TM CH19

Chapter 19 This Humble Gu, This Humble Gu

The woods near their shelter was not much different from the one by the sea. Rong Qi wandered around for a while and soon spotted a few solitary pheasants and wild rabbits. But he didn’t act on it. Instead, he headed deeper into the forest.

The roars of wild beasts that night, mixed with the sound of the wind, made him somewhat concerned. Whenever beasts roamed, they would inevitably leave traces of their activity around. But since arriving on the island, he had found nothing unusual, despite paying close attention to animal tracks.

It was the unseen threats, not the fierce beasts or birds of prey, that were more concerning.

Rong Qi had expected to find something, but he didn’t. The entire forest contained only small insects and ants. Even though there were a few strange creatures he had never seen on the mainland, they were smaller than the pheasants and didn’t seem capable of producing the deep growls he had heard.

Rong Qi refused to believe it was nothing and proceeded to catch each one, forcing them to make noise. The sounds were all strange, but none resembled the growl from that night.

Could it really have been the wind passing through the forest?

When he returned, he mentioned the matter to Gu Yunxing.

Gu Yunxing had naturally heard the noise that night as well. The sound had resembled a tiger’s roar, though it was sharper. However, he didn’t seem particularly concerned. “Would Right Protector Rong really fear such trivial beasts?”

Rong Qi rolled his eyes. “Sect Master Gu’s martial arts are unparalleled. With you by my side, of course, I have no need to worry.”

Gu Yunxing: “…The Lord Right Protector does not strike me as someone willing to be protected.”

Rong Qi laughed. “Even if wild beasts attacked at night, would they really cross over you and drag me away first?”

Gu Yunxing: “If you put it that way, then it’s indeed unsettling that this humble Gu is sleeping on the outer side.”

Rong Qi’s eyes brightened. “How about we switch places then?” After all, being cramped on the inner side was far from comfortable.

“There’s no need for that,” Gu Yunxing calmly responded. “If beasts attack, this humble Gu would rather be the one standing in front of the Right Protector.”

Rong Qi sneered.

“Let’s wait a few more days,” Gu Yunxing suddenly said.

Rong Qi paused in surprise.

Gu Yunxing looked at him. “Once this humble Gu’s leg injury is healed, we’ll go explore this deserted island together.”

After enduring numerous hardships, the two of them finally settled on the deserted island. The simple wooden house built against the cliffside wasn’t much, but it provided shelter from the wind and rain.

For the next half month, Gu Yunxing truly did as he said, focusing entirely on recovering from his leg injury. He stayed by the cliffside, rarely moving.

As for Rong Qi, in the first few days, he stubbornly continued searching for signs of wild beasts, but found nothing. Over time, he began to suspect that the low, strange roar that night was just an auditory hallucination from their journeying through the windy night.

The only difference from before was that he no longer deliberately wandered around the island to avoid Gu Yunxing. Sometimes, when he felt in the mood, he would take a few rounds before returning. Other times when he felt lazy, he would return early after hunting. His days had become increasingly carefree. Besides hunting, he also dug up many strange wild herbs and fruits, allowing Gu Yunxing to do some ‘tasting of a hundred herbs’ as a proper task while recuperating.

After several attempts, he actually found a few edible wild plants and even discovered a spicy herb that could be used as a seasoning. As the days went by, Gu Yunxing’s cooking skills improved, and Rong Qi became more particular about the food.

Surprisingly, Gu Yunxing was quite accommodating in this regard, preparing all the meals according to Rong Qi’s taste.

Rong Qi was very pleased with this, except for one thing.

“Why do I have to do the sewing?” He angrily pushed a needle through the rabbit hide. “Clearly, you have more free time.”

Gu Yunxing, with his hands covered in needle pricks, replied, “This humble Gu has tried.”

Recently, Rong Qi had woken up in Gu Yunxing’s arms several days in a row, feeling conflicted. He attributed it to the small blanket and thought that two grown men should each have their own rabbit fur blanket.

So, the next day, Gu Yunxing had already prepared the ‘needlework’ for him, the meaning clear.

Rong Qi, of course, was not indulgent. This time, since it was Gu Yunxing staying home, it was only fair that Gu Yunxing do the sewing.

Seeing his firm stance, Gu Yunxing agreed.

Who would have thought that in just half a day, the rabbit fur blanket had become an unrecognizable mess, with Sect Master Gu’s hands full of pricks.

Rong Qi mocked him mercilessly for many days. Then, for some reason, the task somehow ended up falling on his shoulders.

“Do you think I’m good at this?” Rong Qi rolled his eyes, gritting his teeth as he pushed the needle through the hide. “And Gu Yunxing, can you stop saying ‘this humble Gu, this humble Gu’ every time? Doesn’t it sound awkward!” And every time he referred to himself as “this humble Gu,” nothing good ever came of it.

Gu Yunxing paused for a moment, then smiled. “Right Protector Rong is right… So, today, this humble… I’ll roast the fish.”

Rong Qi: “……”

After a brief moment, Gu Yunxing leaned against the stone wall, casually turning the stick in his hand while watching Rong Qi struggle with the tattered rabbit hide. He couldn’t deny that when the demon wasn’t shouting threats, there was something almost docile about him.

“Why do you keep staring at me?!” The ‘docile’ demon’s face was as cold as ice, his sharp gaze fixed on Gu Yunxing.

Gu Yunxing quickly looked away, unhurriedly replying, “Just wanted to ask the Lord Right Protector, what flavor would you like for the grilled fish today?”

Rong Qi sneered. “What do you think?”

