Little Pink Starfish

Qi Guanrui had never seen this side of him before—so powerful, so domineering, overflowing with rage. Naturally, he was immediately mesmerized again. Wait, why did I say “again”?

The girl who had collapsed on the ground was also dumbfounded. Wait a minute… that terrifying beast that chased me across two whole mountains… was just effortlessly obliterated like that? That’s not scientific!

Meanwhile, after elegantly landing back on the ground, Gu Bai was filled with regret.

Damn it, I overdid it!

After wandering around for days, he had only managed to kill one Wu Jun-level beast. He had finally found another one—only to lose control and smash it to pieces in one go. What a waste!

Worse still, his image was completely ruined.

In his rush, he had only thrown on a robe before running out. Forget looking as distant and untouchable as usual—right now, he was practically half-dressed, his clothes in disarray, and… let’s not even mention the fact that he wasn’t wearing shoes.

But what was done was done. He couldn’t very well change in front of the girl, so he simply tightened his robe a bit and walked over to Qi Guanrui’s side.

By now, the delicate little beauty had already gotten up and tidied her own clothes as well.

Then, with great composure, she gave a respectful bow. “Many thanks to the two of you for saving me. Otherwise, I fear I wouldn’t have survived.”

Gu Bai glanced at her, his face becoming even more emotionless.

I was so naive. I really was. I thought checking my surroundings before bathing would be enough. But who could have guessed that a girl would barge in mid-bath?!

At this point, I would’ve been satisfied if she was just some random girl. But of course not—I know this girl.

Hai Meiren, Qin Jiao—an awakened descendant of the ancient merfolk. When submerged in water, she could transform into a mermaid and swim effortlessly through the depths, with combat abilities far stronger than on land.

She was one of the protagonist’s eight harem beauties. Originally bright and cheerful, but after experiencing betrayal and hardship, she lost trust in all men—becoming selfish and self-serving. Of course, she eventually melted under the protagonist’s calculated rescues and shared life-or-death experiences. Later, she even played a critical role in helping him explore hidden underwater ruins.

In short—she was a useful woman to the perverted protagonist.

Gu Bai understood perfectly now. In the original novel, Qin Jiao had desperately pleaded for help but was ignored, leading to her deep mistrust of humanity. Today’s situation was that exact event—the “betrayal” that shaped her.

According to the original story, Gu Bai and Qi Guanrui weren’t even supposed to be here at this time. That meant Qin Jiao had likely run all this way, exhausted all her cries for help, and found herself at this very spring. In her desperation, she should have jumped into the water, inadvertently awakening her merfolk bloodline—which allowed her to escape.

But now?

What the hell am I supposed to do?! If Qin Jiao doesn’t jump into the water, she won’t awaken her bloodline. And if we save her, she won’t completely lose faith in people. If that doesn’t happen, then how the hell is the perverted protagonist supposed to become her one and only belief?!

For a brief moment, Gu Bai wondered if kicking her into the water would do the trick… but he immediately dismissed the thought.

Are you kidding? Even if she does awaken, she’s not going to thank the guy who kicked her in! If anything, she’d resent them—and what if she tattled to the protagonist later? Everyone knows that harem novel heroes love massacring entire families for the sake of their women!

I absolutely can’t take that risk.

So, he was stuck.

Meanwhile, Qin Jiao felt awkward. Her saviors weren’t responding to her thanks, and the silence was getting uncomfortable.

Qi Guanrui, however, was very pleased.

He had zero interest in gentlemanly behavior—especially when it came to Ziche Shubai. If anyone else wanted a piece of him? No way.

So he just let the atmosphere grow more and more awkward—hopefully, to the point where this woman would hate Ziche Shubai and never even think about offering herself to him.

And so, the three of them just stood there, saying nothing.

Finally, Gu Bai snapped out of it. “You may leave now.”

Qi Guanrui’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Given how well he knew Ziche Shubai, he could hear something complicated in that tone.

Could it be that gege actually cares about this woman?

In that instant, his emotions darkened.

Qi Guanrui turned to Ziche Shubai. The sunlight was still bright, but the backlight hid the cold gleam in his eyes. His voice remained gentle. “Gege, this young lady is injured. Why don’t we escort her down the mountain? We’re heading that way anyway. Once we reach the base, she can leave on her own.” He then turned to Qin Jiao. “Miss, would that be acceptable?”

Let’s see… just what about this woman makes gege give her special attention?

