Chapter 53: Extra: Ye Gucheng's if-line (1) [Extra]

The summertime Misty Heaven Alliance martial arts arena seemed even more bustling than anywhere else.

A group of young men in uniform wielded swords, performing only basic movements like cutting, slashing, and stabbing. But when this uniform, silver light slashed down, it was still a formidable spectacle.

...

"Master Ye, Master Ye?"

The young man sheathed his sword, slung his light sword across his shoulder, and trotted over to the leading instructor. He didn't have the usual cold gaze, fixed on the actions of these new gang members. Instead, he seemed... distracted?

He thought for a moment and called out again. "Master Ye!"

Ye Gucheng snapped back to his senses and waved at the newcomer. "Let's stop here for today."

The young man immediately smiled and said, "Then let's go find Master Ye."

It was truly bizarre that Master Ye, whose training standards were usually extremely rigorous, was surprisingly so easygoing one day. He might even be able to leave early today.

As for Master Ye...

everyone knew that the knife-throwing technique he'd learned from Little Li Tanhua wasn't something anyone could master. So, the Misty Sky Alliance, in seeking out Ye Kai for their swordsmanship, simply wanted him to teach these elite members how to use their vision in combat, not to require everyone to master knife-throwing.

Ye Kai had a cheerful disposition and had already become a close friend of these teenage boys. With Ye Gucheng, his "Master Ye," as his swordsman, around, he simply gave himself the name "Master Ye," to make a distinction.

The young man had already turned and led his team away, so he didn't notice. When he said "Master Xiao Ye," Ye Gucheng's brows twitched imperceptibly, and he muttered in a voice only he could hear, "...Am I old?"

Well, he didn't usually react like that.

No one even thought he should ask such a question.

Standing beneath the summer shade, the man in white seemed a world of his own. His eyebrows and eyes held a touch of transcendent dignity, but his already handsome features, framed by his eyes, seemed a little ordinary, as if they should be matched with a more refined face.

But this couldn't be said to be a perfunctory mask creation.

Everyone in the martial arts world knew that Ye Gucheng had long since passed away in Anyang and had given Baiyun City to the Misty Heaven Alliance. If he were given a mask too similar to his original face, wouldn't it be too easy to notice something was wrong?

This was suitable for the moment.

This Master Ye possessed exceptional swordsmanship, yet he only taught the basics. Unbeknownst to the members who joined the Misty Heaven Alliance, they were actually receiving the powerful yet ingenious instruction of a powerful master. Ye Gucheng, through these simple swordplay techniques, was also able to practice his understanding of swordsmanship.

Of course, no one would have associated a basic swordsmanship instructor with the once-celestial Lord of Baiyun City, Ye Gucheng.

He hung the wooden sword back on its rack and slowly walked out of the training ground. After a hundred steps, he stopped at the intersection ahead and patted the shoulder of a person standing by the road.

A member of the Misty Heaven Alliance had been leaning against the wall, peering over when he was suddenly patted from behind, startling him. Turning to see that it was Master Ye who had caught him deserting his post, he smiled sheepishly at the sight of such a cold gaze.

"What are you doing?"

"Hey... you know it too." He replied in a low voice, "Who wouldn't want to see a martial arts master visiting, and it's the great hero Shen Lang who has been living in seclusion at sea for many years."

"He has been in seclusion for many years. He didn't even come to the northern garrison at the end of last year. What's there to see?" Ye Gucheng curled his lips.

"That's not what I meant." Seeing that Ye Gucheng didn't seem to be accusing him of desertion, and at most there was a hint of eccentricity in his tone, the man's tone suddenly warmed up. "Master Shen should give the newcomers a chance. Retiring from the martial arts world is a form of abdication for a senior martial artist. Besides, Master Shen

is the master of the Holy Lord after all, and he deserves a bit of respect." "Just now, I saw Master Shen and his wife being escorted out by the Holy Lord and Master Shen personally. I don't know how long they will stay in Bianjing. I heard that Master Shen, like the Holy Lord and that Young Master Yu, was taught by Master Shen, and they are childhood sweethearts. Now that Master Shen has arrived..." "

Alright! Go do your thing," Ye Gucheng interrupted him coldly. He didn't want to hear about Shen Guyan having Shen Lang's support.

