Chapter 29: The Childish Xi Guxing: Don’t Act Cute with Me!
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Wen Liubing stepped forward quickly, nodding respectfully, “Sect Leader.”
Xi Guxing fixed his gaze on Shen Gurong, who was deeply asleep on Wen Liubing’s shoulder, his expression somewhat odd, as if suppressing something.
He nodded slightly, “You’re back.”
“Yes.”
Xi Guxing cleared his throat and raised his hand, “Give him to me.”
Wen Liubing handed over Shen Gurong.
Shen Gurong didn’t have to climb the mountain steps; he had been carried all the way back by Wen Liubing. His injuries hadn’t fully healed, and he was extremely fatigued and sleepy, quickly drifting into a deep slumber.
Xi Guxing took him over, cradling him gently in his arms, and said to Wen Liubing, “Since you’re back, stay a few more days. Your other junior brothers rarely return to Liren Peak these years, so it’s quite desolate.”
Wen Liubing respectfully agreed, “Yes.”
“Let’s disperse for now.” After saying this, Xi Guxing turned expressionlessly and walked away with Shen Gurong in his arms.
Once Xi Guxing’s figure disappeared around the corner, Li Suo muttered softly, “I think I saw Master…”
… After turning around, pinching Sage Shen’s cheek.
Was it a mirage?
Xi Guxing was a rough sword cultivator and not accustomed to carrying children. Before they reached Baishang Mountain, Shen Gurong was forcibly awakened by him.
“Ugh, elder brother…” Shen Gurong, still not fully awake, rubbed his head against Xi Guxing’s shoulder with a soft whine, “Don’t shake me. I’ll get up right away and copy books… just a little longer.”
Shen Gurong, raised in luxury since childhood, was most concerned about nothing more than copying books and practicing calligraphy.
Frowning, Xi Guxing said, “Stop acting cute.”
Xi Guxing continued, “Elder brother, elder brother, you’re always so caring towards me…”
Xi Guxing: “…”
Xi Guxing flicked Shen Gurong’s forehead with his finger, forcefully waking him up.
Looking at him, Xi Guxing smiled faintly and asked, “Awake now?”
Shen Gurong rubbed his sore forehead with chubby hands, dazedly looking around for a while before realizing he was being held in Xi Guxing’s arms.
Shen Gurong: “…”
Xi Guxing saw him awake and began to leisurely toy with the Sky Blue Jade Token in his hand.
Shen Gurong looked completely bewildered.
Previously, when he absorbed the Phoenix spiritual power with just a chirp, Xi Guxing made it widely known throughout the sect. Now that he had transformed into a Phoenix chick and then into a human dumpling, his absent-minded senior brother…
Before he could finish his thoughts, Xi Guxing burst into laughter.
Shen Gurong: “…”
Life is hopeless.
Xi Guxing still sought out his Second Senior Sister first.
“Hmm? I didn’t see him transform into a Phoenix… No, not a pity. Now he wanted to use Phoenix spiritual power to transform into a human, but it seems Xue Manzhuang has regressed him back to his chick phase.”
Second Senior Sister: “Hahaha, how’s Shiyi doing now?”
Xi Guxing: “I don’t know how he’s doing, but I’m feeling good.”
Shen Gurong: “…”
“Fourth Junior Brother, are you being indecent in broad daylight again? One day, you’ll die in bed…” Xi Guxing said, “Tsk, no, didn’t I tell you a few days ago that Shiyi absorbed Phoenix spiritual power into his body? Now he…”
Fourth Junior Brother: “Hahaha, he deserves it.”
Xi Guxing: “Yeah, now he can’t even reach the legs of a stool.”
Shen Gurong: “…”
Shen Gurong really wanted to know if the way other senior brothers in this world interacted was as crazy as at Liren Peak.
When a junior brother is in trouble, they don’t even offer a word of comfort. They all mock and ridicule him openly, deliberately so!
Shen Gurong was so angry he almost grabbed Xi Guxing’s Sky Blue Jade Token and smashed it.
By the time Xi Guxing informed everyone about Shen Gurong’s embarrassing situation, they all mocked him joyfully. Just then, they arrived at Baishang Mountain.
Xi Guxing had just finished connecting the spiritual consciousness of the jade with his Ninth Junior Brother when he stepped into Lou Bugui’s courtyard and called out loudly, “Bugui, Bugui, Lao Shi*!”
Note: Shi here is Ten and Lao is Old so basically Old Ten.
Lou Bugui was sun-drying herbs. Upon hearing this, he raised his head and exclaimed, “Oh, Senior Brother.”
Xi Guxing lifted Shen Gurong by the back of his neck with one hand, walking over as if carrying a spiritual beast. He shook him lightly and raised an eyebrow, saying, “Look, I found something fun.”
