The Villainous Shizun Is As Beautiful As A Flower

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Shen Liuxiang’s hand holding the osmanthus cake tightened slightly.

Looking at Xu Xingchen, who was sharpening his knife with a swift motion, he glanced at Zhou Xuanlan, who had an expectant look on his face, and reached out to take the pastry.

“…”

Although buying pastries was a whim, he did plan to bring them back to the attic for Xu Xingchen. Last night, while selecting spiritual herbs, Xu Xingchen muttered a few words, wondering how his sister was doing in the Emperor’s palace, and feeling like eating the osmanthus cake she made.

After careful consideration, Shen Liuxiang tossed the osmanthus cake to him, saying, “The taste is definitely not as good as Xinglian’s, but it will satisfy your craving for now.”

Xu Xingchen’s expression eased slightly. He sheathed his sword and reached out to catch the pastry, muttering, “Consider yourself somewhat compassionate. Since that’s the case, I won’t hold onto last night’s matter.”

As he spoke, he intended to mock Zhou Xuanlan, but when he glanced over, the words died on his lips.

Zhou Xuanlan withdrew his hand in a daze. His gaze lingered on the packaging for a moment before turning to Shen Liuxiang, a look of confusion and uncertainty on his face.

Although he was partially derived from Shen Liuxiang’s soul and his actions were connected to the main body, in the absence of a response from the main body, he had to think and make decisions independently.

Seeing that Shen Liuxiang gave the pastry to Xu Xingchen, his thoughts centered on what he had done wrong, thinking he had upset his master, otherwise why would he give something bought for him to someone else.

After handing over the pastry, Shen Liuxiang turned his head to look at Zhou Xuanlan and found not disappointment or sadness on his face, but a puzzled and cautious expression.

Although no words were spoken, it was as if he was silently questioning.

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It’s mine, so why did it end up with someone else?

Zhou Xuanlan was usually adept at showing appropriate emotions, so Shen Liuxiang had never seen him like this before.

Caught off guard by this unexpected sight, his heart felt like it had been tugged.

He reached out, tugged on Zhou Xuanlan’s sleeve, leaned in closer, and tilted his head up slightly.

Zhou Xuanlan instinctively supported his waist, lowering his head and tilting his face. “What’s the matter, Master?”

Shen Liuxiang’s lips, which were pressed against Zhou Xuanlan’s ear, moved slightly. To prevent his larger friend who was holding the osmanthus cake from hearing, Shen Liuxiang took a small breath before exhaling gently and saying in a low voice, “Let me tell you, there’s nothing special about the pastry, and it’s not that delicious. Tonight, I’ll take you to Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion. The food there is even better, and you can order whatever you want.”

Xu Xingchen stood by, dumbfounded.

The two of them were actually hugging and whispering sweet nothings in public!

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He was so irritated that one of his eyes closed while the other stubbornly remained open. When he saw Shen Liuxiang’s lips move and heard him say a few words, Zhou Xuanlan’s expression cleared as if emerging from a cloud.

Xu Xingchen furrowed his brows, placed the osmanthus cake he was holding into his embrace, and exerted some force with his arm.

His expression was conflicted.

Could these two be conspiring to take away the osmanthus cake or poison it to give him an upset stomach? Only Shen Liuxiang and Zhou Xuanlan could come up with something like this!

On the way back to Cloud Pavilion, Xu Xingchen finished the osmanthus cake, eating one piece after another, and finally brushed the crumbs off his hands, curling his lips in a disdainful sneer.

Just as he was about to criticize certain people’s scheming thoughts, he swallowed down the cake in one gulp and pounded his chest, enduring the discomfort as he said, “Don’t… don’t try to be cunning in front of me. If you don’t expose it, cough, it’s me being magnanimous.”

Shen Liuxiang bought a bowl of tea from a roadside stall and held Xu Xingchen’s head, pouring in a constant stream of it into his mouth.

“No one’s trying to steal it from you, why the rush?”

