CH 6

Meng Chi looked at Xiao Du’s profile and sighed silently.

The young lord had been looking forward to the Lantern Festival for a long time. In order to make him happy, Xingtian Sect, like ordinary people, hung lamps, prepared sticky rice dumplings and filled the mountain with a display of lanterns and fireworks. Everyone thought that the Venerable Lord would accompany the young lord for the first Lantern Festival after the reunion of the brothers. Who expected that the Venerable Lord would only accompany the young lord for dinner and then leave the Sect. The young lord made every effort to keep him. Xiao Du coaxed him gently, but after coaxing, he still went out and brought Meng Chi here.

Meng Chi and Xiao Du grew up together in Xingtian Sect, and she thought she could guess some of Xiao Du’s thoughts. Xiao Du might be a little concerned about Xiao Yuan but this concern was insignificant compared to certain facts and it did not change much.

However, no matter how beautiful the lanterns were and how delicious the dishes were, they couldn’t match the look of a great beauty in a state of ecstasy. Meng Chi curled her lips; she was also looking forward to it.

No one knew the power of Acacia Gu better than her. Even if Xiao Yuan and Gu Louyin lived in two separate rooms, once Acacia Gu attacked, either Xiao Yuan couldn’t help but go to Gu Louyin, or Gu Louyin would be attracted by the fragrance of love. A big event will happen tonight.

The two waited for a long time but there was no movement in either room. While Meng Chi was wondering, a girl carrying a lantern came to the door of Gu Louyin’s room and knocked.

Xiao Du smiled, “It’s so lively tonight.”

Meng Chi: “Lord?”

Xiao Du raised his hand and motioned to her to be quiet.

Meng Chi closed her mouth and waited to see what would happen.

Gu Louyin was in his room looking at the bronze mirror that he had brought back from Lady Tong’s house during the day. When he heard a knock, he got up and opened the door.

The visitor was an unfamiliar girl thirteen or fourteen years old, her expression flustered. When she saw Gu Louyin, she said, “Master Immortal, Master Immortal, something is wrong. Something happened in the mansion. Please, Master Immortal, come have a look!”

The girl was very anxious, pulling Gu Louyin to follow her.

“Don’t rush.” Gu Louyin raised his hand and the sword placed on the table flew into his palm. He made a few steps following the girl, then stopped abruptly.

The girl turned her head and urged him: “Master Immortal, let’s go, it’ll be too late if you don’t come!”

If something really happened in the mansion, the governor would definitely ask Xiao Yuan to come as well but now he was the only one called. It might be a fake incident with a true purpose to draw the tiger away from the mountain.

Gu Louyin’s expression remained unchanged, “Okay.”

There was no one around; he followed the girl along the corridor and stopped again.

“Master Immortal?”

Gu Louyin said calmly: “Who sent you here?”

The girl’s face turned pale and she stammered, “Yes, my lord asked me to come to Master Immortal…”

Gu Louyin didn’t want to embarrass a girl, so he cast a binding spell on her and said, “After a stick of incense, you can leave by yourself.”

When the girl found that she couldn’t move she was so frightened that she cried for mercy: “Steward Wang asked me to come! Don’t kill me, Master Immortal, please, I don’t know anything…”

Gu Louyin didn’t say anything else, turned and walked back. He left the room only a few moments ago; even if Steward Wang moved quickly, he must have just entered the room. If Steward Wang came for the bronze mirror, it was the perfect opportunity to clarify the mirror’s mysteries.

There was indeed one more person in the room, but this person was not Steward Wang, it was——

“Master Xiao?” Gu Louyin glanced at the intact bronze mirror on the table, “How come you are here?” 

Xiao Yuan was dressed in a crimson dress, extremely bright. He smiled slightly at Gu Louyin and said, “I’m here to find Master Gu.”

“What are you looking for me for?”

Xiao Yuan walked up to Gu Louyin, his eyes flashing as he started, “Master Gu…”

A strange light flickered in Gu Louyin’s heart. For some reason, this Xiao Yuan in front of him was giving him a vibe of flirtatiousness. The usual Xiao Yuan was beautiful, but he also had manners of a teenager, beautiful but not coy, definitely not like he was now.

Gu Louyin clenched the sheath silently, “Just tell me what you want.”

Xiao Yuan stared at him and said, “Does Master Gu think I look good?”

Gu Louyin: “…”

Xiao Yuan pursed his lips and smiled, approached Gu Louyin, almost clinging to him, “Why doesn’t Master Gu answer, are you shy?”

Gu Louyin took a step back, “Master Xiao, please respect yourself.”

“Whether I respect myself or not, won’t Master Gu know if he gives me a hug?”

Gu Louyin frowned and was about to speak when a dark shadow flashed past the window. He took a step forward, shielding Xiao Yuan behind him.

A gust of wind blew the window open, and the two looked out the window at the same time.

