Little Pink Starfish

All the treasure chests were packed away, and Qiguan Rui rested his head on Gu Bai’s shoulder, clinging to him with a smile that could enchant anyone.

Gu Bai thought he looked a little foolish.

Just then, the quiet and spacious stone chamber echoed with a faint sound. “Drip, drip, drip…” It was the sound of water droplets falling.

Gu Bai’s eyes lit up. Yes, this was it. He remembered vividly how he had written it in the original story! Of course, in the original, the perverted protagonist had gleefully pinned a woman down for a spontaneous romp. Only after she fell asleep did he notice this.
But now, it was all much more… wholesome.

Gu Bai patted Qiguan Rui’s head. “Go take a look.”

Reluctantly, Qiguan Rui lifted his head but still clung to Gu Bai like a leech. Gu Bai had to drag his weight step by step to a small cave. The cave was only slightly taller than a person and appeared naturally formed. Inside, a strange bamboo-like plant grew, bearing only a single leaf.

At the tip of the leaf, a pale green droplet condensed and fell gently into a stone basin below. The basin, about a foot in diameter, was filled with pale green liquid, and at its bottom lay over a dozen dark green pearls. Despite the steady dripping, the liquid never overflowed.

With a martial artist’s keen eyes, it was easy to see that a more viscous substance, slightly darker than the liquid but lighter than the pearls, swirled on the surface, moving rhythmically and condensing continuously.

Qiguan Rui observed with amazement. “This has solidified into pearls?”

Gu Bai nodded. “These are Ten-Thousand-Year Bamboo Milk Pearls.”

Qiguan Rui retrieved a memory from his Heaven-Devouring Python bloodline and nodded in turn. “So, it’s this.” He leaned close to kiss Gu Bai’s cheek. “They’re all for gege. They’re very beneficial to you.”

Gu Bai felt quite pleased. It was great that the pervert offered them up willingly—it saved him the trouble of asking and potentially touching on one of Qiguan Rui’s overly sensitive nerves.

In the original story, the protagonist could increase his martial prowess by consuming people. Although the Ten-Thousand-Year Bamboo Milk Pearls were potent for boosting power, they were more like icing on the cake for someone with the protagonist’s abilities. Still, in the original, the perverted protagonist had swallowed them himself to leap an entire level in a short time. But now, he was offering them all…

Gu Bai kept his face neutral, though it had been ages since he’d smiled… Still, he was delighted! Three seconds later, he calmed down. Wait. Something was off. It wasn’t scientific to be so smug just because he outshone the protagonist’s original three-thousand-strong harem. Even if they were now in a shonen ai scenario, this lack of ambition was unacceptable!

So, with a straight face, Gu Bai said, “We’ll split it half and half.” Ahhh, that wasn’t what he meant to say! Why was he offering to share?! He should have taken it all for himself!

Qiguan Rui remained silent.

Gu Bai waited, growing increasingly irritable. What? Not satisfied with half? What was the pervert’s problem?!

Qiguan Rui stepped around to face him and lightly touched Gu Bai’s lips. “No, I think it should all belong to gege.” His smile was genuine and warm. “Everything I have is gege’s, and gege is all mine… Don’t refuse me, okay?”

Gu Bai’s ears turned red. This… this had so many issues it was impossible to address them all. Why did it feel like the pervert was proposing?!

Without another word, Gu Bai collected all the Ten-Thousand-Year Bamboo Milk Pearls and walked out.

Behind him, Qiguan Rui chuckled softly, clearly in high spirits. He quickly caught up. “Gege, wait. Let me retrieve your reversed wu qi first. Liu Manluo gave me a potion; we’ll need to keep it hidden from her…”

With one leading and the other following, they soon exited the stone cave.

Outside, the murky water had cleared, leaving only a faint fishy smell that was bearable. Gu Bai and Qiguan Rui swam out. Behind them, Lu Jie, who had briefly been in a daze, regained clarity and followed obediently. By this point, he was utterly devoted to Qiguan Rui.

