Reborn As The Short-Lived White Moonlight of the Tragic, Powerful Male Lead - Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Immortal Lord, I Am Your Dog!

He took Gu Yunqi’s hand and hopped onto the shore first. The two used their spiritual energy to steam the moisture off their bodies.

Xie Lanting tried to learn how to drag himself along the land using his tail. However, being a mermaid for the first time, he had no experience; his center of gravity was unstable, and he tumbled straight forward—

Fortunately, Gu Yunqi was right in front of him. Xie Lanting fell directly into his arms.

Gu Yunqi supported him with both hands. Xie Lanting moved his tail, feeling extremely uncomfortable. “Give me some time and I can adapt, but there are too many people here. We need to leave first.”

In a secret realm, unless you intend to do something nefarious or huddle together for warmth, you should stay far away from strangers. Gu Yunqi agreed and attempted to fly with his sword, only to find it impossible. The secret realm had its own laws; at the very least, they could only travel on foot here.

Xie Lanting’s tail clearly wasn’t going to let him lead a quick departure. Gu Yunqi asked, “Should I carry you on my back?”

Xie Lanting agreed.

However, they overlooked one point: carrying someone requires a specific method. When a person has two legs, the one doing the carrying just needs to reach back and hook their arms under the other person’s knees. But a fish has only one tail. Gu Yunqi reached back to support the tail, but his hand slipped right off the scales and stopped squarely at the hips.

The legs were gone, but the buttocks were still there. Both hands happened to get a full grasp.

Gu Yunqi: “!”

Xie Lanting: “!”

Gu Yunqi: “…I didn’t do it on purpose.”

Xie Lanting: “…I know.”

He attempted to bend his fish tail slightly to make it easier for Gu Yunqi to move his hands down to support it. But the moment he moved, Gu Yunqi’s hands were carried further up instead, nearly sliding under his clothes!

“Stop, stop! Wait!”

Xie Lanting hurriedly called a halt. Gu Yunqi set him down, looking a bit flustered, but when he looked up, he saw the tips of Xie Lanting’s ears turning red.

…It was rare to see the Immortal Lord look embarrassed.

You couldn’t blame Xie Lanting. No matter how thick your skin is, there’s a limit. Moreover, he didn’t know if it was his imagination, but his tail felt much more sensitive; being touched there repeatedly made his ears flush uncontrollably.

Xie Lanting gave a dry cough, trying to sound composed. “I’ll think of another way.”

Gu Yunqi placed a hand on his shoulder. “Immortal Lord, I think I see people fighting over there.”

Gu Yunqi’s speaking pace quickened: “So we should leave this place quickly.”

Xie Lanting was about to turn his head to look when he found himself suddenly hoisted into the air. Startled, he instinctively reached for a support—and ended up wrapping his arms around Gu Yunqi’s neck.

It turned out Gu Yunqi’s actions were just as fast as his speech. He hooked one arm around Xie Lanting’s shoulders and the other under the curve of the tail, picking Xie Lanting up in a horizontal carry.

Or, more accurately, picking up the whole fish.

Being carried bridal-style for the first time in his life, Xie Lanting felt more dazed than shy. By the time he regained his senses, Gu Yunqi had already carried him a long distance away.

Xie Lanting: Carrying… is also a solution.

Compared to having his backside handled, this bit of awkwardness was practically nothing. The Immortal Lord truly had a “big heart”; he immediately accepted the fact of being carried like a princess. He even actively looped one arm around Gu Yunqi’s neck and used the other to balance himself, adjusting to a comfortable position that also allowed Gu Yunqi to hold him more steadily.

He was very close to Gu Yunqi’s chest just now and heard his heartbeat. It was very fast. Xie Lanting asked, puzzled: “Tired?”

Gu Yunqi flatly denied it: “No.”

And he pulled Xie Lanting a bit tighter.

Right, Xie Lanting thought. He wasn’t that heavy, and they were both cultivators; it shouldn’t be enough to make someone breathless after a few steps. It was probably just the normal acceleration of the heart during exercise.

Xie Lanting straightened up, taking the opportunity to scout the path.

Luminous shells were visible everywhere, some so gargantuan their edges couldn’t be seen. Vividly colored corals were stacked in layers, towering high enough to touch the clouds—well, maybe not clouds, because the entire sky was a bright curtain of light with no visible clouds or stars.

The dazzling scenery was magnificent, looking exactly like a fantasy underwater world.

However, aside from the place where they had come ashore, they didn’t see any other large bodies of water. Everyone here was breathing air.

Xie Lanting let Gu Yunqi carry him for a while until he felt they were far enough. He tapped Gu Yunqi’s shoulder to let him put him down.

