Love from the Male Protagonist’s Harem

Chapter 96-Mount Wuling

Translated by Snowfall77

Huo Bai really was acting very strange.

Even if he had gotten knocked on the head while visiting a brothel and then become moronic enough to give Xia Wuyin a love letter……no, no, that cause and effect was not what was important.

Mao Qing fiddled with the book in her hands, having watched Xia Wuyin leave the library.

Besides Xia Wuyin, was there anyone else Mao Qing should talk to about Huo Bai?

Strictly speaking……if there were other people Huo Bai was close to, Mao Qing didn’t know who they were.

Lost in her thoughts, Mao Qing put her book back on the shelf.  Huo Bai really didn’t like candy anymore?

First he liked candy , then he didn’t.

In the end, that seemed to be the only preference of Huo Bai’s that Mao Qing truly knew about.

= =

Cold.  So ice-cold that no sun could warm it.

Xia Ge’s pupils dilated, her eyes becoming unfocused.

Immediately noticing something amiss, Gu Peijiu asked: “You, what’s wrong?”

Scattered oleander blossoms at her feet, Xia Ge’s face had turned deathly pale, like someone who’d just been told some horrible news, and her gaze was blankly bewildered.

As if she was very afraid of something, instinctively afraid, trembling from head to toe, yet she didn’t know what it was she was afraid of.

Xia Ge: “I……don’t know……”

Unable to stop herself, Gu Peijiu reached out a hand and stroked Xia Ge’s head.

The soft black hair was warm with sunlight.  Looking carefully at Xia Ge’s still blanched face and lightless black  pupils, Gu Peijiu’s heart was slightly shaken.  She moved her hand further down, forcefully pulling Xia Ge into her arms.

“Then don’t know,” Gu Peijiu’s spoke softly into Xia Ge’s ear, “Tell me instead why you came to find me.”

Gu Peijiu’s embrace was very warm.

Seemingly capable of withstanding all the worries and fears, and chasing away the bitter cold.

Giving the heat of spring in which flowers bloomed.

Although her head was buried in Gu Peijiu’s chest,  Xia Ge managed to murmur: “……Mount Wuyi.”

Since the girl’s voice was too low and muffled to hear clearly, Gu Peijiu had to ask: “What did you say?”

Slowly loosening her clenched hands, after a long time Xia Ge raised her head to look Gu Peijiu in the eyes: “Where is Mount Wuyi?”

The second Xia Ge’s voice fell, Gu Peijiu’s body shivered and her pupils dilated.  However, she was quickly able to calm herself and whisper back: “……you said Mount Wuyi?”

Xia Ge’s gaze was still blank: “Senior Sister, what’s the matter?”

Gu Peijiu: “Hmm?”

Xia Ge: “Your expression isn’t too good……did I say something bad?”

Gu Peijiu: “No.”

Xia Ge: “Is Mount Wuyi a bad place?”

Gu Peijiu’s answer was immediate: “No.”

A very hasty, urgent ‘no.’

For the first time, Xia Ge saw a faint hint of pain in Gu Peijiu’s eyes.  But then Gu Peijiu’s arms tightened around Xia Ge, obscuring Xia Ge’s view: “……it’s not a bad place.”

“Why does Senior Sister look so sad then?” Xia Ge asked, “Is there something special about that place?”

Silent for a long moment, Gu Peijiu didn’t answer Xia Ge’s question, but instead asked one of her own: “Where did you hear about Mount Wuyi?”

The system abruptly spoke: [Don’t Tell Gu Peijiu About The Note You Found.]

Xia Ge: {huh? why not?}

System: [It Doesn’t Matter Who They Are, The Less People Who Know About That Note, The Better.]

Xia Ge: {but……}

System: [Reward Points.]

Xia Ge: {deal.}

Xia Ge told Gu Peijiu: “A book at Cangshu Pavilion……”  In a note hidden underneath its cover.

“I found it inside.”

Selective concealment, alright?  Right.  It wasn’t a lie, it was selective concealment.

