Little Pink Starfish

Under Gu Bai’s stoic expression, Lu Jie, whose abdomen had a large hole, spat out a mouthful of blood and passed out. The delicate Lu Jia’er clutched Qiguan Rui’s trouser leg, her fragile and pitiful face trembling with unshed tears as she weakly pleaded, “Save… me…”

Such a scene would make anyone feel that refusing them would be cruel, heartless, and utterly unreasonable.

Qiguan Rui’s face immediately showed a hint of urgency. He crouched down, just about to grab Lu Jia’er’s shoulder.

Gu Bai focused his gaze intently. Was the pervert planning to shake her vigorously? That absolutely couldn’t happen! This wasn’t a melodrama! If he shook her, she might actually die!

Just as Qiguan Rui’s hand was about to touch Lu Jia’er’s shoulder, it stopped abruptly. At that moment, Xin’e rushed forward and supported the young woman. “Men and women shouldn’t have physical contact—let me do it!”

Qiguan Rui retreated gracefully.

Lu Jia’er’s eyes were filled with reluctance, but she cast a mournful glance at Qiguan Rui before fainting as well.

Meanwhile, Gu Bai stood nobly and coldly before their pursuers. Without much movement, he unleashed a powerful attack that effortlessly defeated them, leaving them lifeless.

Note: There were three pursuers, all at the wu jun level of strength.
Honestly, they weren’t that impressive—Lu siblings were just incredibly weak.

At this point, Liu Manluo approached, her smile enchanting. A small, inch-high bottle appeared between her slender fingers. She uncapped it and dripped a few drops onto the three corpses.

A sizzling sound filled the air. After a puff of white smoke, the bodies disappeared entirely.

Gu Bai looked on expressionlessly. There wasn’t even a trace left. What the hell, was this some demonic-world corpse-dissolving potion? This woman was terrifying! This skill wasn’t even in the original plot! …Was the storyline breaking apart again? Ah, no, this time it was the setting breaking down… probably.

Noticing Gu Bai’s gaze, Liu Manluo smiled sweetly. “The city lord has not yet taken the medicine I prepared, so it is difficult to conceal his aura. If the bodies are not dealt with, others might discover it was us. Therefore, this was necessary…”

Gu Bai nodded, indicating his understanding. Alright, anyone capable of concocting such a potion must be an expert in this field. He shouldn’t find it strange. In the original story, the Herbal Sovereign Consort outshone Liu Manluo in this area, but now that Yun Meizi wasn’t here, Liu Manluo’s talents were naturally coming to light.

Then, Qiguan Rui hired two people—one to carry Lu Jie and the other to carry Lu Jia’er. The group returned to the inn. He wasn’t going to lift a finger, let alone let Gu Bai do so. ╮(╯▽╰)╭ As for the two women… Even though Qiguan Rui was a pervert, he couldn’t openly make two women carry people while he and his lover walked away casually.

At the inn, the siblings were not placed in newly opened rooms. Liu Manluo, smiling radiantly, fed a pill to Lu Jie.

The pill worked almost instantly. Gu Bai watched as Lu Jie convulsed violently, his muscles twitching, veins bulging and subsiding, his complexion alternating between pale, red, and black, all while breaking out in a heavy sweat. Finally, his breathing stabilised. The large wound on his abdomen visibly scabbed over, although his complexion was still poor.

Turning to Lu Jia’er, Gu Bai saw she was mostly unscathed, though clearly frightened. Qiguan Rui, standing by her side, crooked his finger. The girl shuddered, and something dark and eerie wriggled out of her nostril.

Gu Bai flinched. What the hell…! The previously delicate and vulnerable young lady suddenly turned into a scene from a horror movie, completely ruining any romantic or ambiguous atmosphere!

Qiguan Rui didn’t seem to mind. He tapped the head of the snake-like creature with his finger as if giving it instructions. The creature obediently slithered back into Lu Jia’er’s nose and settled down.
Gu Bai rubbed his goosebumps. He decided never to look at such things again. Another girl had fallen into the hands of the pervert…

Fortunately, Liu Manluo remained focused on her experiment with Lu Jie’s treatment and didn’t notice this scene—if she had, it would definitely have been another disaster. ORZ

Before long, the siblings awoke after their “treatment” (or rather, not exactly). When Lu Jia’er opened her eyes, she immediately saw Qiguan Rui smiling gently by her bedside. Her tormented and fragile heart instantly revived. She gazed at Qiguan Rui with deep emotion and called out softly, “…” Oh no, she couldn’t speak!

