“Do we have to wear such coarse clothes?” Li Fangyin asked, frowning slightly as he tugged at his collar. He pouted and shifted closer to Gui Linghuo. “Linghuo, look. I’m already developing a rash! Villages aren’t even around this area. Was this really necessary?”
Gui Linghuo glanced at Li Fangyin’s exposed chest and quickly looked away. “Li-ge, you’re revealing too much.”
Li Fangyin scoffed. He tugged his robes back together. “It’s not like you like men. Why are you the one getting shy?”
“This isn’t about my sexual preference. There’s a thing called decency. Even if you’re a man, you shouldn’t take your clothes off in public,” Gui Linghuo whispered.
Li Fangyin scratched his chest. “If I could, I would. Besides, we’re in the middle of a forest! Why would it matter?”
As someone who had grown up wearing only the finest silks, putting Li Fangyin in anything less made his skin redden. Gui Linghuo sighed and pulled Li Fangyin’s hand away from his chest.
“Stop scratching. You’ll get used to it in a little.”
Li Fangyin sighed, but cemented his hands at his sides and walked stiffly. His expression showed his immense displeasure. His fingers twitched slightly with the temptation to itch right in front of him.
Gui Linghuo shook his head slightly and turned back to the situation they were in.
As the young woman said, they managed to find a spot in the middle of the desert where you could go from the upper realm to the lower realm. After walking a long time, the desert finally ended, leading them into a dark forest.
After the long war, the lower realm had become tainted by ghostly qi. It was being slowly removed, bit by bit, with the more inhabited places being the priority.
The sects of the upper realm have doubled down on efforts to protect the civilians, as if they had something to prove after two big figures in Yunjing Pavilion sacrificed their lives and cultivation to protect these people who were obviously lesser in others’ eyes.
In order to make sure the civilians of the lower realm don’t become too caught up in Lin Cangyuan and Gui Yin’s heroic acts, the big sects of the upper realm began to pour more and more effort into strengthening arrays to keep beasts and demons away, while also funneling more donations into the smaller sects below.
“Pathetic, really,” Li Fangyin murmured as he looked around at the gnarled trees. “You know, my father is one of those people. The name Yin Hua Palace is slapped on practically every donation. It’s like he has no shame. He didn’t even take one step down here when everything was falling apart. The moment I went back, he even yelled at me for following Gui-qianbei and not staying in the sect with him.”
Gui Linghuo glanced at Li Fangyin’s dark expression and averted his gaze.
“Heartless monster,” Li Fangyin spat.
“And you still refuse to be the new palace master,” Gui Linghuo pointed out.
“I do,” Li Fangyin said. “I believe it’s easier to act with the identity of the Young Palace Lord right now. So long as he stays that useless, I won’t have to go for this job just yet.”
Gui Linghuo smiled slightly. “Are you going to be doing this for a long time?”
Li Fangyin glanced at Gui Linghuo. He raised a brow. “Why? Do you like playing around with me that much?”
Gui Linghuo nodded truthfully. “It’s like having an older brother. It’s a special kind of feeling.”
Li Fangyin nearly tripped over a gnarled root. He stared at Gui Linghuo for a while before sighing and throwing his arms around the young man. The man’s knees buckled slightly under the unexpected weight. Li Fangyin rubbed his cheek against Gui Linghuo’s.
“My cute little brother,” Li Fangyin sang. “I’ll avoid the responsibility for as long as possible so I can continue to play with you, my adorable little brother.”
Gui Linghuo’s face flushed. He pushed Li Fangyin away. “Li-ge, stop. I’m not a child.”
“That’s just what a little baby would say,” Li Fangyin said, unperturbed that he had just been shoved aside. He grinned and threw an arm over Gui Linghuo’s shoulders. “Linghuo, you know, it wouldn’t be half bad if you treated me like your real brother.”
Gui Linghuo glanced at Li Fangyin. For just a brief moment, he saw another person within Li Fangyin’s smile. His chest clenched and he couldn’t help but avert his gaze. Still, he nodded sincerely.
“I would like that,” he whispered.
Li Fangyin’s amusement dampened. His smile saddened just a few degrees and he ruffled Gui Linghuo’s hair. “I did promise your shizun I would look after you, didn’t I? Until he comes back, I’ll look after you. Even after, we’ll continue to be good friends.”
Gui Linghuo chuckled. “Thank you…and I’m sorry.”
“What are you apologizing for again?” Li Fangyin clicked his tongue. “I already said you weren’t a burden or anything. Stop overthinking, alright?”
Gui Linghuo nodded.
