“Do we…have to go this far?” Gui Yin asked.
Shan Yu glared at her shizun with puffed up cheeks. “Of course! Shizun has never had a proper birthday celebration, so we have to do it properly.”
“But it’s just the four of us. Don’t you think it’s too much?” Gui Yin said.
“It isn’t!” Shan Yu insisted. “Whenever it’s Shan Yu’s birthday, she has way more than this! Shizun is much more important, so Shizun should have at least this much.”
Qin Siyi agreed with Shan Yu for once. “That’s right, Shizun. We don’t even know when my real birthday is, but whenever we celebrate it, you always throw me a feast.”
Even Gui Linghuo expressed his agreement. “This is the least us disciples should do for Shizun.”
Gui Yin glanced at the list of dishes the children had written down, as well as the types of decorations that they needed to get in order to make their peak appear livelier. He lightly cleared his throat.
“No. Now that I think about it, this really is too much. Just get me a few simple dishes and call it a day, Why must you go this far?”
“If Shizun is embarrassed about going shopping for all these things yourself, Da-shixiong can just take us!” Shan Yu said.
“That’s not…”
Gui Yin’s denial stopped halfway. He looked at the sincere gazes of the children around him and sighed. He set the paper back down and nodded. “Fine, fine. Let’s just go with what you planned.”
Hearing his approval, the children immediately lit up once more.
“Here’s some money. You can go into town tomorrow and—”
“We can’t use Shizun’s money! This is a celebration for Shizun!” Shan Yu said.
“That’s right, Shizun. How could we use your money to buy things for you?” Qin Siyi frowned. “It’s okay. It’s not like we’re trying to buy anything expensive.”
“But still—”
“We receive allowance from the sect monthly. Shizun doesn’t need to worry,” Gui Linghuo chimed in.
Gui Yin glanced at the three kids and couldn’t help but feel a bit of discomfort. “Then…make sure you tell me before you go tomorrow.”
“Alright!”
The children’s excitement made Gui Yin smile. However, the discomfort in his heart didn’t fade.
“What are you spacing out about?”
Gui Yin was pulled from his thoughts of the day before. He glanced at Ye Liuxing, who was shelling peanuts. He reached out and mercilessly grabbed a handful. “I already told you, didn’t I? I feel like those children are too excited. I don’t know how to react.”
“Well, just react sincerely,” Ye Liuxing said, staring mournfully at the peanuts he had just spent a lot of time shelling. He turned back to Gui Yin. “You won’t know how you feel until it’s the time, right?”
Gui Yin frowned. He thought about yesterday and even this morning when his disciples looked at him with bright, hopeful eyes. He glanced at Ye Liuxing and threw a peanut shell at him.
“What? What was that for this time?” Ye Liuxing clicked his tongue.
“I miss Jiu-shimei. When is she coming out of seclusion?” Gui Yin asked.
Ye Liuxing froze. He glanced at Gui Yin. “Jiu…shimei?”
“You actually dare to be so disrespectful and call your shijie ‘shimei’?” Gui Yin used this excuse to throw a few more peanut shells at the other man.
“Wait, wait. No, you remember Jiu-shijie?”
“Of course, I remember. Why wouldn’t I…” Gui Yin’s voice trailed off as he realized what he had just said.
Ye Liuxing moved forward excitedly. “What else do you remember? Do you remember Mèngmèng?”
Gui Yin found that those names really did sound familiar. If he wasn’t wrong, Mengmeng should be Méng Mèng), who was the disciple of Jiu…Jiu…
“Jiū Jìngyì,” Gui Yin said.
Ye Liuxing’s brows furrowed. He waited patiently for Gui Yin to continue, but the man had gone completely silent.
After a long moment, Gui Yin looked at Ye Liuxing. “Liuxing.”
“What is it? Do you feel uncomfortable?”
“No. I wanted to ask why did you suddenly distracted me? I was asking when Jiu-shimei was coming out of seclusion.”
Another peanut shell landed in Ye Liuxing’s hair. Ye Liuxing clicked his tongue and brushed the shells away. “You and Sect Master-shixiong are all like this. You only care about Jiu-shijie. Then, what about me? Aren’t I the youngest? When are you guys going to care about me?”
