Those words made Gu Baiqing’s face go dark. How familiar a trap this was. Even if the original text hadn’t described it like this, someone who had voiced enough novels knew this trope far too well.
Key prop: the wishing river lantern—here called straight out the red-thread river lantern.
The meaning was crystal clear: lifelong togetherness, never to part.
Gu Baiqing didn’t even need to look to know what kind of shocked expression the shopkeeper must be giving them after hearing Xuanli say that.
“Brother… you don’t want to?” Xuanli was quick to read faces, and he immediately caught the reluctance in Gu Baiqing’s look. His heart sank. “Brother… didn’t you pinky swear with me before?”
Shrunken into a child, and now looking so pitifully crestfallen, he made Gu Baiqing feel like some heartless scoundrel betraying true feelings.
But of course Gu Baiqing couldn’t just fall for this mess. He hurried to explain: “Xuanli, this red-thread river lantern is for lovers’ vows. It’s not meant for brothers, family, or friends.”
Xuanli blinked, stunned, and seemed to realize something. He turned to the shopkeeper, who quickly added, “Ah, so you two young masters must be from out of town! I should have explained better. But you don’t have to be disappointed—even if you don’t have a sweetheart yet, you can still release one. Make a wish for Heaven to grant you a good match. It works very well. Since you brothers are close, surely you’d also wish for each other to find a fine young lady. Why not both buy one and set them afloat? Heaven will surely bless you.”
Whether it was salesmanship or just quick thinking, he had found a decent excuse.
Gu Baiqing had intended to ignore it, but seeing how Xuanli’s eyes stayed fixed on the lanterns, he knew he truly wanted one.
So in the end, Gu Baiqing bought it for him.
“Brother?” Little Xuanli looked at Gu Baiqing in confusion.
Gu Baiqing took the lantern from the vendor and handed it to Xuanli. “Never tried it before—just treat it as playing with lanterns.”
It was also his way of making a wish on Mo Xuanli’s behalf: that Mo Xuanli would one day walk the right path, find a fairy-like dao partner, and live a happy life.
The two of them went to the riverbank. What should have been pitch-dark at night was now lit up by countless river lanterns, glowing like the Milky Way across the heavens, breathtakingly beautiful.
The shopkeeper hadn’t lied—half the lanterns bore names, while the rest were blank, probably from those without a match yet, making wishes for a bright future.
“Huh? Older Brother Mo, Little Brother Mo—what brings you here?”
Gu Baiqing turned and saw Wu Hongxi with Lu Sulan at the riverside, watching the lanterns.
“You…” Gu Baiqing frowned at Lu Sulan. In the daytime she had still seemed distraught and shaken, yet now she was calmly holding a lantern at the riverside. Was she really all right?
Wu Hongxi said something to Lu Sulan, then ran over. “That Wen family matron started arguing with Sister Lan again, so I suggested bringing her out for some air. She wanted to come here, since Brother Wenjiang once wanted to release a lantern here. These lanterns were all hand-made by him, too. Ah… such a fine match, ruined by running into a lunatic.”
Gu Baiqing glanced at the lantern in Lu Sulan’s hands. It was still blank—who knew what she would write.
“What about you two?” Wu Hongxi asked curiously.
Gu Baiqing smiled. “Making a wish for my younger brother—hoping he’ll find a good girl to spend his life with.”
The hand holding the lantern stiffened. Little Xuanli stole a look at Brother. Brother meant to push him toward someone else? To live his life with another? How could that be? Besides Brother, who else would treat him so well, stay with him?
Right… no one else. Only Brother. But maybe Brother didn’t want him…
Wu Hongxi smiled again. “And you? Older Brother Mo, someone as outstanding as you—surely you already have a fine young lady by your side?”
Gu Baiqing shook his head with a laugh. “My heart is set on cultivation.”
Wu Hongxi gave an awkward smile, while Mo Xuanli beside them stared at her intently. He sharply sensed how her gaze shone brighter when looking at Brother, her expression fuller, even her stance closer to him. Remembering what happened that morning, Mo Xuanli felt a heavy discomfort pressing in his chest.
