ETR | Chapter 82

Xiao Xueman was taken aback. Qin Lou suddenly brought this up, and he hadn't expected it.

Indeed, whenever he interacted with Qin Lou now, there was always some hesitation. It was better before, but recently, he had been intentionally avoiding him.

Qin Lou had indeed been a bit too clingy lately.

“Xueman, I’m not blaming you, nor do I hold any resentment. You got hurt while refining medicine for me, and it pains me,” Qin Lou sighed.

“I just hope you know what’s on my mind. Even from a friend’s perspective, I want to tell you this. I’m worried about you. If you need anything, feel free to use me. I’m willing.”

When he reached out to touch Xiao Xueman's hand, it was cold, and it made his own heart feel half-frozen.

Actually, many people knew about what Xiao Xueman was doing.

Zong Manluo Yunheng wanted to help, so they knew. Shen Guan knew, Yu Zhengrong knew, because they were judges for the five-person competition.

Sometimes Xiao Xueman wasn’t around because he had his own matters to attend to, and he needed them to cover for him. Some of the judges’ duties required their help, and they also had to take care of Xiao Wan to ensure he focused on the competition without overthinking.

Naturally, he had to inform them clearly.

Originally, this wasn't much of a secret, and it definitely required a lot of help. When he informed Shen Guan and the others, he didn't think too much about it. But Qin Lou, as he said, seemed to have been skipped over.

But Qin Lou was clearly his friend, and he had a significant connection to this matter.

Even if he had personal motives, indeed, he shouldn't have kept it from him. The reason he was preparing like this was because Qin Lou had told him back then.

"I understand, Qin Lou," Xiao Xueman realized something, and his expression became serious. "I'll tell you what you need to know in the future."

Perhaps Xiao Xueman hadn't thought much about it when he did it, but they had suffered in this regard before and shouldn't repeat the same mistake.

"Thank you," Qin Lou sighed. "You're not wrong. It's my fault. I pushed too hard."

When he advanced, Xiao Xueman retreated.

It's impossible to say there was no sense of defeat.

But the current situation wasn't entirely bad. At least there was some back-and-forth between him and Xiao Xueman. In this tug-of-war, both of them would undergo some changes, which was much better than being stuck in place before.

Thinking of this, Qin Lou looked up at him. "Xueman, I still don't know how to treat you best."

He looked at the person in front of him. Xiao Xueman was sitting on the bed, looking a bit troubled, his hair draped over his shoulders, appearing very soft. His green eyes were looking at him, watery, making it easy to get lost in them.

Xiao Xueman was popular at the Blue Sea Competition, probably because of this. He was exceptionally good-looking, and his temperament seemed better than many judges, and he was a good person.

Of course, he wasn't as soft as he appeared on the surface. Many people hadn't angered him yet and hadn't had the chance to experience his other side.

But Qin Lou had seen it. He had seen and experienced all kinds of sides of Xiao Xueman.

Previously, he had been jealous because some juniors were pestering Xiao Xueman. Later, Xiao Xueman talked to him and even refined medicine for him. Qin Lou figured it out and didn't dwell on it anymore.

Many young people at the Blue Sea Competition liked him, but they only saw one side of Xiao Xueman. The gentle, patient, wise, and decisive side of a high-ranking person, along with his generosity—these traits were all present in Xiao Xueman, perfectly fitting many of their fantasies.

The juniors admired this side of him, so they looked up to him, which was normal.

But Qin Lou liked him, loved him, not just for this almost perfect side.

Back then, Xiao Xueman had just escaped from Tian Shu Academy. Before being captured by Tian Shu Academy, he had always stayed at his home, the habitat of the Tianxi Divine Tree, isolated from the world.

Xiao Xueman's spiritual power was indeed high, but he wasn't born knowing everything. It was his first time establishing a sect, his first time teaching disciples, his first time giving his heart to someone, and his first time falling in love.

Qin Lou was the same.

Xiao Xueman would also be troubled, sometimes have a bad temper, face setbacks, and feel aggrieved. He would stay up all night, unconsciously tugging at his hair, wondering if he had done something wrong or could have done better.

Qin Lou would try to comfort him, but sometimes he would be affected by Xiao Xueman's bad mood. However, once it passed and his heart wasn't as troubled, he would turn back and comfort Qin Lou for a while.

Anyone with feelings would be like this, and Xiao Xueman was no exception.

However, later on, it was often Qin Lou comforting him. But Xiao Xueman was hard to comfort, and Qin Lou enjoyed it.

When Xiao Xueman trained him, he was particularly strict, stricter than with anyone else in Yin Ying. Qin Lou’s talent awakened when he was already an adult, so he lagged behind others and had to work twice as hard to catch up.

Xiao Xueman could be particularly harsh, almost like a devil.

Because he knew what Qin Lou’s destiny was, being strict with him at that time was helping him. But now, Xiao Xueman didn’t know what the destinies of the Blue Sea Competition participants were or what challenges they would face in the future.

Naturally, he could be gentle and kind, without the need to be harsh.

Gentle, patient, and wise was him, and fierce, hesitant, and sometimes having a little temper was also him.

Even now, Xiao Xueman was sitting there, not knowing what he was thinking. Qin Lou had just said those words, and he felt a bit uncomfortable but didn't know how to express it to Qin Lou.

