Han Jingyi really didn’t know what the author was planning at this point. His parents actually agreed to let Han Xinyi be a cultivator and now Han Xinyi who had previously enjoyed the luxuries of simply being a rich young lady from an affluent family was perfectly fine with wearing cultivators robes and having to call her brother ‘Shizun’ and having to call disciples who were actually younger than her ‘senior’ or “Shixiong/ Shijie”. It was an odd change.

Han Jingyi decided to reveal the truth about his condition before Han Xinyi had to experience it.

“Meimei…” 

Han Jingyi had been very strict about keeping up the master-disciple act for the past few days so Xinyi was a bit surprised when Jingyi spoke to her like he used to.

“Yes?”

“I haven’t told mother and father but I’m very sick…I’ve been doing well lately but I don’t know when I’ll be bedridden again so I don’t want you to feel scared when you see me like that.”

“W-What? How did you get sick?!” Han Xinyi exclaimed, immediately very worried.

“I was attacked and negative energy has made me very ill. Nothing has really been working so far so my condition gets better and worse sporadically. But don’t worry, I won’t die… Just focus on getting stronger first, the other disciples can help care for me but you shouldn’t.” Jingyi stroked Xinyi’s hair and sighed as he watched her tear up.

“I don’t want my baby sister to think less of me.” Jingyi chuckled.

Yingjie was in the room, he and Zhixin still took turns guarding him and Xinyi had actually questioned it a few times but she just got the response that It was their specific duty as the senior disciples under Han Jingyi. Never any elaboration beyond that. 

Yingjie found it suffocating to listen to Han Jingyi talk about his condition like this.  Especially because Han Jingyi had purposely omitted the fact that it was all Zhao Yingjie’s fault.

–

“Shizun…Why didn’t you tell her?”

Han Xinyi had gone to her chambers to sleep.

“I did tell her. I told her I was attacked and that now I’m ill.” Han Jingyi knew what he meant by that but he refused to acknowledge the thought.

“Why didn’t you tell her that it was all because of–”

“Because it was not. It’s not your fault that people want to kill me A-Jie. None of it has been your fault.” Han Jingyi said and took a sip of tea while looking at Yingjie’s expression.

Yingjie wanted to fall to his knees and cry, he want to beg for some sort of punishment but he knew Jingyi wouldn’t grant it to him.

“I would be a failure of a master if I failed to protect you. And I am a failure of a master for failing to protect myself.” Jingyi said and Yingjie immediately fell to his knees at those words, urgently telling him that there was no way that was true.

“It is true. Because of my failure…it won’t be long before I am unable to be your master.” Jingyi knew he was hurting Yingjie by saying this but It had to be said. Zhixin already knew and he was sure that Meiling had already begun to take notice, he couldn’t leave Yingjie out of the loop for much longer. Also, he could tell….By telling Yingjie this, he was releasing Yingjie from the Author’s grasp little by little.

—

Early the next morning, Jingyi’s condition flipped once again, It was his punishment for getting his way. The author was lashing out at him for winning back Yingjie.

Yingjie stopped Zhixin in the hallway. Wang Zhixin was on his way to inform Xia Qianfan of Jingyi’s condition.

“What.” Wang Zhixin said and glared at Yingjie for stopping him.

“Spirit healing. I don’t have the affinity for it so you try to learn it. For Shizun’s sake.” Yingjie said and quickly went on his way.

Wang Zhixin just gritted his teeth. He already had tried to learn it and he had no affinity for it either so he had kept it all a secret. Han Jingyi had heard him speak of it before but he seemed to have forgotten all about it as well.

‘I have to find a way…’

—

“I will take tonight’s watch turn for you, Wang Zhixin.” Xia Qianfan suddenly said and walked over to Wang Zhixin around midday.

“Shishu…Why–”

“I need you to buy this. Keep it a secret…It might help Jingyi.” Xia Qianfan said and secretly slipped Wang Zhixin a paper with a location and an Item.

Wang Zhixin couldn’t help but think that Xia Qianfan was acting a bit odd but he quickly nodded and immediately went on his way if it could help.

—

Xia Qianfan was being controlled by the author. Han Jingyi could just tell, he had started to notice the signs more easily since Han Xinyi appeared.  It was never a malicious aura or actions that tipped him off, it was just a clear difference in actions. When the people around him suddenly started acting like ‘characters’ or maybe when they messed up and started acting as they did in later books.

Han Xinyi did it very often. The author hadn’t actually gone into any details about her prior to Jingyi’s death but Han Jingyi actually ‘lived’ as Han Jingyi. He knew how Han Xinyi acted, and many times as she interacted with him, her face would harden, as if she had turned into her ‘future’ self. She acted like the cold woman who was created from grief but only for a few seconds when the author attempted to derail their lives in certain ways.

Xia Qianfan’s tell was his fan. He never used one prior to meeting his future wife but as he stood in Wang Zhixin’s place, he had one in his hand.

‘What are you up to?’ Han Jingyi thought, he couldn’t really think about it for long though, his head was pounding to the point where he felt completely numb and it hurt to be awake.

