After Saving the Immortal Sect, I Became a Heartthrob - Chapter 20

“First Senior Brother?!” Gu Cong Xing cried out in shock as he looked at Lan Jue’s somber expression.

He tried to take a step back, but his wrist was gripped even harder. A red mark appeared on his fair skin, looking like a trace of mistreatment.

“Hey! Lan Jue, let go!” Gu Cong Xing said, a hint of anger in his voice.

“! I’m sorry…”

As the red mark caught his eye, the light in Lan Jue’s eyes turned clear, and he hurriedly released his grip.

“I’m sorry, Cong Xing. Does it hurt? This is a spirit-grass ointment.” He pulled a high-quality medicine from his storage ring. He initially moved to apply it to Gu Cong Xing’s wrist himself, but his hand faltered, and he simply held it out to him.

Gu Cong Xing studied Lan Jue in silence. Seeing the man lower his eyes in an apologetic manner, his anger vanished instantly. He let out a light sigh and took the ointment.

“I was indeed distracted just now… I was thinking of my elder brother, Gu Mingting. You two are similar in some ways.” Gu Cong Xing opened the jade porcelain lid, took some of the crystalline paste, and applied it to his wrist. “But I have never treated you as his replacement.”

“You are special.” You are my one and only First Senior Brother.

The red mark faded as Gu Cong Xing’s words settled in Lan Jue’s heart, creating ripples in a still lake.

“…I see.” Lan Jue responded softly, letting out a silent sigh of relief. “To be considered similar to the Eldest Master of the Gu family is a blessing of sorts.” He looked up again, a refined smile back on his face.

Seeing that Lan Jue was back to normal, Gu Cong Xing’s mind was at ease. He hadn’t forgotten the Dream Demon’s warning, but he wasn’t naive enough to treat its words as gospel. Perhaps it was lying? Would deepening my entanglement with First Senior Brother truly lead to my death?

Regardless of whether it was true or not, the moment he accepted the system’s redemption mission, he had already prepared himself to face death. But he would never want to see the members of his sect become unrecognizable because their fates were changed.

“I’ll head back to rest now.”

Gu Cong Xing bid farewell to Lan Jue and returned to his room to begin meditating and regulating his breath. Lan Jue’s gaze followed the tall silhouette in the mountain-blue robes until it vanished behind the door. He placed his hand on the ice-blue scabbard, stroking it slowly.

“Wangqing (Unfeeling), is it…?”

The group set off from the southwestern border of the Luoxi Continent, and it was ten days later by the time they arrived in the Central Yu Continent. During this period, with Lan Jue protecting him, Gu Cong Xing successfully broke through and formed a Nine-Turn Golden Core.

Although the Golden Core stage involves a lightning tribulation, it consists of only thirty-six strikes of the lowest power—furthermore, Gu Cong Xing had already crossed it in his past life, so it was a familiar path. Still, to be safe, he chose to face the tribulation alone on a mountain peak. When he finished and looked back, he found Lan Jue standing not far away. Even knowing there was no danger, the man had still chosen to stand guard silently by his side.

During this time, not only Gu Cong Xing but also the other disciples gained insights and advanced in their cultivation. The last one to advance was Lan Jue, who had been guarding the others. He officially moved from the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage into the Nascent Soul stage.

On the day of Lan Jue’s advancement, the spirit boat anchored at the border of the Central Yu Continent because the Ninth Heaven Lightning Tribulation had arrived. The Nascent Soul tribulation is far more dangerous than the Golden Core one, consisting of a full forty-nine strikes.

As the purple-blue lightning descended with a roar, the Qingxuan Sword Sect disciples held their breath, silently watching Lan Jue in the midst of the lightning. The figure in moon-white stood like a tall bamboo; when the lightning cleared, he was surrounded by a reserved spiritual light—he was now a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.

The disciples crowded around him with cheers, but Lan Jue’s clear eyes looked past the crowd to settle directly on Gu Cong Xing.

In that moment, Gu Cong Xing suddenly remembered that in his past life, Lan Jue had also taken the inner disciples to Wumeng Manor for a mission, but he himself hadn’t been in the sect at the time. When he returned, he heard that three disciples had died during the mission and Lan Jue had been heavily injured; after returning, Lan Jue had remained in seclusion, his cultivation stagnating at the late Golden Core stage. After that, Lan Jue had requested to step down as the Head Disciple, but he became even more selfless in his protection of the sect, as if he were seeking redemption.

“System, why did First Senior Brother die in my past life?” Gu Cong Xing asked softly.

[Lan Jue died after sacrificing himself to save others. More specific details can be found by using the ‘8D Original Novel Reading’ function once the host’s points exceed 200.]

