Ge Nianlan was the first to recover. He rushed over to Yong Chenyu’s side and helped her up. He breathed cold air in through his teeth and pulled out his handkerchief to wipe the dirt from the little girl’s face. As he did so, her lower lip continued to tremble and her hands balled up the fabric of her skirt. She watched as Ge Nianlan frantically cleaned her.
“H-how is it?” Huai Zhen asked.
“It doesn’t look bad,” Ge Nianlan said. He held Yong Chenyu’s head and turned to the other two. “Does it look like it’ll scar?”
Na Yongkai shook their head. Huai Zhen added a “It shouldn’t.”
Ge Nianlan breathed a sigh of relief. If Yong Chenyu returned looking like that, then she would probably get bullied even more!
“U-um, Young Lord, could you let go of my head…”
Ge Nianlan gasped and did as he was told. He squatted next to her guiltily. “I’m sorry.”
“No, you don’t have to apologize,” Yong Chenyu said with a sniffle. She rubbed at her eyes. “It was my fault. It’s because my shoes are too big.”
Now that Ge Nianlan thought about it, her shoes were too big. On top of that, so was her dress. No matter how mistreated she was, they should at least keep up appearances at a large event! How could they bring her here with untailored clothing?
“Why are you wearing clothes so big?” Ge Nianlan asked.
“T-they are my older cousin’s hand-me-downs,” Yong Chenyu murmured. One look at Ge Nianlan and the others made her realize how strange that sounded.
Na Yongkai shifted from one foot to the other before tugging on the boys’ sleeves. Ge Nianlan awkwardly cleared his throat and Huai Zhen looked away.
“I see. It suits you,” Ge Nianlan said.
Yong Chenyu forced a smile. “Thank you.”
“Um…sit,” Ge Nianlan said.
He thought for a moment and tugged off the cape around him to place on the ground. Huai Zhen stopped him before he could do so and frowned.
“Young Lord, you still have your own banquet to return to later.”
“Ah, who cares. There are so many layers on my body, they’re not going to notice if something is missing,” Ge Nianlan said. He sat down first. Only then did Huai Zhen and the others follow.
He laid his head down on Huai Zhen’s lap and let out a relieved sigh. “My favorite spot in the world.”
Yong Chenyu watched them both with a hint of interest in her eyes. Although Huai Zhen sighed and nagged Ge Nianlan, she could tell that the latter didn’t mind as much as he let on. She smiled slightly until Ge Nianlan’s gaze settled on her again. She stiffened and hurriedly averted her gaze.
Ge Nianlan silently watched Yong Chenyu fidget. Huai Zhen glanced down at the boy and placed a hand over his eyes.
“Ah? A-Huai, what are you doing?” Ge Nianlan exclaimed.
“Blocking out the sun for you. If you’re laying on my lap, then doesn’t that mean you want to sleep?” Huai Zhen asked.
Ge Nianlan remained still for a moment before settling down further on the boy’s lap. He thought about what he should do next about Yong Chenyu as he dozed off.
About half an hour later, Ge Nianlan suddenly shot up like a reanimated corpse. The friendly conversation around him stopped and the trio looked at Ge Nianlan in shock.
He looked at Yong Chenyu and flashed a smile.
He knew what he must do.
A long sigh interrupted the ongoing conversations. Ye Mingxi slowly turned to Baili Liuye and laughed awkwardly. He turned to the others with a smile.
“Forgive him, my lords. He is drunk,” Ye Mingxi said.
The devil cultivators glanced at each other before begrudgingly laughing along.
“I see. Well, the wine in the Yinxue Region is stronger than that of the Yunheng Region, I have heard.”
“I certainly can feel the difference,” Ye Mingxi said. “However, potency of the alcohol hasn’t sacrificed the taste.”
“Well, of course! This is Black Mane Palace. They have the best of the best. The best gatherings, the best wine, and the best foods,” a devil cultivator joked.
“That’s right. Black Mane Palace has to be number one in everything. If they aren’t, it just feels wrong,” another said with a smirk. “Look at them now—they’re even the first to make an alliance with the righteous sects.”
“My goodness. Have you had too much to drink as well?” someone piped up. “How could you be so rude in front of the lord immortals?”
“Oh. My apologies, Lord Immortals,” the person said again. “I have forgotten myself.”
“No need for apologies,” Ye Mingxi said. “I also believe that it is impressive that Black Mane Palace was willing to accept and take the first step. Perhaps, that is why they have remained the reigning sect in the Yinxue Region for so many years.”
The faces of the devil cultivators twitched.
