That he was an old acquaintance of the original host was a complete lie!
No wonder poking Ah Zhen, that good-for-nothing system, produced nothing no matter how hard he tried. Ji Lan’s expression was exceedingly grim.
“Qinglian, what is the matter?” Zhenxi looked at him with puzzlement. “Do you not recognize this young master?”
If he did not recognize him, that would truly be strange, because this Young Master Yu was extremely enthusiastic toward Qinglian.
Hearing this, Ji Lan barely managed to rein in his expression. “This younger brother and I, actually…”
“Ji Lan!” Yu Zhengyang forcefully interrupted, “I am Yu Zhengyang of the Yu family. Thanks to your care last time, my parents specifically asked me to stay by your side to properly repay this kindness.”
What on earth was this guy talking about?
Ji Lan looked at him in astonishment. What care? What repayment?
He couldn’t understand a single word!
Ji Lan originally wanted to tell the Pavilion Master that this person was someone he had met on Qingya Mountain. However, the moment this thought crossed his mind, a voice rang out in his mind.
Ji Lan, if you dare utter a single superfluous word, this Sword Pavilion might just become a ruined pavilion.
Looking at the gentle-as-jade Yu Zhengyang and listening to this voice transmission, Ji Lan’s face turned iron-blue.
He forced the corners of his mouth to twitch. “Pavilion Master, I did not really help Young Master Yu with anything. If Young Master Yu truly wishes to repay a kindness, you should have him find my disciple, Mo Chenxiao.”
Hearing this, Zhenxi understood.
Qinglian did not really like this Young Master Yu, which was why he was dumping him onto his own unfavored disciple.
As for someone from the Yu family, their status and background must undoubtedly be extraordinary.
Zhenxi smiled amicably. “Qinglian, since an honored guest has traveled from afar, how could we simply push him away? Besides, your Lotus Rain Pavilion currently has only you living there, so let Young Master Yu accompany you.”
Only one person?
Yu Zhengyang’s eyes lit up. He looked at Ji Lan with eager excitement, though his expression remained demure. “Thank you, Pavilion Master. To have someone like you in the cultivation world is truly a stroke of fortune.”
Zhenxi shook his head. “It is rare for Qinglian to have such a compatible young friend. I am quite gratified.”
Listening to the Pavilion Master sounding like an old mother, Ji Lan felt his heart tightening. Compatible? From where on earth could anyone see that they were compatible?
Could it be that he noticed both of their heads were equally round?
Besides, the Lotus Rain Pavilion was no longer occupied by just him!
There were three children there as well!
Though Mo Chenxiao didn’t really look like a child.
“Qinglian, I still have matters to attend to. Take good care of your young friend.”
Zhenxi nodded at Ji Lan and walked straight away.
At this point, whether he wanted to agree or not, he had no choice.
Although Zhenxi looked completely harmless to humans and animals, being the Pavilion Master of the Sword Pavilion for several hundred years meant he couldn’t possibly be a kind-hearted soul.
There were even rumors that Zhenxi could have ascended to immortality long ago, but he had forcibly suppressed his cultivation solely to remain in the cultivation world. People of any renown in this world were indeed all abnormal.
Ji Lan could not help but sigh.
“Ji Lan, do you really want to avoid seeing me that much?” Yu Zhengyang looked quite happy. “We can live together now. I am very happy.”
Looking at that head of jet-black, glossy hair, Ji Lan finally snapped. “Your hair…”
“Ji Lan, my hair turned black overnight all for you,” Yu Zhengyang said with deep affection. “Can you truly not give me a chance? Will you really not be my master?”
If it were just being a master, it wouldn’t be all that terrifying.
Ji Lan was terrified that the guy would blurt out the words cultivation partner. If the Pavilion Master hadn’t walked far yet, that would be beyond awkward.
But hair turning black overnight, that was stretching it way too far!
With a blank expression, Ji Lan stated, “Anyone who enters my Sword Pavilion must abide by the rules.”
Yu Zhengyang blinked and asked obediently, “No matter what the rules are, I can follow them.”
“First of all, you are not allowed to wear overly flashy clothing,” Ji Lan said indifferently. “If everyone dressed like a walking garden, what system would that be?”
“Alright.” Hearing this, Yu Zhengyang nodded and began removing his outer robes right then and there.
“What are you doing?” Ji Lan stepped back two paces. “What kind of place do you think this is?”
Doing this in broad daylight, this Yu Zhengyang was an absolute madman!
