After Saving the Immortal Sect, I Became a Heartthrob - Chapter 29

“Senior Brother! I went to the Hall of All Things and happened to see a flying letter sent from the Gu family!”

Zhong Ming’s jubilant voice echoed across Zhuo Guang Peak as he took long strides into Gu Congxing’s small courtyard, holding the letter aloft.

“I picked it up for you along the way… Wait, why is the Eldest Senior Brother here too?”

The young man’s voice paused, his gaze fixed on the cyan-robed figure standing in the bamboo grove.

Lan Jue looked back with a breezy, indifferent smile on his face.

“Congxing and I were just enjoying some wine. You’ve arrived at the perfect time, Junior Brother.”

He stepped back to reveal the table and wine vessels in front of him.

“Would you like a cup, Junior Brother?”

Before Zhong Ming could answer, Gu Congxing had already put away the wine pot in front of him.

“Junior Brother is still young; Eldest Senior Brother, please don’t lead him astray.”

Lan Jue raised an eyebrow and let out an “Oh.” His gaze toward Zhong Ming carried a hint of pity, yet his smile became even more genuine: “What a pity, Junior Brother.”

Zhong Ming had intended to refuse, but seeing Lan Jue’s demeanor sparked an nameless anger within him. He bounded forward a few steps and snatched the wine cup from Gu Congxing’s table.

“Senior Brother, I am no longer a child. I can drink too!”

As he spoke, he raised the wine cup to his lips.

“Wait, wait, Junior Brother.” Lan Jue intercepted his action, causing both Zhong Ming and Gu Congxing to look at him.

Without haste, he took a new wine vessel out of his storage ring.

“Here, use this one.”

Zhong Ming: “…”

Gu Congxing: “…”

Zhong Ming’s eye twitched, and he forced out a smile: “Th-thank, y-you, E-Eldest, S-Senior, Brother.”

Lan Jue squinted and nodded, his smile light and shallow.

Gu Congxing sighed lightly, holding his head, and turned his gaze toward Zhong Ming: “Speaking of which, where is the letter?”

Zhong Ming’s eyes brightened, and he immediately handed the letter to Gu Congxing.

“I brought it to you the moment I saw it, Senior Brother. Won’t you praise me?”

Gu Congxing watched as he blinked at him, as if an invisible tail were wagging behind him.

Right, this is how the Junior Brother should be.

Not that broken youth filled with thoughts of death.

Thinking this, Gu Congxing ruffled his hair.

“You did very well.” He praised him while opening the letter in his hand.

—It was actually a piece of hard red paper.

“This is…?” Lan Jue’s brows furrowed slightly.

Gu Congxing was also perplexed. He didn’t hide it; despite sensing that the two people beside him were watching his movements, he opened it anyway.

“It is a marriage contract,” he said softly.

Crack,

The wine cup in Zhong Ming’s hand shattered instantly.

Boom—

The table behind Lan Jue collapsed in an instant.

Gu Congxing: ?

He looked at the two people around him, only to see turbulent darkness churning in Zhong Ming’s eyes, though he was still trying hard to maintain a calm expression.

Lan Jue’s expression remained as usual, but the mist around him increased sharply. He asked in a gentle voice, “With… whom?”

Gu Congxing looked at the iron-hook-and-silver-engraving calligraphy on the paper, remained silent for a moment, and then said: “Sijun Sword.”

“Sijun Sword? The eldest disciple of the Tianlin Sect?” Lan Jue rested his chin on one hand, lowered his eyes, and mused, “I hear the Gu family and the Tianlin Sect have always been on good terms. Could this be the doing of the clan?”

“Senior Brother! What do those old fossils know!”

Zhong Ming rushed forward, his gaze earnest: “Senior Brother! This is a major life event; it cannot be treated as a child’s play!”

“This marriage contract was made without your consent—it doesn’t count!”

Gu Congxing had already been weighing the matter in his mind, but seeing Zhong Ming’s anxious appearance, a desire to tease him arose.

“What if I agree? Would it count then?”

Zhong Ming was shocked and dived straight into Gu Congxing’s arms: “Senior Brother!!”

Observing their expressions, Lan Jue caught the glint of playful amusement in Gu Congxing’s eyes and silently exhaled in relief.

“Congxing, don’t tease your Junior Brother anymore. What if he starts crying?”

“Wh?!” Zhong Ming suddenly looked up, saw the corners of Gu Congxing’s mouth lift, and his cheeks instantly turned beet red.

“Senior Brother! How can you make fun of me like that! I almost believed you!”

Gu Congxing couldn’t hold it back any longer and burst into a fit of laughter. His brows were curved, his glass-like eyes shimmering with brilliant light, and his usually serene, refined face was stained with a touch of spring-like vitality.

