Little Pink Starfish

The martial stage at Qingtian Academy was vast and elevated. According to the academy’s regulations, dueling was encouraged as a way to improve strength.

To ensure that young talents didn’t lose their lives over petty disputes, the elder in charge of the dueling grounds was known for his strictness.

Right now, he was frowning deeply as he stared at the two people before him. “You want to sign a Life-and-Death Pact?”

Gu Bai, his expression blank, lifted a finger and pointed at the plainly dressed young man.

He knew that this old man, with his rigid personality and stubborn nature, had been written this way in the original story. Even before the protagonist arrived, the old goat-bearded elder had remained steadfast in his post.

Except for the protagonist—who, with his respectful attitude and a stroke of inspiration, had discovered the elder’s weakness and received special treatment—anyone else who dared to sign a Life-and-Death Pact ended up just as miserable as this brainless fool.

Gu Bai cast a lofty and indifferent glance at the challenger, who was now drenched in cold sweat from the elder’s scolding. Then, he looked up at the sky.

None of this was his problem.

The elder with the goat beard scowled. “As a senior, instead of focusing on your martial training, you’re here causing trouble for your junior? Shameful!”

The plainly dressed young man: “Yes, yes, yes…”

The elder continued, “Qingtian Academy provides you with abundant resources, yet instead of striving for progress, you waste time on petty rivalries? Disgraceful!”

The plainly dressed young man: “Yes, yes, yes… yes, yes, yes…”

The elder’s voice grew even harsher. “Martial artists should be strong-willed, but that doesn’t mean engaging in reckless fights! Sparring is one thing, but how dare you treat life and death so lightly?! Outrageous!”

The plainly dressed young man: “Yes, yes, yes… yes, yes… yes…”

Gu Bai watched expressionlessly as the fool got thoroughly scolded, but inside, he was thoroughly entertained.

Ge won’t tell you this old man secretly loves food.

Heh, ge won’t tell you the protagonist won him over by gifting him his favorite dish—five-colored sparrows!

You foolish mortal! Since you don’t understand the essence of “gap moe,” you can only fall halfway on the path to success! ╮(╯▽╰)╭

And so, two hours passed.

The plainly dressed young man stood in place, blood rushing to his face, while the elder continued his relentless tirade.

At this moment, someone tapped Gu Bai on the shoulder.

He didn’t even need to turn around to know who it was. Besides Gu Xiaoshan, who else could approach him without triggering his vigilance?

Sure enough, a familiar voice drifted over: “Gege, why are you so late today?”

Gu Bai glanced at Qiguan Rui, who had just walked up to him. “Got held up.”

Qiguan Rui’s eyes flickered as he gestured toward the plainly dressed young man. “Him?”

Gu Bai nodded. “He challenged me.”

Qiguan Rui chuckled. “I’ve never seen him before. He must have joined before you, meaning he’s your senior?”

Gu Bai gave a simple “Mm.”

Qiguan Rui continued, “Among martial artists, respect is given to those who achieve mastery first. Sparring is nothing unusual, but why would he…”

Gu Bai replied, “He wanted to sign a Life-and-Death Pact.”

Qiguan Rui’s smile stiffened. “…A Life-and-Death Pact?”

Gu Bai: “It didn’t go through.”

With his sharp intuition, Qiguan Rui quickly pieced together the situation just by observing the elder scolding the young man.

He took a slight step back, turning his face away for a moment. His expression twisted briefly, but before Gu Bai could notice, he had already restored his usual smile. “That senior is truly reckless. With a personality like that… he’s bound to get into trouble.”

Gu Bai nodded again.

Kid, you’re absolutely right. Not only will he run into trouble, but he’ll probably be the first to die, okay?

Gu Xiaoshan, you’re way too polite.

And so, the two of them started chatting—though it was mostly Qiguan Rui talking and Gu Bai listening.

Meanwhile, the background noise of the elder’s scolding, paired with the plainly dressed young man’s utterly miserable expression, made the entire scene incredibly vivid, specific, and lively.

Since a duel had been expected, a sizable crowd had gathered to watch.

But then, seeing the challenger get verbally destroyed instead, the sheer absurdity of the scene was too amusing. Even passersby couldn’t resist stopping to watch.

—Martial artists were just as nosy as anyone else. In fact, seeing a usually arrogant troublemaker getting humiliated only made them more eager to enjoy the spectacle.

The plainly dressed young man felt utterly humiliated. His face burned even redder when he realized he was the only one being chastised.

The Life-and-Death Pact! I have to sign it! I’ll kill him—!

But before he could explode, the elder immediately shut him down again, criticizing him for his “improper attitude” and continuing the scolding session.

The spectators kept their distance, but on the outskirts of the crowd, a small group stood apart, exuding an air of superiority.

In the center of this group was a tall young man with a decent build and respectable features. Even his demeanor had a certain refinement. At the moment, he was fawning over a red-clad girl beside him.

The red-clad girl wore a deep scowl on her face. She snapped her whip furiously against the ground—crack, crack, crack!

The young man, perhaps enjoying the abuse, only became more eager to please as she grew angrier.

The red-clad girl seethed, “That idiot! He couldn’t even handle such a simple task! How are all your men so useless?!”

