He knew the protagonist was very hard-working. The novel dedicated one-third of its content to describe all the humiliation he endured, the hard work he put in, just to flatter all the people he could use in the court. Another third was dedicated to how he re-entered the cultivation world four years later and used a yearâs time to establish another kingdom.
But the unreliable Gallant Outlaw made him sleep for four years, making him miss out on the heroâs crucial development period.
There was nothing wrong with being hard-working, but why did the hero spend time perfecting something as insignificant as calligraphy? It was hard enough to get good handwriting, much less copy another personâs handwriting perfectlyâŠI donât understand, I really donât.
How much time did you waste ah, brat? Why not use that time to pick up girls instead?
After all, the last third of the novel was dedicated to the unspeakable things! If the hero protected his chastity like jade, then the novel length would shrink. Gallant Outlaw would cry himself blind.
The ceremony ended with the crackling of firecrackers to break the silence of the hall. After the noise faded, the crowd was fully in awe. Mu He was used to such eyes and simply raised his chin to look at Chu Zhishi, his gaze like arrows.
The latter slammed the table and stood up with a cold face. âBrat, youâre acting pitiful and showing off. What are you playing at?â
I donât get what Cheese means by âacting pitiful,â but itâs true heâs kinda showing off. How did the protagonistâs depths turn so deep? Xie Zhiwei mused.
Mu He simply replied, âShizun passed on his true teachings to me. Shizun also left Qingping Sword to me. Iâm the only one in the world who knows his last wish. From what position are you saying those words?â
Sheesh, the hero is using his calligraphy to plaster gold on his face. Is he trying to say, âLaozi can even copy Xie Zhiweiâs words thoroughly, so why should you doubt me?â
Chu Zhishi was so angry he laughed. âIâm not in a position to eliminate Chi Yan, so what about you? From what position are you speaking to me? Do you need second senior brother to come back to life and personally expel you from the sect before you give up?â
âShizun would not,â Mu He said lightly. His brows were relaxed and a smile played about his lips as he said those words, as if the person he was talking about was looking at him firmly right now.
Xie Zhiwei heard a little girl sigh with praise by his side. âWow, heâs so gentle and handsome.â
YesâŠquite gentle. If the hero knew he was saddened over nothing with my death, he would definitely gentlyâŠkill me.
Chu Zhishi descended from the audience seats step by step. âThen you tell me what second senior brotherâs final wish was. Donât tell me itâs for you to shrink your head and hide away? To let his death anniversary pass by year after year without a murmur?â
Mu He smiled slightly. âYoungest martial uncle doesnât need to fret. I will naturally bring a huge gift back to see shizun.â
Chu Zhishiâs steps faltered before he finished the stairs in a few more steps. âWho let you call me that?â he reprimanded, âDonât be so smug, brat. I wonât let you take a single step past the daoist sect gates.â
The two of them were facing off as if no one else was there. Yin Wushuang wanted to pull Mu He back, but she had never seen him so cold. Although he was still smiling, his aura was completely foreign to her.
She was even a little afraid.
Tantai Meng murmured to Du Sheng, âMaster, this Shizi and Chu zhenren seem to harbor a deep grudge.â
Xie Zhiwei was lost as well. The hero was behaving flawlessly today, so why did he suddenly get agitated? And why was he so at odds with Chu Zhishi? Cheese too! What kind of martial uncle was he? Saying heâd expel Mu He from the sect when that was his only disciple, all right? Does he take me to be dead?
âŠall right, I am actually dead.
Du Sheng stroked his prayer beads as he coaxed, âShizi has been living deep within the kingâs estate these past few years. On account of his youth, the King of Nine Provinces took measures to restrain him, which made it inconvenient for him to go in and out. Now that heâs reached the year of his adulthood ceremony, he can naturally visit Xie zhenren often. City Lord Chu has only misunderstood because heâs hurt that Xie zhenren misses Shizi. Everyone has good intentions, so letâs not disturb the peace.â
Chu Zhishi pointed at himself. âMe, hurt?â
Mu He sighed as sorrow clouded his eyes. âMany thanks to Great Master. I believe that youngest martial uncle is only hurt and thatâs why⊠But havenât I missed shizun day and night? Though he only taught me a few months, these ties can be reforged. Since youngest martial uncle resents me for not visiting shizun at Summit City in the past, why stop me now? Forget it, I donât want to argue. Shizun would alsoâŠbe unhappy.â
Xie Zhiwei silently wiped away some sweat. Thank goodness, thank goodness, heâs not unhappy, just in shock.