Gui Yin stared at Ye Liuxing as if he had just pulled a snake from his mouth. The cutely pitched voice did nothing but send shivers down his spine. He caged Ye Liuxing’s face with his hand and pushed the other man further away.
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.
“Uifjrf gffnjiejaf sbegrfio yfobgf rjslcu jcsatlcu ilxf atja ab wf jujlc,” Xel Tlc rjlv.
Ye Liuxing clicked his tongue and grumpily sifted through the peanuts again. “Only Jiu-shijie cares about me.”
Ktfgf kjr j ibcu rlifcmf yfobgf atf akb wfc ifa bea j ibcu rlut.
Aera jr Xel Tlc kjr ublcu ab rjs rbwfatlcu firf, atf rmfcf lc ogbca bo tlw revvfcis kfca vjgx. Lf ofia klrqs ibmxr bo tjlg ygert jujlcra tlr ojmf jcv tfjgv Tf Olezlcu’r fzmlafv ujrq. Ktf rilw olcufgr kluuifv jujlcra tlr ojmf yfobgf tf tfjgv j rlcu-rbcu nblmf.
“Guess who?”
“Shimei?” Gui Yin gripped the wrists and gently moved them aside.
He turned his head and looked up at the woman behind him.
The woman was youthful in appearance, looking as if she were in her early twenties. Her hair was pulled up in a complicated hairstyle, but was not bound in the way married women’s hair would be bound. Rather than the wide-sleeved robes the other sect leaders wore, she was dressed in a more youthful set of seafoam green arrow-sleeved robes. If Gui Yin tried to convince someone that Jiu Jingyi was actually a disciple, he was sure they would believe him.
“I heard you two missed me?”
“Where did you hear that from? How come neither of us noticed you?” Ye Liuxing let out a bright laugh.
“It’s because you two were so engrossed in your own discussions,” Jiu Jingyi clicked her tongue. She rounded the table and sat down beside Gui Yin. She looked him up and down with a hint of concern. “I heard you got injured while I was in seclusion. How are you now?”
Gui Yin looked to the doctor for the proper diagnosis.
“He’s fine,” Ye Liuxing said. “It’s just that the medicine we used had a bit of a side-effect. For now, there are a lot of things that he can’t remember.”
Jiu Jingyi’s expression turned subtle. She glanced back at Gui Yin. “Are there a lot of things you can’t remember?”
“I wake up every day remembering more,” Gui Yin offered her a reassuring smile. “Shimei doesn’t need to worry about me.”
Jiu Jingyi hummed. Her gaze traveled back to Ye Liuxing. “Does he remember that event?”
Ye Liuxing had already returned to shelling peanuts when he heard the voice transmission. “He doesn’t. Sect Master-shixiong also said to not bring it up in front of him.”
Gui Yin glanced between the two people silent people. Choosing to ignore what his instincts told him was happening, he said: “That’s right, Jiu-shimei, did you get through your bottleneck?”
Jiu Jingyi was surprised that Gui Yin could even remember a detail as frivolous as this. She smiled. “I did. Pretty soon, I’ll be able to stand toe to toe with you and Lin-shixiong.”
“That would be the best, wouldn’t it?” Gui Yin chuckled. “Then Yunjing Pavilion has another master to guard it.”
Jiu Jingyi nodded happily in agreement. “But why were you and Ye-shidi calling for me? Did something happen?”
“It’s nothing serious,” Ye Liuxing waved his hand. “It’s just that this one’s youngest disciple wanted to throw him a birthday celebration, but he’s afraid he isn’t going to react properly.”
“You’re not going to react properly?” Jiu Jingyi turned to Gui Yin in surprise.
“What if I just stare at them and they feel offended? They’re putting so much effort into this—I don’t want to make them sad,” Gui Yin confessed.
Jiu Jingyi giggled. “Well, then, just react how you would normally react.”
“That’s what I said!” Ye Liuxing said.
“You’re worried about this now, but when the time comes, I’m sure you’ll be fine. Just relax and enjoy it,” Jiu Jingyi said. She patted Gui Yin’s shoulder. “After all, isn’t this your first birthday celebration in a long time?”
Gui Yin smiled uncomfortably.
