《A Black Lotus Blooms in Winter》


 Vol. 1 Chapter 1 - A Time to Rewind

    Su Xia was nothing if not a genius, though it certainly wasn¡¯t his only defining trait. Long hair that reached his feet, the color white as the purest snow and smooth as silk, phoenix eyes with long, lavish lashes that easily make any female jealous. He was a beauty with more than enough brains to match, and not only that, but had a very likeable personality, easily making him the most liked Grand Master in the Earth Sect.


    He was an ethereal beauty, a matchless genius, a saint among men. All of this, Su Xia knew of this all too well. In fact, it was thanks to all the hard work he put in over his hundreds of years living, slowly working his way up to the position he currently held, making sure to put in just enough effort and good will to trick the simple-minded disciples into favoring him all the more. Su Xia used his wits to his advantage, even when he was only a simple disciple himself.


    During his time training under the Earth Sect, he had found a few Senior Elder Brothers¡¯ plans to overthrow the current Sect Leader at the time, He Guanting, and rule the Sect with an ironfist before overthrowing the other Sect Leaders of the Flying, Heavenly, and Martial Arts Sects. They had secretly been cultivating using the Demonic Arts form of cultivation, turning their own blood into a demon¡¯s, and it wasn¡¯t all too hard for Su Xia to worm his way into their little plan, easily gaining their trust with his agreeable personality.


    He Guanting was already nearing the end of his life cycle, making him the easiest target for the Senior Elder Brothers and their demon friends. Su Xia quickly integrated himself into their plans and, for a few years, made himself even more trustworthy to them, carrying out any task given to him with ease and precision, never making himself a suspect. While he was with them, he picked up many cultivation techniques which only made him stronger and more valuable as he was able to refine pills even faster and of even better quality than before.


    He stayed with the group for a while, secretly taking pieces of evidence of their plans and, when he finally decided that his own plan was ready, readily threw them at the snake¡¯s head, laying out their plans to the Sect Leaders.


    ¡°This¡­ how did you figure this out?¡± He Guanting had asked, staring at the younger male in suspicion.


    Su Xia kowtowed, not above acting submissive for his end goals, his grin hidden as his face met the ground. ¡°I have been acting as a spy in their midst, gaining their trust to gather enough evidence to bring back to you.¡±


    The Leaders mulled over his words, taking what he said into consideration. The Heavenly Sect leader, Zou Yi, spoke up next, his tone commanding, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you report this as soon as you were aware?¡±


    ¡°Even if I had, there would not have been any substantial evidence for my claims and most likely would have been written off as a troublemaker looking to stir the pot,¡± he replied with ease, not moving from his position.


    ¡°He is not wrong,¡± a feminine voice spoke out, the only female Sect Leader being Ye Bao. She eyed the young male with cautious sympathy, ¡°Though it might not have been the smartest idea, it was most likely the only way for him to prove of their plan without being called out as a person only seeking attention.¡±


    Su Xia felt his grin widen as the other Sect Leaders begrudgingly agreed with her point. He Guanting spoke again, ¡°Well, I suppose we can let you off with a lighter punishment this time. However, if something like this were to happen again, you must inform one of us about it instead of going in head first, understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes Master,¡± Su Xia hurriedly agreed, making him appear genuinely nervous and embarrassed of his actions.


    He Guanting nodded, ¡°Then, you shall be confined in your room for one year and not allowed out for any reason, understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes Master!¡± Su Xia said, straightening himself and saluting before excusing himself to his room for his ¡®punishment¡¯, though it could hardly be considered as such.


    In fact, it only served to help Su Xia as he spent that year improving his cultivation and pill refining, easily refining pills of low grade yet high class, something underhead of for a discipline of only a few years and only in the Spirit cultivation level. Truly Su Xia was a genius among men. After his punishment, he had learned through the grapevine that his Senior Elder Brothers had been caught and punished, tortured to death while forced to out their demon brethren.


    Su Xia had a wide grin from ear to ear for the next few days after that and was praised as a hero among the Sects; one who had acted against impossible odds and came out victorious. It had been needless to say that his ego had been inflated beyond repair and that his master plan had proceeded without interference. Because of his acclaimed fame, it was easy for Su Xia to earn the trust of his fellow disciples and even He Guanting, quickly becoming one of the Sect Leader¡¯s personal disciples and quickly climbed the ranks from there.


