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After chatting casually with the three of them, Ziche Duanyuan left with Pei Bufan in his arms. As he passed the main gate, he saw some outer disciples in black robes gathered around Yuan Wangyou, anxiously saying something. Although Yuan Wangyou was a bit thick-skinned when it came to matters of the heart, his handling of affairs demonstrated the strengths of an earth spiritual root: he was steady and clear-headed.
In his last life, this person seemed to have been one of the successors to the Valley Master of Sword Immortal Valley. As for whether he had successfully become the Valley Master, he didn’t know even up to his death. That newcomer, Chou Chenxi, was also one of the successors, and there were more people who favored him than Yuan Wangyou. After all, his strength and aptitude were plain to see.
In the end, he was still not strong enough.
Ziche Duanyuan turned and left with the little black cat in his arms. At a corner, he almost collided with a female cultivator.
“My apologies.” The woman wore a water-blue gauze dress, and on her head was a butterfly dangling hairpin.1 She looked up and stared at Ziche Duanyuan apologetically, but just that one glance made her freeze. After looking down, her face turned slightly red.
“It’s nothing.” An unfamiliar woman. Ziche Duanyuan didn’t pay her any mind and was about to walk past her.
“Wait.” The woman called out to him. “I am the second disciple of the Master of Qingyu Tower, my name is Qi Ruxue. May I ask for your name, fellow Daoist?”
Ziche Duanyuan turned the name ‘Qingyu Tower’ over in his mind, then looked back and smiled at the woman. “Ziche Duanyuan. I was walking a bit fast just now, I’m very sorry.”
Qi Ruxue lowered her head, blushing. “It’s alright.” Her eyes fell on the cat in Ziche Duanyuan’s arms. “So cute.”
“En.” Ziche Duanyuan turned the little black cat’s face, which had been sizing up Qi Ruxue, back towards himself. “I like him very much.”
Pei Bufan: Male lead, let This Lord go! My neck is really uncomfortable!!
Knowing that Pei Bufan was about to get angry, Ziche Duanyuan finally released his fingers, instead continuing to rub Pei Bufan’s head. His large palm covered half of Pei Bufan’s eyes, blocking his view of the female cultivator.
“May I ask what business brings Qingyu Tower here this time?” Ziche Duanyuan asked with a gentle smile on his face.
Qi Ruxue’s face turned even redder. She said, “It’s about the location for this year’s Grand Competition. According to the rules, it’s Qingyu Tower’s turn to host, but Qingyu Tower is currently… facing some inconveniences. The next Grand Competition is Sword Immortal Valley’s turn, so the Master came to discuss with the Valley Master, hoping to switch the times. Sword Immortal Valley will be responsible this time, and next time it will be Qingyu Tower.”
“Some inconveniences?” Ziche Duanyuan looked at Qi Ruxue with a hint of curiosity. Seeing that she had no intention of answering, he said, “In that case, I won’t disturb you any longer.” He then turned and left, not even giving Qi Ruxue time to react, leaving a stunned Qi Ruxue with an Erkang hand.2 You haven’t even told me which elder’s disciple you are. With only a name, how am I supposed to find you? Forget it, looking at his splendid robes, he must be a new disciple. They’ll surely meet again at the Grand Competition.
Back in the main hall, the Demoness looked at Qi Ruxue unhappily. “I only asked you to deliver a message within the sect. Why did it take so long?” Her eyes darted around. “Could it be… you’ve taken a liking to someone?”
Qi Ruxue’s face instantly turned bright red. For a moment, it wasn’t just the Demoness; the two elders and the Valley Master in the room, as well as the peach tree demon, were all staring at her.
“Of course not…” she said, bashfully fidgeting with the hem of her clothes.
“Tsk tsk, if you like someone, just take them away. How can a disciple of mine be so reserved?” the Demoness scolded, feeling that she had failed to meet her expectations.3
Everyone: …
But no matter how the Demoness questioned her, Qi Ruxue would only say that she had met a good-looking cultivator with the surname Ziche. Hearing the name Ziche, Ding Ruojian raised an eyebrow. But this kind of private matter between men and women was not for him to inquire about. Besides, it was just a brief encounter, and he didn’t know Ziche Duanyuan’s thoughts, so he didn’t pursue the matter. After dealing with Qingyu Tower’s business, he turned to Zhuo Hua. “May I ask what business brings this little fellow Daoist here?”
