But Shixiong Doesn’t Want To Be A Villain!

Chapter 6 - Why Are You Avoiding Me?

Yun Zhan’s flying sword was quite stable.

Ling Qingzi had numerous disciples. Apart from Bai Fanlu and Wang Chongyu, they would no longer be his disciples after a hundred years. Yun Zhan was regarded as one of the youngest in his set, the second to last of the Yun generation.

However, no one couldn’t stand against the aura of the protagonist or his halo of extraordinary talent, and in just a few decades he succeeded in becoming one of the most outstanding disciples, surpassing Wang Chongyu and catching up with Bai Fanlu.

And at the Immortal Summit to select the acting Sect Leader, Yun Zhan beat the eldest Shixiong. He repeatedly broke through the Lingquan Array and smoothly transformed Bilou into a godly weapon and greatly increased his skill, becoming the top disciple.

This was the development in the original novel. According to the current situation, Yun Zhan failed to break through the array and Bai Fanlu should still be able to compare to him in power.

It was a pity that things were unpredictable. He didn’t expect to be the victim of a serial injury case as soon as he transmigrated. Now he could only be forced to lean on Yun Zhan’s chest, crying out in refusal every day, calling out that this land was out of order.

There was a vast expanse of white all around, only the wind was flowing. Bai Fanlu vaguely felt like he was getting colder and colder, as if the air was leaking into his body from everywhere. He couldn’t help but shiver.

After this small movement, he felt the hands holding onto him tighten slightly, and a warm current of air was faintly transmitted from the two palms that were pressed against him.

Bai Fanlu looked up in confusion. Amidst the turbulence of the air currents, Bai Fanlu heard the man’s voice overhead.

“Hold on to me.”

“...”

Bai Fanlu persisted in not having physical contact with Yun Zhan, but in the next moment there was another violent jolt in the air, and as someone who had almost fallen from the sky, he grit his teeth and quietly grabbed the blue cloth in front of him. In order to find a balance point, Bai Fanlu had to reluctantly put his face against the other’s shoulder, feeling his strong chest and arm muscles, which caused a string of %@＃×*’s in his heart.

Didn’t you say that the flying sword was quite stable? What kind of plane is this?!

Flying all the way back to the Immortal Gate, he could see the word ‘Tianshu’ on the boundary pillar from a distance. The airsick Bai Fanlu almost vomited after seeing the life-saving landing point and was looking forward to it, but didn’t dare to move.

“Here we are.” The landing was light and steady. “Shixiong, are you all right?”

“...I’ll walk by myself.” Bai Fanlu’s voice trembled.

He had seen two disciples on duty by the boundary pillar. He really didn’t want to be seen being held like a princess, but couldn’t manage by himself, it wasn't just his feet now, he also couldn’t even move his body.

“Why can’t I move?” It couldn’t be this fellow, Yun Zhan——

“The Nieyu, its corrosive liquid is very strong.”

Bai Fanlu believed that he was serious.

“Shidi, why not… fly in directly?” It was only a short distance away. Why not just go through the gate?

“Shixiong, don’t you not like the flying sword?”

It was too late, Bai Fanlu watched as they got closer and closer to the two disciples. Suddenly, he felt a light wind, and a white cloak was draped over his shoulders. A knot was automatically tied over his chest, covering his whole body tightly.

Bai Fanlu was stunned for a moment, then his mind quickly turned over and he felt that he understood what Yun Zhan was thinking. It turned out that he did not want to be seen.

Excellent!

Bai Fanlu was full of joy and thought that the thin white cloth was about to cover his face, but when it fell lightly it only covered half of his face. It was like a wedding dress, with no extra cloth to cover the rest. He blinked blankly.

??

Now, with only half his face left outside, since they wanted to avoid suspicion shouldn’t he get a hat to cover the rest of his face? Operating in this way, couldn’t somebody still see the two fellow apprentice brothers coming back together?

Sure enough, somebody already saw them.

Bai Fanlu raised his hand and attempted to pull the cloak up further toward his face, but unfortunately it was useless because Yun Zhan summoned wind under his feet and caused it to automatically blow off.

At the time, the training ground was full of disciples and there were patrolling immortals everywhere on the roadside. Yun Zhan did not shy away from the eyes of everyone, and walked up the right mountain path.

It really was ‘walking’. It was just a really quick walk with many steps.

Not to mention, on the way, there were hundreds of disciples that saw them, well into the three digits.

“Sect Leader.”

“Shixiong.”

Almost everyone wanted to say ‘hello’ to them, causing the corners of Bai Fanlu’s mouth to slightly cramp as he smiled. There were even those female disciples who thought they were silent, whispering quietly behind them.

“Sect Leader is really considerate to Shixiong!”

“Yes, I said that they must have become cultivation partners.”

“Then why did the Sect Leader injure Shixiong?”

“You don’t understand, this is the appeal among the strong...”

“...” Bai Fanlu hated his overly sensitive hearing.

In this world, cultivation partners could be of the same sex, so not only is the public opinion highly accepting, but there was also a lot of room for imagination. A lot of gossip spread as fast as an egret flying into the sky.

“...Shidi, we passed it, my room is over there.”

Bai Fanlu had been suffering and persevering, finally seeing the disciples residence, but Yun Zhan went straight through, ignoring it.

“We’re going to the spiritual spring to heal.”

They were going to the spring again?!

Bai Fanlu was truly scared now. He couldn’t move his feet so if he fell in, he would sink to the bottom.

“I… I’m actually fine.” He had a fear over that spring.

“In a little while, I’ll take my cloak back. If you can still say that, then I’ll send you back.”

What did that mean?

Bai Fanlu quickly understood.

As soon as they arrived at the spiritual spring, Yun Zhan fulfilled his promise. Bai Fanlu only felt cold. After the cloak ruthlessly disappeared into thin air, he looked down at himself and was unable to recover his mind for a long time.

What kind of clothes were these? It was like he was almost wearing nothing? No, worse than nothing!

Not only were the fabrics corroded from the inside to the outside, they hung on his body miserably, like having been torn by a whip. His originally white skin was covered in red marks…

And the corrosion process was still going. Soon, the trembling rags on his upper body were about to rip.

“You’d better not look around.” Bai Fanlu grit his teeth calmly.

Yun Zhan said, “I wont look.”

He really only looked straight ahead, even now as he was holding Bai Fanlu. As long as he didn’t lower his head, he wouldn’t see anything.

Fortunately, Yun Zhan didn’t have any feelings toward the original Bai Fanlu in that aspect. There were only two flowery descriptions in the novel. One was the marginal accident that happened under very special circumstances, and the other was a fake occurrence within the original Bai Fanlu’s heart demons. Otherwise, Bai Fanlu would be really worried about not protecting himself from evening festivities.

“Put me in the water.” He continued to command like the Shixiong over the Shidi.

Yun Zhan didn’t say anything, nor did he use an immortal technique. Instead, he calmly walked over to the edge of the spring and slowly put Bai Fanlu down where there was a big stone he could rely on.

Although Bai Fanlu could not use his feet, he could still use his hands. When Yun Zhan was just bending over, he jumped down on his own initiative. As soon as feet reached the bottom of the spring pool, he grabbed the stone with both hands and stubbornly moved to the back of it.

From this angle, Yun Zhan was no longer visible. Bai Fanlu finally breathed a sigh of relief and slowly sat down, leaning against the stone.

The water level was acceptable, and he continued to sit down completely at the bottom of the pool. The spring water only just barely reached the position where his neck and collarbone met.

Bai Fanlu remembered the position of this stone. Yun Zhan had leaned here last time, but the water only reached his shoulders. It turned out that there was that much of a height difference between them?

Bai Fanlu found that his focus was a little off track.

“Shidi, I’ll meditate here for a little while. You can go back.”

No one answered him. Bai Fanlu stuck his head out and went around, had he left?

That’s right. Yun Zhan was so tired of the original Bai Fanlu, but because of his status as his martial brother, he pretended to take care of him to maintain his decent image. When no one was there, he was definitely extremely disgusted and couldn’t wait to run away as far as he could.

Coincidentally, he was thinking the same thing!

Bai Fanlu relaxed and began to sweep his hands through the water. The burned areas became cool and refreshing little by little, and his unconscious toes began to feel tingly, which was both comfortable and cozy.

The clothes on his body were messy and torn to pieces. He had to wait until his spiritual energy was replenished to remake them. Now that he was soaking in the spring, whether there were tattered rags or not, after submerging into the water, they slowly began to drift away. Bai Fanlu simply tore them off and threw them on the edge of the spring pool.

