Chapter 105: Gu Maiden (18)

“How did you manage it?” As he watched Buddhist Monk Chengming depart, Luo Qinghe couldn’t resist asking the Gu Ren.

Luo Qinghe vividly recalled how distrustful both Chengming and Maha had been of him earlier. They’d feared that he might do something to the Gu Ren, so wary they were. How could their minds have changed in such a short span? Not only that, but they even entrusted her care to him!

Though that fiend Maha had repeatedly threatened him, warning against touching the Gu Ren’s body, they truly had handed her over to his charge.

“Qinghe, as my friend, can I trust you?” Before leaving, Buddhist Monk Chengming met his gaze with a serious expression. “I hope what happened today won’t occur again. You’re different from me; you wish to cure the Lust Gu. Your feelings toward Xiling aren’t genuine affection, merely the influence of the Lust Gu. You can control yourself, correct?”

Of course, Luo Qinghe replied, “I would never harbor any inappropriate thoughts toward a Gu Ren—a medicine person.”

“That’s good.” The corners of Chengming’s lips curved slightly upward, and with a composed demeanor, he bowed courteously. “Before I return, please take care of Xiling’s health, Qinghe. If anyone comes seeking vengeance against her, I also ask for your assistance in protecting her.”

“Seek revenge?” Hearing that someone would seek vengeance against a Gu Ren unsettled Luo Qinghe somewhat. “What enemies does she have?”

“She was a Gu woman of the demon cult; the jianghu misunderstands her deeply,” Chengming sighed. “Joining the demon cult wasn’t her fault.”

Luo Qinghe had always stayed within Medicine King Valley, so he held no particular opinions about the demon cult. Moreover, even if its members were universally reviled by the jianghu, he wouldn’t hand over his medicine person to anyone else.

After delivering these instructions, Buddhist Monk Chengming left, leaving only Luo Qinghe and the Gu Ren behind in this courtyard residence.

Tong Ling smiled. “He’s gone off on business for me, naturally. The monk is kind-hearted—he couldn’t bear to see me perish.”

The Gu Ren’s capabilities elicited a sigh from Luo Qinghe despite himself. “You, a Gu Ren—what bad luck for the Buddhist disciple to encounter you.”

“He clearly enjoys it immensely. You don’t understand love, how could you grasp its pleasures?” Tong Ling shot Luo Qinghe a sidelong glance. “Someone like you, without ingesting the Lust Gu, will likely never know the taste of love in their entire life—a truly lamentable fate!”

Under the Gu Ren’s gaze, Luo Qinghe’s heart lost its rhythm, making him wonder if perhaps one of the bugs had burrowed into it. If they reached his heart, extracting them would become all the more difficult.

“The love you speak of has no effect on me whatsoever,” Luo Qinghe said coldly. “I’m not some Buddhist disciple—easily manipulated by your whims!”

As he spoke, Luo Qinghe stepped inside the room. Seeing that the Gu Ren remained unmoving outside, he frowned and asked, “Why haven’t you come in yet? Your body, I…”

Tong Ling stood there with a smile, gazing at this Medicine Sage from Medicine King Valley. It was truly remarkable for a victim of the Lust Gu to maintain such composure—but it could only go so far.

“Since you’re staying here, let me now explain my rules.”

Luo Qinghe strove to keep his expression stern; every part of him remained tense. “Rules?”

To prevent him from viewing human lives as worthless, Luo Qinghe’s master had made him swear, before passing away, to always abide by certain principles.

Luo Qinghe never disappointed his master’s expectations. However, within Medicine King Valley, everyone—from the medicine persons who followed his rules without question, to those seeking his aid and obediently doing as instructed—were all accustomed to being dictated by him. He’d never encountered anyone who dared impose their own rules upon him.

“What sort of rules do you have?” Luo Qinghe asked.

“First, I dislike being called ‘Gu Ren,’ so change it.” When dealing with someone so prideful they verged on arrogance, there was no need to reason with them; simply teach them obedience.

Tong Ling pretended to ponder this for a moment. “From now on, call me ‘Master.’ It pleases my ears, and who knows—you might get more time for your research.”

“You—!” Luo Qinghe’s anger had barely flared before Gu Ren’s gaze halted it. He softened his voice and paced several steps in place. “I was invited here to heal you, and you agreed to be my medicine person. Calling you ‘Master’ is utterly absurd!”

“Heal?” Tong Ling let out a soft laugh. “Then may I ask the esteemed Medicine Sage, what issues does he perceive with my body?”

Luo Qinghe froze. The Gu Ren’s health unexpectedly seemed robust—a point that remained puzzling to him.

