Reborn As The Short-Lived White Moonlight of the Tragic, Powerful Male Lead - Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Xie Lanting Licked All the Blood From His Fingers, Bit by Bit.

Gu Yunqi and Chu Qi were both startled. Chu Qi felt it was probably too late to run.

Usually, when a person is about to wake up, their breathing pattern changes. He hadn’t felt any shift in Xie Lanting’s breath—unless Xie Lanting had been faking sleep this whole time.

Did the incense fail? While the two were gripped by doubt, they suddenly realized Xie Lanting’s state was abnormal.

Gu Yunqi was the first to notice. As he met Xie Lanting’s eyes, he saw that the pupils lacked focus. He seemed to be in a trance, his mind drifting in some unknown void.

Chu Qi boldly stepped forward and waved a hand in front of Xie Lanting’s face. Xie Lanting didn’t even blink; he truly didn’t see him.

Chu Qi sighed in relief: “Is the Immortal Lord… sleepwalking?”

Gu Yunqi frowned. “The Pure Dream Incense doesn’t cause sleepwalking.”

“Of course not,” Chu Qi vouched for his own tools. “It’s therapeutic, beneficial for both body and mind.”

As they spoke, Xie Lanting suddenly reached out and hooked his arms around Gu Yunqi’s neck. Gu Yunqi was pulled downward; he instinctively straightened his back, causing Xie Lanting to be lifted with him, half-hanging onto Gu Yunqi’s body.

Chu Qi: “Whoa.”

The secret guards in the shadows began reaching for their melon seeds.

With the Immortal Lord suddenly throwing himself into his arms, Gu Yunqi didn’t know where to put his hands. Chu Qi whispered a reminder: “You can’t startle him. If you do, it could cause heart palpitations at best, or mental derangement at worst… Though he’d recover eventually, I don’t think you’d have the heart for it, Young Master.”

Xie Lanting had already leaned into Gu Yunqi’s ear. His breath brushed against the skin of the neck. Gu Yunqi, following the “do not startle” rule, sent a direct mental transmission to the gossiping Chu Qi: “Stop talking and tell me what to do!”

Chu Qi didn’t care that the mental shout was loud; his philosophy was life is hard, enjoy the show. He replied: “Just put him back and wait for him to close his eyes and fall back asleep.”

Gu Yunqi endured the heat by his ear, placing one hand on Xie Lanting’s waist and the other on his arm, preparing to gently pry him away. However, Xie Lanting’s head pressed closer to his neck, nuzzling the fabric of his collar aside, and he extended his tongue—

He gave Gu Yunqi’s neck a soft lick.

Gu Yunqi froze instantly. A jolt like electricity surged through him, numbing half his body.

In the shadows, the secret guards started cracking their melon seeds with blatant, rhythmic thuds!

Scandalous, beautiful—keep it coming!

Gu Yunqi heard the crackling of the seeds and felt Xie Lanting’s lips still pressed against his neck. His mind was a mess of fury and haze—fury at the spectators, and a hazy heat from Xie Lanting. The Immortal Lord’s tongue was warm and soft; Gu Yunqi, who feared no blades, found himself defeated by this tenderness.

Gu Yunqi’s face turned red all the way to his ears: “You lot—”

However, while he was paralyzed, Xie Lanting suddenly opened his mouth and bit down!

This wasn’t a playful nibble; it was a heavy, genuine bite. It was so sudden that Gu Yunqi let out a muffled groan. Chu Qi, who had been enjoying the show a second ago, instantly lunged toward Xie Lanting’s side with incredible speed, only to be blocked by Gu Yunqi’s hand.

“It’s fine.”

Chu Qi frowned but withdrew.

Xie Lanting’s bite was so hard it felt like he wanted to tear away a piece of flesh. But after Gu Yunqi’s groan, the pressure on his neck suddenly loosened.

Xie Lanting pulled back slightly, looking dazed. He seemed afraid to bite again, yet he couldn’t stop himself from leaning back toward the crook of Gu Yunqi’s neck.