The two continued down the decrepit path until they came to a fork road. Li Fangyin crossed his arms. He closed his eyes leisurely, but when he opened them again, there seemed to be a shift in the air. Gui Linghuo glanced over curiously. He wanted to ask, but before the question could even leave his lips, Li Fangyin had already tilted his head.
“This way. There’s a high concentration of resentful energy.”
Gui Linghuo followed Li Fangyin. He glanced at him curiously and silently nodded to himself. Of course, Li Yan had every right to admire her older brother.
Li Fangyin took the lead, his sword long in his hands. His eyes were narrowed slightly as swirls of red and black shadows mixed and blended together. He stopped and turned to Gui Linghuo.
“Do you have your medicine on you?”
Gui Linghuo nodded. He took it out and popped two pills. His dosage had to increase after the incident two years ago.
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.
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“You’ll put your own safety first, right?”
Li Fangyin paused a moment before smiling. He ruffled Gui Linghuo’s hair. “Of course. I’m too important to die so young.”
Gui Linghuo chuckled. With such words, he could try to ignore the anxiety in his heart and follow Li Fangyin forward.
Reality is always harsher than the imagined scenario, even when what one already imagined was unending carnage. There was little else to do, when all you could see ahead of you were abandoned shoes, a blood-stained floor, and a large cauldron that was teeming with the barely contained screeches of the wronged.
Li Fangyin seemed to see red in that moment. His sword flew from his sheath, faster than his own mind could react. Gui Linghuo also charged in, eliminating the ghost cultivators swiftly before they even realized what was happening.
The hideout was small—much smaller than what Gui Linghuo, Li Yan, and Qin Siyi had stumbled upon a year ago, but the denseness of the compound increased the horror of the entire situation. However, because the compound was small, that meant there were fewer ghost cultivators to guard the area. It was as if they hadn’t expected to be discovered. Yet there was still a cautiousness in the way they kept the area clean.
“You check those rooms to see if there’s any survivors. I’ll go this way,” Li Fangyin said, flicking his wrist to rid the black goo from his blade.
Gui Linghuo nodded and went down the hallway he had been pointed towards. He pushed open each door, hoping each time that he would see another person. The coppery smell permeated his senses. It was overwhelming and made his head swim. It was clear just how many people they had already killed in this one area.
Gui Linghuo suppressed his anger and pushed open the last door. His eyes lit up when he saw a figure laying in the corner of the room.
He hurriedly went over, barely noticing the odd smoke lingering in the air. He first checked the body for any injuries and then turned them over. When his gaze fell on their face, he froze.
Li Fangyin entered the room with a huff. “There’s nothing! Absolutely nothing! This entire place is empty of any correspondence or orders. We caught them red-handed, but they’re going to get away ag…Linghuo?”
Gui Linghuo’s stillness made Li Fangyin pause. He frowned, his brows furrowing as his gaze drifted down to the person in his arms.
“What’s wrong? Are they dead?” Li Fangyin asked, approaching with a ginger cautiousness.
“…It’s A-Yan,” Gui Linghuo breathed.
“What?”
“It’s A-Yan,” Gui Linghuo said, his head whipping over to look at Li Fangyin.
The broken expression had reappeared on the young man’s face. Li Fangyin pursed his lips, almost reluctant to approach any further.
“Linghuo, I know you’re in shock. But there’s no way—”
“It’s her!” Gui Linghuo exclaimed, more fervently. He shifted on his knees and turned the person towards Li Fangyin. “Look!”
Li Fangyin’s eyes widened. At first glance, the person in Gui Linghuo’s arms did look like Li Yan, but after closer examination the differences were clear. Not to mention…
“That’s not A-Yan. Linghuo, take a closer look,” Li Fangyin said.
Gui Linghuo fumbled for words. After a moment, he forced himself to look down. The resemblance had lessened by at least sixty percent. Still, his hand unconsciously drifted up and carefully touched the other person’s face.
They looked similar. Very similar. How could two unrelated people look this similar?
Li Fangyin watched Gui Linghuo for a moment. “Let’s go back. We have to report this to the acting sect master, right?”
Gui Linghuo nodded vacantly. He stood with the person resting against his chest.
“You—”
“They’re injured and unconscious. How could I just leave them here? We’ll take them back to Yunjing Pavilion first. When they wake, I’ll ask them where their home is,” Gui Linghuo said. Seeing Li Fangyin’s hesitation, he offered a wry smile. “Li-ge, I’m not that crazy.”
“I wasn’t…alright. Let’s go back then,” Li Fangyin agreed.
