Chapter 74
Shen Lijun's emotions were in complete chaos.
His confidant was fake.
The plastic surgery plan was fake.
So what in his life had actually been real...?
Waaah... was I really this much of a failure as a person?!
Seeing Shen Lijun standing there on the verge of tears again, Wei Houming coughed heavily in warning, reminding him to control himself and not let Xiao Lou notice anything strange.
"Ahem."
The moment he heard Wei Houming's voice, Shen Lijun snapped back to reality.
He immediately turned his head away from Lou Yuqing and circulated spiritual energy through his body. The redness around his eyes faded at once, returning to normal.
Wei Houming nodded slightly to himself.
At least Shen Lijun no longer looked as emotionally shattered as before.
Still, he couldn't help wondering just who this fake "Old Man Chunfeng" really was for Shen Lijun to trust him so deeply.
Even if the man had eventually backed off out of conscience, it didn't change the fact that he'd originally approached Shen Lijun intending to scam him.
His motives had never been pure.
Wei Houming frowned.
If that was the extent of it, fine.
But what if the man had committed other crimes over the years?
He couldn't simply ignore someone like that.
Then, just as the thought crossed his mind, Lou Yuqing revealed the answer.
[Oh ho, he's not completely unrelated to Elder Chunfeng.]
[He used to be Elder Chunfeng's errand disciple, and he's extremely good at imitating the old man's speech and mannerisms.]
Shen Lijun pressed his lips together.
No wonder.
Back then, after investigating "Senior Chunfeng," everything he found had perfectly matched Elder Chunfeng's known reputation and personality, so naturally he hadn't grown suspicious.
Then suddenly, another realization struck him.
His expression stiffened.
If "Senior Chunfeng" had merely been Elder Chunfeng's errand disciple...
Didn't that mean he was much younger than Shen Lijun originally assumed?
Thinking about how he'd respectfully called the man "Senior" all this time, Shen Lijun's fair face instantly flushed bright red—and only kept getting redder.
Damn it.
He suddenly wanted to die again.
And beyond the embarrassment...
Although he truly appreciated the companionship and concern the other person had shown him, deception was still deception.
From the very beginning, this so-called friendship across generations had been built atop lies.
Now that the truth had come out, all that remained was bitterness.
Ling Yunxiao glanced at Shen Lijun's conflicted expression and immediately understood.
Shen Lijun was hesitating.
If it had been Ling Yunxiao himself, discovering someone had deliberately approached him under false pretenses—even if that person had never truly harmed him—he still wouldn't show mercy.
Meanwhile, Si Nidie tilted her head thoughtfully.
Her junior sister had said both Shen Lijun and the scammer shared similar emotional experiences.
So what was this?
Two hopeless love-brains finding emotional support in each other?
The thought nearly made her laugh out loud.
Thankfully, she managed to hold it in. Everyone present was still waiting eagerly for the rest of the story.
[After getting rejected by his goddess, the fake doctor became distracted and absent-minded.]
[Eventually, Old Man Chunfeng noticed something was wrong and kicked him out.]
[After losing Elder Chunfeng's protection, the fake doctor suffered quite a bit.]
[Then, during an expedition into a secret realm, he obtained an appearance-changing technique and came up with the idea of impersonating Elder Chunfeng.]
[That way, he could gain benefits for himself while simultaneously taking revenge on Elder Chunfeng. Once his scams were exposed, the ruined reputation would belong to Elder Chunfeng instead.]
[This guy was actually pretty skilled at shady business. Over the years, he caused Elder Chunfeng plenty of trouble, but unfortunately he was too slippery to get caught.]
[Unexpectedly though, after empathizing with Shen Lijun's situation, he not only abandoned his scam completely, but also spent years sincerely comforting and supporting him.]
[Counting it up, they've known each other for five years already. Honestly, what kind of scammer has that much patience?]
[No wonder Shen Lijun trusted him. The kindness he showed Shen Lijun was genuine.]
Lou Yuqing sighed internally.
[He doesn't sound like a scammer anymore, he sounds more like someone running a charity]
Shen Lijun's lips trembled slightly.
