Little Pink Starfish

After that, the two of them had a date inside the Tianlong Treasure Trove.

Since Qiguan Rui had complete control over the treasure site, they easily avoided numerous dangers and also took the chance to appreciate all the scenery—so much so that after they had finished admiring the normal sights, Gu Bai even followed Qiguan Rui to experience all the traps and mechanisms as well.

Of course, Gu Bai simply treated it as a dungeon-crawling game. Whenever things looked like they might go south, Qiguan Rui would deactivate the traps and mechanisms. Thus, everything went smoothly.

After playing around for a while, Gu Bai was in an excellent mood. Although he was a homebody, the occasional bit of sightseeing wasn’t bad.

In his previous life, even if he went out, he had no one to accompany him—utterly lonely and desolate. But now, not only did he have a boyfriend (albeit a perverted one) by his side, but his physical strength was also no longer that of a weakling (though initially, it had been to escape said pervert). On top of that, the places he could explore were far more diverse than in his previous life (though, again, all under the pervert’s control). All in all—he was having a blast.

Just as he was about to head to the next destination, Gu Bai noticed a shift in Qiguan Rui’s expression.

He thought for a moment before deciding to return the favour and show some concern for the pervert who had been keeping him company all this time. “What’s wrong?”

Qiguan Rui wrapped an arm around Gu Bai’s waist, kissed his cheek, and said, “Long Yuanba is about to reach the treasure site.”

Gu Bai: … So he’s finally here… No, wait! He’s only just arriving now?!

As expected of a side character—even if he was the protagonist’s arch-nemesis, his luck was nothing compared to the protagonist’s sheer destiny. To think that Qiguan Rui had even given them hints in advance, yet they were still this inefficient… Are you kidding me?

However, if it were just that, Qiguan Rui wouldn’t have shown that kind of expression… He looked like he was about to scheme against someone.

What is this bastard plotting now?

Qiguan Rui understood Gu Bai’s unspoken question and whispered, “They’re trapped in a mechanism.”

Gu Bai nodded. And then?

Qiguan Rui pondered for a moment. “The Demon Emissary is about to arrive. They probably won’t let us drag things out any longer. Our faction may be strong, but we still need time to develop… It would be best if we had the support of the royal family—it’d be much more beneficial for us.”

His foundation was growing rapidly, but compared to an imperial court, or the Demon Island’s years of accumulated power, it was still lacking.

Gu Bai suddenly understood.

Ah, so that’s what it’s about… Makes sense.

In the original novel, the war between the demons and the martial artists had been brewing for hundreds of years before it finally erupted into an all-out battle. But now?

Qiguan Rui’s status among the demons was clearly not high enough—according to the original plot, he had gone through multiple political marriages, eliminated the radicals, and spent years consolidating his position. His status in Lingwu Continent wasn’t enough either—originally, the protagonist had numerous female leads linked to various clans and noble families, creating an intricate web of alliances. But Qiguan Rui had only recently risen to power, and though his martial prowess had skyrocketed, his momentum was too rapid, his allies too few, and his safety was still not entirely secured.

What’s more… a whole lot of future plotlines had been compressed and thrown into these past few years!

And Gu Bai, as the ‘dear father’ of this story, had personally expedited quite a few of these changes.

For example, countless fortuitous encounters had originally belonged to the protagonist, who would stumble upon them while meeting various female leads and undergoing trials. But Gu Bai had simply led Qiguan Rui straight to them, which ended up erasing those female leads and their plotlines. Additionally, because Qiguan Rui was utterly devoted to Gu Bai, he no longer interacted with other women, thus eliminating the political entanglements and factional tests that would have naturally arisen from those relationships.

Moreover, the ‘malicious intent of the grand world’ had adjusted the plot to revolve around Qiguan Rui, preventing him from lazing around. As a result, many events had been pulled forward, and their details had changed dramatically, with problems being resolved in a far more straightforward and brutal manner. The result?

Qiguan Rui’s martial prowess had reached a level appropriate for the original timeline, skyrocketing at an absurd pace. At the same time, he had gained an overwhelming number of resources—far beyond what was supposed to exist in this period.

But without the female leads acting as social lubricants, his relationships with other factions and even the imperial court were strained, completely different from the original story, where everything was harmonious and where he quickly gained a crucial position.

However, since the ‘female lead route’ was no longer an option—Qiguan Rui didn’t want it, and Gu Bai wouldn’t let his boyfriend go down that path—there was only one alternative…

At the very least, they needed a connection that could grant them access to the upper echelons of power.

For Qiguan Rui, Long Yuanba—the former arch-nemesis, someone with an influential background who only loved the princess—was the perfect candidate. Turning a rival into a close friend (or even a subordinate)? Sounds like a plan! A pervert saving a hero? That’s totally doable!

And so, the decision was made.

After Gu Bai agreed, the two of them clasped hands like good little buddies and headed towards the rescue site.

Then—shwoop!

Yep, they teleported.

In the blink of an eye, Gu Bai found himself in an entirely new environment, standing on a flat expanse of land. The cool breeze carried a faint scent of blood. A massive tree loomed ahead, its trunk featuring an enormous hole.

