Little Pink Starfish

As previously mentioned, Archenemy-kun Long Yuanba was truly in love with the former female lead and original main wife, Princess Tianxiang. So, not only was the wedding held with the utmost extravagance, but even the wedding attire was crafted from rare and precious materials, exuding luxury and sophistication.

And with Princess Tianxiang’s own noble bearing and unparalleled beauty… The moment she entered the hall, adorned in a dazzling red wedding gown with a phoenix coronet and an embroidered cape, the entire venue was filled with gasps of astonishment.

Even Gu Bai couldn’t help but take a few extra seconds to admire her. Not a single flaw! Her skin was as smooth as silk, as white as snow! Her jet-black hair was like a real-life Snow White! A purely natural, unpolluted, peerless beauty!

Everyone who saw her had a tune looping in their heads: “You’re so beautiful~ You’re so beautiful~ You’re so beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, aye~~~”

Gu Bai quietly glanced at Liu Manluo—sure enough, when two beauties met, jealousy was inevitable.

Just like in the original novel, where the third-ranked battle-grade beauty was completely suppressed, Liu Manluo here was also seething with envy, her expression contorting into something truly spectacular.

Princess Tianxiang walked side by side with Long Yuanba. Her attire was lavish beyond compare; a tall ceremonial crown perched on her head. A beaded curtain of pearls draped down, veiling her face just enough to obscure her full features, making people desperate to take a closer look.

Long Yuanba, likewise, was dressed in the finest formalwear. With such a magnificent backdrop, his presence seemed even more imposing. Yet, he carefully held Princess Tianxiang’s delicate hand, his face beaming with a smile, eyes brimming with undisguised joy and pride.

Gu Bai: That lovestruck idiot is unbearable to look at.

The surrounding onlookers, seeing Long Yuanba’s expression, exchanged knowing smirks.

Everyone was very understanding.

The Emperor and Empress of theCangqiong Empire had come personally to officiate the wedding, a clear sign of how much they valued Princess Tianxiang. Even when dealing with Long Yuanba, their expressions were warm and kind. This was a declaration of their support for the couple, as well as an official acknowledgement of Long Yuanba’s status within the empire.

Gu Bai gave Qiguan Rui a glance filled with mild sympathy.

In the original novel, this noble couple had not been so kind to the protagonist. In fact, their love for Princess Tianxiang had even waned slightly after she privately chose the protagonist as her partner. If not for the protagonist’s later rise to power and Tianxiang’s adept manoeuvring, they probably would have never acknowledged him, even in the end.

By comparison, Long Yuanba’s treatment was hundreds of times better. But this wasn’t surprising. What parent wouldn’t want their daughter to marry someone of equal status and live a life of luxury? Running off with some wild, poor kid? Unacceptable! Not to mention, said poor kid also had a whole harem of women…

Qiguan Rui had grown accustomed to Gu Bai’s various glances, so even seeing that sympathetic look, he didn’t mind much. After all, in the end, he was always the one being comforted, and the benefits always landed in his lap. His attention was actually focused on the two moren (demonic envoys).

These two were not among those he had once parasitised on Demon Island, but their martial strength was quite formidable. He wasn’t sure what their purpose was in sneaking into the wedding… but hopefully, they wouldn’t interfere with his plans. Otherwise…

Qiguan Rui considered using his snake gu parasites on them to probe their intentions. Unfortunately, with so many powerful figures present at the wedding—some even stronger than him—it wasn’t the right time to act.

For now, he would wait until after the wedding.

Those two moren had brought Liu Manluo with them, which meant they would likely reach out to him sooner or later. Then, he would find his opportunity.

While Qiguan Rui schemed, Gu Bai continued to observe absentmindedly, letting his thoughts wander. Meanwhile, the wedding proceeded through a series of solemn and grand ceremonies, concluding without incident.

Afterward came the banquet.

Princess Tianxiang was every bit as commanding as any man, raising her cup to toast the guests, while Long Yuanba was bombarded with drinks… Unexpectedly, even Qiguan Rui was pulled into the drinking rounds by Long Yuanba himself.

Qiguan Rui set aside his thoughts. He certainly wouldn’t pass up this opportunity.

To be personally included in the toasts by the newlyweds was a privilege reserved for individuals of significant status.

This was Long Yuanba’s way of repaying Qiguan Rui’s discretion and amicability, using this moment to introduce him to more influential figures and publicly solidify their friendship.

No matter how one looked at it, it was a huge advantage for Qiguan Rui.

Gu Bai, seeing the pervert’s effortless socialising, simply shrank back and restrained his aura, retreating to a corner to quietly eat his meal. As a true introvert, shipping is one thing, but socialising? No, thank you…

Unfortunately, things never went smoothly.

Even though he had done his best to lower his presence, the moment he entered the hall, someone had already locked onto him. And now, they had come knocking.

Gu Bai sighed inwardly and looked up. “What is it?”

Standing before him, pretending not to know him but smiling sweetly, was none other than Liu Manluo. Behind her stood the two burly men.

The corner where Gu Bai sat was relatively empty.