“I am well aware of my own condition,” Tong Ling said evenly. “You won’t find any specific ailment either. The reason you’re allowed to stay here is because the monk trusts your abilities; I’m keeping you only to put his mind at ease.”

“Remember, it’s you who needs me, not the other way around.”

Luo Qinghe believed himself indispensable, convinced someone would always require his services. “The lifespan of a gu person is exceedingly short,” he countered. “If you wish to change your fate, only I can…”

“And have I expressed such a desire?” Tong Ling continued playing along with the script. “Inevitably, I’ll die by someone’s hand. What use is extending my life then?”

“Did I say anything about changing my fate?” Tong Ling continued to follow her script. “I’ll eventually die at someone’s hand—what use is living longer then?”

Luo Qinghe’s expression instantly chilled. “Death? Who allowed you to die? Whose hand will kill you?”

The mere thought of this Gu Ren dying soured Luo Qinghe’s entire mood. “You’re my medicine person—I won’t let you die!”

“You’re wrong,” Tong Ling reminded him. “Change your terminology for ‘medicine person’ to ‘master.’”

Something seemed to choke Luo Qinghe’s chest, his handsome face flushing red one moment and pale the next. With great difficulty, he turned away, forcing out from his throat, “Don’t even think it!”

Tong Ling made no comment on the Medicine Sage’s stubbornness, continuing with the rules instead. “Secondly, while the monk is away, you’ll be responsible for cleaning the courtyard and rooms, as well as preparing three meals a day for me. You cannot refuse any work I assign; otherwise, you can’t stay here.”

This time, Luo Qinghe shook with anger. “What do you take me for?”

He was the Medicine Sage of Medicine King Valley, not some servant meant to cater to others!

“If you don’t want to do it, feel free to leave.” Tong Ling shrugged, her manner unconcerned. “Don’t worry, I won’t stop you.”

Luo Qinghe was speechless.

He wasn’t sure how he managed to endure this. “And there’s still a third condition?”

Tong Ling nodded. “Thirdly, without my permission, you may not enter my room on your own.”

She waved Luo Qinghe over. “Come, I’ll show you to the guest quarters.”

Luo Qinghe desperately wanted to remain standing where he was—but as soon as the Gu Ren beckoned, he found himself walking right up to her side. This filled him with another wave of frustration.

The Lust Gu… It was all the Lust Gu’s fault!

Ignoring the strange expression on Luo Qinghe’s face, Tong Ling led the way ahead and stopped at a storage room farthest from hers.

As she pushed open the door, the dust inside made her cough several times. Before she could speak, Luo Qinghe moved in front of her, waving his sleeve to clear the air while saying incredulously, “Surely you can’t expect me to live here?”

Tong Ling raised an eyebrow. “Yes, indeed—this will be your living space from now on.”

Luo Qinghe knew just how malicious the Gu Ren’s nature was; thus, her actions didn’t surprise him.

“You’re certain I have no choice but to put up with you?” Luo Qinghe’s eyes flashed with anger as he turned to glare at the Gu Ren behind him—only to see her gazing back at him with a smile. This smile was clearly not one of those subtly mocking ones from before; it was simple yet exquisitely beautiful.

“Luo Qinghe,” the Gu Ren murmured his name softly. For a moment, Luo Qinghe’s gaze went unfocused, and all his fury instantly dissipated like smoke.

“What is it?” Luo Qinghe’s heart rate abruptly quickened, making him deeply uneasy. That disorienting sensation returned, even though he hadn’t touched the Gu Ren at all.

“At last, you’re looking at me with the eyes you use for people.” Tong Ling took two steps closer to Luo Qinghe.

He froze in place, unable to move.

“Do you know my name?” Tong Ling reached out, gently caressing Luo Qinghe’s elegant features with her fingertips.

The emotions Luo Qinghe had forcefully suppressed ignited wildly, spreading like wildfire across a plain. He remembered how he’d swallowed her blood, and how he’d held her close.

That feeling…was truly hard for him to forget.

However… Luo Qinghe couldn’t allow himself such actions. He had promised Buddhist Monk Chengming that he would resist the effects of the Lust Gu, ensuring he harbored no inappropriate thoughts toward her.

“Why aren’t you speaking?” Tong Ling’s fingertip slid from the Medicine Sage’s brow down to his cheek.

“Xiling.” Luo Qinghe had heard Buddhist Monk Chengming call her this; he knew that her name was… Xiling.

“How do you refer to me in your mind?” Tong Ling asked again.

“Gu…” Luo Qinghe suppressed the term for Gu Ren. She’d just said she disliked being called such—how could he possibly say it?

