Chapter 31: Extra - Young Gu XuanYan [Part 1]
The crossroad at the street extended straight to the north and south, with lush greenery growing along the paths while catkin fluttered in the air.
Along the road stood high-rise households, faint chattering and laughter sounding out from within, semi veiled by beaded curtains.
Once Zhong Yan walked inwards from the intersection, he was greeted by the view of a long stretch of chariots on the streets with clusters of restaurants, tea houses and vendors everywhere. After walking to the end of the street and finding a few familiar shops, he finally determined that his current location should be Long River City.
As Zhong Yan would be elevating to Lesser Vehicle stage soon, he underwent closed-door training to focus on breaking through.
Out of nowhere today, he found himself in Long River City the moment he opened his eyes.
A brief stun later, Zhong Yan guessed he must have accidentally entered an illusory boundary during the closed-door training.
Some cultivators slid into such a predicament either due to the sudden emergence of internal demons[1] or the failure in their cultivation practice. Both of which were life-threatening.
{1. From https://immortalmountain.wordpress.com/glossary/wuxia-xianxia-xuanhuan-terms/ : Rather than standard demons or devils, these are practitioner's negative emotions and other mental barriers which hinder their training/cultivation. Internal Demons, in some cases, can even attack the practitioner from the inside, and failure to adequately resist them may result in Qi Deviation.}
However, Zhong Yan should have be affected by neither of them.
Moreover, only tranquillity could be seen as he strolled along the street. The city was so lively that it was as if he was not within an illusionary boundary but was in fact in the city.
Despite being clueless about the situation, Zhong Yan didn't dare to brandish his sword to break through the boundary.
Instead, he opted to sit by a tea stand on the street.
The tea stand owner, a woman in her forties or fifties, immediately wiped the table and asked with a smile, "What would sir cultivator like?"
Zhong Yan gave her a smile, "A pot of tea will do."
After a smile and a nod, the lady owner swiftly brought him a pot of Mount Straying Mist tea that was unique to Long River City.
If this was an illusion, it was too realistic.
Zhong Yan scanned his surroundings while drinking his tea, his mind focusing on a way to get out.
All of a sudden, a series of noises rang out behind him.
Upon turning his head back, he noticed a group of people running towards his side, a few fiery shouts intermingling them.
"Freeze, you little beggar!"
"How dare you steal from my shop! Just wait till I get my hands on you!"
Swears were mixed within the yelling, which sounded nearer and nearer.
Pedestrians on the road were quick to give way, while patrons of the roadside stalls poked out their heads to watch the commotion.
Zhong Yan swept a glance over but withdrew his line of sight due to the crowd on the streets blocking his view.
He noticed the lady owner couldn't help shaking her head and sighing, "It's just two steamed buns. I think the child must be famished. Why punish him like this?"
Feeling a jolt in his heart, Zhong Yan set his teacup down before standing up and turning his eyes back to the fuss.
A burly man was out of breath as he continued hollering, while the child he apprehended, around the age of ten, was trying non-stop to free himself.
Nonetheless, due to their disparity in strength, he could not struggle away.
As both of them had their backs on Zhong Yan, he only managed to take in a rough view of them.
Some passers-by had their brows knit at the sight too, yet no one stepped in.
Zhong Yan listened to the shouting for a while with a frown, a thought arising in his heart.
Perhaps this was the life Gu XuanYan lived when he was young.
At the thought of that, Zhong Yan couldn't help stepping forward and pressed the man's hand, his eyes focused on him, "How much is it? I'll pay for him."
The man stopped his yelling and gave Zhong Yan a once-over, his tone a little better: "Sir cultivator, it's not that I'm being fussy, but I'm just running a small business. This little beggar stole two steamed buns from me. It's four copper coins in total."
Zhong Yan fished out the money and handed it to him. The man took it and continued, "Sir cultivator is kind-hearted, but this little beggar has been roaming the streets of Long River City for quite some time and is nasty through and through. Be careful of..."
Zhong Yan cut him off, "Thank you very much. I will handle things my own way." While replying, he lowered his head to look at the child beside him, "Besides, I think he is very...!"
What the fuck!
Hold up!! Look at his face! He looks so much like someone!
Shock coursed through him like a bolt of lightning.
In a moment of surprise, he tugged the child's hand.
Perhaps due to him being hurt by the roughness of the movement, the kid creased his brows as he lifted his head, directing his eyes to Zhong Yan.
Help...! Now he looks even more like him!
Too busy to mind if there's any onlookers, Zhong Yan pulled the boy's hand over and stammered: "Gu- Gu XuanYan?!"
Although the little boy in front of him was still young and had delicate eyebrows and eyes, a spark of determination resided within him. He frowned at Zhong Yan and demanded coldly, "Let me go."
Shit...! They're two peas in a pod!
Meeting Gu XuanYan from over ten years ago when I fell into an illusionary boundary?! What kind of crazy plotline this is?!
Zhong Yan's mind went as blank as a sheet of paper for a moment.
Only after calling out Gu XuanYan's name once more did he pull himself back to reality. His first name, XuanYan, was given to him when he entered Green Summit.
As expected, the boy frowned in response and whispered, his tone brimming with wariness and impatience, "You have got the wrong person. Let me go."
Zhong Yan was rendered speechless. Gu XuanYan isn't all that cute when he was a child, huh.
Still, the crowd of onlookers did not disperse.
After taking a deep breath, Zhong Yan slowed down his voice, "Just come with me for now."
Detecting the caution in Gu XuanYan's eyes, he added gently, "I won't hurt you. Can you come with me?"
Gu XuanYan tried freeing himself from Zhong Yan's grasp, but it was too tight.
Unable to struggle away, Gu XuanYan knitted his brows as he looked over at Zhong Yan for a while, seemingly sizing him up.
His gaze wasn't quite amicable, but Zhong Yan, as patient as could be, decided to squat down and got down to the same eye level as Gu XuanYan.
A long while of staring later, Gu XuanYan shot over a question out of the blue, "What's the good of me going with you?"
He shifted his eyes towards Zhong Yan's Ivory white robe and the sword hanging on his waist before continuing, "You are a Daoist cultivator, so are you going to enrol me into a sect? But you aren't wearing clothes from any sect, so you are probably a rogue cultivator. Can rogue cultivators even have a disciple?"
Zhong Yan was at a loss for words.
He isn't easily fooled ever since young, I see.
Not knowing what to answer, Zhong Yan could only reply with, "Of course I can teach you how to practice cultivation if you want to. Come with me and I can guarantee you won't go hungry again. Anyways, I'll definitely take good care of you."