    Finally, after hundreds of years, Su Xia now stood proudly as a Grand Elder of the Earth Sect and had every person in the Earth Sect wrapped around his finger and then some. Because of his helpful attitude towards the younger crowd, he was praised a saint amongst men, a person without an speck of greed in his heart! Little did they know that Su Xia was easily a wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing; he only helped them out in order to earn their trust, to earn their goodwill so that they would be easier to manipulate.


    Though he was still only in the Moon rank even after all these years, he fully believed that once he became the Earth Sect Leader he would finally be able to break through his current predicament and safely sail through towards becoming a Celestial Immortal. However, the one thing he hadn¡¯t predicted was He Guanting¡¯s position being given to another while he was still only a disciple.


    Even though the older man had been nearing the end of his life cycle, he still had at least a few hundred years, something Su Xia was certain he was able to live through and thus taking the position for himself when the elder finally stepped down when he only had a few decades left. Instead, he had gifted his position to another named Feng Tao, a man only a few decades older than Su Xia himself and far less gifted.


    He was neither despised nor worshiped, a neutral party on many grounds, his expressions closed off and his face a blank slate every time someone were to glance at him. His acceptance towards the position was only a year after Su Xia¡¯s punishment, much too fast for his liking and making his blood seethe with anger. However, he made sure to not allow his displeasure to show on his face and kept up his polite and easy going attitude.


    Su Xia had begun forming a plan that night about how he was going to take the position from Feng Tao, formulating it for years before being satisfied enough to enact it out. First, he would strengthen his image in the other disciples eyes as well as any new disciple that came in. Then, he would help them out with their cultivation as well as work on his own. After that, he would let the word spread out about his good deeds, earning grace from the other Sects.


    Lastly, when his own cultivation was at a strong enough level he would kill Feng Tao, blame it on a demon that had managed to sneak in and take over his position because he would be the only plausible candidate then. Pleased with his plan, he set off to do just that and, after all of his hard work, finally had everyone, even Feng Tao, dancing in the palm of his hand. While Feng Tao was not outwardly emotional, or even inwardly at times, he was extremely blunt and upfront with his thoughts so it took some time for Su Xia to gain his trust.


    However, when he did, Feng Tao trusted him completely, never doubting his words as, up until then, he had never once lied to him other than little white lies such as how he truly felt about him and whatnot. Truly Su Xia had the entire Earth Sect eating from the palm of his hand. Praised as a God amongst men, no one would dare suspect Su Xia of any evil doings and that was precisely what he wanted. Finally, after hundreds of years of planning, he was ready to enact his plan.


    By the end of this week, Feng Tao would be dead and Su Xia would be the new Earth Sect Leader. He held a wide grin as he fell asleep that night, eager to begin his plan. Su Xia woke up early the next day, swiftly washing himself and grabbing a quick breakfast from the canteen before making his way towards Feng Tao¡¯s room. On his way there, however, he ran into someone, the other falling down while Su Xia stumbled slightly.


    Slight irritation ran through his body but he kept a polite and apologetic smile on his face as he reached a hand out towards them, ¡°Are you alright? I apologize, I wasn¡¯t paying attention.¡±


    The person below him glanced up at him, crystal blue eyes examining him for a moment before they pushed themselves up, ignoring his outstretched hand and walking away without saying a word. Su Xia clicked his tongue at their blatant disrespect but didn¡¯t go after them; after all, he had more important business to attend to. He walked up to Feng Tao¡¯s door, knocking quietly and patiently waited for a response.


    ¡°Come in,¡± a monotonous voice called out and Su Xia did as told, carefully opening the door and closing it before walking over to the Sect Leader, who was currently hunched over a desk, practically glaring at the paperwork in front of him. Feng Tao glanced up at Su Xia, the exhaustion in his eyes lightening slightly upon seeing him. ¡°Ah, Grand Elder Su Xia. What brings you here?¡±


    Su Xia smiled politely, ¡°Am I not allowed to see my favorite Sect Master?¡±


    Feng Tao said nothing, but a hint of amusement could be seen in his dark orbs as he returned his attention back towards the papers.


