Chapter 46: Qing Lian Immortal Lord Has a Thing with Me? – Quiet, I’m Thinking…

They hadn’t walked more than a few steps.

Gu Changhuai clutched his stomach, his face pale as he said, “Oh no, my stomach hurts! I must have eaten something bad in Ding Tian City.” He pushed Rong Ye. “You go up the mountain first. I’ll catch up soon.”

Rong Ye’s expression didn’t change. “Alright.” He showed no sign of doubt.

The moment the words left his mouth, Gu Changhuai turned and slipped away without pause. He was eager to hear what news Han Ya had brought back from the Demon Realm.

Behind him.

Rong Ye watched Gu Changhuai’s retreating figure with his usual gaze. Of course, the divine sense he had trailing right beside Gu Changhuai showed no sign of withdrawing.

…

He reached the riverbank, where no one was around, and the silence was profound.

As always, Gu Changhuai extended his hand. Han Ya swooped down from the sky, sunlight piercing through its inky wings to refract a dazzling array of colors.

The rainbow-hued black Han Ya perched on Gu Changhuai’s finger. Gu Changhuai asked, “How did it go? What was the Demon Venerable’s reaction this time?”

Han Ya pondered for a moment. “…Hard to say.” It twisted its head, which was no bigger than a fist, and rasped, “The old coot got the letter, read it, and told me to scram without a word.”

Gu Changhuai: “?”

Something was off.

Normally, when the Demon Venerable received a status report, he would at least leave Han Ya with a couple of sentences—either assigning a task, offering tactical praise, or passing along a message. Gu Changhuai asked dubiously, “He told you to leave, and you just left?”

Han Ya: “So I spied on him.”

“…” Perhaps feeling a thief’s guilt, Gu Changhuai lowered his voice. “What did you see? Spill it.”

Han Ya crowed confidently, “I saw him soaking in the Blood Pool, with eight-pack abs! Like this—you go usurp the throne, but don’t kill him. Make him your consort instead!”

Gu Changhuai: “…”

Gu Changhuai smiled faintly and chuckled twice. He revealed his pale, bony palm and gave the back of Han Ya’s head a friendly smack that rang out with two solid thwacks. “Lust clouds the mind! Lust clouds the mind!”

“Insolent! Insolent! How dare you disrespect the Ancient Demon Crow!” Han Ya was smacked flying and circled angrily over the river in front of them, ranting, “Ungrateful wretch! Ungrateful wretch!”

Its hoarse, grating voice echoed through the empty Water Town, carrying the piercing quality unique to bird calls, adding a touch of eerie spookiness to the whole place.

“Go on, shout a little louder if you dare.” Gu Changhuai tucked his hands into his sleeves leisurely, his eyes mild as he watched it. “Call Rong Ye over, and we’ll both die together.” His tone was light and lazy, yet laced with a faint chill.

Han Ya seemed to have its throat gripped and instantly shut up, falling silent.

It flew mutely to perch on the bow of an empty boat before grumbling reluctantly, “I just suggested you usurp the throne. Why get so mad?”

Gu Changhuai shot it a glance. “So all you spied was those eight-pack abs?”

“Not just that.” Han Ya perked up smugly again. “Your Ancient Demon Crow spied for several days and got some real results.”

Gu Changhuai invited politely, “Do tell.”

Han Ya puffed out its chest proudly, cleared its throat, and said, “When Xue Lao Er returned, I saw he’d lost an arm. He begged the Demon Venerable for mercy and went to heal in the Blood Pool.”

A severed arm?

Gu Changhuai recalled that after their fight, up until Xue Lao Er left, the man only had some superficial cuts from blade grazes—nothing else. So it must have happened after he departed, when Xue Lao Er clashed with someone else.

He asked, “Do you know who did it?”

Han Ya shook its head. “No idea—he didn’t say. But during his report to the Demon Venerable, I heard him mention you.”

Gu Changhuai raised a brow. “What did he say?”