Gu XuanYan didn't add any more questions.
He had lived alone for a long time in the streets of Long River City, having endured beatings and being given some food by kind-hearted passerbys.
However, this was the first time someone offered to bring him along and take care of him.
In the end, he stared straight into Zhong Yan's eyes before, somehow, pursing his lips and nodding.
Help... he's kind of cute.
Enveloped by the mental state of a loving father instantly, Zhong Yan released his grip on Gu XuanYan's arm and in turn, held his hand.
As the crowd of onlookers had gradually dispersed, he took a few steps hand in hand with Gu XuanYan, only to find the latter was walking at a rather slow pace.
Only after lowering his head did he notice a scratch on Gu XuanYan's ankle, which was seeping out blood.
He probably grazed himself accidentally while running away just then.
Zhong Yan frowned as he reached over to carry Gu XuanYan.
Caught off guard, Gu XuanYan grabbed onto Zhong Yan's lapel but released his grasp swiftly upon realizing his actions.
Zhong Yan held Gu XuanYan in his arms and reminded him in a low voice, "Hold on tight."
After a brief hesitation, Gu XuanYan reached out his arms and carefully circled them around Zhong Yan's neck.
Author note
This extra is just about Zhong Yan chancing upon a younger Gu XuanYan; a story of a loving father looking after a kid (?)
Zhong Yan has no other thoughts on young Gu XuanYan.
If the story seems inappropriate, I'll delete it. Thanks
Chapter 32: Extra - Young Gu XuanYan [Part 2]
After a shower, Gu XuanYan changed to his new set of clothes, which was a tad too big due to the staff only catching a glance at him.
He poked his hands out from the layers of folds that crumpled his lapels before taking a piece of chestnut cake, nibbling it bit by bit.
As he had just got out of a shower, his face was slightly flushed red from the heat while his wet locks of hair hung loosely by his ears.
The sight of the young boy rendered Zhong Yan speechless.
He's... he's kind of cute; what's with that?
By the time Zhong Yan first came in contact with Gu XuanYan, waves of darkness had already enveloped him to the core under his gentlemanly façade.
It was such a rare chance for Zhong Yan to meet Gu XuanYan when he was in such a weak, helpless state whilst trapped in an illusionary boundary.
With his heart trembling at the adorableness, Zhong Yan reached out to pour a glass of water for Gu XuanYan.
As a wanderer in the streets, Gu XuanYan must have been famished for quite a long time to resort to taking off with a steamed bun from a shop.
Nonetheless, as he ate at the moment, he was still bound with restraint, peeking a cautious glimpse at Zhong Yan every once in a while.
Not minding his vigilance, Zhong Yan gazed at him eating while propping his forehead with his finger.
Once done with the snack in hand, Gu XuanYan took a sip from the cup of water Zhong Yan handed him before whispering, "Why are you treating me so well when you don't even know me?"
His tone was laden with distrust.
Still suffering from thoughtlessness when expressing himself, Zhong Yan was just about to answer with 'because my fatherly love for you is as great as a mountain'.
Fortunately, he stopped himself in time and instead, let out a soft cough before replying in a slow pace, "You look like an old friend of mine."
"Who?"
"My junior brother."
Gu XuanYan shot a glance over to him, a childlike curiosity finally revealed on his face, "What kind of person is your junior brother?"
He is a scheming, two-faced villain who is brimming with darkness. Not only is he an avid liar, but he is also prone to acting cute. Also, he had a past hobby of killing people.
Despite the trash talk coursing within him, in the end, Zhong Yan simply curved the corner of his lips as his eyes met Gu XuanYan's, revealing a light smile.
With his right hand propping his forehead, he looked over at Gu XuanYan, smiling, "My junior brother is accomplished despite his young age and has a strong cultivation base. Plus, he is mild-mannered and good-looking."
It wasn't known if Gu XuanYan believed him since his eyes were full of doubt, "Since your junior brother is so remarkable, he must be popular. But why haven't I heard of him?"
Zhong Yan blinked, his tone as proud as could be, "Yes, he is. But he only likes me."
Only disbelief was left in Gu XuanYan's eyes.
Disregarding Gu XuanYan's disbelief, Zhong Yan wiped Gu XuanYan's hands clean while continuing, "Let me take you to an infirmary to treat your leg injury."
The terrible redness and swelling on the wound got Zhong slightly worried.
Gu XuanYan didn't put up much of a resistance when Zhong Yan picked him up this time, but instead, he reached out to grab Zhong Yan's front lapel, his hair giving rise to a light itch as it rubbed against Zhong Yan's chin.
While strolling the streets with Gu XuanYan in his arms, Zhong Yan couldn't help tidying the little boy's hair.
By the time they set foot out of the inn, dusk had already descended upon them.
There was a sudden change in weather, signalling an impending rainstorm.
Not only was the street empty of pedestrians, but the doors of every house were also tightly shut, the streetlights on their eaves lighting up one after another.
Usually, such a lonely view had rarely ever befallen on Long River City, but anything was possible when situated within an illusionary boundary.
Just as Zhong Yan was speeding up his pace with Gu XuanYan in his embrace, a vigor-filled, forceful voice rang out behind him out of the blue.
"To the sir cultivator in front, please halt."
A sense of foreboding swirled within Zhong Yan, prompting him to ignore the voice and continue heading forward.
Regardless, the person behind him had already caught up to him, asking yet again.
"Sir cultivator, please halt."
This time, an obvious impatience pricked his voice, which was just inches away.
After a sigh, Zhong Yan turned around for a look.
Behind him stood an old man with white temple hair. Clad in white robes and a sword hanging from his waist, he was also a Daoist cultivator.
The moment Zhong Yan raised his line of sight to meet the latter's face, a wisp of familiarity rose within him, as if he had once seen him somewhere.
Nonetheless, Zhong Yan merely found him a little familiar. Despite pondering for a moment, he still couldn't recall anything from his memories.
By then, the elderly had already announced his identity, the arrogance in his tone reaching sky high.
"I am the Sect elder of Green Summit, Li YunJi."
In an instant, the puzzlement brimming in Zhong Yan's mind turned into exclamations and profanity.
Fucking hell! This is the Master who took in Gu XuanYan for his personal gain!!!
Since Gu XuanYan had already killed him before Zhong Yan's transmigration, the only contact Zhong Yan had with him was a short encounter with his corpse, so it was natural for Zhong Yan not to remember him.
However, now that Zhong Yan had bumped into him in Long River City with a young Gu XuanYan, the enhancing in his state of mind from the present situation made Zhong Yan immediately realize which plotline would be happening next.