This trip had been reckless, adding new injuries onto old injuries. Bai Fanlu decided to have more bubbles in the spiritual spring so that his body could recover better.

He closed his eyes, his hands and legs swaying gently with the water. Soon, the excessive exhaustion made him drowsy. It was rare for him to feel sleepy, so eventually, he let himself sink into a light sleep.

The spiritual spring was purifying the demonic energy, bringing up mist that floated along the water’s surface.

Bai Fanlu’s head rested on his right arm, his eyes half closed as if he was sleeping uneasily. His eyelashes cast a trembling shadow on his white cheeks, a few beads of mist shimmering upon them, about to drip. Behind him, his long hair was soaked and spreading out into the depths of the water.

By the spring pool, Yun Zhan slowly emerged, looking at Bai Fanlu lying down nearby. His eyes wandered before finally landing on his smooth back and the inkjet black birthmark near his earlobe.

The birthmark was not completely revealed, half-hidden by the hair that floated with fine ripples, like ink-colored silk and satins. And the beautiful scenery underwater was looming between the layers of silk and hazy fog, discernible at one moment and gone the next.

Yun Zhan couldn’t help but approach a step, but the person by the pool suddenly opened his eyes.

At the next moment, suddenly there was a sweep of light in the spiritual spring cave, and a white flutter appeared out of nowhere toward Yun Zhan aiming to cover his head. Yun Zhan hastily dodged backward, flicked his wrist, and looked down. It turned out to be a piece of cloth.

Paying him back in his own way.

“Shidi, why did you return? Is there anything else?”

Yun Zhan raised his eyes and Bai Fanlu was already dressed in white, standing across from him on the opposite end of the spiritual spring standing in a posture that was extremely calm with a gentle expression and quiet smile.

But the appearance was just a presentation. Bai Fanlu was now searching for dirty words in his heart. How good you are, Yun Zhan. To go as far as to peep without a word!

He was almost to the point of slapping the other to death.

Yun Zhan seemed to pay no mind to the sullen expression in Bai Fanlu’s eyes. He just flicked his hand and turned the cloth into a wisp of dust in his palm as he took a step forward.

Bai Fanlu immediately took a step back and subconsciously took on an alert attitude, but his expression was still reluctantly held. After all, he was still under the original Bai Fanlu’s name. His self-consciousness wasn’t good, but his performance was still strong.

If he was the original Bai Fanlu, it was estimated that in this situation he should be more ashamed than angry, his contrast was still a little big. Yun Zhan, a scheming dog with evil intentions toward the original Bai Fanlu didn’t make out the clues.

Yun Zhan ignored Bai Fanlu’s actions and questioning, and continued to walk forward until he reached the pool before bending over and sitting in. He sat in the same place Bai Fanlu had just been sitting, closed his eyes and meditated, doing this all in one go.

The spiritual spring’s water penetrated into his clothing and the two places injured by the hidden weapons on his shoulder appeared. The originally small marks were now two thick bowl-sized shadows.

Because of that, Yun Zhan was only here to heal his injuries?

Bai Fanlu was taken aback. Suddenly, he realized he forgot that Yun Zhan was injured. He had received internal injuries from failing to break the array, plus the trauma from the two dark darts from the demon, neither of which were light.

And on account of this, Yun Zhan rushed to support him at the risk of injury and brought him back on a flying sword all the way?

Bai Fanlu frowned. He forgot that Yun Zhan wasn’t interested in the original Bai Fanlu at all.

Why did he think that? He seemed to have misunderstood him in that matter.

“Shixiong’s injury is not good, you should get in too.” Yun Zhan closed his eyes and said indifferently.

Bai Fanlu glanced down at his still black feet. Although they were able to move and his spiritual energy was restored, his feet still looked strange.

A wise man submits to fate. Bai Fanlu followed the good advice and also sat down in the spiritual spring, not far from Yun Zhan.

“Shixiong, you might as well come over here, it would be helpful for healing.”

Bai Fanlu didn’t know what was special about it. He recalled the description of the spiritual spring, but Yun Zhan was seriously injured. The original Bai Fanlu assisted him in healing his injuries, saying that two people would benefit from being in the water together, but he didn’t write about how to gain it because he didn’t do anything right after entering.

Thinking of his plot, it was inevitable to remember the famous underwater kiss scene.

The author’s writing was too flowery and over-thought-provoking. Bai Fanlu only had to think about this a little and his face began to burn a bit.

With a light cough, Bai Fanlu calmly moved along the edge of the spring with a calm expression. He did not dare ask how to do it, for fear of exposing the fact that he didn’t know anything.

Finally, he slowly arrived near Yun Zhan’s side, but still kept a safe distance from him.

Just as Bai Fanlu was about to sit down, Yun Zhan tilted his head to look at him, causing Bai Fanlu’s movement to sit down to freeze for a moment. His white clothes had been soaked with water and were uncomfortably sticking tightly to his legs.

Yun Zhan retracted his gaze, turned his head, and closed his eyes again.

Bai Fanlu felt fluffy in his heart. Just as soon as he sat firmly on the bottom of the spring, there was a splash of water around him as Yun Zhan seemed to get up suddenly.

Bai Fanlu just said, “Shidi...?” And in the next second his whole person was forced against the edge of the pool.

His hands were captured and his legs were restrained.

The alarm in Bai Fanlu’s mind blared and he widened his eyes, glaring at the opposite party.

He was so flustered that he failed to catch some kind of light flashing in Yun Zhan’s eyes.

“Shixiong… Why are you avoiding me?”

Chapter 7 - Let’s Go Down The Mountain Together

Bai Fanlu was suppressed by the other party’s force causing his blood to surge. And he wanted to curse, however, he was very upright in his heart. But in the moment he was betrayed by his terminally ill ears, suffering from his occupational habit again as his three values began to deviate.

It was mainly the kind of the voice that was excessively low, deep, and seductive, like mellow wine that has been poisoned with passion.

Finally, the last syllable was deliberately picked up, like a fishing line with a hook, able to snatch people’s souls away.

No, no, no! NOT ALLOWED! This person is a scumbag or a demon, he cannot allow himself to be deceived!

This is not a radio drama, this is the present reality, and this person will pose a serious threat to his own survival! A little inner Bai Fanlu climbed the cliff and faltered, pulling back the only trace of reason left in Bai Fanlu.

Yun Zhan was absolutely deliberate and capricious. When the original Bai Fanlu chased him, he cast him aside like an old shoe. When the original Bai Fanlu had changed to trying to keep him at a respectful distance, he deliberately flirted with others, driving the original Bai Fanlu mad to achieve his dirty and filthy purpose.

The current Bai Fanlu cherished his life and wanted to stay away from the scumbag. It was out of the question to succumb to what he hears!

Absolutely! Impossible!

“Cough, cough, Shidi, don’t talk nonsense. I thought it through. You and I are seeking the Dao. You and I should focus more on the common people of the world. In order to avoid misunderstandings by others, it’s better to maintain a boundary…”

Halfway through, his voice became a little tight and Bai Fanlu let out another gentle cough. He noticed that Yun Zhan moved his hand slightly, and his heart immediately blossomed with joy.

 On the surface, however, Bai Fanlu still pretended to be distressed, helpless, and sad, continuing to speak with emotion in his tone. “In the past, I was weak-willed, and trapped by demons in my heart. Although I’m angry that you hurt me, the reason is that I’m not as skilled as others. I can’t blame anyone, but this matter has completely opened my eyes.”

In the latter half, Bai Fanlu intentionally bit hard at the words. The subtext is: You see? You hurt me. I don’t blame you. You’ve been very good, but the past mutual affection is written off with a sword. In the future, we will return to the bridge and walk the road.

“A good man aspires to travel far and make one's mark. We should take it as our duty to cultivate immortality and pursue Daoism, so as to live up to the grace of Shizun’s education…”

Bai Fanlu spoke so much that he could hardly stop the car. Unexpectedly, he was so eloquent that he moved himself to tears when talking about the great truth.

Yun Zhan stared at his glistening eyes in silence.

Bai Fanlu looked back at him sincerely, and guessed to himself that Yun Zhan thought he was reluctant to give up this affection to the point of wanting to fall into tears. It should seem more realistic with the effect of the combination of voice and emotion.

Bai Fanlu deliberately sighed and counted the seconds, secretly wanting to see what Yun Zhan’s reaction would be.

It didn’t take long to wait before the hands holding onto his wrists were loosened and the long legs pressed into his legs were removed at the same time. Yun Zhan sat back to one side again.