Anyone who was able to attend the banquet inside the grand hall was someone with significant connections. These guests weren’t just here to celebrate—they were here to network.

So, while everyone else was busy toasting and socialising, someone like Gu Bai, who was actively avoiding people, was a rare sight.

Liu Manluo smiled charmingly. “Lord Ziche.”

Gu Bai, dead-fish-eyed, responded, “Mm.”

The two moren stood imposingly behind her, both standing at least nine feet tall, their physiques muscular and powerful. Their martial prowess was evident, though their looks… were not exactly their strong suit.

Back on Demon Island, Gu Bai had seen many high-ranking figures, even meeting the five XX Kings, but the hidden masters within those families—those who acted as their hidden aces—were figures he had yet to encounter.

These two were likely among those selected for this task.

The real question was: which faction had sent them?

The moren in the ochre robe had a proud expression.

The one in the brown robe looked impatient and irritable.

Then, the ochre-robed one spoke, “So, you’re Ziche Shubai?”

The brown-robed one snorted. “Pretty boy!”

Gu Bai: “…” The fuck? Are they exchanging code words or just picking a fight? I don’t get it! Is this some kind of joke? The Demon Island actually sent such reckless, brainless idiots on an official mission?! That doesn’t make sense! No, wait—maybe it wasn’t them who were the problem…

Gu Bai noticed Liu Manluo’s expression darken slightly, and suddenly, he understood everything. A wild encounter with cannon fodder with negative IQ points!

Clearly, both of these men were Liu Manluo’s admirers. And as all cannon fodder go, their IQs had taken a double hit—first by their script-mandated stupidity, and second by their hopeless infatuation. In this state, they were beyond reasoning with! There was no logic to be had!

Gu Bai remained expressionless and ignored them.

The ochre-robed moren sneered. “You’re not as impressive as the rumours say.”

The brown-robed one snorted louder. “So much time has passed, and you still haven’t accomplished what you were assigned! Xianmei must have overestimated you!”

Gu Bai continued to stare blankly.

Seeing that no matter how much they provoked him, he wasn’t reacting, the two men lost interest.

At the same time, they grew even more contemptuous of Gu Bai. This guy isn’t even worthy of being our love rival!

Reassured of their own superiority, they turned to Liu Manluo and forcibly led her away. “Xianmei, let’s go!”

Liu Manluo: “…” Fuck! What a mistake! I should never have come over!

With an unspoken but deeply-felt despair, Liu Manluo left dejectedly. Whatever conversation she had intended to have had been completely ruined by those two morons. Truly speechless…

Gu Bai resumed leisurely enjoying his meal, occasionally glancing at the pervert, who was thriving in high society.

And then, finally, the wedding banquet concluded.

Qiguan Rui had successfully acquainted himself with the elite circle—just barely getting his foot in the door. From now on, whether he could fully integrate would depend on his own efforts.

Long Yuanba truly was a good bro. Even if they were no longer archenemies, he still served as a stepping stone for the protagonist.

Afterward, Gu Bai and Qiguan Rui continued living in the imperial capital.

Meanwhile, Chen Yuanhao expanded their business, and members of the Heaven-Devouring Society gradually established themselves.

Qiguan Rui, rising early and returning late, skilfully built connections.

His wu huang-level strength, coupled with vast resources and his protagonist charisma (halo), made his rise swift and inevitable.

Of course, the snake gu played a crucial role.

Slowly but surely, Qiguan Rui established a hidden influence within the capital. All was proceeding quietly…

Gu Bai, meanwhile, lived quite comfortably.

With Qiguan Rui busy outside, he was free to stay indoors all day, even trying his hand at painting and calligraphy—utterly relaxed. He thought this easy-going life would continue until the pervert finished setting things up, and then they’d move on to the next adventure. But then…

Gu Bai’s expression stiffened. The world’s malice was never going to let me off the hook, was it?! I should have known, damn it! I had assumed those two idiots were just regular dumbasses, but Iunderestimatedtheir sheer level of stupidity! If you want to flirt with a girl, just go flirt! Why the hell are you causing such a massive commotion?!

Yes. The imperial capital was suddenly plagued by a string of horrific murders. Several young elites were brutally attacked, their softest flesh torn from their bodies. Numerous faction headquarters were bombed with flammable substances, causing mass casualties.

A large number of famous, beautiful women vanished, only for their decapitated bodies to be found in dark alleyways the next day…

These brutal crimes continued unabated, and no one could track down the perpetrators. But from the methodology, it was clear—it was the same group behind it all.

The capital’s martial circles were in shock. The imperial authorities were furious.

This was obviously the work of demons! Could they be any more blatant?! Could they be any more shameless?!

A surge of deep, seething rage bubbled up inside Gu Bai.

He realised, with bone-deep clarity—he had overestimated those two moren’s intelligence.

…

I… really… want… to… flip… a fucking table!

****

Pinky says: My little ChatGPT is so audacious when it comes to italics, no matter how many times I tell it to calm the fuck down it just gets more excited and emphasises too much.