After Saving the Immortal Sect, I Became a Heartthrob - Chapter 12

Fifteen minutes earlier.

After separating from Gu Cong Xing’s team, Lan Jue led his disciples to search the eastern side. Unfortunately, there was no sign of the Dream Baku.

“Strange. Even with the Dharma compass, I haven’t detected any demonic energy fluctuations.”

“Me neither. Even using tracking talismans yielded nothing.”

As the two disciples investigated and whispered among themselves, preparing to ask Lan Jue for guidance, someone suddenly cried out, “Hey! Come look over here!”

The group followed the voice to a house with its gates wide open. Inside the courtyard, the crops were withered, and several garments still hung on a clothesline. The tattered, pale robes fluttered in the cold wind, looking eerily unsettling in the dark of night.

“W-what is there to look at?” Cao Yun, a frail disciple, broke out in goosebumps. He had always been timid and easily frightened.

“Exactly! We are here to exorcise demons, n-not catch ghosts!” another girl named Xia Yun’er added, her tone slightly indignant.

The disciple who had first spoken felt a bit slighted and moved closer to the house, pointing at the fluttering clothes. “I recognize this fabric; it’s high-quality Jinluo silk…”

At these words, Xia Yun’er and Cao Yun both rolled their eyes. However, Lan Jue’s expression changed abruptly.

“—If they were fleeing their homes for other lands, why would they leave such valuable clothing behind?”

Silence fell over the group. A piercing chill rose in the air, and Xia Yun’er’s pretty face instantly lost all color.

“Do you mean… the village chief lied to us?”

“N-no way. If that’s the case, where did all those missing people go…?”

Cao Yun stammered, already taking a step back. Another disciple, Gao Mu, was also terrified, but seeing everyone looking so haggard, he didn’t want the atmosphere to keep sinking. He began looking around to change the subject.

Eh? What’s that?

“Hey, don’t be so scared. Look over there! That mulberry tree is blooming so lushly! How is it… glowing?”

At this, Lan Jue’s face darkened instantly. His spiritual energy erupted, and his expression turned colder than ever before.

The disciples were as quiet as cicadas in winter. They watched as their Senior Brother flicked his sleeves, attaching several powerful sword intents of the late Golden Core stage to their swords, before immediately flying off on his own sword.

“The five of you, return to the sect immediately! Seek reinforcements! Gao Mu, you lead the team!”

“Before you leave, set up a barrier around Qingsang Manor! Ensure that absolutely no one can leave this place before the sect arrives!”

The inner disciples were shaken to their core and hurriedly replied, “Yes, Senior Brother!”

Lan Jue’s figure flashed through the night sky like lightning. His eyes were fixed on the giant tree ahead, where he caught sight of several familiar figures.

It’s Junior Brother and the others!

Lan Jue’s eyes widened. He saw the massive mulberry tree swaying without any wind, and a pitch-black rift silently tore open within the crown of the tree. It looked like a giant mouth ready to devour everything.

His heart hammered like a drum. He immediately activated his communication jade slip and screamed:

“Cong Xing! Don’t go near the mulberry tree!!”

“RUN!!”

However, at that very moment, the motionless, dying Dream Baku suddenly circulated its demonic energy and self-detonated. In an instant, gray mist filled the air, and everything before their eyes turned dark!

And not far away, the rift above the mulberry tree tore wide open, forcibly expanding into a bottomless black hole!

“Aaaah!”

Mei Ci, who was closest, was hit by the blast of the Baku’s self-detonation. Both of his arms were flayed open. Simultaneously, an irresistible and immense suction force pulled at him. He looked back only to see the mulberry tree, which had fully opened its abyssal mouth!

“No! Help!”

He reached out in terror, but his hand could touch no one.

Someone, save me! Father,

Don’t abandon me like before! Save me! Save me!

