TBR CH275: Extra

“Immortals do not eat the five grains,” Gu Shishu said.

This was a refusal.

He idly played with the Immortal Venerable’s long hair, his expression unusually gentle. “If it weren’t for Tingxue’s consideration, I would have forgotten you long ago. You haven’t grown at all in all these years, and you were trapped in a snare when we finally met. After helping you this time, I will no longer owe you anything.”

Alright, their last meeting had been a long time ago—the Black Book thought—and he had always been very disdainful of it.

It wasn’t disappointed at all, nor was it very excited to see its old friend again, and seeing the two of them doing well was already good enough…

His hair, like snow, passed through the Demon Lord’s fingers, a faint red thread wrapped around his fingertip, as beautiful as a red plum in the snow.

Fu Tingxue lifted his eyelids, a faint light flowing in the eyes of the most aloof and outstanding venerable of the immortal sects. “Stay.”

He turned his face to Gu Shishu. He didn’t even use telepathy, just made eye contact, as if they had already understood each other’s meaning. Anyway, the World Consciousness couldn’t understand their strange way of communicating. “Clear tea, or light wine, a few small drinks among the flowers will suffice. Shishu often mentions you to me.”

“How often?” Gu Shishu objected.

“No?” The Immortal Venerable’s lips curved slightly. “You say no, then I must have misremembered.”

His tone contained a certain sense of indulgence, which unknowingly dissolved the harshness in the Demon Lord’s tone.

Gu Shishu’s tone was still a little stiff. “It’s just that every once in a while, the Demon King invites us to a banquet. As soon as I see that face, it reminds me of the past. Oh, I’m talking about Wu Sui. He’s done a pretty good job since taking over the demon race.”

“When I killed Wu Su, it was still here,” Fu Tingxue pondered for a moment.

“Good riddance,” Gu Shishu commented without hesitation. “It’s his good fortune to be struck by your sword.”

The Demon Lord was not a very reasonable person. And the only immortal in the three realms who could restrain him a little just pursed his lips upon hearing this. This was not a topic that could bring a smile, and it wasn’t really a topic at all, but there was a light in his pale eyes.

It’s all over, the World Consciousness thought. The Demon Lord is lawless in this world. It’s basically whatever Gu Shishu wants.

Gu Shishu lightly raised his eyes and glanced at the Black Book. “Aren’t you going to thank him?”

Is he agreeing to have dinner with it?

The Black Book’s thoughts instantly turned a corner… perhaps under the immortal’s subtle influence, even the Demon Lord’s personality had improved a little. And, what if what Fu Tingxue said was true? Although even after really hearing his thanks, the Black Book still found it a little hard to imagine that a person with such a bad personality as Gu Shishu would be a little grateful to it…

But the Demon Lord, reminiscing about the past, finally gave it a good look.

“The pear blossoms this year haven’t bloomed well yet, which is suitable for entertaining guests. There’s no need to prepare a seat for you. Just find a place to put you, right…”

What does it mean that the pear blossoms haven’t bloomed well yet, so it’s suitable for entertaining guests…

Does that mean that after they have bloomed, it’s not suitable for seeing outside guests, and the two of them will have the spring scenery all to themselves?

The Black Book began to worry a little. Its final resting place wouldn’t be the cold ground, would it?

“Shishu is very good. Don’t worry,” Fu Tingxue said.

The immortal didn’t speak often. When he suddenly spoke, he startled the World Consciousness.

That pair of pale-colored eyes could hide his own thoughts, but they could always see through people’s hearts. Compared to the white snow in his eyes in those years, there were now more fresh and bright colors. …Speaking of which, Fu Tingxue couldn’t see himself back then, right? Why did it feel like, revisiting the old place, the immortal had benefited a lot?

Fu Tingxue stood up and casually made a gesture. The Black Book suddenly felt itself floating up. Then it swayed a few times in the air.

When it came to its senses again, it was actually looking at a tree full of unopened pear blossoms in front of a stone table.

The white jade cups on the table were filled with an amber liquid, reflecting the flower buds that were about to bloom, which also had a certain charm. The most important thing was that no matter how you counted the cups on the table, there were exactly three—although no matter how you looked, two of them had a matching pattern.

