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Chapter 64
Chapter 64
Chapter 64
Si Tushuang soon came back with her Martial Uncle, Ji Chun. There was also a graceful-looking youth following behind them.
“The poison has been cleared from Miss Ye’s body, there is no more danger to your life.”
People get hurt in the Jianghu all the time. If you weren’t dead, then it wasn’t a big deal. Everybody was assured after hearing this.
Members of the Yu Jian Alliance were arranged into the same courtyard. Ji Chun was a Martial Uncle from the Northern Sword Sect and was considered as one of the most knowledgeable people in medicine. However, he didn’t notice that Gou Liang was a man, not because his skills were subpar, but because the original host’s meridian had reversed after qi deviation.
The graceful-looking youth cupped hands, “That’s good to hear. I haven’t asked yet, but which Sect’s Master is Miss under, and are you accompanied by a senior?”
The original host lacked internal force but he knew a library of techniques. If not for that, he wouldn’t have lasted so long against the Left Guardian. From the vestige of the battle, Yue Qian recognized the sound technique of the Fan Yin Pavilion. Gou Liang’s outfit seemed like someone from the Fan Yin Pavilion, so he had called over a senior from the Fan Yin Pavilion to come identify Gou Liang. But unexpectedly, it was all a misunderstanding.
“I’m not under anyone or any sect. Is Gongzi the young valley master of Mo Xie Valley?”
Gou Liang looked at the youth before him. His baby face completely belied that he was 21 years old. They say that couples tend to look alike but this guy looked nothing like the fairy-like Xia Xinya from the original host’s memory.
Mo GuanJu replied, “I am. Since Miss Ye is a guest brought back by Brother Yue, why don’t you stay in Su Jian Pavilion while you recuperate? If there’s anything you need, you can just ask the servants in the residence. Can I trouble Miss Ye to tell us what happened that day? What animosity is there between you and the Left Guardian, and did you encounter any other members of the Demonic Cult?”
Gou Liang smiled at Mo Guanju. When he saw how his face reddened, he propped his chin lazily and asked, “Am I beautiful?”
“Huh?”
Not to mention a shy person like Mo Guanju, everyone else was taken aback too. When they looked with surprised gazes at the person who asked the question, they averted their eyes. The young lady could not be described with merely the word “beautiful”.
Mo Guanju scratched his head. When he saw that the other was waiting on his answer, he could only reply, “Miss Ye is naturally very beautiful.”
“How am I compared to Xia Xinya?”
Gou Liang asked.
“This…”
Mo Guanju’s face became a darker shade of crimson. He looked beseechingly at Yue Qian.
Yue Qian expressed that his hands were tied. He opened his fan and shook it gently with no intention of lending a hand at all. Mo Guanju was an honest person, so he said, “Miss and Xia Xinya each have unique merits, but strictly appearance-wise, Miss might be slightly better. However…beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In this one’s eyes, Xinya is the most beautiful. I am biased so Miss should ask for someone else’s opinion. For example, Brother Peerless has good eyes.”
The hot potato was tossed to Peerless Yue Qian. When Gou Liang light gaze was directed to himself, Yu Qian had no choice but to close his fan and smile dryly, “This one thinks that Miss is more beautiful than Miss Xia, haha.”
Gou Liang was pleased. He straightened his back and said, “If Young Valley Master Mo could fall in love with Xia Xinya at first sight, how could others not have thoughts after seeing me? As for why I had encountered a Demonic Cult member around Mo Xie Valley, I’m afraid I’ll have to ask the young valley master.”
Mo GuanJu remembered the Demonic Cult’s Lord who was likely coming for his life and his expression changed.
After he left in a hurry, Ji Chun excused himself as well.
Gou Liang asked Yue Qian, “I heard that the Mo Xie Valley were an affectionate bunch, but they seem more like idiots to me. Is Xia Xinya so good that he’ll risk his life for her?”
Yue Qian was clearly stumped by this question. Si Tushuang retorted, “Xinya-Jiejie is both beautiful and intelligent, what’s wrong with liking her? I heard that after the young master met Xinya-Jiejie, he was wholly unable to forget about her and he even created his first sword, the Guanju Sword, which he included in the betrothal gifts!”
Mo Xie Valley resided next to the Northern Sword Sect but it was not a part of the Yu Jian Alliance and specialized in making swords.
It was said that the male descendants of the Mo Xie Valley weren’t given a name at birth and were instead addressed by their seniority. It was only when they made their first sword that they would then take on the name of the sword they made. Mo Guanju was such a case.
Gou Liang was bewildered, “Why not marry his sword? What does he even need that woman for?”
