“You don’t know?”
“After Qi Du Tower’s investigation, I was sent a letter saying that he owed me a favor,” Gui Yin said. “That’s about all the interaction we’ve had.”
Elder Shan’s brows furrowed. “That doesn’t sound like that brat at all…”
“Does Elder Shan know him personally?” Lin Cangyuan asked curiously.
“I’ve spoken to him a few times,” Elder Shan said. “Each time he was more pompous and impolite than the last. The last time I saw him, he said he was going to go die and to not worry about him. I wanted to give him a good beating, but he slipped away. Only a few months later did I realize what he meant.”
“Is this okay to discuss with us?” Gui Yin asked.
Elder Shan raised a brow at Gui Yin. “He likes to act mysterious and intelligent, but in the end he’s still just a rebellious brat. Don’t let his façade fool you.”
Gui Yin nodded humbly. Still, Gui Yin couldn’t quite agree that it was a façade. After hesitating a moment, Gui Yin spoke again: “Does Elder Shan know his real name?”
“Of course, I do not,” Elder Shan said. He looked at Gui Yin up and down. “What’s wrong? Are you curious?”
Gui Yin felt a little subtle about the way Elder Shan was looking at him. “I am. Everyone says he goes by many names. I was just wondering if someone who knew him personally would know his real name.”
“I sure hope you never say this to his face,” Elder Shan said, releasing a belly laugh.
Jiu Jingyi’s brows furrowed. “Why? Isn’t it normal to want to know someone’s name?”
“It is! But in that brat’s culture, only their immediate family and their loved ones get to know their real name. Even in public, his family would have to call him by what we might consider similar to a courtesy name,” Elder Shan said. He turned to Gui Yin. “If you asked that brat for his real name, he would definitely tease you.”
Gui Yin already felt the tips of his ears warm. His mind unconsciously wandered to those golden eyes that had been recently haunting his dreams. He coughed lightly.
“Well, if that’s the case, then I won’t ask him.”
“What kind of pseudonym did he give you?” Elder Shan asked curiously.
“Er’lang,” Gui Yin replied casually.
“Erlang? Like the deity?” Jiu Jingyi asked.
Gui Yin paused. After a moment, he nodded. “Mn. Like the deity.”
“He’s really attached to that number. He told me to call him Er’zai,” Elder Shan said.
The conversation began to drift to other places, but Gui Yin was still focused on the name.
That’s right. Erlangshen was a deity. It wasn’t necessarily a term of endearment at all! Where had his mind been when he read that note? In the first place, “lang” could just be another character in someone’s name or even a family member’s term of endearment. He had even loudly scolded Huigu’s Palace Lord. The more Gui Yin thought about it, the more embarrassed he felt, but there was no way he could apologize.
After all, what was he supposed to do? Say his apologies to the wind? But wouldn’t that be presumptuous to just assume Huigu’s Palace Lord had enough free time in the day to constantly watch him? Just because he said he’d keep an eye out on Gui Yin doesn’t mean he is constantly on surveillance.
Gui Yin shook himself. No! If he thought about it again, obviously that man had been trying to mess with him. Otherwise, why wouldn’t he have corrected him when he heard Gui Yin’s anger? It was that or he had not been listening at all! He might have already left after dropping off that last note, which was why he didn’t say anything.
“…Qinle?”
Gui Yin started. He looked at Lin Cangyuan. “What’s wrong?”
“Elder Shan left.”
“O-oh.”
“…What’s got you in a daze?” Lin Cangyuan asked. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I was just…thinking about what to do about the Kunlun region, that’s all,” Gui Yin said. He glanced between Lin Cangyuan and Jiu Jingyi. “After all, this is the first thing I’m in charge of after…”
Lin Cangyuan nodded in understanding. “If there’s anything you need help on, just ask us.”
In fact, there were few things for Gui Yin to do. The representatives from Beidou Alliance would be reaching out to the cultivators that resided in Kunlun. The process would take a few weeks and, if they agreed, Gui Yin would then plant the barrier. He was only in charge of installation.
Since the conference was done and the people they needed to see were seen, Lin Cangyuan and them headed back to Yunjing Pavilion that night.
