After Transmigrating Into the Book, I Picked up the Protagonist-Shou

Xie Shuci carried the wounded person back to the room and changed into clean clothes. 

Shortly after, Li Song returned to the inn with the old doctor. The other injured disciples took their respective doses of medicine and returned to their rooms to rest and recover.

Xie Shuci didn’t inquire much about the other matters. He didn’t have the ability to handle them, and he valued his own life greatly. Although he was curious, he didn’t want to get further involved.

Although Xie Shuci’s medicine wasn’t the Resurrection Pill, it saved Li Baiyi’s life. After the doctor cleaned and bandaged his wounds, he left with Li Song’s escort back to the medical clinic.

Unknowingly, evening arrived. Li Baiyi’s condition stabilized, and Li Song left the room to find Xie Shuci. He cupped his fist and bowed slightly, saying, “Thank you.”

To distract himself, Xie Shuci snatched Xie An’s things to pass the time, practicing calligraphy on the side. Using a brush he hadn’t used before, the characters he wrote appeared crooked and unrefined, resembling caterpillars squirming together. 

In contrast, the blind boy’s writing was elegant, graceful, and exceptionally beautiful. Li Song couldn’t help but glance at it a few more times.

“No need, you can just tell him later. I understand the greater good and won’t hold it against him for pointing his sword at me the first time we met. People like me who are understanding and magnanimous are already quite rare,” Xie Shuci continued with his arrogant nature.

Li Song felt a bit depressed by his words, but the fact remained that Xie Shuci had saved Li Baiyi’s life. Moreover, in the entire cultivation world, whether it was the major sects or the various schools, alchemists were extremely rare and precious. Pills or elixirs were as valuable as rare treasures to a small cultivation sect and Xie Shuci had several bottles at his disposal, seemingly more than just that. If unscrupulous cultivators were to find out, it would surely bring him trouble.

Appreciative of Xie Shuci’s lack of defense and generous giving, Li Song felt grateful in his heart, and there also seemed to be a subtle feeling of fluttering within him.

Unaware of Li Song’s thoughts, Xie Shuci continued to hold the brush in his hand, attempting to write his “worm-like” characters on the paper. However, the result was a mess of strokes resembling ghostly symbols. He looked at the paper and then at the elegant and graceful writing of Xie An, feeling a sudden sense of injustice.

How can this Little blind not only be so good-looking but also write better than me?

Xie Shuci felt greatly struck by this and wiped his face, unintentionally smudging the ink all over himself. Oblivious to his appearance, he took out another sheet of paper, dipped the brush into the ink, and was about to start writing when a cool hand suddenly covered his warm hand.

Xie Shuci was taken aback and glanced to the side in a daze.

The blind youth’s face was right in front of him, long and slender lashes covering his eyelids. His lips were slightly pursed, breathing calmly, and his breath brushed against Xie Shuci’s earlobe.

Seeing the blind youth up close, without a single flaw on his face, Xie Shuci’s heart skipped a beat in appreciation of beautiful things, revealing a moment of vulnerability.

Seemingly accidentally, Xie An had touched him. He hesitated for a moment and then realized that Xie Shuci was holding the brush in his palm. He opened Xie Shuci’s fingers, changing the way he held the brush.

“Your posture is incorrect,” Xie An’s lips moved slightly.

“Oh,” Xie Shuci nodded.

After adjusting Xie Shuci’s posture, Xie An released his hand.

Li Song contemplated for a while and suddenly raised his head. With a solemn expression, he said to Xie Shuci, “Xie Shuci, no matter what, I owe you a favor. If, if…”

His words faltered midway as if stuck, and a noticeable blush crept up his ears. He lowered his head, seemingly finding it difficult to speak.

Seeing the person abruptly stop talking, Xie Shuci, with ink stains still on his face, looked up in confusion, his face appearing particularly comical.

Biting his tongue, Li Song mustered up the courage and said, “If you really want to become my Dao companion, I… I’m willing to give it a try. But you can’t use those methods anymore. You can come back to my sect with me, and I’ll convince my father…”

“Stop, stop, stop!” Xie Shuci exclaimed, his head throbbing. “Who said I wanted to become your Dao companion?”

