A hundred years is a lifetime for ordinary folk, but for cultivators, a century is far too brief. A single session of secluded meditation might see the world change beyond recognition.
What he wanted was thousands, tens of thousands of years—life after life, for all eternity.
Cangshu Bai fed her another sugar pill, his fingertip lightly brushing her slightly puffed-out cheek. As his gaze met her clear, innocent eyes, a hint of a smile finally touched his own.
"Shall we go to the bookstore and see if there are any new novels?"
Mu Ran’s eyes lit up. "Yes!"
He took her hand and led her toward the bookstore across the street.
The shop was crowded. One customer was currently shouting at the owner, "How can you be out of 'The Erotic History of the Green-Clad Guest'?"
The owner replied helplessly, "Ever since the printing house in Wufang City was blown up, that book has been out of print."
The customer, clearly wealthy and arrogant, pushed further. "Owner, you have broad connections. If anyone has a copy they bought before, I’ll buy it back at a high price!"
The owner hurried to lower his voice. "You shouldn't say such things so recklessly now. Those who kept copies of that book at home have all seen ghosts at night!"
"Seen ghosts?"
The owner whispered, "It’s said that those who harbored that book saw a blue ghostly figure in the middle of the night. It was truly terrifying—wherever it went, a bone-chilling cold followed, leaving behind trails of water. It must be a drowned ghost, and this drowned ghost is specifically coming to eat books!"
The customer was puzzled. "Is there some necessary connection between being a drowned ghost and eating books?"
"Who can explain the logic of demons and monsters? Regardless, everyone is saying that 'The Erotic History of the Green-Clad Guest' is cursed. No bookstore dares to sell it anymore. Best not to mention it, best not to mention it."
Mu Ran was standing on her tiptoes, scanning the books on the shelves. When she looked up, she saw the young man’s lips curving slightly upward. Curious, she asked, "Is there something to be happy about?"
Cangshu Bai reached out and easily retrieved the book she had been eyeing—the one she couldn't reach because of her height. He placed it in her hands and murmured, "Being able to look down and see you smiling at me—doesn't that count as something to be happy about?"
Mu Ran let out a giggle. "Of course it does."
Cangshu Bai patted the top of her head. "Do you like this one?"
Mu Ran flipped open the book in her hands, titled "The Overbearing Demonic Cultivator Falls for Me." The very first page read—
"No more... I can't take any more..."
"Be good, you still have strength left. Look, you're holding me so tightly."
Mu Ran slammed the book shut, her face flushing crimson. she stole a glance upward, only to collide directly with Cangshu Bai’s calm, unruffled gaze.
He shouldn't have seen it, right?
A faint curve suddenly appeared at the corner of Cangshu Bai's lips.
Mu Ran lowered her head. She knew it; he definitely saw it.
But then she reconsidered. Sometimes in bed, before they went to sleep, he would flip through books with her and even offer a critique or two. Suddenly, she felt there was nothing to be embarrassed about.
Though, usually, as he critiqued, he would end up removing her clothes. Then he would force her to read the book in her hands aloud. At first, her reading would be smooth, but later, every word she uttered would be broken. Until finally, she lost the strength to recognize the characters on the page and would be pulled back into his embrace.
Then, the one reading would become him. Every word he breathed into her ear felt exceptionally hot.
Mu Ran’s evaluation of this was: he certainly knew how to play.
Stealing another glance, she saw Cangshu Bai had returned to his usual cold and detached demeanor.
She had heard Auntie Wang mention many times that Cangshu Bai was cold and distant. Was he really easy to get along with?
Of course he was.
The thought that she had seen many sides of Cangshu Bai that others never would made her heart swell with joy.
She hooked her pinky finger around his and gave it a gentle tug.
Cangshu Bai quietly complied, leaning down, his dark eyes filled entirely with her reflection.
Mu Ran whispered, "Can I buy this book?"
He whispered back, "You can."
She glanced at the people in the shop. With people coming and going, it was clear what everyone was holding. "I’m afraid to go to the counter."
Cangshu Bai skillfully took the book from her hand. "I’ll go."
Mu Ran beamed. "Jin Zhi, you’re the best."
Cangshu Bai had forgotten the first time he had bought such a book for Mu Ran. He only felt that for the sake of hearing her say "you’re the best," he would willingly walk through fire or scale a mountain of blades.