“Do all cultivators remain unmarried? Don’t you have dao partners? They’re like mortal couples, right?” Wu Hongxi was curious—she had read many such stories. “They say cultivators live very long lives, often cutting off ties with kin, walking the world alone. The only bond that remains, the one that can accompany you always, is the dao companion. Is that true?”
Gu Baiqing nodded. “For the most part, yes. Does Miss Wu wish to pursue the Dao?”
For mortals beginning cultivation, family ties usually had to be cut off—long lifespans only made partings more painful. Unless, of course, one belonged to a clan of cultivators; then it was another matter.
Wu Hongxi froze. Before, she might have answered without hesitation. But after hearing his explanation, it suddenly seemed cruel, and her face wavered with hesitation.
Gu Baiqing smiled. “Think it through. When everything here is settled, I’ll ask you again.”
In the original story, Wu Hongxi does end up cultivating.
Though the conversation had shifted to cultivation, Little Xuanli’s thoughts were stuck on the earlier words.
Cutting off family ties… only leaving the dao companion… the only bond that endures forever…
“Xuanli, let’s go release the lantern.” Gu Baiqing noticed his silence and spoke.
Wu Hongxi, seeing this, returned to Lu Sulan’s side to keep her company.
Xuanli held the lantern and squatted by the riverbank. Seeing the brushes and ink for writing, he finally couldn’t resist the yearning inside him. He turned to Gu Baiqing, timid yet filled with hope, and tested the waters: “Brother, I want to write our two names.”
Gu Baiqing, who had been watching Lu Sulan, was startled. He squatted down beside Xuanli, eye to eye. “Didn’t I already explain? Brothers can’t—”
Reflected in the lantern light on the water, their figures looked like a matched pair of jade.
“Then let’s not be brothers. Brother, I want to be your dao companion.”
From the bank came a gasp; someone lost balance in shock, stepping back and scattering pebbles into the water, sending ripples across the river’s surface.
The moonlight and lanterns dimmed before the brilliance of Xuanli’s eyes. They shone like a galaxy, fixed only on Gu Baiqing.
He stared at him, as if in this moment the entire world contained only Gu Baiqing.
“Brother, be my dao companion, okay? Let’s be together forever.”
Gu Baiqing was stunned, mind utterly blank.
What was this? The plot had looped back? Turned into a master-disciple romance again?
No—that wasn’t it. He had been tricked! He knew releasing lanterns was a deadly flag!
But also not that… Little Xuanli wasn’t Mo Xuanli. A six-year-old didn’t know a thing. He must have misheard earlier. Every time he visited the orphanage, those little girls would line up saying they wanted to marry him, even drawing lots and fighting duels for the right. It wasn’t such a big deal.
But why… why did Gu Baiqing feel flustered under those tender, earnest eyes? In that instant, it wasn’t a six-year-old Xuanli gazing at him, but Mo Xuanli himself, with the same unwavering look. For the first time, someone was inviting him to spend a lifetime together, seriously, sincerely. The feeling was… different. His heart stirred.
“Brother, I know I’m not good enough right now. But once I recover, I definitely can…” The six-year-old’s voice trembled with panic, afraid of rejection.
But those words jolted him awake.
“You—do you even know what a dao companion is? Don’t talk nonsense.”
“I know, it’s just two people who like each other getting married.” Little Xuanli grew a bit anxious, even reaching out to grab Gu Baiqing’s arm, speaking in urgent seriousness: “Brother, I like you. You’re the one I like the most, and the only one I like now. As long as you’re by my side, that’s enough. Brother, don’t choose anyone else as your dao companion—let me be the one. I beg you, I’ll be obedient, I’ll listen to everything.”
Hearing such shameful words from that face, Gu Baiqing had at first felt embarrassed. But the more he listened, the more it sounded like a child throwing a tantrum and being willful.
Gu Baiqing was helpless, about to explain in more detail again, when he saw the child’s eyes tinged red, his expression filled with all the sincerity he could muster. Though he had only the mind of a six-year-old, those eyes were not something one could brush off simply because of his age. He clearly didn’t understand what “dao companion” really meant, but the depth of his feeling burned hot, enough to shake the heart.
Gu Baiqing could even feel the hand clutching his arm trembling uncontrollably, showing how nervous Little Xuanli was.