Shen Gurong: “…”
Ah, Sect Leader Xi, I swear I’ll get you for this!
Lou Bugui tilted his head left and right, squinting for a moment before saying, “Ah, it’s Shiyi.”
Xi Guxing smirked maliciously, “Surnamed Shen has never been so embarrassed in his life. Second Senior Sister is already planning to come back to watch the show.”
Shen Gurong: “…”
Lou Bugui nodded slightly and reached out to reluctantly take the utterly embarrassed Shen Gurong into his arms.
Unlike Xi Guxing, Lou Bugui’s walnut-sized brain couldn’t hold too much at once. He often did things based on instinct.
Right now, he felt like pinching Shen Gurong’s cheeks, so he did just that.
Lou Bugui’s body smelled strongly of herbs, soaked into his every move. Shen Gurong already disliked taking medicine, feeling like his face was being rubbed by a jar of herbs.
His cheeks puffed up, he tried to move away, but his short legs only managed a few steps before bumping into Xi Guxing’s legs.
Xi Guxing grabbed him by the back of his neck and clicked his tongue, saying, “Where do you think you’re going?”
Shen Gurong: “…”
Not running? Are you guys teaming up for physical and psychological torment?
But there was no choice. Shen Gurong desperately needed Lou Bugui’s diagnosis and Xi Guxing’s spiritual power. He endured being poked, pinched, and hugged by Lou Bugui, his face turning red with embarrassment.
Xi Guxing watched, sipping his tea as if enjoying a show.
After a while, Lou Bugui stopped his teasing and began diagnosing by checking Shen Gurong’s pulse.
Two hours later, Lou Bugui exclaimed, “Ah!”
Shen Gurong, nestled in Xi Guxing’s arms and almost drifting off to sleep, perked up hopefully, his eyes teary from exhaustion, waiting for Lou Bugui’s diagnosis.
Xi Guxing was stretching his legs, gesturing to see how far Shen Gurong could reach him, and upon hearing Lou Bugui’s words, he promptly said, “Tell me, how much longer can I keep laughing?”
In essence, he was asking how long Shen Gurong could maintain his current appearance.
Shen Gurong: “…”
Lou Bugui didn’t quite understand his meaning and explained truthfully, “By forming a master-servant bond with the Phoenix, he transformed into a phoenix chick. To reverse this, either Xue Manzhuang needs to return to adulthood, or other Yao clan members must help refine the Phoenix spiritual power within him for their own use. This way, Shiyi’s cultivation can still improve somewhat.”
Xi Guxing pondered, “Other Yao clan members? Are there Yao clans capable of easily refining Phoenix spiritual power?”
Lou Bugui replied, “Yes.”
Shen Gurong quickly asked, “Who?”
Lou Bugui answered, “Fifth Senior Brother, Chao Jiuxiao.”
Shen Gurong was somewhat bewildered. Who?
He searched through Shen Fengxue’s memories and quickly found information about Chao Jiuxiao, but this memory seemed somewhat peculiar.
[Chao Jiuxiao, birds of a feather.]
Shen Gurong was puzzled. What did “birds of a feather” mean?
Did it mean someone who acted despicably, disliked by Shen Fengxue, or simply that Chao Jiuxiao’s Yao form was a weasel?
Note: the idiom bird of a feather has the word “he” which is same word as weasel (he) so it’s basically wordplay.
In a world where lotuses could become spirits, Shen Gurong couldn’t rely on his own world’s common sense to make quick judgments anymore.
Moreover, weasels becoming Yao cultivators sounded quite stimulating.
He wanted to broaden his horizons.
Lost in his thoughts, Shen Gurong suddenly heard Xi Guxing coldly say, “No.”
Shen Gurong was puzzled and looked at him questioningly.
Xi Guxing continued, “Jiuxiao is narrow-minded. Over these years, due to Master’s favoritism, every time he sees Shiyi, he practically wants to devour him alive. How could he possibly help him refine Phoenix spiritual power?”
Shen Gurong: “…”
It turns out Shen Fengxue really has bad relations with several other senior brothers.
But it should be fine. Just a weasel. Even if his mouth is big, he can’t swallow him alive.
He hadn’t even let out a sigh of relief when Lou Bugui slowly said, “But Fifth Senior Brother is the only dragon in the Three Realms, capable of refining Phoenix spiritual power. There’s only him.”
Shen Gurong: “…”
Shen Gurong: “!!!”
Dragon?!
The….. The legendary divine beast?!
Nope.
Shen Gurong suddenly felt that his current small appearance was quite good.
Xi Guxing furrowed his brows tightly. “I still disagree.”