Si Tushuang: “…”
Yue Qian: “…”
Even if Gou Liang did not see the point, the wedding ceremony proceeded according to schedule.
The atmosphere in Mo Xie Valley grew tenser, and the night before the wedding, they confirmed the plan again. They must definitely kill that big devil!
Valley Master Mo wasn’t fond of the troublesome bride, but he had no choice but to smile and greet the guests. The couples finished bowing to heaven and the earth without a hitch, but nobody lowered their guards.
Yue Qian also participated in the plan to get rid of the Demon Cult’s Lord. The group kept watch outside the bridal room, but the entire night passed peacefully and dawn was breaking.
When Gou Liang passed by, Yue Qian abruptly hushed the others’ conversation. He furrowed his brows, “Junior Brother, did you hear something?”
They immediately went on guard. Gou Liang, who had spent 60 points to buy an invisibility prop from the shop, stopped in his tracks. He knew that Yue Qian couldn’t see him, he couldn’t help but freeze.
“I didn’t hear anything. Senior Brother…should I go ask the young valley master?”
“Yes.”
The Demon Cult’s Lord was not to be underestimated. It was better to be careful.
Gou Liang followed that disciple to the door of the bridal room. Mo Guanju reported that he was well when he opened the door and thanked the disciple for his hard work.
When Mo Guanju returned to the room, he saw Xia Xinya had fallen asleep by the side of the bed. Mo Guanju lightened his footsteps and laid her down on the bed, but he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his neck, and he fainted on top of Xia Xinya.
Gou Liang had a headache when he looked at the two people heaped on top of each other. But doing nothing would be out of character for the original host. He looked around and picked up the Guanju Sword from the side.
Having thought of something, a sly smile flashed through his eyes.
The next morning, Xia Xinya woke up with a scream.
Yue Qian and the rest were alarmed. They surrounded the bridal room and rushed inside. They heard the new bride cry out, “Don’t come in!”
The heart Valley Master Mo sank, “Guanju, son?”
When his son didn’t answer, how could he continue waiting? He rushed into the room. The rest of them exchanged looks with each other. Yue Qian and the other core participants of the operation followed him inside.
Valley Master Mo pulled aside the drapes of the bed. He saw a pale-faced Xia Xinya clutching her wedding dress that had been slashed until it was ragged. Mo Guanju was knocked out on the bed. The wedding suit was intact on his upper body but his lower half was bare—from the missing pants and the missing bush above his birdie.
The wedding blanket embroidered with a pair of mandarin ducks playing in the water was tossed aside, and on top of it was Mo GuanJu’s underwear and an eye-catching pile of black hair…
They took a brief look at the scene and decided to retreat outside.
“Is Young Valley Master Mo still alive?”
Gou Liang asked.
Si Tushuang also looked at Yue Qian anxiously. Since Gou Liang had a dispute with the Left Guardian, Yue Qian told Si Tushuang to stay with Gou Liang and even left behind several disciples to guard them in case the Left Guardian wanted to take advantage of the situation to try something.
Yue Qian remembered the condition of Young Valley Master Mo, and his mouth twitched. He held back his laughter and said solemnly, “Fortunately, Bao Jiu wasn’t after the young valley master’s life. It seems that after his Master died, he no longer has a reason to be overly involved with the Northern Sword Sect. However, the Guanju sword was missing—”
In the middle of his sentence, a disciple reported, “Senior Brother, the GuanJu Sword has been found! But more than ten swords in Mo Xie Valley’s Sword Cleansing Pond were destroyed and the thief had written two large words on the ground…”
Seeing the disciple’s awkward expression, Si Tushuang pressed, “What words?”
The disciple was bashful: “…Too small.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Si Tushuang didn’t understand but Gou Liang choked on his laughter. Yue Qian opened his fan and covered his face, but amusement leaked through his eyes.
In the end, Mo GuanJu managed to keep his life. After they waited three more days without any movements from the Demonic Cult, the members from each sect each bid their farewells and left.
“Oi, what are you following us for?”
Si Tushuang saw Gou Liang sticking to her Senior Brother like glue and found her extremely annoying. She thought she would finally be gone after they left Mo Xie Valley, but would she know she was so shameless!
Gou Laing wrapped an arm around Yue Qian’s shoulder, and his fingers with red nails stroked his neck suggestively. He said in a charming voice, “Shouldn’t you ask if your Senior Brother wants to part with me?”
“You, you—you’re shameless!”
Si Tushuang stomped her foot angrily and ran off.
Gou Liang grinned. Yue Qian smelled the scent from the other’s body, and his body became rigid, “Why is Miss Ye always…teasing me and my junior sister?”
