CH extra 4

Shen Yunling was born in Xuanle Sect. His father was the young master of Xuanle Sect, his aunt was the Master of Xuanle Sect and his mother used her se to move heaven and earth with her music. But he was a sword cultivator.

He was forced by his father and his aunt to learn some secret melodies of Xuanle Sect. When he was fourteen years old, he followed the rules of Xuanle Sect and chose the instrument he was destined to play. If nothing happened, the selected musical instrument would accompany him for the rest of his life. As a result, the one that best matched him was actually the wooden fish.

After his godfather learned of this, he specially came to Xuanle Sect and comforted him for a long time. His godfather was good-looking and spoke gently. Shen Yunling’s depression subsided a little bit. Then his godfather turned around and laughed super loudly, leaning on his Master’s shoulders, leaving him holding the wooden fish with nothing left to live for.

Since then, Shen Yunling had completely given up his identity as a music cultivator and embarked on the road of no return of sword cultivation.

That was right, his godfather was Xiao Yuan and his Master was Gu Louyin. The two were Dao companions that were elusive and always wandering around. They would occasionally take Shen Yunling along to ‘relieve boredom’. When Xiao Yuan ran out of patience and wanted to get rid of the child, he would drive him back to his parents. Even so, Xiao Yuan and Gu Louyin were the most respected people in his life besides his parents.

His godfather, though he liked to tease him, often cooked for him and fed him delicious things and always saved him a copy of anything fresh and interesting he came across. His natal sword was given to him by his godfather. Later his Master gave the sword a name and called it [Return time].

As for his Master Gu Louyin, in his heart he was like the bright moon on the horizon and the frost and snow on a mountain ridge. His biggest wish in this life was to be a sword cultivator like his Master, but he was always swayed by Xiao Yuan. He learned how to roast chickens and used [Return time] to pluck chicken feathers.

At first, he hesitated and said, “Gandie, I just want to learn how to roast chicken.”

“This also must be learned,” Xiao Yuan said solemnly, “What will you eat in the mountains and the woods in the future?”

“However, plucking chicken feathers is too demeaning.”

Xiao Yuan said, “Even your Master can do it but you can’t?”

Shen Yunling was surprised: “Master plucked chicken feathers?”

“Not just plucked chicken feathers,” Xiao Yuan said solemnly, “he has also killed pigs and skinned bullfrogs…”

Shen Yunling, whose world collapsed, said frantically: “Ah, ah, Gandie, stop talking! I don’t believe it!” He ran to ask the Master if it was true.

Gu Louyin, who witnessed everything, said, “…en.”

After his sixteenth birthday, Shen Yunling bade farewell to his parents and went on a hunting expedition in the mountains with a few of his peers. At the end of the year, everyone else returned to the sect. Only Shen Yunling was nowhere to be seen and there was no word from him.

Cai Xunnian thought that her son had gone to find his Master and godfather. It was easy to find the Dao companions on Qiyue Mountain but Xiao Yuan had not seen Shen Yunling for a long time.

Cai Xiannian was anxiously thinking of her son and said: “It’s almost the New Year. Ah Ling is not with you, where else could he have gone?”

Xiao Yuan said, “Don’t worry, first call the peers of the same generation that were with him and ask them about the situation.”

After that, everyone realized that Shen Yunling had been abducted by a beautiful girl.

Xiao Yuan said leisurely: “What did I say during his Zhua Zhou ceremony? If you are so simple-minded, sooner or later some girl will make you broken-hearted.”

“That’s true, Senior Xiao,” said the young man who was travelling with Shen Yunling, “But Shen-xiong didn’t go with her because he liked her. Shen-xiong said that girl had something he wanted and he had to get it.”

Gu Louyin asked, “What is it?”

“It seems to be some kind of love-whatever-hua.”

Xiao Yuan and Gu Louyin looked at each other for a moment and said, “Ruthless hua?”

Gu Louyin said, “En, it should be.”

Xiao Yuan said both smiling and crying: “So Ah Ling went to find the antidote for me.”

Shen Fugui said, “For you? Isn’t it Louyin who has the Gu in his body — Aiya.”

Cai Xunnian pinched Shen Fugui’s waist, “If you can not talk, don’t talk.”

It was Gu Louyin who was infected with Gu, but wasn’t it Xiao Yuan who ‘suffered’?

“Since Ah Ling is looking for the antidote for us, leave this matter to us.” Xiao Yuan said, “We will definitely bring him back for the New Year.”

After some investigation, Xiao Yuan and his husband found a clue to Shen Yunling’s whereabouts. If nothing happened, the girl who abducted him should be from Hongxiu Town, and the probability of Shen Yunling being in Hongxiu was eighty to ninety percent. 

Hongxiu was the nearest town to Baihua Palace. Since Baihua Palace only accepted female disciples, there was a custom of giving preference to women over men. The women were the breadwinners, while the men stayed home to do the washing, cooking and bringing up the children.

Hongxiu Town was big. If they wanted to find Shen Yunling, it was going to take some effort. Gu Louyin said, “Shall we split up?”

“Certainly.” Xiao Yuan said, “My ge knew I was coming to look for someone, so he specially sent Qingyan here.”

It would be much easier to look for someone with Qingyan’s help. They found a teahouse, sipped tea and waited for news. Xiao Yuan was aware of Shen Yunling’s status but he was worried about his safety, fearing that he would be cheated out of money or sex.

