“Envious?”

“That’s right. Gui-shishu and Gui-shidi have such a touching relationship. Meanwhile, my Shizun ignores me until he has a mission to give to me,” Deng Yenuo said. “I wish our relationship was even half as good as yours. I bet if Shizun lost his memory, he wouldn’t even believe it if I told him I was his disciple.”

Gui Yin felt surprised. The Sect Master he met seemed extremely gentle. Not only that, he was beyond considerate and even a little silly. To hear that he treated his own disciple so coldly was hard to believe. But when he glanced at Gui Linghuo for confirmation, the child didn’t seem like he heard anything strange.

“It’s a difference in personality,” Gui Yin said in an attempt to comfort Deng Yenuo. “I’m just naturally more accepting of a lot of things. Sect Master-shixiong is probably just a bit stiffer when it comes to relationships.”

“Indeed, that might be what it is,” Deng Yenuo smiled mysteriously.

Gui Yin stared at the young man for a moment before finally drawing his gaze away. Why did he feel as if he were on the verge of discovering something he shouldn’t have?

The carriage stopped at an inn between the city as night descended.

Deng Yenuo took care of the lodging as well as the meals. Seeing Gui Yin reach for his own wallet, Deng Yenuo stopped him.

“Gui-shishu needn’t worry. Shizun already gave me more than enough money for this type of thing,” Deng Yenuo reassured him.

“I see,” Gui Yin’s hand fell to his side. He felt a bit sheepish. Although he wasn’t the original, he was still Deng Yenuo’s elder. Yet, at this moment, it seemed like he had been taken care of the entire day.

“It was through Shizun’s orders. I’m only following them,” Deng Yenuo said.

Gui Yin and Gui Linghuo slept in one room while Deng Yenuo took the one on the opposite end of the hall. Initially, it should have been the other way around, but when Gui Yin saw the reluctant expression on Gui Linghuo’s face, he conceded and volunteered to share the same room with the child.

Gui Yin blew out all the candles before getting into bed. He could feel the boy’s gaze on him from not too far away. He shifted and looked over at Gui Linghuo.

“What’s wrong? Having trouble sleeping in a new place?”

Gui Linghuo tensed up from being caught. He shifted uncomfortably for a moment before sitting up. “Um…Shizun…”

“Hm?”

“May I…may I sleep with you tonight?” Gui Linghuo asked, his voice trailing off to a nearly inaudible amount.

Gui Yin propped himself up. He looked at Gui Linghuo’s cowering form for a moment before he pulled back the blanket and patted the spot next to him. “Come here.”

Gui Linghuo’s eyes brightened. He hurriedly abandoned his own bed and jumped into Gui Yin’s bed. Gui Yin let out a soft sigh and laid down too. He patted Gui Linghuo’s head with a small smile.

“If you have any requests like this in the future, don’t be afraid to ask. After all, I’ve already decided I will be responsible for you,” Gui Yin said softly.

Gui Linghuo glanced up at Gui Yin and offered a tight smile.

He didn’t drill himself into Gui Yin’s arms as the girls might have, but he leaned tentatively into Gui Yin’s embrace. The warmth that he hadn’t felt for a few years immediately gave him a sense of comfort. His eyelids began to grow heavier and he soon fell into a much-needed sleep.

Gui Yin watched him silently for a moment. Gui Linghuo was a potential protagonist of the original plotline. As the protagonist, his backstory was made to be tragic and the path ahead of him was doomed to be riddled with losses and heartache.

Although Gui Yin wasn’t sure who the “protagonist” was anymore, just knowing Gui Linghuo had lost his family in such a horrific way made him feel just a little more sympathetic towards the child.

He gently patted Gui Linghuo to lull him into a deeper sleep before turning on his back and closing his eyes as well.

The night passed by peacefully and it only took another day of travel for them to arrive at Feiyin City.

As they rolled up to the gates, Deng Yenuo glanced out the window and turned to Gui Yin.

“Gui-shishu, it would be better if you talked to the city gate’s guards.”

“Me?”

Deng Yenuo nodded. “Technically, I also could, but if I do they might force us to pay an entrance fee. If they see Shishu’s pendant, they will be more afraid of offending someone like you.”

Gui Yin glanced at the curtained window and then back to Deng Yenuo. “Isn’t it just paying the city’s entrance fees? It shouldn’t be that bad, right?”

Deng Yenuo shook his head. “It’s because Shishu has lost his memories that he doesn’t know this, but a city’s entrance fees are often inflated to keep out rogue cultivators and suspicious parties. Since we’re in the part of the continent that’s considered the upper realm, people here are much more skeptical and look more at status. Even as the head disciple of Yunjing Pavilion, my merits are few and far between. I would still have to pay an inflated amount for the entrance fee.”

“So, to put it simply, the city gate’s guards rob people of money on the basis of protecting the city,” Gui Yin concluded.

The corner of Deng Yenuo’s lips twitched before a smile took over his face. “Precisely.”

Just as Gui Yin was about to ask for more details, the demonic beasts pulling the carriage came to an abrupt stop.

“It shouldn’t be our turn yet,” Deng Yenuo murmured. He turned to Gui Yin. “Shishu, stay in the carriage with Gui-shidi. I will go see what’s wrong.”

Gui Yin nodded and watched as Deng Yenuo left the carriage.

Deng Yenuo closed the door behind him and looked towards the city gates.

They were the next party to enter the city gates, but the ones in front of them seemed to have gotten into an argument with the guards.

The group consisted of four people, all with cultivation around the same level as Deng Yenuo, except for one person, whom Deng Yenuo assumed to be the leader of the party. It was obvious from the posture and the heaving chest of the leader of the party that they were not in good health. They were slumped weakly against another man in the group.

