Chapter 32: I’m a Good Person – What the Hell Was That Noise?

At that moment, a noise came from outside the door.

Lady Mengying scolded, “Useless things, drag them all away!” The servants’ faint pleas for mercy soon vanished into the air.

Footsteps approached from near to far, heading straight toward the room. Gu Changhuai’s eyes sharpened. He directly tore a jade pendant from Pei Tianyi’s body and tossed it into the crystal coffin.

With a snap of his fingers, he cast a spell. The moment the jade pendant landed in the coffin, it transformed into a perfect duplicate of Pei Tianyi, lying there quietly just as before.

Then he grabbed Pei Tianyi and ducked behind another screen. This one featured carved floral cutouts, allowing them to see the entire room clearly through the gaps. Gu Changhuai concealed their auras, swiftly applied an invisibility spell, and added a soundproof barrier for good measure.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Pei Tianyi hadn’t even processed what was going on before he watched Gu Changhuai move with effortless grace.

Meeting Pei Tianyi’s bewildered gaze, Gu Changhuai pressed a finger to his lips, signaling him to stay silent.

The next moment, the door burst open.

Lady Mengying rushed straight to the crystal coffin. Seeing the person inside lying peacefully, she finally let out a cautious sigh of relief.

She sighed again and stood guard by the coffin, gazing quietly at the “Pei Tianyi” within. Her eyes brimmed with deep affection, leaving the real Pei Tianyi, hidden behind the screen, utterly baffled.

What was with that look?

It was as if he meant the world to her, even though they’d never met.

As he pondered this, Pei Tianyi instinctively glanced at Gu Changhuai beside him and sent a silent transmission: “Who is she?” He hoped to get some answers.

…This kid still hadn’t figured it out. Gu Changhuai replied via transmission, “She’s your mom.”

Pei Tianyi: “?”

Mom?

He looked at Lady Mengying standing by the coffin, then back at Gu Changhuai. He froze for a moment before suddenly whipping his head around to stare at her again.

His pupils contracted in disbelief.

…

His mother, who had turned into a star, had suddenly come back to life. Anyone would be stunned. Pei Tianyi stood rigid in place for a long while, unmoving.

It wasn’t until Lady Mengying rose to leave that he snapped out of his daze.

Worried that Pei Tianyi’s emotions might overwhelm him, Gu Changhuai transmitted a reminder: “Don’t rush into a family reunion yet. Your dad’s still locked up. Follow her first and see what’s going on.”

Pei Tianyi’s hands clenched tightly at his sides, his face visibly panicked and confused. “How could this be… Wasn’t my mom a wandering rogue cultivator? How is she…”

A member of the Demon Clan, with demonic energy swirling around her.

Gu Changhuai: “…”

It seemed the Enforcement Elder had fed Pei Tianyi quite a few fairy tales.

At that moment, Lady Mengying called out, “Come in.” Four servants entered the room, their faces different from the ones dragged out earlier. Her expression cold, she said, “Guard the Little Young Master well. Remember what happened before. Report any unusual movements immediately. Do not leave your posts without permission.”

The servants bowed their heads obediently. “Yes, Madam.”

*

They slipped out of the room.

Gu Changhuai and Pei Tianyi trailed Lady Mengying from a safe distance. After about a quarter of an hour, they reached the most remote corner of Zhuangzi Manor.

Lady Mengying waved her sleeve at a wall overgrown with thorny rose vines. The thorns parted lively to either side, revealing a stone wall behind.

Gu Changhuai’s eyes narrowed slightly.

So that’s where it was hidden.

The next instant, Lady Mengying brushed her palm over the stone wall, shattering the illusion. A long corridor appeared on the wall, and she strode into it with a grim expression.

Once her figure vanished into the corridor, the illusion reformed on the stone wall, and the rose thorns began to close. Seeing this, Gu Changhuai immediately grabbed Pei Tianyi and followed.

They entered the corridor just before the illusion fully sealed.

…

The place looked no different from the other courtyards in Zhuangzi Manor, only hidden by illusion so deeply that not a trace of aura leaked out.