“Oh,” Ye Mingxi gasped. “I seem to have said something impolite. My apologies. The alcohol here is much stronger than back home. I have forgotten myself.”
The devil cultivators laughed awkwardly and made various excuses to leave. Only after they were gone did Ye Mingxi sit back down beside Baili Liuye. He rolled his eyes, much to Baili Liuye’s amusement. The man reached over and gently fixed Ye Mingxi’s hair, that was stuck on his clothes.
“Quite the conversationalist,” Baili Liuye said.
“I tried,” Ye Mingxi said. “They’re nothing compared to those old farts back home. No one can play passive aggressiveness as well as those old farts in the Pagoda Alliance.”
“Indeed,” Baili Liuye said. “The folk here are more straightforward. I wish they would just say it to our faces, as intended.”
“Do you want to start a war?”
“Perhaps not a war. But gatherings such as these are so boring. They always just drag,” Baili Liuye said.
As his words fell, the sound of the metal tray smashing into the ground interrupted the festive atmosphere. The dispersed attention immediately concentrated on the source of the noise.
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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“What is going on?” Ge Jinsheng glared at the unsightly scene. He looked at Yong Yuanchun. “What is the meaning of this? Why are you causing a scene at my son’s birthday?”
Yong Yuanchun immediately fell to his knees and prostrated to Ge Jinsheng. “M-my apologies, Your Excellency. I should not have lost my temper in front of so many people. I have ruined the Young Lord’s birthday banquet. However, I am even more ashamed to say that…that the gift I originally brought for the Young Lord was left behind at home.”
Ge Jinsheng wanted to scoff and throw the man out immediately. He made such a large scene just for this? Now look! Everyone was standing around awkwardly, waiting for a spectacle to happen!
“…Mistakes happen, Lord Yong,” Ge Jinsheng said coldly.
“I will accept any punishment Your Excellency deems fit!”
“This is supposed to be a joyous occasion. I will not be spilling blood, nor will I be punishing anyone,” Ge Jinsheng said. He scanned the crowd and saw Ge Nianlan and the others slip in. His brows furrowed. “You may stand, Lord Yong.”
“Please, Your Excellency. I shall give you anything you request, as compensation,” Yong Yuanchun said. He looked around frantically until his eyes landed on his niece. Then, with a fervent look in his eyes, he looked up at Ge Jinsheng. “How about my niece as the Young Lord’s concubine?”
The suggestion caused a stir amongst the crowd.
While it was commonplace for children in more prominent families to get engaged starting at twelve, these matters were often discussed privately. On top of that—to offer one’s own niece as a mere concubine was quite disgraceful for the party in question. It not only lowered the value of the poor girl, but also showed that the family had little care for her.
Ge Jinsheng’s eyes narrowed. He glanced up and found the girl shaking in her shoes. But his attention was taken away by Ge Nianlan, who was already standing beside the girl. His normally naïve warm eyes showed a flash of killing intent.
Upon realizing that Ge Jinsheng was watching him, Ge Nianlan controlled his expression and smiled.
“Lord Yong, what a bold proposal! You’re not even her father, yet you’re able to offer her up to be my concubine?” Ge Nianlan loudly asked as he walked to the center of attention. He frowned. “But how unfortunate. I like men, so I cannot possibly take her as my concubine.”
The announcement caused a fresh bout of whispers to spread amongst the partygoers.
“May I ask what caused such a scene to occur?” Ge Nianlan said to his father.
“…Lord Yong has forgotten your present, so he is trying to compensate.”
“What a grand compensation that is, offering up a whole, living person,” Ge Nianlan said. He glanced at Yong Chenyu, who was being carefully shielded by Huai Zhen and Na Yongkai. He turned his attention back to Yong Yuanchun. “I cannot take your niece as my concubine, nor my first wife, however, how about you leave her here as my new playmate?”
The whispers around them grew louder again and quickly settled back down.
“Play—of course! Sure!” Yong Yuanchun said. His eyes flashed greedily. So long as she was around the Young Lord, there will always be a chance for her. Who cares if he only favored men?
Ge Nianlan turned to Ge Jinsheng and cupped his hands together. “Father, for my birthday wish, I request that you accept Young Miss Yong as an official disciple of Black Mane Palace.”
Ge Jinsheng raised a brow. “This is your wish?”
“Yes, it is.”
“You only receive one wish a year. Are you sure this is what you are going to use it on?”
“I’m positive,” Ge Nianlan said with a bright grin.
Ge Jinsheng glanced at Yong Yuanchun. After a moment, he hummed lightly. “As you wish then. I will accept Young Miss Yong as an inner disciple of Black Mane Palace.”
