Chapter 59: What Kind of Confidant? I’ve Already Become…

As soon as the words fell, the air froze solid.

“…”

Rong Ye closed his eyes and fell silent for a moment before his voice came out somewhat hoarse. “Calm down. Nothing will happen.”

“Hm?” Gu Changhuai didn’t understand. Hearing Rong Ye say this, he immediately turned his gaze to him. “Did the Immortal Lord take the dagger?”

“…” Rong Ye’s eyes were calm and unruffled as he nodded faintly. “…Mm.”

Though the other man’s expression was as indifferent as ever, Gu Changhuai somehow sensed a trace of an indescribable strangeness about Rong Ye.

Gu Changhuai: “…”

How odd.

But he quickly cast this peculiarity aside. Since the hidden weapon wasn’t in the bed anymore, there was no need for him to keep rummaging. He pulled off the bedding wrapped around him, leaped off the bed, and went to change clothes.

…

The door creaked open, then shut again.

Rong Ye had already gone downstairs first.

Wait.

Gu Changhuai suddenly looked up. That bite mark on Rong Ye’s neck didn’t seem covered… and he’d gone downstairs just like that?!

On second thought, Rong Ye had always been like this. He didn’t care much about others’ gazes, his aura forever bone-chillingly cold and keeping everyone at a distance.

And with Rong Ye’s strength, he truly could disregard everyone.

It seemed normal enough.

With that in mind, Gu Changhuai casually lowered his head and fastened his belt. Mm… as long as he didn’t say anything, no one would know he was the one who bit him.

Who knew!

There weren’t any people from the Cultivation World here anyway!

He casually pinned up his long hair with a jade hairpin, patted his hands, and a careless smile returned to his lips. Humming a little tune, he sauntered downstairs.

As soon as he opened the door,

From the upstairs landing, he could see straight into the lobby. At the entrance, Hua Mei dragged in Pei Tianyi, who was tied up like a dumpling. Hua Mei’s alluring face was full of exhaustion and resentment, while the bound Pei Tianyi wore an indignant expression. He struggled futilely against the ropes, stewing with pent-up frustration.

Hua Mei looked up and locked eyes with him.

Gu Changhuai: “…”

Oh no.

Gu Changhuai took a step back and “slam” shut the door. Out of sight, out of mind. He vaguely heard Hua Mei blurt out a “You…” before Rong Ye cut him off and called the two away.

…But what did he have to hide from?

Gu Changhuai scratched his head in confusion. It felt like an instinctive urge to dodge, but he hadn’t done anything shameful!

Besides, who would dare ask Rong Ye about the bite mark? Even if they did, he could just deny it.

Having thought it through, Gu Changhuai opened the door and walked out again. In the inn’s lobby, the three men each occupied a corner. Gu Changhuai calmly took the last empty seat.

Silence spread.

The atmosphere grew heavy, rendering the surrounding clamor irrelevant, as if it had nothing to do with their little world.

“Knock knock.” Gu Changhuai tapped the table, breaking the inexplicable dead air first. “Why isn’t anyone talking?” He flicked his gaze toward Hua Mei. “Something on your mind?”

Hua Mei gulped down water, his eyes full of grievance. “You bet. You’re having a great time sightseeing, while I’m stuck babysitting!” He glared at Pei Tianyi.

Gu Changhuai corrected him. “Two hundred years old. Not a kid.” His gaze swept over the despondent, handsome youth. “This body’s sturdy enough to father eight kids.”

At those words, Pei Tianyi incredulously shifted his gaze to Gu Changhuai, staring blankly at him with reddened eyes—like a silent accusation. Say what?

“If you don’t like it, one’s fine too.” Gu Changhuai casually comforted him before turning back to Hua Mei. “No more jokes. Why’d he come back tied up?”

They’d gone to Lingtai Slope for training. With their strength, as long as they didn’t venture too deep into the inner areas, they shouldn’t face much danger.

Mentioning it made Hua Mei sneer. “This kid was asking for death.” He explained, “We were fine training at Lingtai Slope when suddenly he grabbed his sword and headed for the Demon Realm. If I hadn’t tied him up quick, he’d have charged right into the Demon Palace!”

As he finished, Rong Ye, who had been quietly sipping tea nearby, lifted his eyes.

Gu Changhuai stared at Pei Tianyi and fell silent. “…”

What a reckless little fool!

Whether out of guilt or shame, Pei Tianyi avoided everyone’s gazes, lips pressed tight in stubborn silence.

After a quiet moment, Gu Changhuai smiled politely and suggested, “If you’re seeking death, we could reluctantly oblige. No need to head to the Demon Realm.”

Pei Tianyi: “…”

Rong Ye’s expression was icy as he eyed Pei Tianyi. “What exactly are you thinking? You can speak plainly.” His flat tone carried an inexplicable chill.

