The night was already very deep, and Duan Qianyue was still meditating.
“Are you not going to sleep?” I asked.
“Mn.”
“Then I am going to sleep for a bit. Wake me up in two hours.” I leaned against the edge of the bed and fell asleep almost immediately.
When I woke up, I found Duan Qianyue holding me and placing me onto the bed.
I propped myself up halfway, wanting to ask him how long I had been asleep, but the moment I opened my mouth, I let out a few coughs.
“Did Senior Brother catch a cold?” He was extremely close to me, his nose almost touching mine, so I turned my head away.
“How could that be?” Asking questions when he clearly knew the answer.
“Does Senior Brother know the cure for the blue grass poison?” His voice was extremely low, right against my ear.
“So what if I do?”
“Then, Senior Brother should also know that dual-cultivation with a man is entirely possible.”
I looked at him. With a man? I certainly had never thought of that. The blue grass he had given me to eat was because, before his rebirth, the original owner liked men and even liked him, so he wanted to see me, a pervert who liked men, go around searching for male cultivators to dual-cultivate with just to cure the poison.
“Are you humiliating me?” My voice trembled slightly with anger.
He paused for a fleeting moment. “No.” Then he said earnestly, “What if I said I am willing to dual-cultivate with Senior Brother?”
After all that buildup, it turned out he was probing me here. Fortunately, my footing was upright and my conscience clear. Even if you, Duan Qianyue, stripped naked to seduce me, I still wouldn’t take the bait.
“Junior Brother is joking. I do not like men, nor do I need Junior Brother to make such a sacrifice for me.”
I motioned for him to let me get down, walked over to the table and sat down, pouring a cup of tea to wake myself up. I was simply too sleepy.
Duan Qianyue stared blankly for a long time before saying coldly, “Senior Brother, go back and rest.”
The protagonist couldn’t die anyway, so since the protagonist had spoken, I headed back.
When I returned to Leisurely Cloud Tower, Chen Xiaowu was leaning against the table, fast asleep. I walked over and patted him.
“Why did you fall asleep here?” I asked.
“I was waiting for Senior Brother. Why did Senior Brother return so late?” He rubbed his eyes.
“What are you silly-smiling about?”
“I am happy just seeing Senior Brother.” With me standing and him sitting, he naturally hugged my waist and looked up at me. “Senior Brother, can I sleep with you today?”
“If your sleeping habits are terrible, I will definitely kick you out,” I said.
Seeing that I agreed, he happily ran over to the bed, quickly climbing in and lying down as if afraid I would renege on my word.
I shook my head. A kid is still a kid.
After I lay down, Chen Xiaowu asked, “Senior Brother, can I hug you to sleep?”
“No.”
So he obediently went to sleep.
The next day, I was woken up by Lin Mo. He rushed over to my place in a flurry. “Senior Brother Yu, it’s bad!”
I had gone to sleep quite late yesterday, and I was still sleepy right now, so I ignored him.
At this moment, Xiaowu sat up. “What is it, Senior Brother Lin?”
“Xiaowu! Why are you in Senior Brother’s bed?” Lin Mo exclaimed in astonishment.
“I like Senior Brother Yu, and I want to be closer to Senior Brother Yu.”
What were they even chatting about? It was so noisy that I had no choice but to get up and put on my outer robe. “What is the matter?”
“Follow me.” He grabbed me and ran outside, and Chen Xiaowu hurriedly followed behind as well.
Outside the main hall, dozens of outer disciples were kneeling on the ground. I asked Lin Mo what was going on.
“They are all under Senior Sister Qin Yi’s lineage, here to beg Master to seek justice for Senior Sister Qin Yi,” Lin Mo said.
“How is the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion handling this?” I looked at him.
“A spiritual crane came back this morning. Pavilion Master Chen’s side said they have already given Tang Ying twenty whip lashes and locked him in the forbidden ground, while the other participating disciples have been placed in confinement for a year,” he said.
The original owner injured a mortal and I received twenty whip lashes, yet this guy killed disciples from another sect and even injured us.
“Such blatant partiality?” I asked.
Lin Mo nodded. “That’s why these disciples from Senior Sister Qin Yi’s lineage have been kneeling here since morning, saying that if Master doesn’t step in, they will go to the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion to demand justice themselves.”