Han Ya recounted succinctly, “…He said you and Qing Lian Immortal Lord have a thing going on.”

“…”

The air fell abruptly silent.

Gu Changhuai coughed sharply, incredulous. “Is he insane?”

Had Xue Lao Er somehow gotten hold of a Tongtian Instrument and heard Zhao Shuzhai’s explosive headlines? Or snuck into Ten Directions Garden to read Zhao Shuzhai’s latest work? Where else could he have gotten that conclusion?

He and Rong Ye?

Don’t be ridiculous.

If Rong Ye found out he was a Demon Realm spy, it’d be merciful if he just diced him up with the Qiankun Sword. Besides, he planned to rack up some achievements amid the chaos. Now that he was separated from Rong Ye, he could set a trap, snag a strand of Rong Ye’s hair, and send it back to the Demon Realm to prove his loyalty to the Demon Venerable.

Not that he had much loyalty. Better than none, though.

“Exactly! What nonsense!” Han Ya raised its head high, puffed itself up, and railed against Xue Lao Er. “You’re the master of this mighty Ancient Demon Crow! Who else could keep you company but me? He deserves to die!”

Gu Changhuai agreed with the first half and ignored the rest. On the point of Xue Lao Er’s ravings, he joined Han Ya in solemnly denouncing the man’s wild guesses a few times.

Afterward.

Gu Changhuai heard Han Ya continue, “I didn’t catch what they said next. The Demon Venerable also summoned the Left Protector.”

At the mention of the Left Protector, Gu Changhuai’s eyes sharpened. “Really?” No matter the matter, if the Demon Venerable involved the Left Protector, it was absolutely, definitely bad news.

“Of course! My eyes are sharp as ever—it was the Left Protector!” Han Ya flapped its wings menacingly. “That old coot’s up to no good. We need to watch out. If worst comes to worst, we usurp the throne…”

It kept muttering on, clearly hung up on the usurpation idea, trying to stir Gu Changhuai’s ambitions with words.

But Gu Changhuai wasn’t listening at all. He treated Han Ya’s mutterings as background noise, his thoughts drifting far away to the Left Protector.

As the Demon Clan’s number two, the Left Protector was no easy mark.

Gu Changhuai had only met the Left Protector once, right after becoming Shadow Head, when he was brought to see the Demon Venerable. Their interaction hadn’t lasted half a quarter-hour, so he didn’t know the Left Protector well.

He felt annoyed—annoyed that the Left Protector might be even trickier to handle than Xue Lao Er.

If the Demon Venerable’s suspicions lingered and he sent the Left Protector to make contact, one slip-up and he’d end up killing the Left Protector. Then he’d probably have no choice but to usurp the throne.

Being Demon Venerable came with way too many headaches.

Gu Changhuai couldn’t handle that drudgery. He just wanted to maintain the status quo—enjoy life while half-heartedly placating the Demon Venerable. Why couldn’t the Demon Venerable just let himself be placated in peace? Too many schemes were no good.

Han Ya was still listing the perks of being Demon Venerable, omitting all the downsides.

Gu Changhuai cut it off. “After Xue Lao Er returned and spouted his nonsense, what else did they say? Recount it fully for me.”

At that, a red glint flashed in Han Ya’s eyes. When it spoke, its voice shifted to Xue Lao Er’s cold tone. “Reporting to the Demon Venerable: En route, this matter was obstructed by the Enforcement Elder of Xinnan Immortal Sect. Lady Mengying struck and perished with him. Seizing the opportunity, your subordinate followed orders and unlocked Pei Tianyi’s half-demon bloodline. But just as it was unlocked, Qing Lian noticed, and the man was taken away by Qing Lian.”

It paused, then Xue Lao Er’s voice continued, “After the man was taken, Gu Sanbai proceeded with his mission as an inside man, awaiting Your Venerable’s transmission.”

“…”

After hearing it, Gu Changhuai paced slowly.

Han Ya started to speak, but he pinched its beak shut.

Quiet.

He was thinking.