The partygoers were baffled by the plot twists! Today, they not only found out that the Young Lord was into men, but now they witnessed the rare occurrence of an indoctrination of a disciple!?
“Bring the tonic,” Ge Jinsheng said to the nearest disciple.
The crowd grew even more excited.
Black Mane Palace, like every other devil sect, had their own set of initiations.
To become a Saint, one had to drink the poison concocted from the Six Stinger Flowers. If you were able to endure twenty minutes of the poison, riling through your system, you would be granted an antidote. However, this antidote would allow the Palace Master to control your life and death, thus forever linking you to Black Mane Palace.
The disciples drank a similar poison, except it only induced a fever that would last one day. It symbolized one’s willingness to go through anything in order to get into Black Mane Palace. It was a poison that even four-year-olds could consume without any adverse effects, so Ge Nianlan wasn’t too concerned.
Once the concoction arrived, Ge Nianlan took it from the servant who delivered it and walked it over to Yong Chenyu himself.
Huai Zhen stood hesitantly between him and the girl for a moment, but when he met Ge Nianlan’s gaze, he slowly backed off. Na Yongkai stepped to the side and lowered their head.
Ge Nianlan held the concoction out to Yong Chenyu with a gentle smile. “Drink.”
Yong Chenyu stared at the bowl for a long time before hesitantly glancing up at Ge Nianlan.
“Don’t worry and just drink it,” Ge Nianlan said.
Yong Chenyu looked at the bowl again. She had heard the entire conversation. If drinking this bowl of poison meant that she could leave that horrible household, then…
Yong Chenyu grabbed the bowl and downed it in one gulp.
The bowl fell to the ground and shattered.
Luckily, Ge Nianlan was prepared. He had already stepped ahead and caught Yong Chenyu before she fell to the ground. He immediately handed her off to Luo Qianwu, who had been keeping a close eye on the situation.
Ge Nianlan pulled Luo Qianwu close and whispered. “Take her to a guest room in my wing.”
Luo Qianwu nodded and swiftly left.
Once the large doors closed, Ge Nianlan let out a long sigh. He turned to the others and smiled. “The show is over. Continue to enjoy the festivities.”
And the crowd did just that.
Although everyone had their own thoughts, no one dared to bother Ge Nianlan anymore. The boy may seem innocent, but he was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, just like anyone else in the Yinxue Region!
Seeing as no one bothered with him anymore, Ge Nianlan chose to sneak out once again.
He wanted to see Yong Chenyu with no one else around, but he only got halfway down the hallway, when he heard Huai Zhen behind him.
“What are you doing?”
Ge Nianlan stopped and looked back at Huai Zhen. He grinned. “What do you mean?”
“Why did you say all that back there?”
“Oh. You mean about me liking men?” Ge Nianlan asked. He smiled and hopped closer to Huai Zhen. He lowered his voice, “I half-lied. I also like women.”
Huai Zhen clicked his tongue and pushed Ge Nianlan away. “You know that’s not what I meant.”
Ge Nianlan grinned as Huai Zhen grew more and more agitated. He finally lifted a hand and petted Huai Zhen’s head.
“Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing. What I did didn’t cross any lines,” Ge Nianlan said. “Besides, you also felt bad for her, didn’t you?”
“…You did that just because you felt bad for her?”
“Of course. Did you know that she’s a bastard child that gets treated like dirt back at the Yong Clan? I mean, you saw her uncle’s behavior. On top of that, they dared to give her ill-fitted clothing at such an important event. They clearly don’t care about her,” Ge Nianlan said.
Huai Zhen’s fist clenched at his sides slightly. “…Me, Na Yongkai, and now Yong Chenyu…you really like picking up strays, don’t you?”
Ge Nianlan looked at him in surprise before he let out a short laugh. “What are you saying? Why are you calling yourselves strays?”
Huai Zhen looked away. He didn’t know why, but he felt exceedingly uncomfortable. He should feel glad that Ge Nianlan managed to save an innocent girl from such a horrible household, but he didn’t. He wanted to run away, but as he turned on his heel, Ge Nianlan pulled him into a tight hug.
In just a year, Ge Nianlan had grown to be taller than Huai Zhen by a smidge. It was already irritating on regular days, but on days like this when everything felt awful, Huai Zhen was even more bothered. He tried to push Ge Nianlan away and was surprised by his strength.
“What are you doing?”
“A-Huai, you are my most precious friend,” Ge Nianlan said sweetly. “Don’t talk like that about yourself.”