A thought flashed through Gu Yunqi’s mind: He’s afraid of hurting me.

There was no logic to it, but the thought persisted.

The unfocused Xie Lanting was acting purely on instinct. He pulled away, clearly wanting to get close again but suppressing the urge. Gu Yunqi touched his neck, watching Xie Lanting’s behavior, his mind racing:

Biting, flesh… does he want to eat me?

And it was directed only at him. Chu Qi was standing right there, yet he didn’t command a shred of Xie Lanting’s attention.

The theory was startling and perhaps groundless, so Gu Yunqi decided to test it. He made a small cut on his own finger and tentatively offered it to Xie Lanting. Xie Lanting finally stopped aiming for his neck and was drawn to the finger instead.

Then, Xie Lanting leaned in and slowly licked the blood from Gu Yunqi’s finger, bit by bit.

He held Gu Yunqi’s hand with a sort of obsession, like a child with a sugar sculpture. The surface blood wasn’t enough; he took the finger into his mouth and began to suck the blood directly.

As his small wound was enveloped by warm pressure, Gu Yunqi couldn’t tell if it was pain or numbness. His other hand, resting on his knee, gripped the fabric of his robe into tight wrinkles.

Chu Qi watched, his face flushing. He didn’t know whether to stay or leave. Xie Lanting’s condition was wrong, so leaving felt irresponsible; but the Immortal Lord’s face, combined with that obsessed expression and his actions, was too lethal. Watching this from such a close distance felt… inappropriate.

The other guards felt the same. They had gone through a roller coaster of emotions in a short time.

The No. 1 Beauty’s reputation was well-deserved. Even those used to Gu Yunqi’s handsome face were stunned by Xie Lanting. Right now, he wore an intoxicated expression he would never show normally, his face flushed as if by wine. Just looking at him made one’s heart race.

The guards couldn’t imagine how “lethal” the experience must be for Gu Yunqi, the participant.

The veins on Gu Yunqi’s hand on his knee stood out from the force of his grip, but the hand held by Xie Lanting remained relaxed, surrendering to the Immortal Lord’s whims.

After about fifteen minutes, Xie Lanting finally released Gu Yunqi’s finger. The wound was small, and he hadn’t consumed much blood, but he seemed satisfied. He lay back down and closed his eyes, falling into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Gu Yunqi withdrew his finger, unable to stop himself from rubbing the skin. Chu Qi retreated to the corner, quickly professing his innocence: “I saw nothing!”

Gu Yunqi pulled the blanket over Xie Lanting, his voice eerily calm: “And why did he do that?”

He had never heard of a sleepwalking condition that required drinking blood to settle down.

Chu Qi shook his head. Xie Lanting’s behavior was beyond his expertise. “I truly didn’t diagnose any other issues.”

“Xiao Qingfeng said he was a medical cultivator and checked his pulse twice. He didn’t mention any hidden ailments either.”

Or perhaps… he knows something but didn’t say it? And he only settled down after drinking my blood…

Gu Yunqi felt the heat returning to his neck and finger. The images he’d tried to banish came flooding back—along with the sensation.

Gu Yunqi stood up and pushed the door open.

Chu Qi hurried after him. Outside, it was pouring rain. The guards hiding in the shadows used their spiritual power to deflect the water, yet Gu Yunqi used none, letting the rain soak him to the bone.

Chu Qi was confused: “Young Master?”

Gu Yunqi said coolly: “Go guard the Immortal Lord. I need to stand in the rain.”

Standing in the rain… is this some new cultivation method?

In the dark, Fifteen grabbed Chu Er by the collar: “Did you teach the Young Master something weird again?”

“Impossible!” Chu Er cried out, aggrieved. “I’m a perfectly normal person!”

Fifteen looked skeptical: “Are you?”

Chu Er: “I am!”

Then why has the Young Master become like this?

After thinking it over, they decided to blame it all on that bastard Gu Bo.