The hero was really putting his white lotus act to good use. If he hadnât read about the protagonistâs blackening in the novel, heâd almost be touched by those words.
Look at those red-rimmed eyes, those pursed little lips. Look at all the girls aching for his sake. Look at how angry Cheese is with his fists clenched and shaking. He looks like heâs about to beat someone up. Really, I gotta give it to him for his temperâŠ
Yin Wushuang couldnât bear to see Mu He sad and was about to comfort him when she passed Du Sheng and accidently met eyes with Tantai Meng. The two females looked at each other in indifference, to confusion, then finally doubt and realization.
Yin Wushuang stomped her foot and pointed at Tantai Meng with a yell. âWell ah, so itâs you! At last Iâve caught you. Mu He gege, theyâre the ones who refused to give me the sugar figurine that day!â She grabbed Tantai Meng by the sleeve. âWhereâs that ugly masked monster? Is he here too?!â
The sudden turn of events took everyone by surprise. Female drama was always more exciting than male ones, so everyone abandoned Mu He and Chu Zhishi to focus on the girls. Xie Zhiwei felt a headache coming on. This girl is really unattractive. Right now the focus shouldnât be on me, ah. Can we shift the camera to the hero? Weâre getting off topic.
If the actors were always so flighty, the director would have kicked them out by now!
Du Sheng was perplexed. âMeng-er, whatâs this about? What ugly monster?â
Tantai Meng quietly explained, âMaster, sheâs talking about Benefactor.â
Hearing her explain the events, he nodded and said shanzai before moving to stand in front of her. âLittle commandery princess, the one you mentioned is the benefactor of my Buddhist sect. He wasnât born like that originally, but had an illness ruin his looks. But the beauty of a person comes from their heart and shouldnât be judged by external appearancesâŠâ
âUgly is ugly,â Yin Wushuang declared, âBesides, he thinks so too, or else why would he cover his face and not let people see?â
Chu Zhishiâs ears perked up as he sneered. âSure enough, people like you donât stop messing around no matter where you go.â
Mu Heâs expression remained unruffled. âWushuang, Great Master Du Sheng has already explained the previous misunderstanding to me. Donât pursue it, okay?â
Yin Wushuang pouted. âItâs okay not to pursue it, but he should at least make amends! Whatâs with shrinking back like a turtle?â As she spoke, her eyes scanned the crowd before she suddenly pointed at a figure trying to slip away. âItâs you! Stop! Someone catch him, quick!â
The retainers on both sides immediately pounced while drawing the blades at their waists. Hearing this, Xie Zhiweiâs heart lurched. If he fought back, heâd be exposed. If he didnât fight and was captured instead, he could be exposed as well.
âDonât be rude!â Tantai Mengâs gaze grew stern at the sight of swords. She flash-stepped to the entrance and stepped forward to shield Xie Zhiwei.
Xie Zhiwei was extremely touched. As expected of the heroine, sheâs a good girl and courageous.
Since these were the holy grounds of the Buddhist sect, the retainers didnât dare act rashly, but looked to their master instead. Yin Wushuang only yelled, âWhat are you standing there for? Attack all at once!â
The retainers obeyed without question and charged. Tantai Meng met them with her sword as both sides fought back and forth. Xie Zhiwei debated whether to help, but discovered that the heroineâs martial arts skills were still enough to deal with a few soldiers and commanders despite lacking her original novel skills.
In the hall, Mu He sighed and apologized to Du Sheng. âWushuang is capricious and has caused trouble for Great Master.â
âNo matter,â Du Sheng replied, âItâs not a bad thing to let Meng-er spar with them.â
Mu He nodded, accepted the tea from a young monk, and prepared to sit down. But Yin Wushuang happened to overhear Du Shengâs words and grew unhappy.