    ¡°It seems that you¡¯re having a hard time with those papers,¡± Su Xia hummed noncommittally. ¡°Shall I serve you some tea with a new pill I have created? It might help reduce your fatigue.¡±


    ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind,¡± Feng Tao replied before continuing his work.


    A wryly grin stretched across his face as he turned around and headed towards the kitchen. When there, he grabbed a kettle, filled it with water, and placed it above an already lit pile of wood, waiting for it to boil before taking it off and setting it down on a nearby table. It was common for mages, people who can create and refine pills, to refine certain pills and crush them into foods and drinks for added effects to their meals.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Such effects could be reduced fatigue to bonus strength for a certain amount of time. Essentially it was the same as taking the pill by itself but with additional flavor. While it was possible to change how a pill tastes by itself, only a handful of people could actually do it and it was simply easier to dissolve the crushed pill into foods and drinks than change their core flavoring, which is usually either mostly tasteless or, for some, bitter.


    Su Xia, himself, couldn¡¯t change the pill¡¯s flavor but didn¡¯t find any need to; he also believed that it was easier to just add it to the food or drink so he never even bothered learning. After fixing a pot of tea, he pull out a small pill from a hidden pocket in his robe, easily breaking it into tiny pieces between his fingers and watched as the pieces fell into the steaming liquid and dissolved, melding together with the beverage. He waited a few seconds to make sure it was properly embedded into the drink before picking up the kettle and walking back to Feng Tao¡¯s room.


    He served the other a few cups of tea, the fatigue completely erased from the man¡¯s eyes when he left, the Sect Leader thanking him just before he exited. Su Xia smiled and waved it off before returning to his room, utterly giddy with a sense of accomplishment. The pill he used was indeed a fatigue-reducing pill, however, he had added in a special poison to it: Golden-Eyed Snake poison.


    The Golden-Eyed Snake was one of the most venomous beasts in the Liang Continent and the poison was scentless as well as tasteless, so it was nigh undetectable. Normally, if you put in even a drop of its venom in any sort of digestible substance, that would instantly kill the person who consumed it, but Su Xia didn¡¯t want that, as it¡¯d place a large target on his head even if he had a lot of support from the inhabitants of the Earth Sect.


    No, he had diluted it enough to the point where it would need a full week to work its way through the human body, him having tested it on previous subjects before, though who they were and how he managed to do that were things he wasn¡¯t willing to divulge in. He had faith in his tests, though, and was more than confident that his plan would work. All he had to do was wait.


    Throughout the week, he would frequent Feng Tao, even offering him tea from time to time, though none of his next batches contained the poison as it¡¯d only work to quicken the pace of his previous workings. Of course, during this time many others offered the Earth Sect Leader tea, so Su Xia wouldn¡¯t be alone if they were to find out Feng Tao was poisoned in that way, and even then, he would hardly be suspected because of his standing.


    As he did this, he had managed to run into the same person he¡¯d accidentally run into the day he poisoned Feng Tao. At that time, he hadn¡¯t managed a good look at them, but this time he was able to take in their looks properly. They were a male, most likely not that much younger than Su Xia himself, though, with their appearances, one wouldn¡¯t be able to tell all too well, since, once a person reached a certain level of cultivation whether they were a martial artist or mage, they would stop aging altogether.


    The reason Su Xia was able to tell they were around his age, even though he was hundreds of years old, was because of their aura. One¡¯s aura developed alongside themselves and, when one was as old as Su Xia was, their aura would give off a feeling of great wisdom and experience, something someone could only obtain through time. Su Xia¡¯s eyes traveled to the other¡¯s hair, which was tied up in a high ponytail but still reached his lower back in length.


    It was a such a deep blue it was almost black. In fact, in order to even see the blue, the light had to reflect off of it at a certain angle and even then it was hardly noticeable if one weren¡¯t paying close enough attention. His eyes were still a beautiful shade of blue, not too light but not too dark. A simple clear crystal blue. If Su Xia were to be honest, they were captivating.


    His face was also beautifully sculpted, as if made of fine jade and without blemishes, a sharp jawline and thin lips. All in all, he was fairly handsome and pleasing to the eyes. They had met when Su Xia took a delivery to the Martial Arts Sect, Zhan Hanying, handing a small package to the Sect Leader when the other rounded the corner and bumped into him once more. This time is was Su Xia who took the fall, pain shooting up his back as he fell on his buttocks.