Upon arrival, Shan Yu pounced into Gui Yin’s arms again. Unlike the last few times, when Qin Siyi and Gui Linghuo were still hesitant, they also ran into Gui Yin’s embrace. Gui Yin laughed helplessly as he passed off the gifts he had brought back to a nearby servant. He crouched down and brought them all into his arms.
For years, he had gotten used to returning to an empty home. Now, there was warmth that greeted him whenever he returned.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Did anything fun happen while I was gone?” Gui Yin asked.
Hlc Vlsl jcv Vtjc Te rtjgfv j ibbx, yea rjlv cbatlcu. Qtfc Xel Tlc aegcfv ab Xel Olcuteb, atf ybs rtbbx tlr tfjv.
“Rbatlcu oec.”
“…Ktfc, vlv jcsatlcu P rtbeiv yf mbcmfgcfv jybea tjqqfc?” Xel Tlc jrxfv.
“Shizun, you’re concerned about a lot of things,” Shan Yu pointed out.
Xel Tlc ibbxfv yfakffc atf mtlivgfc klat j tlca bo rerqlmlbc, yea rlcmf atf mtlivgfc vlvc’a kjca ab afii tlw, tf ifa atfw xffq delfa.
As they were eating dinner, Qin Siyi spoke. “We can’t tell you because it’s a secret.”
“Shijie!”
“I didn’t tell him what the secret was!” Qin Siyi protested.
“If it’s a secret, then you should keep it to yourselves. You don’t have to worry about me,” Gui Yin said.
The children collectively breathed a sigh of relief and returned to their normal selves again. Still, Gui Yin couldn’t help but be curious. It was rare that the chatterbox Shan Yu was keeping quiet about something. As he glanced around the children, he decided that he would ask Ye Liuxing about it later.
“I might have to visit the Kunlun region in a few weeks. Do you three want to come with me? After that, we’ll probably go up north to Yin Hua Palace to attend the Young Palace Lord’s birthday banquet,” Gui Yin said.
Gui Linghuo sat up at attention. “Does Shizun need me to prepare a gift?”
Gui Yin nodded. He frowned slightly, “Though, I’m not sure what a young man would need.”
“Gift him a pendent,” Shan Yu said. “That’s what Grandpa always gives people he doesn’t know.”
“Since Shizun likes to make trinkets, maybe you could gift something like that to him,” Qin Siyi suggested.
Gui Yin hummed. “I might. I’ll have to take a look at the storage later.”
“Why does Shizun need to go to the Kunlun region?” Gui Linghuo asked.
“Some things have cropped up. It’s a bit complicated, but it’s nothing that you children should be worried about,” Gui Yin said.
Shan Yu straightened. “Is it bad? Shizun can tell us! We can handle it!”
Gui Linghuo glanced at Shan Yu. He could tell even Qin Siyi was curious. However, when he saw Gui Yin’s helpless expression, he lightly cleared his throat. “If Shizun doesn’t want to tell us, we shouldn’t pry. Let’s show him the same courtesy he showed us.”
When this was brought up again, Shan Yu immediately clammed up. She nodded seriously. “Da-shixiong is right. This disciple apologies, Shizun.”
Gui Yin glanced at Gui Linghuo, somewhat impressed. It had just been a few weeks, but it seemed that Gui Linghuo was now completely accustomed to handling Shan Yu. He smiled, said it was fine, and rubbed Gui Linghuo’s head in passing.
The youth’s eyes widened. He looked to Gui Yin, his cheeks warming in excitement and happiness. Did this mean Gui Yin approved of his actions? Was Gui Yin proud of him? He quickly averted his gaze, in hopes that Gui Yin didn’t notice his enthusiasm. But, to himself, Gui Linghuo happily celebrated in his heart. His shizun acknowledged him!
After dinner, Gui Yin decided to venture to Zi Cao Peak to visit Ye Liuxing and to drop off a gift he had bought while he was at Mingfang City. It was a few snacks, but since Ye Liuxing enjoyed trying new foods, Gui Yin was sure he would enjoy them.
