Chapter 29

Gu Xiaodeng stubbornly kept active all morning, stopping and starting, breaking out in drenching sweats several times and wiping his brow now and then. He didn’t even notice when Guan Yunji and the others left. During his rest breaks, his mind wandered to insignificant, fleeting fantasies.

Over the past few years, Gu Xiaodeng would occasionally have strange dreams. He’d dream of himself turning into various young beasts, like a rabbit or a puppy, or into all sorts of objects, like a stick of candied hawthorn or a plate of uncut crispy pork. No matter the transformation, the dream always ended the same way: he’d get eaten.

If he dreamed he was an object, it was better—he felt no pain. But if he dreamed he was an animal, he’d invariably experience, in a hazy, indistinct way, the sensation of being torn apart and devoured, bit by bit, as a living creature.

Like last night’s dream of being gnawed on by a white wolf. He could imagine the feeling of his rabbit flesh and skin being ground between the wolf’s teeth, and how his scalding rabbit blood would flow down the creature’s throat.

These dreams were somewhat terrifying. However, Gu Xiaodeng had always abandoned “darkness” for “light.” Nightmares were one thing; the waking world was reality. Often, upon waking, he’d be so scatterbrained that he’d completely forget the gloom of his dreams.

After a satisfying bout of training that lasted until noon, Gu Xiaodeng stretched contentedly. He meticulously pressed the acupuncture points all over his body several times, acting as his own physician, and felt he had expelled most of the sickness from his system.

Happily dusting off his robes, he headed back to the Student Courtyard. But as he passed through a covered corridor, he faintly heard weak sobbing. Furrowing his brow, he quietly followed the sound. He was used to walking with a pitter-patter; this mousy way of moving was something Gu Jinyu had personally demonstrated for him to copy.

The sobbing came from a low flower bed outside the corridor, figures hidden beneath the dense foliage and blooms. Gu Xiaodeng rolled up his sleeves and nimbly jumped down from the corridor. The spring rain wasn’t heavy. He picked up a few stones from the muddy ground and braved the drizzle, calling out, “Who’s in the flowers?”

There was a rustling from the flower bed. Gu Xiaodeng weighed the stones in his hand, stepped onto the bed’s edge, and peered down on tiptoe. He spotted three figures not far off—two larger ones pinning down a smaller one. The leader looked up, revealing a familiar face to Gu Xiaodeng.

It was the son of a military official who also sat in the front row, but at the far right. He’d entered the private academy two years ago. His name was Yue Xunzhi. He was the same age as Gu Xiaodeng and had a strong, muscular build. He was a kinsman of the Crown Princess’s maternal family. The Yue Clan has been a rising power over the last decade. Though their foundation was unstable, as the Crown Princess gradually took control of power, the entire Yue Clan had risen along with her.

Gu Xiaodeng’s initial impression of him had been decent, for no other reason than Yue Xunzhi got along well with Ge Dongchen. Gu Xiaodeng, guided by “love for the house extends to the crow on its roof,” assumed this Yue fellow was like Ge Dongchen—an unpretentious, straightforward martial artist with no airs. Even when Gu Jinyu warned him early on that this guy was bad news, he figured he couldn’t be that terrible.

As it turned out, a little over a month after Yue Xunzhi entered the academy, he deliberately ambushed Gu Xiaodeng during a holiday break.

The guy had considerable strength. When Gu Xiaodeng struggled for real, he also charged recklessly. In the scuffle, Gu Xiaodeng took a nasty spill, his left forearm slamming against a jagged stone. Blood quickly stained his plain white student’s robes a deep red.

The wound wasn’t large but was somewhat deep. It took Gu Xiaodeng quite a while to fully heal. Yue Xunzhi received punishment, his arm broken by someone, yet he continued attending the academy with his arm in a sling.

Later on, Gu Xiaodeng heard some scandalous private gossip about Yue Xunzhi that truly reshaped his understanding of people. From then on, he’d made a detour whenever he saw him. It was precisely because of this bastard that Gu Xiaodeng felt an even more chilling awareness of the dirty intentions behind those who had bullied him in the past.

Now, seeing Yue Xunzhi, Gu Xiaodeng’s gut instinct screamed trouble. Guessing this dead pervert was definitely tormenting someone, he strode right into the flower bed. “I heard crying. Who’s crying?”

Yue Xunzhi stared at him, seemingly dazed and slow to react. From underneath, however, a pitiful, wailing cry of a child’s voice burst out: “It’s me! Su Xiaoyuan!”