“Undressing,” Yu Zhengyang said, looking at Ji Lan with an innocent expression. “Ji Lan, I was afraid you might forget the deep feelings I hold for you, which is why I specifically wore it to see you. I am quite satisfied with your reaction.”
Ji Lan felt that his expression right now must be exceptionally upright. What on earth was this guy satisfied with?
Fortunately, beneath the outer robe, there was a much thinner inner layer.
Ji Lan’s mouth twitched. “Fine. Young Master Yu, follow me.”
Just what kind of background did this Yu Zhengyang possess to warrant the Pavilion Master catering to him like this?
What should he do if Yu Zhengyang tried to take him by force?
Ji Lan had read plenty of domineering CEO novels in the past, and in an instant, he felt that his current situation was identical to the female protagonists in those stories.
Thinking about it this way, it was indeed deeply depressing.
“Ji Lan, is your residence called the Lotus Rain Pavilion?” Yu Zhengyang chuckled softly. “Such a lovely name. But don’t worry, even if it’s just the two of us, I won’t do anything to you.”
Ji Lan thought to himself, Ah, sure.
Right now, he could only pin his hopes on the male lead.
He just feared that in order to win over Xiao Yuwei, Mo Chenxiao might forcibly match-make him and Yu Zhengyang.
Ji Lan secretly clenched his fists. A true man never plays gay!
All the way there, Yu Zhengyang tried to strike up a conversation with Ji Lan, but Ji Lan kept a cold face, cursing up a storm in his head while stubbornly remaining dead silent.
Having no other choice, Yu Zhengyang finally shut his mouth.
He tilted his head slightly, and a stray beam of sunlight happened to fall across Ji Lan’s face. With every step they took, those fragmented specks of light danced once.
Anyway, now that he was already by Ji Lan’s side, whether it was as a cultivation partner or a master, he was going to take both!
Yu Zhengyang’s good mood lasted right up until he saw Mo Chenxiao.
“Ji Lan, why is he here?”
“Master, why is he here?”
Different voices, carrying the exact same fury.
Ji Lan, however, had calmed down by now. “Chenxiao, this is the Pavilion Master’s honored guest. The Pavilion Master arranged for him to stay at the Lotus Rain Pavilion for a while. You handle the arrangements for this.”
At that moment, Mo Chenxiao simply wished he could sink Yu Zhengyang to the bottom of a pond.
“Master, he almost killed us!” Mo Chenxiao’s expression was gloomy. “Why did you let him come here?”
Ji Lan felt that his phrasing earlier had been quite skillful. He had consistently emphasized that this was a demand from the Pavilion Master!
Why couldn’t this kid grasp the main point?
“Young Master Mo,” Yu Zhengyang said without changing his expression, “I was merely playing a joke on you two days ago. If you take it this seriously, your mind is far too narrow.”
A single sentence completely blocked Mo Chenxiao’s words.
“Master,” Mo Chenxiao said stiffly, “Currently, only the side hall has rooms available. We can only wrong Young Master Yu by putting him there.”
Yu Zhengyang frowned slightly. “Isn’t there another courtyard right beside the main hall?”
Did he even know about that?
Mo Chenxiao said coldly, “Apologies, that is my residence. Further back are the quarters for my future junior martial brothers or sisters. Since Young Master Yu is an honored guest, naturally he can only stay in a guest room.”
As luck would have it, the Lotus Rain Pavilion didn’t have any guest rooms to begin with.
Ji Lan had no idea what the layout of the Lotus Rain Pavilion was. Hearing Mo Chenxiao speak with such logical confidence, he could only wave a hand. “Chenxiao, you decide.”
Ji Lan was still somewhat afraid of his disciple, but ordering him around had already become second nature.
Habit was truly a terrifying thing.
Realizing that Ji Lan had no intention of fighting for better quarters for him, and remembering that he was indeed checking in under the identity of a guest, Yu Zhengyang had no choice but to swallow his pride and accept it.
Anyway, this disciple of Ji Lan’s couldn’t possibly live inside the main pavilion forever, so he would have plenty of opportunities.
However, it wasn’t until the sky completely darkened that Yu Zhengyang discovered his residence was exceptionally far away from the main pavilion.
What displeased him even more was that Mo Chenxiao was actually living right inside the Lotus Rain Pavilion!
And not just Mo Chenxiao, the two children he had seen were here too!
Yu Zhengyang’s expression grew gloomy. Shangguan Ran, that unreliable piece of trash, had even messed up investigating something so simple!
Far away at the Summit of the Snowy Mountain, acting as a body double for Yu Zhengyang, Shangguan Ran suddenly shuddered.
Back in the main pavilion, Ji Lan’s expression wasn’t looking too great either.
