GB Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Although Zhuge Qingtian seemed unreliable, he was actually very easy to coax. As long as his demands were met, he wouldn’t cause any more trouble. Today was the same. After happily finishing his midnight snack, he quietly lay in bed without bothering Qian Ren anymore.

Ghosts don’t need sleep or rest, but to pass the long years, they would occasionally enter a temporary state of unconscious hibernation to while away the time.

In his hibernating state, Zhuge Qingtian’s eyes were closed, and he didn’t breathe, looking completely like a corpse. It was just that the room had become quiet, and Qian Ren, listening to the rustling of the leaves in the cool breeze, felt a little unaccustomed.

The young man in bed was silent. Before sleeping, he had taken off his shoes, let down his hair, and used tooth powder to clean his mouth. All his actions were just like a living person. Seeing that he couldn’t sense any temperature yet still wrapped the quilt tightly around himself, Qian Ren just silently sat in meditation, not reminding him. Although it was almost autumn, in this late summer weather, ordinary people couldn’t feel the coolness at all.

Once a cultivator reached the Nascent Soul stage, they didn’t need to eat or drink, didn’t feel cold or heat, didn’t notice the passing of seasons. To mortals, they were beings detached from worldly troubles. Yet, Zhuge Qingtian, who was no different from them, still yearned for the ordinary life that was accessible to everyone. Those things that seemed very troublesome to him were his only precious memories of being alive.

Standing by the bed, looking at the young man clutching the corner of the quilt, Qian Ren thought that everyone in this world had different ideas. Perhaps, what truly made people unable to let go was not the kind of life they lived, but that they had no choice from the beginning.

No matter how much the dead tried to disguise themselves, they could never return to their living selves. Zhuge Qingtian’s body was unconsciously hugging the quilt, but his head remained on the pillow. If ordinary people saw this, it would be a frightening scene. Qian Ren, however, just shook his head out of habit, thinking that while others might only kick off their blankets when sleeping, he actually managed to turn his head around in his sleep, which was quite extraordinary.

Zhuge Qingtian was a very strange ghost. He clearly possessed the sad memories of being treated coldly by the world, and his afterlife was also a lonely existence without any warmth. Yet, he used his playful and unpredictable demeanor to make himself seem not at all sad.

People in the martial world said that the Great Protector of the Demonic Cult was a true demon cultivator without emotions. He was not interested in anything and seemed to have no desires. Once he successfully transcended the tribulation, he could become the most reliable weapon of the demonic path. But no one knew that he also had some of his own preferences. Bi Qianren, who had no fondness for the world, actually admired lives that were striving and earnest. To slightly shield some young seedlings struggling to survive in barren soil from the wind and frost, and then quietly leave in the dark, was his only small hobby in life.

Gently putting the broken head and neck together, he took out a roll of white silk cloth that people in the martial world used to bandage wounds and tightly wrapped it around the young man’s neck three times. Then, he pinched a spell and pressed it on, pushed it slightly, and confirmed that the head wouldn’t easily fall off again before getting up and leaving.

Just before he left, he glanced at the hibernating ghost. In the moonlight, the young man’s face was peaceful and serene, as if it had never experienced any storms. He couldn’t help but sigh, “Fool.”

As the moon shifted and the stars moved, the night finally passed. The thin morning light fell into the room through the slightly yellow window paper. With the first crow of the rooster, the young man in bed suddenly opened his eyes, and vitality once again spread through his body. Before he even got up, his cheerful voice broke the silence in the room, “Wife, it’s morning! I can talk! What do you want to eat for breakfast? I’m great at making flatbread!”

It was barely dawn, and he had already planned out his activities for the day. However, before he could elaborate, he finally realized that his head was surprisingly well-behaved today. He quickly went to the mirror to see that the horrifying scar had been covered by a snow-white silk cloth. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “Huh? My neck…”

Qian Ren was somewhat prepared for how noisy he would be. At this time, he just remained in his meditation posture, calmly closing his eyes and saying, “Your head is too jumpy; it’s better to tie it up.”

Hearing this, Zhuge Qingtian understood that this man must have bandaged his wound while he was hibernating. The cloth was wrapped so well that he couldn’t find where the connection was, which showed how meticulous the person who bandaged it must have been. Silently imagining what Qian Ren’s expression must have been at that time, Zhuge Qingtian instantly regretted why he had been so obedient in hibernating. Couldn’t this fool pretend to be asleep? He had missed the one and only time in this man’s life that he might have shown tenderness!

His fingers groped around his neck. He looked expectantly at the meditating man in black and tentatively asked, “Wife… how about… you tie me up again?”

Qian Ren naturally ignored this strange request. He saw through the fact that this uncooperative hand was trying to untie the cloth and coldly said, “If you dare to take it off, I’ll kick you into the moat.”

The Demon Cult’s Great Protector’s tenderness only existed at night. During the day, he was as brutal as ever. Not doubting that this man would actually kick him away, Zhuge Qingtian could only regretfully realize that this was the result of falling asleep before his wife in bed! It was a huge loss!

With the scar on his neck covered and having changed out of the tattered clothes he had died in, Zhuge Qingtian now looked like a fair-skinned, delicate young man, not likely to be recognized as a fierce ghost if he walked on the street. Qian Ren thought that since they were out traveling, it wouldn’t do to just sit in the room meditating all day. Since he wasn’t interested in worldly matters, watching some martial world dramas wouldn’t be bad. So he took him out to the street. As for the Tian Shi Mansion members who were nervously activating all surveillance arrays, ready to deal with any unexpected situations, Qian Ren stated that as a demon cultivator, he was not planning to save manpower and resources for the righteous sects.