âSpar? No. Mu He gege, go and help them too. I just want an apology, is that so hard?â
âMe?â Mu He looked at her.
âRight ah, Mu He gegeâs Qingping Sword is so mighty. Take it out and show them some stuff! You can beat them silly with one hand!â
Mu He was about to refuse when Chu Zhishi snickered. âSo powerful? Iâm afraid youâre just borrowing second senior brotherâs fame.â
Mu He chuckled back. âIt seems like youngest martial uncle has high hopes for this disciple.â
Xie Zhiweiâs eyelids twitched before he turned tail to flee.
âMu He gege, heâs running away!â Yin Wushuang cried.
Good for you ah, Yin Wushuang. Itâs only right that the original hero doted on the heroine and not you! Xie Zhiwei could only use the power of his two legs to flee towards the front of the mountain. With Mu Heâs current cultivation level, heâd be exposed as soon as he used spiritual power.
With hooded eyes, Mu He turned back leisurely and looked in the direction Yin Wushuang was pointing out of the corner of his eye. Against the light of the sun, a figure was quickly dashing off, his wide sleeves billowing in the wind and his figure as slender as cultivated bamboo. Mu Heâs eyes stalled before he spilled some tea in his hand. Immediately afterwards, he disappeared in front of everyoneâs eyes.
Xie Zhiwei had just ran to the nearby Mahavira Hall before he was forced to halt. The pond that used to raise the Golden Lotus was half dry thanks to its water being used to put out the fire beforehand. There were dying stumps and leaves inside. What was more infuriating was that Du Sheng had wanted to seize the reconstruction chance to expand the pond along with the entire front of the mountain. How was he supposed to long jump over the muddy pond in front of him?
He didnât dare act rashly, but sensed a powerful spiritual signature approaching. At some point, the hero had actually started chasing him.
I didnât expose any spiritual power, ahâŠwhat raised his suspicions?
In a flash, Mu He had appeared behind Xie Zhiwei. The bamboo grove framing them on both sides was scorched the closer one drew to Mahavira Hall, their greens dyed strangely black hues. The background remained unmoving as if they had reached a wall.
Mu He extended his arm in a trance as tea spilled from his cup. Only then did he recover his wits and took another look. The man before him might be thin, but the exposed collarbone wasnât jagged or bony. He was dressed in brocade robes that were a far cry from that crow-gray daoist garb. Moreover, the man was afraidâlike so many of those poor weaklings in the worldâso much that he was shaking.
Mu Heâs lips hooked up into a bitter arc. âŠhow could it be him.
Heâs lying underground at Summit City, the place Iâve been exhausting my life trying to find againâŠ
A commotion broke out behind him before the shouts were identified as Chu Zhishi, Tantai Meng, Yin Wushuang, and the rest. Mu He instantly withdrew all expressions and intoned, âWho is this excellency?â
Xie Zhiwei stared at the muddy ditch at his feet with an expression of death. Chu Zhishi had already caught up with Mu He and rebuked, âWhat are you going crazy over now, brat? Whatâs so impressive about staring down some barely-qualified rogue cultivator?â
F**k this, Xie Zhiwei thought before closing his eyes and leaping into the mud pool face first.
Silence came from the banks. When Xie Zhiwei resurfaced, his face was covered in filth. He roared roughly, âDonât attack laozi, we can talk things over. Aish, it stinks to death.â
Mu Heâs eyes chilled as killing intent flashed in his eyes. Qingping Sword appeared soundlessly in his left hand as the jasper lights at its hilt merged into a four-petal lotus shape. With a flick of his wrist, eerie green light shot towards Xie Zhiwei who was soaking in the water.
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The author has something to say:
Mu He: Shizun is even so handsome when he runs, Iâm so lucky.
Translatorâs Note: So yeah, Mu He hasnât recognized XZW yet and wonât for a whileâŠbut author is having fun with her mini-theater haha.