“This can’t be happening!”

The sound of arrows slicing through the air was relentless. Gu Qingyan heard Pei Xuan’s muffled grunt—he’d been hit.

“Brother Pei, let me go!”

In that instant, Pei Xuan had moved lightning-fast, wrapping Gu Qingyan entirely in his arms and pressing his head down so tightly he couldn’t move.

“Don’t be afraid,” Pei Xuan’s low voice rumbled in his chest against Gu Qingyan’s cheek.

“I won’t let anything happen to you.”

The clash of metal was constant. Any arrow that neared them was immediately broken. Pei Xuan wielded his sword single-handedly, protecting Gu Qingyan with impenetrable defense.

But this couldn’t go on.

Gu Qingyan stretched out his legs and wrapped them tightly around Pei Xuan’s slim waist, throwing his arms around him completely.

In an instant, their positions reversed—from Pei Xuan protectively embracing him to Gu Qingyan clinging to him, even more intimately than before.

Pei Xuan’s heart skipped a beat, but he had no time to dwell on it.

The rain of arrows intensified, as if they wouldn’t stop until they were turned into pincushions.

Gu Qingyan peeked out from Pei Xuan’s shoulder. He felt the world spinning—Pei Xuan was constantly moving, barely dodging each arrow.

Even a god of war couldn’t withstand such a dense arrow formation.

“To the left,” Gu Qingyan whispered.

Pei Xuan didn’t hesitate, darting left.

At the same time, Gu Qingyan threw out a powerful magnetic stone.

Clang clang clang—

The arrows veered off course, pulled to the right by the magnet, and crashed to the ground.

Pei Xuan finally had a moment to breathe. He instinctively steadied Gu Qingyan in his arms. “Are you alright?”

“Brother Pei, let me down,” Gu Qingyan said awkwardly—Pei Xuan’s hand was currently on his plump rear.

Pei Xuan realized and his ears turned red—but he didn’t let go.

“Climb on my back. I’ll get you out of here.”

Gu Qingyan disagreed—he could fight alongside him. But before he could argue, Pei Xuan spun and threw him onto his back.

The movement was so fast that Gu Qingyan hadn’t even processed it before he was already there.

Clinging to Pei Xuan’s shoulders, Gu Qingyan couldn’t help but think he felt like a little bundle Pei Xuan carried around.

Pei Xuan’s ears turned red all the way to the nape of his neck from the breath on his skin, but he had no time to think about it. His cold gaze swept their surroundings.

The arrow formation had failed. The ambushers finally revealed themselves.

Sixteen of them.

Pei Xuan’s grip on his sword tightened. He instantly spotted three weak points in their formation. If he could break through them, he could disrupt the enemy lines.

“When I count to three, we charge right. Mount your horse and go. Don’t look back,” Pei Xuan said in a low voice.

“How can I agree to that?” Gu Qingyan objected. “We go together.”

If things got bad, he could call upon Prince Huai. One Pei Xuan may not be enough, but two would be.

Pei Xuan frowned. “Do as I say.”

Gu Qingyan couldn’t explain it—after all, in Pei Xuan’s eyes, he was just a frail scholar with no martial skills.

“Brother Pei, I…”

“Heh—”

A chuckle cut through the tension. Gu Qingyan snapped his head up, looking past the assassins to the man behind them.

“Well, well,” the man said with a mocking smile, “Who would have thought that the infamous Pei the Hades could be so sentimental?”

His eyes landed on Gu Qingyan. “Young Master Gu, it’s been a while. Are you well?”

“He’s the Taiping Army’s Left Protector!” Gu Qingyan cried.

Back in the cave, when he’d summoned Prince Huai, even this Left Protector had managed to hold his own against him. If rescue hadn’t come in time, he’d have died then.

This time, they were clearly prepared—sixteen highly skilled black-clad assassins, a full-blown ambush.

“You’re here to kill me. This has nothing to do with Brother Pei. Let him go!” Gu Qingyan shouted.

Pei Xuan’s brow furrowed tighter, eyes now cold with killing intent as he looked at the Left Protector.

The man gave a light laugh. “Touching. I can’t stand brotherly love. Let me do you a favor—send you both to the afterlife together.”

“Run!”

Before the last syllable fell, Pei Xuan’s sword was already striking, cutting down one enemy and forcing a path through.

Gu Qingyan was thrown onto Ao Shuang. Pei Xuan gave the horse a hard slap and it bolted away.

Reaching out, Gu Qingyan’s hand came back bloody—the horse had been injured during the earlier barrage.