Xie An stood silently by the side, his gaze naturally cast downward, his expression dim and unclear in the shadow of the candlelight.

Li Song looked up, dumbfounded. “You don’t want to? Then why did you…”

Xie Shuci burst into laughter. “That was just me being out of my mind. Didn’t you want to kill me? Just because I gave you a pill, you want to become my Dao companion?” 

“I…” Li Song choked.

“Don’t force yourself. Besides, didn’t we agree to let bygones be bygones?” Xie Shuci said.

Although Li Song’s thigh was huggable, but becoming Dao companions… Ugh!

Xie Shuci felt a wave of disgust sweeping over him with his own imagination. Although he enjoyed watching two men engage in intimate activities, he considered himself as straight as a steel beam. Although Li Song looked good, when he thinks of becoming Dao companions and engaging in that kind of activity with him? No, absolutely not!

He instinctively leaned back, his back against the left shoulder of the blind youth.

The blind youth habitually raised his hand to support Xie Shuci’s waist, and the warmth of his palm was transmitted through the fabric to Xie Shuci’s body.

Xie An’s fingers were slender and beautiful, and his big palm was completely attached to Xie Shuci’s waist. The momentary contact caused Xie Shuci an inexplicable sensation, a trembling that he couldn’t control, making his heart slightly numb.

After he stood firmly, Xie An withdrew his arm with a calm expression.

Li Song was immersed in self-doubt. He felt insane for even suggesting becoming Dao companions with Xie Shuci. He was the young master of the Li family, and his talent was considered good among his peers. Many female disciples from sects had expressed admiration for him. Which one of them was not better than Xie Shuci? Even if he wanted to repay Xie Shuci, there was no need for this kind of arrangement!

“Forget that I said anything. Farewell.” Li Song bowed to Xie Shuci with a wooden expression, then turned and left.

By this time, it was completely dark outside. Suddenly, a gust of eerie wind blew through the tightly closed doors and windows of the main hall. The candle flames flickered, nearly extinguishing, and the light in the hall instantly dimmed.

Li Song’s footsteps paused, and he turned to look at Xie Shuci. He tightly gripped the sword at his waist.

Xie Shuci sensed a bone-chilling coldness in the air carried by the wind. He bent down to pick up Ah Dong, who was asleep on the table and grabbed Xie An behind him.

Xie An also sensed something amiss and furrowed his brows, looking toward the direction of the backyard before the two of them.

“Demon?” Xie Shuci asked with a pale face.

Li Song nodded. “Yes, my master uncle is chasing after it.”

A loud crash was heard as the water trough in the backyard shattered into pieces.

“Take them and hide,” Li Song commanded without room for objection. Then, he unsheathed his sword and charged into the backyard alone.

“Hey…” Xie Shuci wanted to stop him, but it was too late.

That demon had a cultivation base of over two hundred years. Wasn’t Li Song walking to his death?

Xie Shuci hesitated in place for a moment. He felt that the demon had its principles and hadn’t harmed innocent people. Li Song and the others were injured because they wanted to obtain its inner core. He had no grudges or conflicts with the demon, so it shouldn’t harm him.

Taking a deep breath, Xie Shuci gathered enough courage. Think about it, Xie Shuci, isn’t a battle between humans and demons quite exciting?

Ah Dong slowly woke up in his arms. “Brother Xiaoci?”

Xie Shuci nodded and said, “You take Brother Xie An and hide. I forbid you from coming out, Okay?”

Sounds of a fight came from the backyard. Ah Dong asked excitedly, “Brother Xiaoci, are you going to catch the demon?”

Xie Shuci nodded solemnly. “Yes. So you can’t cause any trouble for me. Take Brother Xie An and hide somewhere safe, and when I call for you, only then you can come out.”

“Okay, Ah Dong understands!”

Xie An tightened his lips and pulled Xie Shuci over.

Xie Shuci glanced at him and saw him mouthing, “Where are you going? I’ll go with you.”