At night, Qingyan floated back and it seemed that Shen Yunling’s whereabouts had been detected. The two did not delay and followed Qingyan to a medicine shop.

The disciples of Baihua Palace were mainly medical practitioners and healers. There were countless small medicine shops like this in Hongxiu Town. This medicine shop was not much different from others, except that other medicine shops did not have the son of the young master of Xuanle Sect to help with chores.

When the two found Shen Yunling, Shen Yunling was cleaning medicine cans in the courtyard. He was not wearing the noble disciple attire of Xuanle Sect or the fluttering white clothes that he used to wear when he was with Xiao Yuan and  Gu Louyin, but instead he was dressed in rough linen. It could be seen that he had suffered much at first glance.

Xiao Yuan felt distressed and amused, “Ah Ling.”

Seeing the two of them, Shen Yunling was very surprised: “Master, Gandie, why are you here?!”

Xiao Yuan said, “Oh, we were travelling in the clouds and then I looked down from the sword – hey, isn’t it Ah Ling? So here we are.”

Shen Yunling said happily: “What a coincidence!”

“What coincidence, you are so silly.” Xiao Yuan tapped Shen Yuling’s head with his fan, “We are here to take you home to your mother for the New Year.”

Shen Yunling covered his head and said, “But I have to help her do three months of work before she is willing to give me the ruthless hua.”

The “she” mentioned by Shen Yunling was the owner of this medicine shop, an older looking girl called Shan Siwei. Early the next morning, Xiao Yuan and Gu Louyin met this Shan girl, led by Shen Yunling.

Xiao Yuan said, “Miss Shan, ruthless hua is very important to us. Please name your price.”

Shen Yunling stood behind Xiao Yuan and said in a low voice: “Gandie, it is useless. If she could be paid off with silver, I wouldn’t have to work for her.”

Xiao Yuan said, “That may be because you haven’t given enough.”

Shan Siwei was young and vigorous: “The guy surnamed Shen is correct. I don’t want money. I don’t lack money.”

“Then what do you lack?” Xiao Yuan said politely, “We can exchange one thing for another.” ”

Frankly, if they wanted to take something from the girl’s house, they had more than a hundred ways to do so, but they would never do that.

“I lack…” Shan Siwei glanced at Gu Louyin, “I lack a person.”

Xiao Yuan said, “If you just need a person who has to work, can someone else do the job? Ah Ling is clumsy, how can he be qualified for such a big job such as washing medicine cans. I can do it instead of him.”

Shen Yunling was very moved: “Gandie…”

Shan Siwei said, “Originally, as long as the guy surnamed Shen worked honestly, I would give the ruthless hua to him. But I have changed my mind now. I don’t want him anymore.”

Xiao Yuan noticed that Miss Shan frequently glanced at Gu Louyin; his heart throbbed and he asked clearly, “Then who do you want?” 

“I want the silver-haired sword cultivator by your side to pretend to be my husband for a day.”

Gu Louyin didn’t respond, and the young Shen Yunling jumped to his feet in a hurry: “Dream on! My Master already has a Dao companion!”

“It’s not that I really want to marry him,” Shan Siwei said thoughtfully, “I just want to bring a good-looking man to show off in front of my fellow disciples.” And satisfy her vanity at the same time. The women of Hongxiu Town respected women and men were inferior, and all the women wanted to marry a handsome man and take him home. The New Year was approaching, so it was time to visit relatives and friends. With a god-like silver-haired sword cultivator by her side, she will definitely look magnificent.

Xiao Yuan thought for a while and said, “If you want that, then you should let Ah Ling stay and work for you.”

Shen Yunling hurriedly said, “That’s right, that’s right, you can make me work for as long as you want, just don’t hit on my Master!”

Shan Siwei saw that these three people really needed the ruthless hua and would give in. “There is no need to discuss. This is my only condition, so you can consider it carefully.”

Xiao Yuan fell into contemplation.

Shen Yunling nervously said, “Gandie, you can’t be really thinking about it!”

Gu Louyin was far less calm than he seemed. Xiao Yuan had always been a restrained man, he might really agree to Shan Siwei’s request in order to get his hands on the ruthless hua.

Gu Louyin waited for a long time, then couldn’t hold back and said, “Ah Yu?”

Xiao Yuan smiled and said to Shan Siwei, “Forget it, we’re leaving.”

Shan Siwei didn’t expect that he would react like this: “Isn’t the ruthless hua very important for you?”

“It is very important,” Xiao Yuan said, “but there are some things that are more important than the ruthless hua.”

Gu Louyin looked at Xiao Yuan’s profile, feeling as if he had gone through a great battle.

The joys and sorrows of his life were all in the words and deeds of Xiao Yuan.

“Miss Shan, if you change your mind one day, you can go to Xuanle Sect to find Ah Ling.” Xiao Yuan said with a smile, “Let’s go, let’s go home for the New Year.”

Shen Yunling said, “Gandie, we are just leaving like this?”

“What else are you going to do? Are you going to snatch something from a young girl?”

“Then I’ll go pack my things now!”

Xiao Yuan and Gu Louyin waited for him at the entrance of the medicine shop. Gu Louyin asked, “Don’t you want the ruthless hua?”

“I want it. But to have you go and pretend to be someone else’s Dao companion,” Xiao Yuan said with a sneer, “I’d rather be /f*cked/ thoroughly in bed by you.”

Gu Louyin’s eyes darkened, and he said hoarsely: “Your words.”

Xiao Yuan smiled suavely, “Mine.”