A light knock on the door in the middle of the night was never anything good. It was either an assassin, a ghost, or an uninvited guest. Thus, when Ye Liuxing heard such a knock, he was reluctant to leave his bed. With one leg propped on top of the other, he lazily glanced at the door before turning back to the book he was reading. However, this uninvited guest didn’t get the hint and only knocked louder.
“Stinky brat, open the door!”
Hearing Gui Yin’s voice, Ye Liuxing immediately sat up. He threw his book under his blankets, pulled on his outer robes, and pushed open the door.
Gui Yin stood on the other side with a grouchy expression. He stepped in and looked Ye Liuxing up and down. “It’s just past dinner, and you’re already lazing around?”
“I—Shixiong, how could you say I was lazing around? I wasn’t. I was looking through documents,” Ye Liuxing said, gesturing towards the heaps of official documents on his desk.
Gui Yin stared at the scrolls and then back at Ye Liuxing. He pulled a mirror from his wide sleeves and thrust it towards Ye Liuxing. “Look at yourself; I dare you to look me in the eyes and say it again.”
Ye Liuxing took the mirror that had been haphazardly tossed in his direction and glanced at his appearance. He sucked in a cold breath through his teeth and followed Gui Yin into his room like a little duckling.
“Shixiong, I just wanted to take a break. Is that a crime?” Ye Liuxing asked poutingly.
“It isn’t. The crime is that you lied to me,” Gui Yin scoffed lightly. He set down the basket he had brought with him and sat down at the tea table.
“How should I be punished?” Ye Liuxing asked. He looked at Gui Yin before shyly turning around. “Do you want to do it like when we were kids?”
Gui Yin stared at him in disgust. He extended his leg and nudged the back of Ye Liuxing’s thigh with his foot. “What kind of rotten ideas travel through your brain during the day?”
Ye Liuxing released a dramatic sigh and theatrically scuttled to the seat beside Gui Yin. Like an aggrieved concubine, Ye Liuxing hid the lower half of his face behind his wide sleeves and peered at Gui Yin over his arm with teary eyes.
“You abandoned your shidi all by himself. I spent so many lonely nights alone,” Ye Liuxing let out a wailing cry and threw himself into Gui Yin’s arms. “There was no one to pay attention to me. All I had were the endless documents and my useless disciples.” A squeaking sniffle left Ye Liuxing. “Shixiong, you have to accompany me for at least this long, cold night.”
Gui Yin stared at the man in his arms. “It’s the middle of summer.”
“Then, a hot night,” Ye Liuxing winked. “Even better.”
“You continue to dream your fantastical dreams, my lovely shidi,” Gui Yin began to stand, “I won’t be indulging y—”
“Ah! Shixiong, I was just joking! Don’t leave so soon; I missed you!” Ye Liuxing latched onto Gui Yin’s waist and pulled him back down. He grinned up at Gui Yin, his chin resting against the older man’s chest. “Don’t say you didn’t miss me either! I know you did. Otherwise, why would you buy me so many snacks?”
“It’s only because I felt bad that you didn’t get to go, okay? It’s not because I missed you.”
Despite Gui Yin’s words, he still gently tried to fix Ye Liuxing’s rat nest of hair. A fondness was rooted deep within him when it came to Ye Liuxing. It seemed that they had been extremely close at one point. Gui Yin felt as if he saw Ye Liuxing as a blood-related younger brother.
Ye Liuxing grinned. He released Gui Yin and sat up obediently with a childish harrumph. “Your mouth says such mean words, you’re still as softhearted as always.”
Gui Yin rolled his eyes.
“Let’s see, what did you get me?” Ye Liuxing asked in a singsong voice as he unpacked the goods.
Gui Yin shifted, resting his jaw against the back of his knuckles. “While you were watching the children, did anything happen?”
Ye Liuxing’s chewing paused midway. He turned to look at Gui Yin cautiously, his eyes scanning Gui Yin as his mouth moved at a slower pace. He finally swallowed and cleared his throat. “There was something that did happen but…”
“But?”
“Well, it’s a secret between children, isn’t it? I shouldn’t tell you.”
“So, you already know, but you’re not allowed to tell me, their shizun? What kind of logic is that?”