How could Xie Shuci take him along? He himself only planned to hide somewhere nearby and watch the commotion from a distance, maybe see if he could help in any way. If someone got injured, he could at least provide them with some pills or play the role of a medic or something.

He grabbed Xie An’s hand and said, “I have a stomachache. I need to go to the bathroom.”

Xie An, “…”

Xie An clenched his teeth for a moment.

Xie Shuci patted Ah Dong’s shoulder, gesturing for him to take Xie An away.

After the two left, Xie Shuci turned around and grabbed an abacus from the counter, using it as a makeshift weapon. He cautiously made his way toward the backyard.

“Evil creature!”

A furious shout came from above, and a Daoist in a green robe leaped down from the roof.

“Master Uncle!” Li Song, who was engaged in a battle with the demon, had several bloody wounds from its claws. His face lit up when he saw the Daoist.

Xie Shuci hid behind a corridor, peering into the courtyard through the lattice fence.

A jet-black four-legged beast stood on the ground. Its black fur glistened under the moonlight, much taller and different in appearance from an ordinary dog. What impressed Xie Shuci the most were its posture and eyes.

With the appearance of the Daoist, more than a dozen disciples leaped down from the roof. One of them was holding the missing innkeeper, as Xie Shuci could see upon closer inspection.

Facing the outnumbered situation, the demon stood tall, exuding an imposing presence. Its pair of jet-black pupils were as alert and filled with resentment as a human’s.

When the demon caught sight of the innkeeper in the disciple’s grasp, its nostrils flared, and its body suddenly emitted a white light. Its claws tore through the ground, assuming a fighting stance and baring its sharp teeth at the innkeeper.

“When will this cycle of revenge end? Why must you destroy your two hundred years of cultivation?” Li Song sighed.

Xie Shuci couldn’t help but praise his statement, although it was a bit of an afterthought. They were the ones coveting the demon’s inner core, yet he made it sound as if they wouldn’t take the inner core if the demon didn’t seek revenge.

“Song’er, there’s no need to waste words on it. After all, it’s just a beast,” the Daoist said.

The demon’s disdainful gaze swept over the people present, pausing slightly when it reached Xie Shuci behind the corridor.

A chill ran down Xie Shuci’s spine, causing him to plop down on the ground, clutching the abacus tightly. He had forgotten that this creature was a wolf-dog, and its sense of smell was even more sensitive than Xie An’s.

“Attack!” the Daoist commanded, and the disciples simultaneously brandished their swords, charging at the demon.

The innkeeper, who seemed to be related to the incident, watched with a pale expression, collapsing to the ground in fear of the gust of wind caused by the demon’s claws.

The demon’s strength was overwhelming. It moved swiftly through the sea of blades and light, knocking down the disciples as if they were ants. Its intention was clear. With lightning speed, it appeared in front of the innkeeper, its claws resembling icy blades as it struck downward.

Does the innkeeper have a connection to this incident?

Xie Shuci’s scalp tingled. Although he wanted to help, his abilities didn’t allow for it. Moreover, just watching from afar made his legs go weak. Even if he got closer, he wouldn’t be enough to fill the gap between the demon’s teeth.

“Dad!”

Just then, a clear voice sounded from behind.

Everyone present was stunned, and Xie Shuci felt a blur pass by him. Before he could see clearly, someone had already stood in front of the innkeeper, and with that figure’s appearance, Xie An came into view.

Xie Shuci’s pupils suddenly shrank as he realized something. He quickly turned his head to look, and he saw Ah Dong’s small figure protectively shielding the innkeeper. He took the demon’s strike head-on.

“Ah Dong!”

“Ah Dong—!”

A beautiful streak of blood flowed under the moonlight, with the drops of blood spreading in all directions.

The small figure crashed to the ground, conveniently facing Xie Shuci. 

Ah Dong had a pale face, and dilated pupils. It seemed like he saw Xie Shuci in the midst of the panicked crowd.

He looked confused, his pale lips moving, and nobody knew what he was saying. However, Xie Shuci saw it clearly.

—Brother Xiaoci, why didn’t you save me?