Everyone Says I’m Cold and Aloof, But I Just Have Social Anxiety! - Chapter 15

Since Yan Luochen currently had no spiritual energy in his body, the light produced during the test was faint and weak. The crowd remained ignorant of his exact cultivation level; only Gu Yuan and his son, Gu Qingzhi, knew the truth.

The various Peak Masters could sense that something was slightly amiss, but they did not comment further.

Gu Qingzhi stood quietly by Gu Yuan’s side throughout the proceedings, not engaging with anyone else. After Yan Luochen completed the formal apprenticeship rites, Jian Han stepped forward with poise and introduced himself: “Yan Luochen, is it? From now on, I am your Big Senior Brother. My name is Jian Han.”

Jian Han’s thoughts were simple: he had to make every effort to win over the Master’s new little disciple. After all, the habitually aloof Gu Qingzhi wouldn’t care about such things anyway.

What he didn’t know, however, was that Yan Luochen and Gu Qingzhi were already on the best of terms, and that from now on, Yan Luochen would be under Gu Qingzhi’s “discipline.”

Yan Luochen responded appropriately, “Greetings, Big Senior Brother!”

Jian Han patted Yan Luochen on the shoulder and said with a smile, “Little Junior Brother, if there is anything you do not understand here at the Yuqing Immortal Sect, feel free to come and ask me.”

Yan Luochen nodded. “Thank you, Big Senior Brother.”

Jian Han was casting a smug glance toward Gu Qingzhi when he realized Yan Luochen had caught him in the act.

Yan Luochen subconsciously called out to Gu Qingzhi, “Qingzhi… wait, I should call you ‘Senior Brother’ now. I’ll be your Little Junior Brother from now on; please look after me.”

In a rare move, Gu Qingzhi actually let the corners of his mouth turn up slightly, revealing a faint smile in front of everyone. This single gesture sent a shockwave through the crowd!

“Holy crap, so the cold and aloof Senior Brother Gu actually knows how to smile? He’s even more handsome now…” “Yeah, this is the first time I’ve ever seen Senior Brother Gu smile!” “What a bunch of fan-girls!” “I like him and I’m happy about it, is it any of your business?” “…”

Gu Qingzhi: “…”

He desperately wanted everything to end so he could leave immediately and return to his own quarters. There were too many people here; being stared at by so many eyes was truly uncomfortable.

Jian Han, hearing Yan Luochen’s words, finally snapped out of it. He felt his face burning with embarrassment so these two had known each other all along…

Heh, truly… rare indeed!

Yan Luochen, keenly sensing Gu Qingzhi’s awkwardness, stepped in to smooth things over. “Uncles, Seniors, and fellow disciples, I have just joined the sect and have many matters to consult my Senior Brother about. We shall take our leave first.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he pulled Gu Qingzhi along and hurried away.

Gu Qingzhi breathed a silent sigh of relief as the two walked toward their residence together. Seeing this, the crowd became even more astonished, finding the whole affair quite bizarre.

In the past twenty years, no one had ever seen Gu Qingzhi speak more than a single sentence to anyone, let alone interact with someone or share a courtyard. Everyone found it inconceivable.

Some people remarked, “So it turns out Senior Brother isn’t as cold and heartless as he looks. Why couldn’t I be the one he interacts with?” “In your dreams! It’s broad daylight and you’re already daydreaming.” “What’s wrong with thinking about it? You’re meddling too much.” “…”

In contrast, Sect Master Gu Yuan watched the two walking away with a look of immense gratification.

He Lan-ci couldn’t help but look at Gu Yuan and ask, “Second Junior Brother, your son actually knows how to get along with people like that now?”

Su Baizhi chimed in from the side, “Indeed, Second Senior Brother. In all these years, this is the very first time we’ve seen it.”

Gu Yuan laughed it off, responding, “Well, people always grow up, after all~”

He had never mentioned to anyone the revelation he received two years ago at the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion—that his son was missing half of his soul. Firstly, he felt there was no need to make it public; secondly, he wanted to protect his son. Now that the half-soul had returned and the spirit was whole, there was even less reason to bring up the past.

