Vindicated After a Wrongful Death - Chapter 26

In Gu Congxu’s world, “shamelessness” was one of Xiang Zhongjing’s defining traits, so the idea of him being “shy” never even crossed the dragon’s mind.

Gu Congxu looked at him curiously and asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

Xiang Zhongjing shook his head slightly. “Nothing. You… go out. I still need to… to finish my bath.”

Gu Congxu was struck with a sudden shock upon hearing this perfectly normal sentence.

Habit really is a terrifying thing.

The moment Xiang Zhongjing stopped teasing him, Gu Congxu actually felt that something was wrong.

Despite these thoughts, Gu Congxu quickly climbed out of the tub. Since his black robes were formed from dragon scales, water couldn’t cling to them. As soon as he stepped out, the droplets cascaded off him, leaving him bone-dry in an instant.

Gu Congxu walked a few steps forward and was about to turn back to ask where Xiang Zhongjing was going when he saw that Xiang Zhongjing had turned his back to him, burying nearly his entire body in the water until only half his head remained above the surface.

He had presumably submerged his nose and mouth as well, unable to breathe except by blowing air, which sent a steady stream of bubbles rising to the surface.

The tips of his ears were still bright red.

Gu Congxu: “…”

Gu Congxu finally asked the question that had been on his mind: “Why are your ears so red?”

The figure with its back turned suddenly stiffened. After a long pause, Xiang Zhongjing turned his head with a forced air of impatience. “The water is too hot, why do you have so many questions today?”

Gu Congxu: “…”

Finding himself dismissed, Gu Congxu didn’t press further. He planned to wait in Xiang Zhongjing’s room.

However, he assumed that since he had used the Dragon Bone to reconstruct his body, he would no longer be restricted by the barrier. Just as he stepped carelessly out of the bathhouse, that strange shackle reappeared.

Gu Congxu’s face froze. “Eh?”

Before he could even finish his exclamation, his entire body was yanked back as if by an invisible rope, crashing back into the room with a loud boom.

Inside the massive bathhouse, a sudden explosion of water erupted. The sound of the splash was so loud it thoroughly startled Man Qiuxia, who was just returning with fresh clothes.

“Xiang Zhongjing? What was that noise?”

Man Qiuxia hurried into the bathhouse, clutching the robes. The water in the tub had surged over the edge, and the steam had turned the room into a thick white mist, obscuring everything.

Man Qiuxia waved his hand to clear the vapor, finding Xiang Zhongjing still leaning against the edge of the tub. His dark hair was spread out, floating on the water and partially veiling his body.

Seeing that he was fine, though his face seemed a bit flushed—Man Qiuxia felt relieved. “You’ve been soaking too long; your face is all red.”

Xiang Zhongjing stiffened, then said in a low voice, “Ah, just leave the clothes there. I… I’ll change right away.”

Man Qiuxia remarked casually, “I’ll help you change.”

Xiang Zhongjing usually found the elaborate clothes Man Qiuxia prepared to be a headache, but this time he was desperate for the man to leave. He urged, “I can do it myself. You go out first!”

Man Qiuxia looked at him strangely. “What is actually wrong with you?”

Xiang Zhongjing finally reached his limit. “Just get out! I’ll let you paint whatever you want later!”

Upon hearing this, Man Qiuxia immediately stopped questioning him. “It’s a deal.”

With that, he set down the clothes and happily hurried off to prepare his drawing paper.

Only when the door clicked shut did Xiang Zhongjing finally heave a sigh of relief.

The small black dragon that had been coiled around his waist slowly crawled up over his shoulder and onto the shore, shifting back into human form. He grumbled dissatisfactorily, “Why hide from him? I am a true dragon; others should be bowing when they see me.”

He turned around just as he finished speaking, only to see Xiang Zhongjing submerge himself entirely in the water, leaving only his black hair drifting on the surface like seaweed.

Gu Congxu: “???”

Gu Congxu was utterly bewildered. What was going on?

Fifteen minutes later, Xiang Zhongjing was fully dressed. The deep red had faded from his face, returning to its usual snow-white paleness. He pinched his earring, lightly flicking the water from it. After a moment, the Netherfire reignited, helping him tidy his hair.

Gu Congxu was sitting behind the screen in the bathhouse, looking with great interest at the wine on the small side table, appearing eager to try it.

Xiang Zhongjing intentionally made his footsteps heavy to alert Gu Congxu of his presence.

Hearing the footsteps, Gu Congxu looked up.

Terrified that the dragon would bring up the earlier awkwardness, Xiang Zhongjing cleared his throat and intentionally brought up a different topic.