Gu Bai immediately recognised it—this was where the treasure lay. In fact, this so-called ‘big tree’ wasn’t even a real tree. Because…

As he glanced around, he spotted another thousand or so identical ‘big trees’ nearby—each with an identical hole in its trunk!

Just as he felt like his brain was getting tangled in a “big tree, big tree with a hole, big tree” loop, Qiguan Rui took his hand and spoke. “Gege, it’s this one.”

Gu Bai nodded.

In the original novel, the protagonist had accidentally bonded with the core first, allowing him to gain control over the entire treasure trove. He then located the missing female leads and subordinates, made a grand entrance like a divine saviour, and obliterated the enemy forces!

After that, he used a series of ‘coincidences’ to lead his trusted aides into the forest, coincidentally fell into the right tree hole, coincidentally triggered numerous traps, coincidentally survived everything unscathed, and then coincidentally found the treasure. Happy ending—oh wait, no—successful mission completion.

Now, however, since both Gu Bai and Qiguan Rui knew what was going on, there was no need for pretence.

So, naturally, Qiguan Rui led Gu Bai straight to the correct tree hole.

Inside, Long Yuanba and his subordinates were struggling to survive.

—As expected of a man who could rival the protagonist! Clench fist! Out of thousands of identical tree holes, he actually picked the right one!

But back to the point—if they were going to ‘rescue’ him, they had to enter the battle in a seamless manner.

Gu Bai, having not used his brain much since meeting this pervert, once again chose not to use it. He looked at Qiguan Rui expressionlessly, waiting for instructions.

Qiguan Rui smiled gently. “Gege, don’t use any martial qi—give me a slap?”

Gu Bai, dead-fish eyes: …Are you sure?

Qiguan Rui instantly understood and righteously bared his chest. “Go ahead!”

Gu Bai looked away in exasperation, then punched him in the stomach. You damn pervert! I’ve wanted to hit you for ages!

Since Qiguan Rui didn’t defend himself, a powerful force quickly destroyed his… clothing.
His snakeskin was too tough—even in human form, it wasn’t easy for someone with lower martial strength than him to break through it—there was an automatic defence mechanism which was slightly frustrating. As a result, the fierce wind from Gu Bai’s punch only managed to tear his clothes into tatters.

Qiguan Rui couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.

Gu Bai sighed. If he actually used his full strength… damn it, he really couldn’t bring himself to do it!

With no other choice, Qiguan Rui smeared some dirt on his body and face, making himself look dishevelled, while Gu Bai tore his robe’s hem and sleeves a bit, though the majority remained intact.
After some thought, Gu Bai held his breath until his face turned pale—looking like he had suffered internal injuries due to blood loss…

As an Academy Award winner, Qiguan Rui quickly finished his preparations. Gu Bai, who could only pretend to be cool and aloof, just needed to act more indifferent.

Once they were both somewhat satisfied, Qiguan Rui instructed, “Gege, don’t speak later.”

Gu Bai’s expressionless face nodded: I rarely talk anyway!

With everything ready, Qiguan Rui grabbed Gu Bai’s hand, and the two of them leapt into the tree hole together.

After a long descent through darkness, Qiguan Rui landed on his back, pulling Gu Bai onto him. Both of them let out a grunt upon impact.

The next moment, countless arrows rained down like a storm!

Qiguan Rui quickly acted, creating a gust of wind that deflected all the arrows, causing them to clatter against the stone walls!

From inside, a voice called out, “Who’s there?!”

Qiguan Rui conjured a night pearl and embedded it into the stone wall. Instantly, the area was bathed in light. Not far ahead was a deep abyss. Spanning the abyss was a narrow chain bridge that could only accommodate one person at a time, anchored to the cliffs on either side. Hanging onto the bridge were over a dozen people, simultaneously enduring the precarious, thin chains and fending off an endless barrage of hidden weapons. Wave after wave, the attacks were relentless.

Though these individuals possessed high martial prowess and abundant martial qi, against such an onslaught, no matter how formidable they were, how could they withstand this endless barrage of hidden weapons? They had been holding on for a day and a night and were starting to feel exhausted. If this continued, once their martial qi and stamina were depleted, they would fall from the chain bridge.

…You ask why they didn’t just leap into the abyss while their martial qi was still full? One brave soul had tried—but after jumping down, he never came back up. Only the lingering roars of beasts echoed from the depths below, making everyone else hesitant to follow.

Despite their fatigue, these high-level martial artists were still keenly perceptive. They noticed the newcomers and the barrage of hidden weapons directed at them. If not for the fact that leaving the chains would trigger even more lethal traps, they would have climbed up already—even if it meant sacrificing someone. But in the current situation, they feared that sacrificing four or five people still might not break through the array of traps. Unaware of how many mechanisms lay ahead, they dared not act rashly.

Long Yuanba, the one with the highest martial prowess among them, was the one who had shouted earlier. After quickly scanning the newcomers, he continued to deflect the hidden weapons while expressing his surprise: “…It’s you?”