Reborn As The Short-Lived White Moonlight of the Tragic, Powerful Male Lead - Chapter 15

Chapter 15

“Immortal Lord, I have come to receive you.”

Xie Lanting had a hazy dream. He stood in the middle of a lake under a perfect night sky. By the shore stood a pavilion where someone was drinking alone.

The person’s face was hidden in the shadows, but he could vaguely discern it was a man. Despite the obscured features, Xie Lanting felt an inexplicable sense of profound sadness emanating from him.

A heavy sense of oppression and loneliness filled the dream, making it hard for him to breathe. He tried to move closer, but his feet were rooted to the spot. Looking down, he saw only the reflection of the full moon in the lake—he was not there.

Xie Lanting’s hands began to tremble uncontrollably. He opened his mouth, desperate to say something, but an invisible force blocked his throat. He was merely a shadow, a shadow that belonged nowhere.

The man seemed to sense something and looked up. Before their eyes could meet, a wind swept across the lake, the ripples shattering the moonlight. The ground beneath Xie Lanting vanished, and he plummeted. In that moment of weightless despair, he opened his eyes and woke with a pounding headache.

He gasped for air, waiting for the suffocating sensation to fade. Propping himself up, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: no wonder he couldn’t breathe in the dream—his young attendant was sitting by the bed, half his body slumped over Xie Lanting, fast asleep.

Someone reached out to support him, helping him lean against the headboard. Xie Lanting looked at the person and called out, “Sect Master Senior Brother.”

Mu Ci, the Sect Master of the Royal Sword Sect, touched his forehead. “The fever is gone. You were burning up while you slept; you gave the boy a real fright. He ran to find me and hasn’t left your side since.”

Xie Lanting glanced outside. It was daytime when he returned, but now night had fallen. After his rest, he felt much better. He took the tea Mu Ci poured for him and moistened his throat before speaking: “It must have been hard on you too, Senior Brother, watching over me.”

If Mu Ci knew the boy had been there the whole time, wasn’t it because he had been there too?

Mu Ci withdrew his hand and remained silent for a long time. Finally, he stifled a sigh. “Your Senior Brother is useless. I couldn’t protect you.”

Mu Ci was a kind-hearted man of average cultivation. The previous Sect Master had chosen him as successor for his temperament, but he gradually lost control over the elders. When Xie Lanting was at the Transformation Stage, the others knew how to restrain themselves. But as soon as his cultivation was damaged, the “demons and monsters” broke free. Liu Qifeng and his ilk rose to power, leaving Mu Ci in a constant state of distress.

“It hasn’t been easy for you either, Senior Brother.” Xie Lanting understood his situation perfectly. “To repay our Master’s kindness, you lead the sect, and I protect it. I can leave, but what about you? Will you be trapped in this seat forever?”

Mu Ci knew this all too well. “But if no one stays, the sect will fall entirely under Junior Brother Liu’s control. Heaven knows what it would become. I do what little I can.”

“Initially, I thought your running away was a good thing. Who would have thought…”

When Xie Lanting found that leaving the sect was easier than expected, he knew Mu Ci had helped in the shadows. Mu Ci had a handsome face, but it was perpetually clouded with worry. Xie Lanting offered a “blunt” consolation: “It’s fine, it’s fine. Even if I get married, I can always get a divorce. It’s not a big deal.”

The problem was, in fact, a very big deal—this was the high-risk “White Moonlight” seat!

Mu Ci didn’t know the full gravity of the situation, but he knew Xie Lanting was trying to find humor in misery. He couldn’t help but chuckle. “You…”

He shook his head with a smile. “You’ve been transparent and open-minded since you were a child, always more resilient than others. But you always swallow the bitterness yourself. I truly am a failure as your eldest brother.”

“Don’t say that. Since Master passed, you’re the one who has loved me the most.”

Hearing this only made Mu Ci feel worse: What use was love? He still had to watch helplessly as Xie Lanting was married off like a pawn, losing his freedom.

