FIMA Ch165: Naughty

Xie Xueyi lounged in Gu Siyuan’s arms, picking through the spirit dishes that had been served earlier. As he ate, he kept fussily complaining that this was no good, that was not right.

Gu Siyuan set down his wine cup and glanced at the person in his lap. “Taixuan Tower is one of the immortal sect’s own establishments, and also the best restaurant in the city, yet you dislike it to this extent.”

Xie Xueyi gave a little huff. “That’s because it just doesn’t taste as good as what you make.”

The corner of Gu Siyuan’s lips curved up. “If you don’t like it, then put it down. It’s not as though we’re short on spirit stones. Didn’t we just make a fortune?”

Xie Xueyi glanced at the storage ring on his finger. Thinking of what was inside, he felt that if the news ever got out, every Nascent Soul cultivator on the continent would probably be tempted to come rob him.

He glared at Gu Siyuan. “You can’t just say things like that out loud. It’s too dangerous. And besides, no matter how many spirit stones you have, one day they’ll run out. Do you understand thrift or not?”

“I don’t,” Gu Siyuan said, shaking his head.

Xie Xueyi stared at him.

Then, in the next moment, Gu Siyuan’s perfectly serious voice sounded again. “After all, I’m someone who definitely won’t ever lack spirit stones. Even if you spent all of this, I could earn it all back again very quickly.”

“…” Xie Xueyi.

Alright.

It sounded absurd, almost fantastical—

but this was Gu Siyuan, after all.

With Gu Siyuan’s ability, that really was not a difficult thing.

Still…

Xie Xueyi puffed out his cheeks, looped both arms around Gu Siyuan’s neck, leaned in close, and said softly, “Gege, but is spirit stones really the important part here?”

Gu Siyuan pinched his cheek. “It’s called acting spoiled.”

“Mm.” Xie Xueyi nodded very frankly, then put the act into practice. “I just want to eat the food you make and drink the tea you brew. Even if someone else did it better, if it isn’t you, then what does it matter?”

Lowering his head, Gu Siyuan gave his lips a gentle bite. “How touching.”

At that moment, however, a fairly loud disturbance rose from outside.

Stretching his neck to listen, Xie Xueyi frowned. “What’s going on? Didn’t they say every private room has a sound-isolating formation? How can there still be this much noise?”

Gu Siyuan narrowed his eyes. “Just wait and we’ll know.”

Sure enough, a moment later there came a knock on the door, followed by the voice of the owner of Taixuan Tower.

After hearing the owner’s purpose, Xie Xueyi flew into a rage and nearly sprang right off Gu Siyuan’s lap. “What did you say? You want us to give up the private room?”

The owner was a plump middle-aged man. His expression looked awkward on the surface, but there was faint contempt in his eyes. “We’ll compensate you. Double the spirit stones.”

Xie Xueyi let out a cold laugh. “Compensate? Spirit stones? Do you even know who I am? Do I look like someone who lacks spirit stones?”

The owner smiled and spoke in a mild tone. “Then triple can be arranged. This old man is also very sorry, but a very important guest has arrived outside. If you quietly leave now, you may even leave a good impression on that honored person.”

An important guest?

Xie Xueyi nearly laughed from sheer anger. He could not be bothered to keep arguing with him. “Get lost. I already said no, so it’s no.”

The owner’s expression darkened slightly.

As the owner of Taixuan Tower, he naturally had some status and backing of his own. Usually, he was very skilled at handling people and would never do something like this that would openly anger a guest, no matter the other party’s status.

But the private rooms in Taixuan Tower were always in short supply, and today, because of an exchange auction, things were even tighter than usual.

The guests in the fourth-floor private rooms were mostly regulars, all people of some background—except for the two in this room, who were unfamiliar faces and said to be here for the first time.

At the moment, the young geniuses of Taixuan Immortal Sect had all gone into the secret realm. So anyone arriving now was either a wandering rogue cultivator passing through, or an ordinary young disciple of the sect.

And the guest who had come now had rather weighty status—he was the fiancé of the chief disciple of Taixuan Immortal Sect’s Ziji Mountain.

Considering all that, there had not seemed much choice.

His brows drooped as he said in a lower tone, “This guest should not speak too harshly. Otherwise, when the time comes, it won’t look good for anyone involved.”

Tilting his head, Xie Xueyi gave a cold snort. “Too harsh? How much harsher can it get? What, are you planning to have someone throw us out?”

The owner did not answer.

But silence also carried its own meaning.

“Well then, you really are planning to…” Xie Xueyi’s eyes widened, and he nearly lunged at the owner on the spot to start a fight.

He had only just gotten rich, had only just shown off in front of Gu Siyuan, and now someone was already trying to trample over his head? That was far too humiliating.

Gu Siyuan set down the teacup in his hand, reached out, and pulled Xie Xueyi back into his arms. Then his gaze—cold as ice—swept over the owner. “Who’s outside? Who wants this room? Tell him to come in and speak to me personally.”