“En.” A single tone lightly fluttered out, humming from Yun Zhan’s nose with his eyes closed, “I’m sorry, Shixiong.”

Just like a heavy fist straight through the air, Bai Fanlu almost stumbled into the water. He just talked at length until his mouth was dry, with nowhere else to put great aspiration and lofty sentiments. The other party just gave him back such a sentence?

As if the acting wasn’t enough to enjoy himself fully, he wanted to say something more.

But Yun Zhan suddenly opened his eyes, “Who!”

Bai Fanlu wondered, had somebody come? He was just about to get to his feet to look around.

Yun Zhan glanced at Bai Fanlu and half-held his right hand, a ball of blue light was struck into his palm, expanding in all directions with a bang, the water’s surface was stirred by the spiritual energy, causing a circle of obvious ripples.

Bai Fanlu looked at Yun Zhan, being baffled.

“Sect Leader? It’s me, Yun Yi. I’m trying to find Shixiong, is he in there?”

Bai Fanlu knew the name Yun Yi. He was a young disciple of the same generation as Yun Zhan, the youngest in age. Not long after entering the mountain, he was a little fan of the original Bai Fanlu. Because he cultivated through medicine materials and used to do medical business at home before cultivating as an immortal, he often sent herbs to the original Bai Fanlu when he was injured. He was silly and lovable.

Yun Yi seemed to run into something and paused, “Eh? Why is there a barrier?”

Yun Zhan was just putting up a barrier a moment ago? Why did you put up a boundary to ward off your fellow martial brother?

Bai Fanlu was even more strange. When he was just about to go outside to respond, he heard Yun Zhan say, “Go out after your clothes are dry.”

Bai Fanlu lowered his head and just struggled. He was soaked to the skin and now his white robes were pasted onto his body. Immortal clothes were light and thin causing his wet body effect to be quite good.

“...”

Quietly pinching out a spell, Bai Fanlu dried his clothes, calmly stepped out of the water, and began walking toward the steps of the spiritual spring cave.

Yun Zhan behind him, carelessly glanced at Bai Fanlu, hooking his lips upward. Then, he shook his head, raised his face, and helplessly sighed.

The barrier was opened and Bai Fanlu saw the little martial brother Yun Yi, looking expectant outside.

Sure enough, it was the same as was written in the novel. He looked like he was thirteen to fourteen years old, and behind him was Wang Chongyu.

Wang Chongyu looked up and down at Bai Fanlu, and when he finished with Yun Yi, he asked, “Shixiong, we noticed that there was demonic energy here. Did another demon intrude again?”

Bai Fanlu was startled at first when he asked him about the demonic energy, thinking that there was something wrong with himself, but he immediately reacted. “It’s a Nieyu.”

“A Nieyu?” Wang Chongy was slightly surprised.

“Er… It’s a long story. I’ll tell you in detail. Has Shizun come out of seclusion?”

He didn’t go down the mountain for a long time. Ling Qingzi said he would go into seclusion for a day and shouldn’t have come out yet. He was mainly diverting Wang Chongyu’s attention because he didn’t want to be asked all sorts of questions.

It turned out that immortals got tired sometimes. Wang Chongyu was sent away on the pretext of injury and Bai Fanlu returned to his place of residence, lying down in the bed. But after a short nap, the old problem of insomnia bothered him once more. Without a mobile phone, he couldn’t hear the voice of his male god. Bai Fanlu couldn’t do anything about it.

But his body was extremely exhausted, so Bai Fanlu just quietly lay still until he thought it was almost time to get up.

He found Wang Chongyu first, only to realize that one night had passed in this world, and that the other party was leading his disciples to read the Heart Sutra early.

He could estimate that Ling Qingzi had come out of seclusion, so Bai Fanlu didn’t bother Wang Chongyu and went to look for him on his own. When he got there, he found a person one step ahead of him.

Yun Zhan seemed to have already reported to Ling Qingzi about the Nieyu.

When Bai Fanlu came to the door, he could hear Ling Qingzi saying, “...there are changes in demon movements everywhere. This matter is indeed unusual.”

“Mo’er? Come in.”

Bai Fanlu had been thinking about withdrawing his foot, but was obliged to return to his original position and walk in.

“Shizun.” Bai Fanlu cupped his hands before his chest and stood on the opposite side of Yun Zhan.

“I’ve heard from Yun Zhan about yesterday’s matter.” Ling Qingzi said.

Bai Fanlu raised his head and when he looked at Ling Qingzi, he shot Yun Zhan a glance, unsure of what he told their Shizun. It seemed a little too ridiculous that he was eaten by the Nieyu with the capability of the original Bai Fanlu. Ling Qingzi should know his eldest apprentice’s level very well, so to be on the safe side, Bai Fanlu didn’t answer immediately.

“Mo’er, why did you go down the mountain alone?”

Unexpectedly, Ling Qingzi asked him this question. Bai Fanlu felt strange. Ling Qingzi’s tone seemed to not know the reason why he went down the mountain. If he read the message left behind, he shouldn’t be questioning this at all?

He was feeling uncertain, only to hear Ling Qingzi add, “Yun Zhan said just now that he has very little qualifications and needs more experience, so he can’t bear the position of Sect Leader right now. Is it in consideration of him that Mo’er went down the mountain this time?”

Bai Fanlu was still at a loss, but if he didn’t say anything this time, he wouldn’t be able to explain it. After thinking for a moment, he answered in a rather tangled tone, as if he were embarrassed, “It’s not just… for Shidi.”

This type of answer was ambiguous and appeared right, but was actually wrong, making it easier to deceive. It all depended on how the listener understood it.

“Oh?” Ling Qingzi used his right hand and stroked the white-hair draped on his waist, “What do you think of what I said?”

According to what Ling Qingzi had just said, Yun Zhan seemed to be refusing the Sect Leader position, but this wasn’t in line with his ambition to be the leader in the original novel.

Anyhow, Bai Fanlu didn't believe it. If he didn’t become the Sect Leader, then he would have to do it himself. Listening to Ling Qingzi’s words, he seemed to be implying this matter. To have to think about that, forget about it.

“This disciple believed that Yun Zhan Shidi was worthy of this post because of both his virtue and ability. This disciple was completely convinced by him. As for this disciple himself, he needs to practice more diligently before he can make progress.”

After he finished speaking, Bai Fanlu breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw Ling Qingzi nod his head slightly.

 However, Ling Qingzi’s facial expression made him even more puzzled. He really didn’t see the message. He lightly pinched his fingers together and felt that there was indeed no spiritual fluctuation of his own. Where would those strips of paper fly off too without foundation?

“Yun Zhan.” Ling Qingzi said at that moment.

Yun Zhan stepped forward according to his words and listened respectfully.

“Since your Shixiong said so, I will agree to the conversation we had just now and allow you to go down the mountain. But the matter of the Sect Leader is very serious so you should bear it first and discuss it later.” Ling Qingzi said.

He then raised his hand and conjured two cyan feathers into his palm. In the next moment, the two feathers turned into birds, and the two birds the size of sparrows, with red beaks and blue feathers, began to jump around in his palm.

Bai Fanlu looked surprised at the sight. And what did his Shizun say? Send Yun Zhan down the mountain? That was simply wonderful. Then he might be able to become a useless nobody on the mountain. Wouldn’t that be too wonderful!

However, in the next second, it was not wonderful.

“Mo’er, you also have the intention to see the world, so go down the mountain with Yun Zhan. This pair of bluebirds is a token. They are very good at disguising you from demons. Having them beside you will also avoid you from misidentifying each other. In addition, when spiritual energy is unreachable, they can be used for transmission.”

With a wave of his hand, the two bluebirds flapped their wings, one landing in Yun Zhan’s hand and the other landing on Bai Fanlu’s shoulder, but they each quickly disappeared.

Bai Fanlu followed Ling Qingzi out, his expression management was reaching its limit.

Yun Zhan was walking ahead, but then he turned around and asked, “Shixiong, is reluctant to go down the mountain?”

I’m reluctant to go together with you, nothing more.

He just wanted to go straight past but Yun Zhan spoke up again, “I thought Shixiong went down the mountain yesterday for practice, but I didn’t expect it to be just written on paper.”

On paper…

Bai Fanlu had an epiphany and realized that his message that had disappeared for no reason had been wrongly passed to Yun Zhan!

Being hit in the head by his own mistake, Bai Fanlu suffered from a headache, but also suffered from not being able to reveal it. Showing it meant admitting that he was a fake Shixiong.

He must, must, must, not drop the ball in front of Yun Zhan.

“It was merely a mistake.”

“I understand, Shixiong. It was love.”