Jiangnan had always been a beautiful place. Each city here had its unique scenery. Jiangdu, because it was close to the coast, had formed a strange landscape where willows bordered the shores inside the city, and outside, majestic waves crashed against the banks. The architecture of Jiangdu inherited the meticulous craftsmanship of Jiangnan, with every stone and piece of wood being very refined. But compared to other cities, it had a more grand and open feel, looking towards the horizon. The scenery was naturally excellent. All along the way, Zhuge Qingtian felt that he couldn’t take it all in. Even the carved glazed tiles under his feet were interesting. He sighed, “I’ve never strolled on a rooftop before; it feels so new!”

Indeed, as an aloof demon cultivator, Qian Ren had no interest in mingling with mortals on the streets. Even when he went out, he was unique and went directly over the rooftops, having no intention of blending into the crowd. Now, hearing Zhuge Qingtian’s words, he just said indifferently, “Dangerous people should be aware of themselves. Don’t run into the crowd for no reason.”

One was a born demon, and the other was a fierce ghost. If they really came into contact with mortals, the Tian Shi Mansion would probably be inspecting people’s bodies one by one that night. Qian Ren didn’t mind causing trouble for the righteous path, but thinking that with Zhuge Qingtian’s personality, he probably wouldn’t feel good being shunned like this, it was better to keep a distance from the crowd from the beginning.

However, this also meant that he had to bear Zhuge Qingtian’s vigorous curiosity alone. They hadn’t walked a few steps when this person saw a vendor on the street and immediately went forward, grabbing his sleeve excitedly, “Wife, do you eat candied haws?”

Apart from his master, Qian Ren couldn’t imagine any adult cultivator eating this kind of children’s food. Without even looking at him, he decisively refused, “I don’t.”

The extent of Zhuge Qingtian’s strength was still unknown, but his persistence was definitely top-notch in the world. After being rejected for a moment, he saw a street performer spitting fire and immediately lit up. Again, he grabbed Qian Ren’s sleeve and called out, “Wife, do you want to watch a magic show?”

“No.”

It was still an unhesitating refusal. Qian Ren’s attitude was very firm. As a Nascent Soul cultivator, what spells hadn’t he seen? Why would he watch mortals play tricks?

Seeing that this person was just walking on the rooftops, showing not the slightest interest in the scenery, not even glancing at the shops they passed by, it didn’t seem like he was enjoying the trip. Worried that their first outing was about to end so boringly, Zhuge Qingtian couldn’t help but sigh, “Wife, you’re not going to buy rouge and powder, are you?”

Hearing this, Qian Ren finally lost his expressionless face. He grabbed this ghost’s head, grinding his teeth and said, “You are courting death!”

Fortunately, he didn’t want to kick off the head he had just bandaged again. Only then did Zhuge Qingtian escape. However, this ghost was troubled again. This way, his wife was indeed no longer cold, but wasn’t this situation of provoking this person only to be beaten up by him no different from usual? This was a rare outing, and he wanted to enjoy it more…

Qian Ren was able to become the last virgin of the demonic path. Apart from his own constitution, his unromantic nature also played a part. The coldness that couldn’t be shaken even by the many demonic beauties of the Demonic Cult was something Zhuge Qingtian definitely couldn’t handle. At this time, he could only sigh, “Wife, we’ve walked through three streets, and you haven’t looked at anything. What exactly can attract your interest?”

Glancing at him, Qian Ren’s answer was very much in line with his demon cultivator identity, “Fighting, demons and ghosts.”

What kind of life had this person lived up until now? Was there nothing harmonious in his world?

Once again lamenting the brutality of this man, Zhuge Qingtian had another thought. This was not bad, at least he was within his wife’s scope of interest! Did this mean that, to Qian Ren, he was more attractive than the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan and the prosperous streets? Did his wife really like him so much?

Watching him instantly heal himself and become radiant, Qian Ren didn’t want to think about what exactly was going on in this person’s mind. His intuition told him that it would definitely be an answer that would challenge his patience.

Just like that, as their completely abnormal outing was about to end with a walk, Zhuge Qingtian, who insisted on not giving up, was still looking around. Suddenly, a familiar figure fell into his view. Realizing that Qian Ren would definitely be interested this time, he decisively grabbed him and said, “Wife, look, isn’t that Mo Pan? Why is he being so clingy with someone?”

The heir of the Tian Shi Mansion somewhat fit the criteria of fighting. Hearing this, Qian Ren stopped and looked in that direction. It was indeed Mo Pan. He thought that since he was out traveling, he couldn’t just stroll around without doing anything. Since he wasn’t interested in worldly affairs, watching some martial world dramas would be okay. So he said, “Let’s go take a look.”

The author has something to say: He Huan: I’ll tell you quietly, my disciple likes nurturing! He was born with a busybody personality that loves to take care of people!

Zhuge Qingtian: What, my wife is actually so gentle and virtuous?!

Qian Ren: Do you think I’m so good at cleaning up messes because of who?!

The heartbroken Mr. Mu from next door: I understand the hardship of being the last normal person in the world.

Read Novels at volarereads.com