The man was startled by the sudden coldness and quickly swallowed his words, wondering what he had said to anger the man in front of him.

Could it be that Master Ye had a grudge against Master Shen in his early years?

That's not right. Hero Shen went to sea at least thirty years ago.

He didn't see it, though. He left, but Ye Gucheng stared in his direction for a moment longer before returning to his quarters.

A specially prepared potion, mixed with warm water from the thermos, seeped through the edges of the mask he wore. The hand that had previously held the sword performed these delicate tasks with equally astonishing stability, quickly removing the entire mask from his face, leaving only a hint of dampness at the temple.

He stared at the face in the mirror, his cheek muscles tensing for a moment. "Childhood sweethearts..."

It was a word even more unpleasant than Shen Guyan himself.

He knew, as a qualified swordsman, that such emotional fluctuations were simply out of place, yet he couldn't help but feel irritated.

Zhongyuan Yidianhong was polishing his sword when he felt someone suddenly sit down beside him.

He caught sight of Ye Gucheng's face from the corner of his eye, and with a flick of his eyelids, he resumed his movements.

"You wouldn't come to see me for no reason. What are you looking for?" Yidianhong was still under the supervision of the Six Gates and the Mitian League, a semi-prisoner. But he was a swift sword among assassins, accustomed to doing things his own way. His expression and demeanor showed no sign of embarrassment, only a unique kind of cold arrogance. "You've tested my swordsmanship before. I learned to kill with a sword, not with your ambitions. There's no need for another competition."

"That's not why I came to see you," Ye Gucheng said indifferently.

But Yidianhong felt that if she heard correctly, there was a hint of urgency in his tone. "Then what is it for?"

"How did you gain Qu Wurong's favor?"

Yidianhong: "...?"

He finally paused his movements and carefully studied Ye Gucheng beside him.

Perhaps it was a killer's intuition that convinced him that the Ye Gucheng before him wasn't Sikong Zhaixing in disguise, or Chu Liuxiang.

But he had a feeling that this wasn't the kind of question Ye Gucheng would ask.

After temporarily returning to Bianjing from the north, the members of the Mitian League received surprising news: Yidianhong and Qu Wurong were getting married. Many were curious, but this was the first time someone had asked the question so bluntly.

The question wasn't about why the two of them were banding together for warmth, but rather how Yidianhong had won Qu Wurong's affections.

He never considered this a question to be unacceptable, and after a brief moment of stunned silence, he replied, "If you like someone, just say it."

He was a killer whose life was always in danger. Even the master who had raised him had committed suicide in the imperial court. He knew better than anyone that if some words weren't spoken, they might never be spoken again.

"Is it that simple?"

Yidianhong nodded, her voice firm. "It's that simple. I think she's beautiful, so I'll tell her directly. I like the feeling of rapport with her. No matter what the future holds, I'll let her know first."

Even though Qu Wurong's face, shattered by the Stone Guanyin, looked like a nightmare to outsiders, to Yidianhong, none of that mattered. He knew what he was saying was the truth. The beauty he spoke of was the soul seen within.

"Anything else you want to ask?" Yidianhong asked.

"No, thank you for your answers today," Ye Gucheng said, then jumped from the roof.

Yidianhong had no idea what this guy had grasped, coming and going so quickly. She only felt that his steps seemed... more determined than before.

It had become a piece of peach blossom paper presented to Shi Qingruo.

Seeing Shen Lang and Zhu Qiqi again today had already surprised Shi Qingruo.

Fortunately, while they had no memory of that game episode, they were surprised by the news that the Master of the Misty Heaven Alliance was a disciple of theirs, but they didn't expose the lie publicly. After a brief exchange with Shen Guyan, they departed, completely confirming Shi Qingruo's origins to the outside world.