—

The place Xia Qianfan had sent Wang Zhixin was sketchy. It was a small stall hidden in the alleys of the city near the sect. The alleys were places where only Courtesans and thieves would wander. The city was tightly patrolled by cultivators from the sect and they worked hard to keep the immoral businesses from entering the city but in these alleys, that kind of thing bloomed under the guise of an honest business.

Wang Zhixin’s eyes darter around the alley. It was like a secret inner side of the city that he had never seen before. He no longer looked the part of a child so women in the alley reached out to him but his steps were quick and he avoided them and tried to find the place described on the paper.  He found it far into the corner and lifted the curtains of the stall. It seemed to be closed from the outside but when he looked inside, a bunch of candles lit themselves on cue and the previously short curtain engulfed him completely.

“My my, what brings you here?”

“I’m here to find a Blood jade.” Wang Zhixin said and tensed up, a hooded person appeared in front of him and their voice sent a sharp pain through his head suddenly.

“Oh…? So you’re finally ready, Wang Zhixin?” 

“How do you–?!”

—

Wang Zhixin actually returned empty-handed. He and Xia Qianfan met outside Han Jingyi’s room and suddenly both of them were confused. 

“Why am I–?” Xia Qianfan suddenly had no memory of what he had been doing until now and Wang Zhixin also had no memory of it either, It was like Xia Qianfan had just walked up to him and had yet to tell him to do anything.

“...Take care of your Shizun…” Xia Qianfan said as Wang Zhixin seemed to be looking at him as if waiting for an order.

Wang Zhixin found Han Jingyi sleeping once he entered the room.

Zhao Yingjie had been told by Xia Qianfan that Zhixin was running an errand for him so he didn’t question him.

“How is Shizun?” Wang Zhixin asked.

“He started doing a bit better around midday but he is completely unconscious now…” Zhao Yingjie murmured, standing up to go switch to guarding outside.

“Oh…” Wang Zhixin murmured.

“I think my spirit healing has gotten to a good enough point to help him out.” Wang Zhixin suddenly said and Zhao Yingjie looked at him with pure shock.

‘How is it possible for him to get good at it so quickly?!’ Zhao Yingjie thought and then looked away, a little angry that he wasn’t able to learn it.

“Okay.” Is all he said before heading out.

—

Han Jingyi opened his eyes and saw Wang Zhixin wiping his sweat. He was surprised that his moment of illness had passed so quickly. He was used to his condition changing from one day to another but It usually took more time for him to feel perfectly fine as he did now… unless…

“How long was I unconscious?” Han Jingyi asked and focused his eyes a little to try and look at Wang Zhixin.

Before he could take a good look at Zhixin’s expression a blue message appeared in his line of sight.

[Message from FatherOfTheDivine: I’ll let you be fine and healthy…I’ll even let you do whatever you want…but just know…this story will go the way I want it to go. No matter what.]

Han Jingyi gulped a little at the particularly threatening message. He sat up, he actually felt perfectly fine.

“You were only unconscious for a few hours…Do you feel alright?” Wang Zhixin asked, he looked a little nervous.

“I…feel perfectly fine somehow…” Han Jingyi murmured.

“Really? It worked?!” Wang Zhixin exclaimed with a bright smile.

Han Jingyi was a little shocked, he’d never seen Wang Zhixin so happy before, “Wh-What do you mean?”

“I learned to do spiritual healing! And It worked!” Wang Zhixin quickly hugged Jingyi.

Han Jingyi was incredibly confused.

‘Spirit healing? Since when can Wang Zhixin use spirit healing?! Isn’t that skill limited to Fan Xiaoli in the final arc?!’

—

Han Jingyi didn’t even know what to think… He kept on constantly getting congratulations for both getting better and for having such a talented disciple but now he couldn’t help but wonder what he should do…

He had no plan of letting the story go the way the author wanted but he didn’t really know how to stop it and he didn’t know if the author would ever just change his mind and bring back the illness or make him get injured again. He decided not to care about it too much though. As he saw his disciples gather around him happily for the first time in a long time he decided even if he got sick again he’d make sure to keep their futures safe from the Author.

“Han-Zongshi…I hope that you will allow us to stay with you for a while longer… though we understand if we have overstayed our welcome already…”  Luo Qinyang said with a polite bow, she was a bit disheartened that she wasn’t able to create medicine to help Han Jingyi. Fan Xiaoli on the other hand was more interested in watching Zhao Yingjie and Wang Zhixin interact as she let Luo Qinyang speak on her behalf.

Han Jingyi only then realized that the two girls had been with them for over 4 months now. He felt a little restless upon realizing that he had been practically bedridden for over 6 months now.

“Stay as long as you wish.”  Han Jingyi said and smiled.

—-

“Ah…How unfortunate…My original plan to acquire a husband must take a backseat even now that I’m healthy.” Han Jingyi murmured. His voice was below a whisper so his disciples wouldn’t be able to hear as they sparred.

“...Now where to begin..”