“...”

In the face of Yun Zhan’s open lies, Bai Fanlu endured again and again.

But he felt like something was wrong. Yun Zhan just now said those words with Ling Qingzi, why did he think it was deliberate?

While Bai Fanlu was thinking, Yun Zhan suddenly stepped forward, propping his hand up on one of Bai Fanlu’s shoulders. Bai Fanlu was startled, and glanced over to discover the two young disciples peeking over in their direction from a small distance away.

Yun Zhan tilted in slightly, leaning close to Bai Fanlu’s ear. From a certain angle, the two faces linked up seamlessly.

Bai Fanlu learned from the disciple’s private gossip, that the original Bai Fanlu and Yun Zhan often behaved intimately.

This Yun Zhan, could he see that Bai Fanlu was questionable and was trying to think of a way to force him to reveal himself?

“...Yun Zhan, I told you.”

A bad rejection was too obvious. Bai Fanlu lifted a finger like flicking dust and with a little bit of spiritual energy, directly bounced Yun Zhan’s dog claws off without any effort.

Yun Zhan straightened up and chuckled slightly, “Shixiong, you seem to have forgotten one thing.”

“What?” The alarm went off in Bai Fanlu’s mind. What could have forgotten about the original Bai Fanlu? Was Yun Zhan going to finally express his doubts?

“It’s nothing.” Yun Zhan didn’t continue, “Shixiong, it would be better to prepare your weapon earlier. At the second mark of Yanlan, we’ll set off.”

The second mark of Yanlan was a time in the Immortal Realm. The sun’s rotation in the world forms a scene of smoke haze and a sea of rolling clouds and the first mark of Yanlan was at just dawn, six o’clock. The second mark of Yanlan was eight o’clock.

Bai Fanlu thought Yun Zhan was still a little bit human. He didn’t say they had to set out at six o’clock when the disciples got up to practice.

But a weapon… Bai Fanlu thought it was time to get a new one.

Most of the weapons of the disciples of Tianshu sect come from Qionglin. The immortal wood in Qionglin could be used as the hilt and scabbard for the sword, and the blade needed to be forged from the butian stones scattered in the forest. The result depended on both cultivation and opportunity.

One person good at this aspect was Wang Chongyu. Bai Fanlu remembered that although Wang Chongyu's qualification for cultivating as an immortal was not outstanding, he was knowledgeable about the endoplasmic roots and bones of various spiritual objects.

In the original novel, he once joked about himself that it might be best for him to take charge of the casting furnace in the future.

Another reason why Bai Fanlu could think of asking him for help was that he had just returned to his room when he found that Wang Chongyu was already in it. He was standing in front of the table, looking at the paper that was spread out on it.

Seeing him lost in thought, Bai Fanlu felt strange, as he was under the impression that it was just a piece of white paper with nothing on it.

However, the appearance of Wang Chongyu made Bai Fanlu, who was at a loss, think of the matter of sword casting in an instant, just like he was finding a savior.

But when Wang Chongyu heard him come in, he looked up with a face that looked very complicated.

“Shixiong, are you really intending to let Yun Zhan be your cultivation partner?”

Chapter 8 - Qionglin Casted Sword, A Youth In The Mirror

“Did you misunderstand something?”

Bai Fanlu knew that after the Princess carrying situation, he would have to face the torture of public opinion sooner or later, but didn’t expect Wang Chongyu to be so straight forward so he was caught off-guard.

Bai Fanlu thought about his words as he walked over, but then he noticed that the piece of white paper that he thought had been blank before, was actually painted on.

“Did you paint this?” Bai Fanlu asked completely subconsciously.

But the other party’s expression became more complicated. He said in a deep voice, “Shixiong, I’m not a three-year-old child, don’t joke.”

Bai Fanlu didn’t understand his meaning, so he had to look at the painting twice more. Not painted by Wang Chongyu? Who else could it be?

In the painting, the young man in white who was exploring the flowers with a dancing sword, had a very handsome and heroic face. The key point was the blue petal fire lotus in his palm. The magic tool was Bilou, inlaid with gold after becoming godly. It was the only one in the world.

The person in the painting was Yun Zhan.

Would Wang Chongyu come to Bai Fanlu’s house to paint Yun Zhan in his free time? That was obviously impossible.

The brush strokes of this painting were smooth and seemed to be done in one go, with thousands of emotions contained in the pen and ink, lifelike, as if they could come out of the painting in the next moment.

There was no doubt that it was painted by the original Bai Fanlu.

Although this painting was not written in the novel, it was written that the original Bai Fanlu was good at painting. It was just that Bai Fanlu didn't understand, why, when he looked at the paper before, was it blank?

The way he stared at the man in the painting and knitted his brows fell into Wang Chongyu’s eyes making it seem like a different sort of meaning.

“Sorry, I unlocked the spiritual lock of this painting without your permission.”

Oh, so that was how it was!

It was locked before, and the original Bai Fanlu was afraid of it being seen? Tsk tsk, truly infatuated, but it was regrettable to have a scoundrel as a ‘husband’. Otherwise they could have been a strong and good pair for a CP.

Bai Fanlu cleared his throat, stopped the strange thoughts in his mind, and thought, Yun Zhan is a scumbag, you will die if you fall in love with him.

Then answered calmly, “There’s no harm.”

“Shixiong, you… really have the intention to let him?”

Wang Chongyu seemed very attached to the painting, his fingers slowly brushing across the paper.

Bai Fanlu failed to understand the reason, but saw Wang Chongyu point at the skirt of the man in the painting, “This white robe,”

Bai Fanlu found that the painting was colored because the sky was colored, the Yun Zhan in the painting wasn’t wearing blue robes. The Yun Zhan that Bai Fanlu had just seen was dressed in blue, so he hadn’t realized that Yun Zhan was the one in the painting at first because that one was in white robes.

If one wore white, it was before they became acting Sect Leader, but Biluo could not become a godly weapon until after becoming acting Sect Leader. Wasn’t this contradictory?

Moreover, the original Bai Fanlu was injured by Yun Zhan, lying on the bed unable to move his hands. It would’ve been impossible to get up to paint such a painting. The time that this painting was made would’ve been before the competition.

Unless, when the original Bai Fanlu painted this painting, he had already predicted Yun Zhan would win.

This… this emotional expression was really twisted and turned. Bai Fanlu secretly clicked his tongue in his mind, but thanks to his quick thinking, he was still able to react. “Yun Zhan is a cut above others. Even if I let him, I wouldn’t go as far as to injure myself. You think too much.”

Bai Fanlu, through the novel, knew that the original Bai Fanlu deliberately let Yun Zhan, but it was meaningless to talk about it here.

After thinking about it, it would be good to roll up the painting because it would not be good to let people see it and misunderstand. In fact, he really wanted to tear up the painting in order to make it clear, but after all, this was the painstaking effort of the original Bai Fanlu, and he was not qualified to do so.

Seeing his conscientious actions, Wang Chongyu slightly tightened the hands hidden within his sleeves behind him. “Even in Shixiong’s painting?”

“En?” Bai Fanlu didn’t understand.

“In Shixiong’s painting, Shizun should be even better.”

Bai Fanlu was stunned, and the hand scrolling up the painting froze. What did he mean? The original Bai Fanlu also painted Ling Qingzi?

Wang Chongyu stared at Bai Fanlu’s drooping eyelashes, “I heard from Shizun that you are going down the mountain with Yun Zhan?”

Bai Fanlu had no way to explore what other paintings that the original Bai Fanlu had painted. The novel had not gone into detail. Fortunately, Wang Chongyu was willing to take the initiative to bypass the topic and stop talking about paintings.

Bai Fanlu rolled up the scroll, turned, and threw it into the bamboo tube next to him. “There are sudden changes in the world, we’re going to investigate.”

“That’s all?” Wang Chongyu asked.

Bai Fanlu was puzzled. Why did he feel that there was always something hidden in his words?

Wang Chongyu gazed into his slightly evading eyes, and once again had the wrong idea. “All the younger siblings are talking, saying that you and Yun Zhan… have healed in the spiritual spring together, and will become cultivation partners in the future.”

The spiritual spring again…

Bai Fanlu had a headache. He must stay away from that pool in the future. For the third time he had jumped into the Qinhuai River and couldn’t wash it away.

“Shidi…” Bai Fanlu struggled to figure out how to explain the current predicament.

Wang Chongyu sighed lightly, and his gentle face appeared a little lonely. “Shixiong, when did you become so unfamiliar with me?”