He really was a treasure.

Qin Lou looked at him, thinking about these things, and couldn't bear to touch Xiao Xueman.

In his eyes, this person seemed to glow. He couldn't bear to be truly angry, only feeling heartache.

Xiao Xueman's current entanglement with him, Qin Lou could see it all. On one hand, it was his pressure, and on the other hand, it was Xiao Xueman's own hurdle.

But the entanglement between the two of them was probably destined, engraved in Qin Lou’s soul. Xiao Xueman was his other life, more important than his original one. He couldn’t let go and always hoped he would come back.

“Still, thank you for the spirit talisman,” Xiao Xueman snapped back to reality a bit and felt the previous situation was a bit of a misunderstanding. “I didn’t realize I refused three different things, and in the end, I got them all back.”

“It’s okay,” Qin Lou smiled. “Yunheng just told me that he and Zong Manluo are happy about it. I feel the same. The spirit talisman was meant for you. It wouldn’t be of any use in my hands.”

Xiao Xueman hadn’t gone back to see his son during this time, but Xiao Wan was staying in the guest room at the arena, with Yu Zhengrong taking care of him. If anything happened, he would know immediately.

Now it was already late, and they were probably resting, so Xiao Xueman could go tomorrow.

He had regained some strength and, after thinking for a moment, waved his hand to take out the nine-star pill from the alchemy furnace.

"You should take it first," Xiao Xueman said. "We'll be entering the Secret Realm later. Yunheng said this time the Xu Yu Secret Realm will be very complex and difficult. It's better not to underestimate it. Since there's time now, heal your injuries first."

As they spoke, Qin Lou had put the matter of the pill aside and hadn't touched it. Now he didn't refuse. Under Xiao Xueman's gaze, he took the pill.

The absorption of a nine-star pill took much longer than an eight-star pill. Qin Lou spent the whole night on it. When he woke up, Xiao Xueman, as the alchemist, should have checked his body, but he had already fallen asleep.

He was lying on the carpet beside him, sleeping soundly. On one hand, it was because he had been really busy lately, and on the other hand, giving Qin Lou the medicine had resolved a knot in his heart.

The carpet was made of the finest beast fur, more comfortable than a bed. Xiao Xueman lay on it, looking unusually well-behaved.

Qin Lou initially wanted to carry him to the bed, but Xiao Xueman was sleeping comfortably. He was sensitive, and even a slight touch would wake him, so Qin Lou didn't dare.

He took some time to check himself. The nine-star pill was indeed effective. As Zong Manluo promised, his injuries could be resolved at once, without further delay. The old injuries were mostly healed, and the remaining bit could be dealt with before entering the Xu Yu Secret Realm, so it wasn't a problem.

After thinking for a moment, Qin Lou gently placed a long cloak hanging nearby over Xiao Xueman. Besides that, he didn't take any liberties or dare to touch him, just watched him with a hint of greed in his eyes.

There weren't many times when Xiao Xueman could be this quiet. But he hadn't watched for long before Xiao Xueman woke up.

Those green eyes moved slightly. He propped himself up, looked at Qin Lou, rubbed his head, and spoke with a hint of morning grogginess, "All better?"

"...Yes."

"That's good. It wasn't in vain for me to put in all this effort," Xiao Xueman stretched lazily. "I'm leaving. Feel free to stay. There's an important match today."

Qin Lou didn't stop him. He followed Xiao Xueman out, feeling much lighter than when he came.

"Not long after, Xiao Wan will make it to the top three," Qin Lou told him. "Are you going to watch?"

"Yeah."

Speaking of Xiao Wan, ever since the two-person match where a tree sprouted on the field, his progress had been significant. It wasn’t just a simple level-up. He could now use the vines as weapons, which was a great help.

“Everyone outside says, ‘As expected of your son,’” Shen Guan later joked with Xiao Xueman. “I think this time, the first place is likely Xiao Wan’s. You don’t need to worry too much. The prophecy might not be a bad thing. Xiao Wan will naturally achieve great things in the future. The prophecy is probably about that.”

Xiao Xueman hoped so too, but he had experienced too many unexpected events to gamble on Xiao Wan.

The subsequent matches went smoothly. The individual competition was the highlight of the Blue Sea Competition, starting first and ending last.

Xiao Xueman’s five-person competition had already concluded. The first-place winners were Wangtian Immortal Gate, the arena, the Mercenary Guild, and a joint team from the tiger and wolf clans of the demon clan. There was also one from the Fourth Heaven, which was quite a comeback, not easy at all. The results were balanced.

When Xiao Xueman, as the chief judge, went to present the awards, the two little tigers from the demon clan team showed their sharp tiger teeth and asked him, “Xueman, Your Excellency, will we see you again in the future?”

“You will,” Xiao Xueman replied. “I’ll have plenty of opportunities to visit the demon clan in the future.”

“Also, we secretly placed bets during the individual competition,” the two little tigers whispered to him. “We bet on Xiao Wan. Your son will definitely win. Good luck!”

Xiao Xueman couldn’t help but smile. “I hope you win your bets too.”

He remembered that Xiao Wan, the little money-loving kid, had thrown all his savings into it. Yun Rong had bet half as well. If he really won this time, who knows how much he could earn back.