Li YunJi didn't appear to recognize Zhong Yan either, which was reasonable, since he always hung his pride high up in the sky and had a peculiar temper.
Him not remembering an odd job disciple was par for the course.
Moreover, night had veiled the sky in darkness, and Li YunJi's eyes were utterly focused on Gu XuanYan.
Only after a long while did Li YunJi remark, "This young boy has an excellent aptitude. If he practices cultivation, he will surely be accomplished."
...Never did I expect I would regress to a past plotline one day long after Gu XuanYan's ascension.
Li YunJi's remark sounded just like praise from a senior to another younger generation.
Nonetheless, the thought of the events that would occur later drained away any care Zhong Yan had to offer insincere cordiality.
He nodded, "Well said, Senior. That is why I have taken him in as my disciple."
Li YunJi finally shifted his line of sight to Zhong Yan. After a brief sizing up, he smirked, "A rogue cultivator taking in a disciple? Is misguiding disciples not of concern to you?"
Zhong Yan set Gu XuanYan down onto the ground, a hint of a smile lining his lips once he got back up, "Indeed, this junior is lacking in seniority, but advice about misguidance is still not needed from Senior."
Fury began bubbling up on Li YunJi's face. Sometime later, he suppressed his anger and sneered, "It's not your place to talk."
He turned to Gu XuanYan, his voice as resounding as a massive bell, "The great me is a sect elder of Green Summit. Would you like to follow me to practice cultivation in the sect?"
Since Green Summit was so highly reputable that almost every single soul in the world knew about the sect, Li YunJi took advantage of the sect's reputation to lure Gu XuanYan over during their first meeting in the past plotline.
Nevertheless, not a shred of worry was on Zhong Yan at the moment.
He bent down and looked at Gu XuanYan, asking, "Do you want to go with him or with me?"
Gu XuanYan did not hesitate to answer, "You."
Seems like I didn't give him the chestnut cake in vain
On the contrary, Li YunJi's expression darkened at Gu XuanYan's reply, "In that case, there's no use insisting."
Yet, he reached his hand over to his waist as he spoke.
After a snicker, Zhong Yan lowered his head towards Gu XuanYan, "Wait for a while."
As soon as he finished his sentence, he unsheathed his sword before whizzing forward, striking at Li YunJi!
Although Gu XuanYan couldn't wield a sword at the moment, now that Zhong Yan was with him, he would never let him fall into a dangerous predicament or a deceiving trap anymore.
Perhaps not expecting Zhong Yan would lash out an attack first, Li YunJi was taken off guard for a moment and had no choice but to retreat a few steps to avoid Zhong Yan's strike.
Upon missing the strike, Zhong Yan swiftly turned his wrist over to launch his blade over again
Who kept company with the wolf would learn to howl. Due to the lengthy amount of time Zhong Yan spent together with Gu XuanYan, icy killing intent had also been dyed on the edge of his sword.
Unable to dodge any longer, Li YunJi drew his sword and blocked Zhong Yan's attack.
The collision of the two's vital energies emitted a long, ear-piercing cry, their blades even quaking from the impact.
However, without even retreating a step back, Zhong Yan drove his sword over yet again.
Li YunJi not only lost the advantage of launching the first strike, but he probably hadn't met such a ruthless opponent for many years as well, leading him to, shockingly, land himself in an utter mess.
While being forced to keep retreating, he yelled, "This is a mere chance encounter. When have I, perchance, caused any resentment to sir cultivator?"
With his sword aura continuing to pelt away at his opponent, Zhong Yan raised his eyebrows slightly and flashed a light smile, his voice loud and clear, "Senior has once offended my Dao partner and by extension, me too."
Before Li YunJi got the chance to follow up with another question, Zhong Yan whizzed in front of him as he lunged his sword over!
In a blink of an eye, a cloud of black fog began dispersing all over, during which the entire Long River City vanished into thin air.
Zhong Yan sprang open his eyes.
No longer were any Li YunJi, streets, or teahouses in sight, let alone a young Gu XuanYan.
He sat cross-legged on the bed, his breathing still steady and his vital energy still flowing smoothly through him despite the thin layer of sweat covering his back.
Upon pushing open the door of the bamboo house, a green-clothed Xuanyan stepped in. The realization of Zhong Yan's eyes being directed on himself elicited a smile out of him, his tone tender, "Congratulations, Senior Brother has just elevated to the Lesser Vehicle stage."
Give me a sec... I'm too used to the sight of a younger Gu XuanYan. Somehow, seeing an older version of him all of a sudden once I'm back is kind of hard for me to take in.
Before Zhong Yan could reply, Gu XuanYan added, "Senior brother took a bit longer to break through this time."
Zhong Yan let out two coughs to regain his voice, "I tripped into an illusionary boundary on accident when I was breaking through."
Any trace of a smile was wiped off the moment Gu XuanYan heard his reply.
He immediately got up and held Zhong Yan's hand to check his vital energy, his brows creased. "There's no failure in Senior Brother's cultivation practice nor is there any emergence of internal demons, so how did the tripping into an illusory boundary come about?
Gu XuanYan's grim expression prompted a hasty answer out of Zhong Yan, "It's nothing serious..."
A short pause later, he continued, "Erm... but I did meet a child version of you when I was inside."
Mirth seeped into the eyes of the stunned Gu XuanYan, "A fixation weighing down on the heart will lead to the entering of an illusionary boundary too. I guess Senior Brother holds a deep worry for me when I was a child, I see?"
A hint of sternness dampened his features as he added, "But my temper wasn't the best then... Senior Brother probably isn't fond of that version of me."
Well... your older self isn't any better either.
Already back to his senses, Zhong Yan gave his response as soon as relief eased his heart, "I like you no matter which point of time you are in." Following which, he murmured "Of course, it's just fatherly love."
Words failed Gu XuanYan right then.
Hardly ever rendered speechless from Zhong Yan's comeback, Gu XuanYan couldn't help laughing as he shook his head.
Ramblings still flooded out of Zhong Yan, "You were quite cute when you were just a boy. You were so small, I could even hold you up with one arm."
Gu XuanYan leaned over to Zhong Yan's ears and whispered, his eyes painted with joy, "Senior brother can also hold me right now too."
"No... I don't want to."
Gu XuanYan immediately withdrew the joy in his face as he complained while seeming rather hurt, " Senior brother, didn't you just say you like me at any point of time? So you only like me when I was a child, I see."
Zhong Yan was utterly muted.
Come on, wake up! You're not a kid anymore!
