ITOTIABSAM | The Immortal on Liuyun Mountain | 142
Xie Ye was a neat freak.
Gu Cong knew this very well. Quietly, he gathered his ruffled feathers and blinked innocently with his round bean-like eyes, poking his little head out sideways, "Chirp."
But evidently, this time the other party didn't accept his cuteness. As soon as Xie Ye let go of the white bird on his hand Gu Cong rolled and flapped his wings in the air, suddenly being covered by a plain-colored cloth:
"Clean yourself up."
His excessively small body was completely wrapped up. By the time Gu Cong managed to shake off the cloth and dry his feathers by rubbing against himself, the white-robed immortal had already resumed his position beside the jade material, holding a knife.
Xie Ye's hands were very skillful.
The flowerpot previously used to plant Star-Seeking Grass had been inscribed with formations by him, covered with cloth, and transformed into an advanced version of a bird's nest that could automatically gather spiritual energy. It was both aesthetically pleasing and comfortable. Lying inside it felt like being cradled by clouds, incredibly soft and airy.
It was this "reconstructed waste" material that often made Gu Cong doubt whether he had fallen from grace.
But regardless, with Xie Ye's occasional guidance and the residual memories of the original owner, Gu Cong's cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds. Soon, he could spit out fireballs dozens of times larger than himself, and if he concentrated, he could even transform them into fire dragons, fire horses, or fire phoenixes, appearing extremely imposing.
As for the monsters that only appeared at night, Gu Cong had encountered them as well. At first, he was indeed a bit worried, considering his new body's size and the fact that his feathers weren't enough to pick their teeth.
But gradually, Gu Cong discovered that leaning against a big tree was a good way to stay cool, and with the scent of Xie Ye on him, even if the monsters were drooling over him, they would still go around him.
So, rolling around in the arms of the white-robed immortal every day became a must-have activity for him.
With the intention of leaving himself a way out, Gu Cong once set his sights on a direction and flew towards the outskirts. However, in this forbidden land of the cultivation world, where everyone avoided, the space inside seemed endless, with tens of thousands of mountains connected. Apart from the flowers, grass, and occasional stray beasts that mistakenly wandered in, there were no other living creatures.
【I seem to understand why Xie Ye treasures Star-Seeking Grass so much.】
Witnessing a dozen or so large trees transform into twisted vines in the blink of an eye as he passed by, the ball-shaped Gu Cong didn't find it strange. He skillfully navigated through them, allowing the vines to entangle him into knots. He whispered softly, "That should be something that fell in from the outside."
So, even at night, Star-Seeking Grass wouldn't mutate and could still serve as a normal, soft night light. That's why Xie Ye specifically cleared a space near the courtyard and carefully planted it.
Upon careful consideration, it seemed that this world was extremely malicious towards the villain. Xie Ye could send anyone or anything out of the mountain, yet he himself remained trapped within it. And over the years, none of the visitors who mistakenly entered Liuyun had ever thought of staying behind to accompany a monster.
【He still let Shen Qingshu go,】 Gu Cong sighed softly, "If it were me, I might not be able to do it."
The temptation of being the only similar being since consciousness began must be enormous.
Just as Gu Cong was almost forgetting about the original owner’s crush, who was once at the forefront of his mind, a sudden, refreshing sound echoed in his sea of consciousness:
【Song He?】
——It's Shen Qingshu.
With the original owner's body in his hands, there's a natural way to contact him.
Not certain if his own consciousness truly resembled Song He's, Gu Cong carefully replied, recalling the original owner's usual demeanor, "Hmm."
"I’m glad you're okay," unaware that the person on the other end had changed, Shen Qingshu breathed a sigh of relief and asked with concern, "How are you? Are you injured? Did Xie Ye notice anything unusual?"
With his full beard and even fuller tail feathers, Gu Cong was at a loss:
How should he explain accidentally taking advantage of his position to act as if he were the king of the mountain by pretending to be a tiger?
【Sorry, I was too hasty】. Subconsciously interpreting Song He's silence in a negative light, Shen Qingshu spoke softly, "I've had several bad dreams recently, so I couldn't help but contact you early."
0028 in his sea of consciousness clicked his tongue, "Tsk, what a good green tea."
For cultivators, dreams became more like omens of good or bad fortune as their cultivation level increased. "The first person I think of when in danger is you." If the original owner heard this implication, he would surely be ecstatic and overjoyed.
Unfortunately, it was Gu Cong who was trapped in Liuyun Mountain at the moment. Calmly, he asked, "How is the situation outside?"
"Progress is going smoothly," Shen Qingshu, accustomed to being everyone's favorite, was taken aback by not receiving the expected comfort before continuing, "In another three months at most, I will be able to rescue you."
Gu Cong, with a mouth full of sarcasm: Rescue?
Was he mistaken? Wasn't it Shen Qingshu who personally brought Song He in?
As soon as he thought of the original owner's love-struck mind, dragging the entire family into it for an outsider, Gu Cong became even more convinced that it would be best for this unrequited love to end sooner rather than later. However, due to his gradually increasing out-of-character values, he had to stand on the protagonist's side. Against his own feelings, he said, "Don't worry, I'm fine."
【Have you seen Xie Ye's personal puppet? Has it been refined?】Shen Qingshu smoothly shifted to the main topic, dispelling the subtle sense of dissonance. "Apart from that, I really can't think of anything else that could get close to him."
Get close to Xie Ye?
That was quite easy.
