Chapter 202: New Eyes
Yu Yin took a step back.
Yu Guang closed the door, lifted him up, and placed him on the newly-made low stool, then squatted down in front of him.
With both hands pressed on either side of the stool, Yu Guang silently leaned in.
He stared intently into Yu Yin’s eyes, saying nothing.
Yu Yin felt repelled by the golden light so close to him and leaned his body slightly backward.
He looked down, appearing frail and pale, yet he felt a bit mocking inside, wondering, what lesson does the righteous, bright “big brother” want to teach his trouble-making “little brother”?
Playing the role of his self-proclaimed “big brother,” as if caring for him with devotion—how laughable it seemed in his eyes.
Yu Guang rarely took him outside, and when he did, he made sure no one saw his face. He must have known about his oddness, aware of his effect on ordinary people.
But did he really think this was enough? It clearly wasn’t.
Ordinary people would become fervent and captivated by his face, and even cultivators with weaker resolve would be affected by him.
As his strength increased, that demonic allure within him would grow stronger as well.
In time, it wouldn’t just be those who looked directly at his face or eyes who would be affected; even the mere sight of his back could drive people to lose their sanity.
Everyone would pursue him with a frenzied passion, heedless of his own will.
Yu Guang’s idea of keeping him close to prevent him from doing “bad” things was naive and laughable.
His “evil” was innate, uncontrollable.
He was born to evoke the darkness within people’s hearts, born to feed on pain and despair. Consuming the accumulated evil was natural for him—who could stop what was so inherently part of him?
As long as he lived, Yu Guang’s desire to change him by sheer will was impossible.
Yu Yin stayed quietly and obediently by Yu Guang’s side, though inwardly he anticipated the day when Yu Guang would fully realize his own helplessness.
He thought he could succeed, only to find in the end that he couldn’t change anything. Even Yu Guang would eventually show a look of pain, wouldn’t he?
If he could savor Yu Guang’s suffering, he would find it to be the most delicious of feasts.
Today was merely a small test.
Yu Guang planned to visit the Divine Academy and the Exorcism Bureau and wanted to bring along his “younger brother.”
Yu Yin couldn’t help but feel like causing him a little trouble to give him a dose of reality.
If he brought him along, then in the future, the Divine Academy and the Exorcism Bureau would be filled with cultivators like Liu Yue, all susceptible to his influence.
What would Yu Guang do then? Watch him every step of the way? Give him a stern talking-to every time? Or, even more foolishly, consider destroying his face and eyes?
Others had tried that before, but unfortunately, it was useless.
As Yu Yin was musing, his eyes, dark and filled with malice, were suddenly covered by a hand.
A warm palm pressed gently over his eyelids.
Yu Guang felt the different parts of his face, then concluded, “It’s really the eyes causing the biggest issue.”
He got up to rummage through a chest, and Yu Yin heard the sound of fabric tearing.
A moment later, Yu Guang returned with a wide cloth strip and tied it over Yu Yin’s eyes.
The black cloth nearly covered half of Yu Yin’s face.
Yu Guang examined him for a while. “Alright, this will do for now.”
There was no harsh warning, nor was there a reprimand for his unruly “younger brother,” as Yu Yin had expected.
He simply looked at him for a moment, then wrapped a cloth around his face.
“Let’s go. When you’re done eating, go outside and sit; stop sneaking around indoors.” Yu Guang pulled him up and pushed open the door.
…
Outside, Liu Fanglin asked his junior, “Why did Yu Guang suddenly pinch you just now?”
“I have no idea,” Liu Yue responded with a bewildered expression. “I was zoning out—I guess I was a bit sleepy and got confused?”
Liu Fanglin had been focused on explaining things to Yu Guang, so he hadn’t noticed Liu Yue’s state. Getting no answers, he let it go and turned his gaze to the closed wooden door.
“What’s up with Yu Guang, though? Why did he go inside all of a sudden? Is something going on?”
