Ch63 - Plans

Brief emetophobia mention (2 instances).

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Mu He looked askance at him. “Aunt Yun, you seem to be expressing a lot of doubts today.”

Qiu Chongyun’s heart seized before she laughed. “Of course, aren’t I worried you’ll take the crooked path…but you’re older now, so I’m worrying for nothing.”

The two said no more and kept walking, their footsteps echoing in the hall. Xie Zhiwei secretly lamented Qiu Chongyun’s inability to charm men. Did she get addicted to playing the hero’s aunt after four years?

When he had brought up Mu He, she even shot a needle at him in rage. Did she stray from the original novel and level up her morals? Was she aware of shame and propriety now? He might’ve suspected this was a pirated plot if the protagonist didn’t still have the same goals as canon.

It’s fine for the hero. Even if he doesn’t bed girls now, he can grab Red Lotus and Golden Lotus sooner. It won’t be too late to sleep with them then. And it’ll be cooler if he does it all in one go, Xie Zhiwei mused as he walked. Yin Wushuang probably sticks too close to Mu He so he doesn’t have time to be distracted by other things.

After turning a corner, candles lit up before them. A winding staircase came into view, bordered on both sides by empty stone cages. Mu He always acted quickly to complete his goals, so he never let anyone live more than three days in his hands.

But the Bai father and son were an exception.

Bai Yu and Bai Jianzhu had been captured for days now. The stone walls were damp and cold while the two had their spiritual energy suppressed to a point where they couldn’t shield their bodies. The chill made their faces bloodless and pale. The robes that showcased their status in the daoist sect had long been torn and shredded, exposing skin bearing wounds obvious to the naked eye.

Xie Zhiwei didn’t dare descend the stairs, but crouched in a corner to spy from a distance. He was stunned by the sight of Bai Jianzhu. Four years ago, the man only had occasional nightmares and dark circles under his eyes, making him tired and listless. But now he was absolutely skeletal, with a waxy face and dim eyes that looked more wretched than street beggars.

Mu He seemed to stay at home these years, but as his spiritual power and cultivation level grew, his abuse of Bai Jianzhu’s dreams harshened. He could also grasp more details and torture the man in ways worse than death without killing him. Mu He quite enjoyed the pleasures of such slow revenge and stood quietly before the stone cage to study the man beneath him. The entire dungeon was a single shade of grayish black, the candle flames illuminating his white robes like a snow lotus in the sunset, or perhaps a celestial being.

Xie Zhiwei could only see his back, not his expression, but he could guess it was full of disdain instead of his usual melancholy.

Bai Yu had been tormented for days as well, but his consciousness was still clear. As soon as he saw the man on the stairs, he stood up and tried to straighten his back, but his injury-riddled, weak body still made him hunch over. Holding onto the wall, he glared at the two figures beyond his cell. “Nangong Mu He, have you had enough? The daoist sect won’t forgive you lightly, hurry and release us!”

Mu He stood unmoving while Qiu Chongyun gently hooked a finger. A fine silver needle immediately pierced Bai Yu’s neck, causing him to groan. He tried to pluck it out but failed and glared at her. “Demoness, kill me if you want. Don’t play these tricks.”

Qiu Chongyun puffed at her fingertips and wore a charming smile. “Aiya, you saw through me. But what if nujia insists on playing tricks? What can you do to me?”

Bai Yu cupped his neck as anger knotted his chest. “You…”

“Don’t be angry ah, or else the poison will spread faster. Isn’t your cultivation all gone? Feeling hurt? Feeling sad?” Qiu Chongyun looked sympathetic, but her eyes were derisive. “It’s fine, you’ll be even sadder once your pretty face is ruined.”

Bai Yu was most concerned about his cultivation and looks. After slaying Mu He in the last timeline, he used these two things to reach the peak of life. Now he wasn’t even halfway up the hill before falling to the bottom.

Abruptly, he collapsed on the water-stained ground and began to thrash about the cage, pounding the ground with his fists as he strained, “Can’t scratch…can’t…”

Very soon, his fists saw blood. He didn’t touch his face, but still rubbed it subconsciously against the ground because it was itchy. Soon enough, blood stained his face and even his nose bridge collapsed at a point visible to the naked eye. Xie Zhiwei could only describe it as a tragedy. Thank goodness he managed to get antidote for the heroine, or else those flower-like-jade looks would suffer as well. Not only would he and the readers mourn, Gallant Outlaw would hang himself.

“Nangong Mu He, you’re despicable!” Bai Yu tossed and turned, his daoist robes covered in blood. It was almost impossible to see what he originally looked like. His eyes filled with loathing as he pointed at the two figures outside his cage. “All I did was offend you once, but now you’re colluding with the Demonic Sect to harm us!”

“I wasn’t the only one you offended.”

Bai Yu gave a start.

The expressionless Mu He was like an ice statue. “As for colluding with the Demonic Sect to harm others, didn’t Pill Furnace City set the precedent?”

“What do you mean?” Bai Yu asked. His expression was suddenly gloomy, eyes bloodshot against his tattered, exceptionally hideous face.

Qiu Chongyun chuckled. “Some things we all know in our hearts, so it’s no fun saying them out loud, right?” She stared at Bai Yu’s face and clicked her tongue. “Aiya, my poison is so powerful. It only took a little while for a handsome little face to turn into an ugly monster, so scary.”

