The root of all this suffering was the curse, which began because of Ye Tiancheng. Ye Tiancheng could no longer bear to utter a single harsh word to Lin Xue. After all, his disciple had endured so much pain, even nearly losing her life, to help him. This was a debt he owed, and how could he blame his creditor?
"Xue'er, eat well. What's past is past. If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to."
Ye Tiancheng didn't want Lin Xue to suffer any longer. Her current state of peace and joy was so precious. There was no need to revisit the past, which would not only make it difficult for her but also affect their master-disciple relationship.
"I want to tell you that the love tribulation I spoke of was real. It almost cost me half my life. That man who kept asking me for money even resorted to violence, yet I couldn't leave him..."
Listening to Lin Xue's fragmented account, Ye Tiancheng finally understood how that utterly despicable man, devoid of any redeeming qualities, could toy with his outstanding disciple. After all, Lin Xue was so exceptional among all women, with her peerless figure and an almost unreal face, like a handful of snow on a high mountain, originally unattainable, yet she was harmed like this.
"Xue'er, tell me who that scumbag is. I'll kill him for you. If you can't do it, I will. As long as this person disappears from this world forever, I believe he won't be able to harm you again, and you'll be free."
It had been a long time. The violent tendencies within him had been secretly dormant for a long time. It was only when his beloved disciple was harmed that Ye Tiancheng unearthed them again. He even felt it wasn't enough. He should have dismembered the man who hurt his most beloved disciple; only then would he feel satisfied.
"It doesn't matter. I haven't seen him for two days. I can feel the power of the curse gradually disappearing as it transfers. I will definitely get through this. And even though I deeply love that man right now, we haven't had any intimate contact, so I haven't lost anything. It's just a little heartache; the problems aren't significant."
Hearing Lin Xue say this brought some relief to Ye Tiancheng. His dear disciple was still as pure and chaste as ever. Otherwise, if she had been ruined by a scumbag like that, Ye Tiancheng would likely regret it for the rest of his life, living forever in the shadow of his failure to Lin Xue. Fortunately, everything could still be mended, and it wasn't too late.
"In any case, leave everything that follows to me. Xue'er, you've borne enough alone. No matter what others think of your strength, in your master's eyes, you will always be just an innocent young girl. Master will not allow you to be harmed in any way. What happened before is enough. My precious disciple, I will protect you from now on."
These words were so cloying that Ye Tiancheng would have been unbearable if he had heard them from someone else before, likely making him frown in disgust. However, facing the immense pain his disciple had suffered, Ye Tiancheng's words were not surprising.
"Alright, Master. I was hiding all along because I was afraid of implicating you. I was trying to be strong, but I found it wasn't that easy. I know I was wrong now. Don't think I want to rely on Master too much. I just want to be a good disciple, one who is obedient and doesn't cause Master too much worry."
Lin Xue was indeed tired. Ye Tiancheng's arrival had initially confused her. However, after recovering a little, she felt she had someone to rely on, and her spirits immediately relaxed. With her spirits relaxed, she inexplicably felt a bit sleepy.
"Master, I really want to sleep. I took a handful of sleeping pills before, but they didn't work. But seeing you, I really want to sleep."
Seeing Lin Xue's eyes unable to stay open, as if she were utterly exhausted, Ye Tiancheng felt both annoyed and amused. Annoyed that his disciple was in such a miserable state because of him, and amused that his disciple was acting like a child at this moment, her age seeming to have instantly regressed.
"You, go to sleep quickly. Your bedroom has already been cleaned by Fatty. It's spotless, and the bedding has all been changed to new. Don't think about anything else; sleeping is the most important thing right now."
In the past, Lin Xue was always the one taking the lead, and when she got serious, no one could compare. Now, she finally had some semblance of a disciple. Ye Tiancheng's words were immediately followed by her obediently listening, displaying a truly docile demeanor.
"Master, then I'll rest now."
Watching Lin Xue lie down, Ye Tiancheng was reluctant to leave. For a disciple he had lost and regained, Ye Tiancheng cherished her even more. He felt that if he left, he wouldn't know when he would see Lin Xue again, as if his obedient disciple might disappear again.
"Brother Ye, you should rest too. I've already made a bed on the sofa. I'll sleep on the sofa tonight. You go to the other room; I've tidied everything up for you."
"Alright, then I'll go and rest too. I'm worried that my presence here will put more pressure on Xue'er. I don't want my obedient disciple to suffer any more mishaps."
Ye Tiancheng quickly returned to his room to sleep. The next morning, Ye Tiancheng had a nightmare. He dreamt that Lin Xue, dressed in white, fell off a cliff behind her. The white hem of her clothes fluttered, creating an extremely poignant scene, but it made Ye Tiancheng's heart clench. He woke up with a shout, completely terrified.