“Good girl. We can’t leave. Go back!” Gu Qingyan yanked the reins.

It would take at least fifteen minutes to get back to the city—by then, it’d be too late.

What alarmed him most was that the attackers didn’t pursue him. They all targeted Pei Xuan instead.

Gu Qingyan instantly realized: Their real target is Pei Xuan. Not me.

---

[Host: Gu Qingyan]
[Age: 16]
[Points: 338]
[Occupation: Student]
[Reputation: 8]

He had enough points.

Gu Qingyan didn’t hesitate: [Prince Huai, possess—Pei—]

Darkness fell!

Sudden and absolute, as if the heavens had collapsed. Ao Shuang neighed in panic, stamping its hooves and refusing to move forward.

A sharp, ghostly wail echoed all around, laced with a bone-chilling cold, seeping into everything and making their backs go numb.

“What the hell is that?” Gu Qingyan’s heart pounded. When did we get hit with something?

This darkness—it has to be an illusion, just like the hallucinogenic drugs used back in the cave.

He grabbed the Chi Tiger Seal tightly.

In the next instant, Pei Xuan once again stood in front of him, blocking an ambush.

That sturdy back—still reliable.

Gu Qingyan jumped off the horse. “Brother Pei, don’t be afraid! They’re using hallucinogens—what we’re seeing isn’t real!”

The eerie music twisted further, like wailing from the underworld, bringing an ominous sense of doom.

“Brother Pei, believe me! I have a way to counter this. If we fight together, we can get out alive!”

He didn’t notice Pei Xuan’s hand gripping his sword so tightly that veins bulged, his clenched teeth betraying his desperate endurance.

Splurt—

Pei Xuan suddenly vomited blood and staggered, barely keeping upright with his sword.

“Brother Pei!” Gu Qingyan cried in alarm, quickly shoving the Chi Tiger Seal into his hand.

He remembered how, in the cave, everyone except him had bled from their orifices and died horribly. Gu Qingyan’s heart was in chaos. He didn’t have enough points to buy a poison-immunity pill now.

Pei Xuan’s cold gaze locked on the man playing the flute.

“Who the hell are you?”

The Left Protector said nothing—only intensified the flute’s melody.

His ten fingers were pale as paper, making the flute in his hands appear even more blood-red and eerie.

“Let him go. This has nothing to do with him,” Pei Xuan said again.

Gu Qingyan supported him. “He’s a cold-blooded killer—how could he possibly let me go? Brother Pei, let’s fight together. Maybe we still have a chance to get out alive.”

Sinister crimson patterns began to crawl up Pei Xuan’s neck. His breathing grew heavier, more ragged.

Pei Xuan grabbed the man beside him tightly. “Go. Leave—run as far as you can!”

With a powerful push, he shoved Gu Qingyan away and once again raised his sword.

Gu Qingyan sensed something was wrong, but there was no time to look closely. In just a few seconds, three assassins had already fallen.

His eyes widened. At this rate, he wouldn’t even need to lift a finger—Pei Xuan alone could slaughter them all.

The flute’s notes grew even more urgent.

An ominous feeling intensified.

Gu Qingyan made a split-second decision: [Prince Huai, descend—Pei Xuan!]

As if divinely inspired, he picked up a fallen dueling sword and hurled it at the Left Protector, interrupting the melody. He didn’t know what the flute was doing, but Pei Xuan’s state was clearly abnormal.

The Left Protector dodged to the side. The music broke for a moment, then resumed immediately.

“So you truly are immune to this technique,” the Left Protector looked at Gu Qingyan in surprise.

“A mere ordinary man, yet you can resist the demon flute. How curious.”

“Once I’ve killed Pei Xuan, I must bring you back for a thorough study.”

Gu Qingyan tried the same trick again to interrupt the flute, but two assassins blocked him. They fought while retreating, clearly trying to stall him.

Damn it. He only had ten minutes.

Suddenly, the men in black withdrew.

Gu Qingyan had no time to rejoice. He quickly locked on to the Left Protector’s location, only to realize that they had all backed away, clearing an open space and leaving just him and Pei Xuan.

There were originally sixteen assassins in black—only ten remained.

In such a short time, Pei Xuan alone had killed six.

Why did they suddenly retreat? Did they lose too many and decide to abandon the mission?

“Heh…”

The Left Protector let out a soft laugh. “I’ve changed my mind. Since you two share such deep brotherly affection, let Pei Xuan send you off personally.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?!”

Before Gu Qingyan could finish, he felt a chill at his neck.