As he couldn't be bothered with him, Zhong Yan tried pushing Gu XuanYan away.
However, instead of getting him away, his hands were grabbed by him.
Gu XuanYan's voice was gentle, "It all right. I'll hug Senior brother instead then."
With that said, he lowered his head and gave a gentle kiss on Zhong Yan's forehead.
Chapter 33: Extra - Happenings that Young Ji ChangYun and Liang Zheng encountered
Liang Zheng was nine years old when he entered his sect, an age at which most children were at such a high level of mischief, even pets would've despised them.
He was born in an ordinary civilian's family, whose home was chanced upon by the fourth sect elder of Mount Jade Dwelling, Ting Feng, during his mission of eliminating demons.
Noticing Liang Zheng not only had moderate aptitude but also was obedient and thoughtful, the sect elder asked the young boy if he would be willing to enter his sect and practice Daoist cultivation.
After quite a while of pondering, Liang Zheng responded with a timid nod.
Only after he entered the sect did he find out he was the only disciple under the fourth sect elder's wings.
The sole reason for the fourth sect elder's lack of disciples was his mentality.
He believed the conquest to ascension should not be achieved through mere adhering to hard training, but instead visiting everything under the sun to gain awakening.
Thus, after more than a decade did he return to his sect.
Upon taking in Liang Zheng, the sect elder held himself down to teach him for two to three years.
Following which, he presented Liang Zheng with an earnest, emphasized request one day, "My disciple, practice your cultivation well and take good care of my mountain.[1] This Master will be leaving the sect and will be back soon enough."
{1. All Masters have a mountain they are in charge of.}
Yet, not a single shadow of him could be found even after four years had passed.
Fortunately, Liang Zheng was neither arrogant nor willful.
Shy by nature and not fond of causing trouble to others, he lived alone in his Master's mountain, spending his time studying manuals to gain enlightenment in cultivation.
Unexpectedly, he did not slip into any major pitfalls during his lone training.
In the end, the third sect elder was the one who couldn't stand watching such poor treatment any longer.
She ranted at that irresponsible junior brother of hers for an entire day while also taking in Liang Zheng to her mountain, getting the boy to practice cultivation together with her disciples.
The third sect elder of Mount Jade Dwelling, who was Ji ChangYun's mother as well, had the Daoist honorific name of Ting Shuang.
Despite being fourteen at that time, Liang Zheng was at the very least a year or two older than the handful of disciples the Third Sect Elder had.
Moreover, he entered the sect earlier than those disciples too, so he became their senior brother
Upon Liang Zheng's gaining of a senior brother's position, the responsibility of showering his junior brothers with care and love rose inside him consciously.
Not only did he grant almost all of his junior brothers' requests, but he also stepped in personally to settle most of his junior brothers' problems, giving off the vibe of a mediator.
Every single disciple of Third Sect Elder became prone to looking for him whenever they landed themselves in trouble or when problems cropped up in just a year.
However, Ji ChangYun was an exception.
Ji ChangYun is one year younger than Liang Zheng, but he had already shown outstanding talent in his cultivation practice.
While other disciples were still following their Master's method of building their foundation day after day via attempting to refine Qi, Ji ChangYun had already started utilizing his Qi to ride his sword.
Although both Ji ChangYun and Liang Zheng didn't like to chat, Ji ChangYun had a cold disposition, unlike the bashful Liang Zheng.
Besides being endowed with gifted intelligence, he buried himself deeply in diligent training, getting up at the crack of dawn to practice with his sword while only heading back to rest at the late of night.
Nothing seemed to hold more value than training in his mind, nor did he show much interest in any affairs of his fellow disciples.
The third sect elder, his mother that was, did educate him, but upon finding no improvements, she ended up letting him be.
However, Liang Zheng couldn't.
As a senior brother, he was conscious of his duty of showing care to every single of his junior brothers.
Such awareness flared even stronger when all of the disciples congregated since the thought of Ji ChangYun being alone would arise.
Discomfort welled up in him whenever that happened as it reminded him of the days he spent alone in his Master's mountain a few years back.
Hence, Liang Zheng would spend every morning refining Qi with his master to build his foundation, following which he would head to Ji ChangYun's training spot every afternoon.
During his time there, he would watch over Ji ChangYun's training while also following the method of practising he did in the past, practising from the ways he read from the manuals.
Ji ChangYun's training place was also his own residence, where within its courtyard stood a ginkgo tree.
Sitting in front of the corridor, Liang Zheng would alternate between looking over at Ji ChangYun for a while and reading his manuals.
Once his eyes got tired from the watching, he would direct them to the tree.
According to the sect elder in charge of the mountain, in spite of the tree's centuries of age, it still flourished with foliage.
During spring and summer, it would greet the two of them with newly grown greenery of varying shades, casting speckled shadows on them.
In autumn, its branches would be sparse and thin with wind whirling down its leaves, the layer of yellow foliage coiling up from any slight movement of Ji ChangYun's sword energy.
Once the sun dipped under the mountains, Liang Zheng would shut his manual before calling out to Ji ChangYun, "Junior Brother, it's time for dinner."
Despite Ji ChangYun's seldom replies, Liang Zheng paid no mind as he held his book in his arms while waiting for him to sheath his sword.
Along the journey to the dining hall, Liang Zheng would occasionally summon up the courage to relay to Ji ChangYun about some of the interesting matters from his class, or about the blossoming of the flowering crabapple within the mountain.
The lack of response from Ji ChangYun led to Liang Zheng's voice growing softer by the minute.
Fortunately, as the route to the dining hall was short, the awkwardness wasn't too much to bear.
One morning, since it was almost time for class, Liang Zheng set his book on the desk.
Before he could sit down, his two junior brothers dragged him away to a corner of the book shed.
Noticing the anxiousness clouding their faces and the sneakiness in their actions, Liang Zheng couldn't help asking, "Junior Brothers, what's the matter?"
After both younger disciples exchanged glances, the older of the two plucked up his courage, "Senior brother, we are in trouble."
Liang Zheng's heart skipped a beat. Seeing that even they themselves caught on the mess they were situated in, it must be of a serious degree.
As expected, the young disciple continued, "We couldn't quite grasp what Master said about the shifting of star mansion within the hidden talisman yesterday, so in the afternoon that day, we went to the Book Collection Pavilion[2] and browsed the books there. But then, we accidentally..."
{2. The sect's library}
A brief moment of hemming and hawing later, he carried on, "...accidentally tore one of the books."