With mountains, rivers, clouds, birds, flowers, and grass, if one's heart held no ill intentions, what difficulty was there in getting close to Xie Ye?
The only reason for wariness was that some people harbored malicious intentions. Otherwise, everything else was just paranoia.
【I have not yet seen the puppet you mentioned. I will look for it again.】Taking advantage of the information gap between them, Gu Cong spoke casually, telling a little lie. It seemed as if this would spare him from taking the next step forever.
"Time is running out," Shen Qingshu hurriedly interrupted, "We must occupy that puppet before he injects his consciousness into it, otherwise..."
Perhaps the magical communication between their thoughts reached its limit, as Shen Qingshu abruptly stopped speaking. Gu Cong shook his head disdainfully, finally finding some peace in his mind.
Even though he had read the original work, he still had to ask, "What would he think if the puppet opened its eyes before Xie Ye injected his consciousness into it?"
0028 answered truthfully, "He would probably think he had created another of his kind."
Gu Cong sighed, "Yes."
Joyful, elated, sharing everything with each other, only to be betrayed by two "kindred spirits" working together to strike a fatal blow, leading to death and the dissipation of the soul.
As soon as he thought about the fact that he would have to be the one to deal with this villain in the end, Gu Cong felt extremely stifled.
As if guided by an invisible hand, Xie Ye had been tirelessly sculpting the puppet recently, using various materials. When Gu Cong flew into the cave flapping his wings, Xie Ye, who had been busy carving, looked up for the first time and said, "You're back a little late today."
It was a very ordinary question, but it made Gu Cong feel extremely guilty. Despite Xie Ye treating him so well, he had secretly been in contact with Shen Qingshu, conspiring on how to kill Xie Ye.
Although he was just going through the motions.
"Chirp chirp." Sensing that the youth was feeling cold, Gu Cong skillfully found a spot between Xie Ye's knees and nestled in, providing warmth like a furry little stove as a form of compensation.
"Such an ungrateful creature," grumbled 1101 in the mental realm, almost as if it wanted to materialize hands and push the white bundle to the ground. "Good host, don't tell me you didn't notice he's been secretly communicating with Shen Qingshu, whispering mysteriously for so long. It's definitely the original betrayal."
Yet Xie Ye remained calm. "I can see he's not pleased about it."
1101: [?]
Xie Ye continued, "He doesn't like Shen Qingshu."
Instead, he harbored guilt towards himself as an immortal. This was definitely not the attitude one would expect from someone like Song He, and the so-called collusion with Shen Qingshu seemed more like going through the motions.
It's as if, at this moment, any man would willingly lie in the arms of his rival, without any sense of vigilance, meticulously grooming his messy feathers.
The only thing different from usual was that the other party seemed particularly exhausted tonight. After bouncing around for a while, he started nodding off, repeatedly nodding their head like a chick pecking at grains.
"Feeling tired?" Seeing the white bird about to topple onto his knee for the third time, Xie Ye couldn't bear it any longer and reached out to stop him, saving him the trouble of clinging to his clothes again.
Probably guessing that Shen Qingshu's spells had caused the excessive exhaustion, Xie Ye said softly, "If you're tired, go to sleep."
It felt as if he had stayed up for several nights in a row, and Gu Cong's thoughts were like a freshly cooked porridge - sticky and muddled. Despite this, he struggled to stay awake. "Chirp."
No, he couldn't. What if he fell asleep and his soul wandered off? The white bird was already on the verge of death, and he didn't want to break Xie Ye's heart again if his soul left his body.
But the drowsiness was just too overwhelming.
It descended upon him like an unstoppable force, as if fate itself demanded that he sleep tonight.
—To hell with fate.
Beneath his adorable appearance lay a stubborn determination. Catching sight of the knife that had fallen due to Xie Ye's comforting touch, Gu Cong made a firm decision and charged straight towards the opened blade.
It would definitely hurt.
But it was still better than burdening Xie Ye with another life.
...
Clang.
The expected pain never came, a testament to why most cultivators coveted being the primary tool for their rituals. The discarded knife lying on the ground, propelled by inertia, inadvertently cushioned Gu Cong's head as he stumbled into Xie Ye's palm. Cool and soft, instead of waking him up, it lulled him into an even deeper slumber with its hint of pine scent.
A gentle whisper accompanied him, "Sleep now."
Gu Cong: "Chirp." No, he couldn't.
Xie Ye chuckled, "What's there to be afraid of? Whatever you're worried about, I have a solution."
Gu Cong: "Chirp chirp chirp." But what about the soul wandering, it's a plot device from the original story, even if you're the villain, you can't change that.
Despite his words, Gu Cong's consciousness gradually succumbed to the chaotic whirlpool brought on by their interspecies chatter. When Gu Cong opened his eyes again, he suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of harmony.
Hands, feet, height, everything realigned just as it should be. Gu Cong raised his arm and saw a familiar scar from his high school basketball days. But soon, the soft skin peeled away, revealing the intricate interplay of jade and wood beneath, mottled and complex, like exquisitely crafted yet enigmatic bones.
"Don't move," someone silently took his transformed hand.
Miraculously, the withered bones transformed back into living flesh.
Catching a whiff of faint rust, Gu Cong turned his head to see a pale yet striking face.
—"I choose Brother Xie."
Gazing steadily at the face that resembled the one he saw when he first entered the entertainment industry, Xie Ye's thin lips curled into a smile. "It suits you very well, doesn't it?"
His white bird.
His Gu Cong.
He hadn't bet wrong.
1 Comments
Thank you for the chapter!
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