Although she was frivolous, her beauty made it hard to get mad.
“Who let her be blind man to fall for you?”
Gou Liang smirked. She wants to steal his man? If she wasn’t a snotty 13 year-old, he would have sent her packing while crying daddy!
Yue Qian was helpless and could only change the topic, “Another li and we would be exiting the Northern City. Miss, what are your plans afterward?”
Gou Liang looked at him in shock, “What, are you chasing me away?”
“Miss…that’s not what I mean.”
When Gou Liang’s finger stopped on his sensitive Adam’s apple, Yue Qian couldn’t maintain his smile anymore.
“Am I wrong?” Gou Liang looked at him playfully, “The Left Guardian lusts after my beauty and is a persistent fellow. If you keep me around as bait, he will surely appear. Will you really give up the opportunity to eradicate the Left Guardian of the Demonic Cult?”
Of course Yue Qian won’t be willing.
The Demonic Cult was filled with treacherous traps and its members were savages who were more difficult to track than ghosts. It would be tough finding even the most ordinary member of the Demonic Cult if they didn’t choose to reveal themselves first, not to mention the Guardians who were the elders of the Demonic Cult.
The Left Guardian used to serve as Bao Shi’s aide and had a direct hand at the massacre of the Yue Clan back then. How could Yue Qian allow him to live?
“Then I’ll thank Miss Ye for your help.”
However, Yue Qian felt guilty about putting Gou Liang in danger. Gou Liang smiled, “Then Hero Yue must protect me well.”
His breath gently brushed against his cheek like an orchid petal. The tips of Yue Qian’s ears were red.
After a brief rest, they set out on their journey again. Yue Qian told his junior brothers and sisters to the Southern Mountains by themselves first. The Left Guardian was a difficult opponent and he didn’t wish to endanger the lives of his juniors. When Si Tushuang learned that he was going to travel with Gou Liang, her eyes turned red, but Gou Liang still continued to tease her. With his “weak body” as an excuse, he asked to ride on the same horse as Yue Qian.
Yue Qian: “…”
Gou Liang whispered into his ears, “What if the pervert attacks me while you’re not around?”
Yue Qian could acquiesce to his request. This time, Si Tushuang burst into tears for real. She whipped her horse and galloped off. The other disciples saw this and hastily bid their Senior Brother farewell before chasing after her.
Gou Liang blocked the dust with his sleeve and leaned against Yue Qian’s chest with a smug smile. Yue Qian’s body became even more rigid. Although they were pretty lax in the jianghu…he had seen another girl as wild and unruly as this young lady.
He urged the horse forward while a docile horse obediently followed them from behind. Yue Qian held the reins with one hand and grabbed the horse’s mane with the other all the while maintaining an unchanging position—the wild and unruly Gou Liang had fallen asleep. If he didn’t cradle her in his arms, she might fall off the horse.
The two pairs of horses and people only stopped when the sun began sinking into the western mountains.
“Where are we?”
Gou Liang blearily raised his arms for a hug while his lips sought out a kiss. Yue Qian almost fell off the horse like an idiot when the soft lips touched his chin. This woke Gou Liang up completely. He burst into laughter when he saw his flustered appearance, “Why did you dodge? Are you afraid I’ll eat you?”
Yue Qian didn’t reply and tied the horses. When he turned around again, he had regained his composure “Miss Ye, since the ground is level here, we’ll rest here tonight.”
Gou Liang agreed.
At midnight, Yue Qian saw that Gou Liang was soundly asleep. He pressed her sleep acupuncture and brought her with him halfway up the mountain. Yue Qian was very familiar with the environment since he often came here. There was a natural spring in the area. Yue Qian loved cleanliness, and he was covered in dust after traveling. He wouldn’t be able to sleep if he didn’t take a bath. But he couldn’t leave Gou Liang alone and vulnerable to the Left Guardian, so he had waited until now.
The moon suspended in the sky was luminous with translucent light.
Taking his clothes off, Yue Qian submerged himself in the spring and let out a comfortable sigh.
In the water, he took off his underwear and washed it before throwing it onto the tree branch where his other clothes were hanging. As he was about to take a meticulous bath, he heard someone laugh. He swerved his head around, and Gou Liang who was supposed to be fast asleep was sitting up and looking at him with a smile on his face, “Hero Yue has such a unique interest. But I suppose when an unmarried man and woman are alone together in the ripe night with the moon shining overhead, it would be stranger if we didn’t do something.”
“Miss Ye, you, you…”
Yue Qian covered himself and crouched down so even his shoulders were submerged in the water. He stuttered despite himself.