    Zhan Hanying helped him up hurriedly, ¡°Grand Master, are you alright?¡±


    Su Xia smiled politely at him, waving his concerns off. ¡°No worries, I was not harmed.¡± He glanced at the newcomer and, after taking in appearance and concluding him being the person he¡¯d bumped into before, offered him a small smile. ¡°Pardon me.¡±


    In return of his offer of kindness, the other simply glanced at him and, once again, promptly ignored him, leaving him somewhat baffled. Not only once, but twice? He was not a speck of dirt!


    Zhan Hanying noticed his displeased expression and swiftly tried to defuse the situation, ¡°Please forgive him, Grand Master. Mao Yijun is a bit reclusive in the social aspect and has a hard time expressing himself.¡±


    Su Xia simply nodded, pushing the incident to the back of his mind as he excused himself. However, that name stuck with him for a while; where had he heard it before? After mulling over it for a few moments, he decided to ignore it. Whatever it meant didn¡¯t matter; it¡¯s not like he¡¯d mean them again.


    As if testing fate itself, the night before the final day of the week, Su Xia sat in his room, impatiently waiting for time to pass by. He sat on his chair next to his desk, flipping through a book without processing the words on the page. As he did this, thoughts distracted and mind elsewhere, he failed to notice the quiet rustling outside his window. After a few minutes, a murderous aura flooded the room and Su Xia bolted from his spot, whirling around to face his window, immediately taking a defensive stance.


    A few terse moments passed before the window was smashed, a forearm poking through before ripping the structure from its framing entirely. Su Xia watched in horror as his attacker slowly entered the room, the aura only suffocating him even more once they entered. His eyes widened marginally when he realized his attacker was none other than the person he had bumped into twice before, Mao Yijun.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± He demanded, sending a glare his way.


    Mao Yijun was unaffected, merely glancing at him for a quick look over and seeming slightly disappointed with the outcome. ¡°For a person with such a dark soul, you don¡¯t seem to be much.¡±


    Su Xia bristled at the insult; him, not much? Something was clearly wrong with his eyes! ¡°Say what you will, as it matters not for you shall soon be dead anyway!¡±


    As he said that, he sent a stream of intense lightning towards the intruder, the heat radiating from the attack able to be felt from feet away. Mao Yijun didn¡¯t move and instead held out his hand, easily absorbing the attack into his own body. Su Xia nearly spit out blood; what?! How could this even be possible?!


    Mao Yijun only sighed, disappointment clear in his expression and tone as he spoke, ¡°Such a weak attack¡­ If it weren¡¯t for the intense malice in your soul, I wouldn¡¯t even bother with you¡­ Well, that¡¯s only half-true. I had vowed to get my revenge on you a long time ago.¡±


    Su Xia frowned, ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯ve never met you before in my life!¡±


    Mao Yijun raised an eyebrow, ¡°Is that so. Well, I suppose it would do you well to jostle your memory.¡± He placed a hand on his chest, ¡°I am Mao Yujin, an orphan of Tao Village and was taken in by the Su Clan at the age of seven to be a servant of Su Xia.¡±


    After he spoke, Su Xia felt his eyes nearly pop out of his skull; he now remembered why that name felt so familiar to him! Mao Yijun was an orphan his parents had picked off the side of the road and thrown to him as a sort of ¡®gift¡¯ to be used along with all the other ¡®reject¡¯ servants his parents and older siblings didn¡¯t want. Su Xia was an unplanned child and, once born, was thrown to the side not only because his parents hadn¡¯t planned for him but also because of his appearance.


    White hair and pale pink eyes, no one in his family, not even in his entire village or even in the entire Liang Continent had been known to have such bizarre features! Hell, not even demons looked as unusual as he did! Su Xia had grown to secretly hate his appearance because of this but it wasn¡¯t like he was ugly; it was the opposite, in fact. He was much more beautiful than anyone in his family, even his own mother. This only added more reasons for his family to hate him and only gave him the bare necessities to survive.