Suddenly, as if realizing something, Luo Qinghe stared steadily at the woman before him and slowly said, “I won’t use ‘Gu Ren’ to address you anymore. You are Xiling.”

Her rules, making him live in that filthy storage room—it was clearly meant to express her displeasure. It seemed that only because he angered her did she treat him like this.

“In your eyes, am I no different from your other medicine persons?” This time, Tong Ling’s fingertip landed by Luo Qinghe’s lips.

Luo Qinghe’s clear voice turned hoarse. “No.”

How could those medicine persons compare with her? He merely used their title as an excuse to interact with her more often.

Upon realizing his own thoughts, Luo Qinghe felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. He clenched his hands tightly, incessantly reminding himself that this was due to the Lust Gu’s effect—otherwise, how could he harbor such shameless ideas?!

Seeing that Luo Qinghe had finally dropped his pretenses, Tong Ling let out a soft hmph and withdrew her hand. “Go clean your room,” she said. “And you’re cooking tonight.”

Luo Qinghe couldn’t control his actions; he swiftly grasped Tong Ling’s hand. “Are you angry with me?”

Tong Ling smiled. “Who am I to you? Why would I be angry at you?”

“I…” In confusion, Luo Qinghe blurted out, “What can I do for you not to be angry?”

“I’ve already said everything there is to say. Let go,” Tong Ling replied deliberately. “Have you forgotten what you promised the monk?”

The moment Luo Qinghe took hold of Xiling’s hand, he didn’t want to let go, casting aside any thought of his promise.

“Don’t be angry.” Luo Qinghe lowered his head, gently kissing each finger. “Don’t be angry.”

He didn’t know how to soothe someone, repeating these two words over and over again.

At this point, Tong Ling began reciting back Luo Qinghe’s own words verbatim:

“I only see her as a Gu Ren needing study.”

“How could I have personal feelings toward her?”

Luo Qinghe’s face seemed to be aflame. He was fully aware of what he was doing; even more clearly, he knew that this was due to being afflicted with the Lust Gu. Yet still, he pulled Xiling into his arms and uttered some peculiar words.

“I was wrong,” Luo Qinghe murmured. “Don’t leave yet—I want to hold you.”

“After you’re done holding me, you’ll turn around and pretend like nothing happened again,” Tong Ling said.

Luo Qinghe wanted to tighten his embrace further, but Xiling had already pushed him away.

“That’s enough—don’t upset me anymore.” Tong Ling’s expression hovered between a smile and not quite one. “Think carefully about how to cure the gu instead, or I’ll continue controlling you like this from now on.”

Luo Qinghe fell silent. Covering his face, he angrily spun in place, his inner feelings at once immensely complicated and utterly despairing.

Recalling the scene just past, he couldn’t believe that person clinging tightly to Xiling, refusing to let go while apologizing, had been himself! And crucially, he found himself relishing the memory of that embrace…

Could he truly cure this gu? For the first time, Luo Qinghe began doubting himself.

Meanwhile, Buddhist Monk Chengming, having arrived at the eastern side of the city, pondered whom to bring back for Xiling.

“Chengming! Have you gone mad?” Maha had been arguing the whole way, and even now, he hadn’t stopped talking. “Letting Luo Qinghe care for Xiling is outrageous enough—and you still intend to infect more people with the Lust Gu, entangling them with her?”

“If you have any suggestions, feel free to share them.” Even Chengming’s usually gentle face had lost much of its warmth. “As long as Xiling lives, none of this matters.”

Maha was at a loss for words.

He hadn’t thought of any good ideas either. Irritated, he said, “Then find obedient people. If that doesn’t work, just get some women.”

Maha felt certain that nothing untoward could develop between women.

“We cannot harm innocent individuals,” Chengming replied firmly. Though he wanted to help Xiling, it didn’t mean he would target those who were blameless.

“Then how will you find anyone?” Maha asked. “Xiling also demanded no one with ugly faces; she’d definitely be angry if pursued by such people.”

Buddhist Monk Chengming walked over to the notice board displaying bounties. There, at the very top, he saw the portrait of the demoness, accompanied by an enormous reward amount.

“Whoever seeks her capture—that’s who we’ll choose.” Just as Chengming finished speaking to Maha, they watched a robust-looking man tear down Xiling’s portrait and claim the bounty warrant.

Chengming took a careful look at the man’s features, confirming they met Xiling’s requirements, then swiftly employed his lightness martial arts to follow after him.

“If someone chasing her gets fed the Lust Gu, I won’t consider it doing wrong,” Chengming silently justified to himself.

Maha burst out laughing. “Well done, Chengming! Your thinking has become far more adaptable!”