Just an inch more, and that familiar sword—the very one he had given Pei Xuan himself—would have pierced his throat.

“Brother Pei?”

Gu Qingyan stared in disbelief.

Behind him, Pei Xuan looked like a demon reborn. His eyes were crimson, strange markings now covering his face.

Ordinarily he only carried a cold and stern aura—now, it was murderous and overwhelming.

What worried Gu Qingyan more was that Pei Xuan, who had just barely returned to his golden state, was now completely crimson.

A crimson checkpoint—clearly ominous and dangerous.

“It worked,” the Left Protector said with smug satisfaction.

“Many thanks, Young Master Gu, for bringing him out on the night of the full moon. You’ve granted me a perfect opportunity.”

Gu Qingyan’s heart trembled. “What did you do to him?”

The Left Protector explained maliciously, “I never thought the rumors were true. That the son of the Grand Duke’s household actually carries a bloodthirsty parasite. Once triggered, it turns him into a berserker.”

“What a shame this is just Qingzhou Prefecture. The people he kills here are insignificant. If only I could have triggered it in the capital…”

“It’s that flute.” Gu Qingyan didn’t understand what a bloodthirsty parasite was, but he knew the flute had to be involved.

“Give me the flute!”

He lunged forward.

The Left Protector sneered. “It’s no use. The parasite has already been awakened. Pei Xuan will keep killing until he dies of exhaustion.”

“Ah!”

Pei Xuan cut down another assassin.

In his blood-red state, his combat strength had soared. Anyone who entered his sight became a target.

Gu Qingyan grew more anxious, his attacks fiercer. “Give me the flute!”

The Left Protector chuckled and suddenly spun away, retreating over ten meters.

“I’m done playing.”

“In light of your special nature, here’s a kind warning: run—run as far as you can. Otherwise, you’ll die by his sword.”

In the time it took to say those few words, several slower-retreating assassins screamed as their heads hit the ground.

“Don’t you dare run!”

There was no way Gu Qingyan would let him escape—he launched into pursuit.

“Your skills are decent, similar to Pei Xuan’s. But if you think you can stop me, you’re still lacking,” said the Left Protector indifferently.

Gu Qingyan had a clear goal—if he couldn’t stop the man, he would destroy the flute.

Clang!

His sword struck the short flute.

With a crack, the crimson flute shattered.

The Left Protector’s face changed. “You’re asking for death.”

He dashed away at lightning speed, not caring about his subordinates.

His escape skills were first-class. Gu Qingyan couldn’t catch him, so he bent down and picked up the flute.

He was dumbfounded. The flute had split cleanly in two—it was no longer playable.

With the flute destroyed, would Pei Xuan recover?

Gu Qingyan turned his head—just in time to see Pei Xuan, bloodlust in his eyes, kill the final assassin.

He stepped on the body, pulled out his chipped sword, and blood dripped from its tip.

The next moment, those merciless eyes locked onto Gu Qingyan.

Pei Xuan really would kill him—that thought struck Gu Qingyan like a bolt.

Clang!

Their swords clashed. Gu Qingyan had to retreat to avoid the force of the blow.

Even with Prince Huai’s possession still active, facing Pei Xuan’s full strength, he stood no chance.

Fighting as he backed away, Gu Qingyan shouted again and again, “Brother Pei, wake up! Please—come back!”

Pei Xuan only attacked, without pause.

Just like the Left Guardian said, they wouldn’t stop until everyone in front of them was dead.

To think that such terrifying gu parasites existed in this world—ones that could completely rob a human of their sanity.

Gu Qingyan frantically flipped through the system, trying to find a solution.

But obviously, he couldn’t afford any of the suitable options.

“Tss—!”

The blade brushed across his cheek, slicing off his hairpin.

Gu Qingyan was about to retreat, but suddenly his legs went weak. Damn it—the skill duration was up!

Footsteps approached. Pei Xuan dragged his long sword along the ground, the blade scraping against sand and stone with a harsh screech.

Gu Qingyan couldn’t move, and that screech felt like a death knell in his ears.

He looked up at Pei Xuan, trying to find a trace of reason in his eyes. “Pei Xuan!”

Damn it, there had to be a way.

Since it was a gu parasite, if it could be activated, then it could be made to go dormant.

Gu Qingyan grabbed the broken flute in his hand and tried to play a note.

But the moment the cracked note sounded, not only did Pei Xuan not wake up, he was overwhelmed by an even stronger murderous aura.

It was as if he were struck by a heavy hammer—every inch of skin and bone screamed in pain.

The strange tattoos on his body even began to bleed, the blood pooling on the ground.