The Black Book thought, having had so many meals with others, staying for a few small drinks was also a good choice.

The pear blossom wine that Gu Shishu brewed was indeed wonderful.

After three rounds of wine, for some reason, the past began to run through the Black Book’s mind like a revolving lantern. It was filled with emotion, flipping its pages with a rustle, expressing its various past experiences when it first met the Demon Lord. When it got to the emotional part, even its handwriting was so sloppy it was about to take off.

Little did it know that the Demon Lord was looking at it, and was a little tempted to throw out this black book that got drunk after just a little bit of wine.

When he picked up the wine cup again, Fu Tingxue suddenly stopped his action.

The Immortal Venerable’s expression suddenly became a little solemn. He lightly brought his knuckles together and swiped at the blade at his waist. A frost-like, bright light gathered at the immortal’s fingertips, and then he lightly tossed it, disappearing into the shadows of the pear blossoms.

Gu Shishu knew what had happened without asking. “Someone else has come?”

“Hmm,” the immortal said softly.

The Black…

It almost thought something terrible had happened again while it was away, especially since this kind of description seemed so familiar.

A disciple of the orthodox sect had traveled thousands of miles to the perilous demon realm. If not to crusade against Gu Shishu, the greatest demon lord, what else could it be for?

But that shouldn’t be… hadn’t the Demon Lord and the Immortal Venerable already formed a pact under the witness of the three realms? The most revered in the immortal sects was Fu Tingxue, and his sword, as sharp as snow. They should have some understanding of the immortal’s temperament and choices, and should not interfere no matter what.

…

Looking at the ink that had suddenly stopped on the pages of the Black Book, Gu Shishu guessed what it was struggling with.

The immortal slightly closed his eyes for a few seconds, then opened them again. That pair of pale-colored pupils were calm and clear, giving people a strange sense of peace. Gu Shishu certainly knew what a good and reliable person he was, but to help him deal with some random, messy things was not something an immortal should do. The Demon Lord’s face darkened, obviously not in a good mood with these intruders.

He leaned over, wrapping his arms around the immortal’s shoulders with a strong sense of possessiveness.

The Black Book thought with trepidation.

When his fingers touched the thin shoulder blades, he felt as if a butterfly had just landed on his fingertips, about to fly away. A cold, snow-like scent lingered in the air, faint yet present. He stared into the immortal’s eyes, almost nose to nose.

Fu Tingxue was stunned for a moment. The neck within his sight was slightly stained with a beautiful color like peach blossoms. Then he heard Gu Shishu say somewhat forcefully, “Those people brought this on themselves. Just let them fend for themselves.”

“No…” The immortal felt his cheeks flush. “Shishu, they came specifically to find you. I think—”

“Then Master can also ignore it.”

The more it heard, the more wrong it felt.

What did it mean that they had come specifically to find the Demon Lord? Had the immortal realm really decided to crusade against Gu Shishu? It had said that the Demon Lord’s style of doing things was still a bit too flamboyant. Especially since he often coaxed the Immortal Venerable to the demon realm to stay with him. Over time, it was inevitable that the Qingcheng sect would have some objections. If a war really broke out, and their positions were so extreme, it was inevitable that they would stand on opposite sides—that would not do. Absolutely not.

The more the World Consciousness imagined it, the more thrilling it became.

Until Fu Tingxue suddenly turned his head, his eyes like a slightly thawed ice lake in early spring. He looked at the Black Book with a hint of helplessness. “It’s not what you think… Shishu, you calm down too. If you don’t want to see them, I’ll send them back.”

“And let them talk nonsense outside?” The Demon Lord’s dark hair fell on the Immortal Venerable’s shoulder, the contrast in colors particularly striking.

Gu Shishu casually glanced at the Black Book and snorted coldly: “It’s not your place to worry about me.”

The Demon Lord crooked his finger.

It was just a simple action, but the World Consciousness was a little surprised—the power he possessed at this moment had already reached the peak of this world. His demonic heart, body, and soul, if he had any aggressive thoughts, the entire world would probably be easily overturned and thrown into turmoil.