While this wasn't particularly important to Shi Qingruo now, it was still far better than someone demanding justice for Gongzi Yu.

The second surprise was Ye Gucheng's invitation.

The location, mentioned on the letter, was a familiar place to Shi Qingruo.

...

When she walked under the moonlight to the small building, a faint yellow light was already on, flickering softly in the summer breeze, enough to illuminate the area, illuminating Ye Gucheng's figure as he leaned against the fence.

Shi Qingruo took a breath and leaped onto the terrace, where Ye Gucheng grabbed her sleeve and took her hand. With such speed, one might suspect he had used all his martial arts skills in this very moment.

She glanced at Ye Gucheng and said, "Last time, when I was upstairs and you were downstairs, I wasn't so rude to you."

This small building was none other than the spot where Ye Gucheng had been stopped when he had previously intruded into the Misty Heaven Alliance.

It was unknown what he had in mind, choosing this spot for the rendezvous.

Furthermore, Shi Qingruo hadn't noticed it when she was coming downstairs, but now, standing upstairs, she could smell it: a faint aroma of alcohol lingered in the air.

Ye Gucheng's eyes remained as clear as ever, without a trace of alcohol. Only the lantern light shone on the corners of his eyes, casting a faint blush.

Shi Qingruo couldn't help but add, "You seem to have had no drink in ages."

On their way to the northern border, Yan Tieshan had a large quantity of liquor delivered from the Jewelry Pavilion due to the freezing cold and snow. It was heated and brought to the campfire to dispel the chill. Compared to others, Ye Gucheng was quite restrained in his drinking, as if fearing that a single slip of self-discipline would cause his sword to lose its grip.

This was a rare occurrence today.

Ye Gucheng's eyes flickered slightly, or perhaps it wasn't his gaze that changed, but simply the swaying light that fluttered his long eyelashes for a moment, causing the light and shadow in his eyes to shift momentarily. "Because I'm jealous of one person, or perhaps more people."

His palms were also slightly warm, perhaps from the strength of the alcohol.

But his jade-white face didn't have the color of someone who drank. The air around him was filled with the scent of alcohol, not from Ye Gucheng's breath.

"Do you remember? You still owe me a favor."

Shi Qingruo nodded. "I do."

Before Ye Gucheng's duel with Ximen Chuxue, he had suddenly stopped her carriage in Chuhe Town and extracted from her a promise to reveal his answer. But after that duel, Shi Qingruo had been taken away by Gongzi Yu, and then came the blood-stained wedding banquet.

Because Ye Gucheng had recalled these past events himself, rather than having Shi Qingruo personally share them, and because of the hairpin, supposedly a token but actually a tracking device, Shi Qingruo considered it and decided to agree to a condition she could accept.

Nearly a year had passed, and Ye Gucheng had already established himself within the Misty Heaven Alliance, so much so that she had almost forgotten about this particular situation. Only now, when Ye Gucheng mentioned it, did Shi Qingruo belatedly realize that there had indeed been such an unfulfilled condition.

She glanced at Ye Gucheng's hand in the light.

He gripped it tightly, straining his wrist and fingers. A faint, yet still visible, sword mark etched across the taut skin, quickly obscured by his knuckles.

"You must fulfill this condition now."

"Yes," Ye Gucheng replied, looking up.

Moonlight shone into his eyes, creating an intoxicating shimmer and shadow, making them seem even paler. But just like the strong liquor in the glass before him, seemingly crystal clear, yet in reality...

"I want you to accompany me to the southwest," Ye Gucheng continued slowly. "Just the two of us."

This final addition seemed to be what Ye Gucheng wanted to say most, but he managed to say it with a gritted teeth.

Shi Qingruo chuckled, "Why the southwest?"

She had assumed Ye Gucheng was going to talk about Baiyun City.