When they returned, the person was handed off to Ye Liuxing as Li Fangyin and Gui Linghuo went off to report to Jiu Jingyi.
When Gui Linghuo entered the study, he noticed a few things were off. His gaze slowly drifted to Jiu Jingyi, who had an irritated expression on her face. He gave Li Fangyin a warning look before softly clearing his throat and knocking on the door.
“Jiu-shigu.”
Jiu Jingyi glanced up. Her expression relaxed as she slumped back against the chair. “You’re back? How did it go?”
Gui Linghuo and Li Fangyin took turns recounting the entire process. By the time they were finished, Jiu Jingyi had a nasty look on her face.
“And Fenghua? Did it react?”
Gui Linghuo lowered his gaze. “It did not.”
Jiu Jingyi pinched the bridge of her nose and nodded a few times. “Alright. You may leave. Remember to write the full report and have it to me by next week. I’ll take care of the rest.”
Li Fangyin turned to leave, but saw Gui Linghuo hesitate.
“What’s wrong?” Jiu Jingyi asked.
“We rescued one victim. I was wondering if I could have Jiu-shigu recognize them as Yunjing Pavilion’s guest until they recover.”
“Of course.”
“And…”
“And?”
“…Deng-shixiong and Changyuan,” Gui Linghuo said hesitantly. “Did they…”
“They left,” Jiu Jingyi grumbled, throwing her documents onto the table. She rubbed her eyes with the heel of her palms. “To the Demon Realm or wherever other crazy places they wanted to go to. Idiots.”
Gui Linghuo waffled by the door. “They’ll be fine.”
“I’m sure they will be,” Jiu Jingyi said. “I’m just mad that they left without even telling us…forget it. I don’t know why I’m raising my voice at you. You two must be tired, go rest. And Young Palace Lord, you are welcome to stay as long as you would like.”
Li Fangyin grinned. “Thank you, Acting Sect Master.”
Jiu Jingyi offered an amused smile and waved the two men off.
Gui Linghuo sighed.
Li Fangyin glanced over. “Worried?”
“A little. It would be fine if they didn’t try to go to the Demon Realm, but if they did then…”
“I’m sure they’ll come back fine.”
“I hope so. Sect Master would be sad if anything happened to Deng-shixiong,” Gui Linghuo said.
By the time they returned to Shuangye Peak, Ye Liuxing had already transported Gui Linghuo’s new guest into one of the guest rooms.
“They’re fine,” Ye Liuxing said. “They’re just a bit feverish, but it’s nothing life-threatening. Take care of them with how you would take care of a regular person who has a cold. I’ll order the kitchens to send up softer foods for them.”
“Thank you, Ye-shishu.”
Ye Liuxing nodded. He hesitated a moment and glanced at Gui Linghuo’s sleeve.
Knowing what he wanted to ask, Gui Linghuo smiled sadly. “Fenghua still hadn’t responded.”
“…I see. Well, chin up. There’s no way anything can happen to him. Your shizun is like a fox. Always so cunning,” Ye Liuxing said, laughing slightly. After a bout of silence, he hummed. “Well, I’ll be taking my leave now. I’ll send some more braziers for your little guest too.”
“Thank you, Ye-shishu.”
Ye Liuxing left, leaving Gui Linghuo and Li Fangyin.
Li Fangyin shuddered and rubbed his arms. “I’m going to go change and take a nap. I’m not built for the cultivation life.”
Gui Linghuo nearly rolled his eyes. “Alright. I’ve kept the room clean since your last visit—you just have to go there.”
“Thank you for your hospitality, Little Peak Lord,” Li Fangyin said, fondly pinching Gui Linghuo’s cheek before hopping off to his self-proclaimed room.
Gui Linghuo’s smile melted from his face once he was alone in the courtyard. He glanced towards the guest residence and slowly made his way over. When he arrived at the door of his new guest, he knocked once to be polite, but when he didn’t receive an answer, he entered anyway.
He walked into the inner room where the other person was sleeping and sat down on the stool next to the bed.
Because of the blood and grime on their clothes previously, Ye Liuxing must have changed them. While changing them, he had noticed an odd discrepancy. Now, Gui Linghuo realized why Li Fangyin had been so sure this lookalike wasn’t Li Yan.
They were a young man.
But even if he knew the young man had no way of being LiYan, he couldn’t help but stare. Gui Linghuo listened to the young man’s breathing and fell into a trance again. If he only focused on their likeness, then it really did look like Li Yan was still alive.
The brows were the same. The slope of the nose was the same. The small pearl at their upper lip was also the same.