At that, Gu Xiaodeng sucked in a sharp breath. Flexing his foot, he shot forward and swiftly landed a kick on Yue Xunzhi.

Caught off guard, Yue Xunzhi was knocked sideways. His companion, likely not a very willing participant in this despicable bullying, immediately seized the chance to let go. Even more afraid that Gu Xiaodeng would tattle to Su Mingya, this companion raised both hands to signal he’d been “coerced.”

Just like a leopard, Su Xiaoyuan threw off the cover of flora and scrambled up. He bolted behind Gu Xiaodeng like lightning, crying loudly and shouting his accusations: “He stripped my clothes! And he… he pressed against my thigh!”

Yue Xunzhi slapped his shoulder and tried to get up. Grinding his teeth in fury, Gu Xiaodeng’s hands and eyes moved with speed and precision. He stepped forward and kicked out hard again, his boot covered in mud and leaves smashing directly into Yue Xunzhi’s handsome face. “You rotten scoundrel!”

Yue Xunzhi took a direct kick to the face, nearly toppling backwards into the flowers. Yet, he just grinned through the spattered mud, appearing to be in a good mood. “Gu Shanqing, long time no see. Is this how you greet a classmate? Not bad, got some fire. I don’t hate it.”

Hearing that laugh made Gu Xiaodeng’s spine crawl. He spun around, grabbed Su Xiaoyuan, and prepared to flee. But behind him, Yue Xunzhi, lacking any trace of noble bearing, hauled himself forward through the muddy flowers to seize one of Gu Xiaodeng’s feet, his grip immensely strong.

“Gu Shanqing, I’ll lay it out for you. You’d better pray that side can keep protecting you…”

Gu Xiaodeng couldn’t care less about his crazy rambling. He lifted his other foot and stomped that ugly face again with a yell. Immediately, he hauled Su Xiaoyuan into a mad dash. “Run, run, run! He’s a dead pervert!”

Behind them, Yue Xunzhi’s laughter clung to them like an unshakeable ghost, circling overhead. “You both better pray. You’d best always have someone covering for you. Otherwise, sooner or later, I’ll ruin at least one of you.”

Gu Xiaodeng’s hairs stood on end. He fled without looking back, dragging the boy with him. Fortunately, Su Xiaoyuan was naturally a bit of a rabbit—his legs didn’t turn to jelly. Shrieking wildly, he followed Gu Xiaodeng’s desperate sprint.

Gu Xiaodeng didn’t stop running until he’d pulled the boy all the way back to his own dormitory. A short while later, Su Xiaoyuan recovered his wits. Wiping away tears, he thanked Gu Xiaodeng profusely: “Worthy Brother Gu, thank you, thank you! If you hadn’t come to my rescue, I don’t know what state I’d be in now!”

Seeing his wretched state, Gu Xiaodeng practically saw his past self. Sighing, he patted Su Xiaoyuan’s head. “That guy is a bastard. He has power, influence, and backing from the adults. If you can’t afford to provoke him, just hide. Next time you see him, slip away as fast as your feet can carry you.”

Nodding vigorously like a startled quail, Su Xiaoyuan stood by as Feng’en brought a towel to wipe the mud and leaves off him. He offered his thanks in a flurry.

Gu Xiaodeng tilted his head and watched him for a moment, puzzled. “Are you really from the Su family? You don’t seem much like them.”

Su Xiaoyuan’s face flushed red. Holding his cup pitifully, he looked at Gu Xiaodeng and stammered out his entire background. In short, he was a distant relative of the Su Family Manor. Seeing his decent aptitude, the main family had brought him over for training four years ago. This year, they’d sent him to Vast Marsh Academy for a year of study. Upon completion, he could return to the Su family and be assigned other duties.

Gu Xiaodeng studied him with curiosity for a while. “Your seat in the classroom wouldn’t happen to be in the last row, would it?”

Su Xiaoyuan nodded, his gaze flitting to Gu Xiaodeng’s face constantly. “Yes! Right to the left of you, Worthy Brother Gu.”

Stroking his chin, Gu Xiaodeng stated bluntly, “Sounds to me like your situation is a lot like my old one. I was bullied when I first started too, until I went to your Little Uncle for help, and things got better. So, after entering the academy, have you gone to see him, that Little Uncle of yours? He got back to Bamboo Courtyard yesterday and will be staying here for three days.”

“No.” A timid look came over Su Xiaoyuan. “I saw him once from afar at the main family estate. He has a very strong presence, seemed hard to approach.”

