The person hugging Jiang Luo held on for a long while before finally letting go. Jiang Luo turned to look—surprisingly, it was Qi Ye, the one always vying with him for first place.
After releasing him, Qi Ye still stared at Jiang Luo, his expression anxious, his eyes bloodshot from staying up, and his lips chapped. “Are you stupid? You didn’t even act carefully when facing the Red and White Twin Evils, and you just let them take you away?”
Jiang Luo hadn’t expected to get scolded. He raised an eyebrow and shot back, “You were that worried about me?”
A flicker of awkwardness crossed Qi Ye’s face. “Who was worried about you…”
Zhuo Zhongqiu patted Qi Ye’s shoulder and teased, “You done hugging yet? Shouldn’t you move over and let the rest of us have a turn?”
Qi Ye’s face flushed red, and he stepped aside.
The others came up in turn to hug Jiang Luo and Lu Youyi. Jiang Luo had never really understood why friends hugged each other. But after experiencing it himself, he slowly came to realize that hugs conveyed both care and guilt between friends.
Jiang Luo accepted their hugs.
They were… pretty warm.
Once it was confirmed the two were unharmed, the group returned to the hot spring manor.
Jiang Luo scanned the group and asked, “Where’s Ge Zhu and Cyril?”
Wenren Lian paused before answering, “He’s seriously injured. Cyril is channeling a god to heal him.”
When Jiang Luo and Lu Youyi had been dragged off by the Red and White Twin Evils, Wenren Lian, Kuang Zheng, and Cyril had chased after Ge Zhu. They moved quickly, but by the time they reached Ge Zhu, he was already lying on the ground, gravely wounded.
Ge Zhu was covered in wounds, barely clinging to life. He laid weakly on the ground, face streaked with reversed-flowing blood. If Wenren Lian hadn’t noticed the faint breath still in him, Ge Zhu would probably have died already.
On the way back to the room, Ge Zhu’s limp fingers brushed past Kuang Zheng’s chest, his face buried in Kuang Zheng’s neck. Tears and blood soaked through Kuang Zheng’s collar.
It was a side of Ge Zhu they had never seen before.
“When he was trying to come save you, his brother appeared,” Wenren Lian sighed. “Things between those two brothers are complicated. Ge Zhu chased after him, and thankfully, his brother didn’t attack us…”
Wenren Lian never would’ve guessed that Ge Wuchen would show up there.
It was too much of a coincidence—so much so that it felt like a deliberate trap to draw them away.
Jiang Luo didn’t particularly care who came to save him or not. “Cyril managed to successfully summon a god?”
“We were surprised too,” Wenren Lian chuckled. “Cyril was still singing off-key during the ritual this time, yet somehow it worked. Isn’t that strange?”
Jiang Luo’s curiosity was piqued. “Let’s go have a look.”
Inside Ge Zhu’s room, the summoning ritual had already ended by the time Jiang Luo arrived. Cyril was wrapped in a blanket, sound asleep in the corner from exhaustion. But Ge Zhu was nowhere to be seen.
Since they couldn’t find him, they had no choice but to wake Cyril. “Cyril, where’s Ge Zhu?”
Cyril groggily opened his eyes, his blue irises still foggy with sleep. “Huh?”
He rubbed his eyes and sat up, glancing at the bed in confusion. “Ge… he was just here, asleep.”
Wenren Lian frowned and crouched down. “Did you finish healing him?”
Mentioning this got Cyril excited. He gestured energetically. “Completely healed!”
Wenren Lian let out a breath of relief. “As long as he’s better, it’s fine even if he ran off. Letting him have some peace and quiet might do him good.”
Jiang Luo sat cross-legged next to Cyril and asked, “Cyril, how did you suddenly succeed in summoning a god?”
Cyril shook his head, dazed. “It just worked all of a sudden.”
He didn’t seem to know why it had succeeded either. Jiang Luo rested his chin on his hand, wanting to ask more—but just then, a stench on his body hit his nose.
