Gu Qingyan’s eyes widened, the fury in his pupils seeming as if it could burn the reflected figure.

In the tense and suppressed atmosphere, it was like a beast was about to break free.

Suddenly, Pei Xuan closed his eyes and collapsed.

Gu Qingyan instinctively caught him; the man leaned against his neck, breathing hot, but completely unconscious.

“Pei Xuan? Brother Pei?” Gu Qingyan tentatively asked, but there was no response.

His pulse was steady, breathing even, as if he were just asleep.

“Sir, we have already searched—” Zhang Menghuai burst in abruptly, shocked by the scene before him.

Pei Xuan’s clothes were disheveled, his belt tossed aside, his whole body intimately pressed against Gu Qingyan.

From Zhang Menghuai’s perspective, Pei Xuan was passionately kissing Gu Qingyan’s neck, clinging on like that.

“Sorry to interrupt.”

Zhang Menghuai quickly closed the door and blocked the people behind him.

“Get lost, get lost, what are you staring at?”

After driving away the indiscreet ones, Zhang Menghuai sank into thought.

Had he just interrupted Brother Pei’s private moment? But when Brother Pei had an episode, wasn’t he supposed to be full of murderous intent? How could he be getting intimate with someone?

And it was with Young Master Gu — who was a man!

They said they were sworn brothers, but actually more like romantic brothers. He never expected his lord to have such a preference. No wonder he hadn’t been interested in women all these years — turns out he liked men.

Before, he thought he was overthinking it, but now he realized he hadn’t thought enough.

Zhang Menghuai crouched down, worried, as a question flashed through his mind:

When the lord wakes up, will he acknowledge this?

If not, then Young Master Gu would be pitiful — his true feelings betrayed.

If he does acknowledge it, then is this current Brother Pei really Brother Pei? Is Brother Pei himself cuckolding himself?

Zhang Menghuai slowly looked up and sighed deeply: “Being a subordinate is really hard.”

“Sir Zhang.”

Gu Qingyan opened the door, looking strangely at the person at the entrance.

Zhang Menghuai was crouching, sighing deeply.

Seeing him come out fully, he was even more surprised: “Young Master Gu, how can you walk after just getting out of bed?”

“I’m feeling mostly better,” Gu Qingyan thought he was being asked about his body — after all, there are side effects when the Marquis gets possessed.

Zhang Menghuai was frustrated, thinking Brother Pei was probably inexperienced; even that didn’t help.

“Sir Zhang, come in quickly, Brother Pei fainted,” Gu Qingyan reminded him.

Zhang Menghuai was stunned. How soon was this? Brother Pei could still faint from playing around?

He entered unwillingly, then silently held his forehead when he saw Pei Xuan on the bed.

Turns out, the only one impure was him — he had misunderstood.

Brother Pei hadn’t done anything; his pants were still on.

Gu Qingyan didn’t see through Zhang Menghuai’s honest and upright appearance, looking like a little black guy but actually a little yellow guy. Worried, he asked:

“Suddenly fainted like that, do we need to call a doctor?”

“No.”

Zhang Menghuai chuckled: “It’s the lord’s old problem; he faints from time to time. He’ll be fine once he wakes up.”

Gu Qingyan raised an eyebrow.

He studied Zhang Menghuai’s expression and confirmed he was in the know.

“Sir Zhang, what exactly is wrong with Brother Pei?”

Zhang Menghuai smiled awkwardly: “Better wait until the lord wakes up and tells you himself.”

“But don’t worry, Young Master Gu, the lord is in good health and will recover once he wakes up.”

Gu Qingyan wasn’t very reassured. He admitted the earlier words scared him.

The thought that Pei Xuan might disappear twisted his heart, making him want to knock the speaker out.

“When will he wake up?”

“In as short as an hour, or as long as a day, but no more than three days.”

Gu Qingyan frowned at the answer.

Zhang Menghuai avoided his gaze, turning to Pei Xuan and joking: “Why did the lord take off his clothes?”

After asking, he quickly shut his mouth, wishing he could slap himself.

Was that a question a subordinate should ask?

Gu Qingyan glanced at the bed: “He took them off himself.”

Recalling the earlier moment was a little embarrassing; his cheeks flushed slightly: “Since that’s the case, take good care of him. I’ll be leaving now.”

He turned to leave.

“Hey, Young Master, I mean no offense. Who undressed him doesn’t matter. I’m a rough guy and not good at care. Could you stay and take care for a few days?”

Undressing usually means something good is going on. If he let the person run away, Brother Pei would be angry when he woke.