Perhaps, even if Gu Baiqing explained, Little Xuanli would still try desperately to prove something—just to keep this brother by his side forever. After all, to Little Xuanli, Gu Baiqing was the only hope that had appeared during his years of exile.
Gu Baiqing’s gaze flickered, hesitating—should he hold firm to his bottom line and hurt this child, or tell a lie and deceive him?
He frowned slightly, about to speak, when Wu Hongxi’s urgent shout came from not far away.
“Brother Mo, Sister Lan is gone. She didn’t leave on her own—just now, in a whoosh, she disappeared!” Wu Hongxi rushed over in a panic.
Gu Baiqing’s expression changed. He quickly stood and said to Wu Hongxi: “You and Xuanli stay here. Don’t wander. If something really happens, tear up the talisman I gave you before.”
“Brother…”
“Be good, wait here for me to come back.” After saying this, Gu Baiqing used a bit of spiritual power to track the locator talisman they had placed on Lu Sulan beforehand. Soon finding the direction, he immediately rushed over.
Following the trail into an alley, he heard a harsh voice: “Lu Sulan, I never wanted to make things hard for a woman, nor to kill you. But again and again you provoke me. Do you have a death wish?” Hua En’s voice rang sharp. “Who allowed you to release this river lantern? Do you not know who it was made for? Do you think you’re qualified to put it out?”
Gu Baiqing was startled—it was Hua En. Strange. Hua En had taken a sword strike from him; he should have been incapacitated for some time. How could he appear the very next day, full of energy, and even kidnap someone?
For the sake of safety, Gu Baiqing slipped in quietly. He saw a man cloaked exactly as the one from yesterday, pointing a blade at Lu Sulan, the river lantern now in his hand.
“For whom? For you? You lunatic, you personally killed him with your own hands. What right do you have to say such things?”
“So what if I killed him? He owed me! This lantern is mine too—you have no right to take it!”
“I once thought you dead and even pitied you. But now you live while Wen Jiang is dead—then you should die! I will avenge my husband!” Lu Sulan finished, and despite the risk of injury, rammed her shoulder into Hua En. Only then did she reveal the dagger in her hand. Clearly, all of this had been her plan—to enrage Hua En into appearing, so she could take revenge.
But no matter how fierce or determined a woman, she could not contend with someone who had cultivated puppet arts.
With a mere tug of Hua En’s hand, Lu Sulan’s body twisted, completely under his control. She could do nothing, manipulated like a doll. It was only then she realized her foolishness. Yet her face was already resolute, as if it no longer mattered to die at Hua En’s hands.
Just as Hua En was about to strike, Gu Baiqing intervened in time—first blocking Hua En’s attack, then immediately severing the puppet strings, ensuring Lu Sulan’s safety, before turning back to slash again.
Hua En had never fought Gu Baiqing before and hadn’t expected his opponent to be stronger than the previous two. One sword strike, and he was already gravely injured. If not for the crowd around them preventing Gu Baiqing from using his full power, Hua En would have been finished.
In haste, Hua En summoned a few temporarily controlled puppets to block Gu Baiqing, then turned and fled.
Because of the crowd’s interference and the need to protect Lu Sulan, Gu Baiqing could only let Hua En escape. He severed all the control threads, and those people, like Lu Sulan, collapsed unconscious. At this moment, his spiritual power was also completely spent.
Suddenly, Gu Baiqing stiffened.
Meanwhile, though fleeing in disgrace, Hua En realized the river lantern had been knocked from his hand. That was…! He clenched his teeth, actually resisting his injuries to return and retrieve it, even at risk to his life.
But when he came back, he found his opponent seemed… not in condition.
Taking the gamble, Hua En attacked outright. The once gleaming blue sword managed to block just once before shrinking instantly, and its wielder staggered and collapsed weakly.
Hua En didn’t know exactly what had happened, but recognized it as a heaven-sent chance. Eliminating one more enemy now would help with the future. He decided to strike ruthlessly.
Gu Baiqing hadn’t expected this guy to turn back and was already cursing inside. He had been using spiritual power charged through Mo Xuanli. After several bouts of backlash, he thought he had figured out the pattern—that only after excessive use in great battles would there be aftereffects. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be random. He had just used a little, yet now his limbs were weak, movement sluggish.
