Psychological Fortitude

"I'm not panicking. Go ahead."

Yue Wuhuan had far better psychological resilience than a new student. He walked through the roomful of blood and flesh, set down the dinner, then frowned and reached out to wipe the crumbs from Song Qingshi's lips. Recently, he had grown used to dining with his lord; the clean, pure scent seemed to improve his appetite considerably.

Song Qingshi observed him for a long while. Seeing no signs that he was about to break down, he quietly put the basin away. He was now certain that Yue Wuhuan had the makings of an excellent medical student: intelligent, rational, calm, dexterous, and unafraid of blood. He possessed every quality of an outstanding surgeon. Back on Earth, medical-school professors would have fought over him as a doctoral student.

On the spot, he gave a lesson in the theory of anatomy, explaining anatomy's importance to medicine and body donors' contributions to humanity.

Yue Wuhuan studied very seriously and even took the initiative to observe the shapes of the corpses and internal organs.

Song Qingshi's concern struck him as somewhat amusing. Among the guests at Jinfeng Mountain Manor were often cultivators with a taste for sadism; from time to time, slaves beaten to death would be carried out. He himself had been tortured to the brink of death many times at those cultivators' hands, ravaged until he was covered in wounds. Had his wood-element constitution not possessed such strong restorative powers, he would have found release long ago.

What was a corpse? Nothing more than a lump of flesh.

Ever since the first time he had been made to serve in bed, the only thing he feared was the living.

Yue Wuhuan examined the corpses one by one, silently marveling. Then he suddenly stopped, staring fixedly at the tall male corpse in a corner. A past he did not wish to remember surfaced in his mind. He panicked for a moment, then abruptly realized something. Boundless malice churned in his beautiful eyes, and a faint curve gradually formed at his lips.

He slowly turned around, reined in his expression, and gently asked, "My lord, may I try dissecting this corpse?"

Song Qingshi was eating the dinner his little angel had so thoughtfully brought him. Hearing this, he looked up in astonishment.

After some thought, he decided that this was not a medical school in his original world, where dissection came with so many rules. Since Yue Wuhuan was eager to learn, he should support him.

So he found a new hooded protective gown for Yue Wuhuan to put on, then had him wash and disinfect his hands and put on a mask and gloves.

Yue Wuhuan uneasily touched the gloves, puzzled. "Why do I have to wear these?"

"To prevent bacterial infection," Song Qingshi instructed. "There's no formaldehyde here, nor any completely reliable disinfectant. Spiritual-stone formations preserve the corpses. Many of them died of unknown causes, and some were put in here filthy without any preparation at all. I'm worried. You must get into the habit of disinfecting yourself before and after experiments and dissections."

It was a medical student's little cleanliness obsession. No matter what, he could not believe that a cleansing spell could completely eliminate bacteria; he would not feel at ease without disinfection.

Yue Wuhuan looked at the corpse beside them, relaxed, and smiled. "It is very dirty."

Once Song Qingshi had outfitted him, he handed him a scalpel and introduced the corpse. "An Long gave me this one. An Long is the Xilin Gu King, an exceptionally skilled physician and insect expert. He's a good person, and we often exchange resources. A few days ago, he sent someone to deliver this corpse and posed a question: he said the manner of death was very interesting and asked me to guess how it had been done."

An Long had been the original owner's only friend. The two had often exchanged letters about their professional knowledge in the past, though for some reason they had fallen out of contact in recent years.

While sorting through the things the original owner had left behind, Song Qingshi reread those letters and was once again deeply impressed by An Long's professional skill. He then took the initiative to write him, using modern medicine to solve a problem involving entomopathogenic fungi that had troubled him for years. An Long was overjoyed upon receiving the letter and sent someone with many gifts. Because of the original owner's preferences, the gifts included several corpses with different causes of death. He had also said that in a few days, he would come in person to offer his thanks.

Song Qingshi liked the gift very much and welcomed this big shot obsessed with entomology.

Smiling, Yue Wuhuan accepted the knife and brought it down hard, slashing open the corpse's chest cavity without hesitation.

"Slowly! Slowly!" Song Qingshi jumped in fright and hurriedly stopped him, offering instruction. "You need to see the tissue structure clearly before cutting. Watch the course of the blood vessels and meridians. Cut layer by layer. Your cut was too deep—you nearly severed the bone. The internal organs! Watch the internal organs!"

"Yes." Yue Wuhuan looked at the motionless heart beneath his knife and smiled even more happily. He asked Song Qingshi, "My lord, do you know who this corpse was?"

