Chapter 6 – Every Day the Protagonist Wants to Capture Me

Chapter 6 – The gay man says goodbye

Chu Yu’s eyes silently swept over all the disciples and received all of their signals saying “you’re that kind of an Eldest Brother.”

Chu Yu had a face like thunder.¹ The label of “gay man” was stuck on him.

Gay man, who is a gay man?! Kiss goodbye to this gay man!

Although he is a shut-in otaku² and a “face-con,” Chu Yu has always thought of himself as straight! Proper! On his computer are tons of material that he watches with one hand!³

(TN: “face-con” is a coined Chinese term that is a portmanteau of “face” and “complex.” It’s taken from the Japanese terms like lolicon, shotacon, siscon, etc.)

Why is there such a misunderstanding!

Bitterly, Chu Yu tried to recall what could have gone wrong.

Wait, Third Brother said “Second Brother carried Eldest Brother in his arms and brought him back from the cliff.”

The blood! He shoulder was dyed red with blood!

Chu Yu thought for a moment. Slowly he realized what was wrong and simply wanted to cry bitterly on someone’s shoulder.

Why didn’t he think of it?! The night was dark and the younger disciple’s cultivation was not high enough for him to have true night vision. So how could he have seen the blood on Chu Yu’s shoulder?

How can he explain that? Say that he slipped into Xie Xi’s room in the middle of the night and got caught? That he, Chu Yu, and the furious Xie Xi dueled on the cliff?

F**k, that would just bolster the gay rumors, okay!

Who would run into a little boy’s room in the middle of the night to touch a child’s chest! Ah!

Standing there frozen for a long time, Chu Yu maintained an air of elegance and glamour while saying: “I was unable to sleep and went out for a walk with Second Brother. I accidentally twisted my foot. You disciples should not have so many distracting thoughts all day long, don’t you want to cultivate properly?”

A far-fetched explanation always requires dignified wording to add credibility.

Whether they really believe it or not, they must accept this explanation!

The disciples shrank back and looked away when they saw Chu Yu’s cold, sarcastic attitude. As for what they really thought in their hearts, never mind, that is not worth talking about to outsiders.⁴

As Chu Yu was leaving, a furious expression appeared on his face,⁵ he suddenly thought of something and stepped back: “I don’t want to hear this kind of rumor in Yuan Chen Peak. Whoever gossips too much, you will have to leave since Yuan Chen Peak doesn’t need that kind of chatty person!”

The crowd of disciples hurriedly agreed.

Chu Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Chu Yu’s words were cold and his actions indifferent … but if Xie Xi heard the rumors, forget about hugging the thighs.⁶ Xie Xi would think that Chu Yu wanted to hold the middle of the thighs.

As Chu Yu turned and walked away a few steps, he saw a white-robed boy standing beside a tree, face expressionless and fingers picking at the bark of the tree.

Chu Yu was scared out of his wits.

Since when has the boy been standing there? Why did he, a cultivator in the Foundation Building stage, not notice that a Qi Refining Period cultivator was standing behind him!

The words said in the woods … Xie Xi, how much did you hear?

Chu Yu instantly turned white with fear then forced himself to calm down. He looked at Xie Xi and said: “Why are you here?”

Xie Xi glanced at him, a complicated expression in his eyes, “It was noisy here. I heard the noise and thought Eldest Brother was teaching the junior disciples.”

F**k, he heard?!

Chu Yu can only comfort this 13-year-old little boy who is still unable to understand, while restoring his own noble and cool look: “Well. These junior disciple’s tongues wag a lot and their cultivation speed isn’t even half as good as yours. I indulged them too much.”

Xie Xi stared at him without speaking.

Brother, do you understand?

Why is the expression in your eyes so complicated?!

Chu Yu was about to fall down on his knees in despair. Xie Xi suddenly asked: “How is Eldest Brother’s injury?”

“Almost recovered, I will have to thank you.”

The sound of his voice had just died down when Xie Xi suddenly smiled. This was the first time Chu Yu saw Xie Xi’s smile; he was stunned.

Xie Xi’s eyes were bottomless and cold. He suddenly drew the long sword on his waist then, quick as a flash, stood in front of Chu Yu, holding the bone-chilling cold sword to Chu Yu’s neck.

Chu Yu almost screamed and goosebumps rose in the place where the sword was almost touching.

WTF are you doing, Big Brother?!

Xie Xi stared at him with a complicated look in his eyes. He seemed to be resentful and confused. Gnashing his teeth, he said: “You didn’t dodge! Why didn’t you dodge?!”

Big Brother, I didn’t expect you to talk then suddenly start attacking without warning.