Lou Bugui tilted his head. “I think it’s fine. Fifth Senior Brother won’t kill Shiyi.”
Shen Gurong quickly shook his head, for the first time strongly agreeing with Xi Guxing’s idea. He stepped on Xi Guxing’s knee, hugged Xi Guxing’s neck unwilling to let go, fearing that Lou Bugui would take him to feed the Dragon.
Xi Guxing raised an eyebrow slightly, quite pleased with his dependence, lifted Shen Gurong up, and calmly said, “It’s just a matter of not growing up for a month. It’s not a big deal.”
Lou Bugui still thought Shen Gurong could meet his Fifth Senior Brother. “But…”
Shen Gurong quickly patted Xi Guxing’s shoulder, urging him to run quickly and not listen to Lou Bugui anymore.
Xi Guxing was also decisive, carrying Shen Gurong with one hand and turning away, leaving Lou Bugui behind.
After leaving Baishang Mountain, Shen Gurong lay on Xi Guxing’s shoulder, lost in thought.
Chao Jiuxiao, birds of a feather?
Chao Jiuxiao’s true form was a dragon, completely unrelated to a weasel. The meaning of this phrase could only be understood according to normal knowledge.
So, who exactly was Chao Jiuxiao birds of a feather with?
And what exactly did he do to make someone as reserved as Shen Fengxue so repulsed, to the extent that even these kinds of words are etched into memory?
Shen Gurong pondered but couldn’t figure it out.
Xi Guxing saw that Shen Gurong was still lost in thought and said, “Stop thinking about finding Chao Jiuxiao. You know his temperament. Swallowing you alive would be nothing to him. Besides, he’s currently in seclusion at the Fengyu Pool. If you disturb him easily, the entire Liren Peak won’t have peace.”
Shen Gurong nodded with understanding. He knew his life was more important.
“Your injuries haven’t fully healed yet. Even I could take on two of you with one hand,” Xi Guxing said, sounding disdainful at Shen Gurong’s listlessness. “Your priority should be to recover your health.”
Shen Gurong nodded again.
Xi Guxing crossed the suspension bridge and suddenly asked out of the blue, “Was it fun coming down the mountain this time?”
Shen Gurong looked up at him in confusion. Xi Guxing inexplicably looked away, avoiding eye contact.
Shen Gurong thought about it. Just in one day down the mountain, he had lost face multiple times, been dragged into a barrier by a water demon twice—hardly what he would call fun.
But it was his first time venturing into such a lively city since arriving in this world, so he was easily satisfied.
He nodded, “Yes, it was fun.”
Xi Guxing silently breathed a sigh of relief, his expression still cold. He glanced at Shen Gurong and said, “Is that so? Do you realize how much trouble your little escapade will cause me?”
Shen Gurong remembered the hundred-year agreement Wen Liubing had mentioned.
Though not voluntarily, Shen Gurong had still left the mountain without informing Xi Guxing. Since White Crane was a chess piece sent by the Yao clan to monitor Shen Fengxue, they would surely inform the Yao clan at the earliest opportunity.
And if the rest of the Three Realms learned of Shen Gurong’s unauthorized departure from the mountain, they would certainly come to question Xi Guxing, the Sect Leader of Liren Peak.
Thinking of this, Shen Gurong felt a bit downcast. He had never liked causing trouble for others.
Xi Guxing saw Shen Gurong looking dejected, his head bowed. He smirked slightly, “Have you ealized your mistake?”
Shen Gurong nodded, speaking softly, “Sect Leader Senior Brother, Shiyi realizes his mistake.”
Xi Guxing was stunned, even freezing in his tracks. He stared at Shen Gurong in disbelief.
Shen Gurong’s childish demeanor and his soft, pleading voice, which could disarm anyone, seemed to have startled Xi Guxing, who was usually as calm as Mount Tai.
His expression was complex, and he struggled to say, “How many times do I have to say it, you… you stop acting cute with me…”
Shen Gurong didn’t hear clearly, and tilted his head, “Huh?”
Xi Guxing was filled with surprise by this entirely cloying voice. After a moment’s hesitation, he suddenly bent down to put Shen Gurong on the ground, then turned around and fled in a fluster, as if there were wolves chasing him from behind.
Shen Gurong: “…”
Shen Gurong shouted after his retreating figure, “Senior Brother! Sect Leader Senior Brother! Take me… take me back!”
Xi Guxing didn’t quite catch what was said after, only hearing the cloying and milky “Senior Brother,” and ran even faster.
Shen Gurong almost screamed himself hoarse, “Senior Brother!! Take me back! I don’t know the way, Senior Brother!”
“Sect Leader Senior Brother!!”
“Sect Leader!”
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