Xie Licheng had changed into the new clothes Gu Changyuan had given him. After such a long period of rest and recuperation, not only had Xie Licheng's Health Points increased, but even his weight had gone up considerably compared to before.
When Xie Licheng had first transmigrated over, his weight had been a pitiful 53 kilograms. Now, he weighed 60 kilograms.
For his height, 60 kilograms was still far too thin.
However, because he had been even thinner before, he looked much better now than he had back then.
Based on Xie Licheng's current rate of weight gain, another month or so of nourishing himself should bring him up to a normal level.
He not only ate at the Gu family's mess hall, but also went back to his Portable World to give himself extra meals.
Fish, rabbit, pork, beef, lamb… he kept replenishing himself without pause.
The original owner hadn't become thin due to illness—it was purely from starvation.
Thinness like that was still easy to recover from.
Eating good things, drinking plenty of milk, and getting enough exercise—his weight naturally shot up.
Xie Licheng had changed into clean new clothes, which further accentuated his tall, slender figure.
He stood up straight—he was very tall, and his build was quite pleasing to the eye.
His shoulders were broad, his limbs long and lean, giving him a look that was somewhat unlike the people of the Central Plains.
Gu Changyuan looked at him and asked, "Why did you think to send me a dead rabbit?"
Holding the little wolf pup, Xie Licheng blinked his eyes, then put on an expression of honest, simple sincerity and said, "Young Master, that wasn't a dead rabbit—it was a live one this servant caught. This servant thought rabbit meat was delicious and nourishing, so I wanted to give it to you to help build up your health."
Hearing Xie Licheng's answer, Yanqiao, who stood nearby, let out a soft laugh. He thought this man was a complete fool—that clearly wasn't what the Young Master had meant by his question.
But Gu Changyuan didn't laugh. He still felt that Xie Licheng was playing dumb.
He raised his hand toward Xie Licheng, gesturing for him to bring the little wolf over for a look.
Seeing this, Xie Licheng didn't overthink it. He carried the little wolf over to Gu Changyuan.
To make it easier for the seated Gu Changyuan to examine it, he even knelt on one knee before Gu Changyuan with a look of utmost respect.
Gu Changyuan's gaze slowly swept over him, then landed on the little wolf in his arms.
He said in puzzlement, "This little thing—when you hold it, it's especially well-behaved. It doesn't look fierce at all; it's even trembling."
But when it came into his hands, the little thing seemed to know who was easy to bully—either trying to bite him or lunging at him to scratch.
Just like now—the moment he reached out to touch its wolf head, it opened its mouth as if to take a bite out of him.
Hearing this, Xie Licheng replied, "Wild beasts have their own instincts. Like people, they like to bully the kind and fear the cruel."
Gu Changyuan felt like laughing at those words.
"You mean to say, I am kind, and you are cruel?"
Xie Licheng's lowered eyes shifted slightly. He did indeed think Gu Changyuan was kind and he himself was cruel.
But he couldn't admit that now, or his honest-man persona would collapse.
Xie Licheng thought for a moment, then answered unhurriedly, "Not exactly. It should be that the Young Master is born beautiful, and your voice is gentle and approachable. This little beast feels your gentleness, so it isn't afraid of you at heart. As for me—I've caught them before, and I've hunted other wild beasts, so I carry the smell of blood on me. Naturally, they find me frightening, and that's why they behave when in my hands."
Gu Changyuan said, "Fine then. You hold it for me and let me have a good pet."
This little cub was rather cute, just far too fierce in temperament.
Hearing this, Xie Licheng blinked his eyes. He instinctively looked up at Gu Changyuan, then tightened his grip on the little wolf as instructed.
Yanqiao, who was attending nearby, secretly smiled, and the two of them—he and Xuancui—filed out one after the other.
The moment they were outside, Yanqiao whispered, "Young Master, has he really taken a liking to that horse groom?"
Hearing this, Xuancui carefully glanced back to make sure their voices couldn't be heard inside, then pressed a hand to his lips and whispered back.
"I'm not entirely sure. I think… it's more curiosity than affection. That horse groom is rough-looking and skinny as a rail—the Young Master's taste can't be that poor."
Even if there was some fondness, it would surely be for his looks, not for the man himself.
Yanqiao: "I think so too. A precious, noble beauty like our Young Master—the man he'd fancy should be some kind of young aristocrat. How could he possibly take a liking to a coarse horse groom?"
Having said this, the two decided to walk a bit farther away, so as not to get in the way of their Young Master's business.
After this period of observation, they had gained a measure of trust in Xie Licheng, this horse groom.
Of course, the reason they dared to leave at this moment was not only because they had some trust in Xie Licheng, but also because they trusted their Young Master.
Their young master was no ordinary young master—he knew a bit of martial arts.
Besides, the man had been summoned by the young master himself, and had even been allowed into his room.
The young master must have had some interest in him, so there was no need for them to worry too much.
Then, just as they were walking further away, a somewhat shrill voice suddenly came from the entrance of the courtyard.
The owner of the voice was Gu Tinghe. The moment he arrived, he was stopped by the servants at the entrance of Gu Changyuan's courtyard.
Seeing this, Gu Tinghe became even more convinced that Gu Changyuan was up to something shameful.