It might be for Lord Immortal Ninglan, but Gui Yin’s birthdays had always been a battle zone for his parents. The one year he had a boyfriend during that time was the one year he had managed to make an excuse to escape their feud. But, even then, he hadn’t even celebrated it with his boyfriend—he had spent it alone.
Jiu Jingyi looked at Gui Yin helplessly. Gui Yin’s expression betrayed exactly how he felt about this situation.
Once Gui Yin returned to his own peak, Jiu Jingyi grabbed Ye Liuxing by the scruff of his robes. “Come on, let’s go get Gui-shixiong a gift.”
“What? But he doesn’t like that kind of thing!” Ye Liuxing protested.
“He doesn’t, but since his little disciples are hosting a birthday celebration, we should at least give him a little present. I guarantee that Lin-shixiong has already decided what to give him.”
Ye Liuxing froze. He looked up at Jiu Jingyi as he straightened himself up. “You think so?”
“Do you not know what he’s like after so many years?” Jiu Jingyi scoffed. “He definitely got Gui-shixiong a new ribbon or something.”
“A new ribbon? That’s it? We should get him something more expensive then!”
“Now you’re the one being ridiculous. Your Gui-shixiong hates expensive gifts. Something small and from the heart is enough,” Jiu Jingyi said. She hummed for a while before snapping her fingers. “I got it. Let’s both get him a book.”
“A…book?”
“He likes reading! We’ll shop through the bookstore for books that were just published recently and give it to him. With everything that’s been going on recently, I doubt he’s had time to go to the bookstore,” Jiu Jingyi said with a triumphant smile.
“But what does he even like to read?” Ye Liuxing asked.
“Does it matter? He’s always asking us for book recommendations. We can just get him what we like,” Jiu Jingyi said. “This gift is casual enough, but it shows that we understand him. Isn’t it nice?”
The more Ye Liuxing listened, the more he agreed. However, he wasn’t sure if he was agreeing because he really thought what Jiu Jingyi said was reasonable, or if she was just that persuasive.
“I suppose…”
“Then, it’s settled! Let’s go into town right now,” Jiu Jingyi dragged Ye Liuxing away from the gazebo.
Ye Liuxing stumbled after her, still feeling hesitant. However, when he thought about Gui Yin’s troubled expression, he straightened up properly and walked after her.
It had been a long time since Gui Yin was willing to celebrate his birthday. Giving him one small gift would be fine, wouldn’t it?
Unknowing of what his martial siblings were planning, Gui Yin had already returned to Shuangye Peak. His three little disciples had all gone into town to shop around for supplies and for his birthday present. Without them, the normally vibrant and bustling peak had turned quiet.
Gui Yin stepped into his room and closed the door behind him. He walked past his bookshelves and pulled a random book from the pile before sitting down on the divan. He kicked off his shoes and laid back. With a small sigh, he opened the book and allowed his eyes to drift over its contents.
The silence reminded him of his life in the twenty-first century.
After meeting with authors or editing documents all day, when Gui Yin returned home, he would be returning back to a silent apartment. It had only been a week, but Gui Yin was already used to the noise that the children brought.
He turned the page of the book he had barely read. If he was like this now, what was it going to be like when he really returned?
Gui Yin’s fingertip halted on top of the page. He set the book aside and stared at the door somewhat blankly.
Returned? Return to where?
Gui Yin frowned and shook his head. The first word he thought of was “home”, but when he wanted to reaffirm that idea, it immediately felt wrong. In only one week, Shuangye Peak felt more like a home than his small apartment and those three rascals of his felt more like family than his parents ever did. In the past, he felt like he never fit in, but now…in this foreign world, he finally felt like he belonged.
Gui Yin stood. He slipped back into his shoes and left his room.
He walked over to the lake that Shuangye Peak had.
The lake, similar to the name of the sect, was like a mirror that reflected the skies above and the buildings surrounding it. When it was the right season, red maple leaves would float to the surface of the lake, adding a splash of vibrancy to the already beautiful surroundings.
Now was not the time when the maple trees would lose their leaves, but that didn’t detract from the lake’s beauty.
Gui Yin’s steps paused.
“Qinle?”
Gui Yin turned around.
Lin Cangyuan had had a smile lingering on his face until he saw Gui Yin’s expression. Immediately, his expression morphed into one of concern and he took wider strides to meet Gui Yin.