    Because he had no other outlet, Su Xia vented his frustrations on those who served him, Mao Yijun included. In fact, Mao Yijun got the worst of it because of his much weaker stature and was seen as less anyway because he had no home or family previously so it wasn¡¯t as if Su Xia were to lose anything if he had died during his time as his servant. After being practically thrown away and forced to take the trail to place into a Sect, Su Xia had lost all contact with anyone he had previously known and led a lavish life in the Earth Sect because of his innate talent as a mage.


    His appearance didn¡¯t matter there, only his ability to perform to the best of his abilities. Thus, with this, Su Xia only grew more and more twisted and became the man he was today because of it. Su Xia eyed the man before him with slight suspicion; while he wasn¡¯t foolish enough to believe that a person wouldn¡¯t change over hundreds of years, he sincerely doubted that the person in front of him was the same Mao Yijun he remembered.


    That Mao Yijun was even more lowly than himself and had even less talent than he had and he never heard of him trying out for any Sect when the trails were announced, even if he weren¡¯t in the mage trials. The Martial Arts and mage trials were close enough in timeframe that he would have at least been noticed of his participation from someone in his household because of it. Those trials only happened once every hundred years and for him to have become as powerful as he was now, he must have entered the Sect at the same time as himself.


    Mao Yijun seemed to notice his distrust as he said, ¡°I didn¡¯t take the trial at the same time as you, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re wondering. I simply waited for the next one to come around¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Su Xia interrupted. ¡°Those trials only come around once every hundred years, and any normal mortal by then would be dead!¡±


    ¡°When did I ever say I was a normal human being?¡± Mao Yijun interjected, a thin eyebrow raised in question. ¡°I had begun practicing the Demonic Arts forms of cultivation a while after you had left and, thanks to that, I was able to survive until the next trials came around.¡±


    He glanced at Su Xia once more, sheer disgust in his gaze, ¡°I had originally planned to kill you as soon as I was accepted but, once I saw you, I became aware that you were much stronger than I. It seemed that you weren¡¯t taking your training for granted as much as I had hoped so I began to train until I was certain that I would be able to kill you. Not only that, but, because of your personality, your soul became fully corrupted, something us Demonic Cultivators value very much as they taste the best.¡±


    Su Xia felt a small shudder run down his spine. What was he even going on about? Eating his soul? As if! However, he knew perfectly well that Mao Yijun was much stronger than he was and that he wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against him in an actual fight, as much as it pained him to admit it. Though that wasn¡¯t to say he wasn¡¯t without a plan; he never planned on actually using ¡®it¡¯, but, in such a dire situation, he didn¡¯t have much of a choice.


    Swiftly, Su Xia threw out another quick spell, effectively distracting Mao Yijun for just enough time to grab ¡®it¡¯ from his magic pouch. Mao Yijun easily deflected the projectile heading towards him, the magic searing the wall to the left, resulting in a large, burnt hole. He looked back at Su Xia and his eyes widened once he noticed the artifact in his hands.


    ¡°That, how did you even find that?!¡± He demanded, rushing towards him, hand outstretched to snatch it from the other¡¯s hand.


    Su Xia smirked, ¡°I was lucky enough to have found it during one of my outings. The Phantom Hourglass, able to rewind time, something the Sects have been looking for hundreds of thousands of years¡­ I had never planned on using it but desperate times call for desperate measures!¡±


    After he spoke, he broke the fragile glass in his hand, the sand inside rushing forth and beginning to envelop him. Mao Yijun clicked his tongue and hastily dug his hand into Su Xia¡¯s chest, earning a face covered in spat out blood. He clumsily searched for the other¡¯s soul, forcefully grabbing hold of it once he found it.


    Su Xia grinned maniacally at him as he felt his conscious slip from his grasp, an euphoric feeling of victory washing over him as he slipped into darkness.

 Vol. 1 Chapter 2

    Xue Yahui woke with a start. He felt a slight migraine appear as he slowly blinked the sleep from his eyes. Groggily, he sat up, unhurriedly looking around as his vision swayed slightly, unable to fully focus. He heard a door slide open before the sound of metal clattering against one another pierced his ears, making his migraine worse.


    ¡°Young Master, you¡¯re awake!¡± A too-high voice exclaimed, footsteps hurrying to Xue Yahui¡¯s side.