All of the books in the Book Collection Pavilion were uniquely rare due to them being the sole existing copy, many of which handwritten by highly ranked Daoist cultivators in the past.
Liang Zheng's heart sank at the reveal, a chastise escaping him, "How can you be so careless?"
Startled by his tone, the young disciples began pushing the blame onto each other in an instant.
"It's all your fault. I told you I haven't finished reading it. and yet you still snatched..."
"Well, you shouldn't have hog onto it!"
"It's your fault for taking so long reading it!"
Liang Zheng let out a sigh before meditating out of habit, "Stop with the quarrels. Sect Elder will definitely be using the Hidden Talisman Scripture in the morning today, when the time comes..."
The thought of the Master seething with rage compelled them to shrink their neck, sullenness veiling their faces, "what should we do, Senior brother? We've just been reprimanded a few days ago. Now that we got into trouble again, no way will Master let us off lightly."
Having just reached the young age of ten, they were at a complete loss whenever they landed themselves in hot water, only knowing the option of asking their senior brother for help.
Pity melted Liang Zheng's heart as he reassured "It's all right. Just go in for now"
Sure enough, ashen grimness painted the third sect elder's face upon her arrival.
She slammed the book in her hands onto her desk, her voice stern, "What's with this?"
Unlike every single disciple in the hall who were all too frightened to utter a word, Liang Zheng took a deep breath and got up, offering a nervous confession. "Third Sect Elder, when I went to the Book Collection Pavilion to read books yesterday, I have accidentally torn the Hidden Talisman Scripture yesterday."
As all other disciples in the class were directly under her, they referred to her as their Master.
Only Liang Zheng addressed her as a Sect Elder since he already had a master, albeit an unreliable one.
Nonetheless, due to his intelligence and responsible nature, he was well-liked by her.
Upon hearing Liang Zheng's confession, she directed her line of sight to Liang Zheng, her gaze full of suspicion, "Is it you?"
Liang Zheng forced out a reply, "It is."
She swept her eyes over to the disciples, tossing another question "Is your Senior Liang Zheng really the one behind this mess?"
No one in the hall answered.
The culprits lowered his head, turmoil tangling their minds; yet they did not dare to voice out anything.
The sect elder withdrew her gaze, letting out a grunt out of disappointed resentment, "In that case, you will follow me to the Disciplinary Hall after class."
As he just finished practising a set of sword techniques, Ji ChangYun cast a subconscious glimpse at the front of the corridor while retracting his aura, lifting his eyes to the sky right after.
It was past morning.
Ji ChangYun withdrew his line of sight and continued practising with his sword.
Early noon had arrived.
Afternoon had arrived.
Late noon had arrived.
The sun had started crawling down from the sky, indicating the nearing of the evening.
With a rare sight of a slight crease between his brows, Ji ChangYun, for the first time ever, sheathed his sword before the hour was up before heading to the frontal mountain.
Right before reaching the frontal mountain, Ji ChangYun chanced upon a fellow disciple, who couldn't help asking after being stunned for a short while.
"Senior Ji, aren't you usually practising with your sword at this time?"
The disciple realized the inappropriateness of his remark the moment it slipped out of the tongue.
Due to the perception everyone had of Ji ChangYun being aloof and reserved, the disciple assumed he wouldn't give any response.
To his surprise, Ji ChangYun ended up stopping in his tracks and nodded to him.
"My heart is not at peace today, not a suitable state for sword practice."
While the disciple was still immersed in the shock that 'Senior Ji really did answer me', Ji ChangYun paused for a moment before asking, "Have you seen Senior Liang Zheng today?"
Snapped back to reality, he answered in haste, "Yes. Senior Liang Zheng is in the Disciplinary Hall."
Ji ChangYun's brows furrowed slightly.
Despite sounding rather grand, the Disciplinary Hall was, in reality, a mere shabby house at the back of the mountains where disciples were punished to self-reflect whenever they made mistakes.
According to Mount Jade Dwelling's rules, the damaging of the sect's archives and magic tools was punishable with the copying of the sect's rules for thirty times.
Upon questioning Liang Zheng once more and seeing him being resolute with his confession, the Third Sect Elder had no choice but to head back.
Although the two culprits of the incident sneaked in with the intention to help, Liang Zheng stopped them due to their handwriting being far off from his.
With that, the two could only keep watch helplessly by Liang Zheng's side, occasionally asking Liang Zheng if he was thirsty at one moment and asking if he was hungry at the next.
Having a headache from the two's pestering, Liang Zheng ended up chasing them away with a wave of his hand before continuing copying the sect's rules quietly alone.
By the time Ji ChangYun pushed the door open and stepped in, Liang Zheng was already on his twenty-second copying.
Not expecting Ji ChangYun, Liang Zheng hurriedly set his brush down, asking, "What brings Junior Brother here?"
Remembering he didn't go over to watch him practising sword today, he followed up right after with an apology, "I'm sorry, Junior Brother. I had something on today, so I didn't go over to see you."
Instead of replying, Ji ChangYun stated, "I heard that Senior Brother has accidentally torn one of the scriptures."
Liang Zheng pursed his lips, "Yes."
"When did you do that?"
For some reason, lying to Ji ChangYun swept up waves of nervousness within Liang Zheng.
He subconsciously recalled the point of time his two junior brothers mentioned and stammered, "Yes- yesterday afternoon."
Ji ChangYun's tone was calm and flat, "Yesterday afternoon, Senior Brother was watching me practising with my sword."
Redness blazing across his face, Liang Zheng was rendered speechless for quite some time.
Ji ChangYun asked, "Why did Senior Brother lie?"
Liang Zheng whispered, slightly drained of courage, "The two junior brothers are still young. Besides, they've recognized their mistakes."
Ji ChangYun answered in a chilly voice, "Requesting someone else to take punishment on one's behalf only means one has not reflected nor recognized any mistakes.
While Liang Zheng was at a loss for words at the remark, Ji ChangYun pointed out, "Senior Brother's lying is also a violation of the sect's rules, which is punishable with the copying of the sect rules for twenty times. Doesn't Senior Brother know this?"
The lecture shamed the speechless Liang Zheng so much so that he wished he could sink through the ground.
After taking a deep breath, Liang Zheng plucked up his courage, "That's right. So let's take my current punishment as my punishment for lying.
He continued speaking out, his voice slow, "As a senior brother, I should be held responsible if I didn't teach my junior brothers well. Besides, when Master returns, I will have to return to Master's mountain to continue practising cultivation. Who knows how long I can continue being around with my juniors. If I have to take punishment for them, so be it."