“It must’ve been a very old book.”  Concealing the unusual gleam in her eyes, Gu Peijiu continued softly, “You came here to simply ask me about Mount Wuyi?”

“Mmm,” Xia Ge said, “I……I was a little curious, and I thought you’d be the best person to ask.”

“There is no Mount Wuyi anymore,” Gu Peijiu stated.

Surprised, Xia Ge raised her head again: “What do you mean?”

“A long, long time ago, there was a mountain named Wuyi that sat on the shores of the Donghai Sea,” Gu Peijiu lowered her gaze, speaking quietly, “But the chaos of war was too frequent, and there was a……mishap, which led to countless evil spirits invading the human world.  There were hundreds upon hundreds of ghosts and demons roaming about freely, and people had no way of making a living.”

Xia Ge was curious: “A mishap?”

“Mmm,” Gu Peijiu nodded before downplaying, “Whatever the mishap was exactly, it’s impossible to verify now.”

“What about Mount Wuyi?”

“According to legends, an immortal refined Mount Wuyi into a magical weapon, and suppressed the multitudes of evil spirits within it.  Its name was changed to Mount Wuling, and it was hidden in a sea of clouds.  Since then, there is no Mount Wuyi in the world, only the legendary Mount Wuling.”

Xia Ge was a little stunned by what she’d heard.  “In a sea of clouds?  Mount Wuling?”

So Mount Wuyi had been turned into Mount Wuling……and then concealed in a sea of clouds?  What sea of clouds?  Where?

“Does……Senior Sister know where Mount Wuling is now?”  Xia Ge tugged on a corner of Gu Peijiu’s sleeve.

Rising an eyebrow, Gu Peijiu answered quietly: “No one knows.”

“Why not?”  Xia Ge was obviously disappointed.

“Because Mount Wuling is no longer simply a mountain,” Gu Peijiu explained, “It can also move.”

Xia Ge: “It moves?”

Gu Peijiu: “Yes.  And no one knows where and when it might appear.”

Why did this sound so similar to Baimeng Cave?

How was a person these days supposed to visit the caves and mountains when they kept playing hide-and-seek?  Suffocating.

Xia Ge: “So there’s no way of finding it……”

Gu Peijiu released Xia Ge from her embrace, giving her one more stroke on the head, but saying nothing.

Was the difficult trail of clues Xia Ge had been following really going to end here?

Trying to find something this hard to get ahold of, when would she ever be able to advance?  Wouldn’t it be better to spend her time gathering materials, making puppets, and upgrading the slow but sure way?

The more she tried to find shortcuts, the more she suffered.

On the other hand, she wasn’t willing to give up on finding the Zhen Hun.

The system spoke up: [Perhaps I Didn’t Make It Clear To You Earlier……Ahem, So Long As You Can Find The Zhen Hun, No Matter What Rank You Are At, You Will Directly Jump Up A Level.]

[Oh!  Class, I Meant Class, Not Level!]

Xia Ge: “……”

Xia Ge: {really?  cause that’s not what you just said.}

The system’s voice went higher: [In Any Case, You Probably Won’t Be Able To Find The Zhen Hun For A While.  We Can Discuss This More Later.]

If Xia Ge were at a lower level, it’d be easier for her to upgrade.  Because the higher the level, the more chance there was of getting split in two by lightening when advancing.

Therefore, the system had specifically concealed it before.

Only now its host was about to lose her fighting spirit……Well, if you wanted the donkey to keep pulling the cart, you had to make sure there was enough dangling carrots in its face.  No way around it.

Puppet masters were divided into classes, and those classes were divided into levels.  The classes, from lowest to highest, were Puppet Apprentice, Puppet Master, Puppet Grand Master, and finally, Divine Puppet Master.

Each of the classes had three levels.  Apprentice, Primary, and Elite.

Previously, Xia Ge’s class had been Puppet Apprentice, than she’d moved up to Puppet Master.  If she obtained the Zhen Hun now, she could immediately advance to Puppet Grand Master, which would be no ordinary existence.