“Really?” Gu Xiaodeng was confused. To him, that sickly beauty was the gentlest person to most of the noble kids’ circle.

Su Xiaoyuan nodded with certainty and asked him, lost and afraid: “Are there other bad people like that in the academy?”

“Yes.” Gu Xiaodeng patted the boy on the head again. He mentally reviewed the academy students and told Su Xiaoyuan everything he knew, clearly explaining the things that required vigilance, hoping to sharpen his alertness.

At any rate, he shouldn’t end up like Gu Xiaodeng, who still, to this day, didn’t know the identities of the two dead perverts who’d molested him in Candle Dream Pavilion years ago.

Su Xiaoyuan listened intently to his words, his two small fists clenched, a look of bewildered uncertainty on his face, but also a stubbornness born of a newborn calf unafraid of tigers.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Gu Xiaodeng grinned at him. “You don’t have to be afraid. Since you sit to my left, I’ll keep an eye out for you. You can be friends with me first. If anyone tries to bully you, I can at least put up a shield for you, for better or worse.”

Red-rimmed eyes and a flushed face, Su Xiaoyuan stared at him for a long time, then stammered out his thanks again: “You are truly beautiful in appearance and kind in heart. I’m sorry, I originally held some prejudices against you, Worthy Brother Gu. I’m truly… truly damned!”

Gu Xiaodeng couldn’t help but laugh. He could guess with his toes where Su Xiaoyuan’s prejudices had come from, and he didn’t even want to inquire about his image in others’ mouths. With a wave of his hand, he simply had Su Xiaoyuan stay for lunch.

As it happened, he was in the mood for making friends. Having a little pal was a happy thing.

Finding this little pitiful creature today was like picking up a copy of his past self. Treating himself well was a must.

Initially, Su Xiaoyuan was a bit reserved, but he couldn’t withstand Gu Xiaodeng’s chatterbox nature. After the meal, his guard quickly dropped. He scooted his stool closer to Gu Xiaodeng, constantly watching him while he talked.

And as he watched, he actually started drooling.

Gu Xiaodeng thought he might be sick and seriously took his pulse. His final diagnosis: hopeless romanticism.

He even touched his own face in surprise. “Your aesthetic tastes run toward my type? There are actually lots of really good-looking people in the academy, you know.”

“Th-this… You’re objectively very beautiful. I don’t think I’ll ever see another face that makes me drool.” Su Xiaoyuan, ears bright red, wiped his chin and hurriedly changed the subject. “Do you know medicine?”

“I do! You can just call me Brother Shanqing or Brother Xiaodeng.” Gu Xiaodeng laughed delightedly and smugly, thinking to himself that in just a short while, he would be able to heal one of the most important patients in his life.

At this very moment, the sickly beauty Gu Xiaodeng was thinking of was sitting quietly alone in Bamboo Courtyard.

Su Mingya listened to a servant report on the day’s new happenings, turning the Buddhist prayer beads and the ornamental coin on his left hand with his right. He wasn’t overly concerned about Yue Xunzhi but asked in a calm tone: “He met Su Xiaoyuan without any wariness at all?”

The servant understood what the master really meant.

He simply wanted Gu Shanqing to react in some way—to get jealous, to fly into a rage, and ultimately come stomping over to Bamboo Courtyard on his own initiative. Whether to vent his anger, or better yet, to act coquettishly… in any case, to continue groveling at his feet, allowing him to look down upon his beauty and continue savoring his body and spirit.

However…

The servant could only answer with extreme caution: “Given Young Master Shanqing’s thinking, after meeting Su Xiaoyuan, he likely wouldn’t make any connections at all. Unless you point it out to him, Your Excellency, he probably won’t understand a thing.”

Su Mingya chuckled lightly. “He’s transparent enough. He feigns ignorance and simply ignores it.”

The servant groaned inwardly, recognizing this reaction as another sign of anger.

Since last year, this Eldest Young Master had been prone to bursts of temper. On one hand, it was the pressure from the Su family gradually entrusting him with important tasks as his health improved. On the other hand, he likely couldn’t accept, or refused to accept, that his own heart could be swayed by the joy and anger of a person of inferior status, to the point of disregarding all other realities.

After all, he had initially just treated him as a plaything, a trinket to be toyed with, whether out of rivalry or revenge.

How could it have developed into this current state? Tossing and turning for an entire month over a mere object?

What a colossal joke.

In the evening, Gu Xiaodeng saw Su Xiaoyuan off, escorting him back to his dormitory and memorizing the distance between their two buildings. As he walked back at a brisk pace, he spotted a handsome young man standing in front of his door.