However, Mu Ran could never bear to let him suffer such things. At most, she only let him buy a few smutty novels on her behalf. Having done it so many times, he had become quite practiced at it.
Cangshu Bai looked refined, possessing the air of a scholar. Seeing that he wasn't buying the Four Books or Five Classics, but rather an improper novel—and one that women specifically enjoyed—the owner couldn't help but steal several glances at him while settling the bill.
Mu Ran hid by the entrance, feeling apologetic in her heart.
But Cangshu Bai, enduring the judgmental looks directed at a seemingly "profligate scholar," remained perfectly composed. He paid, took the book, and walked out. Mu Ran quickly snatched it and threw it into the spatial pouch she had bought for a fortune.
A cultivator’s spatial pouch usually held magical treasures; hers was stuffed to the brim with New Year’s goods.
Cangshu Bai said, "You didn't eat much at noon. Let's go buy something to eat."
Mu Ran nodded, pulling him toward a stall selling oil-crisp cakes.
"Godfather, something big has happened! The people from Zhenyue Mountain City have actually gone to Chiyan Peak to cause trouble!"
Doctor Hu’s voice echoed in Cangshu Bai’s mind. Cangshu Bai remained impassive, focusing only on Mu Ran’s back as she haggled with the stall owner.
Doctor Hu was used to being ignored and continued his transmission. "Supposedly, the third young master of Zhenyue Mountain City, Cangshu Haoxue, died at the hands of Old Man Longsword. There was also a branch of the Cangshu family that was wiped out, allegedly by Old Man Longsword as well. So, Zhenyue Mountain City is demanding an explanation from Chiyan Peak. But Old Man Longsword has been running and hiding for the last two hundred years, hunted by everyone. Does he really have the energy to both wipe out a family and kill a noble young master from a sect?"
Whether Cangshu Haoxue and the branch family actually died at the hands of Old Man Longsword was irrelevant, because neither was truly important to the Cangshu family. What mattered was that their deaths provided a perfect excuse for the Cangshu family to stir up trouble.
Doctor Hu said, "Now Red Hibiscus is also rushing toward Chiyan Peak. She has finally broken through the realm where she was stuck for two hundred years. If Chiyan Peak and Zhenyue Mountain City go to war, she’ll be a primary force for Chiyan Peak. But now that her cultivation is higher, I’ve discovered she hasn't spent a single moment of these two hundred years giving up on searching for the whereabouts of The Green-Clad Guest. If she really finds her way here, Godfather, what will you do?"
"Kill her."
Doctor Hu was left speechless for a long moment by those two cold, decisive words.
He thought to himself that Cangshu Bai had set Red Hibiscus up back then, causing her to develop a heart demon that hindered her cultivation. That move had been somewhat dishonorable.
But to Cangshu Bai, everyone in the world was a tool to be used. The few bottom lines and principles he possessed as a human being were all spent entirely on Mu Ran.
Mu Ran bought two steaming oil-crisp cakes. When she turned around, her expression faltered slightly.
The street was bustling with people, but the young man stood a short distance away, tall and elegant like a pillar of fine jade. His features were refined, yet he seemed shrouded in an impenetrable frost, radiating an aura of aloofness that warned strangers to keep their distance.
It wasn't until he felt her gaze upon him that the icy chill on his face seemed to be brushed by a gentle spring breeze, melting away without a sound.
The husband she knew so well was still there.
Mu Ran hurried over and held a flaky pastry to his lips. "It's still warm. Eat it quickly."
He lowered his head slightly and took a small bite directly from her hand.
"Is it good?" she asked.
Cangshu Bai nodded. "It is."
A voice echoed in his mind once more. "Godfather, Hongfu is a legendary beauty. Countless cultivators yearn to dual cultivate with her. If you have to face her, can you truly bring yourself to strike down such a breathtaking woman?"
"A beautiful face is but a mask for dry bones. It is merely skin deep."
"Then isn't Godmother also—"
In a medical clinic in a distant town, Doctor Hu suddenly clutched his head and collapsed, rolling across the floor in agony.
"Godfather, I was wrong! I was wrong! Hongfu can't be compared to Godmother!"
While Doctor Hu's mouth pleaded for mercy, his heart was full of grumbling curses. This lethal man was far too hypocritical with his double standards!