Zhuo Hua, who had been watching the show and drinking tea for a long time, brightened up. She put down her teacup, covered her face with her hands, and began to cry softly. “A few days ago, a male cultivator came to my Tianwu Sect and we met by chance. We hit it off, and had a dewy-love affair.4 But he… he… he actually just patted his butt and left after we were done!!” Zhuo Hua collapsed into her chair, sobbing uncontrollably. “My heart was filled with grief, so I secretly followed him and discovered that he had entered Sword Immortal Valley and was a disciple here. I’ve come today just to get an explanation from him. I beg the Valley Master… ying ying ying…”5
God-tier acting, give her a like!
Ding Ruojian’s mouth twitched. So this one was here to seek an explanation from a scumbag. He didn’t mind listening to a bit of gossip about private affairs, but he really didn’t want to get involved. “May I ask the name of the person you’re talking about, and what are his characteristics?”
Zhuo Hua wiped her tears and said, “He called himself Pei Bufan. As for his characteristics…” She blushed. “Very handsome. He often carries a little black cat.”
Ding Ruojian’s eyebrow twitched. Qi Ruxue’s expression soured.
“Call Ziche Duanyuan here,” Ding Ruojian instructed a young attendant in a low voice. The attendant nodded and scurried away. Ding Ruojian sighed helplessly. He’s just like his mother, so many peach blossoms. If this woman had just mistaken the person, it would be fine. But if it was true… how should he handle this? Make Ziche Duanyuan take responsibility? He didn’t want to force his disciple to accept someone he didn’t love. But if he just ignored it, it wouldn’t be appropriate either.
Ziche Duanyuan had just returned to his room with Pei Bufan when he was called away by the attendant. He arrived at the main hall full of confusion, only to see everyone staring at him, especially Qi Ruxue, whose eyes were filled with sadness and conflict.
Ding Ruojian coughed and asked the woman, “Is it him?”
Zhuo Hua stared at Pei Bufan and said resentfully, “He looks like him.”
“Looks like him?” The two elders looked at her in confusion. “Either it is or it isn’t. What do you mean, ‘looks like him’?”
“Because I always saw him at night… so… I couldn’t see clearly,” Zhuo Hua replied, her face slightly red.
Everyone: …
Pei Bufan: The plot has gone completely off the rails. He didn’t want to say anything more.
Ziche Duanyuan: Why does this feel like being caught in the act?
Ding Ruojian no longer expected to get a clear answer from the woman, so he turned to Ziche Duanyuan. “You left the sect before. Where did you go?”
Ziche Duanyuan raised an eyebrow at Zhuo Hua, then smiled. “The Tianwu Sect.”
Everyone’s heart sank a little. Ding Ruojian held Ziche Duanyuan’s wrist. His primordial yang is gone. His face turned even uglier, but he still held onto a sliver of hope. “Then do you know this woman?”
Ziche Duanyuan shook his head.
“…Did you have a spring breeze with her?”6 After holding it in for a long time, Ding Ruojian asked directly.
Qi Ruxue stared at him intently.
Pei Bufan: Wocao! Why has this damn danmei novel changed genres?! This is fcking BL, not BG!!*
Ziche Duanyuan said decisively, “That’s impossible.”
Qi Ruxue breathed a slight sigh of relief, only to hear the male lead continue.
“I like men.”
She almost coughed up a mouthful of blood. The scene fell into a dead silence. Ding Ruojian didn’t know whether to be relieved or to bang his head against the wall in frustration. It was good that he hadn’t been messing around, but… his primordial yang was gone. Did that mean he had done it with a man instead of a woman?? In a couple of days, would he have to deal with a man coming to cry “ying ying ying”… Just thinking about it made him feel drunk.7
While the Valley Master was internally struggling, Qi Ruxue’s face was ashen, feeling as if her life was hopeless. The first crush of her life was on the wrong target. Should she go and change her gender? Forget it.
Besides these two, Zhuo Hua’s face had turned the color of pig’s liver. She liked being a woman, so she had chosen to live in a female form when she shapeshifted. But what was with all the men in this world liking men?! Was there no place for her to survive? The men she had met recently all liked men. Was she just cursed to clash with these gay men?! Nothing good ever happened when she met them!
Ding Ruojian turned to her and asked again, “You must have mistaken the person, right? The name is also different. His name is Pei Bufan, right? I’ll go and ask around later…”
The little black cat in Ziche Duanyuan’s arms suddenly started coughing violently.