The young man stood under the eaves, tilting his face up to watch water droplets falling from the upturned eaves, unconsciously frowning slightly. A look of distress he wanted to hide but couldn’t.

After all, his unique eyes had a tendency to turn green whenever they came into contact with moisture.

It had been a while since Gu Xiaodeng had seen him. He raised his umbrella and hurried over.

“Brother Dongchen! Long time no see, what brings you here?”

Ge Dongchen’s eyelashes fluttered, and he looked down, a smile slowly spreading across his face.

Four years ago, when Gu Xiaodeng had just started “being friends” with Su Mingya, Ge Dongchen had been sulky toward him for a while. But not long after, he became as amiable as before.

Ge Dongchen always smiled good-naturedly when he saw Gu Xiaodeng, occasionally coming over on his own initiative to chat and pass the time… and sometimes, to share a little drink.

Gu Xiaodeng had pitifully few friends. Though he never really took the initiative to get close to Ge Dongchen, the goodwill he felt for this “life-saving benefactor” remained in his heart. Back when he encountered those two dead perverts at Candle Dream Pavilion, it was Ge Dongchen who’d carried him back that night. He was also the first person to give Gu Xiaodeng advice on “the way to survive.”

“Just got back from the military camp this morning.” Ge Dongchen lowered his head and smiled at Gu Xiaodeng. “Classes start next month, so I came back early to dodge military affairs. Slept in all morning, and in the afternoon, I thought I’d come visit some friends. Just wandering along, and here I am at your place, Xiaodeng.”

Gu Xiaodeng looked closely at Ge Dongchen’s face. Perhaps because of his half-Southern Border Tribe blood, his features had grown increasingly deep and chiseled over the past few years, practically becoming the very definition of strikingly handsome.

Gu Xiaodeng also felt that if it weren’t for Ge Dongchen’s frequent, carefree smiles, those profound features would be so deep as to be almost sinister.

“Your eyes are a little green.” Gu Xiaodeng pointed to his own eye and whispered. “Hurry, come inside. Getting caught in the rain would be terrible!”

Ge Dongchen squinted his eyes and followed behind, like a smiling, giant crocodile.

He hadn’t even sat down yet before he smiled, seemingly without any particular intent, and asked: “Has that Yue been giving you trouble again?”

“Ha! Where did you hear that?” Gu Xiaodeng’s eyes widened. He poured a cup of hot ginger tea and handed it to him. “Here, drink this to ward off the chill.”

Ge Dongchen accepted the cup. His rough fingertips traced the rim sensually, like caressing a lover, as he smiled and pressed on: “He didn’t bully you, did he?”

Sitting in a chair with both feet propped against the decorative patterns on its legs, Gu Xiaodeng first gave him a serious bit of advice. “Brother Dongchen, don’t you go getting into any more fights with him, okay?”

Two years prior, after Yue Xunzhi had scraped Gu Xiaodeng’s left arm badly, Ge Dongchen had abruptly become hostile with Yue Xunzhi. Behind the scenes, in the military camp, they’d fought fiercely under the pretext of a sparring match. Ge Dongchen had to rest for over half a month before returning to the academy. As far as Gu Xiaodeng was concerned, it was a case of killing ten thousand enemies but losing five thousand of your own—totally unnecessary.

Moreover, if not for that violent clash and the resulting bloodshed, Gu Xiaodeng would never have had the opportunity to test his own blood.

Everything had its good and bad sides, just as evil could never triumph over good, darkness could never outshine light. Gu Xiaodeng wasn’t that traumatized by the injury. Rather, he had a broad-minded attitude that viewed it as a blessing in disguise.

Ge Dongchen smiled and agreed, seeming quite pleased by the concern.

Thinking what a loyal friend he truly was, Gu Xiaodeng then told him about Su Xiaoyuan’s predicament. With a sympathetic pity for someone akin to himself, he added, “He’s so pitiful; I’m just afraid that dead pervert will set his sights on him.”

Ge Dongchen laughed, his focus landing on the term of address. “That scumbag doesn’t deserve the title ‘dead pervert.’ Why don’t you curse him with something else?”

He thought to himself: That Yue is just some horny, rotten piece of trash who crawled out of nowhere, his methods third-rate. In terms of being a pervert, how could he ever compare to me? Does he even deserve to compete with me for that title?

“Dead Pervert”—that was his, Ge Dongchen’s, exclusive code name with Gu Xiaodeng.