EHRPS CH195

Nie Wuhui was stunned.

Anyone who woke up to find the bedmate they had shared skin-to-skin intimacy with for days demanding to know why they treated them like this in an earth-shattering tone would fall into bewilderment.

…How had he treated him?

Could it be that the cord was bound too tightly and he still felt uncomfortable now?

The few blunt shouts that followed left Nie Wuhui even more embarrassed, rendering him momentarily speechless.

Seeing the man remain silent, the half of Tu Tianba’s heart that was already cold chilled even further. The rims of his eyes grew redder. With their clothes in disarray and him sporting the look of having encountered a heartless lover, it left Nie Wuhui thoroughly perplexed.

He sat up slowly. A heavy, lingering numbness still remained deep within his body and soul, reminding him of what had transpired.

Paying it no heed, Nie Wuhui leaned close to ask, “Did you have a nightmare? Why are you speaking such nonsense?”

Hearing him say this, Tu Tianba drew in a sharp breath, glaring at the person before him with utter disbelief, as if Nie Wuhui were some sanctimonious villain.

He was just about to have it out with the man, but on second thought, what if revealing the matter of the book stimulated the man into recovering his memories early, turning him back into that righteous cultivator from their first meeting?

Wouldn’t he get castrated and lose his Dao Companion on top of that?

Most importantly, what Tu Tianba wanted was the gentle, beautiful, virtuous, and considerate A-Hui before him, not that bullshit Immortal Lord.

Besides, it hadn’t happened yet.

Tu Tianba reasoned with himself in every possible way, yet he still turned his head away in fury, refusing to look at the man.

It was definitely not because his eyes were brimming with tears!

Dammit, this truly infuriated this Venerable!

Nie Wuhui was confused.

What on earth happened?

He knew the youth’s personality was both blunt and awkward. Rather than launching into a long lecture, it was better to show his intentions through practical actions.

So Nie Wuhui raised his hands to cup the youth’s face, first pecking him on the lips, and then asked softly, “What is going on? Even if you want to blame me, you have to let me know what wrong I committed to make you so upset, right?”

Tu Tianba felt a bit embarrassed to say it.

Yet the hands cupping his cheeks were so warm. The man seemed somewhat distracted, his fingers unconsciously kneading the soft flesh of his cheeks while smiling at him continuously.

Seeing him cast a reluctant sideways glance over, his entire face cradled in his palms looking fair and cute, Nie Wuhui held back a laugh while saying, “Hmm? Don’t be mad at me anymore.”

How could Tu Tianba possibly resist this?

He confessed in slight annoyance, “…Actually, I’m not angry at you. I’m angry at myself.”

After all, he had previously vowed that even if the man came at him with a sword, he would never get angry.

Yet when Tu Tianba finished reading the new chapter in the book, he realized he had spoken far too big.

It wasn’t that he wouldn’t get angry at all. He was so angry he felt ready to explode!

At that moment, Tu Tianba had only one thought in his heart. No matter who in the whole world wanted to cut him down, the man beside him was the exception. Only he was not allowed.

Tu Tianba had looked at the book, then looked at the sleeping man, working himself into a terrible fury. That was why he had lost control of his temper, firing off accusations at the man like rapid artillery.

At this moment, Tu Tianba had calmed down slightly.

Meeting the man’s puzzled gaze, he concealed the matters of the inner demon and the book, claiming only that he had a nightmare, and probed both overtly and covertly, “If you recover your memory, will you feel that you were ruined by me and want to chop off my big brother?”

Nie Wuhui subconsciously lowered his gaze.

As Tu Tianba spoke, his tone grew increasingly mournful. “You’re already treating it badly now, insisting on binding it with cords. There’s no telling what might happen in the future. Maybe one day you’ll find it an eyesore and…”

Nie Wuhui more or less understood.

Perhaps the youth had been influenced by the demonic cauldron’s resentment in his slumber, having such an absurd nightmare that nonetheless troubled him deeply.

He looked rather heartbroken.

Nie Wuhui sighed inwardly. Holding the youth’s drooping head with more firmness, he leaned in until their cheeks touched, speaking softly, “How have I treated it… cough, treated you badly? If I were unkind to you, why would I have let you fool around so recklessly?”

Having said that, he supported Tu Tianba’s face with one hand while taking the youth’s wrist with the other, bringing it down to his own lower abdomen.

In an instant, an image flashed through Tu Tianba’s mind.

The man, drenched in sweat, unable to hold any more inside his belly, his expression dazed and hazy, yet still indulging him.

Tu Tianba could not help chuckling aloud. “Hehe.”