“Do you know what that Yun Yanli looks like?”

Gu Congxu’s interest was piqued. “What does he look like?”

Xiang Zhongjing traced a circle around his own face, delivering the shocker: “Like me.”

Gu Congxu gasped.

“Actually, not exactly the same,” Xiang Zhongjing added after a moment’s thought. “Yun Yanli looks about seventy percent like me. Given that golden bell on his wrist, he and I must be blood relatives.”

Gu Congxu had lost consciousness after forcibly detaching from the Nascent Soul, so he had no idea what had happened at the arena. He asked urgently, “Did he recognize you?”

Xiang Zhongjing shook his head. “With this veil, he can’t recognize me.”

Gu Congxu said hesitantly, “Aren’t you going to investigate further?”

Xiang Zhongjing replied, “Investigating openly at the arena is a good way to die quickly. However, that man is arrogant. I’ve already told him I’m staying at the Wujin Building; I believe it won’t be long before he comes looking for me. If I approach him to ask questions, it looks like I have ulterior motives. If he comes to find me and lets something slip while I’m fishing for info, then he’s the one who misspoke, and it has nothing to do with me.”

Gu Congxu: “…”

Gu Congxu actually felt a bit of admiration for Xiang Zhongjing. Even knowing the man was likely his kin, he remained terrifyingly calm, moving strategically and refusing to make a single mistake.

Xiang Zhongjing didn’t want to dwell on it. He flicked the wine jar beside them and said casually, “Want a drink?”

Gu Congxu was tempted. “My master loved to drink. I once snuck a sip when he wasn’t looking.”

After that, his master had refused to let him touch alcohol.

Xiang Zhongjing asked, “How did it feel?”

Gu Congxu shook his head.

He had lost consciousness after drinking it and didn’t remember a thing.

Xiang Zhongjing let out a fascinated “Oh,” smiling like a soul-seducing demon as he said, “Want to try it again this time?”

In his heart, Gu Congxu gave an excited “Ha!” and thought, “He really isn’t my master! My master always kept me away from wine for my own good!”

Xiang Zhongjing poured a small cup of wine, whispering like a devil, “Come on, Sangeng, give it a taste.”

Gu Congxu hesitated for a long time before finally taking the cup.

When he was young, he had always wondered why his master liked to sit alone on a withered tree, drinking wine with such an indifferent expression.

Could wine really be that good?

Xiang Zhongjing had already poured a cup for himself. He took a sip, watching Gu Congxu with a half-smile, waiting for the show to begin.

Gu Congxu downed the wine in one gulp. Before he could even register the taste, he held out the cup again. “Another.”

Xiang Zhongjing poured more with a grin.

After three cups, Gu Congxu began to feel lightheaded.

Xiang Zhongjing hadn’t expected the true dragon’s tolerance to be this poor. Seeing him swaying dizzily from side to side, he tested, “Are you drunk?”

Gu Congxu nodded. “I’m drunk.”

Xiang Zhongjing: “…”

It was the first time Xiang Zhongjing had ever seen a drunk person admit they were drunk.

Gu Congxu tilted his head, mumbling muzzily, “But I still want to drink.”

He reached out to continue, but Xiang Zhongjing immediately snatched the cup back, fearing he might overdo it.

Gu Congxu’s claws grasped at the air for a while before he realized the cup was gone. His vision blurred as he looked around twice, finally spotting the wine jar.

Before Xiang Zhongjing could stop him, he watched helplessly as Gu Congxu shifted directly back into his small black dragon form and dove headfirst into the wine jar.

Plop.

Xiang Zhongjing: “…”

Xiang Zhongjing immediately poured out the “Dragon-Infused Wine.” Gu Congxu was completely limp, a wilted pile of unconsciousness.

Xiang Zhongjing looked speechlessly at the true dragon who started acting out after only three cups. He began to understand why his master hadn’t let him drink.

Man Qiuxia would be calling him to paint soon, and Xiang Zhongjing didn’t want others to see Gu Congxu, so he cradled the small dragon in his arms and snuck back to his room, avoiding the servants.

The bed that the two of them had collapsed the night before had already been replaced. Xiang Zhongjing walked over and placed the drunken Gu Congxu on a soft pillow. After a moment’s thought, he even pinched a corner of the quilt to cover him.

Just then, Man Qiuxia called from outside the door, “Xiang Zhongjing!”

As Xiang Zhongjing turned to leave, the Gu Congxu on the bed suddenly shifted back into human form and threw his arms around Xiang Zhongjing’s slender waist.

