Xuanlan’s long lashes fluttered, and his mind once again grew restless.

He tightly shut his eyes and pretended not to notice, sitting motionless in place.

Endure it for a bit; perhaps Master would stop.

However, Shen Liuxiang found amusement in this and used his fingertip to lightly scratch at his palm.

Zhou Xuanlan’s temple throbbed slightly. The process of transmitting spiritual energy was incredibly monotonous. Shen Liuxiang, resting his chin on his hand, was bored and saw the calm and handsome face before him. Shen Liuxiang’s fingers moved secretly, intending to see how his expression would change.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Xuanlan’s expression remained unchanged, and he seemed completely unaware of Shen Liuxiang’s actions. Shen Liuxiang was surprised by this. Zhou Xuanlan’s concentration was impressive; he was immersed in his own world, unaware of his surroundings.

Such a meditative state was beyond Shen Liuxiang’s reach.

With a sigh, Shen Liuxiang continued to play around in Zhou Xuanlan’s palm, passing the time.

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At that moment, there was movement in Shen Liuxiang’s storage pouch.

He took out a jade slip, and a gust of wind rushed out from it, carrying a low, resonant voice.

“Master, are you having fun?”

Shen Liuxiang coughed and stopped his actions, feeling a bit annoyed.

He thought Zhou Xuanlan wouldn’t notice, but he reacted so quickly… Could it be that the duplicate reported him?

Shen Liuxiang blinked and assured the jade slip that he would stop teasing the duplicate.

As the light faded, he prepared himself to annoy Zhou Xuanlan later. He reached out and poked the face right in front of him. “You’re even going to tattle?”

Zhou Xuanlan remained unmoved, his long eyelashes trembling slightly.

Shen Liuxiang huffed, “Why are you so mischievous?”

Finally, Zhou Xuanlan opened his eyes and displayed a slightly awkward expression. “The duplicate and I are connected. He sensed it without me having to tell him.”

Shen Liuxiang replied, “He can’t always pay attention to this side. You must have told him.”

Zhou Xuanlan fell silent for a moment, opened his mouth to explain, but then closed it again.

It was because Master disturbed his state of mind that he was discovered.

“Forget it. I won’t bother you.”

With the spiritual energy transfer almost complete, Shen Liuxiang withdrew his hand. “I’m going to sleep now.”

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Zhou Xuanlan let out a breath of relief, looking up to see Shen Liuxiang heading inside. He was taken aback. “Master, you’re resting here?”

Shen Liuxiang walked over to the bed, the pale and slender fingers untying his belt. He squinted and yawned. “Since you’ll be meditating all night, the bed will be empty anyway. It won’t be a problem if I lie down for a while, will it?”

Saying that, he turned around and glanced around.

The screens on both sides of the bed suddenly shifted and closed behind him with a “snap,” effectively blocking his line of sight and putting a barrier between the two of them.

Shen Liuxiang: “…” So particular.

He draped his outer robe on the screen, lay down on the bed, and soon fell asleep.

When he woke up, Zhou Xuanlan was no longer in the room. Shen Liuxiang put on his clothes, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and walked towards the door.

As soon as he stepped across the threshold, he saw three people in the corridor engaged in a hushed conversation. He recognized Shi Fang, but the other two were unfamiliar. One was burly with a cold expression, and the other had a refined appearance. Their conversation came to a halt as they noticed him, with the burly one freezing in place.

“Is my eyesight failing me? Did a beauty suddenly appear in our Lord’s room early in the morning?”

Luo Yu looked at the disheveled black hair and the fair and exquisite face of the young man at the door, eyes widening. “No wonder our Lord isn’t interested in the beautiful demons from the Eight Wastelands.”

Lu Wuwen glanced over, furrowing his brows. “Don’t speak nonsense. That should be our Lord’s Master.”

Luo Yu took a deep breath. “Does our Lord need a junior disciple or perhaps another Master?”

“Be careful; if our Lord hears you, he might skin you, dry you out, and turn you into dried fish,” Shi Fang coughed and slung his flute on his waist. “Without any surprises, this is our Demon Lord’s Master. Be on your best behavior.”

For a moment, the corridor fell silent as both Luo Yu and Lu Wuwen wore expressions of disbelief.

When Zhou Xuanlan returned, he saw his three subordinates engaged in a hushed conversation in front of Shen Liuxiang. “I swear I’d gush water if I gaze upon the Lord. Anyways, am I not fit to be the Grand Commander of the Eight Wastelands?” “With your delicate body, where would you even fit the part? Sir, cast your eyes upon me.” “This is just plain low. I regret ever sharing this with you guys.”

Zhou Xuanlan frowned slightly. “What are you doing?”

Their voices stopped abruptly, even though they knew the duplicate wasn’t the real Zhou Xuanlan, his aura still caused their hearts to tremble slightly. They took a step back and bowed.