Zhong Ming had been feigning anger while looking at him, but before he knew it, his expression had softened, and he stared foolishly at Gu Congxing’s face.

Lan Jue’s gaze was also glued to Gu Congxing’s face, not wavering for even an instant.

Once Gu Congxing had laughed enough, he braced himself and reached out to rub Zhong Ming’s head again. “Don’t worry, I won’t agree to it.”

He raised the red invitation in his hand, stirred his spiritual power slightly, and reduced it to a pile of powder.

The past life was already a tale of falling blossoms and drifting catkins; why start another (ill-fated karmic connection) in this lifetime?

He added softly: “Although I do not know why this marriage was proposed, I will make it clear to the Gu family.”

“Those fellows in my clan—even though I haven’t seen them for years—have certainly been busy fretting over my affairs.”

Zhong Ming and Lan Jue watched him in silence. Just then, they felt a fluctuation of spiritual power in the air, followed by a biting chill.

All three felt a stir in their hearts, and sure enough, they saw that white-robed figure descending from the sky.

“Master!”

Shen Mu landed before them, glanced around, and gave a calm nod.

“Do not be slack in your cultivation. Lan Jue, you are to be punished for bringing your two Junior Brothers to drink.”

Upon hearing this, Lan Jue turned and exchanged a look with Gu Congxing, a hint of chagrin appearing on his face: “Yes, Master. This disciple will copy the sect rules as self-punishment.”

Gu Congxing was amused by his reaction and chuckled.

Shen Mu watched Gu Congxing’s face, blinked slowly, and a flicker of light moved through his ice-blue pupils.

“…I have already discussed it with the Sect Master of the Tianlin Sect. The incident with the Dream Demon had its causes, but the eldest son of the Gu family claims the Demon Race may create a diversion during the Sect Grand Competition to snatch the Demon Dragon from the Sword Sect. Therefore, I wish for us to remain and guard the sect.”

Gu Congxing’s expression turned stern upon hearing this.

“Do you have any thoughts on this?” Shen Mu asked the three disciples before him.

Zhong Ming pondered for a moment and said: “This Sect Grand Competition is hosted by the Qianyang Sect and is heavily guarded, so even if the Demon Race causes a disturbance, there should be countermeasures. But since we already know they might target the Demon Dragon, we could also increase our manpower within the Sword Sect.”

Lan Jue added: “That may be so, but if Master is not here, there will be no one to repair the formations of Wuji Cliff if they are broken. Furthermore… in the sect today, apart from the Grand Ancestors at the Mahayana stage and Master, I fear no one can kill the Demon Dragon.”

Zhong Ming was somewhat surprised and asked: “Can’t the Sect Master do it?”

Lan Jue shook his head: “The Sect Master’s cultivation is at the late Out-of-Body stage; against a Demon Dragon at the Transformation stage, he would likely be outmatched.”

As soon as he spoke, everyone fell into a heavy silence.

Shen Mu’s gaze fell on Gu Congxing, who had remained silent. “What does Congxing think?”

At this moment, Gu Congxing’s mind was filled with the scenes he had witnessed in his previous life.

If his guess was correct, the secret realm where Xiao Wangyou and Lan Jue met was opened during the Sect Grand Competition. After that, he had maneuvered his way into the Qingxuan Sword Sect, triggering a series of tragedies.

Since the scenes he saw in his previous life did not include a Demon Race attempt to snatch the Demon Dragon, would it happen in this life?

But if Master went to the Donglai Continent and encountered Xiao Wangyou, would that trigger the plot ahead of schedule?

Thoughts churned in Gu Congxing’s mind. Seeing his shifting expression, the others couldn’t help but concentrate.

“…Second Senior Brother?” Zhong Ming asked softly.

Gu Congxing snapped back to reality. He closed his eyes and shook his head.

No, this lifetime is already different from the past.

He cannot be trapped by what he saw in the previous life; otherwise, how is he to move forward?

He settled his thoughts and said to Shen Mu: “Since Master asks, you must also be worried that the Demon Race will come to cause chaos. In that case, Master should act according to your own wishes.”

“We have the Elders to protect us, and the Qianyang Sect is also a righteous sect. Master need not worry too much.”

Lan Jue also said: “The Sect Grand Competition is for Foundation Establishment and Golden Core disciples to participate. I have already reached the Nascent Soul stage; if I go, I will certainly safeguard the safety of the Junior Brothers.”

Seeing that both Lan Jue and Gu Congxing spoke this way, Zhong Ming nodded as well.

In truth, his inexplicable intuition always hoped for Master to accompany them. But that was too subjective, and since both Senior Brothers made valid points, he didn’t speak further.