The young man smiled placatingly. “Don’t be mad. It was my oversight. Once I find out what that steward likes, I’ll have Guo Qing challenge Ziche Shubai to a Life-and-Death Pact again.”

Crack, crack, crack! The whip lashed out again.

“I want Ziche Shubai to suffer now! And that lackey of his too! They both need to die!”

The young man continued coaxing, “Alright, alright, whatever you say.”

“I want it immediately!“

“I’ll have my men take care of it…”

To the onlookers, this scene of ferocity met with unwavering flattery was downright painful to watch.

Sure, the girl was beautiful, but her personality was insufferable.

That kind of romantic fortune wasn’t something the average man could handle.

And so, the underlings who occasionally got hit by the stray whip were met with sympathetic gazes from the bystanders.

The underlings: Boss is blind and obsessed with her, what can we do? We’ll just deal with getting hit now and hope his eyesight recovers soon…

While this group plotted their schemes, the scrawny elder finally finished his lecture, thoroughly satisfied with his role as an instructor.

The plainly dressed young man, Guo Qing, looked utterly defeated, his face darkened as if he had been poisoned. He barely had any strength left, his posture trembling as he saluted stiffly and walked away without sparing Ziche Shubai a single glance.

—What’s the plan now?

Young Guo Qing decided: First, take a bath and sleep it off.

Gu Bai watched the retreating figure and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

Brainless fools always bring entertainment. Fortunately, that steward intervened just in time to knock some sense into this idiot. Otherwise, if I had to fight an equal-level opponent, my clothes would definitely get dirty again.

That would be a tragedy for my image, okay?

Silently giving the elder a thumbs-up in his heart, Gu Bai turned and left with Qiguan Rui.

All that remained was his tall, proud silhouette—an unspoken legend of winning without even fighting.

Back at the courtyard, Gu Bai went straight to the bathhouse to change clothes.

No joke, standing outside for so long had made his clothes dirty again. He had to change at least three times a day!

Otherwise, what would happen to his cool and aloof image?!

After taking a quick battle shower, Gu Bai emerged with damp hair, wearing only a loose robe, and barefoot.

Unexpectedly, the room was empty.

…Wait a minute.

Shouldn’t Xiaoshan already be here by now, holding a towel ready to dry his hair, preparing his shoes so he could slip them on?

Sure, it was a little excessive, but not seeing him here actually made him feel a bit uneasy!

Where did Xiaoshan go?

The ignored Tiandu City maid finally spoke up. “City Lord, someone came by earlier. Guardian Gu went to receive them.”

Gu Bai nodded. “Got it.”

Ah, so a guest came.

Xiaoshan must have gone to chase off some flies again. As his older brother, he should at least go take a look.

With his hair still damp, Gu Bai stepped outside, not intending to fully reveal himself.

But just as he reached the corridor—

He saw Qiguan Rui standing beside a young girl in a yellow dress.

The girl’s expression carried a soft admiration, and she was truly delicate and elegant in appearance.

Qiguan Rui stood beside her, a warm smile on his face.

Gu Bai: 囧囧] WTF?

…Wait a minute.

Was this… early romance?

Now that he thought about it, Gu Xiaoshan had been acting suspiciously lately.

During the day, when Gu Bai was in class, he would always disappear from the academy.

Sometimes he’d come back late—so late he almost missed dinner.

Sure, he claimed he was out “inspecting business,” but did business really need daily visits?!

Besides, he was so elusive—wasn’t that a little too suspicious?!

But if he connected the dots to this very scene…

Damn it! This is definitely early romance!

The more Gu Bai thought about it, the angrier he got.

He had raised Gu Xiaoshan with his own hands, and now the kid was ditching him to chase girls?!

And lying about it, too?!

Did he even respect his gege anymore?!

It’s just like they say—”Once a man gets a wife, he forgets his mother!” (→ Which is absolutely NOT the case here.)

Seeing the two chatting happily, looking like they were about to go on a date, Gu Bai’s anger maxed out.

His teeth ached.

Then, with a blank expression, he gritted his teeth even harder.

But Qiguan Rui’s mood… was far from what Gu Bai imagined.

For the past month, every time Qiguan Rui left the academy, he wasn’t just visiting the little restaurant to maintain his cover.

More importantly, he was building his own power.

Ziche Shubai’s influence belonged to Ziche Shubai.

But if Qiguan Rui wanted to control his own fate, if he wanted to get what he desired, then he needed to cultivate his own power.

Whether that power came from himself or external forces, it didn’t matter.

Externally, Qiguan Rui had already begun gathering resources.

Internally, he had spent this past month strengthening himself.

There were far too many people hoping to enter Qingtian Academy.

Many came with high hopes but failed to meet the requirements.

Most of them would linger in Haoyang City for a few days, then reluctantly leave.

And on the road back home—that was Qiguan Rui’s golden opportunity.

These people often carried wealth and treasures, and they usually had strong guards.

But once they were targeted by Qiguan Rui…

Their wealth was his.

Their guards? Dead.

Thanks to these “supplements,” Qiguan Rui had leveled up again—he was now a high-level wu jun.

Everything had been going smoothly.

Until today.

Because this yellow-dressed girl came knocking on his door.

Qiguan Rui was very, very annoyed.

He had planned to go back and help dry Ziche Shubai’s hair and enjoy his scent.

So why the hell was he stuck here dealing with this “guest”?!