Qiguan Rui comforted her in a soothing tone, “Miss, you have just awakened and are likely too weak to speak. Please rest for a while.”

Lu Jia’er’s look of deep affection turned into one of gratitude.

Qiguan Rui smiled tenderly again and left. How amusing. If the snake gu wasn’t still in her, allowing her to speak would mean he wasn’t a pervert anymore. Qiguan Rui naturally returned to Gu Bai’s side, acting as though nothing had happened. What Lu Jia’er knew wasn’t important. The key lay with Lu Jie. To gain something valuable, he needed Lu Jie’s complete trust. As for Lu Jia’er… she was just a tool, worth dealing with occasionally but not to be taken seriously.

With these thoughts, Qiguan Rui prepared for Lu Jie’s awakening. Lu Jie soon opened his eyes. Liu Manluo’s poison-to-antidote method was effective—despite Lu Jie’s many-coloured complexion earlier, the outcome was positive. He woke up itchy and feeble but alive. His last memory before losing consciousness was of asking his newly made friends for help. Seeing that he was still alive, he guessed they had saved him.

Sure enough, Lu Jie’s eyes shifted, taking in the four figures near his bed. All present and accounted for, including the beautiful young woman who had clearly just fed him medicine! If he had the strength, he would have leapt up with excitement.

Filled with joy, he opened his mouth and croaked, “Thank… you…”

Qiguan Rui stepped closer—without blocking Lu Jie’s view of Liu Manluo, who was “caring for him”—and said softly, “You encountered enemies and were gravely injured. If not for Miss Liu’s medical skills, it would have been very dangerous…” The pervert decisively gave Liu Manluo additional credit.

Lu Jie’s gratitude towards Liu Manluo overflowed. Remembering his attackers, he quickly realised someone must have leaked information. Given his and his sister’s weak abilities, he decided not to hesitate any longer. His newfound friends were clearly trustworthy!

He took a deep breath and turned to Qiguan Rui.

Gu Bai facepalmed. He felt there was no need to watch any further. The outcome was already set in stone. The pervert’s manipulation of the siblings was unbearable to witness… Time to get some fresh air.

As expected, less than half an hour later, the door opened. Out came Lu Jie and Qiguan Rui—what about Lu Jia’er? Deemed a burden by Qiguan Rui, she was kept under control by the snake gu and left to sleep in the room.

Lu Jie, believing his sister was traumatised, chose to let her rest. Qiguan Rui, in a display of thoughtfulness, left Liu Manluo and Xin’e behind to “protect” her.

By now, Liu Manluo understood Qiguan Rui’s personality. Knowing she wasn’t trusted; she handed him a couple of bottles and exchanged a glance.

Qiguan Rui weighed them, immediately understanding. They contained drugs useful for demons—items he didn’t need but pocketed anyway. It wasn’t the right time to deal with Liu Manluo.

Meanwhile, Lu Jie, noticing his fast-healing wound, assumed Liu Manluo had given Qiguan Rui similarly miraculous medicine. Feeling a pang of jealousy, he suppressed it, focusing instead on his eagerness to recover the treasure. His respect and gratitude for Qiguan Rui remained intact.

Qiguan Rui took Gu Bai’s hand and smiled at Lu Jie. “Shall we proceed?”

Lu Jie returned a hearty smile and led the way.

The destination was a lake—one of many within the city of Bailiu. This particular lake was unremarkable, secluded, and rarely visited. However, beneath its surface lay secrets accumulated over many years…

As they approached, Lu Jie nervously asked, “Can the two of you swim?”

Qiguan Rui smiled warmly. “It’s no trouble. I’m somewhat skilled in water.”

Gu Bai nodded too. Of course, he could swim! He had learned in his previous life to escape the pervert, didn’t he? _{[T/N: Confused.]}