Upon hearing that, Ji ChangYun had a hint of puzzlement coloured on his face, raising a question in slight confusion, "Why go back?"
Liang Zheng froze momentarily, offering a truthful answer once he guessed, in all honesty, Ji ChangYun probably had no idea of the situation, "Junior brother, I have always been studying under Fourth sect elder. I'm only temporarily practising under third sect elder because Master still has not returned from his travels. So, of course, I'll have to go back to him when Master is back."
Such had not seemed to cross Ji ChangYun's mind. Never had he cared about these kinds of information in the past either.
A brief moment of silence later, he turned around and went out.
Once Ji ChangYun left, apprehensiveness began creeping into Liang Zheng's heart as he wondered if he got pissed off.
Following which, his mind shifted to a rebuke on himself for his previous statement.
In Daoist cultivation, the line dividing one Master's disciples from the next was strictly uncrossable. Even if all were from the same sect, the division had to be strictly adhered to.
Ting Shuang, the third sect elder, had broken the rule to temporarily take Liang Zheng under her wings only because of his young age.
Crystal clear in his heart about having such exceptions granted to him, Liang Zheng warned himself every single day to, firstly, try not to give the sect elders trouble and, secondly, to take good care of his junior brothers.
Remorse sprung up in him at the thought of that. Why did I say that and upset Junior Brother?
On the contrary, Ji ChangYun did not think too much of it at all and instead, headed to the direction of the dining hall once he stepped out from the door.
Just after walking a small distance away, Ji ChangYun saw two young disciples carrying steamed buns and porridge to the disciplinary hall.
Shock coursed through the two boys the moment they caught sight of Ji ChangYun, prompting them to hide the food behind them in haste.
Ji ChangYun eyed both of them, "This is for Senior Liang."
Not daring even to utter a word, the two boys nodded their heads. Ji ChangYun's tone lowered slightly, "Are you the ones who tore the book?"
As Ji ChangYun appeared to be engulfed with solemness all the time, almost every single Mount Jade Dwelling's disciples feared him, let alone the two young boys who hadn't even reached ten years old.
The two teary-eyed disciples nodded, void of any courage to even exhale a breath.
A brief silence lingered over Ji ChangYun before he continued, "Copy the sect rules thirty times for the damaging of books and twenty times for deceiving your elders. A total of fifty copies. Give them to me by tomorrow."
Having to submit fifty copies of the sect rules meant they probably would have to stay up all night.
Still, the two of them nodded their heads repeatedly, fear zipping their mouths tight.
Ji ChangYun took over the food in their hands, "You should get going."
Carrying a bowl of food, he went back to the Disciplinary Hall.
Inside the house was Liang Zheng.
Due to the assumption of him upsetting his junior brother, he never expected Ji ChangYun to return, much less bring him food.
After freezing for quite some time, Liang Zheng felt mildly moved all of a sudden.
Ji ChangYun furrowed his brows in confusion upon detecting the redness in Liang Zheng's eyes, "Did you cry?"
His blunt question got straight to the point.
Seemingly not quite understanding why Liang Zheng was crying, he pondered for a moment before adding, "Was I too harsh just now?"
"No." Liang Zheng twisted his head away in embarrassment before changing the subject, "Junior brother, by bringing food into Disciplinary Hall, you have also violated the sect rules."
Ji ChangYun nodded before reaching his hand out to get a brush and paper from the desk, his tone as tranquil as water, "Yes, bringing food into the Disciplinary Hall is punishable with the copying of sect rules ten times."
Following which, he spread the paper and started penning down, his actions rendering Liang Zheng speechless.
Without anything more to say, Liang Zheng ate his meal in silence before lifting his brush to write again.
Similar to him, Ji ChangYun kept his mouth shut as well.
As the autumn wind rustled by outside, a lamp with flames as tiny as a bean stood in the middle of the two inside the house, who sat face to face while they...copied the sect rules.
-A record of the first time Ji ChangYun copied the sect rules
2.
Just as Liang Zheng turned eighteen, that rather heartless Master of his finally came back.
It was the end of the year at that time.
He and Ji ChangYun were sorting through the books in the Book Collection Pavilion, taking inventory of them one by one and filing them away.
As a set of Chinese classics books were still left in the classroom and he had his hands full, he asked Ji ChangYun to get them.
Ji ChangYun had yet to reach the frontal mountain when he noticed someone whizzing from afar with a sword before landing steadily in front of him.
After freezing for a few seconds, he greeted, "Fourth martial uncle."
Clad in long azurite robes, the man in front of him, Ting Feng, was holding his sword while stroking his beard
Upon detecting Ji ChangYun, he let out a candid laugh, "Long time no see. ChangYun has grown so tall over these years."
He gave his young martial nephew a once over before adding another compliment, "Your cultivation base has also got stronger."
His compliments did not elicit any expression from Ji ChangYun, who merely replied with, "Thank you, fourth martial uncle."
Ting Feng nodded, recalling that this martial nephew of his liked keeping to himself.
Just when he was about to head off, Ji ChangYun took him by surprise as he tossed him an abrupt question right after, "Why did Fourth martial uncle return?"
Ting Feng was at a loss for words, finding inhospitality seeping out from the question.
Nonetheless, as he raised his eyes to meet with Ji ChangYun's expressionless face, he dismissed it as him being overly sensitive.
Cheeriness bloomed in his reply, "Because I miss all my senior brothers and martial nephews, of course. And to celebrate the New Year too. My little disciple is also all grown up now, so I came back to visit him."
Ji ChangYun nodded, throwing out a question that rendered Ting Feng speechless yet again, "Then when will Fourth martial Uncle depart again?"
Bafflement swirled within Ting Feng, who had no idea what had he done to offend this martial nephew of his that he had no contact with in the past eight to nine years.
In the end, he simply patted Ji ChangYun's shoulder while giving a vague reply, "We'll see. By the way, I heard my disciple has been taken in by my senior sister. Can Martial Nephew take me over to him?"
He stroked his beard again, exhaling a long sigh, "Having been wandering outside the sect, this master misses him very much and wonders what he has grown up to be in the past eight to nine years."
A momentary silence fell upon Ji ChangYun before he replied, "I have not seen Senior Liang today."
Draped in an unyielding, honest aura, he remained expressionless despite the short pause before his response.
Ting Feng smiled, not even a hint of suspicion at him, "If that's so, I will visit my Master and seniors first."
Once Ji ChangYun saw Ting Feng was gone, he headed back to Book Collection Pavilion.
Still jotting down the register, Liang Zheng froze the moment he noticed his return, "Junior brother sure is fast. Where are the books?