Bai Fanlu abruptly reacted. The original Bai Fanlu always called Wang Chongyu by his name, “Chongyu, I’m sorry, I...I’m muddled.”

Wang Chongyu looked deeply into his eyes and finally compromised. “I know. Shixiong is ill, there’s no harm.”

“Chongyu, can you do me a favor?”

Now, the best solution is to do something instead of saying something. With hundreds of years' mutual affection between the original owner and Wang Chongyu, Bai Fanlu took the initiative to ask for help, and the other party really was visibly moved.

“Shixiong can say what's on his mind.”

“My sword broke while I was fighting. Can you help me forge another one?”

“Naturally.”

“That’s great, let’s go right now.”

Bai Fanlu took Wang Chongyu’s arm and began to head out. He didn’t resist being pulled along by Bai Fanlu and the expression on his face gradually returned to the peacefulness from the past.

Bai Fanlu hadn’t paid much attention to Wang Chongyu. In fact, his character in the novel didn’t have much sense of existence. At first, the author described him as a gentleman of orchids and bamboo, low-key and reliable without showing sharpness. He often helped Ling Qingzi deal with the internal affairs of the sect, and the disciples were quite accustomed to him.

However, after Yun Zhan became the leader, it seemed that Wang Chongyu's existence was weakened because of his good relationship with the original Bai Fanlu and was in a role that didn’t have a chance. Later, it was written that he disappeared and the author even forgot to even give him an ending.

Therefore, from the perspective of Bai Fanlu, right now he was only being treated as an NPC.

Although an NPC was not important, Bai Fanlu suddenly remembered another important matter just as he walked out of the door. He had addressed Wang Chongyu wrong, so what he’d been calling Yun Zhan——

It’s over. When the original Bai Fanlu and Yun Zhan were alone, he didn’t call him ‘Shidi’...

And that one sentence: Shixiong, you seem to have forgotten one thing.

One thing… One thing…

The voice of Yun Zhan’s evil spirit lingered until Bai Fanlu entered Qionglin. He racked his brains and wondered what to do when he saw Yun Zhan tomorrow. Did he want to take the initiative to explain? Or continue to feign ignorance?

Neither seemed very good.

Yun Zhan was not as easy to fool as Wang Chongyu.

“Shixiong, come here and have a look at this one?”

Just as he was thinking, Bai Fanlu turned his head when he heard Wang Chongyu's words and saw him standing under a tree, beckoning toward him. The trunk of the tree was green and white with slender branches and leaves. Compared to all the other trees nearby, there wasn’t any obvious difference.

“If you think it’s good, then it will be fine.” Bai Fanlu responded.

Wang Chongyu smiled, “You’re leaving tomorrow. For the time being, you can only choose a Xu Tree first. Later, I'll take a good look for you, and cast a better one with a Yu Tree.”

Bai Fanlu was about to say that having a sword was enough for self-defense, but his words stopped on the tip of his tongue. Although he didn't really want to go down the mountain to accomplish anything, it was all in all, not appropriate to show it in front of Wang Chongyu.

“Alright. I’ll have to thank Chongyu first then.”

“Shixiong, there is no need to be polite with me. Just wait a moment and I’ll be back as soon as I go.”

Wang Chongyu raised his hand and the giant tree before his eyes shuttered, the sound of leaves rustled overhead as a myriad of silver lights gathered together, the tree becoming uprooted from the ground. There was only a round pit left, but soon, a small sapling emerged from inside.

The trees in Qionglin grew quickly and disappeared quickly. Compared with the century-old trees in his past world, their lives were very short.

Bai Fanlu circled the tree pit twice, and in the blink of an eye, the sapling had already grown to half a person's height.

Sure enough, Wang Chongyu returned quickly, holding a piece of jade in each hand. “The one on the left is thin and tough, and the one on the right is sharp. Shixiong, which kind would you prefer?”

“The one on the left.”

It didn’t sound easy to break and seemed more suitable for self-defense. He didn’t want to end up in trouble again at another critical moment.

Wang Chongyu closed his right hand, and left his left. “Come on, let's go to the casting furnace.”

The casting furnace is on the side of Qionglin, which is one of the four scenic spots in the Immortal Realm, referring to the colorful light emitted by the casting furnace when refining the extremely rare elixir artifacts, as well as, the mysterious scenery formed by its mutual reflection with thousands of trees in Qionglin.

This time, however, it was just an ordinary flying sword being casted, so the scenery wasn’t visible. When Wang Chongyu put the material into the furnace and injected the spiritual energy from Bai Fanlu, the sword casting process began.

Within half a day, he could get a new flying sword before he left the next day.

“Shixiong, I remember when Shizun only had you and me as his disciples, we often came here to see the strange old man below.”

The casting furnace was under the cliff at the end of Qionglin, on a prominent mountain platform. An old immortal lived on the edge of the mountain platform for many years. It was said that the old immortal had already gained the Dao and could ascend to the gods, but he disdained it. His life hobby was to keep fanning and pouring wine in the casting furnace to keep the immortal fire immortal.

And he himself was also a famous drunkard. If one wanted to talk to him, he would only answer one word: wine!

There was also a saying that it was precisely because of his unruly behavior that he could not ascend to the heavens. How true that was, however, no one knew.

Bai Fanlu dealt with Wang Chongyu's words perfunctorily. Of course, he didn't remember what he said, those words belonged to the memory of the original Bai Fanlu. There were only a few simple strokes about the old immortal in the novel.

But Wang Chongyu's nostalgic look was real and moving, and Bai Fanlu couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

“Shixiong is more courageous than me, and always liked to lie on the cliff and look down. I didn’t dare.”

“Do you dare now?”

They looked at each other and smiled. “Wanna have a try?”

Wang Chongyu walked toward the cliff edge first, just tossing aside the things that didn’t need to be so close to the edge while Bai Fanlu followed after him. There was an immortal fog passing by underfoot, and the huge caster furnace was directly below. At the height of three to five stories, a lava-like red light emerged from the mouth of the furnace, stirring and roiling incessantly.

Bai Fanlu looked down at it, and suddenly a red shadow seemed to flash across his eyes. He couldn't help but take a step back, his breathing suddenly becoming rapid.

The meaning of this casting furnace in the novel was to plate the divinity in Bilou with nothing else special about it.

But this feeling of panic, what was going on…?

“Shixiong? What’s the matter? Why do you look so upset?” Seeing that there was something wrong with Bai Fanlu, Wang Chongyu stretched out his hand to touch his shoulder.

Suddenly, a spiritual wind passed between the two of them, lifting the Bai Fanlu's robe and interrupting his thoughts. But at that moment, his hair covered his eyes. When he could see things a little more, he saw Wang Chongyu lowering his head, frowning and looking at his own hand.

“What’s wrong?” Bai Fanlu asked.

Wang Chongyu raised his eyes and looked into the distance, as if thinking. “...It’s nothing. Shixiong’s body isn’t healed, so you shouldn’t catch a chill here. I'll take you back first and return to get the sword later.”

“Alright.” Bai Fanlu nodded in response, feeling uneasy in his heart.

The two walked side by side into the depths of Qionglin, and soon after they left, the white bearded old immortal beside the casting furnace let out a laugh, “All gone, come out.”

In the stone cave behind the mountain platform, a man in blue came out slowly. It was Yun Zhan. As soon as he raised his hand, the jar in his arms flew up toward Hu Xuan’er. The old immortal was as light as a swallow. He jumped into the air and caught the jar. Before he sat back, he didn’t wait to pull off the plug to give it a hard sniff.

“Fragrant! Really fragrant! You have capability, where did you get it?”

Nevermind in the Tianshu Sect, looking at the entire Immortal Realm, wine was an absolute taboo.

Yun Zhan didn't answer him, only asked, “Where is the mirror?”

“Easy to say! Easy to say!”

The old immortal snapped his fingers, and a round mirror appeared in front of Yun Zhan, but there was no scene or figure reflected in the mirror, only a thick white mist.

Man in this world, not in this world. This mirror had a strange name, ‘Bushichen’.

The old immortal took a sip of wine, smacked his lips, shook his head and lay down, his tilted feet circling back and forth in the air.

“Good wine, good wine, a jar of good wine! It's a pity that there is only one jar, hey! One altar has only one altar, two pairs are not two pairs, the Three Realms are not the Three Realms, and all beings are all beings. Ha, ha! Interesting, interesting!”

Yun Zhan ignored his nonsense, stood still facing the mirror for a moment, before finally closing his eyes. While he closed his eyes, the fog gradually cleared in the mirror, and an image of a youth appeared slowly.

Chapter 9 - Multiple Birds With One Stone, Perfect!

