CH 42

No one spoke the whole night.

Early the next morning, Su Yang and Gu Feidi ate something simple and then set out to fill in the sword marks on the wall of the stone chamber.

The two had an inexplicable quarrel last night.

No, it wasn’t actually a quarrel. In Su Yang’s view, it’s just that Gu Feidi was unilaterally angry with him and had not yet spoken frankly on the reason for his anger.

However, from just a few words, it sounded like it had something to do with the Devil Sect Leader. Su Yang couldn’t bear the shell of the Devil Sect’s Young Saint to ask Gu Feidi about his own sect’s leader’s matters. He was really aggrieved at not being able to say out the unhappy, stifled feelings in his heart.

Forget it, just forget it. Besides, the protagonist and the villain should be opposing each other like this anyway. Now they were forced to proceed in the same storyline. Maybe Gu Feidi was also vexed.

Su Yang could only console himself in this way.

Surprisingly, Gu Feidi took the initiative to apologise to him.

“It was my fault last night. I shouldn’t have treated you like that.” Gu Feidi stared at Su Yang seriously without evading his eyes. “In any case, you helped me a lot and never did anything to harm me. Even… in order to save me, you didn’t hesitate to sacrifice yourself. I shouldn’t have had unwarranted thoughts, but I lambasted you in anger.”

Su Yang had been resentful for a while last night and wanted to put on the Devil Sect’s Young Saint’s demeanour to taunt Gu Feidi with a few choice words, but seeing Gu Feidi’s dark and exhausted eyes, he couldn’t say what he had intended to.

In the end, Su Yang just playacted and snorted, then turned his head to ask: “So what were you mad about yesterday? Was it because I said I didn’t want to leave the Devil Sect?”

Gu Feidi pursed his lips and said, “I understand, you are the Devil Sect’s Young Saint. It’s due to your status and also it’s your responsibility.”

Sure enough, Gu Feidi, a rookie talent of the martial arts’ Righteous Way, still disapproved of his status as the Devil Sect’s Young Saint.

For some reason, Su Yang suddenly heard a voice in his heart——he didn’t want Gu Feidi to erroneously believe that he was colluding with the Devil Sect’s Leader.

This idea was unreasonable and it was not in line with the personality of the Devil Sect’s Young Saint, but the voice aggravated in Su Yang’s heart uncontrollably and finally lingered becoming a demon-like echo.

After hesitating for a moment, Su Yang finally decided to be willful and follow his heart. Anyway… anyway, Gu Feidi ultimately wanted to destroy the Devil Sect and kill him.

He clenched his teeth, looked at Gu Feidi and spoke seriously: “Actually, I don’t like the Devil Sect and it’s not because of the Devil Sect Leader that I insist on staying. I am not close to him and have only seen him a handful of times. I’ve never assisted him in his whatever-martial arts practices. I remain in the Devil Sect… for some other reasons, but I can’t tell you.”

Initially, Su Yang thought that Gu Feidi would ask him what his reason was. Unexpectedly, Gu Feidi was startled when he heard these words, he grabbed Su Yang’s arm with both hands and unwittingly asked: “You’ve never assisted the Devil Sect Leader in his martial arts practices?”

His eyes seemed to have been instantly lit up by something. In a split second, he was filled with hope and he stared directly at Su Yang. He couldn’t help but confirm it again: “Truly?”

Su Yang was taken aback and subconsciously asked, “Why would he need my assistance when he practices his skills?”

Gu Feidi continued: “You don’t know the skills that he practices…”

Halfway through, he suddenly reacted to something and said with a laugh: “…That’s right, it was a Jianghu rumour after all. It’s just that this rumour appeared too early and for too long, I actually took it seriously…”

Su Yang had seen how powerful the rumours of this fantastic Jianghu were. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes in secret after hearing what had been said: “The Jianghu rumours also said that I was dismissing the harem for you! They also said that you and I had a private meeting at night and definitely had an illicit love affair! Why don’t you believe that?”

Gu Feidi frowned slightly when he heard this and fell deep into thought.

Su Yang: ……

Hey, don’t be like this, okay? It’s scary!

After a long while, Gu Feidi asked, “Back then, those youths that you kidnapped, were they really to be your bedwarmers?”