Meanwhile, Xia Ge suspected the system was digging pits, finding it hard to believe that things were actually that simple.

“Thank you, Senior Sister.”  Xia Ge bent down and picked up the oleander branch she’d dropped on the floor.  After a moment’s thought, she asked in a low voice: “Senior Sister, did you just now……say something about a……Demon Tide?”

Those last two words, even when they were on the tip of a person’s tongue……were too hard to say.

Gu Peijiu paused before answering: “Yesterday, Jianfeng said that Kuzhu village is encountering a siege of evil spirits.  Jianfeng and Shoufeng have already sent over disciples to help defend the village and gain experience.”

Xia Ge was startled: “Then will Danfeng……?”

“You need not worry over this,” Gu Peijiu said, “Focus on the interim exam.”

Xia Ge pulled on Gu Peijiu’s sleeve again: “……you’re not going there alone, are you?”

“Mmm,” Gu Peijiu nodded, “Don’t make trouble while I’m away from Danfeng.”

Xia Ge: “Actually, I can……”  Go with you.

Staring straight into Xia Ge’s eyes, Gu Peijiu interrupted: “You cannot.”

Xia Ge froze, her tough facade breaking, and all the willpower in her black eyes turned out to be as fragile as rusted-through iron, falling to pieces from the slightest tap.

That was right……she could not.

She was too afraid.

Nevertheless……

Xia Ge: “But I can’t always be this afraid, I……”

She forced herself to laugh: “I’ll have to face it someday.”

Gu Peijiu gave Xia Ge a long look.  Unable to laugh anymore, Xia Ge turned her head to avoid Gu Peijiu’s gaze.

The elegant young lady in red and white sighed, and with a gentle hand on Xia Ge’s cheek, turned Xia Ge’s face so that she was looking at Gu Peijiu.

“You said ‘someday.’”

“It won’t be today, and it won’t be tomorrow.”

Staring up at Gu Peijiu, Xia Ge’s heart pounded and her mind went blank: “Senior Sister……?”

Gu Peijiu’s voice was very low: “My meaning is……”

“So long as I’m here, that day won’t  come.”

==

Xia Ge had left.

Bixi, who was fussing about, worriedly asked Gu Peijiu: “Miss, you’re certain you’ll go by yourself?”

""

Gu Peijiu: “Mmm.”

Bixi: “But earlier, weren’t you planning on taking Xia Wuyin with you?”

Indifferently stacking the papers she’d finished with, Gu Peijiu silently watched as a dislodged, soft petal fluttered down onto the wooden desk.

Gu Peijiu contemplated the petal for a long time before replying to Bixi: “His lingqiao has only just opened, he doesn’t have any real capabilities.”

“There’s no good reason to take him along.”

As Gu Peijiu spoke, her eyes stayed glued to soft pink petal on the desk.  Eventually she picked it up, cupping it in one hand.

……so small.

Too small.

Making a person want to hold it in the palm of her hand.

Keep safe in your embrace.

Clear the thorns away and protect from the wind and rain.

Bixi: “Ai…… Danfeng doesn’t have any skilled disciples.  Miss, this Demon Tide has to be very dangerous, you must be careful.”

The petal in her palm lighter than a feather, Gu Peijiu looked outside the window at the blooming oleanders: “Mmm, I know.”

The oleanders were flourishing brilliantly.

They were beautiful plants.  But the more beautiful they were, the more poisonous they were.

Withdrawing her gaze, Gu Peijiu thought of the doll at the girl’s waist.  Thinking it over, she said slowly: “Bixi……”

Bixi: “Miss?”

Taking a vermillion token from a black, velvet-lined box on the bookshelf, Gu Peijiu said: “Pass this on for me.”

Bixi’s eyes went wide: “Miss, that’s——”

“……”

“Remember to give it to her.”

东海 [dōng hǎi]

the East China Sea; sea in the east; the Donghai Sea

令牌    lìngpái

wooden or metal token of authority