    He frowned, glancing at the person who¡¯d entered. Although he couldn¡¯t seem them clearly, he was able to see their short black hair cupping a baby face, rounded eyes staring at him with worry, their voice assumingly belonging to a male. Xue Yahui frowned, young master? Him? That couldn¡¯t be right¡­ He was a normal person of the twenty first century and wasn¡¯t rich by any means. In fact, he was quite poor.


    ¡°How do you feel?¡± The other person asked, dragging him from his thoughts.


    Xue Yahui frowned, ¡°Terrible.¡± His voice was hoarse, scratchy and it hurt to speak.


    They nodded, or, at least, he thought they did. His vision was swimming too much for him to be able to tell. ¡°Understandable. You¡¯ve been in bed with a high fever for almost a week!¡±


    Xue Yahui let out a low groan, unable to muster any strength for anything else. His companion brought a wet cloth to his forehead, the cool feeling soothing his heated body. ¡°If only Master and Mistress would spare even a single health pill¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond, his mind muddled and unable to process anything correctly. The other person seemed to noticed and helped him back down, laying him gently on his bed. ¡°Pardon my rudeness, you must be tired. Please, sleep and get better soon.¡±


    Xue Yahui felt his eyes close and his conscious slip from his grasp, allowing himself to embrace the soothing arms of sleep.


    The sounds of slight creaking woke Xue Yahui from his sleep, blinking his eyes open and fighting the fog of sleep from his mind. He slowly sat up, taking a quick glance around, noting that he was feeling considerably better than before. His eyes met widened ones, a wide smile stretching across the other¡¯s lips upon noticing his awakening. ¡°Young Master, you¡¯re awake!¡±


    Xue Yahui nodded mutely, unsure of what to say. His companion didn¡¯t seem to mind and instead continued by himself, ¡°I¡¯m glad. You slept for a whole other day after waking up the first time! Are you feeling better now? Does it hurt anywhere?¡±


    When he shook his head, the other¡¯s smile only widened even more, how that was possible Xue Yahui didn¡¯t know. ¡°That¡¯s good!¡± He placed a hand on Xue Yahui¡¯s forehead, keeping it there for a few moments before pulling away, satisfied. ¡°It seems your fever has gone down quite a bit. You shocked us all when you suddenly fell over for no reason!¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Xue Yahui apologized, earning a shocked look from the other. He raised an eyebrow minutely in question, his companion shaking his head hastily.


    ¡°P, pardon me! It¡¯s just¡­ Young Master has never apologized to anyone before¡­¡±


    Xue Yahui frowned, confusion flickering across his face, ¡°I¡¯ve caused you trouble, why should I not apologize?¡± He didn¡¯t respond and Xue Yahui decided to ask a few questions of his own, ¡°By the way¡­ who are you?¡±


    The other¡¯s eyes nearly bulged out of his skull. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Xue Yahui repeated unhurriedly, understanding why his question could cause the other confusion; it seems that they knew each other for quite some time, but Xue Yahui was not that person. He didn¡¯t even know who or where he was, as he clearly wasn¡¯t in his apartment nor even in the same time period.


    ¡°Young Master¡­ did that fever cause you to become confused?¡± He asked, worry clear in his expression. Xue Yahui thought about it for a second before nodding, as it was a plausible excuse and better than any he could have come up with on his own. ¡°I see¡­ I¡¯m Qin Hong, your personal servant. Do you¡­ do you remember your name?¡±


    When Xue Yahui shook his head, the newly named servant, Qin Hong, spoke, ¡°You are the fourth son of Master Su Bo and Mistress Gao Xun, Su Xia, making you the youngest member of the Su Clan. Your older brothers from youngest to oldest are Su Jia, Su Cheng, and Su Wei, twenty, twenty-two, and twenty-four respectively, you being the youngest at twelve.¡±


    Xue Yahui listened to his explation with rapt attention, or should he call himself Su Xia? He clearly wasn¡¯t in his original body and his name most likely wouldn¡¯t mean much anyway¡­ With that in mind, Su Xia mentally threw away his old name, accepting the new name ¡®Su Xia¡¯. ¡°I see¡­ then, where are we?¡±


    ¡°The Su Clan¡¯s mansion.¡± Qin Hong answered without missing a beat. ¡°We¡¯re currently in a building detached from the main building, which has been your home for as long as you¡¯ve been alive.¡±


    Su Xia let out a noncommittal hum. ¡°Do my parents or elder brothers ever visit?¡±


    Qin Hong shook his head, slight regret pulling at his lips, ¡°No. They haven¡¯t visited you in over eight years.¡±


    Su Xia did the calculations in his head and frowned slightly when he concluded that his ¡®new parents¡¯ hadn¡¯t visited their own child since he was four years old. Presumably, they must have pawned him off to a nursing maid and left him at that. He felt a pang of sympathy for the original Su Xia pierce his heart; he knew what it was like for one¡¯s parents to practically ignore the existence of their own child.