Everyone: Did he choke?
Ziche Duanyuan: …
Named Pei Bufan? Ziche Duanyuan raised an eyebrow. His long, slender fingers squeezed Pei Bufan’s little paw, slowly applying pressure.
Pei Bufan: QAQ
Zhuo Hua, you big trap!! Don’t you know that you need several lies to cover up one lie, and countless lies to cover up those lies?? How is This Lord supposed to explain this to the male lead later?? Especially since he had ‘pressed’ the male lead, causing his primordial yang to be lost… It was such a pity it was jerked out in the end. That was a great tonic… Wait! This wasn’t the time to be thinking about that!
Zhuo Hua’s brows furrowed. She stood up and walked in front of Ziche Duanyuan, looking him up and down. She glared at Pei Bufan, then her gaze shifted downwards and fixed on a certain spot without moving.
Qi Ruxue’s face turned red, and she looked away. The Demoness had a lewd smile on her face, stroking her chin as she also stared at that place.
Pei Bufan: He didn’t see anything. He definitely didn’t know that two women were openly visually molesting the male lead’s crotch!
Ziche Duanyuan suppressed his anger, his smile turning sinister.
Zhuo Hua suddenly turned around and said with great certainty, “It’s not him.”
Ding Ruojian looked at her in confusion.
“The model is wrong. The one I met was much bigger than this one,” she said, resting her chin on her hands and smiling sweetly. This was definitely revenge.
Everyone: …
Pei Bufan: Wocao! A true warrior! Daring to directly say that the male lead is small!!
Ziche Duanyuan: “Hehehehehehehehehehe… Master, since there’s nothing else, I’ll be taking my leave now.”
Ding Ruojian nodded.
Maintaining a stiff smile, Ziche Duanyuan slowly turned around. The moment his foot crossed the threshold, the smile vanished, replaced by a grim expression. A one-second face change. He looked down at Pei Bufan, grabbed his soft scruff with his left hand, and carried him away.
Pei Bufan: QAQ The male lead is getting scarier and scarier! Help!
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Translator’s Special Note
I found this interesting and thought you might want to learn about it, too.
A true warrior (真的勇士) is a phrase from a famous quote from the essay, “In Memory of Miss Liu Hezhen” by Lu Xun. It is quite serious in tone and was written after the March 18 Massacre in Beijing. Miss Liu was one of the writer’s students who died.
This has morphed into a humorous internet meme, as told in this source – How Netizens Adapt Lu Xun to Modern Problems.
“Lu’s frustration at conventional doctrine, Confucian tradition, and social apathy during early 20th century China has also been repurposed by modern netizens to voice their indignation about their money troubles, job pains, romantic failings…”
“In ‘In Memory of Miss Liu Hezhen’ Lu writes: ‘The true warriors dare to face up to the misery of life and confront dripping blood (真的猛士，敢于直面惨淡的人生，敢于正视淋漓的鲜血).’ Netizens subsequently turned that into a phrase about romance: ‘The true ‘single dogs’ dare to face up to the pressure to marry from their relatives and confront the affection of their friends in love'(真的单身狗，敢于直面亲戚的催婚，敢于正视朋友的狗粮).”
You can read the full essay here, translated into English. It’s excellent! In Memory of Miss Liu Hezhen
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Reika’s Notes:
- I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
- This text was translated by Kotori Translates, and given to BC Novels to publish.
- 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!
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- 步摇: Dangling hairpin. A type of traditional Chinese hairpin with tassels or pendants that sway with the wearer’s movements, hence the name, which literally means “step-sway.”
- 尔康手: Erkang hand. A famous internet meme from the classic TV drama “My Fair Princess,” where the character Erkang reaches out desperately with one hand. It’s used to express a feeling of “don’t go,” desperation, or being left behind.
- 恨铁不成钢: To hate iron for not becoming steel. An idiom for feeling frustrated and disappointed with someone for not living up to their potential.
- 露水姻缘: Dewy-love affair. An idiom for a brief, transient romantic encounter, like morning dew that quickly evaporates.
- 嘤嘤嘤: “Ying ying ying.” Onomatopoeia for soft, pitiful crying, often used humorously or sarcastically online.
- 春风一度: To have a spring breeze. A poetic euphemism for a one-night stand or a brief sexual encounter.
- 也是醉了: To also be drunk. A popular internet slang phrase used to express a feeling of speechlessness, helplessness, or exasperation in the face of something ridiculous or absurd.