Xie Lanting finished his tea. Mu Ci, meticulous as ever, took the cup. Watching him, Xie Lanting couldn’t help but ask a question he had been holding in for a long time: “Senior Brother, do you think I’ve changed at all?”

“Hm? You’ve always been like this.”

Always been like this. Xie Lanting chewed on those words. There were things he couldn’t say: After he crossed over, the attendant who served him for years didn’t think he changed. The Senior Brother who saw him grow up didn’t think he changed. Wasn’t that a problem in itself?

Initially, after digesting the original owner’s memories, Xie Lanting felt that the Immortal Lord’s personality wasn’t just similar to his own—it was identical. He had assumed it was just a coincidence.

However, on the way back from Purple Flower Town, something happened that made him start re-evaluating himself.

He had encountered a robbery. Bandits were attacking a scholar. The scholar turned out to be a ruthless sort; by the time Xie Lanting arrived, the scholar had wrestled a blade away and killed the bandit in a counterattack.

Xie Lanting thought he wasn’t needed, but he ended up staying with the scholar for half an hour. It was the scholar’s first time killing someone, and the reaction was so intense that Xie Lanting had to stay and help him calm down.

It was only after seeing the scholar move from shock to absolute terror that Xie Lanting realized his own strangeness.

As a “good youth” raised in a civilized society, he had never broken the law, treated people and animals with kindness, and was quite compassionate. Why then, did he naturally plan to eliminate a villain, and feel absolutely nothing after killing Baili Wuhen?

The scholar’s reaction was that of a normal person killing for the first time. His was not.

After the initial confusion, he felt a strange fear of himself.

Whether he was naturally cold-hearted without knowing it, or he was being assimilated by the world after his crossing—neither possibility was good. Because of this, his desire to return to his original world flared up again, and the loneliness and panic he had suppressed filled his heart.

Especially now that the escape had failed… Xie Lanting looked at his empty palms. It felt as if this world was pushing him down a predetermined path.

Mu Ci reached out and squeezed his hand. “Lanting, I know you’re suffering. I will do my absolute best to help you. If there is anything I can do, just say the word.”

Xie Lanting’s fingertips twitched as he offered a smile. “Senior Brother, really, don’t feel guilty.”

—If fate wanted him to follow a set script, then he would be the one to shatter this damn fate.

Win or lose, live or die—one has to fight to find out.

…

The days flew by. Ever since his failed escape, Liu Qifeng and Shudao had kept a close watch. With the poison not yet fully cleared, Xie Lanting appeared much more “obedient.” He cooperated with whatever marriage arrangements they made. As long as those two didn’t come looking for trouble in front of him, he treated them as if they didn’t exist.

When the second dose of the antidote arrived, Xie Lanting gave them ten chests. This time, they weren’t nested boxes; they were full of genuine treasures, though they were a drop in the bucket compared to the total dowry and gifts.

Liu Qifeng wasn’t in a hurry, believing he had Xie Lanting under his thumb. After all, the Immortal Lord spent his years cultivating within the sect and only left to fight. He had few social connections. People remembered his face from fleeting glimpses but didn’t know him, so they collectively imagined a “cold and aloof” persona for him.

Liu Qifeng didn’t believe that in the few days Xie Lanting was hiding during his escape, he could have made any friends—let alone a friend capable of providing an antidote. Haha, impossible! So, he was quite at ease.

Overconfidence is a dangerous thing.

In the blink of an eye, the wedding day arrived.

Xie Lanting was dressed in full wedding regalia. This was far more complex than the simple outer robe he’d worn in Purple Flower Town. Liu Qifeng had spent a fortune to ensure the optics were perfect: a wide-sleeved brocade robe of the finest “Scent-Draped Silk,” which cost a thousand gold per foot, embroidered with golden threads depicting cranes dancing amidst auspicious clouds.

A gold-rimmed belt cinched his waist perfectly. A whole room of attendants assisted him; styling his hair alone took an hour. Every strand was meticulously placed. With a golden crown on his head and white jade at his waist, everything was festive, grand, and magnificent.

The attendants, both male and female, found themselves blushing from start to finish while looking at his face. They clearly wanted to look more but didn’t dare be too obvious, stealing shy glances instead.