It was true.
"Senior Chunfeng" had genuinely spared no effort helping him, without ever showing obvious selfish motives. That was precisely why Shen Lijun had been willing to trust him so completely.
But now that he knew the truth beneath the surface...
Everything felt tainted.
No matter how sincere the friendship later became, it had still begun with lies.
And once exposed, it could never return to what it once was.
His sincerity had ultimately been misplaced.
Shen Lijun's eyes reddened again.
He remembered how thoroughly he'd trusted "Senior Chunfeng."
After discovering his body had transformed into that puppet-like state, the very first person he confided in had been him.
And now...
Sob, sob, sob...
[Ever since meeting Shen Lijun, the fake doctor never again used Elder Chunfeng's name to scam people.]
[He completely abandoned his fraudulent lifestyle and devoted himself wholeheartedly to studying medicine.]
[Honestly... this story is getting weirder and weirder.]
[Three years ago, after learning about Shen Lijun's puppet-like transformation, he desperately tried using everything he knew to cure him.]
[Unfortunately, his medical skills weren't enough. He couldn't figure anything out.]
The crowd's expressions froze.
Then slowly turned strange.
This fake doctor was somehow both awful and decent at the same time.
Yes, he'd impersonated someone and ruined reputations.
But the care he showed Shen Lijun afterward had clearly been genuine too.
Even Lou Yuqing's attitude softened slightly as she read further.
Her internal nickname shifted from "scammer" to "fake doctor."
[Later, the fake doctor told Shen Lijun he planned to travel across the continent searching for a cure for the puppet transformation.]
[But in reality—]
Her thoughts paused there.
Shen Lijun frowned uncertainly.
Wasn't that true?
Back then, when he first realized his body had become puppet-like, he'd been terrified.
But even "Senior Chunfeng," someone with extraordinary medical knowledge, had been helpless.
At that point, Shen Lijun no longer wanted to waste spirit stones searching for other physicians.
Besides... he didn't even know whether one day he'd permanently become a real puppet and lose the ability to transform back.
And before that happened—he still had one important wish left unfinished.
Saving enough spirit stones for plastic surgery.
That desire had been one of the major reasons he'd risked secretly occupying the cultivation rooms.
If he wasn't destined to live long anyway, then why not follow his heart?
"Senior Chunfeng" had warned him that the procedure would require numerous precious spiritual herbs and cost a staggering amount.
Shen Lijun hadn't cared.
If it allowed Qiu Yan to finally transfer her feelings onto him, it would all be worth it.
For the past three years, the two of them had remained in contact.
And after hearing Lou Yuqing expose everything earlier, Shen Lijun had wanted to confront him.
But remembering all the care and companionship he'd received... he simply couldn't bring himself to do it.
Just as Shen Lijun was drowning in hesitation, Lou Yuqing's inner voice rang out again.
[In reality, the fake doctor lied to Shen Lijun. He never went traveling at all.]
[Instead, he returned directly to kneel before Elder Chunfeng, confess his crimes, and beg for forgiveness.]
Everyone froze.
Wasn't that basically walking into a death trap?
After ruining someone's reputation for years, how could he dare voluntarily return?
If Elder Chunfeng were even slightly narrow-minded, he might've killed him on the spot.
Even Shen Lijun felt a chill run down his spine.
He genuinely couldn't understand why the man would do something so reckless.
Then Lou Yuqing answered immediately.
[He did it for Shen Lijun.]
Shen Lijun went completely blank.
...For me?
[The fake doctor believed Elder Chunfeng's medical skills were unparalleled.]
[If Elder Chunfeng were willing to help, then perhaps he could identify the cause behind Shen Lijun's puppet transformation.]
[That's why he returned to apologize.]
[Actually, long before this, he'd already regretted his past actions.]
[Shen Lijun simply gave him the courage to go back.]
[Back then, Elder Chunfeng had many errand disciples, but the one he favored most was this fake doctor.]
[Because he was exceptionally intelligent and learned incredibly quickly.]
[If he hadn't strayed onto the wrong path, Elder Chunfeng likely would've accepted him as a formal disciple by now.]