Gu Qingyan immediately threw away the flute. If he kept playing, Pei Xuan wouldn’t wake up—his body would explode from the pressure first.

“Kill—kill—kill—!”

The bloodthirsty killing intent consumed Pei Xuan’s mind. Unlike before, this time someone had set a trap, using a demonic flute to trigger the gu parasite inside him.

Amid agonizing pain, slaughter filled his every thought.

He approached step by step—anything his eyes saw or ears heard would be cut down and destroyed.

Gu Qingyan watched helplessly as he got closer. One more step and his life would be easily taken.

The “Prince Huai Possession” skill was still on cooldown. Though he had the system, he couldn’t even protect himself.

Gu Qingyan thought, If it was my fault Pei Xuan ended up like this, then dying by his hand would be fair.

But if he died, what would happen to Pei Xuan?

“Go…” came a painful groan. “Go… now…”

Gu Qingyan looked up sharply and saw Pei Xuan pressing down hard on his right hand with his left, trying to restrain his murderous impulse.

Sanity and madness waged war inside him—he was using his last shred of reason to warn him.

“Screw it!”

Instead of running, Gu Qingyan rolled over and suddenly tackled Pei Xuan’s legs.

With a pull, Pei Xuan was yanked down to the ground.

The murderous intent surged again. His hand gripped Gu Qingyan’s slender neck.

At the same time, Gu Qingyan wrapped one arm around Pei Xuan’s neck, and with the other hand, pressed the Chi Tiger Seal to Pei Xuan’s forehead.

The Chi Tiger Seal could detoxify poison—it might have some unexpected effect.

This was Gu Qingyan’s last shot—and Pei Xuan’s as well.

If it failed, they’d both die. Gu Qingyan gave a bitter smile.

The fingers around his neck tightened, squeezing harder and harder.

Breathing became nearly impossible, the air thinning. Gu Qingyan’s survival instincts screamed at him to let go and pry the hand off his throat.

But he knew—if he let go, everything would be for nothing.

His vision blurred. He could hear his heartbeat pounding like a drum. He knew he couldn’t hold out much longer.

Thud.

Pei Xuan collapsed completely.

Gu Qingyan couldn’t care about anything else. He gasped for air, breathing so fast he started choking and coughing uncontrollably.

The rush of fresh air felt like coming back to life from hell—he was so moved he nearly cried.

After a while, once he’d caught his breath, Gu Qingyan finally looked at the man on top of him.

The crimson tattoos had vanished, and the system marker had turned black again.

Not gold—black.

Gu Qingyan wasn’t sure what that meant. He gave Pei Xuan a hard shove and rolled him off to the side.

“Brother Pei? Pei Xuan? Are you awake?”

Pei Xuan gave no response.

Gu Qingyan frowned and pried open his eyes, but couldn’t tell much—at least they didn’t look as red anymore.

“Gu parasites and all… I’m no medical expert—I really don’t know how to handle this.”

He felt for Pei Xuan’s pulse but couldn’t detect any obvious issues.

Pei Xuan’s body was strong, and his pulse was steady. Once awake, he could probably fight a tiger—or, at the very least, strangle someone like him again with no trouble.

Face smudged with dust, lying flat on his back, the Chi Tiger Seal still pressed firmly to his forehead to maximize contact.

“I don’t know if this seal can suppress the gu parasite. I didn’t even think they were real. Now what? Should I try deworming pills? I don’t even know if they’d work.”

Gu Qingyan figured it was worth a shot and stuffed two deworming pills into his mouth.

Pei Xuan remained unconscious, allowing himself to be handled without any reaction. The pills didn’t even make him vomit the parasite out.

“Looks like this isn’t an ordinary bug—it’s not easy to kill.”

Just in case, Gu Qingyan decided to tie him up.

This time, he learned from his previous failure and made sure the knots were tight—completely secure, no way to break free. Only then did he sit down with a troubled look.

“Brother Pei, don’t blame me—I’m doing this for both our lives. If I die, we’re both done for.”

Gu Qingyan struggled to get up but both legs were sore and aching.

He covered his face. After a year of training, he thought using the Prince Huai skill wouldn’t be so punishing. Turns out the training still wasn’t enough.

Gu Qingyan couldn’t help reaching out to pinch Pei Xuan’s arm, then his thigh.

Tsk. Rock solid.

Then he pinched himself—soft and squishy. The difference was obvious. No wonder there were side effects every time he used the skill.

Gu Qingyan, unwilling to give up, reached out again, still wanting to pinch Pei Xuan’s chest.

