Previous Chapter Table of Contents Next Chapter
When the male lead finished meditating and opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Pei Bufan’s foolish, drooling face. As a young master from a prominent family with a bit of a clean freak1 he frowned slightly. A second later, however, his mood suddenly brightened. This little black cat had been waiting for him. That simple fact made him feel very happy.
In reality, Pei Bufan, who was currently contemplating the best time to use the drugs: I have to keep my eyes on him to find an opportunity!!
A beautiful misunderstanding.
The male lead, now in a better mood, was also surprisingly easy to talk to. He understood that Pei Bufan had run off to this place because he wanted to join the Tianwu Sect. Unfortunately, Pei Bufan didn’t meet the sect’s requirements, and even the Ziche family, one of the five great families, couldn’t help. After all, the Ziche family was based in the south and didn’t have deep ties with the northern Tianwu Sect, so they had no say in the matter.
He suddenly felt very weak. If he were strong enough, he could speak with authority without needing connections. Unfortunately, with his current Foundation Building cultivation, Ziche Duanyuan was suppressed wherever he went. Even though the various families and sects had complex power dynamics, in the end, the cultivation world still revered strength.
When the Qingyu Tower2 first rose to prominence, no one had thought much of them, because their cultivation methods were truly unconventional. Yet they still managed to squeeze into the ranks of the seven great sects, not through connections, but through sheer strength. Although they were ranked last among the seven, they were not to be underestimated.
There were nearly a hundred cultivation sects in the Middle Realm, but these seven great sects were known to all, and no one dared to provoke them. They weren’t just for show.3
Moreover, he still had a host of enemies waiting for him. He couldn’t stagnate like he did in his previous life. No, not just that—he had to stand at the very pinnacle of this world!
Ziche Duanyuan thought of the man he had seen earlier. Even with his current strength and the knowledge from his past life, he still couldn’t gauge the man’s power.
“Bufan.” Ziche Duanyuan scooped the little black cat into his hands. “Let’s go for a stroll. You haven’t had a proper look at the Tianwu Sect yet, have you?”
Tch, This Lord has not only seen it, I’ve even run a lap around the snowy peak. If I had really waited for you to take me, everything would have been over long ago! Pei Bufan snorted through his little nose.
Mistaking Pei Bufan’s snort for dissatisfaction from waiting impatiently, Ziche Duanyuan scratched his little chin, wrapped the cat in his arms, and pushed open the door.
The inn was no longer as deserted as it had been when they first arrived. Perhaps because it was mealtime, almost every table was filled. The young proprietor behind the counter was grinning from ear to ear.4 When he turned and saw Ziche Duanyuan, his eyes flickered over him for a moment, and then he smiled. Looks like he didn’t manage to do it.
Ziche Duanyuan: ?
Pei Bufan desperately curled himself into a ball, hiding in Ziche Duanyuan’s arms. He had heard Lan Lin’s voice! Wocao! Don’t tell the male lead that This Lord can shapeshift just yet!! If he finds out so soon, I won’t have a chance to press him!
Although he didn’t want to admit it, with his weak chicken5 strength, he’d be lucky not to be the one getting pressed. He hadn’t forgotten that when he was writing, he had set Ziche Duanyuan’s character as a zonggong,6 ****!
Did he know what the concept of a zonggong meant??
No matter how much of a top someone was, they would turn into a bottom in a second in front of him!
The thought that he could be the one on the bottom had never even crossed a zonggong’s mind!
But! As long as you were on the bottom once! It would never be just once! That’s how tops become bottoms!!
The sharp-eyed Lan Lin saw the trembling ball of fur on Ziche Duanyuan’s chest and sneered, but he didn’t expose him.
The inn was bustling with activity, mostly filled with strangely dressed demonic cultivators, with a few demon cultivators appearing occasionally. Ziche Duanyuan scanned the room but didn’t see the man he was looking for. He found the only empty table in a corner, sat down, and ordered a portion of shrimp paste for Pei Bufan, while he himself ordered a small pot of spirit wine and began to drink slowly.
Just as he was about to finish the wine in his cup, a clear voice spoke up. “Fellow Daoist, may I share this table with you?”
Ziche Duanyuan’s hand tightened. He forced himself to slowly relax his tense nerves, nodded, and gave a warm smile. “Of course, you may. It is rather lonely for me to occupy this table all by myself.”
Pei Bufan, who was licking his paws beside the male lead’s hand, shivered. The male lead was speaking with the air of a perfect gentleman! This was very wrong!! Based on the male lead’s character setting, he should normally be acting like a murderous thug!7 Every time he put on a disguise, his mind was filled with conspiracies and schemes!! This man was definitely special to Ziche Duanyuan in some way!
Being stared at by Ziche Duanyuan with a friendly gaze and by a black cat with a strange one, even he felt his lips twitch slightly. But… it was also quite interesting! He pulled out a chair and sat down, ordering a large spread of dishes from Lan Lin, and finally added a pot of wine.
The inns run by cultivators sold food imbued with spirit qi. The lodging fee wasn’t expensive, since it was just a mortal’s dwelling, but the food was. This man’s single meal would cost several mid-grade Spirit Stones. The average cultivator wasn’t so extravagant.
“I simply have a great desire for fine food,” the man said with a smile, seeing Ziche Duanyuan’s glance. “My name is Wu Jue. May I ask for your surname, fellow Daoist?”
Ziche Duanyuan raised an eyebrow. That wasn’t his name in the last life. A fake name? Which one was fake, or were they both?
“Ziche Duanyuan,” he replied, taking a seemingly casual sip of wine, though his eyes were watching Wu Jue’s expression.