Back at the inn, Liu Manluo immediately noticed the normal circulation of wu qi in both Gu Bai and Qiguan Rui. Her eyes showed satisfaction. Behind her, Xin’e supported Lu Jia’er, both women exchanging a subtle glance. Lu Jie quickly stepped over to stand beside his sister.

Gu Bai looked at the four people before him and felt a mix of complicated emotions. …Honestly, how much pressure was Liu Manluo under, standing there like a living person among three puppets? Regardless of her stress, Gu Bai’s was immense.

After minimal delay, the group set off for Tiandu City, not forgetting their plan to properly settle Liu Manluo.

On the journey, Gu Bai and Qiguan Rui stayed close, their intimate proximity dazzling Liu Manluo to the point of eye strain. But Liu Manluo was ambitious and used the pretext of needing fresh air to sit with the coachman-puppet, Lu Jie. She was there to fish for information—who said she wasn’t interested in the treasure? And from Liu Manluo’s perspective, Lu Jie, an inexperienced young man, was an easy target. A few flirtatious glances, and she’d have him in her grasp.

However, after probing Lu Jie for the entire journey, she uncovered only surface-level details: The treasure consisted of gold, silver, and some natural treasures. Lu Jia’er had fallen for Qiguan Rui, who had saved them multiple times, so they’d decided to follow him. Since the treasure wasn’t of much use to them, they’d traded it for Qiguan Rui’s trust. Lu Jie now saw Qiguan Rui as his elder brother and would even offer his sister as a concubine if needed.

When she turned to Lu Jia’er, the girl confirmed her admiration for Qiguan Rui and her willingness to be a concubine due to her weak martial skills.

Liu Manluo didn’t know whether to call the siblings foolish or pragmatic. Lu Jie’s decision to trade the treasure for protection made sense, but why didn’t Lu Jia’er aim higher? It was embarrassing! Liu Manluo had even planned to intervene when Lu Jia’er failed to seduce Qiguan Rui, but this… this was pathetic. If it were Liu Manluo, she’d aim for the top position as the wife. If relegated to concubine status, she’d at least become the queen of concubines.

As they neared Tiandu City, Gu Bai switched to a luxurious, custom-made carriage. This decadent vehicle, normally stored in a spatial artefact, made an immediate impression.

Liu Manluo watched in disbelief as Gu Bai was pampered by Qiguan Rui. Meanwhile, Xin’e and Lu Jia’er donned matching uniforms, and Lu Jie stood silently, cosplaying as a stoic guard. She, on the other hand, was left awkwardly standing aside.

By the time everything was in place, Gu Bai and Qiguan Rui had taken the innermost compartment, with the women seated in the servants’ section. Lu Jie cracked the whip, and the carriage began its journey.

***

As they approached Tiandu City’s gates, the city guards on the walls spotted them instantly.

“The city lord has returned!”

“He’s back!”

“Returned!”

The gates swung open, and citizens flooded out to line the streets, forming a neat and orderly crowd without any prompting.

When the carriage stopped, Xin’e and Lu Jia’er disembarked first, followed by Liu Manluo in her resplendent attire. Then came Qiguan Rui, and finally, Gu Bai stepped out, the highlight of the procession.

The three women led the way, Lu Jie brought up the rear, and the city lord was surrounded in the centre, his closest ally half a step behind him.

Liu Manluo’s smile froze. She felt as though her worldview had been shattered. Walking through the streets, she realised that many gazes lingered on her. At first, the attention was flattering. She was accustomed to admiration in the Demon Domain. But as she glanced back at Gu Bai, something felt off. The admiring looks had turned sharp and hostile.

Using her enhanced hearing, she strained to listen to the murmurs of the citizens.

Citizen A: “Wow, she’s sexy!”
Citizen B: “True, but the city lord is more handsome, and he’s so close to his friend!”
Citizen C: “But she’s unfamiliar…”
Citizen D: “She’s flirting with the city lord!”
Citizen E: “Mistress! She’s a mistress trying to interfere!”
Citizen F: “The city lord and his friend are pure! Didn’t you see them ignoring her?”
Citizen G: “It’s all the mistress’s fault.”

Citizens (in unison): “Down with the mistress! Down with the mistress!”

Liu Manluo: “…”