Chapter 36 It seems like it's been a long time since we've talked like this.
Yu Sui stared blankly at the upward-reaching dragon ladder for a moment before looking down at the black coat that had been taken off and draped over her arm.
Surprisingly, no one had thought of this just now.
Looking at the dragon ladder now, there's no way to catch up. I'll just have to return it to my senior brother later.
With that thought in mind, Yu Sui walked towards Gu Gan's dormitory.
Thunder rumbled outside, illuminating the night sky intermittently. Ferocious lightning bolts cleaved the darkness, each strike seemingly piercing through heaven and earth. Even though the sound of the downpour couldn't be heard inside the inn, the roaring thunder tonight was still audible.
Yu Sui knocked on the door and sent a message to Gu Gan.
During the day, Gu Gan sent her many messages because he knew that she had been ambushed and attacked by farmers the night before. Although none of the parties involved had told anyone, many people were watching the spectacle from the shadows, and the news quickly spread throughout the outer city and Taiyi.
As another clap of thunder sounded, the door opened.
Gu Gan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Yu Sui outside the door and led her inside.
A dim candlelight lit the bedroom, creating a warm atmosphere. Gu Gan let Yu Sui sit on the edge of the bed, then squatted down to look at the injuries on her hands and face, his teeth itching with anger.
"Those damned farmers!" Gu Gan cursed. "How dare they!"
"Don't be angry anymore. I just went to the doctor's office to have my wound checked. The doctor on duty changed my dressing, and it doesn't hurt anymore. As long as it doesn't get wet, it will be completely healed in a couple of days," Yu Sui said softly. "It's just that the thunderstorms are going on tonight, and I'm a little scared. I wanted to talk to you, Brother Gu."
She curled up on the edge of the bed, like an obedient kitten, gentle and harmless.
Gu Gan looked at her with a pained expression.
When Yu Sui was a child, he would use the excuse of being afraid of thunder to stay at Gu Gan's house and then read books all night.
Gu Ganzhen simply assumed she was afraid of thunder and never doubted it in his entire life.
If it were any other girl, he would think that a girl who is still afraid of thunder at her age is spoiled. But if it were Yu Sui, Gu Gan would think it was reasonable. It's normal to be afraid of thunder, and I have to be there for her.
They grew up together, and some things have become habits over the years.
Gu Gan never noticed Yu Sui's other side.
In his eyes, his delicate childhood sweetheart was always cute, gentle, and interesting.
"I'll go pour you some hot tea to calm your mind and put your mind at ease. Don't be afraid, just stay here with me tonight." Gu Gan patted her head as he got up and went to the main room outside to make tea for her.
Yu Sui propped her head up with one hand and watched him leave.
Even after all these years, this older brother still has no wariness towards obedient and gentle girls.
In some ways, Gu Gan was genuinely good to her.
Because Gu Gan categorized Yu Sui as one of his own.
But Yu Sui had also seen Gu Gan treat other girls the same way.
There were at least three or five girls from prominent families who were rescued by Gu Gan at the National Academy. Every day, they looked at Gu Gan with shyness mixed with joy and admiration.
Princess Shangyang has never given up on Gu Gan all these years.
Yu Sui also witnessed the time when Gu Gan rescued Xiang Feifei. In order to avoid being captured by Qingyang Communications Institute, he hid Xiang Feifei at home and ate and lived with her every day.
On the day I saw Xiang Feifei off, she was even kissed by someone else. Yu Sui happened to be there and was so surprised when she saw this that she covered her mouth with her hand.
Gu Gan was stunned for a moment, then quickly turned around to explain to her.
There are a lot of girls who like Gu Gan, Yu Sui has always known that, but she doesn't think there's anything wrong with it. Some people like Gu Gan, and some people hate Gu Gan.
The girls liking him is their business.
Because Gu Gan was genuinely kind to everyone he was kind to, some people thought he was gentle, considerate, and brave, while others thought he was dissolute, shameless, and despicable.
Everyone has their own opinion.
Yu Sui didn't care which girl Gu Gan liked; she was just afraid that Nangong Ming might one day have a change of heart and marry her off to Gu Gan, so that Gu Gan could rightfully take revenge against the power of the Prince's Mansion.
She was still somewhat unwilling to be reduced to this level of being a mere tool.
Gu Gan came in and saw Yu Sui sitting by the bed in a daze, so he took the books off the table and gave them to her: "Take a look, distract yourself, the tea will be ready soon."
He also knew that Yu Sui liked to read.
During thunderstorms, this delicate Qingmei was overwhelmed with fear and couldn't sleep. She would think about all sorts of random things and would ask him many strange questions. Gu Gan's patience with Yu Sui was built up over the years during thunderstorms.