Except for his neck, Xiang Zhongjing’s waist was his most ticklish spot. Being hugged by Gu Congxu like that, he almost threw the dragon out instinctively; goosebumps broke out all over his body.

Xiang Zhongjing turned back. “What is it?”

He hadn’t even had time to do anything yet.

Gu Congxu mumbled softly, “Let me coil around you for a bit.”

Xiang Zhongjing: “…”

Xiang Zhongjing thought he had misheard. “What?”

Gu Congxu’s arms tightened slowly around Xiang Zhongjing’s waist. He repeated the request while demonstrating, “Coil. Around. You.”

Xiang Zhongjing: “…”

Xiang Zhongjing looked at Gu Congxu in utter disbelief. He couldn’t believe these words were coming out of the mouth of the “upright gentleman” Gu Congxu.

Seeing that Xiang Zhongjing hadn’t answered, Gu Congxu took it as silent consent. He happily transformed into a dragon twice the length of a man and wound himself around Xiang Zhongjing, coil after coil.

Xiang Zhongjing: “…”

Xiang Zhongjing had never experienced such a sensation. His body trembled under Gu Congxu’s weight, and his eyes grew slightly red. Forcing back the urge to cry, he said with difficulty, “You… get off first.”

Gu Congxu said, “No. Want to coil.”

Xiang Zhongjing snapped, “I’ll give you my hand to coil around.”

But Gu Congxu said dissatisfiedly, “I don’t like that.”

Xiang Zhongjing: “…”

Man Qiuxia outside couldn’t wait any longer and knocked on the door again. “That Yun Yanli is here. He specifically asked for you. Do you want to see him?”

Xiang Zhongjing wanted to see him, so he called back quickly, “Yes, I’ll see him.”

As he spoke, he desperately tried to peel Gu Congxu off his body.

Gu Congxu was forcibly plucked off. He coiled himself into a sulky circle and opened his mouth to speak.

Xiang Zhongjing caught the shape of the word “coil” about to come out and, unable to take it anymore, pinched the dragon’s mouth shut. He said through gritted teeth, “I finally know why your master didn’t want you drinking.”

It wasn’t for Gu Congxu’s own good; his master had simply been driven mad by being coiled by a drunken Gu Congxu.

Gu Congxu was still making “muffled” noises, probably still trying to say “coil, coil.”

Xiang Zhongjing: “…”

Because of the seal, Xiang Zhongjing couldn’t leave him here alone, but he still had to meet Yun Yanli. He lowered his voice in a threat: “I’ll give you one hand to coil around. If you don’t want it, I’ll tie you into a knot and let you coil around yourself.”

Gu Congxu thought it over and reluctantly nodded. He shifted into his small dragon form and successfully wound himself around Xiang Zhongjing’s wrist.

Xiang Zhongjing finally breathed a sigh of relief. He straightened his messy robes and left the room.

However, the moment they stepped out of the room, Xiang Zhongjing felt Gu Congxu begin to restlessly burrow deeper into his sleeve.

Xiang Zhongjing: “…”

Xiang Zhongjing stopped in his tracks and suddenly asked Man Qiuxia, who had been waiting for a long time, “Do you know the best way to cook a dragon?”

Man Qiuxia: “Huh??”

Gu Congxu: “…”

Gu Congxu’s instincts were still there. Hearing this dangerous sentence, he timidly retracted his head and quietly bit his tail, refusing to make another sound.

In a daze, a long-sealed memory seemed to surface in Gu Congxu’s blank mind.

“On a massive withered tree, his master was sitting on a branch in red robes, tilting his head and looking at him with a light smile.

In Gu Congxu’s memory, his master was as elegant and dignified as ever, every movement possessing a nobility that captivated people.

Then, his master seemed to reach out and pat his head, whispering something softly.

Gu Congxu couldn’t hear clearly, so he strained desperately to catch the words.

Finally, the voice grew louder as the memory resurfaced.

Gu Congxu finally heard his master’s words and felt a surge of joy.

Then he heard his master say gently:

‘Congxu, if you coil around me again, I will tie you into a knot, alright?’

Gu Congxu: ‘…'”

The drunken Gu Congxu snapped into a moment of clarity. The sentence in the memory startled him so much the tip of his tail went limp. Because his body was still floaty from the wine, he lost his grip and fell straight off Xiang Zhongjing’s wrist.

With a smack, he hit the ground.

He landed right at Man Qiuxia’s feet.

Gu Congxu and Xiang Zhongjing: “…”

Man Qiuxia: “?”