Just as his mischievous hand was about to strike, Gu Qingyan met a pair of eyes.

They weren’t crimson—they looked perfectly normal.

Delighted, Gu Qingyan exclaimed, “Brother Pei, you’re awake?!”

“Are you conscious now? Do you know who I am? Look, how many fingers am I holding up?”

Pei Xuan shifted slightly, realizing he was restrained, and immediately began to struggle violently. The Chi Tiger Seal fell off.

Seeing signs that he might go berserk again, Gu Qingyan didn’t hesitate. He pounced and pinned him down: “Don’t move!”

He picked up the Chi Tiger Seal and pressed it back onto Pei Xuan’s face.

Pei Xuan stopped struggling, curiously looking at the jade seal on his face. His eyes crossed from staring at it so closely.

Gu Qingyan couldn’t help laughing, struck by how funny it looked. But after laughing, he felt puzzled. “Brother Pei, are you really awake or not?”

“You’re Gu Qingyan.” A hoarse voice answered.

Gu Qingyan immediately nodded and let out a huge sigh of relief. “Yes, yes, yes, you finally recognized me.”

“You scared me earlier. That Left Guardian of the Taiping Sect played his flute and said there was some kind of parasite inside you. Once triggered, you’d turn into a bloodthirsty demon.”

“I’m not exaggerating—you totally lost your mind, killing anyone in sight. Those sixteen corpses around you? All your doing.”

“He also said once you start killing, you can’t stop. You’d keep going until you dropped dead from exhaustion. Luckily, that turned out to be false.”

Gu Qingyan rambled on, but when he didn’t hear a response, he realized something was off.

He cautiously looked at the man lying on the ground.

Pei Xuan was lying there obediently, his forehead pinned beneath the jade seal. The posture was a little comical.

But his face showed no anger, no worry, no emotion at all—he just lay there silently, as if all of this had nothing to do with him.

Gu Qingyan grew alert. “Brother Pei, how many fingers am I holding up?”

He held up a hand and quietly took two steps back.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed his ankle.

Gu Qingyan jumped in fright.

“You’re afraid of me?” Pei Xuan tilted his head to look at him.

Oddly enough, even though he moved his head, the Chi Tiger Seal didn’t fall off.

Gu Qingyan examined his expression and exhaled. “Earlier, you were like a demon—killing gods, killing buddhas, slashing anyone who got close. Look at my neck—those marks are from you. You almost choked me to death. How could I not be scared?”

“But that wasn’t really you. You’re a victim in this too. The blame lies with that creepy Left Guardian. So I forgive you this time.”

“I tied you up because I was scared you’d lose control after waking up. You’re not mad, right?”

Pei Xuan gave a faint smile. “Can you untie me now?”

Gu Qingyan wasn’t entirely sure.

Pei Xuan might be talking normally, but the mission marker was still pitch black.

Something about him just felt… off, not quite like usual.

“Just in case, I’ll hang the Chi Tiger Seal around your neck first, then I’ll untie you.”

Gu Qingyan took out a rope and looped the seal around Pei Xuan’s neck. That’s when he noticed Pei Xuan was already wearing another red cord.

He pulled it out—and to his surprise, it was the other jade seal he had gifted him.

Gu Qingyan smiled and tapped it lightly. “Brother Pei, you’ve been wearing this all along.”

“You gave it to me, of course I kept it with me,” Pei Xuan replied softly.

Gu Qingyan finally relaxed. He even remembered the jade seal he gave—he must be fully conscious now.

As he untied the ropes, he kept muttering, “Even though you’re awake now, that bloodthirsty parasite still sounds terrifying. Just the thought of something squirming inside you makes me nervous.”

“Brother Pei, where did that parasite come from? How do we get rid of it? We can’t just let it stay there forever.”

“If it’s in your body, even if it stays dormant, it’s like a ticking time bomb—could go off at any moment. Too dangerous.”

“When you lose control, no one can stop you.”

Gu Qingyan undid the final rope.

He still remained cautious, afraid Pei Xuan would go berserk again now that he was free.

But Pei Xuan didn’t lash out. Instead, he just stared at him with a strange look in his eyes.

He stared so long that Gu Qingyan began to feel uneasy. “Brother Pei, what is it?”

Pei Xuan suddenly reached out, his fingers brushing along Gu Qingyan’s neck.

The warm touch made Gu Qingyan instinctively try to pull away.

Pei Xuan grabbed his chin. “I did this?”

Gu Qingyan swallowed nervously—something definitely felt off.

The next moment, a burning heat spread across his neck.