Gu Qingyan ran even faster.

Xia Liu brushed past and reached out to stop the chasing man: “Sir Zhang, I can take care of it. How could I trouble Young Master Gu?”

Zhang Menghuai grumbled: “You’re everywhere, showing off your skills, huh?”

Xia Liu looked innocent: “Are you reasonable? Young Master Gu has to prepare for the academy exam; how can he take care of others? If you won’t, I will.”

Zhang Menghuai was so angry he couldn’t speak, pointing at him.

Meanwhile, Jiang Wan heard the news and hurried over.

“Brother, is Lord Pei injured? Where? Is it serious? Quickly call a doctor!”

Zhang Menghuai got even more headache: “Why did you come? You’re no use here.”

“I care about Lord Pei.”

Jiang Wan was angry: “What about Gu Qingyan? He claims to be Lord Pei’s close friend, yet Lord Pei got injured and he wasn’t here, showing no concern. Hmph. When Lord Pei wakes up, I will tell him everything truthfully.”

Xia Liu disagreed: “With us here, we don’t need Young Master Jiang’s concern.”

And emphasized: “The first thing when the lord comes back is to find Young Master Gu and report that he is safe. Their friendship is indisputable, no villain can sabotage it.”

“You dare scold me?” Jiang Wan was fuming.

Xia Liu snorted coldly: “If you take it personally, that’s not my problem.”

“You…”

Zhang Menghuai’s teeth clicked loudly as he bit down hard. One by one, he threw them out directly: “All of you get lost, damn bastards. If you dare make a noise again, I’ll kill you.”

Finally, it fell silent.

Back inside the room, Zhang Menghuai sighed softly: “Sir, it’s not that old Zhang here doesn’t want to help you, it’s just that I really am powerless to do anything.”

Gu Qingyan wanted very much to just leave, but Pei Xuan hadn’t woken yet. Worried, he decided to wait in the guest room.

After all, he was still concerned that once he left this mansion, someone from the Taiping Sect might come looking for him again.

The insect was burned, and the Left Protector definitely noticed something. Gu Qingyan wasn’t sure if he could fool him a second time.

Zhang Nian came in, hesitating but wanting to speak.

“Brother Gu, did you just have an argument with Lord Pei?” Zhang Nian finally asked.

Gu Qingyan shook his head, feeling that “argument” wasn’t the right word.

“Nothing, it’s just… ah, I don’t know how to explain it.”

Seeing his worried expression, Zhang Nian asked curiously, “Why don’t you tell me? Although I haven’t read much, I can still help you ease your troubles.”

Gu Qingyan rested his chin on his hand and thought for a moment, then asked, “A Nian, do you think ghosts and gods exist in this world?”

Zhang Nian shook her head quickly.

Gu Qingyan was surprised: “You don’t believe in ghosts and gods?”

“If ghosts and gods really exist, then why do good people die young while disasters linger for a thousand years?” Zhang Nian retorted.

Gu Qingyan thought the same way. If ghosts and gods truly existed, then there should be cause and effect, and justice should be served.

Moreover, Gu Qingyan glanced at the system.

The current little world had barriers; it was a godless world — something the system repeatedly emphasized.

There was always a voice inside telling Gu Qingyan that there were no ghosts or gods in this world at all.

Gu Qingyan laid back and began to meditate in seclusion.

Whether they existed or not didn’t affect him farming skills and gaining points.

As long as he got enough points, he wouldn’t fear any insects, ghosts, or illusions.

Gu Qingyan guessed correctly — at the moment the insect was burned, the Left Protector sensed it.

His heart ached as he coughed up a mouthful of black blood.

He carelessly wiped the blood from his mouth and turned to look toward Qingzhou Prefecture: “Tsk, this is truly interesting.”

He had just seen with his own eyes Gu Qingyan swallow the insect. Once the insect enters the mouth, it’s useless to hide it behind the teeth or under the tongue.

The all-powerful insect failed right under his watch.

The Left Protector’s eyes were wild and crazed: “Magic sounds useless, peach flute useless, even the insect is useless. Gu Qingyan, just who exactly are you?”

His face flickered with a sick desire, itching to return to Qingzhou Prefecture to take Gu Qingyan away.

Lock him in a dark room, open him up, savor him inch by inch, figure out what exactly was so different about him.

“Left… Left Protector…” a cultist trembled as he came forward to salute.

The Left Protector’s cold gaze swept past.

The cultist collapsed to his knees with a thud: “Your subordinate is incompetent. Our Taiping Sect’s outposts have all been cleared out, with three hundred twenty-six cultists lost, including thirty-eight true god cultists, all executed.”