Right after, Tu Tianba quickly reined in his smile. The hand resting on the man’s lower abdomen smoothly wrapped around his waist, pulling him forcefully into his embrace, and muttered in a low voice, “I wronged you, it was my fault. If you feel truly miserable, just lean against my chest and cry quietly for a bit. I definitely won’t laugh at you. After all, I was the one who barked at you.”

Leaning against the youth’s chest, listening to him cajole him in such an awkward and clumsy manner, Nie Wuhui could not help smiling quietly.

With that, the little misunderstanding passed.

Only, both harbored their own thoughts.

Nie Wuhui had originally intended to come clean about recovering his memories, but after hearing the youth’s nightmare, his mind changed.

It was better to maintain the status quo for now.

The outside world only knew that Demon Lord Tu Tianba had faced the heavenly lightning tribulation and vanished without a trace, his fate unknown, yet no one knew that Nie Wuhui had been present as well.

On the other hand, he had been abruptly teleported in front of Tu Tianba by the prophetic jade slip, so the sect likely had no idea he had come out of seclusion.

Nie Wuhui had been in secluded cultivation for three hundred years.

Before entering seclusion, he had entrusted the Sect Master with instructions that unless a major event capable of shaking the entire sect or the righteous path occurred, he would not exit seclusion early.

Therefore, in the eyes of the demonic path, he was still presiding over the Guiqing Sect, and they would not dare invade.

This worked out well.

The demonic resentment within the youth was vast and boundless. It might take three to five years of dual cultivation to see initial results. During this time, it would be best to find a peaceful place to cultivate diligently.

This river valley was actually quite nice.

However, there was still one matter Nie Wuhui could not put his mind at ease about.

His disciple, Gu Chen.

Ten years before he went into seclusion, the Sect Master had a son named Gu Chen. Gu Chen was born with damaged heart meridians, and the Sect Master of the Wondrous Immortal Sect had asserted that he would not live past twenty.

Seeing the Sect Master’s spirit in turmoil over his young son, Nie Wuhui took Gu Chen into his tutelage and specially compiled a body-nourishing mental method to pass on to him.

Gu Chen cultivated with immense diligence. After mending his heart meridians, he revealed his natural gift for cultivation, achieving Foundation Establishment in thirty years.

Across the cultivation world, reaching Foundation Establishment in thirty years was no small feat. Figures like Tu Tianba, who established their foundation in ten years, were few and far between in the entire cultivation world, worthy of being hailed as geniuses by all.

Yet everyone called him a demon.

Nie Wuhui drifted slightly, quickly pulling his thoughts back.

Because of this, Gu Chen had been close to him since childhood and had specifically sought permission before his seclusion, asking to occasionally visit Lingzhao Peak just to catch a glimpse.

Having watched Gu Chen grow up, Nie Wuhui naturally agreed.

However, immersed in cultivation, he never replied. Only when sensing Gu Chen had waited outside for a long time would he spare a wisp of divine intent, letting the breeze on Lingzhao Peak brush past Gu Chen’s face as an answer.

The last time Gu Chen came to Lingzhao Peak was when he advanced to the Golden Core stage. Combining this with his recent memories, Nie Wuhui knew Gu Chen would certainly participate in this Immortal Sect Grand Competition.

Thinking of this, Nie Wuhui asked the youth, “By the way, Xiaoxiu, what exactly did you encounter when you participated in the Immortal Sect Grand Competition? What about the other medical disciples?”

Tu Tianba stuck to his previous story. Demonic cultivators made trouble, the desolate realm collapsed, everyone was ejected, and he had no idea what became of the others.

Nie Wuhui watched his darting eyes and refrained from digging into the truth, merely saying, “Counting the days, the tournament for all sects has begun. I wonder if those demonic cultivators will cause trouble again…”

Not knowing why he suddenly asked about this, Tu Tianba waved his hand and said casually, “Definitely not. Demonic cultivators aren’t all fools. Failing to kill those medical disciples must have enraged the righteous sects to death, so why would they walk into a death trap? Without an opportune moment or someone leading the scheme, they probably won’t have time to battle the righteous path anytime soon…”

Only after speaking did Tu Tianba realize he had said too much. He clicked his tongue hurriedly, planting several kisses on the man’s mouth, and barked, “Why ask about this? These matters have nothing to do with wandering cultivators like us!”

Nie Wuhui’s mouth was nearly kissed crooked by Tu Tianba. Holding back a laugh, he asked, “Then what does have to do with us?”

Without a second thought, Tu Tianba replied, “Dual cultivation! Dual cultivation is the top priority!”

Nie Wuhui could not refute that.

In fact, he thought the same. Right now, the immortal and demonic paths were temporarily calm, the sect and disciples were safe and sound, and the urgent task was naturally to resolve the calamity burdening the youth.

