Little Pink Starfish

After finally sending away the various scheming guests from the banquet, Gu Bai was at last able to enjoy some long-overdue peace and quiet.

His four stunning maids were now officially on duty, attending to everything with flawless precision. For someone who had spent years in grueling cultivation, personally managing nearly everything, this level of service was finally befitting of his status.

But Gu Bai did not allow himself to relax. Instead, he ordered his intelligence network, which had been quietly gathering information on the surrounding martial towns, to temporarily halt their activities.

Yes, ever since he had taken the position of city lord, Gu Bai had not only cultivated an array of capable male and female subordinates, but he had also reorganized the dark guard division of the city lord’s residence. Previously, this division had no formal name—it was just a group of assassins used for shady business. After Gu Bai took control, though they still handled covert matters, at least he had some moral bottom line. He wouldn’t allow them to needlessly oppress the common people.

Before, Tian Du City had wealth and power, but the city lord had no real authority. The various factions beneath him were tangled in a web of corruption, and countless dubious deeds had been committed. Since Gu Bai came into power, he had been steadily cleaning house.

So, what were the former assassins doing now?

Aside from necessary assassinations and cover-ups, they spent the rest of their time training new intelligence operatives and rapidly collecting information on all martial towns within a thousand-mile radius.

Of course, all of this was merely a cover for Gu Bai’s true focus—the protagonist.

Gu Bai kept the protagonist’s existence a secret, making sure to treat him just like any other subject of interest. If he paid too much attention, it might attract the wrong kind of curiosity.

Thus, when news arrived that the Qiguan family of Qingyang Town had officially recognized a boy with an exceptionally rare Dao Tian Martial Body as a direct heir and was now grooming him carefully, the report was filed away like any other. Gu Bai skimmed through it and soon moved on.

For years, Gu Bai had maintained a habit of reviewing intelligence reports, keeping tabs on the various martial towns. Secretly, he had been tracing the protagonist’s life trajectory.

Although the reports only mentioned the protagonist in passing, Gu Bai could still piece together that he was following the script exactly as written. The story hadn’t changed. That was enough for now.

However, this was the protagonist’s crucial turning point. If, by some mistake, he noticed anything out of place…

Gu Bai shuddered.

He did not want all his efforts to go to waste.

After all, maniacs were dangerous, and their thought processes were incomprehensible. Gu Bai considered himself a smart man—there was no way he would deliberately poke at the protagonist’s sensitive nerves.

What if, in his eventual rampage, the protagonist decided to take Tian Du City down with him?!

Gu Bai spent two days and nights locked in his private chamber, meticulously reviewing everything he had done to ensure he had not triggered any of the protagonist’s taboos. Only then did he finally relax a little.

The next year would be critical.

After careful thought, Gu Bai ordered stricter enforcement of several city regulations:

• Every beggar in the city was to be treated kindly and offered work. If they were unable to work, they would be taken to a refugee shelter and provided with three meals a day until their natural death.
• Every traveler, regardless of their cultivation level, was to be treated with respect. No one was allowed to judge people based on appearances.
• Even the most powerful figures in the city were prohibited from abusing their status. Any disputes—whether between nobles and commoners or between locals and outsiders—had to be resolved fairly through the Judicial Hall, which was overseen by the Punishment Hall, which in turn answered directly to the city lord.
• Martial artists were not to harass civilians, and civilians were expected to respect martial artists in return.
• Any refugees fleeing from outside were to be housed in shelters and assigned work where possible.

In short, Gu Bai aimed to create a structured, high-quality environment where even ordinary people could survive within the lawless, martial-arts-dominated world.

Of course, when these regulations were first implemented, Gu Bai faced considerable resistance. But with his unwavering determination and overwhelming Wu Jun-level strength, they were eventually enforced. As time passed, many elders and city officials who had initially opposed the changes began to benefit from the increased efficiency and economic prosperity that followed.

Moreover, as the city lord’s prestige continued to rise, many struggling low-level martial artists who couldn’t find a foothold elsewhere flocked to Tian Du City. Over time, this became a major source of power.

Ironically, this was an outcome Gu Bai hadn’t initially anticipated.

Still, due to the city lord’s “moral crackdown”, anyone with ulterior motives had no choice but to lay low. This created an atmosphere akin to a political cleansing campaign, pushing Tian Du City’s reputation to a whole new level.

Meanwhile, Gu Bai continued his intense martial training within the city lord’s residence.

One afternoon, while deep in meditation, a special sound resonated through his chamber.

It was an instrument Gu Bai had specifically requested to be developed—one that emitted an infrasonic frequency beyond ordinary human hearing. Only high-level martial artists, like himself, could detect it.

This was designed for emergency messages while he was in seclusion.

For safety reasons, only three people in the entire city had access to this instrument.

One of them was Qin Xubo, the city lord’s chief steward.

Gu Bai knew that this man was meticulous to the extreme—he would never interrupt his training without a truly urgent reason.

Deciding that he had made enough progress with his martial techniques for the day, Gu Bai dusted himself off and stepped out.

Sure enough, outside his chamber stood a tall, handsome young man, his posture straight and deferential.

Gu Bai glanced at him and, in his usual cold and lofty manner, asked, “What is it?”

The key to maintaining an air of mystery and intimidation was consistency. Whether in public or in front of his most trusted subordinates, Gu Bai never broke character. Over time, his constant posturing had practically become second nature, making him radiate an innate aura of icy aloofness.

Qin Xubo bowed even lower. “City lord, someone requests an audience.”

Gu Bai remained expressionless. “Who?”

Internally, however, he was intrigued.

After all, not just anyone could request an audience with the city lord. If this person had even managed to alarm Qin Xubo, let alone interrupt his training…

Qin Xubo promptly answered, “This person possesses the city lord’s personal jade pendant, hence the report.”

Gu Bai froze.

Jade… pendant?

A memory flashed through his mind—of a ridiculously adorable little face.

Could it be… Xiaoshan?!

For the first time in a long while, Gu Bai’s imagination ran wild.

Based on the story’s timeline, the protagonist should have already risen from the ashes. Gu Bai remembered how he had heavily stacked the odds in the protagonist’s favor, allowing him to swiftly conquer Qingyang Town. Qiguan’s family had become his domain.

Everyone who had ever wronged the protagonist had been either killed or crippled.

Soon, all the smaller clans had submitted, making the protagonist the undisputed master of Qingyang Town. He had even harnessed the power of the ancient Devouring Serpent, granting him the ability to control people through a venomous parasite.

By this point, the protagonist’s philosophy had shifted to “obey or die.”

Unlike other stories where protagonists won over subordinates with charisma or kingly presence, he didn’t care about loyalty. He only cared about control.

In the original plot, it was after his disastrous wedding banquet massacre in Tian Du City that he fully embraced cannibalism as a means of power.

But Gu Bai hadn’t allowed the marriage to happen. Maybe, just maybe, Luo Susu had married the protagonist instead?

Good! Keep him distracted for as long as possible!

Gu Bai was fully prepared to meet an exhausted and desperate Gu Xiaoshan, seeking refuge from the protagonist’s tyranny.

However—

As he entered the reception hall, a figure turned to face him, smiling brightly.

“…Xiao Gege?”

Gu Bai’s face remained stoic, but internally—

What the hell?! Where’s my cute little shota?!