Gu Qingyi was playing with mud.
At least, that was what Wu Youqi and Xizhu both thought.
The little fellow was squatting under a maple tree in the West Courtyard, his pink silk robes wrinkled and crumpled. Both of his hands were covered in black mud, digging away at the roots of the tree, and behind his backside sat a pile of mud lumps of unrecognizable shapes.
Hearing footsteps, Gu Qingyi turned his head, discovered it was Wu Youqi, and immediately raised his small, muddy claws to wave, “Brother Youqi!”
Wu Youqi raised an eyebrow and folded his arms.
Gu Qingyi wiped his face, which only served to smear more mud onto it, instantly turning him from a little flower cat into a mud monkey.
“I’m busy,” he said with great seriousness, “so I had no choice but to ask Sister Xizhu to invite you!”
As he spoke, he patted the last mud lump and prepared to stand up from under the tree, but because he had been squatting for too long, his legs went numb. He wobbled and was about to land right on his backside.
“Oh!” Gu Qingyi cried out, subconsciously reaching his hands forward, “Save me, Brother Youqi!”
Perhaps because he had cried out so miserably, Wu Youqi caught him subconsciously. By the time he realized what he had done, the palms of both his hands were covered in sticky, wet mud.
Wu Youqi: “…”
Xizhu, watching from the side, felt her heart leap in terror and hurriedly took out a silk handkerchief, rushing forward, “S, Supreme Lord…”
When she approached, Gu Qingyi finally shifted his attention. Seeing that Wu Youqi had mud on his hands, he let out a soft “Um,” and said, “I’m sorry, Brother Youqi, I’ve dirtied you! Let me wipe it off for you.”
Mentally incomplete, he acted on impulses as they came to him. To wipe the hands, he naturally used his sleeves, but his sleeves were dragging in the water and were also full of mud stains. Rubbing hard a few times only served to make Wu Youqi even dirtier—
Gu Qingyi looked dazedly at Wu Youqi’s pair of “black hands,” then raised his sleeves to carefully smear it evenly.
Wu Youqi took a deep breath and cast a Dust-Cleansing Spell, cleaning himself and the fool up.
Seeing the fine spiritual light descend, Gu Qingyi even reached out to catch it curiously, like a young child who only had a three-minute attention span for anything.
He smiled happily at Wu Youqi again, grabbed his hand, and walked him behind the maple tree: “Brother, come here.”
The West Courtyard had been desolate for a long time. The garden directly behind the maple tree was piled with dead branches and fallen leaves. It was clear the filthy land had been cleared, revealing a small path wide enough for only one person, which wound its way to an open space.
In the clearing, there was a small tent built from dead branches, fallen leaves, and wet mud, about half a person high. Looking inside while bent over, one could see the hay and maple leaves spread out on the ground.
Once he had led someone here, Gu Qingyi let go of Wu Youqi’s hand. He walked to the side of the “little house” and made a gesture of invitation, then patted the mud on the tent, “House!”
Seeing Wu Youqi remain motionless, he trotted behind the “house” and brought out a pile of crooked, misshapen things, some molded from mud and others bundled with dead branches:
“Table, chairs, bed, um… and this is a teacup, tea bowl, a water basin, and a bucket!”
Wu Youqi truly did not understand what the fool meant, so he turned to look at Xizhu.
Xizhu was incredibly embarrassed. She blinked several times before stammering, “It’s… like this, Supreme Lord, the Young Master… he made these things to give to you, ahem, to give to you.”
She truly could not bring herself to say Gu Qingyi’s original words.
“For me?” Wu Youqi did not understand.
Xizhu’s features were twisted into a ball. How could she possibly understand what that foolish Young Master Gu was thinking? She only knew that he had spent all these days in the garden, picking up dead branches and digging in the dirt, getting himself into a filthy mess yet remaining tireless in his efforts.
At first, Gu Qingyi hadn’t told her what all this fuss was about. It was only after waking up in the middle of the night several times, and seeing that the bed was empty when she opened her eyes, that she realized Gu Qingyi was only wearing his undergarments and squatting in the garden in the dark when she brought a lantern to look for him.
Fearing he would catch a chill, she could only squat there with him and carefully ask if he needed any help.