In front of the window there was a cedar common in the north planted, covered with snow; just some patches of green were visible in the whiteness. Under the moonlight, a young man wearing sturdy clothes sat in the tree. His posture was straight, his clothes black like ink; he had sword brows and piercing eyes, his demeanor full of natural arrogance.

Gu Louyin asked, “Who is it?”

The young man’s gaze was sharp like a knife as if he couldn’t wait to stab a few holes in them. “Xiao Yuan, trying to seduce a man, aren’t you ashamed?!”

Xiao Yuan was horrified. He hid behind Gu Louyin’s back and said in a trembling voice: “Master Gu…”

Xiao Yuan’s actions angered the young man even more. He leapt from the tree and landed silently pressing his right hand to the ground and leaning back slightly. With the sound of a sharp weapon drawn, a black claw spike that looked like a dragon scale emerged from his left hand, with a lingering chill on its tip.

Gu Louyin said, “Do you know Master Xiao? Who are you to him?”

The young man said coldly: “You don’t have the right to ask about the matters between him and I. Xiao Yuan, are you coming by yourself or should I grab you?”

Xiao Yuan shook his head non-stop, “I, I don’t want… Master Gu, please protect me!”

The young man was furious, his body was as fast as the wind as he came straight at the two men.

“Master Gu–! ”

The moment before the claw spike was about to touch Gu Louyin, Shuang Leng was unsheathed and stopped the young man’s attack indifferently. Extremely frustrated, the young man formed his right hand into a fist and swung it towards Gu Louyin’s face. Gu Louyin sidestepped the blow. The released claw spike came in front of him again and was again blocked by him.

The young man’s tactics left no room for error, and Gu Louyin had to use his full strength against him. The young man seemed to be wounded and was gradually losing his strength. Gu Louyin caught his flaw, and when attacked again, he stepped behind the young man suddenly, with Shuang Leng pointing at him, “That’s enough.”

Gu Louyin’s arm was scratched by the young man’s claw spike and his blood dripped onto the ground, spreading out slowly. 

The young man unhurriedly turned around and stared at Xiao Yuan. Angry and aggrieved, he gritted his teeth and said, “Xiao Yuan, did you just watch him point a sword at me?!”

Xiao Yuan was silent. The young man’s grievances added another point, “Shixiong!”

Gu Louyin was startled – Shixiong? Could this person be Xiao Yuan’s…

Just as he was stunned, he suddenly felt a burst of evil energy behind him. At the same time, the young man in front of him who seemed to have seen something showed an expression of surprise and joy. Gu Louyin turned around with a sword in his hand and saw Xiao Yuan holding a dagger in his hand, stabbing him fiercely in the heart.

Gu Louyin instinctively raised his sword and unexpectedly met Xiao Yuan’s eyes, withdrawing the sword in a daze.

However, while the sword could be retracted, the sword qi could not. Xiao Yuan was toppled over by the sword qi, his eyes widened, his pupils dilated and his fingers scratched the ground as if he was suffering from extreme pain.

“Shixiong!”

“Master Xiao!”

The two of them rushed to help Xiao Yuan from both sides. The young man’s face was ten times more unsightly than before. Gu Louyin was shocked and puzzled. He knew Xiao Yuan’s cultivation base and knew he would never be seriously injured by a sword qi.

Xiao Yuan was struggling violently, and then suddenly with a bang his face was shattered in half like a broken mirror. Before the two of them could react, there were more and more cracks appearing on his body, as if a heavy punch had hit a huge bronze mirror. The cracks spread rapidly and finally disintegrated, turning into a wisp of blue smoke and disappearing.

The young man looked down at his empty hands, “Shixiong… No, this is not my Shixiong!”

Gu Louyin stood up and said solemnly, “Bronze mirror.”

When the young man recovered, he grabbed Gu Louyin’s collar and said in a vicious voice: “Where is my Shixiong?”

Gu Louyin didn’t seem to hear the young man’s words. The bronze mirror was discovered by him and Xiao Yuan. If the ‘Xiao Yuan’ just now was created by the bronze mirror, shouldn’t there be another ‘Gu Louyin’?

Gu Louyin’s eyes sank, “Not good.” Saying that, he took the bronze mirror, raised his sword and walked out.

The young man brushed away a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth and immediately followed.

Xiao Yuan was reclining on the bed and folding and unfolding the fan in his hand in boredom. He didn’t know when Acacia Gu would attack, so all he could do was wait.

All the doors and windows were tightly closed. On the grounds of fear of cold, he also asked the servants of the governor’s mansion to hang thick curtains on the doors and windows, hoping to block the fragrance emitted by Acacia Gu.

What should come can’t be avoided. Xiao Yuan tried to relax as much as possible and fell asleep with a sigh of relief.

After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly woke up from his sleep to the sound of a rapid heartbeat in his ears.

His heart had never beat this fast. He tried to support himself but realized that his hands became soft and weak. He couldn’t even hold his fan. Something seemed to burst out of his chest and rush through his body.

