GB Chapter 43

If there was anything good in these memories, it was that he remembered seeing Qian Ren.

It was shortly after Zhao Huai’an became the Head of the Pavilion. Finally free, he specifically found some free time to drag his younger brother to the street to buy pigments.

In reality, these things could be left to the errand disciples. He was just thinking that the two brothers hadn’t interacted for a long time, so it was a good opportunity to chat.

It was the third month of spring, and the banks of the Jiangnan River were a vibrant green. On this lively street, he suddenly noticed a young man in black standing before a small shop, deep in thought.

The young man was at most twelve years old. His facial features were still immature, but his expression and temperament revealed a different kind of maturity and composure, looking quite unique. However, Zhao Huai’an noticed him because this young man was none other than Bi Qianren, the disciple of He Huan from the Joyful Palace.

Zhao Huai’an had always been meticulous, and he had thoroughly investigated all the important figures of all the factions in the current Jianghu. He recalled that someone in the Pavilion had said that Yu Qing was lurking by this young man’s side. Although he didn’t know why that madman valued this child so much, he still felt a little sympathy. So, he stepped forward to greet him, “You are a disciple of Palace Master He, aren’t you? Why are you wandering the streets alone?”

In the Jianghu, He Huan was usually called “He Huan, the damned” or “He Huan, the one who deserves a thousand cuts.” Now, someone suddenly called him “Palace Master He” without any derogatory terms, and also politely, which startled Qian Ren a bit. He looked up at the person and noticed that the man was wearing ink-wash robes, with a gentle face and elegant manners. It was the newly appointed Head of the Heavenly Book Pavilion.

At that time, Yu Qing’s identity had not yet been exposed, and the Joyful Palace and the Heavenly Book Pavilion had no intersection, so he casually replied: “I received my first payment and wanted to buy something, but after thinking about it carefully, there’s no one to give it to, so I’ll just forget it.”

Although He Huan was considered a thorn in the side of the Heavenly Book Pavilion, Zhao Huai’an felt that this person, though seemingly wicked, acted with deep meaning. If he could survive the struggles, he might not lose to the leaders of the Xuanmen sect in the future. Such a person should be a friend, not an enemy.

However, He Huan was a demonic cultivator after all. Zhao Huai’an saw that the young man was already doing the work of an assassin at such a young age. He also remembered the rumors of He Huan’s indiscriminate relations with both men and women. He thought that this child must have suffered a lot. He couldn’t help but feel pity, so he reached out and pinched his cheek, softening his voice, “Don’t just forget it. What about that jade rabbit pendant on the counter? It looks as clever and cute as you. You can give it to a girl you like as a token of love in the future.”

In Zhao Huai’an’s view, a child who grew up in the demonic path must lack affection. Being treated like this by him should make him extremely happy. Who knew that Qian Ren, who had seen a lot of romance in the Joyful Palace, suddenly got approached by a man with such cheesy words, and thought that this person must be trying to kidnap him. He immediately distanced himself and said with a cold face, “Heh, even a man passing by has to be flirted with? Your Heavenly Book Pavilion is indeed full of hypocrites. I’m not going to pay attention to you.”

Wait, so pinching a child’s cheek is considered flirting in the eyes of a demonic cultivator? He might be a beast, but he would never lay a hand on a child. Besides, you’re just a little tyke, so can you even be considered a man?

Zhao Huai’an was known for his gentle temperament. Being regarded as a lecher was a first for him. After the initial shock, he still looked at his younger brother with disbelief, “I was actually called a hypocrite by a disciple of the Demonic Palace?”

He was gentle by nature, and when he encountered this, he only found it somewhat amusing. But Zhao Jicheng was furious seeing his elder brother’s easygoing attitude and immediately raged, “Older brother, you should scold him back! Can even a child bully you?”

“Even if you say so, he’s already run off. Besides, I was the one who teased him first…”

He Huan had already instructed Qian Ren that if he cursed at an opponent he couldn’t beat, he should run away quickly. He always listened to his master’s words, so he had already slipped away as soon as he spoke. Although Zhao Huai’an saw it, he didn’t stop him, just shaking his head helplessly. Zhao Jicheng, however, was still angry and complained, “You’ve completely disgraced the Heavenly Book Pavilion!”

He was young and vigorous and didn’t know that some people’s disciples shouldn’t be moved recklessly. It wasn’t necessary to provoke He Huan over such a small matter. Besides, Zhao Huai’an didn’t feel like he had been offended anywhere.

Surviving in this Jianghu was not enough with just fierceness. Gaining the most support from various forces was the true victory. The Heavenly Book Pavilion was just a stepping stone for them to build their own power. They didn’t have to do everything according to the elders’ instructions. In the end, if the Demon Lord’s ideology had worked, how could the righteous Xuanmen Sect become the number one sect in the world today?

Although he thought so, he also knew that his younger brother was strong-willed. He didn’t seriously point out the current situation to him, but instead smiled and comforted him, “Okay, stop lecturing me. I’ll draw a puppy for you, okay? You liked the lion dog from your Uncle’s house the most when you were a kid, didn’t you?”

Sure enough, upon hearing these words, Zhao Jicheng looked depressed and only said, “How old do you think I am now?”

Seeing that he finally stopped nagging, Zhao Huai’an just smiled lightly, “Haha, no matter how much time has passed, in my eyes, you’re still just a clueless child.”

At that time, Zhao Huai’an didn’t know that Zhao Jicheng already had rebellious intentions. He thought that all the hardships had already passed, and that there would be endless time in the future to teach his younger brother the dangers of the Jianghu. But he forgot that his younger brother was no longer the boy who followed behind him, relying on him for everything. Zhao Jicheng had already grown up without him knowing it, and an adult’s heart was never as pure and innocent as a child’s.