Suddenly, his hand was grasped. Those hands were not his father’s; they were slender and fair, carrying a warmth completely different from what he had imagined. In those eyes, like black obsidian, Mei Ci’s stunned face was reflected.

Why him? Gu Cong Xing?!

Gu Cong Xing pulled at Mei Ci, gritting his teeth against the powerful gravity.

Damn it! There really was something wrong with this mission!

He held Mei Ci tightly with both hands; if he let go for even a second, this unlucky brat would fall into the black hole. But because of this, he couldn’t reach for any spiritual tools or treasures and could only resist with his own strength.

“Hell! What the hell is this!”

Ruan Wei thrust his sword into the earth, gripping the hilt with both hands, yet he was still pulled backward. The long sword left a scar-like trench in the ground.

“Oh no, I can’t hold on!”

The two disciples from Lingxu Peak leaned against each other for support, but their feet were uncontrollably dragged backward.

“No”

Tao Xueting reached out to steady them, but she was knocked over instead! The three of them suddenly lost their footing and flew backward. The struggling Ruan Wei was unfortunately struck by them and cried out as he too was swept away.

“Crap!” Ruan Wei cursed loudly, reaching out toward Gu Cong Xing. “Senior Brother, help!”

Gu Cong Xing was startled to find that all four of them could no longer hold on. He grit his teeth, preparing to forcibly summon a protective artifact, but the mulberry tree let out a giant roar like a starving glutton!

What followed was an even more irresistible suction force!

“Aaaah!”

Amidst the collective screams, Gu Cong Xing’s feet were pulled from the ground. As he felt his body hurtling backward, his vision plunged into darkness.

…Was that a flash of blue light?

Who is racing toward us?

His thoughts fell into chaos, but at the final moment before being swallowed by the black hole, his lips uttered a single name.

“Lan… Jue…”

“…Your Highness!”

“Heir Apparent!”

“Quickly, wake up! Heir Apparent!”

Gu Cong Xing opened his eyes to see a red wood bed canopy with gold-leaf patterns. He blinked, and a young man’s face leaned in close.

This was an attendant… his name seemed to be A-Luo?

Right, he was Gu Cong Xing, the legitimate son of the Duke of Xiang and the heir to the estate—the most famous “Little Tyrant” in the capital.

“Heir Apparent, how do you feel? You gave us a real scare falling from the long staircase. Does your head still hurt?”

It hurts. His head was still throbbing painfully. Gu Cong Xing’s mind was a mess, but he could clearly feel waves of pain, like an invisible knife carving away at him.

What was it taking? What did this knife want to carve out?

“Ugh…”

Seeing him clutching his head in agony again, the attendant called out in a panic and hurriedly ran out the door to find a physician.

A moment later, a young medical officer entered carrying a medicine chest. He grabbed Gu Cong Xing’s arm to take his pulse and began administering acupuncture.

Gu Cong Xing turned to look at the young physician. The man had a fair face and delicate features, but his brow was constantly furrowed, making him look quite impatient. For some reason, despite the man’s sour expression, Gu Cong Xing felt more comfortable with him than with A-Luo.

“Officer Mei, how is the Heir Apparent’s condition?”

“Shut up. Can you take responsibility if you interfere with my treatment?” Mei Ci replied harshly without even turning his head.

A-Luo’s expression stiffened, and he bowed his head, withdrawing silently. Normally, if his servant were scolded like that by an outsider, Gu Cong Xing would be annoyed. But looking at A-Luo’s aggrieved appearance, he couldn’t find any pity in his heart. Instead, he felt more at ease being alone with Physician Mei.

Gu Cong Xing studied the physician before him and accidentally noticed hideous scars on his arm.

“Officer Mei, those wounds look like they were caused by an explosion. Why haven’t you treated them?”

Seeing Mei Ci frown in displeasure, Gu Cong Xing said to himself, “Oh right, ‘the physician cannot heal himself.'”