“I’ll go find Master.” With that, I walked into the main hall.
“Master,” I called out.
“May I ask, Master, if a disciple of our sect were to kill a disciple of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, how would Master dispose of it?” I asked.
“Strip their cultivation and expel them from the sect,” Master said.
“Since the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion dares to show such favoritism, what do we have to hesitate about?” I said angrily.
“You may step down first, let me think on this.” Then he added, “You all step down too,” directing this last sentence at Duan Qianyue and Yao Shuang who had just walked in.
“Understood.” We retreated outside.
As soon as we stepped out of the hall doors, Yao Shuang hurried over. “Senior Brother Yu, long time no see. Do you think I’ve grown taller?”
“Taller? Doesn’t seem like it, but you’ve gotten prettier,” I said. Little Junior Sister had truly grown into a poised and graceful young woman.
“Hehe.” She smiled, but then remembering something, she stopped fooling around. “What did Master say?”
“Master said he needs to think about it.”
“I really want to charge straight up to the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion right now and kill that Tang Ying,” Yao Shuang said.
I sighed, and the few of us just stood outside the main hall waiting.
Before long, Master called me and Duan Qianyue inside. He slammed a piece of paper onto the table. “Take a look for yourselves.”
On the piece of paper were just a few brief words: “Do not bother me.” The signature was Bai Shiyun. Who on earth was this Bai Shiyun? I looked at Duan Qianyue.
Duan Qianyue’s lips parted slightly. “Grandmaster.”
Master slammed the table once more. “All he knows is traveling the mountains and rivers at his age.”
I didn’t dare to speak and only glanced sideways at Duan Qianyue.
Duan Qianyue looked back at me, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly before he put on a serious expression again. “Master means for us to go find Grandmaster.”
“Mn. That Chen Haiju has already reached the Mahayana stage. If he insists on shielding Tang Ying, there is nothing I can do either; we can only ask your Grandmaster to step in.” Master took a sip of tea and continued, “Your Grandmaster lives on Linan Mountain. For this trip, Yu’er, you will travel using your identity as the Heir Apparent, and make sure not to expose yourself.”
“Understood.” Inside the sect, only a few people knew I was the Heir Apparent of the Rong Prince’s Residence, and in Luo City, only a tiny handful of court ministers knew I was the Star Sect’s eldest disciple. Master’s intention was to prevent the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion from finding out we were going to look for Bai Shiyun and sending people to block us.
“Master, what if the one who wanted to seize the Linglong Pagoda is actually Chen Haiju?” Sending Duan Qianyue out of the sect like this would be like walking straight into a tiger’s den.
“What does Qianyue think?” Master stroked his white beard and looked at Duan Qianyue.
“Disciple believes that even if it truly was instigated by Chen Haiju, he wouldn’t dare to give himself away so obviously. Disciple is willing to go,” Duan Qianyue said.
“Good, then let it be so.”
We formulated a plan: we had Ayun spread the word first that the Heir Apparent was going out of the city to sightsee, and then drive a luxurious carriage to rendezvous with us at Jinwei Town. Duan Qianyue would just accompany me disguised as my attendant.
“Senior Brother, why does Master always make you and Duan Qianyue go together?” Chen Xiaowu asked resentfully.
I looked at him. This was the first time I had ever heard him address Duan Qianyue by name, which felt rather strange. Even if he held grievances in his heart, it had nothing to do with Duan Qianyue.
“This trip isn’t for play either; we are going to find Grandmaster to step in. Didn’t Master assign you a demon-extermination task?”
After changing my clothes, I prepared to leave, only to notice Chen Xiaowu still lingering in my room. “If you have too much idle time, go move those two pots of bellflowers from my room outside to catch some sun. They aren’t even blooming.” With that, I left.
Duan Qianyue and I flew on our swords to Jinwei Town. From afar, I spotted Ayun, looking exactly the same as when I first met him here. Who would have thought that four years had already passed?
“Young Master,” he called out to me.
“Is everything well at home?” I asked.
“All is well. The Second Young Master still frequently asks to play with Young Master,” he said.
I smiled and climbed into the carriage.
“The carriage is so spacious, why must you insist on sitting right next to me?” I glared at Duan Qianyue.
This person simply felt uncomfortable if he didn’t stir up trouble for even a moment.