After reading books to Yu Sui shut her up, Gu Gan's house accumulated more and more books.
Yu Sui reached out to take the book, and Gu Gan noticed the black coat draped over her arm, which was a man's garment.
"Whose is this?" he asked, frowning.
“It belongs to my senior brother.” Yu Sui took the book and flipped through it. “My senior brother escorted me back from the medical family. On the way, he lent me his clothes to shield me from the rain because my senior sister from the medical family said that my wounds could not get wet at all.”
Gu Gan frowned even more deeply: "Mei Liangyu?"
Yu Sui nodded: "Yes."
Gu Gan sounded a little unhappy: "Why did he bring you back and give you his clothes?"
"Because we came from the Ghost Path Holy Hall, my master was teaching me the introductory mental cultivation method, and my senior brother was watching beside me." Yu Sui flipped through the book without looking up. "I forgot to return it to him when I first arrived."
"Put it aside." Gu Gan found everything about the clothes displeasing and reached out to take them from her arms. "If you're cold, just cover yourself with a blanket."
Yu Sui laughed when she heard this.
She was so hot she wanted to throw the blanket away.
"Does Mei Liangyu often go to the Ghost Path Sanctuary to see you?" Gu Gan casually tossed his black overcoat onto a chair beside him.
"He's not looking for me, he's going to the Ghost Path Holy Hall to find his master," Yu Sui explained patiently.
“He’s a wicked man, unethical, and malicious. Sui Sui, you have to be careful,” Gu Gan said in a deep voice. “He must be resentful about the Legalist ruling last time. I heard he’s been causing trouble at the Communications Institute recently.”
Is that so? Yu Sui looked up in confusion.
Yu Sui asked, "What is he going to the Communications Institute for?"
Gu Gan sneered silently: "He's still thinking about finding clues from the time of the Upside-Down Moon Cave. He's not a good person, so don't let him bewitch you."
Yu Sui nodded thoughtfully: "Senior brother doesn't seem like that kind of person."
“You’ve only been at the academy for a short time, so you don’t know what he’s done. He’s killed quite a few of the academy’s disciples.” Gu Gan said solemnly. “As a disciple of Saint Changgen, you’ll have more contact with Mei Liangyu than others. He’s unpredictable and cold-hearted. Only Saint Changgen can keep him in check.”
Yu Sui agreed with this last statement.
Gu Gan added, "With Mei Liangyu around, she is also an obstacle to our search for the Floating Pagoda. As it stands, Mei Liangyu is on the side of the academy, that is, the side that upholds order."
Yu Sui blinked as he listened, thinking that this might not be the case. If his senior brother knew that the Floating Pagoda could break the oath of non-war between the six kingdoms, he would definitely search the entire Taiyi region, piece the Floating Pagoda back together, and break the oath on the spot, causing chaos throughout the world.
"Taiyi has an organization called the 'Nine Capital Guards'. Those who can enter the Nine Capital Guards are all Taiyi's top-level disciples. Generally, top-level disciples are at least ninth-realm sorcerers and at most thirteenth-realm sorcerers."
Gu Gan leaned against the door, arms crossed, and calmly explained, "A-level disciples are often considered to have entered the ruling class of Taiyi. For example, the disciples on duty at the medical clinic you visited tonight are only A-level disciples. When students of the academy are injured and need treatment or medicine, it is initially handled by these A-level disciples. If the A-level disciples cannot handle it, it will be transferred to the thirteenth-level teachers."
"In the challenges of leveling up, the defenders will also be top-tier disciples. In some large-scale cultivation trials, the ones responsible for guarding, patrolling, and even scoring will also be top-tier disciples."
Yu Sui exclaimed, "Grade A disciples have so many privileges!"
Gu Gan nodded: "The top-level disciples of the Nine Capital Guards can enter certain academy forbidden areas under the guise of patrolling and guarding. The highest level they can enter is the first-level forbidden area, such as the Legalist first-level forbidden area, the Upside-Down Moon Cave."
Yu Sui asked with a bewildered look, "Brother Gu, do you plan to join the Nine Capital Guards after becoming a Rank A disciple?"
“That’s right, this will make our operations much easier.” Gu Gan stretched his neck. “I’m sure I can win the leveling challenge two months from now. At that time, the only problem left is to enter the Nine Capitals Guard, because we need someone to recommend us and half of the internal staff to agree.”
That's not simple either.
Yu Sui rolled her eyes: "Is my senior brother also a member of the Nine Capital Guards?"
Gu Gan pursed his lips: "Yes, so I don't need to think about getting his vote."
