Once she left, Ge Nianlan straightened. “Does she not like you?”

“Um,” Luo Qianwu awkwardly laughed. “It isn’t that she doesn’t like me. It’s more that…she doesn’t like that I’m her fiancée?”

Seeing Ge Nianlan’s questioning look, Luo Qianwu felt a bit embarrassed.

“The engagement was from before we were born. At first, we were allowed to break it off when we came of age, but after my parents passed, her parents felt like they should honor my parents’ last wishes so…” Luo Qianwu sighed. “She just doesn’t like that she doesn’t have control over this decision.”

“So, are you going to break the engagement off?” Ge Nianlan asked curiously.

“I’ve tried to, multiple times, but they rejected me every single time. Now that I’m of age, I’ll try it again soon,” Luo Qianwu said. He smiled half-heartedly. “She probably doesn’t view me as a romantic partner anyway. It would be better for her if we weren’t engaged.”

Ge Nianlan observed Luo Qianwu silently as they headed back up to the Eternal Palace.

In the cursed artifact, Luo Qianwu had betrayed the master he swore loyalty to because he thought “Ge Nianlan” had killed Zheng Yuying. However, even without that piece of information, just by looking at Luo Qianwu, Ge Nianlan knew that he had strong feelings for his childhood friend.  

Ge Nianlan sighed. He patted Luo Qianwu’s shoulder. “Maybe she’ll learn to like you.”

“I doubt it,” Luo Qianwu said. “If she feels shackled by me, there’s no way she’ll ever like me. I’d rather be a close childhood friend of hers instead of a burden.”

Ge Nianlan wasn’t sure how to respond, so he said nothing. He hung off of Luo Qianwu’s neck and frowned slightly. People always viewed human emotions as something so difficult, but in the end, wasn’t it the people themselves who were making it difficult?

Ge Nianlan wanted to sigh about the vicissitudes of life, as if he were already an aged old man. But his youth and lack of experience only led him to be confused.

As he pondered this difficult question, they had already reached the entrance to Eternal Palace. Luo Qianwu wanted to set Ge Nianlan down. He squatted down and allowed the boy’s feet to touch the ground. As he stood, he caught sight of two unfamiliar figures in the distance, walking with Ge Jinsheng. He squinted slightly to try and get a better look and soon realized that they were walking over to them.

“Nianlan, Qianwu,” Ge Jinsheng frowned slightly. “Where were you two? The maids said you were in your room.”

“He was,” Luo Qianwu said. “But he looked a little bored so I took him out to get some fresh air.”

Ge Nianlan smiled sweetly. He glanced quickly at the two men beside Ge Jinsheng and greeted them. “Hello Uncles! Are you my father’s friends?”

Without even speaking, Ge Nianlan could already tell that these two men were not from this region.

For starters, they dressed in pastel colors. Their hair didn’t have as many horrifying ornaments, such as snakes or dragons, and were pinned rather subtly by a jade crown. One man held one arm behind his back while the other held onto a fan. Both were the same height, but one was clearly higher in arrogance while the other was humble with an air of a gentle scholar. And upon further observation, Ge Nianlan noticed that the arrogant man’s eyes were silver instead of brown.

“Nianlan, don’t be rude,” Ge Jinsheng said. “This is the Pavilion Lord and Guardian of the Dragon Tree from Yunkong Pavilion (云空阁).”

Ge Nianlan’s smile stiffened significantly.

Luo Qianwu quickly clasped his hand into a deferential salute and greeted the two lord immortals. Ge Nianlan followed him, but doubt appeared in his eyes as his head lowered. There was no mention of these two people appearing so early in Ge Nianlan’s life. In fact, he shouldn’t have met them until he was kicked out of Black Mane Palace. Was this yet another deviation in the foretold timeline?

“The children didn’t know any better, Your Excellency. Please do not blame them,” the Pavilion Lord said. He glanced at the two boys again and smiled. “I’m the Pavilion Lord of Yunkong Pavilion, Lord Immortal Weidan (卫旦仙尊), Ye Mingxi (叶明夕). This is Lord Immortal Hanjing (寒镜仙尊), Baili Liuye (百里柳烨), the Guardian of the Dragon Tree.”