The scales felt slightly cool. Having been carried all this way, the places where Gu Yunqi’s palms had pressed were now warm. Their temperatures had synchronized. Once he set him down and his hands were empty, Gu Yunqi rubbed his fingers together; they felt hollow, and he was a bit loath to let go.

Xie Lanting bent his tail, lifting his fluke high and struggling to find his balance. After shuffling forward a bit with Gu Yunqi’s support, he was finally able to move independently.

There were two methods: either hopping or swaying his tail to glide along, which required his waist to swing as well.

Since there was no emergency, Xie Lanting decisively chose the latter. By walking slower, the swaying of his hips wouldn’t be as obvious. It was much better than hopping.

Seeing as they were safe for the time being, the two finally had time to study this strange secret realm and the tails.

Xie Lanting sat on a rock and inspected his fish tail. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed real. If the spell hadn’t been cast directly on him, then it was related to the entire secret realm.

Gu Yunqi looked at his shimmering tail and pondered for a moment. “Human upper body, fish lower body—those are the characteristics of a Naga. But the Naga went extinct thousands of years ago, leaving only records in books.”

Xie Lanting: “You suspect the secret realm is related to the Naga?”

Gu Yunqi: “It’s possible.”

Xie Lanting began to recall if the later stages of the book mentioned any key treasures of Gu Yunqi’s related to the Naga. He thought for a long time but had no clue: Gu Yunqi had countless treasures, many with names so long they were impossible to remember. While he was thinking, his tail unconsciously swayed gently. Gu Yunqi’s gaze followed the movement—

Xie Lanting was wearing moon-white robes today, with a light outer layer draped over them. The hem of his robes fell over the silver fish tail; the light gauze against the silver shimmer was ethereal and graceful, adding a touch of mystery to Xie Lanting’s already otherworldly appearance. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

It gave one an impulse to hide him away so no one else could see.

Gu Yunqi’s throat moved, and he quietly averted his gaze.

Staying in one place for too long without finding treasures or clues was a waste of time. The two decided to look around. Before they had gone far, they suddenly heard the sound of crying up ahead.

Gu Yunqi’s hand was already on his sword hilt, but Xie Lanting said, “Wait, that voice sounds familiar. Let’s get closer and see. Conceal your aura; we’ll run if things aren’t right.”

The two approached quietly. Xie Lanting peered through and saw they were indeed acquaintances—Chen Zhushu and his senior brother, Ge Wen.

Since they had last met at the tea stall, and because his own life had undergone so many changes lately, seeing them again made it feel like a long time had passed. He felt a surge of warmth at seeing old friends.

The storybooks he had bought for Chen Zhushu in Dongyang still hadn’t been delivered yet. Wasn’t this a perfect coincidence?

He saw that Chen Zhushu had also grown a fish tail, a bright fiery red that looked quite nice. However, the man was wailing: “It’s over, I’ve turned into a fish! Will my dad cook me? He hates fish the most!”

Ge Wen: “Calm down, this is just a secret realm effect. Once we’re out—Who’s there!?”

Ge Wen turned around alertly. Xie Lanting greeted them openly: “Hello, you two.”

“L-L-L-Immortal Lord Lanyue!?”

Chen Zhushu was incredibly excited to suddenly see his idol. He stopped wailing but started stuttering. “I-I-I am called Chen Zhushu. I am your, your—”

Fan? No, the storybooks weren’t written by the Immortal Lord. What should he say? He had looked forward to this for so long, and finally, he could talk to the number one beauty of the cultivation world! His usually silver tongue was tied in knots. With his emotions surging and the shock of turning into a fish being too much for his brain, Chen Zhushu blurted out in desperation—

“I am your dog!”

Gu Yunqi / Xie Lanting: “…”

Ge Wen remained expressionless, thinking to himself that this junior brother was a lost cause and should probably be discarded.

“Ah, no!” Chen Zhushu’s face turned bright red. “Uh, I mean, I really admire your looks… Ahhh, and Young Master Gu next to you, you are also very good-looking! I attended your wedding ceremony. I mean, I admire both of you, really!”

Chen Zhushu had a rare, pure heart. Xie Lanting thought for a moment and decided not to hide his identity from him anymore. He pulled out two storybooks and handed them over. “When we parted at the tea stall, I promised to bring you storybooks when I passed through Dongyang. Consider the promise fulfilled.”

Chen Zhushu dazed for a moment, his gaze fixed on Xie Lanting’s smiling face. The lower half of that exquisite face was very familiar, as was the tone—

“Daoist Qu!?”

Qu Liushang was actually Xie Lanting!