Gu Yunxing understood immediately. He sprinkled the fish with the crushed spicy herb that Rong Qi particularly liked.

Rong Qi’s expression finally relaxed. He looked down at the rabbit hide in his hands and immediately frowned, gripping the needle and stabbing it viciously again.

The next afternoon, rain began to fall lightly. Rong Qi returned early to the wooden house and, from a distance, saw Gu Yunxing leaning against the ‘wooden wall,’ holding a familiar dagger and fiddling with something.

He instinctively patted his waist. Sure enough, it was gone.

“Gu Yunxing, you stole my dagger again!”

Gu Yunxing, seeing him return, relaxed a bit. He faced the accusation with a calm expression. “You were sleeping soundly last night, so I didn’t wake you. This morning, I simply forgot about it.” Then, he became serious. “It was my fault.”

His apology silenced Rong Qi’s immediate retort. Despite his displeasure, he glanced at the other item in Gu Yunxing’s hand and asked, “What are you carving wood for?”

Gu Yunxing was carving into a block of wood. “I was bored, so I’m making a wood carving.”

Rong Qi froze for a moment, then found it strange. Gu Yunxing could carve?

He walked over, sat beside Gu Yunxing, and leaned in curiously. Then he was surprised. “You call this a wood carving?”

The block of wood was unrecognizable, uneven, and it was impossible to tell what shape it was meant to be.

Gu Yunxing shrugged. “It’s just the initial outline. Please forgive my poor attempt, Right Protector.”

Rong Qi examined it from all angles but still couldn’t figure out what kind of ‘outline’ it was meant to be. But seeing Gu Yunxing’s confidence, he didn’t want to pass judgment too hastily. Instead, he looked at his dagger with a mix of pity and sarcasm. “You really have too much free time, don’t you?”

Sneaking around at night, stealing his dagger just to make this ugly thing?

Rong Qi didn’t insist on getting it back. These past few days, Gu Yunxing had been using his dagger to gut fish and rabbits with ease, almost better than him, the owner. Besides, even if he took it back, it would end up in Gu Yunxing’s hands again soon enough.

Rong Qi sat down beside him, watching as Gu Yunxing sliced through the wood again with swift, precise cuts. The block of wood, which had previously been uneven, now looked even more rough and pitted.

He opened his mouth, casting a look at Gu Yunxing that conveyed his confusion, silently asking: What is this supposed to be?

Gu Yunxing’s expression remained focused, his hands steady as he worked. Each cut was decisive, smooth. His calm, composed manner suggested he was doing something as simple as breathing.

He looked like a seasoned carver… but Rong Qi glanced at the misshapen block of wood again, unable to hide his doubt. Was the carving only supposed to take shape at the very end? He had assumed it would gradually take form, carved piece by piece with great attention to detail.

Seeing this kind of craftsmanship for the first time, Rong Qi still felt a bit of curiosity in his heart, so he shifted to a more comfortable sitting position and watched silently.

After an unknown amount of time, Rong Qi suddenly realized. “Is this a mountain?”

Gu Yunxing paused in his carving, then replied, “No.”

A while later, Rong Qi’s eyes lit up again. “I’ve got it! It’s a tiger, right?”

Gu Yunxing shook his head impassively.

Rong Qi: “……”

He was about to make another guess, but Gu Yunxing cleared his throat, put the carving aside, and said calmly, “Let’s stop here for now.”

Rong Qi looked at him with suspicion.

Gu Yunxing said, “Right Protector, the game you hunted today… a pheasant? You’re in luck.”

Rong Qi was diverted by his comment. “Yes, it’s a good catch. Those things are getting harder to find. They were probably never abundant to begin with.” Having nothing new to watch, he leaned against the wooden wall and looked around boredly. His gaze eventually landed on Gu Yunxing’s legs.

“Hey, is your leg injury almost healed?”

Gu Yunxing gave a wry smile. “We’ve been in and out together for so long, yet Right Protector Rong hasn’t even noticed my injury.”

“Stop acting.” Rong Qi narrowed his eyes, exposing him. “This venerable one toils from dawn to dusk, while you’re always half-dead, sitting, lying, or leaning. Who would know if you’re healing or not?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Rong Qi’s knee suddenly became heavy as Gu Yunxing’s leg was casually placed on it.

Gu Yunxing: “Then this humble Gu has to trouble Right Protector Rong to treat me.”

Rong Qi: “……” Every day, there was a moment when he just wanted to kill this person.

He gritted his teeth, his face darkened, but in the end, he still extended his hand and removed the cloth strips from Gu Yunxing’s leg. The once bloody wound had healed, leaving only three gruesome scars.

Rong Qi stared at the scars for a moment, then said bluntly, “They look ugly.”

Gu Yunxing leaned forward and examined them carefully, sighing. “Yes, they’re definitely a bit unsightly.”

Rong Qi extended his hand, pressing it against the scars. He felt around the bone, his expression tinged with disappointment.

“Looks like you’ll always have a limp.”

He shifted his hand from pressing to pushing, nudging the leg aside, then turned to Gu Yunxing. “Since it’s healed, stop lying around here.”

Gu Yunxing just looked at him, as if deep in thought.

Rong Qi couldn’t stand the sight of him thinking like that and spoke directly, “Gu Yunxing, aren’t you bored?”

Spending every day on this deserted island, doing the same things over and over. Rong Qi had long since grown tired of wandering the island. At first, it was interesting, but now it just felt monotonous. He was waiting for the island’s only other inhabitant to offer some kind of distraction. At the very least, they could spar.