Ji ChangYun paused for a few seconds, "I forgot."
Liang Zheng went muted at his answer.
Of course, Liang Zheng still ended up meeting his Master that night.
Upon hearing her junior brother was planning to meet his disciple, the third sect elder flooded him with a barrage of reprimands for an hour before ordering someone to bring Liang Zheng over with a wave of her hand.
After Ting Feng stroked Liang Zheng's head while remarking on his growth in height, he stuffed the bunch of sweets, snacks and clay dolls he got during his travels to his young disciple.
The fact that his disciple had already passed the age of eighteen and abstinence rules of Daoist cultivation seemed to have been utterly wiped off of his mind.
Brimming with a mixture of awkward amusement and disappointment, the third sect elder turned a blind eye to it on account of the day being the new year.
Instead of snubbing away, Liang Zheng was rather touched as he accepted his Master's well-intended presents.
Once the night descended upon the skies, he picked out some hazelnut cakes, maltose and other snacks of similar variety before sneaking over to Ji ChangYun's residence.
After knocking on the door and pushing the door open, he found Ji ChangYun writing at his desk under the table lamp's light.
Liang Zheng strolled over for a look, just to realize Ji ChangYun was copying the sect rules.
Shock blazed through him, "...Junior Ji, did you make an offence?"
Ji ChangYun paused his writing, yet he did not reply.
Deeming it impossible after pondering, Liang Zheng opted not to press on but instead, set the items he had in hand onto the desk as he cracked a smile.
"Master had brought me some snacks from his travels, so I came over to hand you some.
Ji ChangYun commented, "Succumbing to delicacies is punishable with the copying of rules ten times."
...I knew it, no way will such a person ever commit any offence!!!
Self-confidence blanketed Liang Zheng's voice, "It is the New Year, so Sect Elder Ting Shuang approved it!"
He pushed the sweets over to his junior brother, his tone relaxed, "Take a bite, junior brother."
Ji ChangYun kept his mouth shut, gently sending a small piece of maltose to his mouth only after white some time passed.
-A record of the second time Ji ChangYun copied the sect rules( to this day, Liang Zheng still has no idea of the reason)
Chapter 34: Extra - What if Zhong Yan didn't transmigrate? {END}
Seeking momentary comfort from reading novels would only incur hellish suffering when facing the test from the day after.
Upon spending the night reading novels until the wee hours of 1 to 2 am, Zhong Yan blacked out, falling into a deep, soundly sleep.
The next morning, his roommate forced him awake by frantically shaking his bed, his shrill cries so loud it could circle the dormitory for three whole days.
"Wake up, Zhong Yan!! Or you can straight-up pay the test retake fees if you don't!"
Trembling out of fear at the mention of retake fees, Zhong Yan sprung up from the bed.
Due to him just waking up, his brain was as jumbled as his chicken-coop-like, disheveled hair.
After sweeping his eyes around the room blankly, he tossed an utterly sincere question to his roommate.
"Shit, what's the subject of the test today?"
At a momentary loss for words, his roommate rose his head towards him, sincerity glistening in his eyes, "Forget it, go back to sleep. just try your best in the make-up test; you still have a chance with that."
In the end, Zhong Yan did recall the test's subject— the one reigning supreme of all evil, linear algebra.
While repenting on his depraved actions last night, he gritted his teeth as he struggled to crawl out of his blankets to prepare for the exam.
Due to the day being a winter solstice, along with the temperature reaching a chilly all-time low, the only motivation forcing him out of his bed was the three hundred and sixty dollars he would have to pay for retaking.
Zhong Yan majored in engineering at a university of technology, where the ratio of male to female students in the entire school was eight to two.
Since his class of thirty-five students merely had five girls, an air of masculinity towered over the classroom whenever the whole class was inside.
The last time the class went out on a field trip, the foggy-eyed elderly by the park entrance even inquired if they were disciples of the martial arts school nearby.
Nonetheless, despite the class's humble male to female ratio, once the exam invigilator set foot inside, Zhong Yan still heard the only five golden flowers that were the girls in class letting out soft, completely synchronized gasps, accompanied with indignant cries of 'what the fuck' from the guys.
Zhong Yan was making a last-ditch effort to memorize then, just finished securing the Laplace expansion in his mind, when the shock from the commotion whisked half of the formula he remembered away.
Blazing fury flooding his veins, he directed his eyes at the source of his problem.
Standing on the podium was a guy of tall, upright stature. Wearing a black shirt with a pair of glasses, he appeared gentle and dashing.
After sweeping his gaze around the class and noticing all eyes were on him, the guy revealed a smile before lowering his head to unwrap the test papers.
"My surname is Gu, a first-year postgraduate student in the College of Engineering, so you can consider me your senior. I will be your test invigilator for the day. Please turn off your phones and keep quiet."
Zhong Yan and his roommate sat respectively in the second and third rows in the middle of the classroom.
His roommate turned over to look at Zhong Yan, his voice suppressed, "What the hell. When do we even have such a figure in our school? As I thought, I must've paid no attention to the outside world as a hermit for far too long."
"Is he seriously that handsome..." Still brooding on the formula memorized just moments ago, Zhong Yan shifted his gaze towards the guy counting test papers at the podium, his lips curling in feigned indifference.
Before he could withdraw his expression, the latter lifted his head as he tossed an abrupt glance upwards, his eyes coming into contact with Zhong Yan's.
Zhong Yan was rendered speechless.
Holy shit, is this person on noclip mode?[1] Zhong Yan was commenting at how Gu XuanYan can seemingly see at every direction all at once.
{1. Noclip mode: (from wiki)a cheat that prevents the first-person player character camera from being obstructed by other objects and permits the camera to move in any direction, allowing it to pass through such things as walls, props, and other players.}
Seemingly unconcerned, the guy offered a smile at him before starting to distribute the test papers.
After letting out a sigh of relief, Zhong Yan utilized the time when test papers were passed down to give a hurried poke at his roommate, "Remember to lend me your aid later."
"Count on me."
With his mind set at ease, Zhong Yan began his life and death battle with mathematics.
The class's tests were lax in terms of the time requirements, so about 40 to 50 minutes later, students started turning in their papers and leaving one after another.
Zhong Yan was an exception, as he got stuck on the last major question.
What a close and dear question to me; it's you, Laplace's theorem!
Tearless grief welling inside, Zhong Yan sneaked his head up, noticing almost every student had left the room.
The invigilator was sitting on the podium, facing down while playing with his mobile phone.