Liu Yue scratched his head, suddenly remembering, “I think I saw Yu Guang’s younger brother.”
“His younger brother? He’s always inside, doesn’t look well.” Liu Fanglin commented, “That must be why Yu Guang dotes on him like this—yesterday he carried him, and today he even brought food up from the mountain for him.”
When Yu Guang came out, the two brothers had already been discussing his younger brother for a while.
Seeing Yu Guang leading his younger brother outside, both couldn’t help but look over curiously.
Yesterday they’d all been strangers, so it hadn’t felt right to stare, but now that they were going to be fellow disciples, it was only natural to meet the younger brother.
Yu Guang settled Yu Yin in a sunny spot, completing today’s “sunbathing” routine.
“What’s up with your brother? Why is he wearing a cloth over his eyes?” Liu Yue blurted out.
Liu Fanglin quickly gave him a tug, reminding him that Yu Yin couldn’t see and that asking was insensitive.
Yu Guang replied, “His eyes are too dangerous. They need to be covered.”
“Oh, right, sensitive eyes shouldn’t be exposed to direct sunlight,” Liu Fanglin chimed in politely.
He refrained from looking too closely out of courtesy, but noticing that his junior was still staring absentmindedly, he gave him a nudge.
Liu Yue snapped out of it and scratched his head, slightly embarrassed. He didn’t quite understand why, but whenever he looked at Yu Yin, he found him strikingly attractive and couldn’t help but steal a few glances.
Yu Guang cautioned him seriously, “It’s best not to stare at him.”
Liu Fanglin nodded repeatedly. “Your brother seems very introverted and shy. It’s normal for him not to be used to being stared at.”
Yu Guang corrected him, “No, he’s very brave.”
Nearby, Yu Yin let out a seemingly meaningless snort of amusement.
…
Liu Fanglin and the others didn’t linger, leaving after they had arranged a time to meet.
“In a few days, someone will come to pick you up. I’ll talk to the teacher about having you and your brother stay together. I’ll do my best to arrange separate accommodations for you, so don’t worry.”
“Thank you!” Yu Guang thanked them and saw them off.
He then busily cleaned both inside and outside the house, fetching water, chopping wood, and doing various chores. Every now and then, he would glance at Yu Yin, who was sitting in the sun.
The frail boy obediently wore the thick, rough cloth band around his eyes, looking as though he was lost in thought. He didn’t even seem bothered by the sun he normally hated, nor did he try to slip into the shadows when Yu Guang wasn’t looking.
After being in the sun for so long, Yu Guang, sweating from chopping wood and carrying water, noticed that Yu Yin’s pale forehead was still completely dry, without a trace of sweat.
Yu Guang washed his face, cleaned the wood shavings off his hands, and walked over to pat Yu Yin on the head.
“Youngest, don’t worry. I’ll take you to the Divine Academy. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Yu Yin’s expression turned strange. Worrying about him? Yu Guang should be worrying about himself.
He was still weak for now, and his demonic aura could be concealed temporarily, but once his power grew, a simple cloth band wouldn’t be enough to hide it.
At that point, he would be cast among the evil spirits and demons. As for joining the Exorcism Bureau? He would only wait to be eradicated alongside them.
Thinking about that scenario, Yu Yin suddenly smiled with delight.
Yu Guang pinched his cheek. “Youngest, when you smile like that, you look like a scheming villain.”
Yu Yin: “…”
…
In the evening, Yu Guang boiled hot water and poured it into a wooden tub, handing Yu Yin a wooden scoop and telling him to wash himself.
As for Yu Guang, he went down the mountain alone to fetch some more grain.
He moved quickly, and by the time Yu Yin finished his bath, Yu Guang had returned. Not only did he bring a small bag of grain, but he was also holding a scrawny, emaciated cat in his arms.
Yu Yin didn’t notice the cat at first because it was a dead cat. In the dim light, he couldn’t sense any trace of life or vitality.