Song Qingshi thought for a moment. "He seems to have been some righteous-path hero, Yu something..."

"Everyone says Hero Yu Qing was honorable and upright, a true gentleman. Yet he, too, has ended up with no one to collect his body," Yue Wuhuan said softly, his voice steeped in endless mockery. "How lamentable."

"There are too many dead in the Immortal Realm. Unclaimed corpses are everywhere. Whatever their status in life, death makes them all the same." Song Qingshi watched his movements intently and did not notice anything wrong with his tone. "Careful! You cut the heart!" he cried.

Yue Wuhuan raised his eyes slightly and murmured in surprise, "So it isn't black?"

Still smiling, he made cut after cut, mincing that disgusting body and all its organs into pieces as though subjecting it to death by a thousand cuts. He was ecstatic—just as this man had done to him back then.

That year, not long after he entered Jinfeng Mountain Manor, he was Jin Feiren's kept consort. He had not yet fully understood his own status and still clung to a measure of innocence, hoping some kindhearted person would save him from hell.

Jinfeng Mountain Manor hosted a banquet for the immortals of the Azure Rainbow Sect, where they sparred and exchanged insights on swordsmanship. The Azure Rainbow Sect was a famous righteous sect in the Immortal Realm, known for hating evil as though it were an enemy. Yu Qing was a highly valued standout among the younger generation, every inch the righteous man. He never so much as glanced at the beauties who came to serve him, seemingly uninterested in sex and guilty of no indecent acts.

Yue Wuhuan thought he might be a good person. Gathering his courage, he tried to ask for help.

Yu Qing looked at him for a long time without speaking.

Yue Wuhuan knew the hope was slim and did not dare press him.

But he had never imagined that Yu Qing would force himself on him.

"From the moment I saw you at the banquet, I thought your eyes were so beautiful. They were born to seduce people."

Although Yu Qing had not obtained the divine-sense bead that controlled the Joyous Union Brand, Yue Wuhuan had no strength to resist a Golden Core cultivator. He was quickly bound tight by a magical artifact, completely at Yu Qing's mercy.

...

The next morning, he was finally released from hell, only to be discovered and dragged before Jin Feiren and the immortals of the Azure Rainbow Sect.

Covered in wounds, he knelt before them all.

Yu Qing was a prized disciple of the Azure Rainbow Sect with an excellent reputation. It was indeed improper for him to have touched the manor lord's kept consort.

The Azure Rainbow Sect had lost face and repeatedly apologized to Jin Feiren, saying they would severely punish Yu Qing. The scene was exceedingly awkward.

Jin Feiren smiled magnanimously and smoothed things over. "It was my little slave who could not bear loneliness. What crime has Hero Yu committed?"

Yue Wuhuan froze. He looked up, wanting to explain, when Jin Feiren suddenly gave him a warning look and moved the hand hidden within his sleeve. The Joyous Union Brand on Yue Wuhuan's back began to burn. Though he struggled and resisted, a stream of unspeakable words began spilling from his mouth:

"This slave was unruly. Seeing Immortal Elder Yu's handsome, mighty bearing, this slave used his body to entice him..."

"This slave was not injured, only a little weak in the legs..."

"This slave was wrong. Please, Manor Lord, punish this slave severely for such shamelessness."

"..."

He had plainly been harmed, yet he was forced to admit to a wrong he had not committed. The matter ended to everyone's satisfaction.

The hosts and guests all rejoiced at the banquet. Seeing that Yu Qing liked him, Jin Feiren gave Yue Wuhuan to Yu Qing along with the divine-sense bead for several days of play, allowing him to experience this righteous-path hero's many depraved amusements.

He was badly hurt, but he never cried out in pain or begged for mercy again.

Because he had completely understood the status of a slave and no longer harbored delusions.

...

"The cause of death lies in the brain. The insects ate more than half of it." Yue Wuhuan sawed open the corpse's skull and reached his conclusion. "He must have died in terrible pain, terribly miserably..." He was grateful that the mask hid his smile and malice; otherwise, his expression would surely have been as grotesque as a demon's.

Song Qingshi carefully examined the corpse and nodded. "Mm. That is quite a miserable way to die. What a pity."

Yue Wuhuan smiled. "Yes. What a pity."

He stared at the knife in his hand. The lingering thrill of happiness gradually faded, and wave after wave of regret rose unbidden in his heart.

How wonderful it would have been to cut him open alive.

Author's Note:

Song the top student, brimming with confidence: My little angel's hand is so steady with a blade—he'll definitely be a good doctor!