“Are you okay?”
Gui Yin looked at him in confusion. “Yes, I’m fine. What’s wrong?”
“You…just before…” Lin Cangyuan’s words were stuck in his throat.
“Ah. That? Um, I think a bit of pollen got into my eyes,” Gui Yin fanned his eyes and glanced at Lin Cangyuan apologetically. “My apologies, Sect Master-shixiong. Did I frighten you?”
Lin Cangyuan let out a sigh of relief. “You did! I thought you hurt yourself or…something…”
Gui Yin glanced at Lin Cangyuan. His face paled to the point that Gui Yin doubted it was just something so simple. He smiled and reassured Lin Cangyuan again that nothing life threatening had happened to him. However, Lin Cangyuan’s reaction led Gui Yin to wonder what would make him so panicked. Could it have something to do with his memories?
Gui Yin fell into silent contemplation. Lin Cangyuan wouldn’t harm him, nor would he hide something from him that could potentially cause harm. Although they had only gotten along for a week, Gui Yin had always trusted his judgement in people. Everyone in Yunjing Pavilion genuinely cared about Lord Immortal Ninglan. But he was certainly curious about what Lin Cangyuan thought he was crying over.
Gui Yin had been lost in his thoughts until he realized Lin Cangyuan had been ranting about something.
“I just don’t know what to do.”
Gui Yin glanced at Lin Cangyuan. “If you don’t know what to do, then just don’t do anything.”
Lin Cangyuan stared at Gui Yin as if he were crazy. “How can I not do anything?! He’s so persistent in saying he likes me. I feel like I’m ruining the younger generation’s prospects.”
Gui Yin froze. “Wait, who is?”
“You weren’t listening, were you?” Lin Cangyuan frowned. He snatched Gui Yin’s fan from his fiddling hands and repeated himself. “I said Yenuo keeps insisting that he loves me. No matter what I do, I can’t get him off my back.”
Gui Yin’s jaw dropped.
Seeing Gui Yin’s expression, Lin Cangyuan smiled wryly. “Is it that shocking that someone likes me?”
“I—that’s not what I meant.” Gui Yin quickly readjusted his expression. “I was just surprised that Yenuo would…”
“Now, imagine how I would feel,” Lin Cangyuan grumbled.
Gui Yin glanced at the other man. “Well, is it because he’s a man or—”
“Who cares if he’s a man, woman, or monkey? The point is I’m his shizun and he…” Lin Cangyuan let out sigh.
Gui Yin was bubbling with the urge to gossip.
The trope of having a disciple and their shizun together had grown more and more in fashion in the past few years. In fact, it had always been in vogue amongst even the classic xianxia and wuxia stories. Since most modern people felt that a relationship between a disciple and their shizun was less taboo than a relationship between a student and their teacher, this type of forbidden fruit was the most delicious to eat. The idea of a wolf-like disciple dragging their innocent shizun to the dark side was endlessly entertaining and could be executed in a plethora of ways and was often accompanied by an exorbitant amount of plot lines!
And tropes aside, it was still true that modern day students would get crushes on teachers. Most of those cases were puppy love that would vanish as soon as the new school year rolled around. But in the case of Lin Cangyuan and Deng Yenuo…
Gui Yin could only sigh.
Lin Cangyuan’s age doesn’t even need to be mentioned. Deng Yenuo himself was already nearing four-hundred. He was not a naïve little school boy who liked an authority figure just based on looks or because he was treated specially. He was a full-grown adult who could distinguish right from wrong. If he wanted to like Lin Cangyuan, then it was his right to like Lin Cangyuan.
“When did he tell you?” Gui Yin asked.
“Just before you came back,” Lin Cangyuan said absentmindedly. His fiddled with Gui Yin’s fan. A sigh punctuated the loud flourished the fan. “I don’t know what to do. I told him I didn’t feel that way about him, but he still seems to think he has a chance.”
Gui Yin glanced at Lin Cangyuan. “Well, does he?”
“He’s my disciple! If Siyi confessed to you, would you accept?!”
Gui Yin’s face scrunched in disgust. “Siyi is a child.”
“When she’s older. Say she’s Yenuo’s age? Would you consider it?”
“I wouldn’t.”
