Both the Master and the Demon Lord Want to Cuddle - Chapter 5

“Master! It’s terrible! Little Junior Brother is missing…” A sharp voice shattered the silence of Feixian Peak, which was shrouded in thick morning mist.

A green-clad disciple ran toward the bamboo cottage in a fluster, kicking up dust and scattering the dead bamboo leaves that danced through the sky behind him.

Outside the simple and elegant bamboo cottage, the noise was chaotic, but inside, it was as silent as an ice cavern.

A gentle breeze blew through the hall, pushing the bamboo door open.

The disciple stood rooted to the spot, bent over, panting, and looked inside. He saw Gu Qingyun sitting on a chair with an indifferent expression, brewing a pot of tea and savoring it.

His gaze tightened as he looked at the disciple.

“Why the clamor?”

Catching a glimpse of Gu Qingyun’s ethereal and extraordinary face, the disciple hurriedly lowered his head to salute, his tone breathless: “Reporting to Master, this disciple went to find Little Junior Brother for class, only to discover he was missing! I have checked the kitchen and the pond, but there is no sign of him, so I have come to report it specifically.”

A glint of light flashed in Gu Qingyun’s eyes, and he set down the cup of clear tea.

“This Venerable is already aware. You may withdraw.”

Gu Qingyun was a dragon who saw his head but not his tail; the disciples of Feixian Peak rarely had the chance to see his true appearance, save for the uniquely doted-upon Little Junior Brother, Ye Qianjue, who was fortunate enough to behold him.

This was the first time this disciple had seen Immortal Venerable Gu’s true appearance. So—Master really is like the descriptions, possessing the demeanor of an immortal!

Gu Qingyun rose and walked to the wooden window. Outside, the breeze was rustling, continuously blowing through the tips of the bamboo forest, causing a rustling sound like the snakes of the Western Regions, as if flicking their tongues.

Gu Qingyun mused: “At birth, people are like the rising sun; they climb the mountain slowly, but descend with haste. My disciple only has play on his mind.”

Saying this, he let out a soft sigh, and a hint of imperceptible sorrow appeared between his brows.

At this moment, Ye Qianjue had no idea he was about to face catastrophe. He was hiding in the gap between two small cottages, a space just large enough to conceal his body.

Looking more closely, Ye Qianjue was holding the newly adopted wolf cub, Ye Yuan, in his arms.

“Awoo awoo!”

The little wolf kept howling, dissatisfied with this treatment.

“Shh! Keep it down! Black Fur, can you be a little quieter? I escaped with so much difficulty; if someone discovers I skipped class, Master will definitely be angry. So don’t bark anymore, otherwise, you’ll be punished too.”

Ye Qianjue’s chubby, small hands hurriedly covered Ye Yuan’s mouth. The wolf cub in his arms could only let out a series of whimpers, looking extremely pitiful.

Ye Qianjue, alert and clever, poked his head out.

“Nobody found me!”

He advanced a few more steps into the narrow, cramped space, crouched down, and set Ye Yuan on the ground.

This was Ye Qianjue’s first-ever spirit pet, so he cherished it deeply!

He rubbed the wolf cub’s head—it was round and chubby, its fur remarkably soft, smooth, and silky, much like a cat’s fur, and it felt very comfortable.

At this moment, Ye Qianjue hadn’t noticed Gu Qingyun approaching slowly from not far away.

Ye Qianjue was panicking; after all, skipping class was something to be wary of. He supported his head and talked to himself.

“I’m so scared of being found by Master,  Master has been so strange lately, forcing me to learn things. I never had to learn before, I don’t like it at all!”

Ye Qianjue tilted his head and looked at Ye Yuan.

“Puppy puppy, can you grow up fast and take me away from here?”

“Oh? Leaving? Where are you going?”

A stern voice came from behind. An electric current seemed to zap Ye Qianjue from head to toe, and he immediately jumped up.

He turned back and saw his severe Master, Gu Qingyun.

Ye Qianjue, who had been badmouthing Master behind his back, was so scared his little heart almost jumped out.