Young Master Gu was not very willing at first, but after fiddling with things for a while, he reluctantly allowed her to help. After they had fussed about for a long time, they finally finished this “house” and the pile of “furniture.”
Once the task was accomplished, Gu Qingyi wiped the sweat from his brow and told her that these were gifts for Wu Youqi.
Xizhu guessed as much, but conversation, after all, requires give and take, so she added, “Why give them to the Supreme Lord?”
As a result, Gu Qingyi’s words were shocking: “Because I saw the beautiful brother take a bath, and then I fell down and did this and that to him. That’s not very good, so I have to be responsible. These are the betrothal gifts; I want to marry him!”
“…” Xizhu was so scared that the lantern in her hand fell to the ground.
How could she possibly say such things? Seeing Wu Youqi still waiting for her reply, she was sweating all over, her brain spinning until it felt like it was smoking before she finally thought of a tactic:
“I… Supreme Lord, I will go make a pot of tea for you and the Young Master!”
After saying this, she slipped away.
On Gu Qingyi’s side, once Xizhu had left, he immediately pounced beside Wu Youqi, happy and full of anticipation:
“How is it? Brother, do you like everything you see?”
Wu Youqi: “…”
Where did he learn such cheesy lines?
Gu Qingyi waited for a long time. The smile on his face faded, and he sighed softly, “I know it’s not very good, but time was short. I tried my best; if Brother doesn’t like it, tell me and I will change it.”
Wu Youqi reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose, patiently asking, “Then tell me first, what are these?”
Gu Qingyi: “?”
“I just told you, it’s a house, tables, chairs, stools, and pots and pans.”
“Yes, but why are you giving these to me?”
“Betrothal gifts—the six rites of marriage!” Gu Qingyi counted on his fingers and looked up at Wu Youqi with a brilliant smile, “These are the betrothal gifts! I want to marry you as my wife!”
Wife… Wu Youqi choked on his own breath. After his pupils widened for a moment, his brows furrowed deeply, and his expression grew even darker. “You, want to marry me?”
His tone had already risen. If anyone else were here, they would have known he was furious, but Gu Qingyi was foolish and felt no fear at all; instead, he met his gaze and nodded solemnly.
“What did you hear? Tell me.”
Could it be that someone had passed along words, letting this little fool know about the grand statements he had made on Qingshuang Mountain?
Gu Qingyi tilted his head, “What? I saw you taking a bath, Brother, and then I fell down and did this and that to you. That’s not good, so I have to be responsible.”
Wu Youqi was completely choked up.
“Supreme Lord, Young Master, the tea is ready. Please come over and have some?” Xizhu returned at just the right time. Fearing that Gu Qingyi wouldn’t go, she added, “The servant has also prepared a few snacks.”
Upon hearing there was food, Gu Qingyi took the initiative to hold onto Wu Youqi, “Then, Brother, let’s go back and talk while we eat!”
Wu Youqi allowed himself to be led by him, but his thoughts had drifted far away—
Others felt he was special to this fool; the Gu family guessed and pandered to his interests; Shen Yu and the group from Qingshuang Mountain thought he harbored thoughts of revenge and intended to humiliate him.
And the Demon Realm was on guard against him, convinced he couldn’t let go of old feelings.
Regardless of the direction, they all calculated that he was using Gu Qingyi as a substitute, deluding himself into doing something to a dim-witted fool to make up for his regrets.
But…
Wu Youqi looked at this happy, warm little thing helping him organize the tea and snacks, pursed his lips, and revealed a bitter smile:
He admitted he had his intentions.
But from beginning to end, his intentions were only for that one person.
Even if the Gu family hadn’t sent him, he would still have found the soul master and sought a way to resurrect his teacher. Gu Qingyi’s appearance was just a variable in his plan.
If he were a soulless puppet, that would be fine, but he held a lingering soul, meaning he was another living person.
Given the current situation, he had no choice.
To hide this from the righteous cultivators and the demon-cultivating Sazhi, he could only use this fool: finish the wedding ceremony first, then find the soul master.
The little fool’s shell was too good. Even if he collected heavenly treasures to offer to the descendent of the Goddess Nüwa, Wu Youqi did not believe anyone could mold a shell that resembled Qingyi more than this one.