When faced with such a weird question, Su Yang was speechless and supported his forehead with his hand.

Well, the original Young Saint may really have abducted those youths for the sake of forming a harem. Unfortunately, the original Young Saint’s skill practice did not allow him to touch those children. Later, he had completed his skill breakthrough, but the transmigration had occurred.

As a good man who had transmigrated over from the 21st century, he would naturally not be so perverse as to keep those bedwarmers, so he had simply sent all of them back.

It was impossible to start a harem; not to mention those were still young boys. Although he was not scorning it, he had no interest in trying.

However, based on his assumptions of the Devil Sect’s Young Saint’s character, he should display a wicked smile to admit, declare that those youths were part of his own harem and so what if they were.

Su Yang displayed the haughty demeanour and was about to speak, when he collided into Gu Feidi’s deep eyes.

He was just on the verge of saying what was on his mind when, unexpectedly, it took a turn and became: “…No.”

Gu Feidi smiled.

The smile at the corner of his lips was very shallow, but his eyes were sparkling as if the spring breeze had entered the water, billowing ripples on the pond.

“Sure enough…” He smiled, “…You are not what the rumours make you out to be.”

Su Yang suddenly reacted, had he boosted his favourability with Gu Feidi by mistake?!

What the heck was he doing… you can’t be that unruly, how was the subsequent storyline where Gu Feidi destroys the Devil Sect and pierces his heart on the top of the mountain going to proceed?

So he lifted his chin, curled his mouth and said, “Heh, although this Young Saint is not as rumoured in the Jianghu, but I’m definitely not what you imagine. Don’t pretend to comprehend this Young Saint. If I tell you what this Young Saint has done, I’m afraid it’ll scare you to death…”

Gu Feidi shot a glance at Su Yang, but didn’t expose him. He smiled: “Alright, we should get to work.” 

As he spoke, he raised his finger and pointed at the sword marks on the wall of the stone room.

……

In a flash, five days had passed. All the sword marks on the walls of the stone room had been repaired except for those ancient traces left by the original owner.

Standing in the stone room, Su Yang looked at the sword marks on the wall in astonishment and said in a stunned voice: “So simple? Are you sure you didn’t read it wrong?”

Gu Feidi nodded, “Definitely. Although these sword marks are simple, they are also…… indeed some mysterious principles.”

Su Yang looked at Gu Feidi with admiration and said to himself: As expected of the protagonist. He can discern the mystery from this mess of sword marks.

Gu Feidi continued: “You go to the door of the stone room first, let me see if my guess is constructive.”

Hearing Gu Feidi’s words, Su Yang obediently took a few steps back and stood by the door of the stone room, holding a torch to help Gu Feidi illuminate.

Gu Feidi held the sword in his hand and slowly brandished it along the direction of the sword mark on the wall, occasionally looking for the next sword mark that matched it and then returning from there… Every now and then he stopped to carry on thinking, perhaps reversing the previous move or maybe altering it slightly.

After a long time, Gu Feidi instantly smiled.

“This is indeed a set of swordsmanship.” He said, “The sword moves are simple and straightforward. They are a great approach to opening and closing. It should be pretty suitable for facing an opponent…”

Su Yang was uncertain and asked, “Based on your tone, this set of swordsmanship is actually not that impressive?”

Gu Feidi said: “You and I have graduated from Lesser Jade House. Having witnessed the Flying Flower Art and Returning Geese Sword Art, how many of the sword techniques in today’s martial arts world would you and I even consider? Besides, even if the master here was indeed the Sword Sage Bai Jinghong… all in all, a hundred years have already passed.”

He laughed lightly and went on, “There have been countless talents born in the world during these hundred years and how many martial artists have risen based on the foundation stone laid by their predecessors? The martial world has always been one wave after another and there is no way that the legacy of a hundred years ago can match the current martial arts. Even the techniques of Tengyun Pavilion are not static. They will be revised, perfected and even innovated every once in a while.”

After hearing this, Su Yang felt that… it did make sense!

Even in the real world, the training methods of the military a hundred years ago were certainly not as scientific as the training of modern special forces. This reason should also be applicable in the world of martial arts!

But if this was the case, wouldn’t the Sword Sage legacy become an unnecessary plot point? Could it be that the original arrangement of this plot was really to give Gu Feidi an emotional arc for him to get married?