He picked at his fingers in fear, looked at his Master, and stammered: “Master  Disciple didn’t mean to speak ill of you just now! Master is the best”

The clever Ye Qianjue used his usual tactic; he was sure he could muddle through this way.

But unexpectedly, Gu Qingyun didn’t buy it this time. Gu Qingyun passed Ye Qianjue and went straight to Ye Yuan.

Ye Yuan watched all of this in a daze.

What the hell? How could the flames of war reach me like this?

“Ever since you appeared, Qianjue has started skipping class, completely disregarding my words.”

Gu Qingyun said this to Ye Yuan, but it was intended for the ears of the Ye Qianjue behind him.

Ye Qianjue, too, sensed something was fishy and stood rooted to the spot, dumbfounded.

Seeing this method was effective, Gu Qingyun continued to speak to Ye Yuan: “It seems like keeping you on Feixian Peak was the wrong decision. Perhaps I should drive you down the mountain and let you be a stray dog!”

When these words were spoken, Ye Qianjue finally couldn’t hold back anymore.

He lunged forward and hugged Gu Qingyun’s thigh, his eyes brimming with moisture, pouting his red little lips, and whimpering: “Master, Master, no… no… Disciple will study hard, just don’t send my puppy away…”

Gu Qingyun crouched down, his snow-white hair blowing in the wind, looking incredibly pleasing to the eye, like a sprite of the snow-capped mountains.

He frowned and spoke patiently to Ye Qianjue: “I cannot accompany you for a lifetime; you must walk the road ahead yourself. I have thought about and done a lot these past few days.”

As he said this, Gu Qingyun extended his long, slender right index finger, pinched it lightly, and a drop of blood fell. It hurt Ye Qianjue’s heart just to see it.

He immediately grasped Gu Qingyun’s finger and blew on it, making huffing sounds: “It doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t hurt! Master is bleeding…”

Ye Qianjue, not understanding what Gu Qingyun was doing, wept copiously.

Seeing this, Gu Qingyun felt deeply moved.

He looked at Ye Qianjue tenderly and stroked his cheek.

“This is a blood-drop essence. I have turned it into a necklace for you to wear. When you face life-threatening danger, I will be able to know.”

Gu Qingyun put the necklace on Ye Qianjue.

Ye Qianjue didn’t know the significance of this necklace; he only felt heartbreak for his Master.

Seeing his precious disciple weeping, Gu Qingyun’s heart broke.

He quickly opened his palm, signaling for Ye Qianjue to see: “I am already healed, stop crying.”

Ye Qianjue, with his nose and eyes red, opened his eyes wide, then took Gu Qingyun’s index finger and inspected it back and forth.

“It’s really healed!”

Ye Yuan watched the whole thing. He looked at Gu Qingyun with a complex expression. When did this old man become so tender-hearted? How could he be so ruthless when attacking me? There is truly no justice in heaven.

However… this little milk-brat is kind-hearted. Once I regain my inner core and slaughter Feixian Peak, I will spare you then!

Gu Qingyun gathered Ye Qianjue into his arms and said in a deep voice: “You’ve had enough fun, isn’t it time to go back to class?”

It’s over, thought Ye Qianjue. He still couldn’t escape class, and his little spine slumped immediately.

He leaned against his Master’s shoulder and gave a soft “Mm.”

The pitiful Ye Qianjue was carried back to class by his Master on his sword, hugging the puppy in his arms.

Ye Qianjue jumped to the ground immediately, clutched the small wolf, and prepared to enter the schoolroom.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind: “Stop.”

Ye Qianjue broke into a cold sweat, looking back weakly at his Master, feigning confusion: “What is it, Master?”

Gu Qingyun pointed at Ye Yuan in Ye Qianjue’s arms.

“I understand…”

Ye Qianjue hung his head in defeat and, filled with reluctance, handed Ye Yuan over to Gu Qingyun.

Watching his disciple walk slowly into the schoolroom, Gu Qingyun finally let out a sigh of relief.