Gou Liang unbound his hair and untied his belt, “How can we miss out when the timing and place is perfect”
Yue Qian saw that she was about to take off her skirt and was scared silly. He scrambled to the far edge of the spring and turned around. He covered his eyes and said desperately, “M-M-Miss Ye, please respect yourself!”
Gou Liang laughed.
The sound of the skirt’s fabric hitting the floor was deafening. When Yue Qian heard someone get into the water, he was forced into action. He reached out and grabbed his clothes from the tree branch and threw it on himself in a flurry.
Unfortunately, the spring was too small and Gou Liang reached where he was within moments. He spread his fingers on Yue Qian’s chest and pressed against his back. His voice dripped with seduction, “Hero Yue, why are you so anxious? Why don’t you and this little girl have some fun together?”
The skin touching his was so soft that it made him feel numb. Yue Qian asked in a strained voice, “What is your real identity?!”
Gou Liang leaned on his shoulder. His nose brushed against his handsome profile like he was captivated by his masculine scent, and he whispered, “Hero Yue, you know already, don’t you? I’m an enchantress from the Harmony Sect that likes to harvest men rich in yang energy such as yourself.”
When her fingers slid from his chest, hovered above his pelvis, Yue Qian couldn’t stand it anymore. He pushed her away with his internal force and yelled angrily, “If Miss continues to disrespect herself like this, then don’t blame this one for—?!!!”
Yue Qian’s eyes were wide with anger but he went completely still when he saw Gou Liang.
In the pale moonlight, Gou Liang’s figure was exposed to him with black hair falling down his back like a waterfall. The enchantingly beautiful Miss Ye had a chest that was flat as a field, and as her underwear clung to her skin in the water, there was an intimidating bulge. Yue Qian yelled, “Y-y-you! You’re a man?!!”
Gou Liang stopped his fall with his hands, and lazily leaned against the shore with a face full of smiles, “When did I say otherwise?”
“But, but you—” Yue Qian looked at the red skirt crumpled on the shore and then looked at Gou Liang who was beautiful to the point that he didn’t look like a man. When he understood what had happened, he yelled angrily, “You played me!”
“So what if I did? Who can you blame for your own blindness?”
Gou Liang sniggered loudly.
Yue Qian’s face was on fire. He threw his clothes into the water and charged towards him in indignation. He pushed him into the water, “Let you mess with me, let you dress like a woman!”
Gou Liang kicked him underneath the water. Yue Qian didn’t dare to use his martial arts so the two grappled at each other crudely. After a while, Yue Qian was flipped into the water by Gou Liang.
The two went back and forth like this and each swallowed a good amount of water. They only stopped when they were completely spent.
“Why dress like that when you’re a man!”
Yue Qian smiled with his arm hooked around Gou Liang’s shoulder like they were brothers who had gotten closer after fighting.
Gou Liang turned and looked at him. His long hair was drenched and scattered over his body, and a few strands of hair were stuck to his face with water droplets hanging from them, making him seem even more ethereal. He was in a good mood, and his peach blossom eyes smiled, making a dimple appear on his left cheek. When Yue Qian saw him like this, he subconsciously froze and withdrew his arm in embarrassment. He somehow felt guilty like he was taking advantage of a young maiden.
Gou Liang raised his brow, “I’m hiding from my enemies.”
“Enemy? The Left Guardian?”
Ye Qian asked.
Gou Liang nodded, “Sort of. 23 years ago, the Demonic Cult massacred my clan, but I fortunately survived and escaped with the secret manual that they were after. But my identity has been exposed to the Left Guardian and he will never cease until he has obtained the secret manual.”
Yue Qian remembered the grievance of the Yue Clan and smashed the surface of the water in fury, “The Demonic Cult! Utterly despicable!”
Gou Liang pitied himself again for a second. He smiled at Yue Qian and said, “I admire Hero Yue’s sense of righteousness, but there is currently a grave matter that Hero Yue needs to address that concerns life or death.”
“Mi—cough, cough, Brother Ye, please do tell.”
Gou Liang leisurely lifted his hand and pinched Yue Qian’s chin, turning it to the spring that had regained it calm, “Hero Yue, your underwear is gone.”
—Where were his clothes anywhere in the water? They had long been swept downstream by the stream!
Yue Qian let out a miserable cry and dashed towards the water.
Gou Liang laughed heartily, his laughs reverberating through the mountains and forest.
The Left Guardian hiding in the shadows suddenly cowered. Did the Lord kill Peerless Yue? Perhaps he had already recovered his cultivation?