In the courtyard, two people faced off: Lady Mengying, her face stern, and the Enforcement Elder, who looked somewhat worn after his long captivity.

“Can’t you just let Tianyi be? Tell those cultivators to get lost! Don’t let them near my Tianyi anymore!” Lady Mengying slammed the table, screaming hysterically. “Tianyi deserves the best in the world, not to end up like you, practicing swordsmanship until you’re broke as a joke! A heartless, unfeeling sword cultivator!”

“Why must you be like this, Yingniang?” The Enforcement Elder sat on the other side of the table. Though aged, traces of his former handsome vigor remained. He spoke earnestly, “These years, he’s loved the way of the sword. So talented, he’d study sword techniques through the night for the Immortal Sect Grand Competition, cultivating diligently. If you force him onto the demonic path, Tianyi won’t be happy.”

Lady Mengying jabbed a finger at the Enforcement Elder. “Shut your mouth! If you hadn’t sealed his Demon Clan Bloodline when he was little, with his aptitude, he’d be a city lord by now!”

The Enforcement Elder countered, “But right now, he’s one of the Cultivation World’s top young prodigies, reaching the Nascent Soul Realm at such a young age!”

Lady Mengying’s chest heaved with rage. “That’s not his choice!”

“Then you can’t make him passively accept everything you shove on him!” The Enforcement Elder couldn’t hold back and raised his voice. “Nurturing Baleful Qi! How could you even think of that? That’s tens of thousands of lives! Do you think Tianyi would accept it with a clear conscience? And the pain of drawing in the baleful qi is worse than nine deaths in one life—what if something happened to him?”

Lady Mengying roared, “I’m his mother—how could I harm him? He must accept it!”

Oh, they’re really going at it!

Gu Changhuai watched leisurely from behind a pillar in the corridor, enjoying the drama like it was prime entertainment. He almost wished he had some melon seeds to munch on.

Compared to Gu Changhuai’s relaxed vibe, Pei Tianyi was having a rough time.

First learning his birth mother was a demon, then suddenly seeing his long-lost father. Piecing together the truth from their argument was enough to shatter the worldview of a boy raised on fairy tales. The shock hit him hard, turning his eyes red without him realizing.

The two in the courtyard kept arguing relentlessly, their voices echoing nonstop.

Pei Tianyi steadied his emotions a bit and couldn’t help asking Gu Changhuai, “Those tens of thousands for the Nurturing Baleful Qi… they all died because of me?” He couldn’t bear such guilt; his voice trembled. “Am I… a demon?”

Seeing him spiraling, Gu Changhuai offered measured comfort. “It’s not your fault. You don’t even know her—this is your first time meeting.”

“But if not for me, she wouldn’t have done the Nurturing Baleful Qi.” Pei Tianyi choked up, on the verge of tears.

Gu Changhuai: “…”

Respect others’ choices in life.

Gu Changhuai said, “Fine, then it’s all your fault.”

Pei Tianyi: “?”

Tears still welled in his eyes, unshed. He looked up at Gu Changhuai through them, transmitting in despair: “Shouldn’t you be comforting me?”

Why say something so cold!

Gu Changhuai spread his hands helplessly, his tone lazy. “I told you, you didn’t know. But you insist on taking the blame—how’s that my fault?”

He paused, then glanced at Pei Tianyi with indifferent eyes. “Besides, you’ve never met your birth mother growing up. And everything she’s done might not all be for you. No need to blame yourself.”

Pei Tianyi huffed and turned away, lips pursed in misery.

By then, the argument in the courtyard wound down to a temporary halt. After a silent moment, Lady Mengying sneered, “Stay put and don’t ruin my plans!” She flung her sleeve and stormed off.

The small courtyard fell silent again.

Finally, the Enforcement Elder in the courtyard sighed, lowering his head slightly, his figure tinged with loneliness.

Pei Tianyi stepped forward, his voice hoarse. “Dad, you lied to me. Mom didn’t turn into a star.”