[ Is there a problem, host? ]

Bai Fanlu: I’m going down the mountain now. I ask you, you say it doesn't matter if the plot changes. As long as all the villains are eliminated and the world is peaceful, can I leave?

[ Yes. ]

Bai Fanlu: Then if I already know how the villain dies, can I take a shortcut?

[ Possibly. ]

This was specifically confirmed by Bai Fanlu with the system last night.

Since becoming a weak nobody was risky, then if he had to go down the mountain, he might as well take the opportunity to take a shortcut to push the plot. That way, he could try to get rid of the villains quickly and go home early.

Bai Fanlu was very worried at first, but suddenly there was endless motivation.

The next morning he wanted to pay a farewell visit to Ling Qingzi only to learn that he had gone back into seclusion. And since Yun Zhan was going down the mountain as soon as he became acting Sect Leader, the affairs of Tianshu Sect were temporarily put under the management of Wang Chongyu.

Wang Chongyu saw them off at the bottom of the mountain, exhorting Bai Fanlu to ‘be careful of everything’ before nodding to Yun Zhan and exchanging a look with him that Bai Fanlu couldn’t understand.

After leaving the mountain gate, they went straight ahead with their swords. He didn’t know whether it was because he was recovering or because he was becoming more proficient, but the new sword was very easy to use. It felt like he was standing on a balance bike when flying through the clouds.

They didn’t stop to rest until they came across a post station teahouse. Yun Zhan didn't speak on the way, and Bai Fanlu was happy that he didn't have to deal with him.

Regarding the question of his address, he concluded that he would continue to call him ‘Shidi’ after rethinking it yesterday.

Since he had already expressed his position with Yun Zhan, he would have to draw a clear line with him in the future. In case Yun Zhan asked about it, he would say that this was the reason, and that he would only treat Yun Zhan as his Shidi, so it would be inconvenient to use the previous address.

Both of them had cultivated into immortal bodies, so they didn't have to drink water. However, when the shopkeeper came to ask, Yun Zhan still asked for a pot of tea.

It was midday and the sun was high in the sky. He didn't feel it when he was flying on the sword just now, after sitting down and drinking tea, Bai Fanlu wondered if they had to fly for so long, why didn't they teleport directly to their destination?

In view of the successful short-distance experience, Bai Fanlu had not yet fully figured out the mechanism of teleportation, but it was impossible to ask Yun Zhan why he did not teleport.

While sipping tea, he heard the waiter chatting with the guests at another table.

“What? This guest came to take shelter with relatives? Oh my, haven’t you heard? It’s neither peaceful nor safe inside Yufeng City nowadays!”

“Ah? Even Yufang City has monsters? No way? Not there…”

“I’m not sure if it’s a monster, but there’s something wicked anyway. The people from the city say it’s more dreadful than monsters. Several people have died…”

Yun Zhan's slender fingers rubbed at the edge of the cup. He looked down at the cloudy tea and seemed to be unconcerned, but Bai Fanlu knew that he also heard those words.

Now the plot was beginning to be connected to the book. The two of them were ordered by their Shizun to go down the mountain and secretly investigate the loss of control of the monsters in the human world. The main targets were two places, Yingzhou in the far east and Lingcheng in the far north. But as they heard the rumors about Yufang City halfway through, they decided to check it out first.

Bai Fanlu didn’t want to go to Yufang City. It was where Yun Zhan deceived the original Bai Fanlu into dressing as a woman and then was almost molested on the street. Although Bai Fanlu felt that he could avoid it, he did not want to take any strange risks.

Thinking of a sudden solution, Bai Fanlu slightly leaned over and whispered in a low voice, “Shidi, Yingzhou and Lingcheng are both far away. I'm afraid we can't be delayed.”

“En.” Yun Zhan’s hand that had been rubbing the edge of the cup gently pressed down on the wooden table.

Bai Fanlu guessed that the male protagonist’s feelings of compassion for all mankind made him fight in his mind when trying to decide whether or not to change their route. At the right moment, he gave him the chance to step down.

“Why don't you and I act separately? How about I go to Yingzhou to investigate first?”

Yun Zhan raised his eyelids and looked at Bai Fanlu.

His eyes were long and slender. When looking at him with a tilt, the blue light at the bottom of his eyes was like ice and frost on cold stone. Bai Fanlu’s heart was pounding, for fear of being seen through, but he didn’t show his timidity on the surface and looked back at him quite naturally.

For the sake of long-term stability in the future, no matter what, he had to look at these eyes. Right now he had to endure or else it would be his death!

“Alright.” Yun Zhan spoke with a quiet tone.

He actually agreed! Bai Fanlu suppressed the ecstasy in his heart and replied indifferently, “Since this is the case, I will set off right away, so that I can arrive as soon as possible, and so as to not delay things.” At the end he didn’t forget to put on airs, “Shidi, be careful when you go to Yufang City. If there is any situation, inform me immediately.”

Yufang City was closer to where their Shizun was. No matter what the situation was, contacting Ling Qingzi would be much more useful than looking for him from a thousand miles away.

Bai Fanlu saw this point. Although their Shizun gave them the pair of bluebirds, slowness could not meet hasty demand. To put it bluntly, this was a dedicated telephone line. Even if one made a call, someone had to be willing to answer it.

He believe Yun Zhan was not that stupid. When he ran away, would be able to sit back and relax? Besides, Bai Fanlu knew the plot that happened in Yingzhou. If it weren't for the trip to make an appearance, he could practically report the result directly to Ling Qingzi.

If he went together with Yun Zhan, it would not be as simple as going with the motions. He would undoubtedly try to find out and then have a fight with real knives and swords.

Now it was just right to leave Yun Zhan and go by himself. As long as the matter was completed without being noticed, he could easily handle the small boss of Yingzhou without any detours. It could not only speed up the progress to go home earlier, but he could also avoid more contact with Yun Zhan. He could also take the opportunity to make a sightseeing tour.

Perfect! It was killing many birds with one stone!

Before it was too late, Bai Fanlu was quick about it and left without any delay for fear that Yun Zhan would go back on his word.

But Yun Zhan still sat in his place, picked up the teacup and drank a sip of tea slowly. He neither said goodbye to him nor asked anything. As for what to do later, he didn't mention anything at all.

Bai Fanlu walked out a distance, and vaguely felt that it seemed too easy to get away. This wasn’t fraud right?

He took a few more steps, dodged behind a tree, and looked back quietly. The post was far away, but the blue figure was still quite conspicuous under the wooden house. Bai Fanlu immediately pinched his fingers together, meditated on the name of a place in his heart, and cast the teleport technique.

In the teahouse, Yun Zhan looked in the direction of where Bai Fanlu disappeared, sighed leisurely, and said to no one, “Are you satisfied with running away again?”

This time, Bai Fanlu found out the basic rules of teleportation. Last time, he only wanted to go to the mortal world without saying where to go, so he randomly ended up in Heguan Town. This time, he wanted to go to Yingzhou. The general direction was right, but he landed outside Dongchang City, thousands of miles away from Yingzhou.

Dongchang, Bai Fanlu remembered it being mentioned in the novel. It was the only place to pass through on the way to Yingzhou. The teleportation was roughly the same, but the distance was limited, so it was impossible to reach the destination directly at once.

In this way, it may not be much faster than a flying sword, but if he simply spent his spiritual energy and didn't rely on flying swords, using it for remote non-emergency use is really not very cost-effective.

Bai Fanlu found a hidden place outside the city to meditate before entering the city.

Dongchang City was much larger than Heguan Town from last time. The flow of people was more dense, so his white clothes would not be too conspicuous even if they were not covered up.

It was worthy of being called a big place. Normally, in the afternoon, most people would go back to their homes, but here, the main city street was still very busy. There were even many guests dining in the restaurant, and from time to time, melodious tunes could be heard, sometimes mixed with shouting and applause.

Bai Fanlu wanted to find a small vendor to buy food, but he couldn’t find one, so he went into the restaurant and took a seat near a window on the second floor.

When the waiter came over, he said, “Two good dishes, one meat and one vegetable, and no wine.”

It was not easy to regain his freedom, first he had to satisfy his mortal appetite for good food.

“Alright, sir! Just a moment!”

Bai Fanlu leaned against the window and looked into the distance. The houses in the city were in all directions, and the planning was neat. He watched boredly for a while, and suddenly heard a clear tone coming from below. On the wooden platform where it seemed that someone was playing the pipa, a man wearing gray tight-fitting clothes stood.