As the chairs in the classroom were too small, one of his legs rested on the edge of the podium, whereas the other simply stretched out over the podium onto the ground.
His legs are quite long, huh.
After dissing in his heart, Zhong Yan poked his roommate's back with a pen, his voice soft "The last question."
Getting the message, his roommate drew out a piece of facial tissue from the pack on the table before scribbling down in energetic haste.
A while later, he let out a light cough as he handed the tissue over to the back.
Just as Zhong Yan was about to reach out for it, the guy at the podium smiled all of a sudden while turning the display of his phone off and getting up.
Before Zhong Yan could react, the latter had already strode to his front and took away the tissue.
Oh shit!!!
"Passing answers with tissue paper? That's new."
With a gentle shake, the tissue Gu XuanYan had in his grasp unfolded, laying bare ink-black words that were as densely packed as huckleberries
His smile grew wider, "Quite a lot, I see."
I'm done for... I'm so dead.
Zhong Yan waged a desperate struggle, "I haven't seen it yet ..."
"I know."
The person standing turned his head over and patted the roommate, "Turn in the paper if you are done."
As though being granted an amnesty, the roommate bolted out of the door once he set his test paper down the table, a clear representation of the phrase 'rats fleeing a sinking ship'.
The guy turned to Zhong Yan again, "You should hand in your test paper too. Stay till the test ends."
Since no one would truly stay until the end of The linear algebra exam, which lasted a full hour and a half, in the end, only Zhong Yan and the invigilator were left in the entire examination room.
The bell rang, signalling the start of sorting and counting of test papers.
Zhong Yan scurried over to the podium as if he was being relieved of serious trouble, "Gu... Senior Gu."
Instead of looking up at him, The recipient of the calling merely replied with a simple 'mn'.
Zhong Yan tilted his head to look at Gu XuanYan, piteous cowardice coloring both his tone and expression. "What about me?"
Gu XuanYan lifted his gaze towards Zhong Yan without a word.
A smile only spread on his face a long while later when he felt Zhong Yan almost bending down from the weight of his nervousness, "Since you didn't actually cheat, just write a self-reflection and hand it in to me."
Zhong Yan breathed a sigh of relief, gratefulness blooming within him in an instant, "Thank you, Senior Gu! Senior Brother, what is your name? When I'm free, I'll..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he caught sight of the name 'Gu XuanYan' written on the column for the invigilator's signature at the test paper carrier.
The shock muted Zhong Yan briefly.
Just escaped from danger, Zhong Yan stuck a foot in his mouth, bewilderment coursing through him as he shifted his eyes to Gu XuanYan."Senior Gu, you may not believe it, but your name is exactly the same as the villain of the novel that I read last night."
Gu XuanYan's hands came to a stop from arranging the test papers as he gave a nod to Zhong Yan with a smile on his face.
"Making fun of your senior brother, I see. You don't have to write the self-reflection anymore. Just straight up retake the test."
Zhong Yan was at a loss for words.
Serves you right for being a bigmouth. Serves you right for talking out of your ass.
Submerged in tearless regret, Zhong Yan hurriedly lowered his head and admitted his mistake: "Senior brother, I'm sorry."
The person in front of him was focused on counting the test papers with his head down, turning a deaf ear to the apology.
Zhong Yan began spinning in circles next to him in an attempt to get his attention.
"Senior brother, senior brother, senior brother..."
A light bulb went on in Zhong Yan's mind. "Let me treat you to a meal."
Noticing Gu XuanYan directing his line of sight up to him, Zhong Yan added in haste, "Today is the winter solstice, so let me treat you to a meal in any cafeteria of your choice within our university. Senior Brother, is your hometown in the south or north? Do you want to get some dumplings or have some mutton soup?"
Gu XuanYan hiked up his eyebrows slightly, "Is this a blatant bribe from a candidate to an invigilator?"
Self-confidence flared up in Zhong Yan's tone, "This is a socialization between a junior and a senior."
A laugh escaped from Gu XuanYan as he placed the stack of test papers unhurriedly into its carrier before carrying it out of the classroom.
Although Zhong Yan didn't get a response, he was too ashamed to give chase.
With his spirit as withered as dying embers, he gritted his teeth as he swore to never blabber without thinking. What awaits after being a bigmouth for a brief satisfaction is only hellish suffering!
Before he could even finish vowing, he heard a sudden reply from Gu XuanYan.
"Let's go to the second canteen then. I'll have dumplings."
As Zhong Yan raised his head, he saw Gu XuanYan leaning on the doorway with a ray of sunlight shining on his face by chance.
Through the gold-rimmed glasses, his slightly squinted eyes had a hint of inexpressible cunningness to them, yet seemingly brimming with tenderness.
"Let's go, little junior brother."
Author's notes
The extra I promised. Wish everyone a happy winter solstice, smooth sailing finals with all subjects passing!
-New Year Extra from Author's Weibo-
On New Year's Eve, little Senior Zhong and little Junior Gu went to Mount Jade Dwelling to harass Senior Liang and Junior Ji.
However, Liang Zheng was busy dealing with every single New Year matter of the sect, leaving only Little Ji to entertain the two unexpected guests. (kind of?)
Silence hovered among the three for an hour, during which Zhong Yan nibbled away two plates of melon seeds.
Perhaps finding it wrong to treat guests as such, Ji ChangYun asked Gu XuanYan if he wanted to practice sword together.
Since Zhong Yan tossed out a merciless rejection right after, all of them went back to their own homes.
—
Final words from TL(Rikko)
Aww this cute little short story is over! Thank you to everyone for reading liking, and commenting! I really appreciate every single comment<3
This novel attracted me so much that when I finished it, I immediately decided this is the next novel I'm going to translate and share with others who might find it interesting!
I just love how funny Zhong Yan was and how accommodating he is to Gu XuanYan~ and his conversation with the system is just hilarious!
Although Gu XuanYan fell for him a little too quickly(probably since this is a short novel) I can't help but smile at how loving he is to Zhong Yan!
Gu XuanYan piggybacking Zhong Yan is so cute and heart warming~ And how he defends him from the sect leader and those three idiots that try to kill him is just *chef's kiss*
When I decided to translate this novel, I gave myself an additional goal to draw fanart for all chapters, but due to life and stuff I couldn't draw for the extras OTL
I kinda regretted setting this goal since at a point I had an artist block and procrastinated =X But in the end, I'm still glad I can draw some fanart for this really sweet story!
Thanks to everyone that noticed and complimented the fanart! My art is subpar so I don't really expect anyone to say anything about it hahaha!
All in all, thanks for reading and hope this story brings a smile to your face!