At this moment, only a wisp of his dark demonic energy leaked out, and it tore open a crack in the space before them.

Several young men wearing the robes of Qingcheng disciples suddenly fell out of the crack, landing on the ground in a sorry state—but they were not injured, because Fu Tingxue’s sword energy was softly and sharply enveloping them at this moment. The World Consciousness held its breath.

The next moment, the eyes of these young men suddenly lit up.

Then they hurriedly stood up, tidied the dust on their robes, and then bowed down in Gu Shishu’s direction.

The Black Book almost couldn’t believe its eyes.

But besides its eyes, it could also hear the words that these young men blurted out without hesitation at this moment: “We have long admired your grace and wish to follow you and become your disciples!”

Gu Shishu sometimes couldn’t figure out why his demon palace was so attractive to the orthodox sects.

The previous Shen Nian, and the few young men in front of him now who were still wearing the robes of the outer disciples of Qingcheng Mountain, were all living examples.

He had always felt that in the eyes of the world, even if he had Fu Tingxue to vouch for him, he wasn’t some unforgivable demon lord, nor would he suddenly become purer than a lotus flower emerging from the mud. But these young men looked indignant.

“Those orthodox sects are bullies! Only this demon palace and ghost realm, although it looks gloomy and terrifying, is actually a clean place!”

When Gu Shishu heard such words, he found himself wanting to sigh, just like before.

Why was this so familiar… Was it because this black book was revisiting its old haunts, and was desperately trying to recall the past here, that it had also summoned back these similar people?

Actually, it couldn’t be blamed.

This kind of situation had been happening every few years recently. So much so that later, he only found this kind of situation boring.

The Demon Lord still remembered, the first time it happened, he was still a little surprised. At that time, Fu Tingxue was practicing his sword, and after he had dealt with the affairs of the demon realm, he sensed that the barrier of the demon realm had been touched. The immortal’s telepathic message came at the same second.

Fu Tingxue was just that good.

If the Immortal Venerable hadn’t happened to be staying at the demon palace, these few young men probably wouldn’t have been able to step foot here alive.

There were far more mindless demons in this place than intelligent ones. Whether it was an immortal or a demon lord, the strong were respected, and they attacked strangers without discrimination. If it had been the Gu Shishu who was not with the immortal, he probably would not have been so kind as to care about the lives of a few strangers.

So they were still able to live and stand in front of him, shouting their childish declarations.

Gu Shishu stretched out his hand and drew out a wisp of cold and gentle sword intent from the few young men in front of him.

And the owner of the sword intent happened to walk over at this moment.

The moment they saw Fu Tingxue, the voices of the few young men still wearing the robes of Qingcheng Mountain disciples instantly disappeared without a trace.

Fu Tingxue was the number one immortal in the immortal sects that shook the heavens. He was the sword immortal sitting in the most aloof and outstanding position. But even if one hadn’t heard his name, just seeing this snow-white, dust-free robe, that pair of eyes as pale as ice and snow, and that legendary sword blade that could cut pear blossoms, one would suddenly realize one’s own filth and feel ashamed.

His gaze landed on Gu Shishu, then his lips curved like the first thaw of spring, revealing a slight smile: “Is the Demon Lord taking disciples?”

“No,” Gu Shishu said helplessly. “Don’t tease me, Master… I can take one, but I can’t just take a whole group at once after not taking any disciples for so long.”

This matter ended with Gu Shishu briefly showing them what a demon was.

But for some reason, the people who came admiringly came in one wave after another. There were even rumors that the Demon Lord was unable to take disciples because of the Immortal Venerable’s face, and this led to a bunch of messy conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theories always have a market.

Gu Shishu himself had read a few books about him.

Putting aside those exaggerated descriptions like “number one in the three realms,” and all the slander against Fu Tingxue, the remaining parts were quite interesting—

They mainly revolved around the complex emotional entanglement between the Demon Lord and the immortal.

Although they had already become Dao partners in front of the important figures of the three realms, the people who compiled the gossip obviously felt that this was not marketable.