He started making a scene. "I want to see my eldest brother! I'm his own blood brother—I can enter his courtyard whenever I please!"
The servant at the door tried to stop him, but Gu Tinghe lashed out with his whip.
That servant was an ordinary young master, nothing like Gu Tinghe, who was always brawling and fighting.
Struck by the whip, the servant immediately covered his face in pain and burst into tears.
Xuancui and Yanqiao heard the commotion and rushed toward the courtyard entrance.
Seeing that Gu Tinghe had struck someone, they hurried inside.
Xuancui frowned and scolded, "Young Master, this is the eldest young master's courtyard. How can you go around hitting people?!"
Gu Tinghe didn't even spare her a glance. He shoved Yanqiao aside as she tried to block him, then charged straight toward Gu Changyuan's bedchamber.
Gu Changyuan wasn't in his bedchamber—he was in the study with Xie Licheng, playing with the little wolf.
The wolf cub was restrained by Xie Licheng, too afraid to bite or scratch, and could only stare at him with pitiful eyes.
Xie Licheng looked at its pathetic expression and couldn't help but think to himself: Being touched by a beauty like this—he's not bullying you or hitting you. What do you have to be so aggrieved about, you little wolf cub?
Gu Changyuan poked the wolf cub's head, then suddenly noticed the scar on Xie Licheng's forehead.
He asked, "By the way, last time my younger brother hurt you—have your injuries healed?"
Xie Licheng replied, "All healed. I'm thick-skinned and tough—I've long since recovered."
Gu Changyuan stood up, walked over to the dressing table, and found a jar of scar-removing ointment.
"Take this. Remember to apply it morning and night—it will help fade the scars on your body."
The ointment sounded extremely precious, and Xie Licheng felt it wasn't necessary to give it to him.
He was just a rough man, covered in countless scars. This ointment wouldn't do much for him anyway—giving it to him would simply be wasting something fine.
Xie Licheng didn't take it. Instead, he lowered his head and said to Gu Changyuan, "Thank you, Young Master, but I'm just a lowly Criminal Slave. Such a precious thing should be kept for your own use."
Gu Changyuan didn't get angry at his words. Instead, he walked over to him with a curious expression.
"You clearly don't think of yourself as lowly—so why do you speak of yourself that way?"
Xie Licheng didn't panic at the question. He knew he must have let some things slip carelessly before, or Gu Changyuan wouldn't have suddenly said something like that.
Just as he was thinking of how to answer, the door to the room was kicked open.
The one kicking the door was none other than Gu Tinghe, who had been searching everywhere for Gu Changyuan.
Gu Tinghe kicked the door open and saw the horse slave kneeling on one knee before Gu Changyuan.
Seeing that the horse slave had not only gained weight but also had all his injuries healed, he felt extremely displeased.
A lowly slave who dared to offend him shouldn't be allowed to live well. Thinking this, he wanted to go up and give him a few more lashes.
But when he charged forward and saw Gu Changyuan staring coldly at him, he forced himself to hold back his temper and didn't actually strike.
Gu Changyuan looked at him and said, "No manners. Don't you know to knock before entering your elder brother's room?"
Gu Tinghe sneered at him in response. "You talk about manners? Do you act like an elder brother? In broad daylight, you're in your room with a male slave for pleasure—is this how you set an example for your younger siblings?"
Hearing this, Gu Changyuan laughed in anger. He took a step toward Gu Tinghe, somewhat amused.
"Setting aside whether I was actually with him for pleasure—even if I was, do you think you have the right to discipline me?"
"I—how do I not have the right? You don't care about your face or your reputation, and you can't marry out anyway. But I… I care about my face, I care about my reputation, and I still want to marry well."
"If you want to marry, go speak to Father. He'll naturally find you a good family. As for my affairs—whether it's Father, Uncle, or Aunt, none of them can interfere. So don't trouble yourself, little brother, to worry about it."
As Gu Changyuan spoke, he lifted his chin slightly and signaled to Xuancui and Yanqiao, who had rushed in, to see the guest out.
Xuancui quickly stepped forward to pull Gu Tinghe out, but Gu Tinghe refused to leave so easily. He had finally caught Gu Changyuan making a fool of himself—he had no intention of leaving obediently.
Gu Tinghe said, "I'm not leaving! You've done something so shameless—why shouldn't I be able to interfere or question it?!"
Xuancui said, "Young Master, if you keep making a scene like this, our young master will truly get angry."
Gu Tinghe: "What right does he have to be angry? What face does he have to be angry? I… ah?!"
Before Gu Tinghe could finish his words, Gu Changyuan raised his hand and slapped him across the face.
Probably not expecting that Gu Changyuan would strike him in front of so many servants, he looked completely stunned.
It wasn't until Xuancui and Yanqiao dragged him out that he seemed to snap back to reality and let out a shriek.
Gu Tinghe cursed loudly: "Bitch, you bitch! How dare you hit me! I'll tell Father, I'll tell Uncle, I'll make sure you die a miserable death!"
Gu Changyuan listened to the curses from outside, let out a deep sigh, and then said: "Go, lock him in the ancestral hall. Don't let him out until he admits his mistakes and behaves himself."
An old maidservant outside received the order and immediately summoned several martial maidservants, who gagged the young master and dragged him away.