The Left Protector sneered: “Just some small bugs — dead is dead.”

Pei Xuan’s moves were still so fast, in several fights Left Protector didn’t get any advantage.

Thinking of the already shattered thousand-year peach wood flute, Left Protector’s forehead twitched: “I underestimated him. Didn’t expect he could still be conscious. The Pei bloodline really is amazing.”

The cultist asked trembling: “Protector, what do we do next?”

Leaning forward, Left Protector said, “You ask me? I say we charge into Qingzhou Prefecture, kill Pei Xuan, and capture that kid Gu Qingyan to play with. Can you do it?”

The cultist collapsed on the ground, kowtowing for mercy: “Please spare me, Protector.”

“Tsk, scared stiff by Pei Xuan — useless to keep you alive.”

No sooner had he spoken, the cultist screamed, struggling and rolling on the ground wildly, but it was useless.

Left Protector kicked aside the subordinate who bled out from seven orifices and died.

He licked the corner of his mouth, suppressing his greedy desire inside: “No rush. I can wait until you willingly fall into my hands, then we’ll play slowly.”

Left Protector still had missions and couldn’t stay long in Qingzhou Prefecture. Though he lost the thousand-year peach wood flute, he failed to kill Pei Xuan and would be punished upon return.

Left Protector was not afraid of the bone-gnawing pain of Taiping Sect’s punishments.

Just the thought that one day Pei Xuan would fall into the trap, unable to live or die, forced to watch him take Gu Qingyan away…

Left Protector broke into an excited, wild laugh.

“Not a good kid, but who cares, I like you. Before I leave, I’ll give you a gift.”

Gu Qingyan slept until naturally waking. When he opened his eyes again, it was already the afternoon of the next day.

His body had mostly recovered — no sore waist or aching legs — and he could eat three big bowls in one meal.

After eating and drinking his fill, Gu Qingyan glanced at the system.

[Host: Gu Qingyan] +

[Age: 16]

[Points: 439]

[Profession: Student] +

[Fame: 8]

He gained two hundred points overnight, which looked good, but Gu Qingyan knew from experience that after the early stages, points would become harder to gain.

He still needed to try improving his fame.

“Is Brother Pei awake yet?” Gu Qingyan asked as he stepped out.

Zhang Nian shook her head: “No movement over there.”

“Brother Gu, do we continue living here? I feel like everyone’s a bit strange,” Zhang Nian whispered.

Gu Qingyan patted his shoulder, thinking that Zhang Nian wasn’t so slow after all — she finally noticed the strange atmosphere.

“Wait a little longer. Once Brother Pei wakes, we’ll leave.”

He needed to make sure Pei Xuan was really recovered before he could feel at ease.

Just then, someone came in from outside.

“Young Master Gu, there’s someone at the door. She says she’s here to see you — a young lady.”

Gu Qingyan was puzzled. He lived at Pei Xuan’s place, so hardly anyone should know about it. If someone wanted to find him, they should have gone to that small house instead. How did they end up finding this place?

He walked over and looked. Gu Qingyan was even more surprised: “Sister Hongdou?”

“How did you know I was here?”

Hongdou smiled when she saw him. “I didn’t know at first, but this morning a customer came into the shop. He said he was a friend of the young master and asked me to deliver a generous gift for him.”

“My friend?” Gu Qingyan was surprised.

Hongdou gestured: “About this tall, looks like a scholar, very fair-skinned, and quite handsome.”

“That young master said he was an old acquaintance of yours, met you back in Lingchuan County, and heard you were going to participate in the imperial exams this time. So he specially sent a generous gift wishing you success.”

“He also said he wanted to deliver it in person but had to hurry back to his hometown, so he entrusted me to bring it.”

Gu Qingyan found it even stranger. He didn’t have a friend like that.

After returning to Lingchuan County, most of the scholars Gu Qingyan knew were classmates from the county school. Only Zhang Cheng was still in Qingzhou prefecture preparing for exams; the rest had all left early.

Seeing his odd expression, Hongdou felt a bit regretful. “Young master, maybe I shouldn’t have accepted it?”

She was originally unwilling, but the man spoke so confidently about the young master that Hongdou thought they really were friends.

Besides, the man knew where the young master lived and dropped the gift while she wasn’t paying attention.

Hongdou could only follow the address to find this place, and sure enough, the young master was here.

“That person just dropped the gift and left. I also felt it was improper but couldn’t return it, so I thought I’d bring it to the young master to look at.”

