Little Pink Starfish

A group of people hurried back to the study. Gu Bai sat behind the desk, with Qi Guanrui standing beside him, as they listened to the chief steward’s report. The chief steward glanced at the two silently before beginning.

News about Haoyang City was not hard to uncover because, by now, the whole world practically knew about it. Coincidentally, the day after Gu Bai took Qi Guanrui away, the City Lord of Haoyang City received Princess Tianxiang. Shortly after, the entire city was placed under lockdown. From that point on, no one was allowed to leave the city, and everyone had to undergo thorough inspections. Since the City Lord had issued the order, his subordinates naturally had to comply. For a considerable time afterward, everyone in the city underwent meticulous scrutiny.

At the same time, Qingtian Academy was also implicated, and all its students were questioned individually. Even hidden bloodlines were tested through various means. It was blatant overreach, but despite their grievances, many noble families chose to compromise temporarily for the sake of their own descendants, who were also under threat from the giant serpent.

During the investigation, the names of those who had previously left the city were tracked down one by one. Depending on how far they had travelled from Haoyang City, officials investigated whether they had returned to their hometowns. If they hadn’t, they were presumed dead or in hiding. If they had returned, they underwent the same inspection process.

Naturally, Gu Bai’s name was on the list, but because Tiandu City was quite far from Haoyang City, he wasn’t investigated at first. It was obvious that the City Lord of Haoyang City suspected that the giant serpent was not a natural occurrence but rather something orchestrated by someone. For example, was the serpent someone’s enslaved pet? Or was it a product of someone’s bloodline transformation? Of course, the City Lord leaned more toward the first theory, but he couldn’t completely dismiss the second.

Gu Bai: =口= The City Lord of Haoyang City was truly a remarkable person! To even consider this possibility—what an insightful genius! But… Gu Bai glanced at the “pervert” beside him and sighed inwardly.

Even though this pervert was the world’s protagonist, with unbeatable fortune, his cultivation wasn’t particularly impressive, likely because he had been sticking so closely to Gu Bai. As a result, the plot had advanced prematurely, putting Gu Bai in a position where he had to face an invincible Wu Sheng.

According to the setup, the average person couldn’t discern the bloodline of a Sky Devouring Python—most weren’t qualified. But the City Lord of Haoyang City was different. As a Wu Sheng-level powerhouse, while he couldn’t directly identify the pervert’s true form, he could sense the abnormalities surrounding him. So, unless the pervert’s martial strength quickly rose to the level of a high Wu Di, he wouldn’t be able to hide his identity. Unless there was a miraculous leap in power—but could the pervert really level up that fast?

Even then, the option to recklessly devour martial artists was off the table ╮(╯▽╰)╭. After all, the damned pervert was Gu Bai’s own creation, his protagonist. And Gu Bai had taken care of the freak for so long. If he got caught and killed… Would the world collapse into chaos?! Gu Bai felt an overwhelming urge to claw at the walls.

The chief steward Qin Xubo’s report continued. Gu Bai hadn’t expected the next part of the report to include such a dramatic twist.

Qin Xubo: “Since then, people have continued to disappear in Haoyang City, and the chaos caused by the giant serpent remains unresolved…”

Gu Bai: …Wait a minute! Isn’t there something wrong here?! Both he and his perverted little companion were utterly stunned! Even Qi Guanrui’s face showed a rare trace of surprise and Gu Bai was dumbfounded. If the serpent was causing trouble, then what was the thing he had brought back with him? The long, serpentine creature that had been clinging to him and doing… Questionable things for so long—what was that? This was absolutely illogical!

The chief steward continued reading: “The City Lord of Haoyang City was enraged. He and the Headmaster of Qingtian Academy joined forces to comb through the mountains within a hundred-mile radius. Every bird and beast were thoroughly investigated, and anything suspicious was immediately eliminated…” In other words, the two Wu Sheng-level powerhouses teamed up, and the beasts in the nearby mountains suffered terribly. Those with even a bit of martial strength hunkered down in fear, while a massive purge and cleansing began. Through their combined efforts, they eventually discovered the culprit behind another disappearance case. It turned out to be demons!

A group of demons had secretly attacked martial artists who remained in the city, devouring their flesh and blood completely, even chewing up their bones. This explained why the martial artists who went missing left no trace behind.

Later, these demons were captured and subjected to brutal interrogation. Under torture, they revealed that the giant serpent was their creation, deliberately used to weaken the new generation of martial artists and create chaos. Their plan had been to escape Haoyang City during the ensuing turmoil. Unexpectedly, the City Lord locked down the city, trapping them inside as well. Hungry for flesh and blood, they took desperate risks, attacking more martial artists until one of them slipped up and got caught by the Wu Sheng-level powerhouses.