He kept his feelings locked inside his heart where tears were streaming down Chu Yu’s face.

He spoke to the system in his mind: “What would happen if I were killed by the protagonist now?”

007 System: “Game over~ Thanks to the host for using this product ~”

Chu Yu: “GG I can go back?”

If I could go back, I would be happy to cut myself on the blade.

007 System: “If the host dies here, he will really die.”

Naturally, being made into mincemeat would be undignified!

Chu Yu shut down the system, thinking deeply but unable to come up with an answer.

If he were to say that he had “guilt about the past” or something, those fake words would not be believed. But he can’t tell the truth, can he?

Fortunately Xie Xi does not need Chu Yu’s answer.

Looking at the silent Chu Yu, Xie Xi seemed to cool off. He withdrew the sword from Chu Yu’s neck: “Eldest Brother, you’ve really changed.”

Has he become worse?

Chu Yu thought this and kept his noble glamorous facade. He glanced at Xie Xi then walked past the boy to go back to his room.

The outside world is too scary, so it’s better to go to my room and quiety cultivate …

He used the time to cultivate. When he opened his eyes, the sky was dark. The surroundings were quiet, so it should be late at night.

Although going to Xie Xi is very frightening, when Chu Yu thought of how he could quickly heal Xie Xi’s internal injuries, Chu Yu still snuck out of his room.

After three months of hard work, I can’t stop now.

He reckoned that Xie Xi is probably asleep at this time but Chu Yu still paused outside the side room. He didn’t dare to push open the door. Instead, he turned and leaped into the window.

He landed and sprang to his feet, sword in hand, in full battle array, ready to meet any danger at the bedside of Xie Xi.

Xie Xi was also not surprised when he saw Chu Yu: “Here you are again.”

Uh-oh, there’s a protagonist here!

The window behind him creaked as it automatically closed and Chu Yu was absolutely terrified.

It’s like being in a horror movie but seeing the wide-awake Xie Xi is scarier than seeing a ghost.

“Younger brother⁷ …” with some difficulty, Chu Yu controlled his twitching face and calmly said: “This Elder Brother suddenly thought you might have forgotten to tuck yourself in …”

Xie Xi’s cold expression is not something that a 13-year-old boy should have. Hearing Chu Yu’s far-fetched words, Xie Xi smiled: “Right.”

……

Chu Yu waved goodbye to his bright future and gritted his teeth. In for a penny, in for a pound! After all, he has already been found out!

He drifted to the bedside, looking at Xie Xi’s stunned look, and smiled: “Children who stay up so late won’t grow tall.”

After he said this, he quickly struck Xie Xi with a hand chop.⁸ Xie Xi fell down.

This is the only time you can take down the protagonist.

Chu Yu looked at his own hand that cut the protagonist’s halo and his heart was filled with complicated feelings.

He put Xie Xi down on the bed, pushed aside his clothes, and inspected his internal injuries. After receiving tonight’s treatment, Xie Xi will probably be fully healed.

“Is it my atonement …?” Chu Yu murmured dejectedly as his gentle healing water element spiritual power flowed into Xie Xi’s body, “These three months of fixing the Yang deficiency… here is your compensation.”

Tonight he karate-chopped the protagonist and knocked him unconscious – hugging the thighs is really cool.⁹

It’s time to think about how to escape the plot of the novel. Finding a paradise to escape to is now essential so that he can avoid the disasters in ten years.

It was dawn by the time Chu Yu had finished sending his Qi. He straightened Xie Xi’s clothes so that they covered his chest then pulled the the quilt over Xie Xi. Looking down at the protagonist’s cute features like carved jade, Chu Yu couldn’t help himself and gently pinched his cheek.

Ah, it’s still so smooth and tender!

The contented Chu Yu dragged his weary body away, lazily pushed the door open, and went back to his room to make up for his lost night of sleep.

As soon as he left, Xie Xi opened his eyes.

His eyes were clear and bright, without any drowsiness.

He stared at the ceiling, puzzled. Xie Xi touched his cheek and chest. He had pretended to faint, listened to Chu Yu thinking out loud, and felt the gentle spiritual power similar to that he had experienced in his sleep these past three months, while not knowing what was happening.

Unexpectedly, Chu Yu had been sacrificing himself. For three consecutive months Chu Yu had treated Xie Xi. Sending his spiritual power every night for such a long period of time will not only make Chu Yu’s cultivation slower, it will also damage his Foundation.

There are so many words but all Xie Xi wants to ask is “why?”

Why did he insult Xie Xi before with a cold and aloof manner but now lowers himself to protect Xie Xi?