…

The storm lasted half the night, but the next day was sunny. Xie Lanting woke up feeling refreshed. Gu Yunqi wasn’t in the room, but the water in the basin was still warm, and breakfast was on the table. A note left behind said he had business to attend to and would return by noon.

How thoughtful.

His young attendant was often clumsy, but Gu Yunqi was meticulous and knew how to take care of someone.

Xie Lanting pondered: After the divorce, I should develop more connections so I can introduce Gu Yunqi to a good Daoist companion. What if they hit it off?

Gu Yunqi was truly his type. If it weren’t for the original story where Xie Lanting died mysteriously by Gu Yunqi’s side, he would have definitely given it a shot… A pity.

Xie Lanting didn’t yet realize a simple truth: the heart doesn’t care about your plans.

Breakfast wasn’t fancy, but it was warm and tasty. After eating, Xie Lanting took out his communication jade and contacted Gu Yunqi.

It was quiet on Gu Yunqi’s end. Xie Lanting said: “I want to redecorate the room and swap out some of the furniture. Is that okay?”

After all, this was the home of Gu Yunqi’s parents; even an inconspicuous item might hold memories. Xie Lanting, considering himself a guest, was being mindful.

Gu Yunqi didn’t hesitate: “You can.”

After his parents died, Gu Bo had scoured every corner associated with them, including this small house. The servants had followed suit, looting anything Gu Bo didn’t want. The room’s current layout was nothing like the original, though Gu Yunqi could still recall how it once looked.

With permission, Xie Lanting got to work.

He pushed the display shelf back to its original position and placed a shimmering screen between the bed and the low table. He swapped Gu Yunqi’s low couch for a warm jade daybed—the jade was rich in spiritual energy, perfect for meditation. The room was too small, otherwise, he had an even larger one in his storage.

He replaced the table and chairs with snow-scented wood and the tea set with flower-blue porcelain. He filled the display shelf with ceramics, paintings, and ornaments that looked incredibly expensive. After one lap, the room was completely transformed; it was just short of tearing the wood down and rebuilding.

The secret guards watched, dazed. From every corner of the new layout, they saw only one thing: Wealth.

Chu Yi took a breath and turned to Fifteen: “Brother, if I’m wrong, tell me. That wood carving the Immortal Lord just put on the shelf… that’s Songshan wood, right?”

“Songshan wood. Pleasant scent, used for alchemy and incense. It stabilizes the mind and consolidates the sea of consciousness. Burning just a sliver during cultivation yields double the results. You couldn’t buy an ounce of it if you sold Chu Er. Only the rich and reckless would carve it into a decoration. You’re not wrong.”

Fifteen did the math in his head and looked serious. “Don’t call him Immortal Lord anymore. Call him Young Mistress.”

Chu Er didn’t care about being used as a currency. He murmured: “Does the Young Mistress need any accessories? The human-shaped kind that can eat and sleep?”

“Even if he did, it wouldn’t be you,” Chu Yi said. “I’m more suitable. I know how to make people happy.”

Fifteen snorted: “With me here, you two don’t even have a chance.”

The three bantered for a while, but their voices eventually trailed off. Finally, one of them sighed: “At least the Young Master can live a bit more comfortably now.”

They had seen how hard Gu Yunqi’s life had been all these years. Now, with Xie Lanting here, he could finally live well openly.

“Having a Daoist companion is great,” Chu Yi thought. “We have to protect the Young Mistress well.”

Chu Er nodded: “So we definitely can’t let the Young Mistress know that on the second day of the marriage, the Young Master went secretly to the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion.”

The most famous brothel in Nanlin City.

Chu Yi and Fifteen glared at him like knives. Chu Er was confused: “What I said is true, even if the Young Master is there for business.”

“Going to the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion for ‘business’,” Chu Yi muttered. “Why does that sound so wrong coming from your mouth? What kind of ‘business’ does a man have in a brothel? You should say the Young Master is there to handle that kind of business.”

Fifteen: “…” Every one of you is making it sound worse.

“Enough, shut up,” Fifteen said coldly. “As long as you don’t go wailing in front of the Young Mistress, he’ll never know.”