Bai Fanlu glanced at it casually. At this time, a lot of spectators gathered by the wooden platform. His direction was diagonally behind the platform. The man was still wearing a straw hat. Bai Fanlu couldn't see his appearance, but the laughter just now poked his aesthetics.

“Folks, thank you for your support. Now I will show you a performance of ‘Monkey Stealing Peach’. Please watch carefully!”

Bai Fanlu watched with interest, chin propped up by the window.

The man took off the straw hat on his head with one hand, showed the broken top of the straw hat completely empty to the surrounding at a close distance, and made a half circle at the same time.

When he got to this side, he caught a glimpse of the side of his face, and Bai Fanlu couldn’t help but be dazed.

He was a rather handsome young man, and the side of his face…

In the moment Bai Fanlu was dazed, the young man returned to the middle of the field and blew a loud whistle. He saw a pure white monkey running out of nowhere that skillfully climbed onto the young man's shoulder, jumped twice, and then fell back to the ground, rubbing his hands and feet.

The innocent action provoked a burst of laughter.

The youth held both of his hands in the air, his left hand holding onto the hat, as he pretended to be mysterious by reminding the audience, “Don’t blink…”

Everyone couldn't help but be silent, their eyes widened.

Suddenly, the monkey jumped up into the hat, and fell out of the hole in the middle. When it landed, everyone looked intently. The little monkey held a small peach in each hand and squeaked on the stage.

“Ha ha! It really stole peaches!”

Someone in the audience took the lead in applauding, and everyone laughed happily. The boy put on his straw hat again and cupped one hand in the other in front of his chest, bowing around.

The little monkey brought a rice basin from behind his master and asked the audience for rewards one by one. Everyone threw copper coins to the lovely little thing.

Bai Fanlu, watching the whole process from above, smiled and shook his head.

At that moment, the waiter served his food, and laughter came from downstairs again. Bai Fanlu didn't go to see it, and concentrated on eating. When he finished his food, the young man was no longer in his place.

Bai Fanlu didn't care, and walked around on the street before asking for a room at an inn in the evening because he wasn’t sure if he continued on sword or teleported if he’d need to spend the night in the wilderness given the remaining time of the day. To be on the safe side, he would wait until tomorrow before leaving.

In order to not get into trouble this time, Bai Fanlu stayed secluded as soon as he entered the inn, and quietly meditated for an hour. When it was dark, the shopkeeper asked if he needed dinner and a bath barrel, but he refused. He cast a body purification technique casually and began to rest.

If everything went well, he would be able to reach Yingzhou within two days. Although he had already figured out how to avoid fighting, just in case, he had to be prepared to be able to avoid danger.

But although the idea was good, the old problem of insomnia couldn’t follow it.

Bai Fanlu was counting sheep while recalling the plot of the original novel. In a daze, the sound of a watchman outside the window came from a distance. Bai Fanlu heard it, opened his eyes slightly, and was about to close them again when suddenly there was an unusual sound on the roof.

On the upper left, two footsteps with different weights.

The steps were a little disorderly, and there seemed to be the sound of broken tiles. Then it was right above him!

As soon as Bai Fanlu sat up anxiously, he heard a boom. A big hole broke through the roof, and a figure fell from the sky. Bai Fanlu wanted to avoid it but was too late and was directly pinned down by the person.

There was another loud noise, and the bed... collapsed.

Baifanlu wanted to lift the man, but as soon as the bed collapsed, he lost his balance and they rolled onto the ground together. After rolling twice, Bai Fanlu was keenly aware that his face was buried in his abdomen, and he was being hugged with both hands.

Bai Fanlu’s eyebrows shot up.

Clatter! Another corner of the roof collapsed, and several broken bricks fell down, hitting the man's head which were followed by cries of ‘ouch, ouch’.

Hearing the voice, the palm wind gathered in Bai Fanlu's hand instantly solidified, but stopped a centimeter away from the person.

Chapter 10 - A Person From The Sky...

tw>> mentions of rape and suicide

It was the young man who was busking during the day. He seemed to have been badly hit, he just wanted to get up but fell back with a groan.

Bai Fanlu's body stiffened as a certain part was physically touched by something soft across the crimson tulle bed curtain.

"..." Bai Fanlu's face was slightly blue, took a deep breath and silently raised his knees.

Hearing a muffled cry of pain, the boy rolled off him and rolled aside, but unfortunately, the back of his head hit the collapsed bedboard again.

Bai Fanlu lifted the curtain of the bed and stood up to arrange his clothes. When he saw that the boy's eyebrows were wrinkled and he had shrunk into the appearance of a big shrimp ball, his annoyance went down and suddenly he couldn't help but simmer with laughter.

Just about to say something, there was a knock at the door, "Sir, I heard a loud noise just now, is something the matter?"

Bai Fanlu looked up at the big hole in the roof, then looked down at the culprit who covered his chest with one hand and rubbed his head with the other. He took a few steps forward and opened the door.

“This… This is…”

The first thing he saw was the messy room, the broken bed and the person lying next to it. What was the innkeeper’s first understanding? Bai Fanlu could read it from his shocked and ambiguous eyes.

“Look up above.” He was speechless and could not explain the cognitive concept of the world.

The innkeeper noticed the big hole in the roof and could see the moon and stars. Although it seemed very romantic and atmospheric, he... His mind was clear as he asked, "Sir, did this little brother fall from above?"

Mhm, it’s as you said. Bai Fanlu raised his eyebrows.

"Hey, brother, are you okay?" The innkeeper walked to the youth, holding out a hand.

The youth grabbed him and stood up tremblingly, his brows still knitted. He shook his head and spoke with difficulty, “Nn… No, definitely not!” As if suddenly thinking of something, he then shouted, “Oh, no, I have to go after the flower thief!”

Flower thief? When Bai Fanlu heard the word, he had a subtle change in his theatrical state of mind.

The store just smiled politely, and when he saw the boy trying to run, he hurriedly pulled him, “Wait! You broke my house and you want to leave like this?”

The youth eagerly said, “I really have to catch up with him, or there will be another accident again tonight!”

Again? Bai Fanlu hesitated slightly, “What flower thief?”

Hearing his question, the young man looked at him and stopped trying to rush out. When the innkeeper saw that he didn't really want to cause trouble, he didn't pull him hard, but he still held his sleeve.

“It's the one wanted by the authorities. It's been the fifth day, ruining a girl every night…”

Listening to the innkeeper's words, the young man was worried and said loudly, “It's not as simple as ruining. The next day, those girls committed suicide. He did things that are against reason and nature and took human life!” Speaking of this, he was even more anxious, “This won’t do! I have to go! Excuse me, I will come back tomorrow to pay you!”

The young man broke away from the innkeeper and took back his hand, flying out the door.

“This… Hey! You——” The shopkeeper hurriedly chased after him to see the half figure of the young man. “This, this, this, these swindlers! Wanting to run away, who am I looking for?!”

The innkeeper stamped his feet, suddenly remembered that there was another person in the room, changed his face, and walked over to Bai Fanlu with a smile of half flattery and half discussion.

“Sir, look at this…”

Bai Fanlu didn't know why, he utterly didn’t like the phrase ‘swindlers’, and this emotion made him make a thoughtless action. He took off the jade from his waist and patted it on the table.

“This is a mortgage. I will redeem it when he pays you back tomorrow.”

When the store saw the jade pendant, his eyes lit up and he leaned forward with a smile on his face to grab it.

Bai Fanlu's wrist flicked, and the handle of the sword gently stopped the innkeeper's hand grabbing for the jade. It seemed he was unable to exert any strength, as if a thousand jin was pressing down on it.

“Don’t play any tricks.”

“...” The innkeeper’s face stiffened and let out a small sneering laugh, “How could I dare, how could I dare? Young Master can’t stay in this room. Come with me, this lowly one will change you into a new room!”

His title was also changed to ‘Young Master’. Bai Fanlu shook his head in his heart. The businessman was a businessman, but he could understand it.

When he entered the room and lay down in bed, Bai Fanlu remembered what he said about the ‘flower thief’. The young man didn't seem to have any real skills. Even if he caught up with the flower thief, could he control him?

Did he want to help?

As soon as the idea came up, Bai Fanlu felt shocked by himself.

His principle in this world should be to protect himself and persist to the final outcome. At most, he could make some small moves to promote the main plot line. This flower thief was not mentioned in the book. So, why should he, an outsider, take care of justice?

Let’s not make any unnecessary moves.

As for the jade pendant… Ah, in the spur of the moment. If the young man really didn’t come back, he would teach him a lesson.

Bai Fanlu pulled up the quilt over his head and forced himself to sleep.