[Elder Chunfeng originally kicked him out merely to temper his character. But the fake doctor's temperament was too impulsive. In anger, he left—and eventually committed all those crimes.]
[Fortunately, Elder Chunfeng has a good temper.]
[He didn't pursue the matter too harshly. He only demanded the return of the swindled spirit stones before considering letting him return as an errand disciple.]
[Right now, the fake doctor is still making amends.]
[Some of his former victims remain missing, and he's helping search for them.]
After hearing all of this, Shen Lijun stood there completely stunned.
The others also glanced at him subtly.
No one had expected the fake doctor to go this far for Shen Lijun's sake.
Although part of it was undoubtedly because he himself wanted Elder Chunfeng's forgiveness...
The original reason truly had been Shen Lijun.
In the end, their friendship had been genuine after all.
Wei Houming's expression eased slightly.
Repenting and correcting one's mistakes was a virtue.
Since the man was already actively atoning for his crimes, Wei Houming saw no need to interfere further or drag him back to the sect for questioning.
Si Nidie shrugged.
This whole situation is getting more absurd by the minute.
Still, she had to admit the story was entertaining.
Originally, she'd thought Shen Lijun had simply been tricked by a swindler.
Who would've guessed the scammer himself had eventually reformed?
Honestly, she was now curious how exactly Shen Lijun had managed to influence him so deeply.
Meanwhile, Shen Lijun himself remained frozen in place.
After a long moment, he slowly opened his mouth soundlessly.
No matter what, he truly had been moved by everything "Senior Chunfeng" had done for him.
And yet...
Even now, after all these years, the other party still hadn't confessed the truth himself.
They'd contacted each other countless times.
There had been so many opportunities to come clean.
Shen Lijun felt his chest burn with frustration and confusion.
He genuinely didn't know what to do anymore.
Then—Lou Yuqing's thoughts shifted again.
[Originally, Shen Lijun's secret occupation of the cultivation room was supposed to be exposed today.]
[But it wouldn't have been discovered by me or Senior Sister.]
[It would've been discovered by another disciple.]
[With the evidence fully exposed, Shen Lijun would have no way to defend himself.]
[Captain Wei would sentence him to ten years reclaiming wasteland as punishment, using labor to repay the sect for the more than ten thousand spirit stones.]
Wei Houming suddenly paused.
So that had originally been his decision?
Hm.
Actually... wasteland reclamation did sound reasonable.
Maybe he should simply follow that outcome—
Lou Yuqing's next sentence arrived immediately.
[Unfortunately, Shen Lijun would die not long afterward during a beast tide attack.]
[His body would never recover.]
[Even before dying, he'd still be thinking about not getting to see his beloved one final time.]
Wei Houming instantly abandoned the idea.
Absolutely not.
There was no shortage of people reclaiming wasteland anyway.
Mining.
Yes.
Mining sounded much better. A perfectly reasonable decision.
Shen Lijun: "..."
Seriously?
Was his fate really that miserable?!
Seeing the sympathetic looks everyone was giving him, Shen Lijun fell silent.
Ever since his body transformed into that puppet-like state, he'd believed he didn't have much time left.
That was why he'd desperately clung to the cultivation rooms.
If he was going to die anyway, then fulfilling his wish mattered most.
And yet—before he could even win Qiu Yan's heart, his actions would've gotten him killed first.
And on top of that, the plastic surgery thing had been fake from the beginning.
So after all his struggle...
What exactly had been the point?
The defeated aura around Shen Lijun became visibly heavier.
Ling Yunxiao frowned slightly.
Had Shen Lijun completely lost his fighting spirit?
But from Yuqing's earlier words, it sounded like there was still hope.
He was just about to think deeper into it when Lou Yuqing's emotional voice echoed once more.
[It's honestly such a pity for someone this talented to fall like this.]
[If Shen Lijun survives, then with his puppet transformation ability alone, he could absolutely become famous.]
Everyone's eyes widened instantly.
A transformation ability?!
Shen Lijun's previously lifeless eyes suddenly lit up.
Hope reignited in them almost instantly.
So—he wasn't actually dying after all.