He did not know much about the art of resurrection, but for a person to return to the world of the living, there must be a physical body to support it. His teacher had self-detonated three years ago, his spiritual power colliding with the An Yuan; the person had been ground into dust. He had to keep this shell.
As for Gu Qingyi’s lingering soul…
Wu Youqi looked at the little thing who was still talking to himself and felt a headache coming on. He would ask the soul master to find a way to transfer it to another body.
If the transfer succeeded, he would send him to Phoenix Island. The little thing seemed to like it there; the island was isolated from the world, and there was Yi Xin—his teacher’s old friend, and currently the only person he could trust.
If it failed, he would send the little thing to the underworld himself. In this life, his parents had died early, and the Gu family was full of heartless, petty people. Reincarnating into a good womb in the next life would count as fulfilling the fate of their few encounters.
Wu Youqi covered his mouth and wiped his face. He had to speed up the process. Star Master Yunyue was difficult to deal with; if she knew what he wanted to do, she would definitely intervene.
“Brother!” Gu Qingyi suddenly pulled on him, his enlarged face right in front of him, “Are you actually listening to me at all?!”
Wu Youqi returned to reality, “…What?”
Gu Qingyi pursed his lips, “Are you going to marry me or not!”
This was difficult to answer. Wu Youqi thought for a moment and first dismissed Xizhu.
“Supreme Lord?”
“You go out first; I have a few words to say to him.”
Xizhu looked at Gu Qingyi and then at Wu Youqi, nodded in acknowledgment, and retreated, thoughtfully closing the door behind her.
Wu Youqi cast a Sound-Isolating Charm, “Do you truly want to marry me?”
“I’ve already prepared the betrothal gifts!” Gu Qingyi shouted, his eyes wide.
Wu Youqi shook his head, “Marriage and betrothal gifts always require mutual affection and a meeting of minds. You…”
“I like you,” before he could finish, Gu Qingyi interrupted him seriously: “I like Brother Youqi, and I want to be with you forever!”
Wu Youqi was struck speechless. Looking at Gu Qingyi’s face, he suddenly laughed softly—this fool was truly sent by heaven to torment him:
Clearly possessing such a face, yet every word and every action was cruelly stabbing at his heart, constantly reminding him.
He is not him.
His teacher would not smile at him like this, and he would never say such words.
His teacher was already dead.
Wu Youqi looked at Gu Qingyi with a complex expression, eventually lowering his eyes to avoid that clear gaze:
In the past, he dared not look at his teacher for long; one, it was impolite, and two, he feared his teacher would see the delusions in the depths of his heart.
Now, facing this similar face again, he was only afraid that those two clear green pools would reflect his filth, selfishness, and impurity.
In the end, he had failed his teacher’s wishes. He hadn’t become a towering figure of the righteous path, but instead had solidified the name of the Demon Star and become a great demon lord whom everyone wanted to kill.
“Brother Youqi?” Gu Qingyi called him.
Only then did Wu Youqi sigh and tell Gu Qingyi the date he had set, hiding his half-true, half-false insane ramblings, only telling him: “Next month on the seventh day, we will be married.”
It was fortunate that Gu Qingyi was not mentally sound; he couldn’t remember long sentences, nor could he understand cause and effect. Wu Youqi spoke for a long time, but he only heard “get married.”
“Really?! Brother, you agreed?!”
Wu Youqi sighed again. Looking at his sparkling eyes, he wanted to avoid his gaze again, but in the end, he could only lower his head and take a sip of tea:
“Tomorrow, I will have someone come to measure you for wedding clothes.”
“Ah?” Gu Qingyi nodded twice, nodding fiercely like a puppy, “Okay, okay!”
Wu Youqi felt a little tired looking at him, and his conscience ached a little too.
Gu Qingyi, having dug in the mud for so many days and worked so hard, had said so many words and was exhausted. He grabbed a snack and began chewing on it in big bites.
After eating for a while, he thought of the things in the back garden, “Then… the betrothal gifts, are you going to move them away, Brother?”
Wu Youqi choked on his tea. Seeing that he was truly insistent, he had to give in: “…I’ll have people come and get them.”
Gu Qingyi was finally satisfied and happily continued eating his snack.