Gu Changhuai: “…”

Still hung up on the star thing!

The sudden voice startled the Enforcement Elder. He turned to see Pei Tianyi and scanned him up and down. Seeing him unharmed, he exhaled in relief—then his gaze shifted to the demon-attired Gu Changhuai nearby, instantly wary. “And who might you be?”

Gu Changhuai pulled out his Supreme Peak identity token and flashed it. “I’m a good person.”

The Enforcement Elder understood at once, then suddenly sterned up and scolded Pei Tianyi. “Since you’ve escaped, why risk sneaking back in? Get out of here!”

Pei Tianyi grew anxious. “What about you? Why not leave?”

The Enforcement Elder refused to elaborate, his tone stern and cold. “Adult matters aren’t for kids to pry into.”

Gu Changhuai disagreed.

He sauntered over leisurely, his voice casual. “That’s not right. When adult matters involve tens of thousands of lives, I think the kid has a right to know.” He lifted an eyebrow at Pei Tianyi. “…Don’t you think?”

“Yeah, I want the truth!” Pei Tianyi mustered his courage, confronting his father directly for the first time. “You sealed my bloodline back then. Now Mom wants me to go demonic. You’ve never asked if I want this—if it’s okay.”

His voice cracked with sorrow. “You’ve always taught me to walk the righteous path, help the weak, be an upright sword cultivator. I’ve never forgotten. But without me knowing, tens of thousands died for me—how can I live with that? How can I let it go!”

He stared stubbornly at the Enforcement Elder after shouting.

The Enforcement Elder fell silent.

After deep thought, he closed his eyes and sighed again. He seemed to age years in an instant, fatigue etching his face. “Fine. Since this has alarmed the Immortal Venerable, you’ll learn the truth soon enough anyway. I’ll tell you.”

He paused, lost in memory. “It all started two hundred years ago…”

…

The incident occurred two hundred years prior.

The man who would become the Enforcement Elder was just a fledgling young sword cultivator then, steadfast in his justice. After descending from his sect, he roamed the lands slaying demons and protecting the dao.

One day, he found a blood-soaked girl by the roadside. He saved her, and once she awoke, he planned to leave.

But the girl wouldn’t have it. Insisting on repaying his life-saving grace, she clung to him from then on.

Beautiful and coquettish, full of enthusiasm, she flustered the inexperienced youth. He chose to slip away quietly, avoiding her everywhere.

Yet no matter where he went, she appeared.

Eventually, they traveled together, slaying demons side by side—like many paired cultivators in the Cultivation World. Naturally, they became dao companions.

The youth even dreamed of one day, when he could no longer wield his sword, retiring to the mountains to plant roses across the slopes for her—the flower she loved most—picking the two prettiest to pin in her hair.

But good times didn’t last.

His dao companion was a demon.

Even their first meeting was a setup. The blood on her came from her slaughtering an entire town.

The demon-slaying sword cultivator gained fame in the Cultivation World, but it bred hatred from the Demon Clan. Demons he’d wounded devised this scheme to teach him a lesson.

The reason he encountered her everywhere was that the demons he hunted were her—the very culprit.

The girl loved drinking human blood, irrigating herself with it to make the roses on her head bloom vibrantly.

At first, she only meant to toy with the upright sword cultivator, drawing close and pestering him deliberately. But gradually, she gave her heart for real.

A romance born of deception ended in tragedy.

The girl was pierced through by the youth’s sword. Then the demons took her away, vanishing before him. He didn’t pursue to finish her off.

That sword severed their bond.

At the time, they had just conceived a one-month-old child—half-human, half-demon—with one brown eye and one red, yet possessing supreme aptitude.

The youth picked up the heterochromatic-eyed infant, returned to Xinnan Immortal Sect in despair, and knelt before Supreme Peak for three days and nights, begging the Immortal Venerable to seal the child’s half-demon veins and guide him onto the righteous path.

From then on, Xinnan Immortal Sect gained a mischievous little young master, arrogant and willful in the sect, only to get whipped by his dad afterward.