Tu Tianba did not know the man’s thoughts coincided with his own. While eating mouths, he bickered with the inner demon in his head. The clever one.

The book described how Doctor Tu demanded repayment for saving him and naturally did not heal him wholeheartedly, dragging things out for three years until one night, a handsome young man broke down the door, disturbing his fun and bringing about his doom.

Seeing the young man who broke in, the man’s expression suddenly turned dazed. In an instant, he recalled his past, saw through Doctor Tu’s filthy deeds, and immediately seized the sword from the young man’s hand.

With one strike, he chopped off Doctor Tu’s thing! With the second strike, he pierced Doctor Tu’s heart!

From then on, all debts were settled.

The pill gu broke upon its master’s death, but the man suffered a backlash as well. After returning to the Guiqing Sect, he healed for a full fifty years before recovering his original cultivation.

The story in the book ended right there.

Last time, reading the book made Tu Tianba’s cheeks burn slightly; this time, it made his lower half ache. The clever inner demon was still whispering a summary of the roleplaying points in his ear.

“Host, this mission is both hard and easy. As long as you, the protagonist, and the real… cough, the protagonist’s disciple are present at the same time, you just pretend to bite the dust, and say a line of dialogue before croaking…”

“Speaking of which, people in the cultivation world shouldn’t die from getting stabbed twice, right?”

“Besides, the line is super simple!”

“Just say, ‘Who are you? Why have you come to disrupt my pleasure?’ and you can wrap up your role!”

At the time, Tu Tianba was full of rage and grievance, unable to listen to any of it. Only now did he grasp it, falling into a massive dilemma.

“But I don’t want A-Hui to recover his memories. Wouldn’t that make it impossible to finish the final mission?”

“Sigh, that guy named Gu Chen is such an eyesore and a nuisance. How about I kill him in advance?”

Inside the system space, the white orb dared not remind the host that the manifested book only covered the ex-husband plot. The original novel had hundreds of thousands of words following that, describing the angst-ridden romance between the protagonist and his disciple.

If the host saw the complete version of the original work, the main gong would truly be done for.

…Good thing he had reading difficulties!

The white orb skillfully advised, “The system suggests the Host refrain from acting rashly. Gu Chen is the protagonist’s personal disciple. If you kill him, things will become tricky once the protagonist regains his memories.”

Tu Tianba thought, “If he doesn’t regain his memories, won’t it be easy to handle?”

The white orb said, “In that case, the Host won’t get the reward, you know? Is that really fine?”

Tu Tianba’s face instantly fell.

“…”

The two had lingered together in the cave for several days. Tu Tianba was fine, having stepped out once to pick a bouquet of flowers for Nie Wuhui. Nie Wuhui, however, had not seen daylight for a long time.

To him, that was no great issue.

Yet for some reason, the youth had suddenly taken on a troubled frown, refusing to answer when asked. Knowing he differed from ordinary cultivators and enjoyed mundane daily life, Nie Wuhui pulled him out for a walk.

Outside the cave, the sun was about to set.

The river valley was draped in a rich golden hue, the water shimmering like scattered stars.

The two strolled along the riverbank.

Tu Tianba still wore his simple black robes. The red cords that had once covered his waist, hands, and feet were gone, leaving only a hair ribbon, which made Nie Wuhui want to laugh whenever he looked at him.

Clearing his throat, he called softly, “Xiaoxiu…”

Tu Tianba was in the middle of an intense internal battle. Hearing the man call his name, he turned back instinctively.

The evening sun sank low. The wind picked up.

A small wild blossom broke free from its branch, fluttering into the sky, swept by the evening breeze until it landed gently on the tips of Tu Tianba’s bangs, dangling precariously.

He saw the white-robed man standing a step behind him, reaching out to pluck the fallen blossom. His expression was calm and pure, yet inexplicably warm.

Tu Tianba was dazed.

The man smoothed the folds of the little flower and tucked it back beside Tu Tianba’s temple. “Xiaoxiu…”

“What are you fretting about, after all?”

The wind fluttered the man’s sleeve, revealing an arm covered in kiss marks and bites. Tu Tianba tilted his head, resting his cheek against the inside of his forearm.

The man did not pull his hand back, letting him rest there.

It was so warm.

Tu Tianba suddenly let out a long breath, finally smoothing the frown he had worn for so long. Taking a step back to stand shoulder to shoulder with the man, he spoke in a tone that sounded almost like resignation.

“Oh, forget it, forget it.”

He scratched his cheek and turned to look at the man beside him.

“If the price of staying with you forever is to keep living like this, I suppose it isn’t unbearable.”

Tu Tianba smiled, his apricot eyes curving slightly.

“Who told me to like you, after all?”