Xie Lanting: “Using a pseudonym back then was a matter of necessity… Daoist Chen, are you alright?”

Chen Zhushu slumped weakly against Ge Wen’s shoulder and raised a trembling hand: “I-I’m fine…”

He hadn’t just eaten a meal with the Immortal Lord; he had discussed storybooks with the man himself! Ahhh! He was so happy he was about to faint!

Ge Wen was used to Chen Zhushu’s antics and took the books on his behalf. Chen Zhushu looked at the titles on the covers and knew these were the books Xie Lanting had promised him—the ones about The Clear Breeze Embracing the Bright Moon.

To ship the person right in front of their face—

Chen Zhushu took the books and said coyly, “Immortal Lord, I didn’t know back then that you and Young Master Gu were the true love. I’m so sorry. As an apology, please accept this.”

Chen Zhushu also pulled out two books and handed them over. They were very new. Seeing Xie Lanting reach out to take them, Gu Yunqi also took one.

The title was written in large characters: Clouds Brushing Moonlit Robes, Dancing Among Flowers; the subtitle in small characters: The Tales That Must Be Told of Immortal Lord Lanyue and the Young Master of the Gu Family.

It was very much in the style of the Dongyang Bookstore. It turned out this was what Xiao Qingfeng meant that day when he said he would try a different approach.

Gu Yunqi thanked him and silently tucked the book away, placing it in a very prominent spot in his spatial storage, properly preserved and ready to be studied when he had the time.

Xie Lanting accepted it happily, already calculating in his head if he should go find Xiao Qingfeng for a share of the profits after they got out.

With Xie Lanting and Gu Yunqi appearing, Chen Zhushu finally stopped crying and making a scene. He said, “Immortal Lord, are you looking for treasures? I actually just came in to play. Let’s go together. If there really are treasures, we’ll let you have them—Ugh!”

Ge Wen flicked his finger against Chen Zhushu’s forehead, interrupting his generosity, and said neutrally: “Treasures are found by each person’s own ability.”

Chen Zhushu pouted aggrievedly.

Xie Lanting didn’t say yes or no. He pointed to his tail. “I happened to hear just now that Daoist Ge seems to understand the current situation?”

Ge Wen didn’t withhold information: “The secret realm is related to the Naga. Naga are skilled in illusion. The body of water at the entrance is both a protection and a trigger. Everyone who enters will fall for it; the entire secret realm is covered in an illusion. Currently, I haven’t sensed any malice.”

There weren’t many detailed records of the Naga. The fact that Ge Wen spoke so definitively proved he knew quite a lot. Xie Lanting suddenly became curious as to who these two children had apprenticed under.

Xie Lanting glanced briefly at Gu Yunqi without speaking, but Gu Yunqi instantly understood his meaning and gave a slight nod.

Xie Lanting was saying: It’s fine to follow them for now. Gu Yunqi also felt it was a viable plan.

The two reached an agreement through silent communication. Xie Lanting smiled kindly at Chen Zhushu: “Why were you crying so loudly just now?”

Mentioning this made Chen Zhushu feel frustrated, and he swished his tail vigorously. “Because of this! Why does it have to be a fish? I’ve never been a fish before!”

Never been a fish before… does that imply he’s been something else?

Xie Lanting noted that sentence and said to Chen Zhushu: “It’s fine. It’s everyone’s first time being a fish. As your senior brother said, it’ll be fine once we’re out. Consider it a unique experience. Come, I’ll teach you how to walk with a tail so it’s easier for us to move together later.”

Whatever the Immortal Lord said was good. Chen Zhushu happily began to learn how to use his tail. He was quite talented and learned quickly, but for his method of movement, rather than swishing his tail forward, he chose to hop bravely.

Xie Lanting expressed that to each their own; as long as you’re happy.

Just as Chen Zhushu was adapting to his hopping rhythm, the sky suddenly rippled with dots of radiance, and an ethereal voice echoed throughout the horizon.

“All guests are invited to the Coral Palace. At the third quarter of the hour of the Rabbit, the Naga King shall hold a banquet—”

The announcement was repeated three times. The voice was different from a normal human voice, carrying a soul-cleansing magic. Those with weaker wills felt their minds go into a daze; only when the voice vanished did they realize their thoughts had been led away.

Xie Lanting was unaffected. He looked up at the sky: “Naga King?”

Ge Wen: “Building such a secret realm without indiscriminate attacks on intruders suggests the Naga have left treasures or a legacy here, waiting for the destined person.”

“Then let’s go see. The time—the third quarter of the hour of the Rabbit—likely has deep meaning; it’s not just a random mention. The question is,” Xie Lanting asked, “how do we get to the Coral Palace?”