As for the girl.

Unwilling to accept her fate after being “saved,” she plotted to reclaim her child and set him on her path. Thus began her preparations for Nurturing Baleful Qi.

Unsealing the child’s demon veins was step one.

Drawing the baleful qi into his body was step two.

But to bear supreme power required enduring supreme agony first.

The girl believed the pain was temporary—just grit through it, and he’d become a titan in the Demon Realm. Why slave away in the Cultivation World?

She thought, as her child, he could surely endure it.

Her ambitions went even further, so the baleful qi wasn’t just one strain. She doted on her child, heedless of whether he could stomach the weight of her “love.”

She also wanted to prove that the things she could give her child, the love she could give him, would not be one bit less than what that young man could offer. She was his mother, and her child ought to love and appreciate her.

Compared to cherishing her child, she seemed more like she was competing with that young man for a single breath of pride, determined to prove that the demon vein in her child would surely surpass his spirit vein.

Later, the girl came to be revered as Lady Mengying.

The young man became the Enforcement Elder of the immortal sect.

…

What a stirring tale of love, hate, passion, and enmity. Gu Changhuai popped a piece of candy into his mouth. It had been a long time since he’d heard such a captivating story.

“I cannot let your mother err again and again,” the Enforcement Elder said in a low voice. “Now that you know everything, leave quickly. I’ll handle things here myself.”

Having learned the truth, Pei Tianyi’s face turned ashen, and he said nothing, as if his soul had left his body and not yet returned.

Seeing him like this, the Enforcement Elder turned to Gu Changhuai. “Take him away quickly. Don’t let Yingniang discover he’s awake.”

That went without saying. The moment Gu Changhuai had awakened Pei Tianyi, he’d sent a message via token to Jin Shuang outside, asking him to come and escort Pei Tianyi away.

By his calculations, they should have reached the edge of the manor by now.

Moreover…

Gu Changhuai pondered as the temporary illusion puppet he’d conjured in the crystal coffin was probably about to wear off. Once Lady Mengying realized it, and if she alerted Xue Lao Er and Shi Ying, things would get messy.

It wasn’t that he was afraid.

It was just troublesome.

Killing Shi Ying would be no big deal, but Xue Lao Er… If something happened to him, what excuse could he use to brush off the Demon Venerable?

Such a hassle.

With that in mind, he furrowed his brow slightly, grabbed Pei Tianyi, and headed out.

Pei Tianyi wandered in a daze, his expression still carrying a hint of bewilderment as he looked toward the Enforcement Elder. “Dad, why aren’t you coming with me?”

The Enforcement Elder did not answer. He simply turned his back and waved him off, ignoring him no longer.

They exited the hidden courtyard.

Gu Changhuai mulled over how to shift the blame—who should he pin this on?—while absentmindedly consoling the somewhat distraught Pei Tianyi. “Look on the bright side. Maybe your parents will rekindle their old flame—who knows?”

Pei Tianyi fell silent for a moment, his mood low. “No, my dad has been upright and honorable his whole life. I’m afraid my mother and I are the only stains on his existence…”

Halfway through his words, he suddenly stopped, snapping back to reality. He turned to run back. Gu Changhuai grabbed his collar. “What are you doing?”

They were almost at the barrier entrance. Why go back now? What if someone spotted them?

Pei Tianyi’s eyes turned bloodshot with anxiety. “No, that’s not right. My dad, he wants to…”

“You’re in league with those cultivators after all!” A chilling voice rang out abruptly, cutting off Pei Tianyi’s words.

It instantly soured Gu Changhuai’s mood. He glanced over with utterly calm eyes.

Tch.

The annoying trouble had arrived.

Shi Ying materialized abruptly from a puff of black smoke, blocking their path. He glared hostilely at Gu Changhuai. “Daring to secretly abduct the Little Young Master—even if the Demon Venerable himself came, he couldn’t save you today!”

Gu Changhuai: “…”

What the hell was that racket?

Oh.

The sound of a boast bursting.