Gu Cong Xing gazed at Lan Jue’s silhouette, silently clenching his fists. First Senior Brother, this life is already different. This time, it’s my turn to save you.

The spirit boat reached the Qingxuan Sword Sect barrier. The guard disciples were both shocked and overjoyed to see the seven returning disciples; they immediately notified the main peak and gathered around enthusiastically.

“Senior Brother Lan! You’re finally back!”

“We heard you were in danger earlier. The sect sent out three elders to save you, and even the Zhuoguang Sword Venerable was nearly mobilized!”

Gu Cong Xing and Lan Jue looked at each other in surprise. Their Master was in charge of the sealing barrier at the Wuji Abyss; every time he finished his seclusion, he spent at least a month reinforcing the seal, never missing a time. It seemed that this time, he truly had been worried.

“Senior Brother!!”

A loud cry came from behind. Just as Gu Cong Xing turned around, he fell into a warm embrace. The youth brought with him the scent of grass that had been in the sun, mixed with undried morning dew rash and vivid.

“Junior Brother…” Gu Cong Xing rubbed the youth’s furry head, letting him nuzzle against his neck, which tickled.

“Waaaaah, Senior Brother, I missed you so much!” Zhong Ming held Gu Cong Xing tightly, his warm breath hitting Gu Cong Xing’s ear.

Gu Cong Xing’s lips curled into a smile. He patted the youth’s back as he always did, and suddenly noticed the person in his arms was taller than before. He was almost as tall as Gu Cong Xing himself.

Just as Gu Cong Xing was about to release Zhong Ming, a gentle voice with a hint of chill rang out beside them: “Junior Brother really is still a young boy, to be so clingy.”

Gu Cong Xing turned to see Lan Jue. He still wore his usual smile, but his eyes were cold.

“I! I’m not a child!” Zhong Ming immediately released Gu Cong Xing, frowning and arguing urgently.

“Is that so?” Lan Jue narrowed his eyes. “In that case, I need to report the mission with Cong Xing; why don’t you head back first, Junior Brother?”

Zhong Ming puffed out his cheeks and was about to nod, but then he reacted and asked Lan Jue: “First Senior Brother, what did you just call Second Senior Brother?”

“Cong Xing. Why, does Junior Brother think it’s inappropriate?” Lan Jue’s smile was leisurely.

Zhong Ming’s brow furrowed again. Something’s wrong, he thought to himself. Although it wasn’t rare for a senior brother to call a junior brother by his name, he felt a difference. First Senior Brother had never been this close to Second Senior Brother before.

A sense of crisis rose in his heart. Zhong Ming looked directly into Lan Jue’s eyes, but the man remained composed and calm.

Gu Cong Xing looked at the two of them facing off and was somewhat confused. First Senior Brother looks normal, but why is Junior Brother’s gaze so aggressive? What are they competing over?

“Alright, Junior Brother. I’ll go to the main peak with Senior Brother to report; we’ll talk later,” Gu Cong Xing said, patting Zhong Ming’s head. He turned to leave with Lan Jue.

The smile on Lan Jue’s face widened. His wide sleeve brushed against Gu Cong Xing’s, and he reached out his fingers to take Gu Cong Xing’s hand.

“First Senior Brother?” Gu Cong Xing was increasingly confused.

“It will be faster if we go together.” As he spoke, he summoned his Wangqing Sword and stepped onto it with Gu Cong Xing.

“Second Senior Brother!”

Zhong Ming’s cry came from behind again. Gu Cong Xing looked back to see the youth’s dark gold eyes fixed on him, his voice urgent. “Tomorrow is my last match in the sect competition! You must come and watch!”

Gu Cong Xing hadn’t expected the sect competition to have started already. He nodded without hesitation: “Of course.”

The Wangqing Sword flew off with the wind. Zhong Ming watched as the ice-blue arc of light gradually vanished, his curly black hair blowing in the wind. A dark gold light flickered in his eyes, and his spiritual energy fluctuated; for a split second, he revealed the slit pupils of a demon beast.

“Ugh…” Zhong Ming was unaware of the change. He clutched his head and closed his eyes to regulate his breath. Lately, he had been feeling his spiritual energy was unstable and his blood was boiling; what was going on? Was it because I fought too hard in the first two matches?

When he opened his eyes again, they had returned to their pure color. Zhong Ming returned to Zhuoguang Peak and practiced the Qingxin (Clear Heart) Mantra taught by Gu Cong Xing until his spiritual energy stabilized, then he rose again to practice with his sword. His steps were light as waves, and his sword momentum was like a rainbow!

The sun was setting by the time Gu Cong Xing returned from the main peak. After parting with Lan Jue, he headed directly to the small courtyard where Zhong Ming lived. Tomorrow was his Junior Brother’s last match; if he could give him some pointers, it would be a help.