His expression changed, and he stood up. “I’ll go take a shower first. We can talk later.”
The ghost beast’s blood had dried on his face, crusted like cracked mud. Jiang Luo returned to his room, closing the door behind him. He couldn’t even make it to the bathroom before starting to strip.
By the time he reached the bathroom door, he was already completely naked.
He threw his clothes into the dirty laundry basket, turned on the shower, and stood under the water for a while. Then, he suddenly turned his head and looked toward the laundry basket.
After staring for a moment, he walked over and picked up the dirty clothes he had just tossed in.
Jiang Luo had a habit when undressing: shirt first, then pants, underwear last. He always tossed the clothes in that order too. But now, the clothes he had thrown in earlier were all out of order.
Someone had rummaged through his clothes.
A vein throbbed on Jiang Luo’s temple. He set the clothes down and returned to the shower, forcing himself to stay calm.
Who would go through a dirty laundry basket?
Aside from that pervert Chi You, he couldn’t think of anyone else.
Jiang Luo usually took ten minutes to shower, but because of how filthy he felt today, he washed for half an hour. He scrubbed his mouth—touched by Chi You’s fingers—multiple times. As he brushed his teeth, Jiang Luo recalled his confrontation with Chi You earlier. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, until—crack—he snapped his toothbrush in two.
A strange sense of unease crept into him.
Chi You had groped him all over, even stuck his fingers into his mouth. Was it just to disgust him?
Jiang Luo felt a subtle and inexplicable sense of danger.
His instincts told him: he should avoid engaging with Chi You in that kind of situation again.
Jiang Luo trusted his instincts. Even if they weren’t always right, he had no intention of experiencing that terrifying, hair-raising feeling of being touched all over ever again.
After showering, he stepped out feeling fresh and clean. Jiang Luo hadn’t forgotten about the clothes in the basket—but since they’d been touched by Chi You using who-knows-what method…
He burned all the clothes with a blank expression.
By the time he finished, the early sun had begun to rise.
He hadn’t slept all night, but Jiang Luo didn’t feel the least bit tired. The high of commanding the ghost arena still had his mind running hot. But after being active all night, though mentally alert, his body was a bit worn out. Jiang Luo decided to find some alcohol to help him fall asleep.
Just then, someone knocked at the door.
Jiang Luo went to check—Ge Zhu stood there, cloaked in his Daoist robes. He opened the door. “Where’d you go? Wenren Lian and I just went looking for you.”
Ge Zhu looked the same as usual, smiling breezily with his air of otherworldly calm. “Cyril told me what happened, so I came looking for you.”
He shook the alcohol jug in his hand, smiling brightly. “Jiang Luo, want to have a drink in your room?”
Jiang Luo smiled too. “I was just about to go find some.”
He let Ge Zhu in and brought two cushions out to the balcony. The two of them sat down on the floor.
The alcohol Ge Zhu brought was slightly murky white liquor. Jiang Luo took a sip and fell silent. “…It’s glutinous rice alcohol?”
He had expected something strong. But this tasted like sweet water. Nice enough, but no chance it would help him get tipsy or fall asleep.
Ge Zhu scratched his head, embarrassed. “It was the cheapest one in the dining hall.”
“…” Jiang Luo, speechless. “You do realize all food and drink is free for three days, right?”
Ge Zhu immediately looked regretful. “I actually forgot. The staff weren’t around, so I just left the money at the cashier’s counter.”
He looked like he wanted to go back and retrieve his money. Jiang Luo laughed. “Ge Zhu, how poor are you?”
Jiang Luo had long been curious—this Daoist got stingy the moment money was involved.
Ge Zhu gave a wry smile and held up three fingers. “I’ve got three younger siblings to support.”
Jiang Luo was stunned. “Three?”
