CH 58

Xiao Yuan opened his mouth in surprise, “That…”

“Have you seen it clearly?” Luo Lan raised his hand in front of Xiao Yuan, “Am I Gu Louyin’s father?”

Xiao Yuan grabbed Luo Lan’s hand, took a closer look at the smear of blood and finally had to admit that he had made a mistake.

Xiao Yuan smiled and tried to make amends: “Uncle, forgive me. I think Gu Hang doesn’t care about his son at all. Since you treat Gu Louyin so well and are so worried about him, it made sense for me to think so.”

Luo Lan snorted coldly and said, “Do you have to be someone’s relative to be kind to him?”

Xiao Yuan had to agree: “That’s true. Thank you, Uncle, for teaching me another lesson.”

Luo Lan’s expression eased slightly, “I also ask that Master Xiao does not mention this matter again in the future.”

Xiao Yuan nodded like a garlic pounder, “I won’t mention it, I won’t mention it.”

When Xiao Yuan returned to the house, Fang Baichu greeted him and asked, “Young lord, what is the situation?”

Xiao Yuan shook his head, “Nothing happened.”

Fang Baichu had an expression of “I knew it”. “Young lord must have thought too much. Would the dignified master of the world’s number one sword sect raise someone else’s son and let him be the young sect master?”

Xiao Yuan still didn’t give up. He looked at the porcelain bottle in his hand and said, “It would be great if Gu Hang could touch it too.”

Fang Baichu sucked in a breath of air when he heard this and said with a dry smile: “Young lord is not serious, is he?”

Xiao Yuan pinched the center of his eyebrows and said, “Let me think about it.”

Xiao Yuan hadn’t figured out the next plan yet when Gu Louyin acted first.

Early in the morning, Xiao Yuan was still asleep when he was awakened by a noise outside the window. He got out of bed and put on his fox fur, walked to the door and leaned against the door to watch the excitement.

Gu Louyin stood in the courtyard, as if about to go out. Luo Lan stood in front of him, frowning; Fang Baichu stood aside with a look of embarrassment, facing Xiao Yuan and spreading his hands, innocent and helpless.

Luo Lan said angrily: “Don’t you remember the words of the medical practitioner? If you don’t recuperate well, you will only have ten years left to live!”

Gu Louyin said, “I remember.”

“You remember but you are still running around!” Luo Lan was furious, “The loss of your spiritual energy has not been restored, where else do you want to go?”

Gu Louyin said, “I have some matters.”

Luo Lan choked for a moment, trying to reason with Gu Louyin: “Master Gu, you and I are strangers that met by chance but we have a friendship that goes beyond age. You gave us the ruthless hua, in return, if you have anything you need to do, you can tell us directly. The three of us will be happy to help you.”

After Luo Lan said so much, Gu Louyin’s response was only two words: “No need.”

Luo Lan’s face reddened and the veins on his neck protruded. Xiao Yuan suspected he was about to vomit blood with anger.

Gu Louyin probably had the same thought and kindly added: “This matter is his wish, only I can fulfill it.”

Luo Lan was taken aback, looked at Xiao Yuan and asked with his eyes: what did you say to him?

Xiao Yuan touched his nose guiltily.

“Thank you for taking care of me during this period of time and farewell.”

Luo Lan said anxiously: “Gu Louyin, you…”

“Master, do you think Master Gu is someone who will listen to persuasion?” Xiao Yuan said indifferently, “Let him go.”

Gu Louyin finally glanced at Xiao Yuan, passed by Luo Lan and walked into the vast wind and snow.

The three of them watched him leave until his back disappeared. Luo Lan turned to Xiao Yuan, criticising him: “You must know what he is going to do.”

Xiao Yuan didn’t comment.

Luo Lan said solemnly: “You are using him.”

He was about to say the words of explanation but swallowed them again. Whether he had that intention or not, he ended up taking advantage of Gu Louyin, and he had nothing to say.

Luo Lan was not a hot-tempered person, so when Xiao Yuan acquiesced like this, he could not say anything severe. He sighed as if he had given up and said, “Well, I don’t care about yours and his past affairs. But you must tell me the purpose of his trip. If you make him take risks, I will protect him.”

Xiao Yuan didn’t care, “With Gu Louyin’s current ability, does he still need your protection?”

Luo Lan stared at Xiao Yuan, surprised and disappointed, “It seems that you want to watch him take risks for you, stand idly by and ignore it?”

“What I want to do to Gu Louyin is my own business and it has nothing to do with you.” Xiao Yuan said, “But Uncle can feel rest assured that Gu Louyin will be fine on this trip. Maybe he will be blessed and even get rid of his heart demon.”

“How can you guarantee it?”

Xiao Yuan smiled, “Because I will be watching him.”

Luo Lan was stunned, “Do you mean…?”

Luo Lan’s identity was a mystery. Although he cared about Gu Louyin very much, he was from Yunjian Pavilion after all. Stealing Qingyan was of great importance, and Xiao Yuan did not intend to let a third person besides him and Gu Louyin know about it. He would not let Gu Louyin do this alone either. This was his ‘last wish’, so he naturally wanted to participate in it.

While they talked, Xiao Yuan had already thought of countermeasures and said with a smile: “If Uncle can trust me, don’t interfere in this matter and leave Gu Louyin to me.”

Luo Lan was very hesitant. Without waiting for him to make a decision, Xiao Yuan said to Fang Baichu, “Pack up, we are also going down the mountain.”

Fang Baichu was overjoyed: “Yes, young master!”

Xiao Yuan cupped his hands towards Luo Lan and said, “Farewell, Uncle.”