Gu Qingyan smiled to reassure her, “It’s fine, I’ll open it and see who it’s from.”

Since they already knew where he lived, why didn’t they just deliver it directly? Why leave it at Hongdou’s eatery?

Hongdou breathed a sigh of relief.

She smiled and said, “Young master, this was specially made by Sister Mudan. Keep it and eat it slowly. I have other business at the eatery, so I won’t stay long.”

After saying this, she left the food box behind and turned to go.

Gu Qingyan didn’t rush to open the box. He first opened the food container.

Inside were plates of small pastries, from common Osmanthus cakes to the more elaborate Lotus flower pastries — everything was there.

Gu Qingyan had just eaten breakfast, but looking at the beautifully presented food, his appetite was awakened. He couldn’t help but pick up a piece to try.

“Delicious, Mudan’s skills are really good,” Gu Qingyan praised.

Zhang Nian took the food box and smiled, “Brother Gu likes to eat, so I’ll buy some every day from now on. This way, I can help Sister Hongdou’s business, and Brother Gu can enjoy the freshest food.”

“That’s a good idea,” Gu Qingyan agreed.

Back inside, he finally looked at the wooden box in his hands.

It was small, like one used for jewelry.

Gu Qingyan carefully pried open a crack — no sound. He used chopsticks to pry it open.

The wooden box was quiet, obviously no mechanism.

Gu Qingyan laughed at himself for overthinking. It was just paranoia. In this day and age, there were no time bombs. It couldn’t be a trap.

“Which friend of mine is this secretive?”

Inside the box was a letter.

Gu Qingyan opened the envelope and his eyes fixed on the words.

---

Dear Child:

Though you have been disobedient, I am a man of my word and promised to tell you a secret, enclosed with this letter.

Twenty-five years ago, the massacre of the Hua family was all because of the Duke of Shouguo, Pei Xun.

The “stealing the sky and switching the day,” “Three Immortals offering the cauldron,” — all the affairs in the scheme are just pieces on a chessboard, human lives are merely to fill greed’s abyss.

You have long been within the game.

The eldest son of the Hua family and your father were close friends.

Dear child, guess why he died.

Next time we meet, I will tell you the answer.

---

Gu Qingyan frowned and read it three times from start to finish.

His body shuddered at last. He quickly crumpled the letter and set it on fire.

“Brother Gu, why are you burning it?” Zhang Nian asked curiously.

Gu Qingyan watched the letter burn cleanly, then said gravely, “A Nian, this letter is from a bad person.”

“The letter says nothing, just playing tricks and pretending to be mysterious. It says vague things meant to sow discord and make me suspicious and uneasy.”

Gu Qingyan said, “This troublemaker definitely wants to harm me.”

Zhang Nian scratched the back of her head, “Shouldn’t you have the person arrested? Is burning it really okay?”

Gu Qingyan waved his finger, “That’s exactly what they want.”

“Think about it — if I actually believed it, I’d investigate loudly and thoroughly. If I can’t find anything, I might even ask others to check.”

“As a commoner, who can I find? Surely I’d look for Brother Pei. Once Brother Pei gets involved, things will escalate.”

“He wants this letter to cause suspicion between us, even better if we turn against each other. Such a simple scheme, he really underestimates me.”

Gu Qingyan wouldn’t believe a single word.

What Duke of Shouguo? He didn’t even know him.

His deceased father, Gu Tongsheng, was a lifelong student, only came to Qingzhou prefecture a few times to take exams.

After passing the initial exam, he had taken the imperial exams five times in total — almost ten years.

Even if he knew the Hua family, how close could they really have been?

Gu Qingyan seriously suspected the Left Protector used vague phrasing, since both Gu Tongsheng and the Hua family were dead, the events were buried underground with no one really knowing.

If he really investigated, he might find some ambiguous clues.

Twenty-five years had passed. The trail of truth or falsehood was enough for him to analyze for three to five more years.

Just a few words, and it unsettled him—if things went badly, it might even affect the imperial exam.

“Poisonous, really poisonous. That guy definitely means trouble,” Gu Qingyan cursed.

Zhang Nian thought this made sense and chuckled awkwardly, “Burn it then. I’ll clean up the ashes.”

Gu Qingyan nodded, guessing there was no point in trying to guess. He had a bright future ahead and needed to accumulate points; who had time to play guessing games with Zuo Hufa?

Knowing full well that Zuo Hufa was a bad egg, Gu Qingyan wouldn’t take his letter seriously.

The first thing Gu Qingyan wanted to do when he received the letter was to show it to Pei Xuan.