Mu He’s tone was indifferent. “Scary? If it was scary enough, you wouldn’t even want to look at it.”

“Nephew is very right,” Qiu Chongyun nodded in thought, then seemed to recall something unpleasant and covered her mouth to dry heave again. Mu He looked at her sideways.

Xie Zhiwei knew what she was thinking of and couldn’t help but mock. She can’t even stand something like this? What’ll happen if you throw her into a horror movie’s dressing room?

But mockery aside, he also wanted to vomit. He quickly suppressed the urge and continued to peep.

Bai Yu stuffed his hands into cracks between the stone to resist scratching his face, hollwering, “Just what do you want?!”

At this, the corpse-like Bai Jianzhu suddenly shuddered as if waking from a nightmare. “Don’t come over! I did the poisoning, spare me second senior brother! I’ve had enough!” His eyes were unfocused, but his face was terrified as if seeing something horrific in the void.

Mu He remained placid, but his left hand was clenched in his sleeve. He said, “Aunt Yun, starting from tomorrow, report all movements by Chi Yan. I’ve been waiting for this day for far too long.”

Aunt Yun agreed despite her guilty conscience. Xie Zhiwei was puzzled. What day was the hero referring to? The original novel didn’t have any plans regarding Chi Yan at the moment, ah.

Seemingly sensing something, Mu He shut his eyes before opening them again. “I’m going back,” he told Qiu Chongyun. “Father’s looking for me.”

In the stone cage, Bai Yu was still roaring at the top of his lungs. “Mu He! Nangong Mu He! I have no grudge with you, so why hurt me so much! Why?!”

The echoes in the dungeon were almost deafening. Xie Zhiwei rubbed his ears and could almost imagine how happy Mu He felt at this moment. Why? Youngster, if you knew why you’d be depressed to death. You were so smug stepping on the hero to reach the peak of your last life, so it’s no wonder you got revenged on in this one.

“Shh,” Qiu Chongyun shushed at the cage. “You’re so ugly, so you shouldn’t talk. Otherwise no girl will like you, oh.”

Xie Zhiwei could guess what would happen in the story next. Because Qiu Chongyun had been standing in the shadows all this time, Bai Yu couldn’t see her features. So…will a celestial beauty descend to seduce him next, raising his hopes before she did unspeakable things in front of him with Mu He?

Xie Zhiwei’s hopes rekindled at the thought. This is such an important part of the plot that there’s no way it’ll deviate, right? Words popped up in his mind: driving a car, harmonious whole, stuffing and sauce, etc. The original novel was just revenge + the hero’s heavy tasting play, a tiny appetizer compared to the rest. But in the current story that was skewed to outer space, it would be a historical moment! No matter what, he had to witness it, or else he’d be sorry for his explosive death. How could he not seize such a good bargain?!

Red Lotus had the ability to cut through the void and allow its host to go anywhere he wanted. It was akin to Doraemon’s Anywhere Door and his ticket to the hero’s livestream show. At the same time, Xie Zhiwei felt it was necessary to follow Mu He next. Once he was familiar with all the paths, he could come here with Red Lotus in a flash next time. In other words, he would be free to act as supervisor (voyeur) for the protagonist’s every word and action.

The main gate of the dungeon led to a steep mountain range. Mu He took the Qingping Sword to fly down, but Xie Zhiwei didn’t dare stir his spiritual energy. He only waited until Mu He was far away before snatching a sword from a random soldier of the Demonic Sect and following after him.

A few hundred li later, the mountains gradually eased and a bamboo grove circling a clear stream appeared. Next to it was an ordinary house with green-tile roof with some resemblance to Suihan Lodge. There was a carriage parked in front of the courtyard with a dragon-patterned hood. It was sumptuously decorated and was just missing wheels inlaid with gold. The person inside had just lifted the door curtains to step down. As it was breaking dawn, Mu He looked like an immortal descending from Heaven when he landed in white robes before the carriage and slipped Qingping Sword back into his sleeve.

He looked at the figure who emerged before nodding. “Royal Father.”

The King of Nine Provinces was half a head higher than Mu He four years ago, but now his son was slightly taller. It had to be said that Mu He resembled his father more and more, but while his parent gave off a royal air, Mu He had more celestial bearing.

Xie Zhiwei slapped himself after the thought. What royal air, celestial air? Focus, I came here to remember the way next time, all right?!

The King of Nine Provinces looked at the rather expressionless Mu He and sighed. “So it turns out you live here every time you leave home.”

“Yes,” Mu He replied.

The monarch looked at the quiet bamboo forest around them and lightly shook his head. “You still can’t forget that person. You only knew him for less than two months, yet you still remember him now.”

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Translator’s Note: Some people might be wondering, “Why doesn’t Xie Zhiwei take Red Lotus and teleport away to escape?” Besides being responsible for Mengmeng’s face, there’s also the fact that 1) he wants to see what the hero’s up to, 2) according to the last agreement with Gallant Outlaw + the System, he needs to be physically close to the plotline to maintain his Presence Points (although he doesn’t have to steal every scene), which ensures his continued existence in the novel world. Since the plot will always follow the protagonist, this is the best place for him to be. Hope that helps with any confusion!