Mei Ci let out a cold snort and didn’t answer him. He simply pulled his sleeve down and continued the acupuncture with meticulous movements. Despite his poor attitude, his technique was undeniably skilled.

“Well? Am I going to die?” Gu Cong Xing asked with a grin.

“You won’t die. Your Highness has a very strong constitution; it’s just a slight concussion from hitting your head. After a few more days of rest, you’ll be back out making trouble in the capital.”

Mei Ci stood up to pack his medicine chest. Gu Cong Xing propped himself up on the edge of the bed, not noticing that his inner robes were slightly disheveled.

As Mei Ci prepared to take his leave, he accidentally caught a glimpse of the beautiful shape of Gu Cong Xing’s collarbone. The exposed skin was as white as fresh snow, looking as though a light touch would leave a vivid red mark…

“Hmph!! Don’t… don’t you try that with me!”

Mei Ci’s face suddenly turned beet-red. He cursed under his breath, grabbed his medicine chest, and turned to leave. On his way out, he tripped over the threshold and nearly fell face-first.

Gu Cong Xing: “?”

This person’s temper is truly bizarre.

Gu Cong Xing frowned, not bothering to dwell on Mei Ci’s reaction, and lay back down in his clothes. It felt as if he hadn’t had a good rest in a long time. This feeling of sinking into a warm, worry-free bed without any burden—it felt wonderful.

But did I have any burdens before? He was the Heir of the Duke’s estate, with a distinguished family and doting parents. Every young master and lady in the capital behaved like a well-behaved grandchild in front of him. Why would he ever be worried?

Just as this doubt emerged, a wave of sleepiness washed over him. In moments, his consciousness plunged into darkness once more.

When he woke again, it was the next morning. Gu Cong Xing put on a light, long robe and got out of bed. He moved quietly, not waking the maidservant who was on night watch in the outer room.

He pushed the doors open with both hands. A cool breeze carried the scent of pear blossoms. It had rained lightly during the night, and the courtyard was still shrouded in a thin mist. The sunlight was obscured by heavy clouds, casting only a faint, dim glow.

In this damp chill, Gu Cong Xing felt a sense of peace and familiarity. He tightened his clothes and walked forward.

Winding through the zigzag corridors and deep courtyards, Gu Cong Xing didn’t encounter another soul.

Strange, why is the estate so deserted?

Oh right, this wasn’t the Duke’s estate, but a private villa on the outskirts of the capital. He had come here to slack off and have fun, only to accidentally fall from a pavilion.

Whenever a doubt popped up, he quickly found an answer within his own thoughts.

Gu Cong Xing felt an inexplicable touch of irritability. Nothing seemed wrong, yet he found it hard to relax completely. It was as if he were walking alone on a suspension bridge over a cliff, where one wrong step would send him into an abyss.

But the path before him was clearly a broad, open road. Where would any danger come from?

A dull pain throbbed deep in his skull, and his ears began to ring faintly. He shook his head, telling himself not to overthink.

Eh? Is there a lake up ahead?

It turned out this villa was built around a lake. He gazed at the water, which was as smooth as a mirror, without a single ripple. Willow trees stood silently along the bank. In this somewhat gloomy scenery, this spot showed a hint of life.

Gu Cong Xing couldn’t help but move closer. Suddenly, he noticed a figure in white standing by the lake, robes fluttering in the breeze.

His gaze remained fixed on that silhouette. A stone was suddenly cast into the peaceful lake of his heart, causing ripples he couldn’t control.

As if sensing something, the person turned around. The jade-white face was initially expressionless and cold, but the moment the person saw Gu Cong Xing, it lit up with brilliance, like a splash of red ink on a black-and-white painting.

At that moment, a strong wind blew, the clouds shifted, and sunlight poured down. The gloomy lake instantly shimmered with light, looking like surging crushed gold.

The elegant gentleman, with his black hair flowing in the wind, nodded with a smile amidst the glistening lake light: “Your Highness, what a coincidence.”