“It’s not your kids’ secret, it’s Sect Ma—” Ye Liuxing stopped talking. He pursed his lips, turned away, and lightly smacked his mouth. He had always known he wasn’t tight-lipped, but why was he so much worse around Gui Yin?
“Sect Master-shixiong’s disciples?” Gui Yin’s brows rose. He frowned to himself.
It shouldn’t be about Deng Yenuo—he was far away in the lower realm and of what he knew, Pan Die’an and Wei Ze’xi, there shouldn’t be anything worth keeping a secret. Gui Yin looked at Ye Liuxing skeptically. He wondered if this foolish shidi of his was, once again, pulling his leg.
Sensing Gui Yin’s skepticism, Ye Liuxing wanted desperately to clear his name, but he had already promised to keep a secret, so he couldn’t possibly—
“It’s just between the two of us. I won’t tell a single soul,” Gui Yin said, leaning forward. He lightly tapped the table with the tip of his fan. “My good shidi, you trust your shixiong, don’t you?”
Ye Liuxing leaned back. He frowned and hugged the snacks he was given closer to his chest. He quietly nibbled on one as he observed Gui Yin. The innocent look in his eyes were all too familiar—it was the same look a sly fox would use to look at its foolish prey before it played it to death. Still, Ye Liuxing was tempted to accept that Gui Yin meant no harm and just tell him.
“Demon fox,” Ye Liuxing spat out.
Gui Yin rolled his eyes and sat back, flourishing his fan as he did so. “What would I even do with that information? Use your brain a little. Between the two of us, it’s just silly gossip from our students and nothing more. Unless you’re telling me it’s something that concerns the sect’s safety, thus must remain with only the children.”
“What sort of nonsense is that? Of course, it isn’t anything like that!” Ye Liuxing exclaimed.
“Then, just tell me, won’t you?” Gui Yin released an exasperated sigh. “It’s not like you’re going to lose a chunk of meat.”
Ye Liuxing swallowed the bite he held in his mouth. He glanced one way, then the other. He looked over his shoulder towards the door and leaned forward, his chest pressing the basket against the table. He gestured for Gui Yin to move in, which the other man did. Gui Yin extended his neck until he could feel Ye Liuxing’s breath against his ear.
Ye Liuxing coughed.
Gui Yin pulled back and clicked his tongue as he rubbed his ear. He glared at Ye Liuxing’s shirking shoulders and scoffed. “Are you trying to pick a fight?”
“Sorry, I couldn’t hold it,” Ye Liuxing cleared his throat. “Well, in short, Pan Die’an and Wei Ze’xi kissed.”
“They kissed?!” Gui Yin’s eyes widened.
Pan Die’an and Wei Ze’xi had been a “will they, won’t they” couple for a few years now. Although it was apparent the pair cared for and tolerated each other, no one knew for sure if it was more than just the care between martial siblings. Despite this, they were the most talked about couple around the sect. From Gui Yin’s memory, he recalled that there had been a poll on the sect a year or two back, voting for the sect’s best couple. Without actually being romantically involved, Pan Die’an and Wei Ze’xi nearly won.
“Could it be counted as a kiss?” Ye Liuxing wondered out loud.
“You tell me.”
“Well, what happened was they were playing with the children—your children—and I think Shan Yu tripped? Pan Die’an dove after to catch her, but in the process, she tripped as well and Wei Ze’xi reached out to catch her,” Ye Liuxing said. “The two of them fell forward and—”
“And kissed?”
“How could that be possible?” Ye Liuxing clicked his tongue. “No, no, they fell forward and Wei Ze’xi fell onto Pan Die’an. The two of them had a moment, staring into each other’s eyes. They kissed because the two of them got up to fast and bumped into each other—but it was just Wei Ze’xi accidentally touching his lips against Pan Die’an’s cheek.”
“Oh my god,” Gui Yin gasped. He hid behind his fan, only his eyes peering out, “It’s like a scenario straight out of a Korean drama.”
“…K-kor—what?”
“Nothing,” Gui Yin cleared his throat. “So, why does this have to be a secret?”