A handsome face + a pleasant voice + a soft smile—all at once, they soothed Qin Jiao’s heart, which had been wounded by Gu Bai’s cold demeanor.

Her cheeks flushed slightly. “If the two of you don’t mind, that would be wonderful…”

Gu Bai nearly choked, feeling a surge of frustration.

Gu Xiaoshan, you idiot! We’re supposed to be avoiding the perverted protagonist’s harem, and here you are inviting one to join us! Have you taken a liking to her or something?!

Listen, even if you must fall in love early, at least choose someone safe! Stealing a harem girl from the protagonist never ends well! You need to calm down!!

But no matter how much he raged internally, none of it could be said out loud.

And since Qi Guanrui and the girl had already come to an agreement, he couldn’t just reject her outright without making Qi Guanrui lose face.

So, swallowing his frustration, he begrudgingly accepted the arrangement.

The mountain was steep, but since they were all martial artists, the descent wasn’t too difficult.

But as everyone knows, accidents always happen when you least expect them.

╮(╯▽╰)╭

With an expressionless face, Gu Bai stared at the sealed-off wall in front of him, feeling deeply exasperated.

Ah… a hidden inheritance cave.

Seriously, what kind of ridiculous luck is this?

Does bringing one of the protagonist’s women automatically lead to the protagonist’s fortuitous encounters?!

—But even if that were true, this is the wrong woman!

Turning back, Gu Bai saw that Qin Jiao’s expression was a bit… odd.

Following her gaze downward, he finally noticed an arm wrapped around his waist.

Qi Guanrui, realizing the opportunity to take advantage of the situation had passed, raised an eyebrow and let go. “Good thing we didn’t get separated, gege.”

Gu Bai suddenly understood—it must have been the trap’s fault.

And so, they all ended up in a cave.

…A cave that just happened to be a hidden inheritance site.

Let’s rewind two minutes—

Gu Bai and Qi Guanrui had been escorting the girl down the mountain. He was extremely unwilling, but since he had agreed, he had to follow through.

Qin Jiao wasn’t the reckless type and remained on high alert. But Gu Bai knew she wasn’t a student from Qingtian Academy, so he hadn’t bothered exchanging names—the less trouble, the better.

Qi Guanrui, on the other hand, was actively engaging her in conversation.

Soft-spoken and humorous, he made her laugh, her gaze toward him growing increasingly warm and flirtatious.

Gu Bai was deeply concerned. Trying to be the ex-boyfriend of a protagonist’s harem girl? That’s prime cannon fodder behavior!

But he couldn’t say anything.

And just as he was agonizing over this, Qin Jiao unknowingly brushed aside a branch and accidentally stepped on something.

The next second—a massive, pitch-black hole opened beneath them.

Then, all three were sucked inside.

Yes, sucked, not fallen.

Inside the cave, a powerful gust of wind attempted to separate them.

Qi Guanrui wasn’t about to let Gu Bai out of his sight. Without hesitation, he wrapped an arm around his waist.

As for Qin Jiao, she reacted quickly—grabbing onto Qi Guanrui’s leg just in time to get dragged along with them.

And so, they all ended up in a cave.

…A cave that just happened to be a hidden inheritance site.

---

Gu Bai let out a silent sigh.

Honestly, my memory isn’t great. I only remember the protagonist’s character settings and major fortuitous encounters. The smaller details? Not so much. And since I never planned to steal his opportunities, I didn’t bother memorizing them.

But this time, I don’t even need to think about it. It’s obvious—I’ve accidentally barged into an inheritance site meant for my perverted protagonist son.

How do I know?

Because right there, standing tall before them, was a stone monument inscribed with four words—“Qian Kun Ren Tomb.”

Beneath those words was a dense block of text, so minuscule it was barely legible.

Gu Bai remained expressionless as he spoke. “Let’s find a mechanism and leave.”

The other two were clearly puzzled.

The cave had multiple stone doors, and a monument that practically screamed mysterious hidden treasure. Any normal person would want to explore—so why was he in such a hurry to leave?

Qi Guanrui and Qin Jiao both turned to look at Gu Bai.

Gu Bai felt incredibly frustrated.

Yes, this is an inheritance cave, but damn it, it belongs to my “dear son.” If we take anything from here, won’t he just show up later and find the place looted?!

If it didn’t affect the storyline much, I wouldn’t care. But this place plays a key role in his romantic arc!

If the cave disappears, he’ll lose one of his major harem members!

And the items in this inheritance…

To be honest, they’re a little strange.