Yu Guang placed the cat, which had been dead for some time, into Yu Yin’s hands.
“Youngest, try controlling this cat.”
Yu Yin held the stiff, lifeless cat, unsure of what he meant.
This kind-hearted “big brother” really expected him to bring the cat back to life?
If that was what he thought, he was mistaken. His control over the threads couldn’t bring dead things to life; they could only be used as puppets.
“You’re having trouble seeing like this. Even if you could see, it’s hard to make normal eye contact with people.”
“Why not try seeing through the cat’s eyes?”
Yu Yin hadn’t expected that suggestion.
He had never tried to use such a weak animal as a puppet. After all, when he acted as the “Silk Nest,” his puppets were endless and inexhaustible.
Besides, he was very selective with his puppets. Becoming one of his puppets wasn’t easy.
The Silk Nest could see the world through the eyes of countless puppets. He had more than enough humans to use for that, so why would he bother with animals’ eyes?
But right now, with Yu Guang watching, he couldn’t use human puppets—not at least until he found an opportunity.
This guy was unexpectedly sharp and troublesome. Any slight movement on his part would be noticed.
After a moment of consideration, Yu Yin finally reached out and touched the dead cat’s head.
Thin, black threads drilled into the cold body of the cat.
It was a calico cat, one that had died from hunger in the corner of a firewood shed in a household in Green Creek Village.
When Yu Guang went to fetch grain, he had found the cat’s body and, suddenly reminded of his weak and sickly younger brother and his hollow eyes, he decided to bring it back.
Now, under Yu Guang’s watchful gaze, the cat’s lifeless body stirred.
The stiff and withered body became soft and plump after being controlled by the spider threads, and its yellow-green eyes slowly faded to gray—this was the sign that it had completely turned into a puppet.
Yu Yin didn’t like the unfamiliar, fuzzy texture, so he released his hand. The cat easily sat up from his lap.
Controlling a dead cat was far easier than controlling a human. It was Yu Yin’s first time manipulating an animal, but he quickly adapted. He slightly raised his head.
The cat, now sitting on his lap, followed his movement, lifting its head to look at Yu Guang with its eerie gray eyes.
The world seen through the cat’s eyes was strange.
The view suddenly elevated as Yu Guang picked up the cat.
Holding the cat in his arms, Yu Guang observed it with surprise, curiously touching different parts of its body.
“It looks like a real, living cat this way.”
Yu Guang noticed the cat’s tail flicking and, unable to resist, lovingly stroked its head, belly, and tail, praising, “Youngest, you’re amazing!”
Yu Yin: “…”
Because the cat was so small and its consciousness had already faded, Yu Yin had to bind it more deeply to its tiny body in order to regain its agility and fully control it.
Thus, when Yu Guang touched the cat, Yu Yin could feel a slight synchrony with its movements.
The cat, with its gray eyes wide open, suddenly let out a shrill cry. It scratched at Yu Guang’s hand, broke free, and leaped onto a nearby cabinet, staring at him ominously.
Yu Guang glanced at the cat, then at Yu Yin. The controlled cat was essentially Yu Yin himself.
He scratched his head in confusion. “Hmm, Youngest, do you not like it when I hold you?”
‘Ha, he only just realized now.’
‘After all this time, he still managed to notice.’
One could only say that he was both sharp and slow at the same time.
Yu Yin had initially struggled against this “big brother’s” actions of carrying and holding him, but in the end, his arms and head nearly got broken, and he was forced to quiet down and get used to it.
Now that he had finally realized this, what would this “big brother” do next?
Yu Guang didn’t react much. He casually brushed off what he had just said and moved on to another topic, cheerfully suggesting, “Does the cat like fish soup? I’ll heat it up and let it drink some.”
Yu Yin didn’t respond, and the cat on the cabinet twitched slightly before making a sound, “Ugh—”