On the way down the mountain, Fang Baichu asked, “Young lord, are we returning to Xingtian Sect?”

Xiao Yuan said, “You go back, I won’t go back.”

“Then where are you going?”

“I’ll go find Gu Louyin and do something with him.” Xiao Yuan said, “I will leave marks along the way. After you return to Xingtian Sect, tell Li Yanzhi and ask him to send a group of elite disciples to follow in secret. Without my order, it must not be exposed.”

Fang Baichu was puzzled and said, “Are you going with Gu Louyin? But he even refused that uncle, will he agree to travel with you?”

Xiao Yuan narrowed his eyes against the gust of wind, “He should…” He suddenly thought of something and said, “By the way, when you go back, ask someone to check out what Shen Fugui, the young master of Xuanle Sect, has been doing recently.”

A day later, Luling City.

Xiao Yuan walked into a street noodle stall, threw a piece of broken silver to the owner and said, “Boss, come and make me a bowl of noodles.”

“Okay, please come inside!” When the boss saw Xiao Yuan’s well-dressed appearance and extraordinary demeanor, he knew that he was a distinguished guest. He had spent all his life cooking noodles, and the noodle soup he cooked was fresh, light and invigorating. Xiao Yuan took a few sips and was very satisfied with the taste. He smiled and said, “The noodles are cooked well, but what’s the secret?”

The owner looked proud, “This is an ancestral secret recipe and it cannot be revealed.”

Xiao Yuan took out a handful of broken silver and put it on the table, saying, “Is your secret recipe for sale? I want to buy it and cook it for my shi… shimei to eat in the future.”

The owner’s eyes opened wide when he saw the money and he smiled from ear to ear: “It’s for sale, wait a minute, I’ll write it down for you.”

“No need,” Xiao Yuan said, “you can just show it to me.”

The boss rolled up his sleeves and started teaching. The essence of the noodles lies in the base of the soup. The boss now brewed a pot of soup for Xiao Yuan and counted the amount of each ingredient carefully. “My noodle soup is all stock. Simmer the pork bones over low heat for two hours, add some star anise and ginger…”

Xiao Yuan was listening and taking notes, then suddenly glanced at a figure in plain white passing by and said immediately, “I have something to do, so I’ll leave first.”

The owner called him from behind: “Oh, distinguished guest, weren’t you going to cook noodles for your shimei?!”

Gu Louyin originally had an outstanding appearance, but now with his eye-catching silver hair, he attracted countless passers-by to turn back as he walked on the road. There was a long sword on his back and an indifferent expression on his face until he stopped in front of an inconspicuous rice cake stall.

The owner of the rice cake stall was flattered and said, shivering: “Does the distinguished guest want to buy rice cakes?”

Gu Louyin hummed “en”.

“Three yuan for a rice cake, how many does the distinguished guest want?”

Before Gu Louyin could answer, he heard a familiar voice: “Louyin!”

Xiao Yuan was dressed in a bright yellow brocade robe, with a flute pinned to his waist. He put on Shen Fugui’s face and said excitedly: “I’ve finally found you!”

Xiao Yuan used to pretend to be Shen Fugui for a period of time in the past and he had also received Shen Fugui’s personal teachings, so he was very familiar with his words and deeds. After the disciples of Xingtian Sect inquired, it turned out that after meeting his shimei Cai Xunnian in Hongxiu Prefecture, Shen Fugui did not return to his shimen but went to Yunjian Pavilion first. It was a pity that they were a step too late. When they arrived at Yunjian Pavilion, Gu Louyin was already demonized and left after seriously injuring his fellow disciples, and his whereabouts were unknown. Yunjian Pavilion didn’t care about their young master, but Shen Fugui and his shimei looked around for Gu Louyin everywhere. According to the investigation report, they were still in Jiangnan not long ago, so they could never appear in the north in such a short period of time.

Shen Fugui and Gu Louyin were close friends and using his identity to stay by Gu Louyin’s side was the most appropriate way Xiao Yuan could think of for the time being.

Sure enough, after Gu Louyin saw ‘Shen Fugui’, his expression changed slightly, “Fugui.”

“Do you know that I have been looking for you for three whole months!” Xiao Yuan vividly imitated Shen Fugui’s tone, “I first went to Yunjian Pavilion. I heard that you had defected from your shimen and I split up with my shimei to find you. I’m worrying about you every day and my hair is turning gray with sorrow. Uh, but still, yours is whiter.”

Gu Louyin nodded lightly, “I’ve troubled you.”

“I just want to tell you that whether you are the young master of Yunjian Pavilion or not, you are my best friend. Do not seek to be born on the same day in the same year, but seek to die on the same day in the same year.” Xiao Yuan finished speaking in one breath and looked at Gu Louyin eagerly, “So, where are you going now? Why don’t I come with you, so we can take care of each other?”

Gu Louyin was quiet and said, “Yunjian Pavilion.”

Xiao Yuan pretended to be surprised: “What, you want to go back to Yunjian Pavilion?”

“En.”

“No… you have already caused enough trouble at Yunjian Pavilion, why are you going back?”

Gu Lou Yin said, “To take one thing.”

“What kind of thing, is it worth going back to Yunjian Pavilion to pick it up?” Xiao Yuan said, “Have you ever thought about how the people of Yunjian Pavilion will react when they see you again!”

Gu Louyin said calmly: “Go back to Xuanle Sect.”

“You…” Xiao Yuan clenched his fists and said, “Okay, if you want to go back to Yunjian Pavilion, I will accompany you!”