The evening breeze brushed against his face. Through the rustling bamboo leaves, Gu Cong Xing saw the silhouette of the youth practicing with his sword. His sleeves fluttered, and his body was as graceful as a flying swallow. He used his sword tip for leverage to spin into the air; where the sword light passed, both the fallen leaves and the evening wind were sliced in two.

It was the Flowing Clouds Sword Art.

“Junior Brother,” Gu Cong Xing called out softly. Zhong Ming stopped his momentum immediately, his eyes lighting up as he turned around.

“Senior Brother!” He ran over happily. He was about to lunge into Gu Cong Xing’s embrace but then stopped.

Gu Cong Xing was confused, until he saw Zhong Ming perform a Cleansing Spell on himself, removing the sweat and dust. Then, with a smile, he ducked into Gu Cong Xing’s embrace.

“You guy, why do you care about that? I wouldn’t be disgusted by you.”

Zhong Ming didn’t answer, but simply nuzzled his furry head against him again. Gu Cong Xing patted him with a smile and said, “Your sword art has improved quickly. Let’s spar tonight as preparation for tomorrow.”

“Okay!” Zhong Ming held his sword across his chest, his eyes shining with excitement. “Senior Brother, make your move!”

Gu Cong Xing was also full of fighting spirit. He suppressed his cultivation to the early Foundation Establishment stage, summoned his Whale-Slaying Sword, and attacked with a flick of his wrist!

CLANG! BOOM!

The two fought with their sword arts and supplemented them with spiritual energy, kicking up clouds of dust! Every move was a skillful technique! Both felt incredibly invigorated, and before they knew it, they had been sparring for several hours. The match only ended when Gu Cong Xing’s sword tip sliced off a lock of hair from Zhong Ming’s temple.

“Senior Brother really is amazing!” Zhong Ming wasn’t discouraged at all; instead, his eyes grew brighter, and he wore a wide smile.

“Junior Brother has improved rapidly; perhaps you will surpass me before long.” Gu Cong Xing sheathed his sword. From the intense exercise, fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead and his cheeks were flushed, making his eyes look darker and his lips redder.

Zhong Ming stared at him, and the novels he had accidentally flipped through suddenly came to mind. In the illustrations, two men were pressed tightly together…

“! N-no.” Zhong Ming’s face suddenly turned beet-red. He looked away, staring at the ground. He recited the Qingxin Mantra in his head until the heat in his body subsided, then he spoke again.

“Senior Brother, you’ve been away for more than a month; I have so many things I want to tell you.” His voice wasn’t loud, but it was soft and carried a hint of a spoiled child’s tone. “Senior Brother, can I come and chat with you tonight?”

Looking at him like this, Gu Cong Xing couldn’t find it in himself to refuse. Although his Junior Brother was a bit clingy, it didn’t really matter. Besides, after not seeing him for so long, he had also missed him.

“Of course,” Gu Cong Xing smiled. “We’ll have a late-night talk by candlelight, as long as it doesn’t affect your match tomorrow.”

“Great! Then I’ll come find you in a while!” Zhong Ming replied joyfully.

Gu Cong Xing assumed he needed some time to prepare, so he headed back to his bamboo house first. After bathing, he began to regulate his breath on the bed, but before long, a wave of sleepiness washed over him. Normally, a cultivator wouldn’t need to sleep at night, but perhaps because he had been so tired lately and being back home made him feel unusually relaxed, he was now very drowsy. Within moments, he lay down and fell asleep.

When Junior Brother arrives, he’ll probably wake me up… Gu Cong Xing thought, as his consciousness plunged into a deep darkness.

In the silent darkness, he began to dream. Something wound up his legs, pushing aside the hem of his loose inner robes, inch by inch, sliding into the fabric. It was a slippery, cool sensation. Was it a tail? A snake? Or a vine?

The sleeping Gu Cong Xing furrowed his brows, but the thing didn’t retreat; instead, it became even bolder, pressing tightly against his skin as it slowly slid higher. Besides his legs, his arms also felt an unusual sensation. It wound up from his fingertips, tightening in loops and making it impossible for Gu Cong Xing to move his arms.

Another piece brushed lightly against his neck, tapped his Adam’s apple, and slowly wound around the back of his neck, sliding along the curve of his collarbone and moving silently downward the tip ruffled his collar, sliding through the gaps in the fabric.

More and more of the slippery things wound around him. The ends even had some protrusions; as they brushed lightly or heavily against his skin, they made Gu Cong Xing’s body tremble slightly. They danced in the silence, climbing boldly, finally reaching that pure territory…