I Refused To Be Reincarnated
Chapter 566: A Shattered Past

Chapter 566: A Shattered Past

A moment later, he pushed Shen Wu’s gate open and gazed at the refreshing garden before the whispers coming from the pavilion drew his attention.

Under its shade, Mei Lan massaged the scar running from Shen Wu’s thigh to his left shin. Each time her oiled fingers touched its putrefying color, the elder’s lips twisted to let out a grunt, prompting the question in Adam’s mind: how could he walk with such an unhealed wound?

He didn’t know, but his jaws clenched as he covered Misha’s eyes to spare her from the disturbing spectacle.

Yet, this silent movement caused Shen Wu’s head to snap in their direction. Simultaneously, his hand slapped his robe above his leg, hiding it from his disciples’ sight.

Mei Lan’s fingers froze, too, as she gazed at him, her voice a low whisper.

"I should have been more cautious... I’m sorry, Shen." She bit her old quivering lip. "You finally found talented disciples..."

Shen Wu’s eyes softened as he gently caressed Mei Lan’s wrinkled cheek.

"You’re always so kind, Xiao Lan. But it’s ok. They would have found out sooner or later." He turned to gaze at Adam and forced a chuckle. "At least I won’t need to hide my limping."

He pulled his robe again and nodded at Mei Lan to let her continue while gesturing to Adam.

"Come, children, let’s talk."

With a nod, Adam let Misha to the ground, walked to the pavilion’s table, and sat with her across from Shen Wu.

They locked eyes for a second before Shen sighed.

"Who would have thought you were behaving kids and would return this soon? Anyway, you’ve seen it, and it’s not that big of a secret."

He inhaled sharply, gazing into the kids’ curious eyes as his reminiscent voice echoed.

"Fei and Yun are my senior brothers. They cared for me and took me to complete sect missions with them." A soft smile crept on his lips. " We had a lot of fun and became core disciples together, then outer and inner elders later."

A gust of wind blew his ponytail, making it dance above his shoulder and cover his smile. Once it dropped back down, however, his expression became different. Jaws clenched, lips twisted, and eyes narrowed, he continued his story.

"But we rose too fast to some core elders’ taste. One day, they separated us into two groups. Fei went north to stop a powerful mage from creating chaos, while Yun and I went west." His knuckles whitened on the table as the painful memories resurfaced. "The mages knew about our arrival. They littered the ground with magic circles and waited for us to step in like mice. It was a death trap."

Adam’s eyes widened. The mages wouldn’t care about two cultivators, meaning...

"You guessed it. We still don’t know who did it, but one or more core elders colluded with our enemies to kill us. But we survived... even if we paid dearly for it." His lips quivered, and his eyes dimmed. "Yun almost died. I sacrificed my leg to carry him out. But his cultivation dropped to the core formation realm. Fei was the strongest among us, but they wounded his dan tian. He can’t break through the void refinement realm anymore."

Adam and Misha’s lips twisted at the cruel plan, but a question subsided, and he voiced it.

"Can’t you still do it? If you reach that level, can’t you learn a method to heal them?"

However, Shen shook his head.

"It doesn’t look like it, but I’m the one who suffered the most. My leg... It’s killing me."

His voice lowered while Mei Lan turned her face aside, a pained expression distorting her brows.

"Listen, Adam. We don’t hate mages without a reason. They layer everything they do with insidiousness because they know they can’t beat us in close combat. Look at my leg. The lingering mana forces it to decay a little more every day. We’re trying to slow the process down. But after ten years, we lost hope." He exhaled, delivering the final truth about his condition. "In another ten years, I’ll die."

A flicker of determination still ignited in his eyes as his voice recovered.

"But not before forming the most outstanding disciples. That’s the only thing I’ve left. To prove to the bastard who stole our futures that our legacy will carry onto the next generation!" His eyes narrowed. "I didn’t want to pressure you with my expectations before we sealed our master-disciple relationship. But don’t worry. Nothing changes, not even your goal."

Adam watched him smirk and returned it.

"If the sect master takes us as his disciples, no one will ignore your name and teachings. If he doesn’t, we’ll continue to learn under you. Hahaha. I like it."

As he talked, his eyes flashed a dense sky-blue color as he observed the leg.

Purple miasma swirled to coat it and spread to awaken the curses sleeping in the rest of his limbs and organs.

’Cutting the leg won’t do. Ten years...’ He shook his head. ’He has a month before his bones begin to rot. His liver will follow in three, then his lungs in a year.’ He clicked his tongue. ’His heart will come last, bringing an end to his sufferings in two years.’

His jaw clenched for a second before he sighed.

Shen Wu didn’t survive ten years ago. They just placed a countdown to his death and watched him struggle while snickering in the shadows.

He snorted, revising Shen Wu’s words for him.

"Is the sword to be blamed for its owners’ killings? Are the mages insidious, or... was it the cultivator who hired them?" He rose from his seat and waved his hand. "I’ll let you ponder the question. Take your time to finish. We’ll sleep in a random corner tonight."

The question struck Shen Wu off-guard as his tightened fist trembled over the table, the cutlery and cups clinking under the pressure.

They were both culprits in this case. But how could he confront a core elder? They were all void refinement realm experts. Their influence ran deep, and their words were law in the sect master’s absence. Worse, no one would believe him, leaving only the blade to be blamed.

He exhaled and turned to Mei Lan. "Show them their room, please. You don’t have to return after. I-I need some time alone."

She nodded and stepped away, looking at his deflated figure tenderly one last time before entering the house.