Mei Liangyu would definitely disagree.
“Sui Sui, you shouldn’t go to the outer city for the time being. If you must go, you have to ask me to come with you, otherwise I won’t feel at ease. The farmers have already tracked us down here. You also shouldn’t go near the farmers’ area. There are too many people with ill intentions.” Gu Gan looked at Yu Sui with a serious expression. “I’m afraid you’ll be in danger.”
"Mmm." Yu Sui nodded obediently, handing the book back to him. "Brother Gu, I've read all of these. What's that book over there?"
Gu Gan followed her gaze and saw three books on the table that he had brought out from Jia Bao Book Pavilion. His expression was subtle as he said, "Books about some low-level secret techniques, from all sorts of sources."
"Can I take a look?" Yu Sui asked with eyes full of curiosity.
Gu Gan thought, why not? It's just three books. After he had Wen Yanghui bring them back, the group looked at them over and over again countless times, but they still couldn't find any clues in the three books.
"Okay." Gu Gan handed the book to Yu Sui.
Gu Gan knew that Yu Sui read very quickly, and he was even used to it. He felt that Yu Sui read books related to the National Academy's textbooks very slowly, but as long as they were not books that the National Academy had assigned to her, she read them very quickly.
Gu Gan once asked why this was the case, and Yu Sui said that it was probably because she felt that the book was given to her by Brother Gu, and it looked different from the one that the National Academy had shown her.
To be specific, Yu Sui would only answer that it felt different.
Such an answer would make Gu Gan feel that he is special to her.
No one can deny that their existence is "special" to another person.
The tea outside had boiled, so Gu Gan went out to make it, while Yu Sui quietly flipped through a book. When Gu Gan returned, he saw Yu Sui sitting by the bed, her head slightly bowed. The dim candlelight illuminated her face, adding a warm glow that made her appear gentle and serene, and he couldn't bear to disturb her.
Gu Gan closed the door very softly, placed the tea on the bedside table, and as he turned away, the back of his hand brushed against Yu Sui's hair, causing a slight itch to spread through his heart.
"Sui Sui," Gu Gan couldn't help but call out to her.
"Hmm?" Yu Sui looked up.
Gu Gan smirked, revealing a roguish smile: "It's nothing, I just wanted to call you."
Finally, she sighed softly, "It seems like it's been a long time since we've talked like this."
“Yes, you’ve been in Taiyi for two years and haven’t gone back. We can’t really say anything to you.” Yu Sui smiled slightly. Thunder rumbled outside. Gu Gan said, “Don’t be afraid. It will stop in a while.”
"Speaking of which, Brother Gu, did Father ask you to keep an eye on Zhongli Mountain these past two years?" Yu Sui asked with some distress.
"No," Gu Gan asked. "What's wrong?"
Yu Sui sighed softly, turning the pages of her book, and said, "Father seems to want me to find a way to expel Zhong Lishan from Taiyi Academy. Is it because Zhong Lishan learned something at Taiyi that makes Father feel threatened?"
Gu Gan knew that Zhong Lishan had come to Taiyi to find a way to break the Shura Eye of the Master, but the Shura Eye was not so easy to break. In the past two years, Gu Gan had focused on his own development and had not paid much attention to Zhong Lishan.
“He often cultivates in military schools and has participated in several large-scale trials of the first rank. His strength is quite good. He is currently trying to break through to the tenth realm of the Divine Soul, but there is no news that he has seen through the Asura Eye.” Gu Gan pondered. “If he has, we in Taiyi should know first. The prince could not have the news before us. That is to say, it is not about the Asura Eye, but about fighting with the Zhongli family in the capital and not wanting to give Zhongli Shan any more time.”
Yu Sui frowned and said, "Then what should I do?"
"How could he make you do something like this?" Gu Gan frowned.
Yu Sui asked timidly, "Is it because I can cultivate...?"
"Isn't that a good thing for him?" Gu said with a dry laugh.
Yu Sui then asked, "Brother Gu, do you really think I will inherit the Prince's Mansion and become the head of the Nangong family in the future?"
Gu Gan paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Of course, who else could it be but you?"
Yu Sui blinked at him but didn't say anything.
Gu Gan said decisively, "It can't be Sheng Fei anyway."
Yu Sui chuckled.
Seeing her smile, a smile unconsciously flashed in Gu Gan's eyes as well: "The position of heir of the Nangong family is yours. Let's see who dares to take it from you. If your brothers dare to take the position from you, they'll have to see if I agree to it."
Yu Sui said, "If I don't do well what my father has entrusted to me, I'm afraid I will disappoint him. I'll wait until my cultivation is more advanced so that I can be more confident."