But Gu Baiqing wasn’t about to back down. As long as he didn’t faint, he could still fight—just not with Mo Xuanli’s spirit-charged power this time. He’d use points to exchange instead.
Dodging the attack, he was about to exchange, but to Hua En, the sight of him sitting motionless looked like he was waiting to die. So Hua En said coldly, “My apologies!”
The blade came swinging down—yet there was a metallic clang.
Hua En’s pupils shrank. Gu Baiqing, who hadn’t even moved, widened his eyes in shock.
Caught completely off guard, Gu Baiqing could only stare blankly at the sight before him—Mo Xuanli blocking the enemy’s blade with his arm.
Hua En recognized the newcomer.
But Little Xuanli didn’t. He only knew that his elder brother was in danger. Not knowing how to fight, he could only spread his arms wide and shield Gu Baiqing behind him.
“Xuanli!” Gu Baiqing leapt forward instantly, while at the same moment Hua En pulled the river lantern away with his control lines and fled.
Right now Gu Baiqing had no mind to care about Hua En. All he could think about was that slash just now—what would happen to Little Xuanli’s arm? Would it…
When he pulled the child over to check, he finally let out a sigh of relief—thankfully, it was the God Nine Transformations that had blocked it.
Gu Baiqing’s face darkened in anger. Just that instant had scared him out of his wits. “Didn’t I tell you to wait by the river?”
Little Xuanli was startled by his harsh tone. Immediately he hung his head like a child who had done wrong, not daring to speak.
At this moment, panting heavily, Wu Hongxi rushed over. When she saw the scene, she was greatly alarmed, but after checking and finding that everyone was merely unconscious and no one seriously harmed, she finally relaxed. Seeing Mo Xuanli being scolded, she too felt awkward and said, “Just now, Brother Mo suddenly ran this way—I don’t know why. Was there some danger?”
Gu Baiqing frowned. “How did you even find us? Are you recovered?”
He shouldn’t be. Otherwise he wouldn’t have been so passive just now.
“When brother left, I felt… really unwell. Then there was this feeling guiding me here. That feeling told me you were here,” Little Xuanli said softly.
Gu Baiqing understood—it must be the master-disciple contract at work. Because Little Xuanli’s heart was fixed on knowing where he was, the bond had activated.
“Don’t ever do something so dangerous again. Thank heaven for God Nine Transformations. How could you use your body to block like that? Besides, I wasn’t… I wasn’t unable to move. At that time I just…” Gu Baiqing trailed off, at a loss how to explain.
Then he heard Little Xuanli’s hoarse voice: “If anything happens to brother, I will fight with my life.”
Gu Baiqing froze, and saw the child lift his head—those eyes, utterly unlike those of an innocent six-year-old, stared at him deeply.
“The words I said before don’t count.”
Gu Baiqing blinked, his mind whirling. Which words?
“The promise I asked—that brother would always stay with me, always protect me—that doesn’t count,” Little Xuanli said earnestly.
Gu Baiqing’s heart gave a painful twist. Didn’t… need him anymore?
Little Xuanli’s gaze grew firm. “I don’t want brother to protect me. I want to protect brother. Even if it costs my life, it doesn’t matter. I don’t want to see brother hurt. So that promise doesn’t count. I want to change it. From now on, I will always protect brother. Always.”
He couldn’t put into words the feeling he had when he arrived just now and saw that scene—that criminal’s blade about to fall. He felt as though he would lose his entire world. He couldn’t endure such a thing, couldn’t bear to see his brother injured. His heart felt crushed, the pain nearly killing him.
So he no longer wanted protection. He couldn’t bear to see his brother hurt. He had to grow strong—strong enough that no one could harm him.
Hearing Little Xuanli’s vow, seeing that resolute gaze, Gu Baiqing could no longer describe the surge of emotion inside him.
Xuanli’s wrist was reddened—that was from the pressure exerted on God Nine Transformations. Proof that even with a six-year-old’s mind, he had risked everything to protect him.
Gu Baiqing suddenly thought of Mo Xuanli—the shy, gentle, courteous youth. But how many times had he stood before him, shielding him from harm, simply so that he wouldn’t suffer even the slightest wound?
Perhaps that concern stemmed from the master-disciple bond. But Gu Baiqing couldn’t deny it—he had been moved countless times.