Then his arrival had accidentally fanned Pu Lingyun away. How.…… how, how, how should he fix this?

How was he going to produce a wife for Gu Feidi?!

Seeing that Su Yang hadn’t spoken for a long time and had a stunned expression, Gu Feidi laughed, “That’s why I didn’t have much interest in the rumoured Sword Sage legacy from the beginning, but my father deliberately made this arrangement, so I took it. At the beginning I wanted to persuade you to give it up, but you really wanted to… If you want, why don’t you learn this sword technique?”

Su Yang was speechless and supported his forehead.

He asked: “Since you’ve seen through this a while back, what did you spend so much time repairing the sword marks?”

Gu Feidi did not answer for a while.

He looked at Su Yang for some time, his eyes drooping slightly and the corners of his mouth suddenly curled up showing a bitter smile.

He whispered: “I just… didn’t want to get out of here so soon…”

Su Yang couldn’t help being taken aback when he heard Gu Feidi say this.

He didn’t understand: “Why don’t you want to go out?”

Did the storyline also control the thoughts of the characters, making them unconsciously stick to the correct timeline?

No, no, if it was really like that, Pu Lingyun would have completed her discipleship at Lesser Jade House by now.

“Perhaps, it’s because when we return to the martial arts world…… we would have to confront the responsibilities of our respective positions.” Gu Feidi said, “Dawdling here is a respite that is hard to come by, we can be with…… we do not have to mull over a lot of complicated matters.”

With regards to this point, Su Yang sympathised and immediately nodded in agreement: “Yes, once we return to the martial arts circles, there will be no less troublesome matters. You are the Young Master of Tengyun Pavilion and there must be countless paperwork for you to deal with and social engagements. These things are so annoying. I also brought the flower aide to find the Tomb of the Sword Sage in order to avoid these issues.”

Unexpectedly, Gu Feidi shook his head, “I don’t think paperwork and social engagements are too cumbersome.”

Su Yang asked, “Then why don’t you want to go back?”

Gu Feidi stared at Su Yang for a long time without answering, then he asked: “Are… you going to get your crown?”

Su Yang thought for a while. When he wears the crown, he would be twenty years old. That time for this ‘shell’ of his was indeed coming soon, so he nodded.

Gu Feidi muttered to himself for a moment, his expression became a little more complicated and he asked in a low voice, “Then… the Devil Sect Leader… has already arranged a marriage for you?”

Su Yang was taken aback.

Then he realised.

——The ‘responsibility’ mentioned by Gu Feidi must be that he was being pushed to marry!

No wonder he wants to stay in this isolated cave to hide away. Throughout the ages, older men and women have been most afraid of being hastened to marry. Years ago, when his grandmother was still around, she started to ask him if he had been looking for a girlfriend yet when he was facing the college entrance examination and was just eighteen years old. Now Gu Feidi also seemed to be eighteen. These are ancient times and it was normal to be pushed to marry.

No, that’s not right.

Gu Feidi and Pu Lingyun had always been on good terms. They are not only shixiong and shimei, but also childhood sweethearts… Even if he was being pushed to marry, he should be happy and shouldn’t want to evade.

Could it be that… this current Gu Feidi doesn’t actually like Pu Lingyun?

That’s right, if you thought about it that way, then it made sense—the Tomb of the Sword Sage story arc was originally meant for the two of them to cultivate feelings!

Think about it: Gu Feidi and Pu Lingyun were both at the age of being urged to marry. They were originally a normal shixiong and shimei relationship and were not willing to marry each other. However, by God’s will, they fell into the water together and rushed to the Dubious Tomb of the Sword Sage. Seeing true sentiments during times of hardship, spending time alone day and night, sharing meagre resources… gradually, affection emerged.

This was logically possible within the storyline!

But now, Pu Lingyun’s emotional arc had been slapped away by his butterfly wings.

Su Yang: ……

What should he do now? He truly didn’t mean to!

However, even though it wasn’t his fault, he felt really guilty about it.

Su Yang decided to persuade Gu Feidi to not be headstrong to evade, instead he should treat Pu Lingyun well.

He said: “Pu Lingyun is actually a fine lady…”