Gu Gan nodded and said, "You're right. You've only been in the academy for a short time, and you haven't even mastered all the different schools of martial arts. How could he let you do something like this? I'll report back to the Prince and tell him that I'll handle Zhonglishan's matter."
After settling things with Zhongli Mountain, Yu Sui finished reading the three books during the long night, gaining a general understanding of the various schools' celestial secrets and recording related divine secrets.
Gu Gan talked to her a lot, as if he was making up for the two years he had missed.
They could talk about many more topics than before, especially about the Nine Schools of Arts. Gu Gan could answer Yu Sui's questions when she was confused and curious. When he saw Yu Sui looking at him with admiration after she suddenly understood, the corners of Gu Gan's mouth never left his lips.
On nights like this, Yu Sui would come to him, making Gu Gan feel his heart filled with joy, sweeping away the gloom of the past two days. Just looking at her made him feel good.
The two of them didn't sleep all night, they just chatted.
The following morning, the downpour gradually subsided, and the thunder faded away, leaving only the patter of rain.
Ji Meng knocked on the door and called Gu Gan. When Gu Gan opened the door, Ji Meng was stunned to see Yu Sui sitting inside.
"The princess is here too?" Ji Meng asked in surprise. "When did the princess arrive?"
Gu Gan: "Didn't she tell you not to call her 'Princess'?"
Ji Meng spread his hands and said, "Then I can't just call you Sui Sui like you do, can I? It's not good to use your full name."
Gu Gan glanced at Yu Sui, who was yawning, and raised an eyebrow at Ji Meng, saying, "That really won't work."
Ji Meng rolled his eyes at him and said as he walked out, "The disciples of the Nine Capital Guards who patrolled the Upside-Down Moon Cave that day have been identified. It's those three, and they are the three most suspicious. Perhaps the person who sent you the message from the Wind Listening Ruler is among them."
Gu Gan sneered, "Go and test them out."
Yu Sui closed the book, placed it on Gu Gan's desk, raised her hand to tuck her stray hair behind her ear, and looked at Gu Gan as he walked away.
After daybreak, Cang Shu, who had been keeping watch at the clinic with Shi Yuezhen, returned to his quarters.
He shared a dormitory room with Shi Yuezhen; it was just the two of them. Cang Shu, like Mei Liangyu, lived on the 69th floor, just two rooms away from Mei Liangyu.
Before Cang Shu knocked on the door of number 1036, he sent a message asking if Mei Liangyu was awake yet, and if not, to wait until he was sober before coming over.
Mei Liangyu regained consciousness and asked him to come and take away all the poisons that Wei Ren had been raising.
Cang Shu then slowly arrived at the door of number 1036.
Just then, Wei Ren woke up and went to the main room to get a drink of water after leaving his bedroom. His face was still pale and he looked unwell. He coughed from time to time, and looked exhausted.
Mei Liangyu got up to open the door, and Wei Ren didn't pay any attention, only glancing at him out of the corner of his eye.
"Two Ghost Spiders, five Green Snakes, seventeen Nailless Scorpions, a pair of Asura Dragonflies, and about forty-five Ghost Face Mosquitoes." Mei Liangyu stood at the door, sorting through the out-of-control venomous creatures in the room with Cang Shu.
Wei Ren slowly turned his head and looked at the two of them with a questioning look in his eyes.
Cang Shu slowly surveyed the corner of the room and saw the green snakes and scorpions huddled together in the corner due to the pressure from Mei Liangyu's Five Elements power. He nodded slowly.
"Either is fine." Cang Shu looked at the poisonous creatures in the corner with loving eyes.
Wei Ren understood. His eyes twitched slightly, and he took a deep breath and said, "If I'm not mistaken, these are the poisonous insects I cultivate."
"What was yours before today, is his after today." Mei Liangyu tilted her head at Cang Shu.
Wei Ren smiled insincerely and said, "Is that so? I'd like to see if the poisonous creature that recognizes its master will follow him."
Cang Shu opened his arms and remained silent, yet strange bird calls echoed in the room, like the clear, melodious sound of jade being struck. The sound was slow and deep, easily overlooked, yet it could precisely transform into the five elements of energy, allowing poisonous creatures to sense it.
Like a summons, or perhaps a threat, the poisonous creatures trembled and slowly made their way toward Cang Shu.
Wei Ren's expression changed slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "Does the academy have a rule that forbids stealing other people's cultivation items?"
Mei Liangyu yawned and said, "You yourself haven't followed the rules, how can you expect others to reason with you?"
Wei Ren said, somewhat annoyed, "Where did I not follow the rules? I didn't steal his Ghost Armor Sky Spider!"