Wu Jue didn’t show much of a reaction to the name, merely nodding. “Ziche Duanyuan. Ziche, you are from the Ziche family?”
“That is correct.”
Wu Jue tapped his fingers on the table thoughtfully. He looked at the black cat, Pei Bufan, and his eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment. He asked, “Fellow Daoist Ziche, may I ask where you obtained this…?”
Ziche Duanyuan’s brows furrowed slightly. This wasn’t the first time. First, it was the elder from the Calculation Pavilion, and now it was this mysterious man. Could they see that Pei Bufan had a human soul in a beast’s body? Or was the black cat itself extraordinary?
“I simply bought it at a rare beast stall. It hatched into a cat, and I’ve been raising it ever since because I found it cute,” Ziche Duanyuan said.
Pei Bufan: Can you not make it sound like I came from a prize-winning golden egg?!8
“Oh?” Wu Jue smiled. “In that case, I wonder if you would be willing to transfer it to me? I can offer Spirit Stones or other rare beasts in exchange.”
Ziche Duanyuan’s expression soured. He reached out and scooped the slightly overstuffed Pei Bufan into his lap to pet him. “I’m afraid not. Bufan has been with me for so long, we’ve always eaten, lived, and slept together. Now, if I don’t have him to hold in my arms at night, I find it a little hard to sleep.”
Hey, hey!! Male lead, isn’t what you’re saying a little too strange!! Am I your boy toy or your pillow?!
Hearing this, the first expression to appear on Wu Jue’s face was surprisingly one of horror, followed by a strange smile. “Is that so… Then that’s really…”
“I recently joined Sword Immortal Valley. I wonder where you trained, fellow Daoist? You don’t seem to be a demonic cultivator, nor a demon cultivator. Why have you come here?” Ziche Duanyuan asked.
“And are you not here in this land of ice and snow as a sword cultivator yourself?” Wu Jue countered. “Besides, how do you know I am not a demon cultivator?”
“You have no demonic aura on you.”
Wu Jue shook his head and said in a low voice, “Once one cultivates to become an immortal, the demonic aura naturally disappears.”
Ziche Duanyuan was shocked. This man had already become an immortal? Did that mean he was from the Upper Realm? But, if he was an immortal from the Upper Realm, why would he claim to be Zhong Yanqing’s… He didn’t think that Zhong Yanqing had enough talent to make an immortal lower himself for him.
Ziche Duanyuan was merely surprised, but Pei Bufan was about to freak out.
‘System, System! Come out!’9
[What is it?]
‘Your temper has gotten worse after just a few days… let’s not talk about that for now! Ziche Duanyuan never met an immortal before he ascended! What the hell is going on? Where did this guy come from??’
[Wait a moment. I’ll go ask… I mean, check.]
‘…’ Did you just accidentally leak some very important information?
…
…………
………………
[Found it. This person does indeed exist, although he did not appear in the original novel. If you want to understand it, think of him as a character that was automatically added when your novel was made into a reality. It’s not strange that he didn’t appear in the original but appears now. You are the variable.]
‘So, to put it simply, it’s This Lord’s fault?’
[Yes.]
“Get lost!!!”10 Pei Bufan let out a loud meow, startling both Ziche Duanyuan and Wu Jue.
Ziche Duanyuan: …Having another fit. Pei Bufan often let out sudden, loud meows for no reason. If only he could talk.
Wu Jue: …Get lost? Is he talking to me??
********
[Little Theater Skit]
Wu Jue: This cat is quite fine. Would you be willing to part with it and give it to me?
Ziche Duanyuan: No. We eat together, live together, and sleep together. Our bond is unlike any other.
Pei Bufan: There’s nothing technically wrong with any of those sentences, but why does it sound so awkward?
Ziche Duanyuan: Now, without him, I cannot sleep peacefully at night.
Pei Bufan: …Yup, something is definitely still not right here.
Wu Jue: (Horrified!) It seems I have accidentally learned too much!11 (A strange look) These two are actually…
********
Dear readers, if you would like to leave a tip, you can donate to my Ko-Fi. Thank you very much! I really appreciate it.
Reika’s Notes:
- This text was translated by Kotori Translates, and given to BC Novels to publish.
- Sorry if all the slang seems weird. There are a lot of idioms!
- I helped with the footnotes, formatting, grammar, etc., the usual stuff that is needed to post this on the website.
- Please let me know if there are any errors. Thanks for reading!
Previous Chapter Table of Contents Next Chapter
- 潔癖 – Cleanliness fetish or mysophobia.
- 青玉楼 – Literally “Green/Blue Jade Tower” since 青 means both colors. The name of another one of the major sects.
- 花架子 – The literal translation would be “to arrange a shelf of flowers,” meaning a superficial display or something that is ornate and looks good on the outside but is useless or lacks substance.
- 笑的见牙不见眼 – Grinning so widely that one’s teeth are showing but one’s eyes are squeezed shut.
- 弱鸡 – A very common slang term for someone who is pathetically weak or a wimp.
- 总攻: Zonggong. BL slang for a “total top” or “seme,” a character who is exclusively the dominant partner in any relationship.
- 杀胚 – literally “murderous embryo,” a slang term for a ruthless, violent person who seems born to kill.
- 砸金蛋 – smashing golden eggs, referring to a popular game at carnivals or events where participants smash golden-colored plaster eggs to win prizes. It implies a lucky, random draw.
- 粗来: Cutesy internet slang for 出来 (chūlái), which means “come out.”
- 滚粗: A stronger, more emphatic, and slightly cutesy internet slang version of 滚 (gǔn), which means “get lost” or “p**s off.”
- 知道了太多了 – A very common trope and meme phrase in Chinese media and internet culture. It’s often used humorously when a character stumbles upon a major secret.