He looked at Ye Yuan in his arms with an unpleasant expression, then left the schoolroom.

Ye Yuan’s body went rigid; he dared not move a muscle, feeling that Gu Qingyun had ill intentions and was planning to harm him. He began to struggle and squirm, trying to escape this devil—this hypocritical, human-skinned devil who actually wanted to do something bad to a little puppy!

Really, may this Gu Qingyun die a horrible death…

“Noisy, shut up.” At Gu Qingyun’s command, Ye Yuan’s mouth was immediately sealed by magic.

Arriving at the gate of Feixian Peak, Gu Qingyun landed on a white flower petal.

The gate-guarding disciple tightened his grip on his broom, looking astonished at the Immortal Venerable who appeared like a deity.

Before he could speak, Gu Qingyun casually threw the dog into his arms.

The disciple looked at Gu Qingyun, confused.

“Master, what is the meaning of this?”

Gu Qingyun turned his head slightly. “Drive it out of Feixian Peak. If Ye Qianjue asks, just say the dog got lost on its own.”

With that, a breeze blew, and Gu Qingyun vanished, leaving behind only the bewildered gatekeeper and the Ye Yuan in his arms.

One man and one wolf stared at each other. The man said helplessly: “This was ordered by Master; don’t look at me like that, there is nothing I can do…”

Before long, Ye Yuan was driven out of Feixian Peak.

He looked up at the peaks that soared into the clouds, then down at his own four paws, feeling completely powerless.

Goddamn Gu Qingyun, no heart at all…

Ye Yuan looked at the towering mountain and muttered: “Come to think of it, it’s strange. I’ve been here for a few days, but I haven’t sensed my inner core; not even a trace of a response. It’s truly strange… Could it be that this wretch Gu Qingyun cast a spell on my inner core to hide its aura?”

“…That must be it!”

The first bell of the schoolroom rang. Ye Qianjue was the first to rush out of the room, leaving the teacher and his fellow Senior Brothers and Sisters behind.

Bai Xiuzhu and Bai Fulan exchanged looks.

“What is Little Junior Brother rushing off to do?”

Bai Xiuzhu shrugged and shook his head.

“Puppy, my puppy, I’m coming!”

Ye Qianjue ran crazily, panting as he raced back to Feixian Peak, slipping into his room at the very first opportunity.

He looked all around but couldn’t find a trace of the dog. He scratched his head in confusion: “Where is my dog? Could it be at Master’s place? Right, it must be at Master’s place! I’ll go get it back!”

The persistent Ye Qianjue ran back to Gu Qingyun’s room. Seeing the tightly shut door, he reached out with his fair little hand and pounded on it.

“Master, open the door, it’s Jue’er, I’m here to get my dog, Master!”

The bamboo door opened. Gu Qingyun stood before the door, looking down at the anxious Ye Qianjue, his face impassive and indifferent as he returned to the tea table.

Ye Qianjue stepped one foot into the room and his eyes couldn’t help but peek everywhere. He looked left, then right, lifted the bottom of the table, ran to Gu Qingyun’s bed to rummage around messily, and then opened the cupboard to the side.

None of them were there!

He pouted his little lips, walked back in front of Gu Qingyun with small steps, and asked with his hands on his hips in a fit of rage: “Master, where is my dog?”

Gu Qingyun coughed twice and put down the tea set, his eyes bright and clear, containing not a shred of deception.

“I have temporarily left it with the gate-guarding disciple.”

Hearing that his Master hadn’t thrown the puppy away, the heavy stone in Ye Qianjue’s heart finally fell.

Without a second word, he headed toward the peak gate.

“Senior Brother! I’m here for my puppy.”

That disciple, having received Gu Qingyun’s instructions in advance, didn’t dare to defy his Master’s orders. He scratched his face awkwardly, pointed toward the bottom of the mountain, and said with a stutter: “That… it was an accident… the dog got lost…”

Ye Qianjue exclaimed: “Lost? How could it get lost!”