Zhou Xuanlan looked displeased. “Why are you bothering my Master? Step back.”

They immediately ceased their chatter and respectfully retreated.

As the others left, Shen Liuxiang threw a pile of treasures into his storage pouch and exclaimed, “Your subordinates actually bribed me to speak well of you in front of you.”

Zhou Xuanlan replied, “They lack manners.”

Shen Liuxiang said, “I think it’s quite nice, especially that Luo Yu who can gush water. He looks pretty clever.”

Zhou Xuanlan’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Is that so?”

As the departing three passed by a pavilion, Luo Yu suddenly stopped in his tracks, feeling a chill down his spine.

Lu Wuwhen said, “What’s wrong?”

Luo Yu’s face turned pale. “Seems like I miscalculated. If the Master openly praises us in front of our Lord, he won’t consider the matter of appointing a Grand Commander. It’ll be a good thing if he doesn’t kill us.”

Shi Fang asked, “Why?”

Luo Yu rubbed his forehead. “The vinegar jar (1) is easy to tip over.”

Lu Wu and Shi Fang were momentarily baffled but soon caught on. The three of them exchanged glances outside the pavilion, freezing in place together.

…

Shen Liuxiang intended to return to the Cloud Pavilion, and Zhou Xuanlan had nothing else to do in the morning, so they left together.

They appeared on a bustling street, attracting the attention of many demon cultivators. Shen Liuxiang initially thought people were looking at him, so he touched his mask, puzzled. He then caught sight of a beautiful female demon cultivator on the roadside who gave him a flirtatious look, but it seemed a bit off-target.

He turned his head and saw the cold-faced figure beside him.

Zhou Xuanlan’s real body possessed a commanding presence that even inadvertently suppressed other demons’ breath, making them feel uneasy and hesitant to approach. However, as the duplicate, much of that pressure was diminished, and he emitted the aura of a powerful demon, turning him into a highly sought-after target.

Sensing the gazes, Zhou Xuanlan turned his head and asked, “What is Master looking at?”

“You’re handsome.”

Zhou Xuanlan was taken aback for a moment before smiling and retorting, “Master is even more handsome.”

Shen Liuxiang chuckled lightly, catching a whiff of osmanthus fragrance. He looked around and spotted a pastry shop. “I’ll go buy some. Wait for me here.”

Zhou Xuanlan’s tone rose slightly. “Sure.”

After paying with spiritual stones, Shen Liuxiang carried the osmanthus pastries and glanced back. He noticed that a crowd of flamboyantly dressed demon cultivators had gathered around Zhou Xuanlan.

“What kind of demon is this noble one? His aura is so refined. He’s not from Qilin City, is he?”

“I live in Nanxiang. If you have time, we can enjoy the moon together at night.”

“Does this lord like foxes?”

Shen Liuxiang pushed his way through the crowd and pulled Zhou Xuanlan out. “Why did you let people surround you?”

“You told me to wait there.”

Shen Liuxiang: “…”

He glanced at the displeased gazes of the demon cultivators and raised an eyebrow. He then grabbed Zhou Xuanlan’s hand.

Stares felt like sharp blades slicing through the air, all directed at them.

Shen Liuxiang curled his lips and, as he led Zhou Xuanlan away, someone approached them. A person with a sword in hand, a stern expression, and a face turned iron blue.

Shen Liuxiang’s heart skipped a beat, but he quickly raised the osmanthus pastries. “I bought these especially for you.”

Xu Xingchen’s gaze shifted to the pastries, a hint of surprise flickering in his expression. After a moment, a trace of satisfaction showed, and he sheathed his sword and approached.

Just then, Zhou Xuanlan muttered, “Didn’t Master buy these for me?”

Shen Liuxiang was momentarily stunned, remembering that when he left the residence, he learned that the duplicate had never tasted such ordinary items and said he wanted to buy some snacks for him to try.

He realized why Zhou Xuanlan had looked so expectant when he bought the osmanthus pastries.

“Not this, it’s for…”

Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Zhou Xuanlan’s eyes dimming, and a wounded expression appeared on his handsome face. He involuntarily changed his wording.

“It’s for you.”

“???”

As Xu Xingchen was about to take the pastries, the smile on his face faded, and he pulled out his sword again. He then rarely called out, “Elder Brother, say that again, for whom?”

Shen Liuxiang: “…”

T/N: This is a lose-lose situation for Immortal Shen… Luo Wuwhen trying to get a promotion is so real LMAO.

(1) – The expression ‘vinegar jar’ is used to describe jealousy. In this case, Zhou Xuanlan is jealous of Shen Liuxiang praising Lu Wuwhen, and so has a sour expression or attitude, as though he has just drank a jar of vinegar. Lu Wuwhen refers to Zhou Xuanlan as a vinegar jar, and so can become easily jealous over Shen Liuxiang.