When the makeup was finished, he looked like a gentleman of the wind, a feast of red plum blossoms. Even the young attendant, who was used to seeing him, stared in a daze.

His face was like the mid-autumn moon, his complexion like spring flowers at dawn. He was as beautiful as a painting, appearing not of this mortal world.

Xie Lanting had to call him back to reality. “Snap out of it.”

The boy shook his head quickly, covering his burning cheeks. He looked at the others in the room; their expressions were no better than his.

The No. 1 Beauty of the Cultivation World truly lived up to the name.

“I didn’t want to bring you with me. I can barely protect myself, so I can’t guarantee your safety,” Xie Lanting said. “But leaving you at the Royal Sword Sect isn’t a good choice either. Have you thought it through? Do you really want to come with me?”

The boy grabbed Xie Lanting’s arm and held on tight. “I’m going with Senior Brother Xie! You love to eat and you’re so picky; how could you manage without me?”

The child pursed his lips, pulling at him with stubborn determination. Xie Lanting’s eyes softened. Just as he was about to speak, the cranes outside began to cry in unison.

The cranes were pulling the flying carriage, signaling that it was time to depart. Xie Lanting looked up and swallowed his remaining words. “Then, let us go.”

Shudao saw Xie Lanting at the sect gates. The Immortal Lord stood proud in his brilliant red robes, his expression calm, showing none of the misery or resentment of someone being forced. But the more graceful and unbothered he appeared, the more Shudao hated it. Looking at the man who commanded everyone’s attention, Shudao’s nails dug deep into his palms.

He slowly loosened his fists and stepped forward to help Xie Lanting into the carriage, but Xie Lanting dodged him—a very direct avoidance that left Shudao’s hand frozen in mid-air and his fake smile stiff on his face.

Mu Ci, acting as if he were guarding a precious treasure, quickly took Xie Lanting’s hand instead. Seeing this, Shudao sneered inwardly but withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened, saying warmly, “Senior Brother, if life is ever hard in the future, remember to tell me. We are fellow disciples; I won’t let outsiders bully you. I will stand up for you.”

Xie Lanting smiled back, a beautiful, dazzling smile. “If you care so much, why not marry into the Gu family with me? We can see each other every day. Whenever someone looks for trouble, you can step up for me, and I’ll cheer you on.”

Shudao’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “No need. I don’t have the fortune to be wed to the Young Master of the Gu family.”

Xie Lanting let out a sharp “heh.” “Indeed. You don’t have that fortune.”

Gu Yunqi of the Gu family—is he someone you could ever hope to climb up to?

The Immortal Lord entered the carriage. White cranes cried out as ten miles of red dowry were laid out. Music pierced the sky as the wedding procession ascended above the clouds, accompanied by auspicious mists.

It was a bright, clear day, though a few claps of thunder echoed in the distance. Xie Lanting thought it was quite fitting: a “bolt from the blue,” as they say.

At this moment, he had no idea that he was about to be shocked as if truly struck by lightning.

The Royal Sword Sect had spared no expense; the spectacle was immense. The procession descended grandly from the heavens, coming to a halt before the gates of the Gu family in Nanlin. Xie Lanting, who had been lulled into a drowse by the comfortable carriage, finally sharpened his focus upon landing.

The boy lifted the curtain, and a hand was extended toward Xie Lanting. Red silk wrapped around a fair wrist—it was a wedding robe. Therefore, the owner of this hand was Gu Yunqi.

Xie Lanting braced himself and looked up, curious to see if the unique protagonist of this world was as stunning as the books described. He thought to himself: If he’s not as attractive as Wenren Yun, I’m getting a raw deal.

Then he looked up and saw Wenren Yun standing before him in a wedding robe.

Xie Lanting: “…”

Xie Lanting: “!!???”

Gu Yunqi, having shed his disguise, stood under the vast clear sky. In his burning red robes, he looked like a peerless gentleman. He reached out his hand to Xie Lanting.

“Immortal Lord, I have come to receive you.”