But since the letter mentioned the Marquis of Shouguo and involved the Pei family, Gu Qingyan burned it outright—felt it was unnecessary.

After all, he knew the letter was fake, and if Pei Xuan read it, he’d just get worried.

Gu Qingyan would never do anything to bring trouble on himself or damage the brotherly bond between them.

With the time he saved, he’d rather practice more skills and earn more points. Next time he met Zuo Hufa, he’d use those points to crush him—cripple him so he couldn’t play palace intrigue anymore.

Zhang Nian swept the ashes clean and buried them in the yard, then stomped on the spot twice to make sure it was solid.

Gu Qingyan was very satisfied. Although the letter was burned, who knew if that bug-loving fellow had any backup plans?

Better to bury it to feel at ease.

Suddenly, he felt a burning gaze.

Turning around, he caught a sulky face peering through the door crack—round and puffed up like a little dog.

Meeting Gu Qingyan’s gaze, Jiang Wan let out a sharp hum.

Gu Qingyan squinted: “Why the hum? Got an itch? Come out, I’ll scratch it for you.”

With a creak, Jiang Wan slammed the door shut.

Inside, he shouted, “Don’t get cocky! Pei’s son is just a novelty—men are all like that. Once the newness wears off, you’ll be the one unlucky!”

Gu Qingyan stroked his chin, then asked Zhang Nian, “Why do those words sound so strange to me?”

Zhang Nian’s face darkened. “Big Brother Gu, he’s slandering you.”

Gu Qingyan shook his head. “Not slander. Is he even a man? Sounds like he’s jealous. Maybe he’s a girl disguised as a man?”

“If he’s a delicate girl, then I was totally wrong before. How could I have beaten a girl? That would be my fault,” Gu Qingyan said loudly on purpose.

Zhang Nian played along, “Hitting women is definitely wrong.”

Jiang Wan couldn’t take it anymore and suddenly pushed the door open, rushing out. “Who are you calling a woman?”

“Whoever admits it is one,” Gu Qingyan grinned at him.

“But the women I know are bold and graceful. Someone like you doesn’t look like a woman, more like a petty person.”

“You, you, how dare you insult me!” Jiang Wan fumed.

“Insult you? What, should I beat you too? What can you do about it?” Gu Qingyan teased.

Jiang Wan’s cheeks flushed red with anger, fists clenched. Suddenly, he roared and headbutted.

Gu Qingyan easily dodged. Jiang Wan couldn’t control his momentum, falling flat on his back.

“You bastard, I won’t let you off.”

Gu Qingyan only wanted to tease him. Jiang Wan looked puffed up like a pufferfish—harmless but amusing.

But hearing that, Gu Qingyan wasn’t pleased either.

He stepped on Jiang Wan’s back to pin him down. Jiang Wan flailed wildly, like an upside-down turtle.

“You know I’m a bastard, and you still mess with me? Oh dear, you must like me then.”

Gu Qingyan laughed and patted the back of his head. “Beating is affection, insulting is love. You must like me a lot, that’s why you keep jumping around trying to get my attention.”

Jiang Wan was furious, unable to believe anyone could be this narcissistic.

Gu Qingyan went on, “But no matter how much you like me, it’s useless—I don’t like kids. You don’t stand a chance, better give up now.”

“Who likes you, you lunatic, narcissist, fickle jerk! You don’t deserve Pei’s son!” Jiang Wan shouted curses.

Gu Qingyan pressed down harder with his foot. Jiang Wan yelped but still refused to give up.

He realized this was a fan of Pei Xuan—a hardcore fan, one of those obsessive types.

“Tell me, do you like me or not?” Gu Qingyan asked deliberately.

“If I didn’t like you, why would I provoke you? Then you’re just asking for death. Let me see where to stab you best—cut your throat for a quick kill, or chop off your manhood, or cut your tendons, or maybe cut out your tongue—that’d work too.”

Jiang Wan suddenly felt a cold chill below. Gu Qingyan was crazy, but surely not that cruel, right?

Gu Qingyan decided to teach him a lesson—to make the kid learn to speak properly and not always piss people off.

Cute as he looked, he was still annoying.

He gave Zhang Nian a wink. Zhang Nian got it immediately.

Jiang Wan was still holding his ground—he definitely didn’t like this bastard. How could he?

Suddenly, a cool touch on his pants leg.

“Aaah! I like you! I like you!” Jiang Wan screamed, startled.

Gu Qingyan chuckled. This little dog liked to provoke, bouncing all over, but that’s his courage?

Before the laughter died, two people at the door froze, their faces growing darker and darker.