“…Really?” Huai Zhen heard himself asking.
“Mn. I befriended you because I thought you were interesting. That’s why I befriended the other two too,” Ge Nianlan said. He stepped back. “It’s not because of pity or anything.”
Huai Zhen felt irritated again. “Are we all just interesting to you?”
Ge Nianlan thought about it. “Well, I guess there was a bit of obligation to befriend Yongkai and I guess I do feel pretty bad for Yong Chenyu.”
“…Then, what about me?” Huai Zhen asked.
Ge Nianlan met his gaze and grinned. At that moment, Huai Zhen knew that he had stepped into a trap.
“You? Well…I thought you were adorable,” Ge Nianlan said.
Huai Zhen’s face slowly heated up. He watched as Ge Nianlan laughed and felt the warmth of his touch. Then, he listened to his departing words and watched as the boy left him in the middle of the hallway.
Ge Nianlan hummed to himself as he made his way back to his wing.
When he arrived, he found Luo Qianwu there with Physician Lv.
“How is she?” Ge Nianlan asked.
“She’s fine. She is adjusting properly to the poison,” Physician Lv said. “She’ll be good by tomorrow morning.”
“That’s good,” Ge Nianlan said. “Thank you, Physician Lv.”
“Oh, please. I’m just doing my job,” the woman said with a chuckle. She hesitantly looked at Ge Nianlan. “And how are you feeling?”
“Better than ever,” Ge Nianlan said with a slap to his chest. “All thanks to your careful care!”
Physician Lv laughed. “Oh, you. Such sweet words.”
“But it’s the truth,” Ge Nianlan said. “Oh, right. Is there any medicine that the Young Miss can take to make her feel less uncomfortable?”
“Oh, there is!”
“Great. Could you give the prescription to Luo-gege please?”
“Of course,” Physician Lv said.
“Luo-gege, will you walk Physician Lv out?” Ge Nianlan asked.
“Yes, Young Lord.”
Ge Nianlan watched as the two left. After a moment, he softly cleared his throat.
“Ling Tong.”
Ling Tong appeared from the shadows. “Young Lord.”
“Ling Tong, could you go to the kitchen and tell them to make Young Miss Yong some congee?”
“Yes, Young Lord,” Ling Tong bowed and disappeared without a trace.
Ge Nianlan glanced at the door. He approached it, gave it a light knock, and let himself in.
Although the poison induced a survivable fever, it was still quite painful.
Yong Chenyu writhed on the bed uncomfortably. When she heard the door open, she watched as Ge Nianlan walked in. Her breathing was heavy, but she still attempted to stand and bow.
“Don’t do that. Just lay down,” Ge Nianlan said. He smiled. “How are you feeling?”
Yong Chenyu stared at Ge Nianlan. Perhaps it was her dazed mind, but she suddenly felt bold enough to ask the question that haunted her.
“Why…why did you help me?”
Ge Nianlan’s smile faded slightly. “I helped you because I wanted to.”
Yong Chenyu shook her head. “No one helps…just because they want to. Everyone has…has a price.”
Ge Nianlan’s smile fell from his face. He sat down on the nearby stool and looked at Yong Chenyu. “Do you think I’m like that too?”
Yong Chenyu struggled to nod.
“Well,” Ge Nianlan gently pushed Yong Chenyu back down and tucked her in. “You’re right.”
“What do you—”
“I want you to be loyal to me,” Ge Nianlan said. “I want you to take a Heaven Sworn Oath.”
Yong Chenyu’s eyes widened.
The Heaven Sworn Oath was how Huai Zhen had locked down so many people to his side in the future that the cursed artifact had shown him. It was a very well-known tactic to control a person’s minions. There were varying degrees. Most went for the simplest method, of making it so that the servant cannot harm the master. In essence, it bound the two together, but it was a one-way street. If the master wanted the servant to die, then they had no other choice than to die.
“I need one person. Just one person is good enough,” Ge Nianlan said.
“B-but why me? There’s…so many people on your side,” Yong Chenyu forced out.
“There’s no one on my side,” Ge Nianlan said with a breezy smile. “Their loyalty belongs to my father. If, one day, I were no longer the Young Lord, they would all leave me to rot.”
Yong Chenyu’s brows furrowed. She couldn’t possibly understand why Ge Nianlan would believe such a thing. On top of that, wasn’t it the irrefutable truth that he was the young lord? Or was Ge Jinsheng’s temper so horrible that Ge Nianlan feared the day he made one wrong move and was kicked out?
“Still…Why me?” Yong Chenyu asked.
“Because you’re like me,” Ge Nianlan said. “You don’t belong.”