Seeing that the three had already reached a decision, Shen Mu nodded: “In that case, I will remain to guard the sect.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than three sword beams, carrying immense chill, flew into the disciples’ swords.

“This sword intent is a full-strength strike from me; it can be used to subdue the enemy at a critical moment.”

A full-strength strike from a Transformation-stage Sword Venerable meant invincibility below the Transformation stage! And in this cultivation world, there were only a dozen or so cultivators above the Transformation stage!

All three were deeply moved.

Sword cultivators would not easily impart their sword intent unless they trusted the other person deeply. In the past, there had been examples of cultivators using others’ imparted sword intent to slaughter the innocent, ultimately framing the owner of the sword intent.

“Thank you, Master!”

Shen Mu nodded slightly at their thanks and turned to leave.

But when he returned to the Profound Ice Hall, he heard a clear voice coming from behind him.

Gu Congxing took a step forward and said: “Master, I have one more thing to ask.”

Shen Mu turned around and, seeing only him, his brows smoothed out as he moved closer to Gu Congxing.

“Speak.”

Gu Congxing weighed his words and asked: “Master, I once read in an ancient text about a ‘Heart-Forgetting Vine Mark.’ It is said to be able to absorb a cultivator’s excess emotions, which helps maintain a stable state of mind… What does Master think of this item?”

Shen Mu’s expression remained as calm as a stagnant well: “It can assist in stabilizing one’s state of mind, so it is naturally not bad. Do you wish to use this?”

Gu Congxing couldn’t help but be startled.

He was watching Shen Mu’s expression, hoping to see a look of surprise or vigilance, but he never expected him to be so calm.

…It was almost as if he didn’t know he had the vine mark on his own body.

“The disciple heard that although this item has good effects, if the emotions absorbed by the vine mark reach saturation, it might be detrimental to the host’s Dao Heart.”

Shen Mu replied: “Since that is the case, it is fine if you do not use it.”

Without waiting for Gu Congxing to respond, Shen Mu took an ancient book from the Profound Ice Pillar behind him and placed it into Gu Congxing’s arms: “This book contains techniques for stabilizing one’s state of mind. It will be beneficial to you.”

Gu Congxing gripped the book tightly, thoughts churning in his eyes.

Master truly does not know he has a vine mark on him.

He bid farewell to Shen Mu, and as soon as he left the Profound Ice Hall, he called out to the System: “System, what exactly is going on with the vine mark on Master?”

[Beep! Host, information regarding Shen Mu’s vine mark requires you to unlock more redemption progress before it can be accessed!]

Gu Congxing scoffed coldly: “What use are you?”

[Host, please don’t attack 02 QAQ]

Gu Congxing: “…”

Why does it feel like this thing is becoming more and more human?

He stopped paying attention to the System, returned to his courtyard, and summoned the Whale-Slaying Sword.

No matter how the situation changed, only by possessing great strength could he keep those around him safe!

“Flowing Cloud: Myriad Manifestations!”

His steps were like rippling waves, and the long sword in his hand danced!

The seasons cycled, time flew, and in the blink of an eye, a year had passed.

The Whale-Slaying Sword in the youth’s hand within the bamboo grove hummed, and ten golden long blades condensed around him. With a turn of his wrist, the golden sword light crashed down!

Crack,

The pit in the bamboo grove deepened further, exposing the black rock beneath the ground.

“If Senior Brother keeps smashing like this, I fear this patch of land will collapse.”

Gu Congxing looked back upon hearing this: “Junior Brother.”

The youth in black robes leaned against the bamboo, smiling slightly. His long hair moved with the breeze, and his dark-gold eyes, beneath his bangs, reflected Gu Congxing’s figure.

The former young boy had now grown tall and slender, with handsome features, and a radiant smile that made many disciples blush.

Zhong Ming walked forward slowly and pulled out a handkerchief, intending to wipe the sweat from Gu Congxing’s face, but at this moment, another voice arrived—warm and clear.

“If this hole gets any bigger, how about I divert some living water to turn it into a spiritual spring for Congxing?”

Lan Jue arrived at Gu Congxing’s side as he spoke.

His handsome face still held the same spring-like smile, and the brilliance around him was restrained; his cultivation had improved even further.

“The Asking Dao Peak is summoning the disciples participating in the Sect Grand Competition to assemble. Two Junior Brothers, it is time for us to depart.”

Gu Congxing’s eyes lit up.

Finally, the time has come.

The moment the original book’s revenge plot begins—the beginning of the tragic fate!

This time, he would certainly turn the tide!

A man’s heart remains ironclad until death; watch me stretch out my hand to repair the cracked heavens!