Mei Liangyu slightly raised her chin: "You didn't steal Nangong Sui's Breath Soil?"
Wei Ren nearly crushed the teacup in his hand, gritting his teeth as he said, "I didn't steal it."
Mei Liangyu merely chuckled lightly, her dark eyes coldly and indifferently watching him.
Wei Ren could sense that the Ghost Armored Sky Spider inside his sleeve was also unable to withstand Cang Shu's Phoenix Summoning. He tried to catch the Ghost Armored Sky Spider back, but the two red spiders flew away by spinning silk.
Realizing that Wei Ren was attempting to destroy everything, and that he would rather crush the Ghost Armor Spider than let it go to Cang Shu, Mei Liangyu flicked his finger into the air, and Wei Ren was sent flying by his Five Elements power, crashing through the door and falling inside.
Wei Ren bumped into the bookshelf in the room, coughed while clutching his shoulder, and staggered to his feet. He grabbed the door frame and leaned against it, looking up at Cang Shu, who had already obtained the Ghost Armor Spider.
“With your current cultivation level of the first realm, you can’t control these poisonous creatures,” Cang Shu said in a gentle tone. “If it weren’t for Mei Mei’s Five Elements Qi suppressing them, they would already be jumping around in the dormitory, biting people and looking for food.”
Wei Ren frowned, his eyes lowered, and his expression was inscrutable.
Cang Shu left with a pile of poisonous creatures, saying, "I'll keep an eye on them for you. Come back to me when you return to the Fifth Realm."
Mei Liangyu closed the door after Cang Shu left. She turned to look at Wei Ren, who was squatting against the door. He looked extremely uncomfortable, his features were all scrunched up, his fingers were tightly clenched on his left shoulder, and he was taking deep breaths.
This person had crippled his cultivation, and his Five Elements Light Core was damaged. He couldn't use the Five Elements Qi for a short time, but he had used it just now to stop Cang Shu. Now he was in so much pain that his internal organs were aching all over, and he was sweating profusely.
Mei Liangyu stared at Wei Ren for a while, seeing his extremely painful appearance, and said casually, "Such an important thing as the Farmer's Treasure, the Breath Soil, has fallen into the hands of a person who practices magic. Others would be hiding it as fast as they can, but only the Qingyang Nangong family dares to announce it to the world."
"In the past ten years or so, the number of disciples of the Farmer Clan who have died in the capital of Qingyang must be no less than that. I see that anyone in your Farmer Clan with some strength has been summoned to seize the Breath Soil, and without exception, they have all died there."
Wei Ren coughed twice, covering his mouth, looked up at Mei Liangyu with a complicated expression, and said in a hoarse voice, "What do you know?"
"I don't need to know anything," Mei Liangyu said coldly.
Wei Ren lowered his eyes to look at the bloodstains on his palm, a hint of annoyance in his eyes: "I only had my suspicions. I thought it was the problem with the Breath of Earth, but during the trial, I found that she could indeed use the Nine Streams Technique, so I thought it was the problem with Nangong Sui."
"Ahem... Lu Haiye asked me about her whereabouts, so I wanted to take this opportunity to see whether the problem with the Nangong family was the Xirang or Nangong Sui."
As Wei Ren spoke, the memory that flashed through his mind was the conversation between Yu Sui and Lu Haiye when Yu Sui was entangled by the phantom giant python.
Mei Liangyu glanced behind the door, and soon he heard a knock.
Yu Sui could sense that the person was at the door, and she called out softly, "Senior Brother."
Both people inside the room heard it.
Wei Ren was covered in sweat and struggled to turn his neck to look towards the door.
Mei Liangyu turned and opened the door, seeing Yu Sui standing outside. She was still wearing the clothes she had left last night, with the same makeup and attire. The black coat she had forgotten to ask for last night was now folded and draped over her arm.
Yu Sui smiled at Mei Liangyu, her eyes crinkling, and said, "Senior brother, I forgot to give you these clothes when I left last night. Thank you for the clothes."
Mei Liangyu looked her up and down for a moment, then finally picked up the coat that Yu Sui handed her and lazily draped it over her shoulder.
"Is Wei Ren here?" Yu Sui asked again. "I want to talk to him."
"Yes, I'm here." Mei Liangyu stepped aside, tilted her head in Wei Ren's direction, and gestured for Yu Sui to come in and take a look.
Yu Sui stepped inside and saw Wei Ren squatting against the wall in the dimly lit room. He was covered in sweat, his brows were furrowed in pain, his face was pale, and he looked disheveled as he avoided Yu Sui's scrutiny.
[Author's Note]
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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