Finally, he was a little sleepy in the middle of the night. He thought he could finally get back to sleep without being disturbed by anyone or anything, but in the end he was awakened at the brink of dawn.

“What's the matter? Who is crying outside early in the morning?” Someone asked.

Bai Fanlu opened the door of the room. There were several guests staying in the inn like him. They all looked at each other, not knowing why.

The innkeeper came upstairs and said to the guests one by one, “Something has happened, not in the store, but on the opposite street. It’s being handled by the authorities.” To let the guests go back and rest at ease.

When he got to Bai Fanlu, the innkeeper’s expression was faintly trembling with trepidation. Bai Fanlu looked out and asked, “What’s the matter?”

The other guests didn’t ask. Most of the people who were staying in the inn were strangers, and they didn't know much about Dongchang. In fact, so was Bai Fanlu. However, the innkeeper's eyes told him that this matter was inextricably linked with him.

Sure enough, the innkeeper lowered his voice, "It's... it's the flower thief."

“Was he caught?”

“No, it was another case.”

In other words, the boy really missed him. But did he not catch up or did he catch up and never fight? Or was it… Bai Fanlu felt his heart tighten and he decided to go down and have a look.

When he left the inn, it was still very early. Most of the doors on both sides of the street were still closed. Therefore, Bai Fanlu easily spotted the people who looked like officials on the opposite side of the street, as well as the woman they surrounded who sitting on the ground and crying.

Bai Fanlu approached a little closer and saw that the woman was holding a little girl in her arms. Her limbs were limp, her head hanging back powerlessly, her eyes open. It looked like she had breathed her last breath.

Thinking of the possibility of what happened, Bai Fanlu felt as if his heart had been gouged out by a knife.

The innkeeper watched Bai Fanlu walk out, and seemed uneasy. He also came over at that moment, “Young Master?”

“Is that the girl?”

“This…” The innkeeper heaved a sigh, “Ai, yes, that’s right…”

The hand in Bai Fanlu's sleeve clenched tightly. The girl, judging from her stature, was only about ten years old.

Ten years old… Bai Fanlu heard a sneer from the bottom of his heart.

Originally, his reason wanted to say that things here just existed on paper, but no matter which world it was, there were still dregs. As it happened, death was stepping on the point he despised the most…

Then he looked up and saw an eye-catching wanted reward on the opposite notice board.

Didi! Nearly at the same moment he had an idea form in his mind, a tone sounded in his head.

[ Unlocked the side mission ‘Evil Retribution’, the goal of the mission: Kill the Flower Thief. ]

[ Task Achievement Reward: x3 fragments of ‘Reader’s Brain Fragments’. Activate the hidden event to get additional rewards. ]

[ Mission Cheat: Circumstances arise from the heart. There is no truth in falsehood. The demon arises from nature, falsehood in truth. ]

Bai Fanlu listened to the presentation of the system, and had already arrived in front of the sign. He tore off the reward order with one hand, and looked at the portrait on it.

Seeing this, the innkeeper couldn’t help but ask, “Young Master, you… Do you also want to catch the flower thief?”

The meaning of his tone was obvious, you seem weak, can you do it?

Bai Fanlu didn’t answer. He squeezed the paper into a ball in his hand, twisted it gently, and it dissolved into powder. Then he turned back to the inn and went upstairs.

The innkeeper was left staring at the snow white powder on the ground. It was chilly that early morning, but big beads of sweat rolled down the side of his head.

To catch a flower thief, one had to wait until the evening. Bai Fanlu decided to stay one more night. In passing he might as well wait for the young man to come to the inn.

It was said in the novel that the original Bai Fanlu's jade pendant was given to him by Yun Zhan, and it was of great significance. If he changed clothes, the jade pendant would remain in its original place magically, but in actual fact, it was actually not much use to him.

But it was a real jade, and he was not willing to leave it in the hands of a greedy innkeeper. Even if it had to be exchanged for silver, it would be better than that.

After calming down from his anger just now, Bai Fanlu still had a trace of regret. It was not regret that he had mortgaged the jade pendant or that he had picked up the reward order, but because he had not followed the young man last night.

If he hadn't thought of the point to protect himself for his own survival, today the girl wouldn’t be…

Sure enough, he was old and not as good as that young man.

What Bai Fanlu was not sure about was whether the teenager who chased the flower thief last night would come or not today. But fortunately, the boy returned to the inn that morning, and the innkeeper led him directly to the second floor.

Bai Fanlu saw that his body seemed to be intact except for the bump on his head and relaxed a little. When the young man saw Bai Fanlu, he scratched his head with embarrassment.

“Young Master, I’m really sorry to have caused you trouble.”

“Nonsense,” Bai Fanlu said, “I should admire your heart to keep your promises.”

“I…” The young man lowered his head, “But I just calculated with the innkeeper, and I don't have enough money to pay. There is nothing else to match the Young Master’s jade pendant…”

The young man then raised his head and looked at Bai Fanlu sincerely. "The innkeeper said that the Young Master has only stayed here for two days. Can... Can the Young Master please stay a few more days? When I have saved enough money, I will redeem the jade pendant and return it to you."

The youth's voice was like gurgling spring water, and his eyes were also very bright, like the crescent moon reflected on the surface of the depths. When the boy looked over, he seemed to blush slightly out of unease.

Bai Fanlu was stunned for a moment.

Obviously he was about the same size as him, but the pure and natural feeling that was expressed in his face and physique, could not make people feel unhappy at all. On the contrary, the more one looked at it, the more sincerity could be felt.

When he first saw his side profile yesterday, that strange sense of familiarity came again.

It was like he seemed to have seen him before…

“Young Master?”

“...It’s nothing.” Realizing he was distracted, Bai Fanlu retracted his gaze and took out his money bag. “I still have some silver here. Innkeeper, how much is he still missing?”

“Ah, not much, not much,  just five liang.” The innkeeper said hurriedly.

“But Young Master…”

Just as the young man was about to tell him not to be magnanimous, Bai Fanlu raised his hand and placed the five liang of silver on the table. “I think it’d be better redeem the jade pendant as soon as possible.”

The young man bowed his head, grabbed the corner of his clothes, and fell silent. His small movement fell into Bai Fanlu’s eyes, and after receiving the jade pendant from the innkeeper, he checked it before fastening it back onto his waist.

Then the innkeeper took the silver and left, but the boy didn't go out with him. He bit his lip as if he wanted to say something but didn't know how to say it.

Bai Fanlu said, “Sit.”

The young man obediently sat on the stool. Bai Fanlu poured him a cup of tea and pushed it toward him. “You don't need to mind, this bit of silver is no big deal to me.”

Although he didn’t know how the original Bai Fanlu made money, there was always a way.

The young man shook his head and bit his lower lip even tighter. When opened his mouth to speak, Bai Fanlu could see clear tooth marks.

“But I mind, Young Master, I must pay your money back to you. I was too stupid last night and I lost him in the chase so the girl got hurt. I must catch the culprit tonight. Then I’ll be able to get the reward, and I’ll have the money to pay you back.”

Bai Fanlu didn’t care about the reward. What he cared about now was, “How is your skill?”

“I’m… not, not too bad.”

That didn’t sound very reliable.

“How did you find the flower thief yesterday evening?” That was the biggest problem he needed to solve.

Acting at night, committing crimes indiscriminately, and with Dongchang City being so big, finding a flower thief was tantamount to finding a needle in a haystack.

At that moment, the youth smiled brightly, “I rely on Zhizhi!”

“Zhizhi?”

The youth whistled. Yesterday, the little white monkey who was busking with him, suddenly rushed in from the window, jumped on the youth's arm and made a squeak.

“This is him! The flower thief has a bad smell, and Zhizhi can smell it and track him down. But if the chase is too long, Zhizhi won’t be able to smell him. That’s why we lost him last night.”

So that was how it was. Bai Fanlu nodded. “Well then, let’s go together in the evening. You track the flower thief, and I will deal with him.”

The youth’s eyes widened in surprise, “Young Master, you?”

Bai Fanlu didn't blame his look. His appearance was a bit too harmless, and he looked more like a weak scholar than an immortal cultivator.

“One more person is better than one less person. I only want the five liang from the reward.”

“How does that work?”

“It doesn't matter, wait until we catch him.”

Bai Fanlu had sharpened his sword a long time ago, and an imperceptible touch of determination and coldness flashed in his soft eyes.

He may not have noticed the change at this moment, but opposite him, the young man had been quietly watching Bai Fanlu's expression, his face slightly dimmed at that moment, and his lips pressed together.