    ¡°Are there any servants here other than yourself?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yes, Madam Hou Lin, the person who raised you, as well as five other personal servants.¡±


    Su Xia nodded his head, ¡°What do I usually do in my spare time?¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°You tend to like reading,¡± Qin Hong replied hesitantly. ¡°There is not much here for you to do, as Master and Mistress have never given you much in the first place. I believe you¡¯ve read the same books over ten times each, as you don¡¯t have any new ones.¡±


    Another nod. Then, he finally asked, ¡°Based on your previous statements, apparently I¡¯ve not been exactly the kindest?¡±


    Qin Hong flinched, the action not missed by Su Xia, who frowned internally at the reaction. ¡°Yes¡­ You tend to raise your voice quite a bit and have even fired multiple servants who didn¡¯t meet your requirements after giving them a few lashes.¡±


    Su Xia¡¯s heart fell; he wasn¡¯t the previous Su Xia, so he couldn¡¯t just go back to beating those who most likely didn¡¯t even deserve it in the first place. And, while he could understand the loneliness and hurt from being disregarded from your own family, he couldn¡¯t find such actions to be of appropriate response.


    ¡°I see¡­ I apologize for that.¡± Su Xia apologized sincerely, even if it wasn¡¯t necessarily ¡®him¡¯ who had done it; he was now Su Xia, so he had to repair the bridges the original Su Xia had destroyed, one step at a time. First would be to apologize for his unsightly behavior then treat them with respect in the future.


    Qin Hong hastily waved his arms around, ¡°It, it¡¯s fine! With how you have been treated, it¡¯s only to be expected at this point.¡±


    Su Xia felt his heart twist at how understanding the other was; he truly didn¡¯t deserve whatever hardships ¡®he¡¯ had given him. ¡°Still, it is no excuse for my behavior. I apologize and hope to make it up to you in the future.¡±


    Qin Hong let out a high-pitched sound from the back of his throat, unsure of how to respond to his master¡¯s abrupt change in personality. Was it because of the life-threatening illness that made him want to change his ways? If so, he couldn¡¯t be any more grateful! Please let the Young Master continue down this path to redemption!


    ¡°It seems I need to find a new hobby or two,¡± Su Xia mumbled to himself, ignoring his servant¡¯s current internal plight. ¡°Qin Hong, does this building have a kitchen?¡±


    Qin Hong snapped out of his daydreaming, quickly answering his master¡¯s question, ¡°It does, but there is currently no staffing for it and no one here besides Madam Hou Lin know how to cook.¡±


    ¡°Is Madam Hou Lin here currently?¡± He asked.


    ¡°She most likely is, unless the Master or Mistress have sent her out for an errand.¡±


    ¡°Then, search for her and ask her to meet me in the kitchen as soon as she is able.¡± Su Xia said, getting up, waiting for his body and mind to settle before making his way out of the room, legs slightly wobbly from disuse.


    ¡°Y, Young Master! You¡¯ve just recovered!¡± Qin Hong worried, hastily hurrying to his master¡¯s side.


    Su Xia waved him off, ¡°This is nothing. I can¡¯t simply stay in my bed forever; my limbs would become weak as wet noodles if I did that.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°Qin Hong.¡± At his name, he stilled, biting his lip but not arguing with his master further.


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll inform her immediately.¡±


    Qin Hong bowed and left, leaving Su Xia alone. As he exited his room, he let out a quiet ¡®ah¡¯. He had no idea where the kitchen was. Frowning slightly and chastising his lack of forethought, Su Xia decided to just wander around and hope he comes across it eventually. With that thought in mind, Su Xia began to wander aimlessly, eyes dragging across the walls and floor.