It had been quite some time since Zhu Xiaoyao had gone to Baiyun City to take over the business and conduct an inventory. Ye Gucheng seemed like a banished immortal, but he wasn't always friendly. Some of his former subordinates from Baiyun City had even come to the Mitian Alliance, only to be persuaded to stay.

Ye Gucheng hadn't appeared during this period, but Shi Qingruo could tell that he hadn't completely severed all ties with Baiyun City with his death; he still had a lingering attachment to it.

If he wanted to go to Baiyun City under his new identity and disguise, she wouldn't be surprised.

On the other hand, the southwest seemed to have no connection to Ye Gucheng.

Ye Gucheng replied, "Earlier, Ye Guhong stayed in the Misty Sky Alliance for a while because he admired Ximen Chuxue's swordsmanship. I lived not far from the courtyard where he lived. I accidentally heard something, so I sent people to investigate. It was not until today that I got some clues. There is a special force behind Ye Guhong, called Ghost Villa, led by a man named Old Knife Boss." "

What's strange is not the name of Ghost Villa, nor this Old Knife Boss who has no name in the world, but the people in Ghost Villa. Most of them are dead people in the world."

Ye Gucheng's voice lowered for a moment, "I heard that you have asked people to pay more attention to life-saving medicines from all directions recently. Why don't you go there as well?"

Shi Qingruo raised the corners of his lips slightly, "But if that's the case, I can just ask someone to investigate on my behalf, and I don't have to go there myself. Even if this Ghost Villa is hidden very deeply, it is a dragon's pool and a tiger's lair that no one can trespass in. With the masters in charge of the Misty Sky Alliance now, they are enough to easily uncover the secrets therein."

He might as well find a good excuse.

Ye Gucheng was speechless for a moment, then found his voice again: "...I told you, I'm jealous."

He was jealous that Shen Guyan could have the reputation of being her childhood sweetheart, that even though she, like him, had to hide from the public, she still dared to cling to her openly. He was jealous that Su Mengzhen shared her ideals, as if everyone believed that the Mitian League and the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower would merge sooner or later.

Zhongyuan Yidianhong was right. If one had an idea and was unwilling to let go, one should have said it directly.

He had just met Shi Qingruo for the first time, and before he remembered the past, he still had the courage to ask her directly if she was willing to remarry. Why did he feel trapped when he remembered all that?

This Ghost Manor was indeed just an excuse he brought up. It didn't matter whether the person in it was called Old Knife Boss or Little Knife Boss.

He just... wanted a chance to be alone.

After being thoroughly pointed out by Shi Qingruo, Ye Gucheng's initial uneasiness was instantly relieved. "This shouldn't be difficult for you, right?"

Now that the counterattack in the north has been initially achieved, with Lianyun Village and Huinuo City as the mainstays of the northern martial arts front, and with the martial arts mobilization initiated by the leader Shi Qingruo, things will only proceed slowly.

As for Bianjing City, or rather, within the Misty Heaven Alliance, Guan Qi's influence seemed almost forgotten. As Guan Qi's daughter, even with Di Feijing's help, Guan Chun could never threaten Shi Qingruo's position.

Her absence for a month or two wouldn't hinder important matters, and perhaps even yield other benefits.

As for the reason... at least Ye Gucheng had come up with a plausible one.

As he spoke, his gaze rested on Shi Qingruo's face with almost greed.

As if by coincidence, she was also wearing a royal blue. Under the moonlight, the beauty lowered her eyes, her hair and profile shimmering with a silver sheen. Against the royal blue backdrop, she looked like a butterfly fluttering, ready to take flight. He subconsciously tightened his grip, fearing she would vanish on the wind.

But her grip tightened, as if suddenly tightening a rope, and she descended to the mortal realm.

With a flutter of her wide sleeves, the moonlight in the wine glass scatters.

Shi Qingruo tilted her head and quipped, "Whether or not you make things difficult for me doesn't depend on what you've mentioned, but on whether or not you'll tell me a few more truths."