“You, you can step down first.” Looking at Zhen’er, who was actually the original host’s mother, Ji Lan felt extremely uncomfortable.
Having one’s own biological mother serve as a maid to wait on oneself, this Ji Lan truly had issues.
Ah Zhen, I feel like Zhen’er is a ticking time bomb, Ji Lan panicked internally. This is even more terrifying than knowing Grandmaster Mo lives right next door.
Host, muah, Ah Zhen replied coldly. Man proposes, heaven disposes. You can do it.
Ji Lan was merely complaining out of habit, seeing as Ah Zhen had been acting dead and refusing to show up lately.
You finally know how to come back? Ji Lan raged. What are we supposed to do about Zhen’er? What’s going on with Yu Zhengyang? Why is Mo Chenxiao living in the courtyard right next to mine? What is he trying to pull?
Perhaps this is love, always fair? Zhen’er cleared her throat. Host, relax. I’ve never seen a host as cowardly as you. When the boat reaches the bridge, it will cross, what are you afraid of?
Ji Lan doubted her words. Why does your tone sound so weird this time around?
I’ve always been this philosophical, Zhen’er giggled twice. Zhen’er loves you, she loves you all the same. What are you afraid of?
Afraid of what? Naturally, of dying without a complete corpse!
Ji Lan completely ignored the phrase she loves you all the same.
While wondering how to threaten Ah Zhen, Ji Lan suddenly heard a commotion outside his door.
It was the crying sound of a little child!
In an instant, Ji Lan felt his hair stand on end. Trembling with apprehension, he ran to open the door, only to see Ah Yue sobbing softly outside.
“What’s wrong?” Ji Lan put aside his dread, scooped Ah Yue up into the room, and asked with heartache as he looked at the boy’s red, swollen eyes, “What happened, Ah Yue?”
“It’s too dark, Ah Yue is scared.” Ah Yue hugged Ji Lan tightly, his tears dampening the man’s neck. “Immortal, hug me.”
How could anyone leave a child this young to sleep in a room with another child?
Ji Lan felt like he had failed in his duty as a guardian.
“Don’t be scared, Ah Yue. Shall I sleep with you tonight?”
“Okay!” Ah Yue happily kissed Ji Lan’s neck. “I want to sleep with the Immortal!”
“You cannot!” Suddenly, from outside the door which hadn’t been fully closed yet, Mo Chenxiao appeared. Carrying a bowl of steaming soup, he radiated a murderous aura as he declared, “Master, do not be bewitched by him!”
Ji Lan was full of confusion. Why did his disciple wander in and out of the main pavilion as if it were his own backyard?
Anyone who didn’t know better would think he kept a spare bed here.
“Chenxiao, what are you doing here?”
Ah Yue buried his face into the crook of Ji Lan’s neck, highly displeased by the appearance of a third person.
“Wansong told me just now that Ah Yue was missing,” Mo Chenxiao quickly regained his composure. “Master, Ah Yue is not a member of the Sword Pavilion, so he should be staying in the outer courtyards. Even if Master dotes on him, you cannot let him share living quarters with you.”
Were there really this many rules in the Sword Pavilion?
Ji Lan was baffled. “Chenxiao, what did you mean by do not be bewitched by him?”
“Has Master forgotten?” Mo Chenxiao suddenly stepped forward, shoved the bowl into Ji Lan’s hands, and forcibly hoisted Ah Yue up by the collar. “He has the Rourong Sword inside his body. The reason the Rourong Sword is known as a heart-sword is because it can capture human souls and spirits. Master, you must be careful.”
Looking at this harmless little bun of a child, Ji Lan still refused to believe his disciple’s words.
Could it be that he thought Ah Yue was cute simply because his mind had been bewitched by a child?
That was just too absurd!
Other villains get bewitched by peerless beauties or legendary divine swords, how did it come down to a single child in his case?
Who the hell was this looking down on?!
“Master, remember to drink your soup. I will be taking Ah Yue back now.”
Mo Chenxiao nodded at Ji Lan, hoisted the tight-lipped Ah Yue, and left.
Ji Lan stupidly held the bowl of soup, completely at a loss.
No matter what, he was still Mo Chenxiao’s master, why was this guy acting so rebellious? The world had turned upside down!
Muttering angrily to himself, Ji Lan gulped down the entire bowl of soup in one go!
He had expected to be too angry to sleep tonight, but within the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, drowsiness washed over him. Feeling heavy and groggy, Ji Lan quickly drifted off to sleep. The entire main pavilion fell into deep silence, even the chirping of insects growing sparse.