On the side, Gu Changhuai stayed quiet too, propping his chin and watching Pei Tianyi’s reaction.

Hearing Rong Ye’s voice, Pei Tianyi buried his head even lower. After brewing for a long time, he finally spoke lowly. “These past days training at Lingtai Slope, my spiritual power hasn’t grown at all. It’s even showing signs of a Heart Demon taking hold… So I thought, rather than fall to the demons, I’d take my sword and go down with the Demon Venerable before losing my mind.”

Gu Changhuai scoffed without mercy. “You think you could even get near the Demon Palace? You’d probably turn to ash before seeing the Demon Venerable’s face.”

Pei Tianyi’s eyes dimmed, and he pressed his lips together without a word.

“Hand,” Rong Ye said.

Pei Tianyi obediently extended his hand. Rong Ye checked his spiritual meridians, then lowered his eyes in silent contemplation without a word. Gu Changhuai watched for a bit before asking Rong Ye, “How is it?”

“There is indeed a Heart Demon,” Rong Ye said concisely. “The seal hasn’t loosened. It’s his own Heart Demon. He must overcome it himself.”

In other words, no one could help Pei Tianyi.

Hua Mei rubbed his forehead. “No wonder he went off to die.”

Gu Changhuai’s fingertips tapped lightly on the table as his gaze idly swept over Pei Tianyi.

The once spirited young man now showed undisguised dejection in his expression, his eyes dull and lost.

He’d probably grown anxious from his stagnant cultivation during training, birthing a Heart Demon that drove him toward the Demon Realm. Otherwise, this kid would still be fixated on competing for the next Enforcement Elder position. Staring for a while, Gu Changhuai sighed. “I thought you’d figured it out. Turns out you’re still stuck in a dead end.”

“I can’t even control my Lifebound Sword. How could I compete with other cultivators for the Elder position?” Pei Tianyi clenched his fists, flames flickering in his eyes. “Better to go out fighting than die unknown—hiss!”

Halfway through, he was abruptly interrupted. Pei Tianyi clutched his forehead in confusion and looked at Gu Changhuai. “Why’d you hit me?!”

At least he had some spark now. Gu Changhuai withdrew his hand. “To knock some sense into you!” His tone was casual. “Hua Mei could tie you up and drag you back, and you think you can take on the Demon Venerable? Dream on.”

It was a fair point, and Pei Tianyi deflated, lowering his head. “But I’ve tried countless times. Not only is my cultivation not as good as before, even my spiritual energy absorption is slower…”

“Who says good opportunities only come from the Cultivation World?” Gu Changhuai slowly lifted his teacup, gesturing for Rong Ye to pour him some. Then he turned to Pei Tianyi with earnest advice. “Whatever path you take or thing you do, it all depends on the sword in your hand.”

Pei Tianyi seemed thoughtful.

At that moment, Rong Ye lifted the teapot and poured half a bowl for Gu Changhuai, reminding him, “Hot.”

Gu Changhuai blew on it and took a sip before continuing to Pei Tianyi. “Cultivate properly. Don’t act without thinking. You’ll have to break through the Heart Demon yourself.”

It was unclear if Pei Tianyi took it in or not; he seemed lost in thought. Gu Changhuai patted his shoulder. “No worries. Qing Tang City’s lively these days. Rest here a couple days and don’t overthink.”

Rong Ye added, “Occasional slacking is a form of cultivation too.” A waiter brought over a bowl of oil-splashed noodles, and he handed it straight to Gu Changhuai.

Their actions were so natural that Hua Mei’s gaze darted rapidly between Rong Ye and Gu Changhuai, his eyes narrowing as he thought furiously…

Something was up with these two!

Oblivious to Hua Mei’s odd look, Gu Changhuai said to Pei Tianyi, “Hear that?”

Pei Tianyi snapped back. “Mm, got it.”

He still looked half-dead, but at least his eyes had some life now, unlike the utter lifelessness from before.

After a brief pause,

Rong Ye stood, tapped the table, and glanced coldly at Pei Tianyi. “Come.” He turned and headed upstairs to the room. Clearly, he had something to say. Pei Tianyi hurried after him.

Gu Changhuai couldn’t care less about their private talk. Good riddance—it wouldn’t interrupt his noodles. The aroma had him drooling already. He quickly mixed them and took a big bite.

Then blissfully narrowed his eyes.

So good!

Across from him, Hua Mei finally couldn’t hold back a snort of laughter. “…No words for me? No explanation?” He propped one hand on his hip, raised a brow, and stared accusingly.

Gu Changhuai chewed away, looking baffled.

Explain what?

What was with that tone?

He swallowed with effort and rolled his eyes. “Don’t use that resentful wife tone. People who don’t know might think I did something shady.”