He even began to wonder if the young man’s eyes would be the same.
Gui Linghuo began to lean in unconsciously, as if doing so would help his imagination become realer and more vivid. Thus, when the young man’s eyes flew open, he was unable to pull back in time.
The two eyes clashed together, gluing the two young men in place.
They weren’t the same, but his phoenix eyes reminded Gui Linghuo of someone else.
A harsh slap landed on his face.
The young man kicked Gui Linghuo in the chest and scooted into the corner. He looked down at himself and then back up at Gui Linghuo, who was laying on the ground.
“Who are you? Where am I?” the young man asked, a nervous shake to his voice.
Gui Linghuo stood slowly. He cleared his throat. “My surname is Gui. This is Yunjing Pavilion’s Shuangye Peak. We found you at the ghost cultivators’ hideout. You were injured and running a fever, so we brought you back. Do you remember anything about that?”
The young man frowned. His gaze darted to and away from Gui Linghuo. “I…seem to.”
A warm smile bloomed on Gui Linghuo’s face. The sheepish guilt on the young man’s face was somewhat endearing. Gui Linghuo pulled the stool up again and sat back down. After he was seated, he spoke again with a softened voice.
“It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it. You’re still feverish though, so you shouldn’t leave yet. But when you’re better, I can send you back to your home. Where do you live?”
The young man’s frown deepened. “I…”
“You don’t remember?”
The young man glanced at Gui Linghuo and hastily nodded.
“Then, do you remember your name?” Gui Linghuo asked.
“Yan…Yan…”
“Yanyan?”
“No!” the young man burst, his face flushed red. “I—my name is Yan… Yànkuì (燕愧).”
Gui Linghuo’s lips twitched. The little thing was a bit amusing.
“What about your surname?”
“I don’t have one,” Yankui murmured, his brows furrowing even more.
Gui Linghuo paused for a moment. “My name is Linghuo.”
Yankui glanced at him.
“The surname ‘Gui’ was given to me by my shizun,” Gui Linghuo smiled. “My surname was originally ‘Ling’, but he gave me his own surname after he adopted me.”
Yankui pursed his lips. “…Why are you telling me this?”
“I don’t know,” Gui Linghuo shrugged. “It just feels like we’ve met before, so I accidentally said a little more. I hope you don’t mind.”
Yankui’s gaze sharpened for a split second, but it went unnoticed as he quickly averted his gaze. He forced his shoulders to relax as he glanced back at Gui Linghuo. A soft, unsure expression painted his face.
“You’re…odd.”
“That’s the first I’ve heard anyone call me that,” Gui Linghuo said. “People normally think I’m quite normal.”
Yankui stared at Gui Linghuo. “That’s even weirder.”
Gui Linghuo couldn’t help but laugh under Yankui’s scrutinization. His cheeks pushed up and his lips stretched far wider than they had in a long time. He held his forehead as he tried to calm down, but Yankui’s judgemental stare made him unable to meet his eyes without laughing.
Gui Linghuo couldn’t explain what he felt at that moment. Sure, it was amusement, but there was something else that brewed and bubbled in his chest.
If Gui Linghuo had to name it, then he could only call it “relief”.
A short while, Gui Linghuo’s laughter finally fizzled out into giggles. He lightly cleared his throat and turned his attention back to Yankui.
“If you don’t have anywhere to go, why don’t you stay here for a bit?” Gui Linghuo offered. “It’s normally just me here. If you want your own privacy, you’ll have plenty.”
Yankui hesitated. The look in his eyes was unreadable, but when he glanced up at Gui Linghuo again he slowly nodded.
He had never seen a person smile so beautifully before. For some inexplicable reason, Yankui wanted to see it again. Just a few more times.
He frowned.
This Gui Linghuo was a dangerous person.
“I’m not that crazy” Gui Linghuo son boy darling;;; i feel like youre losing it just a wee bit;;;;;;;;
so, Yankui looks 60% like Li Yan but with eyes like the mysterious beauty (connected to the tragedy that Qin Siyi blames and self inflicted shame on GLH) and does that second character in his name mean shame/blame?? mm. mmmmmm im worried akxbskxhsn;;;; actually funnily enough, a bit more worried for Yankui than son boy… setting up a protection squad for Yankui (ง -_-)ง
man is Clearly in the midst of losing it and says “i’m not that crazy” mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm x to doubt–
YANKUI PROTECTION SQUAD LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOOO i will join too hehe
thanks for reading!
Itchy in sympathy… crazy co-winky-dink Yankui… curiouser and curiouser…
I honestly understand the read more than the comments…no idea what’s happening there