“Well,” Ye Liuxing coughed, as a laugh nearly escaped his lips. He schooled his expression and sighed, like an old teacher who sympathized with his students. “Pan Die’an shrieked, shoved Wei Ze’xi away, and ran off. We couldn’t even see a lock of her hair when we realized what happened. Poor Ze’xi was so embarrassed that he threatened us and told us to never tell anyone.”
“…So, you took it seriously and nearly didn’t tell me?” Gui Yin asked.
“You can’t just break a promise between you and children,” Ye Liuxing chided.
“You were obviously just acting so that I would become curious,” Gui Yin scoffed.
“It was worth the wait though, wasn’t it?” Ye Liuxing asked, grinning in self-satisfaction.
Gui Yin shook his head in disapproval, but he still leaned forward again. “Was that the end of it?”
“That was the end of it! I don’t know if they reconciled or not,” Ye Liuxing said, sighing in pity. He rested his chin against the palm of his hand as he half a pastry. With his mouth still full, he spoke: “I guess we can go snoop around.”
“You’re so nosy.”
“Or you could go snoop around.”
“Me? Why me?”
“Everyone loves you,” Ye Liuxing said, swallowing the pastry. He coughed slightly and poured himself a cup of tea. After the lump in his throat disappeared, he spoke again: “I know for sure Wei Ze’xi admires you more than he admires his own shizun. I’m sure if you just happen to wander by and see him troubled, he’d spill his troubles to you.”
Gui Yin looked Ye Liuxing up and down. “…You think so?”
“I can almost say that I know so,” Ye Liuxing nodded.
“Maybe—wait, no. I’m a busy person,” Gui Yin said, standing as he said so. “I don’t have time for this childish nonsense. I have to get ready to travel to Kunlun and I need to find a gift for the Young Palace Lord of Yin Hua Palace.”
“Mmhm.”
“What ‘mmhm’?” Gui Yin raised a brow.
“Mmhm,” Ye Liuxing repeated, a knowing smile on his face as he ate the rest of his pastry.
“I won’t do it.”
“Sure, you won’t,” Ye Liuxing drew out his words to an irritating length.
“I won’t,” Gui Yin said.
“Mn.”
Gui Yin made it to the door. He pushed it open and looked back over his shoulder. “I won’t.”
“You won’t, you won’t,” Ye Liuxing said, lazily picking up another pastry. He smiled. “I believe you, Shixiong.”
“That’s good. Don’t expect me to come back with any information, because I won’t be going out to get any,” Gui Yin said.
“Alright.”
“Well, goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
Gui Yin closed the door behind him and began to make his way back to Shuangye Peak. He let out a soft huff as he started getting ready for bed. Even as he got comfortable under his silky covers, his head resting against the perfectly stuffed pillow, he scoffed again.
“I won’t do it. Who has the time of day to do something so childish?”
Thank you for the update ❤️💯
thanks for reading!!!
Who can resist the sweetness of Gossip 😆🤭
ehehehhe ah~ youth <- also a young person
oh!!!! i LOVE the “only immediate family and loved ones can know their name” (๑˃ᴗ˂) does also explain what’s going on with all the nicknames and makes the name reveal all the juicier
thanks for reading!!
Melon eater Gui Yin www
😂 thanks for reading!
You know I’m starting to feel bad for Gui Yu’s disciples. He keeps leaving 😮💨
Thanks for the chapter!!!
Why didnt Gu yin mention meeting Er-ye, given that both were cloacked and he found similarities between him and the guy from the play. Word ‘Er’ facination..Also golden eyes. The sneak msgs of bday wishes and then thankyou notes..i mean tonned of similarities to go around. He should know its been going on for a while, but he mentions getting in touch with him after the devil desert incident. Does he not remember the earlier incidenta due to some reason.??? Also breach of security in sect..bt nope doesnt tell anybody….
The whole sect is like a big kindergarten for adults!🤣🤣🤣🤧
More like Aufgewachsengarten 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Ooof. I just realized.
Er’Lang –> 二郎 –> 郎 “Lang” is a character used in the words ‘Husband’, ‘Bridegroom’, ‘Boyfriend’ etc –> Husband
Boy our Gui Yin is being flirted with
YES EXACTLY hehe thanks for reading!