The owner froze.

Gu Siyuan had been sitting quietly at the table drinking tea the whole time, so the owner had not really paid attention to him. But now that he looked properly, he only felt that this man’s aura was terrifyingly oppressive, and that face seemed strangely familiar somehow, as if he had seen it somewhere before…

He muttered, “You… who are you?”

Xie Xueyi gave a cold laugh. “The one outside is supposed to be a big shot, right? If he’s really that important, then he’ll definitely know who my gege is. Let him come in.”

The owner hesitated.

Could it be these two really were some people he simply did not recognize…

But while he was still wavering, the door to the private room was suddenly kicked open.

Three figures strode in loudly and carelessly. The one in front said impatiently, “Boss Zhao, are you even capable of doing your job? I only told you to get them out, and you still couldn’t manage it after all this time. Useless. Hurry up and tell them to scram…”

Hearing the voices coming in, Boss Zhao awkwardly turned around, wanting to explain something.

But then he discovered that the leading man had suddenly fallen silent, his face gone white and twisted, like a duck abruptly hung upside down.

Boss Zhao called out, “Young Master Ruan…”

Xie Xueyi arched a brow and looked at Ruan Li and the two Ziji Mountain disciples behind him, then let out a strange mocking laugh. “Oh? So this is the legendary important guest—the important guest who was so impressive we had to hand over our private room…”

Ruan Li gritted his teeth and froze in place.

The two men behind him looked at Gu Siyuan, reacted first, and immediately cried out, “Da… Da Shixiong!”

Boss Zhao looked at them, then looked at Gu Siyuan.

Some distant memory finally surfaced.

Back during Taixuan Immortal Sect’s Five Mountains Competition, he had once been fortunate enough to receive an invitation to attend and had seen Gu Siyuan there.

Gu Siyuan stood with his hands behind his back, his expression cold. “Who exactly were you telling to scram?”

The two men’s scalps tightened instantly. “We wouldn’t dare, we wouldn’t dare. Da Shixiong, we… we didn’t know it was you inside.”

At that, Gu Siyuan’s expression only grew colder. “So if it wasn’t me, it would have been fine? Did the immortal sect admit you so you could use your status to bully others?”

“Da Shixiong, we were wrong, we’re sorry,” the two men apologized repeatedly. “We’ll never dare do it again.”

Gu Siyuan said flatly, “Return to the sect and report to the Punishment Hall for your penalty.”

“Yes.” The two of them immediately obeyed.

Ruan Li glanced at Gu Siyuan’s righteous, lofty manner and gave an angry huff.

In the past, Ji Jinghuan had been the number one figure of the immortal sect. Why would he ever have placed Gu Siyuan in his eyes?

But now…

Just then, Xie Xueyi suddenly smiled and said sweetly, “Gege, there should be three people going to the Punishment Hall, right?”

Gu Siyuan nodded. “Of course. Not one less.”

Ruan Li’s eyes widened. “Gu Siyuan, don’t push things too far.”

Gu Siyuan showed no ripple of emotion. He only looked at Ruan Li indifferently. “Punishment Hall—or leave Taixuan Immortal Sect.”

Ruan Li flew into a rage. “Gu Siyuan, do you really think Taixuan Immortal Sect is yours to rule alone?”

Gu Siyuan answered expressionlessly, “You can test it. Or do you really believe the Ji family would have any interest in opposing me for your sake?”

“…” Ruan Li’s expression shifted.

The Ji family already did not like him much. The only reason he could stand where he did was because of his relationship with Ji Jinghuan. And now Ji Jinghuan was not in the mountain. If he caused any trouble, it would only worsen the Ji family’s opinion of him.

“I understand.”

Ruan Li clenched his fists and spoke the words unwillingly, his gaze toward Gu Siyuan filled with hatred.

Xie Xueyi caught that look and immediately changed expression. “What are you looking at? What kind of look is that? Are you already plotting how to take revenge on my gege?”

Ruan Li said nothing. He turned his head away, then strode out.

The two Ziji Mountain disciples at once gave Gu Siyuan a respectful nod, then hurried after Ruan Li.

“Senior Brother Ruan, don’t be angry. Going to the third floor for the exchange event is fine too.”

“Senior Brother Ruan, my friend supposedly brought a lot of good things this time…”

“…”

Xie Xueyi narrowed his eyes as he watched the figure of one of those Ziji Mountain disciples.

Only after the three had gone farther and farther away did he finally withdraw his gaze.

Gu Siyuan raised a brow. “What are you looking at?”

“Nothing.” Xie Xueyi shook his head, then went forward and hugged Gu Siyuan’s arm excitedly. “Gege, you were so imposing just now.”

Gu Siyuan looked at him with a smile. “Mm. But I feel like I’ve heard that line many times already.”