Mo Chenxiao openly pushed open the door and immediately spotted Ji Lan sleeping soundly on the bed.
Tonight’s moonlight was bright and pristine, the water-like moonlight quietly spilling across the floor, a sliver of it falling right across Ji Lan’s face.
Clearly a man, yet when asleep, he looked like a quiet, beautiful woman.
Mo Chenxiao still remembered the first time he laid eyes on Ji Lan. Solely because of that face, his heart had fluttered for a moment, driving him to risk everything just to become his disciple.
A single misstep led to step-by-step errors.
A beauty’s face concealing a serpent’s heart.
Ji Lan’s skin was his sharpest weapon, cutting down those who approached him one slash at a time.
From initial palpitations to the eventual overflowing resentment, it had taken Mo Chenxiao a full ten years.
And then he spent several hundred years trading for three days of time, killing Ji Lan slice by slice.
There was no joy of revenge, only endless emptiness.
Mo Chenxiao gazed at the person on the bed. A sense of joy welled up in his heart. The face was still that same face, but this person was no longer the Ji Lan who had stuck in his throat like a fishbone.
“Master.” Mo Chenxiao squatted down, running a hand over Ji Lan’s face, a trace of obsession flashing in his eyes. “In this lifetime, you only need to be my master alone.”
Whether it was Wansong, Ah Yue, or Yu Zhengyang, Mo Chenxiao sneered internally. He would keep these people around for now, but while they could be Ji Lan’s children or Ji Lan’s friends, they could never be Ji Lan’s disciples!
He didn’t want to be alone all the time anymore.
The protection he had lacked in the past would now be compensated for by this person.
Once he was satisfied, he would grant this person a quick release.
“Master, was that bowl of soup delicious?” Mo Chenxiao murmured, his expression looking exceptionally eerie under the moonlight. “I specially added my heart’s blood to it. Master, it hurt so much, but only this way can I pull you firmly, firmly into my grasp.”
Mo Chenxiao knew he had gone mad. For an ordinary person to extract their heart’s blood meant certain death.
Yet he wasn’t worried, even with his fragmented divine soul, he would recover within two days. This was the first time Mo Chenxiao had felt such a strong desire for possession toward someone, this nameless person who had usurped Ji Lan’s body.
When Ji Lan woke up the next day, he felt heavy and groggy, dark circles hanging beneath his eyes.
Despite falling asleep so early, he had suffered through a whole night of nightmares.
Ji Lan rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling thoroughly depressed. Last night, he had dreamed of the protagonist carving him up with a thousand cuts to fashion a skeleton.
The wicked, charismatic male lead had smiled sinisterly while Wansong and Ah Yue handed him the blades from the side, and Yu Zhengyang, with disheveled white hair, had frantically eaten his flesh. The terrifying and sickening scene had played out three times in his dreams!
Ji Lan had experienced three identical nightmares last night!
He was exhausted.
Ji Lan let out a gloomy sigh and, just as he was about to get out of bed, received a terrible scare.
Why was there someone in his room?!
No, there should be two people.
However, the scene before him managed to heal Ji Lan’s tortured psyche a little bit.
Wansong was hugging Ah Yue, sleeping soundly and cutely on the floor.
A half-grown, adorable kid hugging a little cotton ball, just looking at it made one’s mood improve.
Why were these two kids in his room?
“Wansong, Ah Yue, you guys…”
Just as Ji Lan wanted to call them up and ask clearly, they simultaneously opened their eyes and slowly sat up. Their bodies began growing larger and larger, gradually fusing together into a single person.
It was Mo Chenxiao!
Mo Chenxiao polished an exquisite dagger and chuckled softly, “Master, your flesh and bones have grown back. Shall we come carve you up again?”
“Ah!” Ji Lan bolted upright, his throat feeling as though it were blocked by something as he let out a short, piercing shriek.
That had been a dream, too!
“Master, what is wrong? Why is your forehead covered in sweat?”
This was Mo Chenxiao’s voice!
Was this a dream, or reality?
Ji Lan with great difficulty twisted his neck around, his face turning pale as he stared at Mo Chenxiao.
It must still be a dream. Otherwise, why would Mo Chenxiao appear in his room so early in the morning?
“Master, your face is so pale. Are you sick?” Mo Chenxiao asked, full of worry. “It is already past noon. Do you feel any physical discomfort?”
Had he slept for that long?
This Mo Chenxiao should be real?!
“I…” Ji Lan croaked out in a hoarse voice, “Your master simply had a nightmare. I will rest a bit longer and be fine. Chenxiao, you should head out first.”
