Cheng Sheng slowly opened his eyes when he heard the sound of rushed footsteps.
"Cheng-shidi!" it was Li Tian and Feng Mo. "We've been looking for you! We thought something happened..." they said, their voice filled with concern and are looking very worried.
This pair of master and disciple would usually disappear for weeks given how outgoing Cheng Sheng is. But, it has never been a month before they return. Thus, they were frantic.
"You have really killed the child!" they said when they saw Fei Yinzi's body lying on the snow. "Even if he isn't da shixiong, you don't have to kill him out of disappointment! He's innocent!" they added as they started to cure Fei Yinzi, hoping they could revive him. However, they were shocked when they found a golden core inside Fei Yinzi's body, and is transforming the cold qi around him. "Cheng-shidi... did you give him a golden core or did you teach him the Spiritual Awakening Method?" they asked, referring to the suicidal cultivation method that made Cheng Sheng form a golden core.
"I don't have a spare golden core to give the child, and I wouldn't dare play with that devious method." Cheng Sheng answered.
"..." it's really a devious method. Look, it created a scum devil named Cheng Sheng. They thought. "Then, how did he gain a golden core?" they asked.
"He's more talented than da shixiong and I." Cheng Sheng answered as he took out a magic pill and fed it to Fei Yinzi. He meant Fei Yinzi gained his golden core on his own. "Baitan." he called.
The Shapeshifting Blanket immediately came out and wrapped the frozen cold Fei Yinzi.
"Thanking Li-shixiong and Feng-shixiong for looking for us." he said and bowed before he and FYZ disappeared using the array.
Li Tian and Feng Mo who were left on the snow mountain. "..." can't he take us with them? They thought. However, they knew CS was in a hurry. "He really never intended to harm he child. He was wallowing in grief that he forgot him." they said. Thus, Cheng Sheng immediately left just now.
Cheng Sheng immediately had Baitan soak Fei Yinzi to the pool in their Jixu Peak and crushed the Sundry Leaves in his hand. His hand smoked and his palm and fingers were immediately burnt, but he ignored the pain as he immediately poured the powdered Sundry Leaf on the pool. He repeated the process until he finally saw the ice-cold pool had become hot and was about to boil. Steam billowed, obscuring their sight.
He sighed and watched Baitan dipped Fei Yinzi to the pool still wrapped like a zongzi. The hot water can't directly touch Fei Yinzi's skin or it'll sear his skin. Thus, he had Baitan wrap Fei Yinzi, since Baitan also acts as a shield.
Cheng Sheng took out a bottle of liquor and sat beside the pool. The liquor in his hand was smeared with the blood and skin coming from his burnt hand, but he ignored it as he started drinking. Not long after and he saw his palms started to heal. Can't my cultivation method heal the pain in my heart, too? He thought as he smiled in ridicule. He watched as Baitan started to wriggle.
To be more precise, it was the now conscious Fei Yinzi who wriggled inside the blanket.
"HAH! Ack - " Fei Yinzi started to cough when he felt his throat itched and also burned from the cold.
Cheng Sheng patiently waited. Fei Yinzi's golden core had protected the child from completely turning to an ice statue in the snow mountain. He really was at fault this time. He actually didn't cultivate. He was just immersed in his memories of Fei Yin.
"Er zi." he called. "Do you hate me?" he asked. He knew Fei Yinzi could hear him.
What? 'hate'? Fei Yinzi thought as he tried to force his mind to focus on Cheng Sheng. "Never. I would never hate shizun." he said.
"Even if I let you almost die?" Cheng Sheng asked.
Fei Yinzi froze. "No." he answered. "This disciple would never hate shizun." he said. "My life is for you." he told him.
Cheng Sheng was taken aback by those words. Those words are what always Fei Yin told him before. Damn it... he thought as his tears silently fell. Why can't you be Fei Yin? He thought. The drunk man from the inn before is right. He really named Fei Yinzi after Fei Yin since he couldn't forget Fei Yin.
"Really?" he said and laughed as he downed the liquor and threw it on the side. "Since it's your wish, I will let you call me 'shizun' from now on." he told him and silently left.
In the end, I can never raise a child on my own. He thought as he went back to their house. He lied down on his bed and curled up.
"Da shixiong..." he called as his tears fell from his eyes before he fell asleep, still thinking of Fei Yin.
Fei Yinzi's body is both hot and cold but he didn't care as he immediately made Baitan drop him to the ground. "Shizun..." he called when he saw Cheng Sheng was gone. He immediately rose from the ground, only to see the empty bottle of liquor smeared with blood and burnt skin.
His eyes widened and he immediately ran to their house, only to see Cheng Sheng already sleeping without changing his clothes. Still dripping wet, he silently checked CS's hands before sighing in relief when he saw they were already healed. "Shizun..." he called before he lowered his head. He wanted to touch him, but he can't. Clearly, there's already someone in his shizun's heart. And he lives in the shadow of that man.
It can obviously be seen in his name. Even Li Tian, Feng Mo and the others can't properly call him by his name and always use 'er zi' as what Cheng Sheng calls him. Even if Cheng Sheng had already permitted him to call him 'shizun', but he knew it was Cheng Sheng's way to apologize for almost killing him in the snow mountain.
It's fine. He thought, comforting himself. He never had a plan to call Cheng Sheng as his shifu, anyway. He loves him. How can he call him his father? He thought and looked at Cheng Sheng one last time before going back to the pool and cultivate. Baitan silently watched Fei Yinzi left with a desolate back before he flew and wiped Cheng Sheng's tears, then covered him as his quilt.
One week later.
"To exterminate demons, you have to counter evil with evil." Cheng Sheng said as he lectured his disciple. "Er zi, I didn't carefully raise you to be a good-looking young man just to waste it. You should display it, use it to the fullest!" he told him. "That demon uses seduction charm. How can you not use a seduction charm? I taught you that! Go on! Don't make the humans lose face!" he said and pushed FYZ towards the female demon.
In order to train Fei Yinzi, he looked for a troubled residence to exterminate a demon. Fei Yinzi almost fainted in horror while Feng Mo and Li Tian almost knelt and begged Cheng Sheng to teach Fei Yinzi first of the basics and not to kill the child. But, Cheng Sheng believes that practice is the best teacher, and so he executed it through his disciple by having him exterminate a demon.
Also, he has always been willful. How can he listen to Li Tian and Feng Mo? Thus, he took Fei Yinzi with him to a village that is haunted by a demon. Fei Yinzi can only suffer as the devil's disciple.
Fei Yinzi's face was covered in black lines. Shizun, I love you so how can I seduce a woman - albeit a demon, in front of you? He thought as he looked at Cheng Sheng with an accusing gaze. That's just picking up a rock to smash on my foot! He gritted his teeth when he saw Cheng Sheng was looking back at him, but with wide eyes to urge him to act.
The wooden floor was smashed because of the impact and the river beneath them can be seen. However, Fei Yinzi and the female demon continued to fight while Cheng Sheng pushed back the people away from the bridge that's about to collapse! He immediately formed an array when the ceiling cannot hold and fell down on them, together with the roof!
Suddenly, they fell on the raging water of the river and were washed away after the villagers threw them to the river as offerings to the demon! Cheng Sheng took out Xiao Ling – his sword, to use it for them to fly away to escape, only to drop it when the water hit the back of his head hard and he felt dizzy.
"Ack!" he coughed when the water went inside his mouth.