Xu Xingchen coughed and after his throat cleared, he covered his mouth. He continued “We’ll split up. I’ll go through ancient texts for clues, and you focus on alchemy. As for you…”

He glared at Zhou Xuanlan. “Alchemy shouldn’t be disturbed by others.”

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Zhou Xuanlan looked around. “I’ll find a place to cultivate.”

Shen Liuxiang said, “There’s a cultivation room in the attic. The spiritual energy inside is several times that of the outside. I’ll guide you there.”

The spiritual energy in the demon realm was thin and not suitable for cultivation. They had set up arrays in the attic to draw in spiritual energy from all directions.

Shen Liuxiang took out a spirit stone and placed it in the array. He glanced at Zhou Xuanlan, who was already sitting cross-legged with closed eyes, feeling puzzled.

To him, meditation was the most boring of all cultivation methods. He would rather fight with someone for days and nights than sit there and circulate his inner energy.

Zhou Xuanlan had meditated all night last night and was now cultivating again. It seemed too harsh.

The street outside was somewhat noisy. Shen Liuxiang walked to the window, partially closed it, and said, “Why work so diligently? Being a Demon King isn’t impressive enough? Do you want to unify the demon realm or something?”

Zhou Xuanlan adjusted his breath. “It’s for Master.”

Shen Liuxiang’s hand, which was closing the window, paused. He turned to look at Zhou Xuanlan, “What did you say?”

Zhou Xuanlan’s long eyelashes drooped, his expression calm, as if he was speaking about something ordinary. “It’s for the sake of Master.”

Shen Liuxiang stood by the window in a daze for a long time. It wasn’t until the wind from outside lifted his black hair, brushing against his face, that he woke up slightly. He closed the window with a snap and headed to the alchemy room.

A faint fire burned at the bottom of the furnace. Shen Liuxiang picked up a strand of Mistfire Grass, sniffed it, and tossed it into the cauldron.

Alchemy would take a couple of hours. After all the medicinal herbs were placed in, he just needed to control the temperature with his spiritual energy. Shen Liuxiang stared at the patterns on the cauldron, his mind wandering as he remembered Zhou Xuanlan’s words, briefly lost in thought.

When Zhou Xuanlan said it was for him, there was no hint of jest in his tone.

Shen Liuxiang’s long eyelashes trembled slightly, and a thought gradually surfaced in his mind. Things he had previously overlooked were now emerging, stirring up clouds of confusion within his heart.

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His thoughts suddenly became chaotic.

At this moment, the contents in the cauldron began to boil, making a gurgling sound.

Shen Liuxiang snapped back to attention and realized that the flames at the bottom of the cauldron were scorching. Unknowingly, his control over the spiritual energy had increased dozens of times. He quickly withdrew his hands, but it was a step too late. The cauldron exploded with a “bang.”

The entire Cloud Pavilion trembled, and a group of people hurried over.

Shen Liuxiang, looking disheveled, leaned against the door frame. He raised his phoenix-like eyes and curved his lips. “Accidentally blew up the cauldron, no big deal.”

There was no major damage, just some cuts on his arms and back from the cauldron shards, which could be treated with some medicine.

Jin Xiaojiu saw the blood on his sleeve and hurried to get medicine. When he returned, he saw the bloodied sleeve turned into fragments on the floor. The previously cheerful Prince, who had said everything was fine, looked as cold as frost-bitten eggplant, extending his small arm like a piece of jade lotus root. Zhou Xuanlan held his arm in one hand and applied the ointment with the other.

The Ninth Demon King’s eyelids drooped, and the pressure around him dropped a little.

Jin Xiaojiu was already afraid of him, and now, upon seeing this scene, he was terrified to the point where his heart felt like it was about to shatter. He stumbled back a step and instinctively turned and ran.

“Why are you in such a hurry?” Xu Xingchen was bumped into, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

Having just sent a message to the Imperial Palace for ancient texts and hearing the commotion, he came downstairs. Seeing Jin Xiaojiu with medicinal herbs in his hand, he only realized the situation upon returning.

“Who’s injured?”