“See?”
“That’s because I like men,” Gui Yin said. He thought for a moment before adding, “But if I did fancy women, I would at least do her the honor of thinking about it seriously before I rejected.”
Lin Cangyuan stared at Gui Yin. “Are you being serious?”
“Very serious,” Gui Yin said. “I understand that you think of Yenuo as just your disciple. However, you still have to face the fact that he’s a full-grown adult. You’re dismissing his feelings right now because you don’t think he’s sincere, not just because you don’t like him. You think it’s puppy love and that it will pass soon.”
“Because it will,” Lin Cangyuan said insistently.
Gui Yin shook his head. “Lin-shixiong, don’t think about Deng Yenuo as Deng Yenuo for a moment.”
Lin Cangyuan furrowed his brows. “What nonsense are you going to say now?”
Gui Yin hushed Lin Cangyuan and continued. “Just imagine what I’m about to say for a moment, okay?”
Lin Cangyuan reluctantly nodded.
“There was a young man whom you met during your latest excursion,” Gui Yin started, “This young man is tall and handsome, looking a bit like an overgrown puppy. He has a perpetually easy-going smile and eyes that slightly droop at the tails. Aside from his appearance, he has a good personality. He takes care of you during your entire excursion. He cooks for you, cleans for you, and he remembers even the smallest details about you. For example, he knows that you dislike blowing out the candles before bed or he remembers that you enjoy taking cold baths.”
Lin Cangyuan’s expression grew uneasy the longer he listened to Gui Yin.
“Not only that, but the one time you nearly got injured, he jumped out in front of you to save you, injuring himself in turn,” Gui Yin said. “The two of you get along like this for a few years and he suddenly turns to you and says that he loves you with all his heart and that he wants to be with you for the rest of his life. You will be his Dao companion and he will forever be your protector. And, deep in your heart, you know that he is being serious. What do you say to him?”
“…He sounds quite good.”
“But what would you say to him?”
Lin Cangyuan glared at Gui Yin. “I get it already, alright? Stop asking.”
Gui Yin clicked his tongue and snatched his fan back. He flourished the closed fan and looked Lin Cangyuan up and down in disapproval. “Seems like if that person wasn’t Deng Yenuo, then you would accept him.”
“I wouldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because…because…because the man you’re talking about is made up,” Lin Cangyuan said. “There is no such man on this earth—only Deng Yenuo. And I would never accept Deng Yenuo’s heart.”
Gui Yin stared at Lin Cangyuan for a long time before nodding. “Then, there’s your answer, I suppose. If this is what you choose, you better act like it. Yenuo is a reasonable person. If he sees that you really aren’t interested, then naturally he would back off.”
“Then, why is he still so insistent now? He still has that childish personality,” Lin Cangyuan said.
Gui Yin listened to Lin Cangyuan huff and puff for a while, but still said nothing.
It wasn’t because Deng Yenuo had a childish personality. It was because Lin Cangyuan was obviously unsure about their relationship. If Lin Cangyuan truly didn’t like him, Gui Yin knew that Deng Yenuo would back away.
As for how he knew…well, it had to be the memories that were slowly awakening in him, bit by bit.
YinYin improvises himself as a love coach 😂😭
as the sect master’s closest friend, he has to be prepared for any situation LOL thanks for reading!
[spies “In the past, he felt like he never fit in, but now… in this foreign world, he finally felt like he belonged.”] POSSIBLE EVIDENCE OF FRAGMENTATION, WRITE THAT DOWN WRITE THAT DOWN aldhakxbamxbs theorizing aside, i’m glad this place feels like home. Gui Yin deserves it!!
also, it’s not easy being a shizun (+1)
Thanks for the chapter!! <3
I hope the doubt about leaving is stilled, it feels like a wet rag on his head he keeps being reminded of
Thanks for the chapter UvU
I was a bit weary seeing the “original story” thing on this because some of the original novels on this site didn’t really tickle my fancy to be polite but Im really enjoying this so far! Your writing is extremely pleasing and enjoyable to read, Im loving the development so far 🙂
aw thanks! im glad you’re enjoying it so far!
I ammm!! You’ve totally got me hooked 😭😭 I don’t think I can put this down anytime soon, I’m glad im on break so I can binge read this haha