“Why should I care that your master is sick? If you don’t have money then scram,” the city guard snapped.

The fiery girl who stood at the front clenched her fists tightly. “I already told you, the money we have left is so that we can see a doctor in the city.”

“Then, you should have prepared more money ahead of time,” the city guard scoffed.

“How are we to know that you would inflate the prices of the entrance fee?!” the fiery girl snapped.

The city guard immediately looked offended. “Look at this little girl! Inflate the prices? This is Feiyin City! The prices were normally this high! It’s to keep out lower class people like you lot. It’s obvious from your battered attire that you’re here to cause trouble. I bet your master isn’t even sick! This is probably all a ploy to garner sympathy so you don’t have to pay the fees to enter the city!”

“You—”

“A-Qī (阿七),” one of the men stepped forward and pulled the fiery girl back. He turned to the city guard. “Sir, please. We’ve traveled from the south by foot just to see Doctor Zheng. Our Master is suffering from a deadly poison. We promise to pay the city fees at a later date. Just—”

“If you don’t have money now, how do we know you’ll get money later? You’ll probably see Doctor Zheng and find a way to leave without us knowing! Besides, do you even have an appointment for Doctor Zheng? Doctor Zheng is a very busy man. He’s normally booked for months on end. You think your master is the only one suffering from a life-threatening illness? There are tons of people who come through here with life-threatening illnesses! You’re not special.”

Deng Yenuo scoffed quietly. He shook his head and turned to head back inside the carriage. However, before he could, he was met with Gui Yin’s hand on his chest, preventing him from getting back up.

Deng Yenuo glanced down and then back up. “Shishu?”

“How much money do we have on us right now?” Gui Yin asked.

With his superior hearing, it was obvious that Gui Yin had heard everything the guard had been shouting.

“Even if you just show someone Yunjing Pavilion’s pendant, you would be able to buy three hotels,” Deng Yenuo said.

“Perfect,” Gui Yin stepped down from the carriage. He adjusted his bearing and then looked to Gui Linghuo and Deng Yenuo. “Would you two like to follow me?”

Deng Yenuo and Gui Linghuo glanced at each other before nodding. Neither could contain their curiosity.

Gui Yin walked over to the group, where the guard was still shouting and arguing with the fiery girl. In their respective irritation and concentration, the group of people didn’t notice Gui Yin approaching. Only the hooded person shifted slightly, seemingly to get a better look at the newcomer.

Gui Yin lightly cleared his throat.

The guards stopped arguing and the fiery girl and her companions looked over.

“My apologies,” Gui Yin started, “I’m normally not one to get involved in other people’s arguments, but I’m in a bit of a time crunch, you see.”

The head city guard looked at Gui Yin. His eyes trailed from the man’s toes to his face. A look of interest flashed through his eyes.

Immediately, the city guard smiled. “Young Master, in order to enter the city gates, you need five spiritual stones.”

“Five?! And you’re still saying you’re not trying to inflate the prices!?” the fiery girl, named A-Qi, exploded on the spot.

“Shut up!” the city guard snapped. He turned back to Gui Yin. “This is because this young master not only has two companions, but also a carriage and two demonic beasts. Demonic beasts are difficult to control, so we need extra money as reassurance.”

A-Qi bounced from foot to foot out of anger. She turned to Gui Yin. “Hey, pretty boy, don’t listen to this old man! He’s a complete scammer! He sees that you’re dressed nicely and he wants to rob you of more money.”

Gui Yin turned to look at A-Qi with a poorly suppressed smile. “Pretty boy?”

A-Qi nodded confidently, not abashed in the slightest. “Yeah, pretty boy. If you’re not a pretty boy then what are you?”

Gui Yin let out a soft chuckle. He clasped his hands together and bowed slightly in her direction. “Thank you for the compliment, Young Miss.”

Gui Linghuo glanced at the girl and her companions with a frown. He disapproved of the girl’s attitude, but if his shizun accepted this playful behavior, he couldn’t say anything.

A-Qi met Gui Linghuo’s gaze and cockily raised a brow. When the boy said nothing, she turned her attention back to the young man.

This young man was one of the most beautiful people she has ever seen. He had a strong jawline that was matched with plump lips and amorous peach blossom eyes. He was also quite tall, standing at about 180 centimeters. He was just ten centimeters shorter than her master, which was rare in these parts. If he dressed a little more youthfully, he would definitely be A-Qi’s cup of tea.

The city guard looked between the girl and Gui Yin. He scoffed and glared at them impatiently. “Are you going to pay or not? If you’re not going to pay, go back to your spot in line!”

“I’ll pay,” Gui Yin said. He held out his hand towards Gui Linghuo.

The little disciple took one glance at his teacher and reached past his lapel. Instead of putting five spirit stones in his hand, Gui Linghuo drew out a white jade pendant. It originally belonged to Gui Yin, but Gui Yin had been afraid of misplacing it during their trip, so he had entrusted it to Gui Linghuo.

Gui Yin accepted the pendant and ran his fingers through the tangled seafoam tassel to straighten up the strings. “Call Sect Leader Qiang for me.”

The city guard glared at him. “What stupid thing are you spouting this time? How could we call Sect Leader Qiang for a nobody like you!?”

“I understand if you don’t recognize me, but you should at least recognize this, right?” Gui Yin held the jade pendant to meet the city guard’s eyes.

The guards behind the first man took one look at the pendant and became pale in the face. One nudged his captain with a trembling hand.

“S-sir—”

“What? What?! Isn’t it just a stupid pendant? What could it possibly—”

The captain’s words stopped short.

There were few requirements to becoming a guard at the city’s gates. However, in order to avoid offending people, there was one thing that his superiors had hammered into their brains—and that was the appearance of what each sects’ emblems looked like.

The captain knew that he would be fired from his job today.