Clearly, it was a rather happy thing, but in the end, the memory was still inevitably a bit bittersweet, similar to the sweet and sour taste in his mouth…

Sighing inwardly, Zhuge Qingtian originally wanted to adjust his emotions before waking up, but was ultimately awakened by the sudden sweet taste. He had no sense of taste, so this could only be the taste that Qian Ren had transmitted through the Spirit Communication Talisman.

That cold and hard man would actually eat candy like a child just to coax him. It was really a great sacrifice.

Thinking of this, the bitterness and pain suddenly dissipated. He opened his eyes, unable to pull himself away from the past for a moment. He subconsciously reached out to caress the man’s cheek, a gentle smile appearing on his face, “What are you eating? It’s very sweet.”

The touch on his cheek made Qian Ren stiffen instantly. He vaguely felt that this scene seemed familiar, but he couldn’t remember the specific situation. He could only swallow the hawthorn in his mouth and replied faintly, “Candied hawthorns. When I was a kid, my master would use this to coax me when I cried. Didn’t you say you wanted to eat it in Jiangdu?”

Only then did Zhuge Qingtian notice that there were still some tear stains on the man’s clothes. His own face, however, was very clean, probably having been wiped. He originally thought he had suppressed all his emotions, but it turned out that he had still cried.

It was just that, upon seeing him cry, he had quickly bought candy to coax him. The child of the past had already grown into a very charming man. Thinking of this, the saying “hypocrite” from the past was not unfair after all. Now, he really wanted to flirt with this person.

Thinking of this, he reached out and pressed the jade rabbit pendant carefully preserved in his embrace. Who would have thought that the young Qian Ren of that day would actually go back and buy this jade pendant in the end, and then give it to him? This must be a destined fate, but he didn’t know if the token of love still counted…

Silently imagining Qian Ren’s childish appearance in his memory, and then looking at the adult man who was now much taller than him, Zhuge Qingtian couldn’t help but sigh regretfully, “Why didn’t I realize you were so good back then? Even if I would have been chased after by He Huan, I should have taken you home.”

He had a deep obsession with him when he was young, and he was also from the Heavenly Book Pavilion. This sounded a bit chilling…

He didn’t expect that he would actually say such a thing. After thinking for a moment, Qian Ren’s face turned dark, and he became very vigilant, “Don’t tell me your real name is Yu Qing.”

Only now did he realize that he hadn’t revealed the truth yet. Zhuge Qingtian naturally refused to have anything to do with that madman Yu Qing. So he reached out and wrapped his arms around Qian Ren’s waist, solemnly saying, “I used to be called Zhao Huai’an. Now, I am Zhuge Qingtian, who wants to become Bi Qianren’s cultivation partner, just that.”

Although his appearance had changed, his body was still the same as before. Zhao Jicheng couldn’t possibly not recognize him. Even so, that person didn’t call him “older brother” once.

So much time had passed, and without He Huan even lifting a finger, just an emerging demonic sect had destroyed the Heavenly Book Pavilion controlled by Zhao Jicheng. Yet that person still didn’t think he had done anything wrong. He didn’t even show a hint of remorse when he saw him. If that was the case, he would no longer acknowledge that younger brother.

Now, there was only the Ghost God Zhuge Qingtian. Zhuge Qingtian had nothing to do with the Heavenly Book Pavilion. This time, he wouldn’t protect that person again.

“You really gave me an unexpected answer.”

He naturally understood the implication behind his words, but he hadn’t expected that the other party would be an old enemy of the demonic cult. He couldn’t help but sigh a bit.

Seeing his expression, Zhuge Qingtian knew what he was thinking, and decisively added, “I died not long after taking charge of the Heavenly Book Pavilion. At that time, I couldn’t control Yu Qing, who had been planning things in the Pavilion for many years. However, it is true that I knew he was lurking in the Joyful Palace but didn’t tell you. Will you hate me?”

“I believe you.”

His explanation included many secrets. If it were an ordinary person, they would not dare to believe it easily, but Qian Ren only said these three words.

In the end, since demonic cultivators were born to cause trouble, there were too many enemies of the demonic cult over the years. To enumerate them, there were very few sects in the Jianghu that maintained friendly relations with them. So, the demonic cult itself didn’t really care about these hostile forces. Even if they encountered disciples of the Xuanmen sect, they wouldn’t immediately start fighting. Not to mention, the Heavenly Book Pavilion was an existence that had been destroyed long ago.

However, remembering Zhuge Qingtian’s sobbing figure as he held himself tightly in the dream just now, Qian Ren still patted him and asked, “How about you? Are you at peace after remembering everything?”

Before, Zhuge Qingtian’s greatest worry was that he and Qian Ren would be on opposing sides. Although the memories were painful, the reality was much better than he had imagined. He no longer had to be worried about the future, which was not bad. Compared to Zhao Jicheng, whom he had already lost, Qian Ren, whom he wanted to hold on to tightly now, was more important.

However, mentioning this matter, he instantly sat up straight, looking serious, “I am at peace but also worried. Just now, I finally remembered the true purpose of the Book of Heaven Without Words.”

The author has something to say: Zhuge Qingtian: As expected, a person’s nature will not change. I like teasing you no matter if it’s the past or the present.

Qian Ren: Heh, when I was little I couldn’t beat you, but now I can punish you anytime.

Zhuge Qingtian: The more you say that, the more I want to provoke you!

He Huan: Stay still in your positions, I’ll draw a book.

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