Though much was revealed, it still wasn’t known how many of their kind were hiding in Haoyang City. Since untransformed demons were difficult to identify without close observation of their Wu Qi flow, they couldn’t conduct large-scale searches without causing panic. Thus, investigations had to be carried out discreetly and slowly.

The demons refused to divulge the whereabouts of the giant serpent. Even when the two Wu Sheng worked together, they couldn’t extract any useful clues. As a result, the situation reached a stalemate. The demons knew that revealing their secrets would lead to their immediate execution, but they also couldn’t withstand the relentless torture. Thus, no significant progress had been made so far. Both sides were deadlocked ╮(╯▽╰)╭.

This terrifying attack was officially blamed on the demons, and the giant serpent was temporarily overlooked. Everything was the demons’ fault. It was all the demons’ fault!

Gu Bai let out a sigh of relief… Saved! TAT. He glanced at the pervert. As expected, this guy’s luck was absolutely god-tier! The situation had been on the verge of unravelling, and yet it all worked out with no consequences for him. The demons ended up shouldering all the blame.

Qi Guanrui, however, seemed lost in thought. Demons… Unlike Gu Bai, Qi Guanrui felt uneasy about the demons. This wasn’t his first encounter with them. Whether it was Qiu Tu, Hua Zhao City, or now Haoyang City, the presence of demons seemed pervasive. What was their ultimate goal? Even a massive martial city like Haoyang had their infiltrators. How were they managing to remain hidden? And how many more were there?

It all seemed unrelated to them, yet Qi Guanrui disliked waiting until the last minute to act. He preferred to be prepared in advance. He needed to keep everything within his control and eliminate all uncertainties. So, it seemed he had to get in touch with Qiu Tu.

Qin Xubo completed his report and awaited Gu Bai’s instructions.

Gu Bai: “Keep monitoring.”

Qin Xubo acknowledged, “Yes, City Lord.” He left to continue gathering information.

Currently, due to the lockdown, not only could no one leave the city, but no one could enter either. For someone like Gu Bai, who had left beforehand, returning to his studies was, of course, impossible until the lockdown was lifted. For now, the best course of action was to wait and see.

At night, after preparing foot-washing water for Gu Bai, Qi Guanrui released a thin black thread from his fingertips.

Gu Bai: “……” Because you’ve realized I know you’re a snake, you’re not even pretending to hide anymore, huh?!

Qi Guanrui turned around, his smile gentle and serene under the moonlight, like a flowing stream: “I believe in you, Gege.”

Gu Bai—you think flattery will make me let my guard down? Dream on! That’s impossible!

Qi Guanrui sighed softly, “But you never believe me…”

Gu Bai again—you deceived an entire world in the original story. How could I trust you?!

Qi Guanrui gazed at Gu Bai even more tenderly. “No matter what, I would never harm you. You’re important to me—more than anyone else in my life.”

Gu Bai covered his face in frustration. Sweet. Talking. Assault. Triple. Attack. But! He held firm! Never trust the pervert!

Qi Guanrui seemed to sense Gu Bai’s wariness. He walked over slowly and placed both hands on Gu Bai’s shoulders. He leaned in, rubbing his handsome face gently against Gu Bai’s. “From childhood… you were the only one who truly treated me well… so… you’re different to me…” His voice was soft, carrying a hint of sorrow and boundless sincerity. When he looked at Gu Bai with such genuine devotion, it was as if the world had vanished, leaving only the two of them.

Gu Bai took a deep breath. You think this is the “You’re the light of my life” storyline?! You think you’re Severus Snape, a resilient and loyal double agent?! You think—dammit! I almost believed it! The pervert’s skills were truly formidable…

Qi Guanrui tilted his head slightly, brushing his lips against Gu Bai’s cheek. Slowly, he kissed the corner of Gu Bai’s lips.

Gu Bai felt his scalp tingle. This pervert playing the warm and tender card was completely unfair! Even if it wasn’t about charming women, his skills were just as effective here! If only… if only… If only he weren’t a pervert, Gu Bai might’ve accepted this, even if it meant…

Qi Guanrui said nothing further. He simply held Gu Bai quietly, his embrace growing tighter. In that moment, for once, he felt no desire. Instead, he sensed himself drawing closer to the one he wanted. For the first time, he began to realize that while Ziche Shubai trusted Gu Shan, he didn’t trust Qi Guanrui. Why was that? He hadn’t delved deeply into it before, but now he felt that if he could uncover the reason, perhaps he could break down the barriers between them.

There should be no distance between Qi Guanrui and Ziche Shubai. Just as Qi Guanrui was finally willing to be honest with Ziche Shubai, the latter should reciprocate. There couldn’t be any more obstacles.