Ge Zhu looked down at the cup in his hands, watching the ripples. His tone remained light, as if he were merely talking about the weather. “That’s right. They’re still young, and I’ve got to take good care of them. Kuang Zheng’s family isn’t well off either—he has a younger sister. I needed to attend school and couldn’t look after them myself, so I entrusted them to Kuang Zheng’s parents. Let my siblings live with his family. His uncle and aunt are wonderful people—didn’t even hesitate before agreeing to take them in.”
“There are still more good people than bad in this world,” Ge Zhu said, raising his head to look at the dim sky before dawn. “Blessings from the Boundless Heavenly Lord… thank goodness Uncle and Auntie were willing to accept my money.”
This group of people rarely talked about their pasts or families. Jiang Luo took a sip of alcohol and gazed into the distance, thinking, So Ge Zhu and Kuang Zheng have had it just as hard.
The two sat in silence, quietly drinking. Suddenly, Ge Zhu sat cross-legged and solemnly gave Jiang Luo a formal apology. “Jiang Luo, I owe you and Lu Youyi an apology. When you two were caught between the red and white twin evils, if I hadn’t left—if I’d acted a little faster—maybe you wouldn’t have had to suffer like that.”
Jiang Luo thought to himself: That’s impossible.
Chi You was lying in wait inside that coffin. Could Ge Zhu really have handled Chi You?
He shook his head, indicating he didn’t mind. “Wenren Lian said your older brother showed up.”
Ge Zhu’s hand tightened around his cup. After taking a deep breath, he said, “Yeah… his name is Ge Wuchen.”
His other hand slowly clenched into a fist. “He’s a monk.”
Jiang Luo’s half-lidded, relaxed eyes suddenly snapped open as he remembered the bald monk who had stood beside Chi You in the Ghost Arena.
“What kind of monk?” he pressed. “Was he good-looking, dressed in white monk’s robes?”
Ge Zhu silently nodded.
Jiang Luo was now sure—that monk next to Chi You was Ge Zhu’s older brother.
But why was Ge Zhu’s brother with Chi You?
Ge Zhu said, “He might look good, but he’s as venomous as a snake. Jiang Luo, if you ever meet Ge Wuchen, stay as far away from him as you can. Don’t provoke him lightly.”
He covered his face with regret. “I failed you. The moment he appeared, I was overwhelmed by hatred. I forgot the most important thing I should’ve done—rescuing you two…”
Jiang Luo clinked cups with him. “Lu Youyi and I are both safe. You’re the one who was in danger—if Cyril hadn’t successfully summoned a god, who knows what would’ve happened to you.”
“Actually, I’ve been wondering,” he said, “Ge Zhu, were your injuries from Ge Wuchen?”
“Yes,” Ge Zhu’s expression turned shadowy and hard to read. “He nearly killed me.”
When Ge Zhu caught up to Ge Wuchen, he was severely wounded by him.
He had collapsed on the ground, peachwood sword broken at his side, blood spilling from his mouth, pain searing through his limbs as if they had shattered. Ge Wuchen, as ethereal as an immortal, walked over to him. He stood there, head bowed, moonlight behind him bright and full.
His face was veiled in shadow, but his voice was mocking and contemptuous: “Ge Zhu, in your current state, you still think you can catch me?”
“I was even thinking about killing your little friends—just like I did your former ones,” Ge Wuchen said casually. “But after beating you, I’m in a good mood, so I’ll spare them for now.”
He kicked Ge Zhu, then turned to leave. But suddenly, he stopped and looked back.
The moonlight finally lit up his face.
It was a beautiful face—twisted into a cruel smile. Ge Wuchen said softly, “Ge Zhu, I really wish you’d just die here.”
Ge Wuchen left.
But a monstrous rage and hatred erupted in Ge Zhu’s chest. His life force surged back into him, allowing him to hang on until Wenren Lian and the others found him.
“Sometimes I don’t even know how he turned into this,” Ge Zhu said, head lowered. His hair bun had come loose, and messy strands hung despondently at his temples. “He didn’t used to be like this.”