“Mmm,” Xiao Yuan was lying on the bed, his breath hitched, his eyes clouded with mist.

It was so hot and uncomfortable, he wanted, wanted……

The love fragrance spread in the room, the light scent gradually becoming rich and turbulent. Xiao Yuan’s eyes burned and he bit his lip – he can’t think, he will lose if he thinks about it. Even if he wanted to think about it, why not think about a girl, what was he thinking about, what man!

Don’t think about it, Xiao Yuan!

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Xiao Yuan felt his heart thud. He clutched his chest and looked at the door with effort, “Who is it?”

Gu Louyin walked in, “Me.”

“What are you doing here!” Xiao Yuan was furious, “Get out, get out!”

Gu Louyin remained motionless, “What’s wrong with you.”

Xiao Yuan closed his eyes, “An old illness has just relapsed. Don’t worry about me, go quickly.”

Gu Louyin approached him and looked condescendingly, “Are you unable to move?”

“I-” Xiao Yuan suddenly realized that something was wrong. The room was filled with an unusual fragrance. Why didn’t Gu Louyin react at all and didn’t even ask a question?

Xiao Yuan tried his best to stay awake. He remembered that Gu Louyin broke in without knocking on the door before entering the room. This was not like Gu Louyin’s style.

“You are not Gu Louyin,” Xiao Yuan panted slightly, “what are you.”

‘Gu Louyin’ showed a weird smile, “You really can’t move.”

Xiao Yuan’s forehead was covered in sweat, his hair sticking to his face;  he smiled narrowly, “I don’t need to move to kill you.”

‘Gu Louyin’s’ face was hidden in the backlight; he raised his hand like a puppet and violently grabbed Xiao Yuan’s neck. 

The expected choking did not come, but Xiao Yuan heard a scream of agony.

Wait… it seems that the person who should scream should be him, right?

‘Gu Louyin’ shattered into nothingness in front of Xiao Yuan. Xiao Du stood at the door and looked at him with a smile, “Ah Yu, I have come to see you.”

“Xiao Du?” Xiao Yuan ran out of strength at the last moment and fell on the bed. His long hair scattered over the pillow, his face was flushed and the corners of his eyes slightly red. His eyes look like pools of autumn water, so beautiful that it was thrilling.

Xiao Du was somewhat stunned and whispered, “Ah Yu.”

Xiao Yuan couldn’t move at all and looked at him squinting.

Xiao Du stretched out his hand and blocked the upper part of Xiao Yuan’s face. “Don’t look at me like that, I won’t be able to bear it,” he said.

“Go away,” Xiao Yuan whispered, “don’t touch me.”

Xiao Du’s expression was tinged with hostility, “I can’t touch?”

“My Lord,” Meng Chi said timely, “Gu Louyin and the others are almost here.”

Xiao Du paused and said, “Suppress Ah Yu’s Gu for the time being.”

“Yes.” Meng Chi held up Xiao Yuan and stuffed a pill into his mouth. “Master Xiao, if you swallow it, it will be fine this time.”

After Xiao Yuan swallowed the pill, most of the discomfort in his body immediately subsided. “Water…”

Meng Chi was about to go to help Xiao Yuan pour tea, but the tea cup floated over by itself and stopped at Xiao Yuan ‘s lips.

Xiao Yuan drank the tea and felt that he had finally come back to life.

Xiao Du smiled and said, “Does Ah Yu know, your Shidi wants you.”

Xiao Yuan let out a weak “oh” and didn’t bother to lift his eyelids.

Meng Chi said, “My Lord, they are here, we should go.”

Xiao Du glanced at Xiao Yuan deeply, “Let’s go.”

The love fragrance exuded by Acacia Gu affected only men. Meng Chi couldn’t help being a little disappointed when he saw that Xiao Du’s behavior was the same as usual. It seems that she overestimated the Acacia Gu and underestimated Xiao Du. Even the fragrance of the Acacia Gu and Xiao Yuan’s face were not enough to make Xiao Du emotional.

The two left silently. Xiao Du stood on a high place, watching two young men, one dressed in black, the other in white, rush into Xiao Yuan’s room, and smiled slowly: “I almost couldn’t hold back.”

Meng Chi looked up in amazement.

A drop of hot sweat slipped from Xiao Du’s forehead, trailed his neck and fell into his red clothes.

As soon as Xiao Du and Meng Chi left and before Xiao Yuan had time to recover, two more people broke into his room.

“Shixiong–”

Hearing a familiar voice, Xiao Yuan suddenly felt blackness in front of his eyes – no way, one guy he hated had just left, and now there was another one he loathed?!

Xiao Yuan sat up and said in surprise, “Shidi? How did you…”

When the young man saw him, he breathed a sigh of relief and then said sarcastically: “Xiao Yuan, so you are not dead.”

“Yes,“ Xiao Yuan said with a smile, “I have disappointed my Shidi.”