So Gu Shishu had read about “the Demon Lord, unable to obtain love, became enraged and blackened, imprisoning the Immortal Venerable,” and had also read about “the Immortal Venerable, using all means to seduce the Demon Lord,” and had also read about “the Demon Lord and the Immortal Venerable, originally enemies, but fell in love after a marriage of convenience for the sake of the three realms,” and had also read about “the Demon Lord and the Immortal Venerable, who became husband and wife in the mortal world during a tribulation, but later lost their memories and became enemies”…

This type of story seemed to be very popular.

So Gu Shishu, this demon lord who should have been avoided by everyone, had instead gained a lot of goodwill.

…Anyway, figuring out the source of the matter was different from the previous child of fate, which was still somewhat comforting.

That night, between the nine layers of gauze curtains, the Demon Lord brought up this matter again.

“I don’t take disciples,” at that time, Gu Shishu was idly playing with the Immortal Venerable’s long hair, and suddenly asked with some interest, “Tingxue, if I had a little disciple, what should he call you? Is it Grandmaster, or…”

“Don’t talk nonsense.” The Immortal Venerable pursed his lips and let him do as he pleased with his silver hair.

“Where am I talking nonsense?” Gu Shishu replied as if he were in a good mood. “The Immortal Venerable and I are in a pact. If the Immortal Venerable wants to go back on his word, then I can only—”

“Only what?” The Demon Lord’s hand had unknowingly passed through the silver hair and landed on the side of Fu Tingxue’s neck. The thin back was cut into a beautiful butterfly bone. Although it was covered by a fine Yan Luo gauze, it was not difficult for him to imagine the skin hidden beneath.

Gu Shishu laughed, knelt down in front of the immortal, and lifted his crimson pupils: “Then I can only kneel before the Immortal Venerable’s door, begging the Immortal Venerable to let me enter the hall and become a personal disciple; at worst, I can be a little attendant who sweeps and makes the bed for you.”

Fu Tingxue’s pale pupils were slightly stunned.

The Demon Lord was joking, but he couldn’t help but think about it. Before Gu Shishu met him, he was just an outer disciple. And before that, he was all alone in this world, and his life was by no means easy. He was born as snow on a high mountain, and he often felt he hadn’t done enough. And his disciple had shouldered too much, but rarely told him himself.

“No,” Fu Tingxue said, his voice very light, but brooked no argument.

“Even this is not enough,” the corners of Gu Shishu’s mouth lifted again. “What else does the immortal want?”

“It’s not that,” the immortal stared at him with single-minded focus, his pale eyes looking gentle and moist, like a piece of jade. “I am glad you are willing to be my disciple, and now willing to be my Dao partner. If there really is a disciple, let him call me… whatever you want him to call me.”

Gu Shishu was stunned for a moment.

Fu Tingxue watched as his only disciple’s hand on his waist suddenly tightened, and then his dark hair, along with their clasped fingers, fell into the bed. Gu Shishu kissed his lips, disoriented and passionate. His pupils seemed to have a dark, burning light, yet he was pious and focused: “I am also very glad…”

In the gaps between the kisses, Fu Tingxue heard his voice, a blur that ignited a flame in his heart. “To have met Master in this life.”

The Black Book was still dumbfounded when Gu Shishu pointed at it.

“If any of you can dismantle this book,” the Demon Lord smiled, and said meaningfully, “I will take him as my personal disciple.”

The World Consciousness suddenly shot up, avoiding the wind blade that had grazed its pages.

This was of course an impossible task… not everyone was Gu Shishu, who treated tearing its pages as a form of entertainment. A hundred more of these ordinary disciples wouldn’t be able to touch it at all, okay?!

The World Consciousness gracefully performed a few turns in the air, dodging all the attacks.

It was just about to show off its skills with ease when it suddenly turned around and found that the Demon Lord, along with the Immortal Venerable, had already disappeared, leaving only a few cups of leftover wine on the table—alright, they had indeed finished a pot of pear blossom wine.

“Where are you running!” Another sharp shout. The Black Book subconsciously tilted its body to dodge.

No.

—What does this have to do with it at all!!

Support me on Ko-fi