“Dragon Tree?” Ge Nianlan echoed.

Baili Liuye’s gaze fell onto the boy. The silvery eyes reminded Ge Nianlan of frost that froze over tree branches in the summer. He almost wanted to take a step back. Not because he was afraid, but because he felt as if Baili Liuye could see right through him.

“My apologies, Lord Immortal,” Ge Jinsheng said. “My son has been very sickly up until recently, so he was not given proper lessons about the state of the world yet.”

“I can see that the Young Lord is doing much better now,” Baili Liuye said.

“Yes. Everyone in my sect says it is a miracle that he is so healthy now,” Ge Jinsheng said.

“A miracle indeed,” Baili Liuye said with a curt nod.

Ge Jinsheng turned back to the children. “Lord Immortal Weidan and Hanjing will be staying with us for a few days. We have some things to talk about.”

The underlying message telling them to not make trouble was loud and clear.

Luo Qianwu nodded profusely. “Don’t worry, Your Excellency! We understand.”

“Mn, we understand,” Ge Nianlan mumbled as he glanced at Baili Liuye.

The man was still watching him attentively. Although there was nothing threatening behind this stare, Ge Nianlan wanted to run away. And at the first chance he could, he took Luo Qianwu and bolted.

However, he never would have guessed that when he went to the library later the next day, he would run into the man that he had been wanting to avoid most.

Sitting on the window sill, head leaning against the wall, Baili Liuye had his eyes closed. There was not even a book in sight to act as an excuse for why he decided to nap here in the library. Seeing this, Ge Nianlan felt a bit flabbergasted.

Was Baili Liuye this casual in the cursed artifact? From what he had seen of him, this man was a horrifying and cold presence! So, what was he doing now, sunbathing in the library? This man was clearly playing hooky!

Ge Nianlan stood where he was and silently criticized him several more times before he took a deep breath and tried to bypass the slumbering beast. Unfortunately for him, Baili Liuye was a cultivator with many years of experience. The moment Ge Nianlan took a step beside him, the man’s lashes fluttered open. He stared at Ge Nianlan, who was walking on his tiptoes, and let out a soft scoff.

Ge Nianlan froze. He slowly turned to look up at Baili Liuye, who had already shifted into an upright position, and slowly set his feet back onto the ground.

The two had a silent stare off until Baili Liuye let out what might be considered a laugh.

“Why are you sneaking around like a little rat?”

A rat?!

Ge Nianlan felt offended.

He knew that there was no way that this man knew he was his missing son. After all, according to the cursed artifact, he had been surprised when Ge Nianlan suddenly showed up at his doorstep after so many years of presuming his own son had passed. Then, did that mean that this man was just rude to strangers he just met?

Ge Nianlan couldn’t hide the disappointment in his expression, leading Baili Liuye to raise a brow. He shifted so that he leaned against his thighs and could lower himself to Ge Nianlan’s height.

He tilted his head slightly. “You do look similar.”

Similar…?!

“To…who?” Ge Nianlan asked awkwardly.

“My mentor,” Baili Liuye said.

Ge Nianlan stared at him. “Is my father your mentor?”

“You look nothing like your father,” Baili Liuye bluntly said.

Ge Nianlan felt a chill run down his spine. “How could you say that? I’m his son!”

“His son?” Baili Liuye echoed. He let out a soft sigh. “Why must you insist on saying that when you know it isn’t true?”

Ge Nianlan’s eyes widened. “What are you—”

“Maybe it’s because our connection was reestablished, but the appearance distortion spell doesn’t work on me at all,” Baili Liuye said. With a flick of his wrist, he brought out a mirror and held it up to Ge Nianlan. “This is your true face.”

Ge Nianlan stumbled back in shock.

The boy staring back at him had sharper features than what he was used to. With just a glance, one could make out the similarity between him and Baili Liuye. Anyone could tell that he would grow up to become a fine gentleman. Gone was the devilishness that resembled Ge Jinsheng and the gentle eyes that belonged to Qiao Lanying. Although it was shocking, Ge Nianlan realized that the emotion behind his hammering heart was not anxiety or terror. Rather, it was excitement.