…

Shen Liuxiang glanced at the wound on his arm. Under the effect of the ointment, the bleeding had stopped almost instantly. It would probably heal in less than half an hour.

He glanced at Zhou Xuanlan, who was exuding a cold aura. His lips twitched slightly as he realized that he hadn’t noticed before, but this doppelganger seemed a bit fierce.

“Where else?” Zhou Xuanlan’s voice was deep.

“…There’s the back too,” Shen Liuxiang replied, lacking confidence. He sat down on a chair, turned slightly, and reached to pull down the hem of his shirt, revealing a scratch on his shoulder blade.

It wasn’t serious, just a faint trickle of blood, contrasting against his fair skin.

Zhou Xuanlan’s expression subtly changed.

He touched the ointment, his distinct knuckles hesitating in mid-air before curling slightly. Slowly, he moved his hand towards the wound.

As his fingertip made a light contact, feeling the delicate and smooth texture, his body couldn’t help but feel hot. His gaze turned even deeper as he stared at Shen Liuxiang.

“I’ll apply the medicine.”

Suddenly, Xu Xingchen’s voice broke the silence. He entered the room and snatched the ointment from his hand.

Zhou Xuanlan let out a sigh of relief. He didn’t argue about applying the ointment, but instead, he carried a sense of urgency as he moved to leave. Just as he reached the doorway, he turned back abruptly, his voice low.

“He’s your elder brother.”

Xu Xingchen was inexplicable, “He’s also your Master.”

Listening to this strange conversation, Shen Liuxiang couldn’t help interjecting, “Could you put the medicine on for me first? Don’t slap—hiss.”

Xu Xingchen hadn’t applied medicine to anyone before, so he smeared some ointment on his hand and patted it on the wound. He noticed Shen Liuxiang trembling all over only after.

“Did I hurt you?”

Shen Liuxiang’s lips twitched. The previously painless wound now felt like it was tearing open due to the application of the medicine.

Seeing the wound starting to bleed again, Xu Xingchen looked embarrassed as he tried again with the ointment.

“I’ll be gentler this time.”

He carefully applied the ointment, and in his line of sight, a faint blush appeared on the pale skin, not from blood, but rather the red marks left from the earlier heavy-handed touch.

Xu Xingchen was momentarily stunned by the sight, his cheeks reddening. Unable to restrain himself, he slapped again, exasperated. “Were you raised on soft tofu? Your skin is so delicate!”

Shen Liuxiang was utterly bewildered.

Worried that he’d receive another slap and have his shoulder ruined, he quickly pulled his shirt back up. “What’s gotten into you?!”

Xu Xingchen turned to the doorway and didn’t see anyone there. Assuming he had some privacy, he suddenly turned the tables with his supposed brother, “I used to think the Demon King was tempting you, but now it seems it’s the other way around!”

Shen Liuxiang: “??”

Xu Xingchen, righteous as ever, continued, “With you prancing around in front of him like this every day, him being lured by your beauty and having feelings for you is not out of the ordinary.”

Shen Liuxiang was about to say something, but when he heard the latter sentence, his eyes widened slightly.

“Who likes me?!”

“Zhou Xuanlan.”

Shen Liuxiang was about to retort, but before he could say ‘impossible,’ he remembered Zhou Xuanlan saying it was for him. He hesitated, swallowing his words.

His voice was faint, “That’s unlikely.”

After all, that was Zhou Xuanlan they were talking about.

Even in the original story, although Su Baiche was spoiled to the heavens skies and the earth by Zhou Xuanlan, he never mentioned the word “like.” As a result, Shen Liuxiang always felt that this guy might as well be an actor who simply put on a pleasant front.

Xu Xingchen asked, “You don’t believe it?”

Shen Liuxiang’s thoughts were in turmoil. He pursed his lips and said, “Whether I believe it or not doesn’t matter. I can’t exactly go and ask him.”

If I do, then I’m not showing respect to my Master.

My reputation would be ruined!

Xu Xingchen rubbed his chin, pondering for a moment. “If you don’t believe it, you can try testing it.”