After his parents disappeared, Lu Qingan took him to the Tian Yuan sect but year after year Shifu wandered the world. Xie Xi has not felt the warmth of being cared for for a long time.

Tears suddenly welled up in his eyes and Xie Xi curled up into a ball, holding his knees and sobbing softly.

Naturally, Chu Yu doesn’t know what Xie Xi is thinking.

He had gone back to his room, staggering, and went to sleep.

Xie Xi’s innermost feelings were complex and tears fell down his face. He stayed that way until it became noisy outside with the voices of the junior disciples taking their early morning classes then he rolled over and stood up.

The changes in Chu Yu over the last few months are so obvious that Xie Xi is sure that this Eldest Brother is not the Eldest Brother of the past.

The former Eldest brother was a mean, vicious, hateful man who kept himself aloof. The current Eldest Brother made Xie Xi suddenly develop intimate thoughts.

Xie Xi opened his door, narrowed his eyes and looked up at the sky then walked to Chu Yu’s door. He stood there for a moment then turned and walked to the window. He leapt inside and saw that Chu Yu was dead to the world.

Xie Xi was somewhat speechless.

So defenseless?

He’s really changed.

Staring at Chu Yu’s peaceful and quiet sleeping face for a moment, Xie Xi suddenly remembered the rumors circulating among the disciples yesterday morning.

His ears suddenly hot, he scurried back out. For a long time he stood in the courtyard, blankly staring at nothing, distracted, before he went the cliff, his usual meditation place.

The abyss at the back of the cliff is said to be “Tian Yuan” (Heaven and Abyss, a contrast between the highest and the lowest) which is actually a magic abyss. It is said to be cursed by an evil spirit. If a person were to fall down into it, no matter how high their cultivation, they will die like a dog. When a person walks too close to the edge, they will be tempted and fall straight down.

On weekdays, the brothers who came here to learn from each other were afraid to come near, for fear that they would be dragged in and never come out again.

But it is a good place to hone your mind.

There is a piece of granite (blue stone) which is usually the exclusive location of Chu Yu but ever since he changed, Chu Yu has not used it.

Xie Xi sat cross-legged on the granite stone, closed his eyes, and cultivated. Soon he began to circulate his Qi and a glorious radiance burst forth from his body like a mist, enveloping his body in many gorgeous colors.

In the West the sun gradually sank down under the horizon. Xie Xi opened his eyes and spit out a cloud of foul gas, his black eyes sparkling.

He broke through Qi Refining level eight.

Xie Xi felt that his body was full of spiritual power but suddenly his face became stiff. He has advanced so fast, hasn’t he? … Is it due to Chu Yu?

That time in the jungle when Chu Yu fed him a poisonous fruit, it really wasn’t to harm him?

Brooding over these thoughts for a while, Xie Xi suddenly realized that tonight Chu Yu would come again.

When the time comes, I’ll ask him clearly.¹⁰

Xie Xi is in a rare good mood. Walking briskly down the cliff and into his room, he passed by Chu Yu’s room. Looking through the window, he saw that Chu Yu was sitting crossed-legged with his eyes closed, meditating.

Pursing his lips, he returned to the side room to sit and wait for Chu Yu to come.

Time quietly passed, the night became deeper and deeper until it was past the time when Chu Yu normally appeared. Xie Xi frowned, sighed a bit, and continued to wait patiently.

Another hour passed …

Two hours passed …

Xie Xi’s small face grew darker and darker and at last he could no longer wait. He pushed the door open and went out. He kicked Chu Yu’s door open and walked to his bedside.

Chu Yu slept soundly.

Xie Xi’s face finally completely black: “Chu, Yu!””

Xie Xi’s, whose expectations were not fulfilled, gnashed his teeth and rattled his sword, murderous.

*******

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1. This sentence and the next ones are all not literally translated since they are all idioms and the literal translation would not make much sense in English.
2. 死宅 – literally “dead house” but it means a shut-in or otaku
3. Chu Yu talks about 撸撸. This is slang that means either: a Tencent online game 英雄联盟 where the players use 撸撸 to mean “attack the enemy” or masturbation. In short, it’s wordplay. I translated non-literally to make the innuendo work in English.
4. the last phrase is 便不足为外人道也, a literary allusion to 桃花源记 (Land of Peach Blossoms). https://baike.baidu.com/item/桃花源记/
5. Literally “face black.”
6. ”Hugging the thigh” is just an idiom that means to cling to someone stronger. It’s not literal.
7. 师弟 – shidi, meaning junior martial brother
8. 手刀 – knife hand, a karate chop
9. Sarcasm, Chu Yu thinks hugging Xie Xi’s thighs won’t be possible now.
10. A pun on Chu (楚 clear)