Thus, the Demon Lord’s grand wedding was decided, and the Demon Realm began to grow busy.
All the demons felt this was a great opportunity to humiliate the Immortal Path, so everyone was full of spirit and joy. Not only was the Blood Flame Flowing Cloud Palace decorated anew, but many places within its borders even began holding banquets in advance, celebrating on a grand scale.
Yunche Changyi led troops to strengthen patrols at the Life-Ending Gate and even blocked several God-Extermination Wells with her men.
However, Star Master Yunyue was busy organizing the wedding ceremony and needed extra hands. She eventually requested an edict to have the punishment of Lord Huanyi lifted so he could come and lend a hand.
“Supreme Lord, Lord Huanyi often travels in the mortal world and is familiar with these folk customs and old traditions. Furthermore, he has good taste and can help me choose, so we don’t make any jokes.”
Lord Huanyi was a frivolous person, and his work was not always reliable, but he was indeed more knowledgeable than the average demon. Star Master Yunyue couldn’t see, so if she wanted someone to help, he could do as he pleased.
Wu Youqi did not pay much attention, “The High Priestess can decide for herself.”
After dealing with all the memorials, he turned and returned to the restricted area to contact his secret guards—the soul master hadn’t left his hiding place yet, but Qingshuang Mountain had sent two groups toward the Kunlun Pass, seemingly wanting to make contact with the Western Buddhist Realm.
“Supreme Lord, your announcement of the wedding news has truly had quite an impact on the cultivation world,” said the black shadow in the mirror. “If the Buddhist realm attacks, you must prepare early.”
Wu Youqi continued sitting cross-legged under the phoenix tree, wiping his sword. Hearing this news, his hand movements paused slightly. Thinking of Xi Laiyi’s letter, the corners of his lips curled up:
“I actually hope they come.”
The black shadow thought Wu Youqi was holding the victory in his hands and praised him with great admiration, “Yes, of course, the Supreme Lord is the strongest.”
Wu Youqi did not explain, sheathed his Duqing Sword, and asked, “What about those books?”
“I’ve already found two. Shall I have someone send them to you now?”
Wu Youqi shook his head, “Don’t waste the manpower. You should concentrate your strength on capturing the soul master first.”
The black shadow acknowledged the order and reported several other matters to Wu Youqi.
Outside the restricted area, Star Master Yunyue walked around the Blood Flame Flowing Cloud Palace before she found Lord Huanyi, who was leaning on a tree branch and secretly drinking wine.
“Where is the Supreme Lord? The wedding clothes have arrived; I’m waiting for him to try them on.”
“Of course, he is in the restricted area.” Lord Huanyi pursed his lips.
Star Master Yunyue frowned, waved her hand to let the tailors who brought the wedding clothes go, and then asked Lord Huanyi, “The Supreme Lord’s intent for this wedding, what exactly…?”
“You’re still calculating?” Lord Huanyi chuckled scornfully.
Star Master Yunyue frowned, looked up, and gave him an unhappy expression.
Lord Huanyi shrugged his shoulders, then turned serious. After thinking for a moment, he said softly: “Back then, their master-disciple relationship was quite good. If nothing else, our Supreme Lord clearly felt admiration, longing, and love for him. It was just that after returning from the Western Buddhist Realm, the two of them became somewhat estranged.”
“Immortal Venerable Qingyi was not good at expressing himself, and the Supreme Lord misunderstood many things. And the Supreme Lord himself was timid; he didn’t dare to ask and didn’t dare to verify, so naturally, misunderstandings piled up.”
Star Master Yunyue nodded, “Then we must absolutely not let the Supreme Lord resolve those misunderstandings.”
“Don’t worry,” Lord Huanyi pulled an orange out of who knows where, “My setup was flawless. Even if Immortal Venerable Qingyi were alive, I’m afraid he wouldn’t be able to see through anything.”
“Don’t be careless!” Star Master Yunyue warned him with a frown, “I think the Supreme Lord has the intention of reinvestigating that murder case from years ago.”
Lord Huanyi laughed and tossed the orange in his hand, “Dead men tell no tales. To overturn a case, you need evidence. I’m not stupid enough to expose myself; you can just, rest assured.”