Hua Mei scoffed. “Isn’t it shady?” He leaned in, lowering his voice gossipily. “What’s with the bite mark on Qing Lian’s neck? Don’t deny it—I saw!”

Hua Mei spoke so fast Gu Changhuai had no chance to interject. He stirred his noodles and changed the subject. “…What about it? Nothing’s up. Don’t overthink. There’s no big deal. Want some noodles? I’ll order you a bowl…”

He mastered the art of nonsense, not landing on the point once.

“Bang!”

The table slammed, cutting off Gu Changhuai’s rambling. A noodle hung midway from his mouth as he stared at the suddenly serious Hua Mei.

“Look me in the eyes!” Hua Mei raised his voice. “You two got something going on, don’t you?!”

That was pure nonsense. Gu Changhuai denied it instantly. “Don’t talk crap!” He said seriously, “I’m just a simple mole. He’s the Immortal Lord who got ‘killed.’ We mind our own business.”

Hua Mei didn’t let up. “Then that bite mark…?”

Afraid of wild guesses, Gu Changhuai gritted his teeth and confessed. “Last night I got drunk and bit him. I blacked out, don’t remember a thing.”

Silence fell the instant he spoke.

Gu Changhuai quietly ate his noodles. Soon, explosive laughter erupted from across the table. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes—his suspended heart finally gave out.

He’d held back so long exactly because he didn’t want Hua Mei knowing. He knew Hua Mei would react just like this… Gu Changhuai looked up at Hua Mei, who was doubled over laughing, image be damned.

Laughing at him…

It took a good while for Hua Mei to stop. He wiped tears from his eyes. “I told you your tolerance sucks, but you wouldn’t admit it. Weak and loves to drink. Now you’ve gone and embarrassed yourself in front of others! Hahaha…” He couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing again, grin unstoppable.

“Should’ve known you’d react like this.” Gu Changhuai buried himself in his noodles, ignoring the mocker.

They’d argued about drinking many times before, even competed several rounds back in the Demon Realm, but never settled it.

For one, he’d secretly expel the alcohol to cheat. For two, Hua Mei would slyly swap booze for water. Neither yielded, full of sneaky tricks.

Because of the cheating, Gu Changhuai had never gotten drunk in front of him. Getting smashed once… this would be Hua Mei’s ammo for life.

Once Hua Mei laughed himself out and sobered a bit, he asked more seriously, “Hey, since it’s like this, are we still killing Qing Lian or what?”

“Like this? Like what? Don’t spout nonsense!” Gu Changhuai bristled at the mere mention. “Of course we’re killing him. Otherwise, the Demon Venerable will come for me.”

Hua Mei sighed. “Never seen you scared before. Still playing both sides here.”

Gu Changhuai sighed. “This is the way of balance. Haven’t you seen how successfully I’m undercovering? Rong Ye trusts me so much.”

Plus, he’d schemed to send Rong Ye’s “head” back to the Demon Clan. Even if the Demon Venerable had ten points of suspicion, seven should be gone now.

He could coast for a good while.

Hua Mei thought back and analyzed. “But I still feel something’s off. Does Qing Lian have such a good temper? You bit him and walked away unscathed…”

Suspicious. Too suspicious.

Gu Changhuai said, “That just proves one thing.”

Hua Mei listened eagerly.

Gu Changhuai declared word by word, forcefully, “I’ve become Rong Ye’s trusted attendant!”

“…”

Hua Mei was stunned by his confidence.

Hua Mei pondered carefully.

Hua Mei furrowed his brows.

Hua Mei: “Wait, trusted attendant?”

What kind of trusted attendant?

“Mm!” Gu Changhuai smiled smugly, eyes gleaming with pride. “If not a trusted attendant, why would he be so considerate?”

Hua Mei: “…You tell me?”

Gu Changhuai found his reaction strange. “Tell you what?”

Seeing Gu Changhuai’s utterly clueless and oblivious expression, Hua Mei—who had long known the man was a blockhead—never expected him to be quite this dense. He let out a strange cackle. “It’s nothing. As long as you’re happy.”

Gu Changhuai felt a shiver run down his spine under Hua Mei’s gaze.

…What the hell?

He shook it off and continued eating his noodles without paying it any mind.

*

Since they planned to leave Qing Tang City after the Wandering God Ceremony ended, a sated Gu Changhuai decided to head out for a stroll first.

Hua Mei had little interest in mortal affairs, but after Gu Changhuai recounted recent events, he grew eager to head to the Capital and join the excitement.

Gu Changhuai contacted Jin Shuang via the Tongtian Instrument and instructed Hua Mei to rendezvous with him. Once Hua Mei had left, Gu Changhuai began wandering the streets of Qing Tang City.

He had been too drunk the previous day to take it all in, but now, out in the daylight, he could see colorful lanterns hanging everywhere, with people setting up lantern frames in preparation for the evening lantern festival.