“I want to kill him—but even more, I want to catch him and ask him face-to-face,” Ge Zhu opened his palm and stared at the lines on it. “I want to ask why he did what he did back then. I want the truth. No—maybe that’s just what I want to believe. Maybe there is no so-called truth. Maybe he was just born evil. People still call him the Buddha Child of the Ge family… but he’s just a heartless beast.”
Jiang Luo’s curiosity deepened. “What exactly did your brother do?”
Ge Zhu looked up and gave a bitter smile that almost looked like he was crying.
“He killed our master and our martial uncle. Our master—was also our adoptive father.”
“He also killed three of my closest senior brothers.”
“Ge Wuchen… he betrayed the Buddhist sect and burned down the Sutra Library.”
***
It was because of Ge Wuchen that Ge Zhu took his three younger siblings and resolutely left the Buddhist path to follow the Daoist one.
He couldn’t face staying in the Buddhist sect anymore.
That nightmare of a night—like a thunderclap on a clear day—woke Ge Zhu in terror countless times. Every time he awoke, he was consumed by a burning need to tear Ge Wuchen apart and ask: Why did you do it?
That question had haunted him for years. The moment he saw Ge Wuchen again, all reason left him.
They finished off the whole jug of glutinous rice alcohol. Jiang Luo wasn’t drunk at all, but Ge Zhu had already passed out, hugging the alcohol jar and leaning against the wall.
Jiang Luo dragged him to the bed. Fortunately, the bed was big enough, and they each took half. Jiang Luo thought he wouldn’t be able to sleep, but the alcohol’s scent lingering on the sheets lulled him before he realized it.
When he next woke up, his mind was foggy. He laid there for a while, then glanced to the side—Ge Zhu had somehow rolled off the bed and was sleeping sprawled out on the floor.
Jiang Luo yawned, picked up his phone—and saw that it was already 4 p.m.
He woke Ge Zhu up. After the two of them shook off their grogginess and stepped outside, they found that nearly everyone was still asleep.
Everyone had been busy through the night, but by now it was about time to get up. The two of them went room to room waking the others, and they all went downstairs for a meal.
Nine people, lively and boisterous, finished eating together. The staff came to ask about what happened last night, and Lu Youyi waved his hand boldly, “All settled. No more problems from now on.”
The staff beamed with joy and immediately arranged a post-meal activity—fishing.
There was a lake right beside the hot spring manor. The staff had already prepared fishing gear for them, along with chairs and snacks. They strolled over to the lakeside in a relaxed mood and began fishing leisurely.
There were plenty of big fish in the lake. Jiang Luo had barely put in any effort before catching two in a row. He mocked mercilessly, “Stupid fish.”
He dropped the fish into a water bucket and was about to bait the hook again when he noticed something off from the corner of his eye. With quick reflexes, Jiang Luo dropped everything and reached out just in time to catch Cyril, who was about to fall headfirst into the lake.
Cyril seemed to have dozed off. Only after being caught did his eyes suddenly snap open. He clutched his chest in fright and gratefully said to Jiang Luo, “Thank you, Jiang.”
Jiang Luo let go of him, watching him thoughtfully.
Cyril felt awkward under his gaze. Jiang Luo gave him a gentle smile and asked softly, “Cyril, are you very tired?”
The blond with curly hair turned red at the soft tone and obediently nodded, even yawning on the spot. “Very tired.”
“What time did you go to bed last night?” Zhuo Zhongqiu also asked.
Cyril thought about it. “I don’t remember.”
“At four in the morning, when Jiang Luo and I went to find Ge Zhu, he had already fallen asleep,” Wenren Lian frowned. “I walked him back to his room. He turned off the lights right after entering—couldn’t have been later than four-thirty.”
Asleep by 4:30 AM and waking at 4 PM—that was a solid eleven and a half hours. No matter how tired you were, you shouldn’t still be this sleepy.
While they were talking, Cyril had already slumped back into his chair, eyelids drooping shut again.
He was really, really tired.
Author’s note:
While the others were discussing why he was so sleepy…
Blond curly-hair: zzz…