Xie Xueyi puffed out his cheeks. “Have you? Gege, every time I praise you, I’m being completely sincere…”

The corner of Gu Siyuan’s lips lifted as he took Xie Xueyi’s hand. “Have you eaten enough? Let’s return to the sect.”

Xie Xueyi lightly swung their joined arms and said in a spoiled tone, “Then when we get back, you have to brew tea for me and roast meat too!”

Gu Siyuan nodded. “Alright.”

“Sir…” Boss Zhao stood in the doorway, his expression awkward, clearly wanting to say something as he looked at Gu Siyuan and Xie Xueyi.

But Gu Siyuan had no interest in dealing with him. He merely swept him with a cold glance. “Take care of yourself.”

…

Gu Siyuan possessed the highest authority within Taixuan Immortal Sect, so the two of them traveled up the mountain unimpeded all the way back to Linya Water Pavilion on Qingchen Mountain.

In the lands of cultivation, spring lasted all year round.

Even after being gone for several months, the white lotus in the lake still stood elegant, and the waterside residence remained spotless, with no difference at all from before they had left.

On the corridor of the little residence, Gu Siyuan lit two braziers—one for brewing tea, one for roasting meat.

Xie Xueyi hovered beside him, laughing and causing trouble, when he suddenly said, “Oh right, gege, I want to tell you something.”

Gu Siyuan looked up. “Is it about that Ziji Mountain disciple beside Ruan Li?”

Xie Xueyi was startled. “How did you know?”

Gu Siyuan’s eyes darkened, and his tone was certain. “I felt the same aura from him that I once sensed from you. He comes from the same master line as you. He’s a piece planted by the demonic path inside Taixuan Immortal Sect.”

Leaning against Gu Siyuan, Xie Xueyi nodded softly. “If nothing unexpected happens, that should be exactly it.”

Gu Siyuan waved his sleeve and extinguished the fire, then caught Xie Xueyi’s chin so their eyes met. “But what exactly was the sect that took you away? Logically, with your cultivation, even if you had entered one of the three great demonic sects, you would have stood out. Yet back in the secret realm, Yu Haofeng and the others didn’t recognize you at all. So…”

Xie Xueyi puffed out his cheeks. “So you figured it out, huh? That lousy sect of mine is very secretive. It exists inside a small hidden secret realm.”

Gu Siyuan was rather surprised. “A small secret realm?”

In this era, where spiritual energy was so scarce and space itself unstable, who knew how many secret realms had already vanished from the continent.

For a sect to privately possess an entire small secret realm of its own was an extremely difficult thing—at the very least, none of the current major powers, whether the three great demonic sects or the four righteous immortal sects, had that kind of capability.

Xie Xueyi nodded, looking somewhat proud. “Yeah. It’s extremely hidden, and no one is normally allowed to enter or leave without permission. For me to escape… I planned it for more than ten years.”

Gu Siyuan felt a pang in his heart. For the moment, he stopped caring about the secret realm itself and simply tightened his arms around him.

Xie Xueyi lifted his face to look at him. “What is it?”

Gu Siyuan lowered his head and lightly touched his forehead, his voice hoarse. “These years… you’ve suffered.”

Xie Xueyi’s body trembled.

Then he shifted a little on Gu Siyuan’s lap, pressed his cheek against Gu Siyuan’s, and breathed warmly near him. “Gege… are you feeling sorry for me?”

“Mm.” Gu Siyuan hesitated for only a moment before nodding firmly.

In the next instant, Xie Xueyi grabbed a strand of his hair and huffed angrily, “Hmph. So you do feel sorry for me. Serves you right!”

Gu Siyuan’s sword-like brows drew together slightly.

Holding his face in both hands, Xie Xueyi said indignantly, “Whose fault is it? Back then, after you came to Taixuan Immortal Sect, you said you wanted to devote yourself to cultivation, then sent people to my house to break off the engagement. If you had brought me here with you, none of this would have happened to me. We might even have already been together a long time ago.”

Gu Siyuan licked his lips.

Well. That was the original host’s doing.

After a moment of silence, he pinched the back of Xie Xueyi’s neck, nodded slightly, and said in a low voice, “Mm. It was all my fault.”

Xie Xueyi planted a loud kiss on his face and said viciously, “So, gege has to see the error of his ways. From now on you have to treat me very, very well, understand?”

Gu Siyuan gave a soft laugh and lightly patted his backside. “Why wait until later? Can’t I do it right now?”

It was a line Xie Xueyi himself had once said to him back in the cave.

Xie Xueyi’s cheeks reddened at once. Clearly he had remembered too.

Flustered and annoyed, he bit lightly at Gu Siyuan’s ear. “Gege, how can you be this bad!”

Gu Siyuan rose with him in his arms and began walking inside. “Oh? I’m about to be even worse.”

“Really?” Xie Xueyi wrapped both legs around his waist, his breath brushing Gu Siyuan’s ear, and whispered:

“Mas…ter.”

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