He needed a moment to decompress by himself. If he kept staring at Mo Chenxiao, he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to control himself.
The urge to turn tail and run away.
If he actually did that, it would be extremely awkward.
“Master, since your body is unwell, how can a disciple take his leave?”
Why must the male lead be so obsessed with filial piety between father and son? Blind filial piety is the worst!
And Ji Lan didn’t dare refuse either! He could only aggrievedly let Mo Chenxiao stay.
To keep from feeling so terrified, after poking Ah Zhen to no avail, Ji Lan let his mind go blank.
He felt like Mo Chenxiao had driven him out of his mind. He didn’t know whether Ah Yue was dangerous or not, but how on earth did his cute little Songsong turn into Mo Chenxiao to hurt him?
Could it be that once someone became the male lead’s lackey, they were forever barred from rebelling?
Life is hard, Ji Lan sighed.
“Let me in! Mo Chenxiao can go in, why can’t I!”
“Young Master Yu, Elder Brother Mo is a disciple. It is only natural for a disciple to take care of his master, but we cannot go in.”
“What we? I am different, I am an honored guest!”
Songsong and Yu Zhengyang?
Ji Lan’s attention was smoothly diverted. “Chenxiao, what is happening outside?”
Mo Chenxiao hadn’t yet enjoyed his fill of his master’s dazed, sleepy appearance before being interrupted, and he was quite displeased.
“Replying to Master, Young Master Yu likely lacks manners and wishes to force his way into your bedchamber.”
“…Let them in,” Ji Lan said floatily. “I am not a maiden anyway. Having them bicker and cause a ruckus outside does not look good.”
Mo Chenxiao couldn’t help raising an eyebrow. Was his master trying to avoid being alone with him?
“As you wish, Master.”
Before long, two more people filled the room. The originally spacious bedchamber suddenly felt cramped, yet Ji Lan breathed a sigh of relief.
He must have lost his mind earlier to think Mo Chenxiao offered more peace of mind than Yu Zhengyang.
If Yu Zhengyang was a bullet that could fire at any unpredictable moment.
Then Mo Chenxiao was a nuclear weapon planted right beside him!
A bullet might still leave him a chance of survival, but a nuclear weapon would leave him without a single scrap of bone remaining.
“Ji Lan, seeing me seems to have made you happy,” Yu Zhengyang smiled with satisfaction. “Do you find my face very pleasing?”
Ji Lan: “…”
Whatever, it doesn’t matter anymore.
Listening to such absurd talk actually brought him a sense of peace.
“Elder Qinglian,” Wansong said anxiously, “Please punish me. I failed to stop Young Master Yu.”
“It’s fine.” Ji Lan carefully and earnestly stared at Wansong’s face, making sure he wouldn’t suddenly morph into Mo Chenxiao, before saying, “I told him he could come in.”
Wansong’s face turned slightly pale under that intense scrutiny. Had Elder Qinglian stared at his face and pondered for so long because he was unhappy he tried to stop Yu Zhengyang?
“Where is Ah Yue?” Ji Lan figured talking to Wansong was safer. “Did he sleep well last night?”
“Wansong thanks Elder Qinglian on Ah Yue’s behalf,” Wansong lowered his head nervously. “He slept very soundly last night. When he woke up this morning, he even drank a huge bowl of goat’s milk. He should be sleeping again right now.”
“That’s good.” Ji Lan racked his brains trying to think of something else to talk about, but Yu Zhengyang was having none of it.
“Ji Lan, do you sleep on a bed like this?” Yu Zhengyang plopped himself down directly onto Ji Lan’s bed, patting the bedding. “Though it has your scent, this quilt isn’t very nice. Ji Lan, shall I have someone bring you a better one? In exchange, just give me this quilt.”
The words original-scent abruptly popped into Ji Lan’s mind.
It completely disgusted him.
With a swish, Mo Chenxiao drew his long sword, pointing it straight at Yu Zhengyang with a gloomy expression. “Young Master Yu, this is not a place for you to throw tantrums. If you dare show any disrespect toward my master, regardless of whose honored guest you are, I will kill you!”
Ji Lan looked at Mo Chenxiao in shock. Was his disciple fighting this hard just to protect his chastity?
The Great Demon King from his dreams was slowly replaced by this righteous-looking big brother standing right before him. Ji Lan decided that, all things considered, his disciple was probably the safer option!
Yu Zhengyang, however, showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, he patted the quilt and smiled with curved lips, “Young Master Mo, if you are willing, I can share half of this quilt with you. How about that?”