Just as he was startled awake by the nightmare, he heard the voices of a man and a woman. The voices came from the living room. For some reason, he felt a slight strangeness and quickly went out to check. He discovered that the woman was not Lin Xue but Liu Lanying, her face weathered by hardship.
Fatty found it strange that Ye Tiancheng was awake. He had woken up a bit too early, considering he had slept late the previous day. Based on Fatty's understanding, Ye Tiancheng would likely wake up very late, perhaps not until noon, given his lazy nature.
"Lan Ying, why are you here at this time?"
"Fatty notified me last night. It's not busy in the village recently, and I have nothing much to do, so I came to take a look. I heard that Miss Xue had an accident. Perhaps because we are both women, it might be more convenient for me to handle things."
This was precisely Fatty's intention in informing Liu Lanying. After all, Lin Xue was a young lady, and Ye Tiancheng, despite being her master, was a man. There were many things a woman would discuss, especially topics related to feelings, that Ye Tiancheng couldn't ask about. Asking too much would seem inappropriate, and he wouldn't know how to approach it.
Fatty's reasoning was sound, but Ye Tiancheng was also worried about Liu Lanying's condition, as it was evident that she was still somewhat fatigued. Traveling from Dashicun to here must have taken almost an entire night, and it was understandable that Liu Lanying had experienced considerable exhaustion. Any fatigue she showed now was normal.
"But this isn't fair to Lan Ying. I always feel guilty. Girls are very image-conscious, and not sleeping for a night can have a significant impact!"
Liu Lanying wore a gentle smile, and even when she shook her head, it was so graceful that it disarmed anyone, making her seem like a spring breeze.
"It's alright. I took a taxi. The driver might be tired, but I'm not at all. I even slept on the way and slept very soundly. I don't feel particularly tired anywhere. It's good that I'm here now. Fatty and I will make breakfast first, and we'll all eat together. This way, Miss Xue can feel the warmth of family, and we can liven things up. Then, everyone can rest, and I'll talk to Miss Xue slowly later."
Indeed, being a woman, her arrangements were meticulous, making everything orderly and ensuring no one felt pressured. Ye Tiancheng immediately agreed with Lin Xue's idea.
"Okay, let's do that. We'll eat first."
A simple bowl of noodles with fried eggs and tomatoes, accompanied by a few small dishes prepared by Fatty, made everyone, who had no appetite in the early morning, feel that delicious food was the most beautiful thing in the world.
After a few people had eaten, Liu Lanying felt tired. After tidying up, she went to her room to sleep. Fatty had already left while Liu Lanying was cleaning. Lin Xue also lacked energy, likely due to not sleeping well recently. A single night's sleep couldn't compensate for the accumulated deficit.
So, Lin Xue tidied up briefly and went to sleep with Liu Lanying. It was better to have another girl around; it was more convenient in any case.
Ye Tiancheng cleaned the house. Perhaps because he was woken by the nightmare, he felt somewhat listless and still wanted to sleep. Ye Tiancheng listened at Lin Xue's door and heard no sound. Thinking that the two girls should be asleep and that he didn't need to do anything at the moment, Ye Tiancheng also returned to his room to sleep.
The three of them slept until the afternoon. The two girls woke up first. By the time Ye Tiancheng woke up, it was already getting dark, with the sky filled with rosy clouds.
Soon, it would be dark, and the sun would set. This beautiful day was about to end. When Ye Tiancheng woke up, he felt disoriented, as if he had slept through time. However, when he went to the living room to drink water, he heard the voices of the two girls talking in their room, which finally put his mind at ease.
It seemed Fatty was right to call Liu Lanying over. Lin Xue, affected by the curse, needed to confide in someone to calm her emotions. He and Fatty, being men, were somewhat inconvenient, and not very professional at comforting people. Liu Lanying was different; as a girl, she could empathize more.
Just as Ye Tiancheng was feeling happy, Liu Lanying suddenly opened the door and told Ye Tiancheng that she was going to prepare dinner.
"Lan Ying, this is too much trouble for you. After all, it's my disciple's matter, which is my matter. You've come all this way and are now acting as a nanny; I truly feel guilty."
"Don't think too much about it. You know me; if I don't have anything on my mind, I don't dwell on gains and losses. As long as I believe something is right, I will do it. I certainly won't disappoint anyone, so you can rest assured."
Since Liu Lanying had said so, Ye Tiancheng actually had some understanding of her. She was a kind-hearted girl. If he said too much, it would only put pressure on this kind girl. Doing more is better than saying more. No amount of gratitude could compare to taking practical action. Ye Tiancheng had also decided that for the next month, all the company's income would be saved, and he would find a way to give Liu Lanying a gift.