At night, Gu Qingzhi was sitting peacefully on his bed, cross-legged with his eyes closed. Suddenly, he felt a subtle ripple of spiritual energy coming from Yan Luochen’s room next door.

His heart tightened. Sensing something was wrong, he quickly got up to check.

He pushed the door open gently to see Yan Luochen surrounded by a faint golden light; he was attempting to recover his spiritual energy. Gu Qingzhi did not interrupt, standing quietly to the side to guard him.

However, no matter how hard Yan Luochen tried, the spiritual energy refused to merge into his body, merely circling and lingering around him. As minutes turned to hours, Yan Luochen began to feel his strength failing. Large beads of sweat rolled down his face one after another.

Suddenly, he could no longer hold on. He snapped his eyes open and violently spat out a mouthful of blood.

Seeing this, Gu Qingzhi immediately stepped in to help steady his mind. He also didn’t forget to cast a Cleansing Spell to remove the bloodstains and impurities from Yan Luochen’s body.

“Junior Brother, how are you?” “I told you we would seek an antidote at the Danxia Sect. Why must you subject yourself to this suffering?”

Yan Luochen spoke with difficulty, forced a bitter smile, and said, “Senior Brother, truth be told, I have wanted to try for a long time. I was only worried that if something went wrong before, I would fall into the hands of the Prince of Anyang.”

“Now that I have this sect as a sanctuary, and with you by my side, I couldn’t help but want to give it a try.”

Hearing this, Gu Qingzhi fell silent. He walked to the table, poured a cup of water, and handed it to him. After Yan Luochen drank it, Gu Qingzhi said softly, “Get some rest first.”

Yan Luochen obediently lay down and slowly closed his eyes, his face still pale. Gu Qingzhi gazed at him, feeling a trace of heartache and a bit of helplessness. He stood guard by the bed for a while until he was certain Yan Luochen was sound asleep before stepping out of the room with light, careful footsteps.

Once he sensed Gu Qingzhi had left, Yan Luochen slowly opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth curving upward. He didn’t know why, but he felt exceptionally refreshed. Only then did he truly close his eyes and fall into a deep sleep.

When he woke up, the day was already bright, and the crisp chirping of birds drifted in from the window. He felt that while his body was still weak, his mental state was much better.

He sat up and saw a bowl of still-warm medicinal soup and some food by the bed. The medicine had been requested by Gu Qingzhi early that morning from Su Baizhi at Yaozhu Peak. Su Baizhi was highly skilled in medicine, and the disciples of Yaozhu Peak were mostly medical cultivators; all the necessary medicinal herbs of the sect were stored there.

Yan Luochen guessed instantly that Gu Qingzhi had prepared this for him, and his heart was filled with gratitude.

Just then, Gu Qingzhi walked in. Seeing him awake, he asked, “How do you feel?”

Yan Luochen smiled. “Much better. Thank you, Senior Brother.”

Gu Qingzhi nodded. “That’s good. Recoup properly these next few days. Do not act rashly again.”

Yan Luochen complied, “Don’t worry, Senior Brother. I certainly won’t.”

In the afternoon, the weather was beautiful. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows across the courtyard. Yan Luochen and Gu Qingzhi strolled to the pavilion. A gentle breeze blew past, bringing a sense of comfort.

Yan Luochen noticed the ancient zither placed in the pavilion. Curiosity flashed in his eyes as he turned to Gu Qingzhi. “Senior Brother, I saw this zither the day I arrived. Do you know how to play?”

Gu Qingzhi was momentarily stunned by the question and didn’t answer immediately.

In his memories, the “original” owner of this body was indeed capable of playing the zither and would often do so in this pavilion when alone and idle. Many disciples had heard the music and wanted to come see, but upon realizing it was Senior Brother Gu’s courtyard, they were deterred and dared not approach.

Yet, at this moment, Gu Qingzhi felt the sensation was very strange. He had clearly never touched this zither himself, yet deep in his heart, there was an inexplicable sense of familiarity as if he should know how to play.

Gu Qingzhi couldn’t help but walk slowly toward the ancient zither and sit down.