    The building seemed to made of polished wood, a sheen coming from the smoothed brown material. His eyes traveled to his clothing, which were simple brown robes with a sash wrapped crudely around his waist, long sleeves covering his entire arm when left hanging by his side. A flash of white caught his eyes and he paused, glancing at where it came from.


    Draped over his shoulder was a thin strand of white hair, the color brighter and more pure than the whitest of snow. He brought his hand, which was thin and delicate, to his head, lithe fingers brushing through all too soft hair, the length nearly reaching his feet, hanging a few centimeters from it. The white strands flowed through his fingers beautifully, almost enchantingly, as if putting himself under a spell.


    Si Xia stared at his hair, slightly confused; even in his own time period, white hair was such a rarity he hadn¡¯t known anyone, personally or otherwise, with it. Even Qin Hong had the usual black coloring he was so used to. Maybe it was normal in this world? After all, he had only met Qin Hong and hadn¡¯t seen anyone else yet. He couldn¡¯t be too hasty with his conclusions.


    He decided to ignore it, as the color wasn¡¯t unpleasant to look at in the slightest, and it was even satisfying to touch. Su Xia continued walking, passing by multiple rooms and checking each one to make sure he didn¡¯t miss his destination. As he was rounding a corner, he nearly collided with another body, both missing each other by a mere millimeter.


    ¡°Young Master!¡± Qin Hong shouted, easily breaking free of the split second of shock of almost running head first into his master. ¡°I¡¯ve found Madam Hou Lin, but it seems that she has brought another servant by Mistress¡¯ request!¡±


    Su Xia raised an brow slightly, expression unchanging although he was internally surprised. ¡°I see. Then, I suppose I shall go welcome them.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll bring you to them.¡± Qin Hong saluted and led Su Xia towards the front of the building where the rest of the inhabitants awaited.


    Upon opening the front door, Su Xia narrowed his eyes, unprepared for the harsh sunlight to momentarily blind him. After his eyes properly adjusted, he stepped out and looked around to see Qin Hong standing with five other males, an elderly woman to their left with a wrinkled hand sat atop a child¡¯s shoulder. Su Xia¡¯s eyes drifted over each one, taking in their appearance, internally wincing at how most of them, besides the child, the woman, and Qin Hong, flinched under his gaze.


    He must hurry and fix their broken relationships as soon as possible.


    ¡°Young Master,¡± the elderly woman spoke, her voice soft and warm, bringing his attention to her. ¡°I¡¯ve brought a new servant as per Mistress¡¯ orders. This is Mao Yijun and he will be working for you as of today.¡±


    Su Xia nodded mutely, eyeing the child with a closed off expression, not letting his thoughts slip through. ¡°I see. Welcome, Mao Yijun. I hope to get along with you for as long as you¡¯ll have me.¡±


    Everyone gaped at him in shock, even the elderly woman, whom he assumed to be Madam Hou Lin, widened her eyes slightly in surprise. Qin Hong cleared his throat, carefully speaking out, ¡°Y, Young Master, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how this works¡­¡±


    Su Xia raised an eyebrow at him and he snapped his mouth shut, making Su Xia sadden faintly. He didn¡¯t mean for him to stop talking; he was just inquiring as to what he meant. As he was internally brooding at how cold his facial expressions must be in order to elicit such negative responses from his servants, Madam Hou Lin smiled, pleased that her master had a change of heart, as sudden as it was. Any positive progress was good progress.


    ¡°Young Master, shall I prepare a room for Yijun¡¯er?¡± She inquired, bringing out of his internal self-loathing.


    He glanced down at the child, whose expression was set in anxious fear, he cleared his throat, speaking calmly, ¡°Of course.¡± His gaze examined the child for a moment more and, upon seeing his sickly and malnourished stature, added, ¡°And give him a bath and some proper food¡­¡± His eyes lit up in thought, an idea popping up in his head. ¡°In fact, just make sure he is thoroughly washed. I shall handle his food myself. Qin Hong, show me to the kitchen.¡±


    With that, he turned around and walked back inside, Qin Hong hurriedly following after him. After seeing a child in such a sorry state, his heart ached for him; he¡¯ll make sure to cook a delicious meal for the grieving child!