Don't use that old knife-handler as an excuse, and don't just vaguely talk about jealousy. Someone who didn't know better might have thought he was jealous that he'd lost the respect of the Baiyun City Lord, leaving only the title of Master Ye, and urgently needed to kill a few people to prove his status in the martial arts world.

Ye Gucheng's face was slightly tipsy, as if the alcohol had only just begun to reach him. Or perhaps...

based on experience, Shi Qingruo couldn't believe he was actually drunk.

But his next move was completely unlike his usual behavior, as if only a drunk could do it.

He was already holding Shi Qingruo's hand, and at this close distance, with a simple tug, he brought it to his chest.

Ye Gucheng was as pure as a jade tree, always dressed in white, unblemished by the slightest dust. Even his change of identity was merely a change of style for the sandalwood crown in his hair.

But today was different. He was wearing a thin summer shirt, his outer coat slightly unbuttoned at the front from his drunken state, making it even more dishevelled than usual. The hand that pressed against his chest was barely a sliver of clothing away.

Thus, the warmth of his body was precisely transmitted to Shi Qingruo's palm.

Shi Qingruo's eyes flickered.

She saw more than just Ye Gucheng's movements.

The moonlight illuminated the wine stain on his lips, though not as bright as his eyes. Yet, her gaze instinctively followed that stain, down to his slightly pale lips, to his neck, throbbing with anxiety, and the curves of his neck, gradually fading into the shadows beneath his clothes.

Even though his gaze still held a hint of the sword immortal's detached coldness, it seemed as if it had been engulfed by the candlelight, transforming into two vivid balls of fire.

And then... then, it froze there.

"...Speak." Shi Qingruo was practically laughing at Ye Gucheng's anger.

His movements, like those of a man he'd rehearsed dozens of times in his mind, became incredibly skillful. But when he finally spoke, something seemed to clog his throat, turning the scene into a silent pantomime.

But Ye Gucheng couldn't really be blamed for that.

Even in his awakened memories, he'd once held a wedding with Shi Qingruo in Baiyun City; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to pass Baiyun City on to her after his death. But then, he faced a dilemma, and Shi Qingruo had the game's protections, which only allowed them to kiss at most, not even like this moment—

when that hand pressed against his chest, he felt like a piece of white paper shrunken in a blazing fire, with no other choice but to follow the flames.

Ye Gucheng cleared his throat, straining to push away the huge rock pressing against his throat, allowing every word he spoke to reach Shi Qingruo's ears clearly. "I'm attracted to you, and I want you to be my wife once more."

So, he wanted a chance, a chance that was truly his alone.

In this Misty Heaven Alliance, even in this world of only cicadas and moonlight, he felt that too many factors were influencing Shi Qingruo's decision.

Furthermore, because of the events that unfolded, as the Sword of Love neared completion, he felt a constant grip of self-abasement and introspection.

Even when Zhongyuan Yidianhong told him to speak his mind, he still resorted to the unsuitable excuse of "drinking" to vent his frustrations.

He looked Shi Qingruo in the eye, "Do you understand what I mean?"

Yes.

Shi Qingruo certainly understood.

The moment the word "delight" escaped his lips, Ye Gucheng's heartbeat quickened, surging from her fingertips as if it were about to leap out, a startling contrast to his expression, which was trying hard to maintain composure.

But it wasn't just Ye Gucheng's heartbeat that was particularly striking at this moment.

Just below her palm, through the thin layer of clothing, he could feel a healed sword wound still throbbing.

That was the place where she pierced the sword at the wedding banquet that day, and it was also held in her palm at this moment.

The author has something to say:

Scheming, all scheming!

See you tomorrow night at six o'clock. The first extra chapter is Ye Gucheng's if line, and the second one is to be determined, to see which one is the most creative. The time for visiting relatives during the Chinese New Year is relatively short, which should not affect the update of the extra chapter. At most, the update on the third and fourth days of the New Year will be postponed to around nine or ten o'clock in the evening. The rest of the time will remain the same.