Yong Chenyu stiffened.
“You’re the unloved bastard child. Everyone around wants you dead or treats you as a nuisance,” Ge Nianlan said. His eyes darkened, despite his gentle smile. He knew what that felt like all too well. “If you went missing, no one would look for you.”
Yong Chenyu gripped the blankets tightly as Ge Nianlan gently stroked her forehead with his thumb.
“That’s why you’re perfect for me,” Ge Nianlan said. “That’s why I brought you to my side. If you swear loyalty to me, I promise I will help you with your revenge.”
“…Revenge?”
“Don’t you want revenge?” Ge Nianlan asked. “Against all those people who wronged you?”
Yong Chenyu’s eyes burned with tears.
She wanted to get back at the man who forced her mother and then killed her when he found out she had given birth to a bastard child. She wanted revenge on those who harmed the nanny who was kind to her, causing her to forever be crippled. She did want revenge. She hadn’t realized how deep this desire of hers had been burning in the back of her mind. But the more she thought about it, the greater her desire became.
Ge Nianlan pulled the hairpin from his hair and pricked his finger. “I won’t ask for much. I just hope you’ll keep my secrets and complete the tasks that I assign to you to the best of your ability. And if the time ever comes, that you don’t kill me.”
Yong Chenyu looked at the red bead of blood, resting on Ge Nianlan’s finger. “And…for me…you’ll…”
“I’ll help you get revenge,” Ge Nianlan reiterated. He leaned against the side of the bed with a devilishly charming smile. “And I’ll help you become the next leader of the Yong Clan.”
Yong Chenyu’s eyes widened. “How…”
“You’ll be specially trained. And when the time comes, my father will support you,” Ge Nianlan said. “He doesn’t really like the current head of the Yong Clan. They have…personal grudges, you see. But if the next person in the Yong Clan was someone who was raised by us and is loyal to us, then it would be better for the relationships between the Three Great Clans.”
Yong Chenyu gulped. She wasn’t sure if she should believe Ge Nianlan, who was just a twelve-year-old boy. After all, what could a twelve-year-old boy do? However, something in her itched to believe him. Like someone lost in the desert, finding a god who offered them water, Yong Chenyu wanted to believe him. Perhaps, if she followed him, she would finally get what she desired most.
“You can think about it,” Ge Nianlan said. “Or—”
“I’ll do it,” Yong Chenyu said. She propped herself up and moved closer to Ge Nianlan’s finger. She met his gaze. “I, Yong Chenyu, swear my life and loyalty to you, Ge—”
“Ah,” Ge Nianlan interrupted her. “Baili Yihong.”
Yong Chenyu’s eyes widened a fraction. Mixed feelings stirred within her, but she realized the questions she wanted to ask had answers she was not privy to until she swore her loyalty. She gritted her teeth and continued.
“I, Yong Chenyu, swear my life and loyalty to you, Baili Yihong. I promise to execute your orders and keep your secrets till my very last breath. I swear upon Heaven that if I break these promises, my soul will be sent to the Eighteenth Layers of Hell, never to see peace again.”
Ge Nianlan held out his finger to Yong Chenyu. The girl lowered her head and licked up the singular bead.
A warm, burning sensation took over her mouth, then her throat. She gagged for a moment, but she kept the bile down. After a few minutes, the pain subsided. She fell onto the bed, panting and struggling to stay conscious.
Ge Nianlan patted her head and offered a cup of water. “Good job.”
Yong Chenyu took the water and looked at Ge Nianlan. Her eyes widened in horror.
The boy who sat beside her no longer looked like the Ge Nianlan she had met an hour prior.
The boy beside her had features that were not as gentle. His eyes had a cold, sharp intelligence to them. His face was still covered by the baby fat, yet there was a strange sharpness to his face. Before, he was already quite handsome. Now, he had an attractiveness to him that did not belong to this mortal realm. Yong Chenyu stared on in awe, but her soul trembled in fear.
Ge Nianlan helped the girl drink water and gently tucked her back in. He wiped her face of sweat and gently patted her, as if he were trying to coax her to sleep.
“Chenyu, I’ll explain everything when you’re better, okay? For now, just sleep.”
It was if all her worries melted away. She was no longer worried about the future and how she would survive. The image of Baili Yihong’s small form was burned into her mind, lulling her into the most peaceful sleep she ever had.
AAaaah one of my favorite chapters!
honestly me too LOL thanks for reading!
he is so sweetly hardcore, a phrase i dont think ive ever said before 👀
Sweetly hardcore LMAO thanks for reading 😂