Chapter 20: A Gentle Smile Blooms Like a Flower

“Bastard! Scoundrel! Lecher! He should be killed!” Not long ago, Wuying looked upon Du Gu Bieli as a rare treasure, but now he erupted in a fit of curses, veins throbbing on his forehead as he stomped and raged.

“And you went out of your way to greet this sort of riffraff and bring him into the academy?” The Headmaster sneered, his lips curled in mocking disdain. “Impressive indeed—Wuying the Seer, your judgment is certainly unique…”

“Nonsense!” Wuying’s anger was real now, murderous intent blazing in his eyes, as if facing a blood feud. “He dares scheme against Xiruo, taking liberties with her! I must kill him, skin him alive, tear out his sinews…”

“But it seemed to be just an accident,” the Headmaster said languidly, picking his nose with an air of impartial objectivity.

“Hmph!” Wuying’s expression softened slightly, but he was still fuming. “Even so, I can’t let him off lightly.”

“We’ll see what happens,” the Headmaster’s eyes grew cold, his voice slow and deliberate. “Let’s observe his reaction. If he’s truly shameless, no matter his talent in divine forging, we will not keep him—he will be erased, utterly!”

…

“Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey!”

He didn’t know when his consciousness had returned, but the moment Du Gu Bieli realized he’d just kissed a man—and in that instant, had even found those lips soft and fragrant—a wave of disgust overtook him. He staggered back, spitting repeatedly and wiping his mouth with his hand.

Su Xiruo, too, had recovered from her shock. Embarrassed and aggrieved, she took several steps back. Before she could gather her thoughts, she saw his reaction. No matter how gentle her temperament, she couldn’t help but flare up; her delicate brows arched in anger as she snapped, her voice clear and sharp: “I’m the one who suffered, and you act like this? Hypocrite!”

“Get lost!” Du Gu Bieli’s temper flared for no reason. “If you don’t disappear right now, I’ll kill you next time I see you.”

“You… You bastard…” Su Xiruo was overcome with grievance, stamping her foot. Tears welled up as she turned to leave the storage room, but feeling unwilling, she couldn’t help but protest: “I’m a girl and I’m the one who lost out. Yet you scold me? You’re too much of a bully…”

“What?” Du Gu Bieli froze, his neck creaking as he turned to look directly at her. He scrutinized her carefully, and upon realizing she had no Adam’s apple, he was struck dumb. The thought circled in his mind: “So that’s why—so soft, so warm, so sweet… She’s a woman… Damn, what am I thinking? How shameful…”

“Say something! Why aren’t you speaking?” Now that her true identity was revealed, Su Xiruo no longer disguised her voice. She questioned him crisply, her delicate shoulders trembling and tears glistening down her rosy cheeks, her expression as pitiful as pear blossoms in the rain.

“I… Well… You…” Du Gu Bieli had never known how to comfort women, not in this life nor the last. Now, caught in embarrassment, he was no playboy nor shameless rake; he couldn’t take advantage and then act nonchalant. For a moment, he was tongue-tied and at a loss.

Seeing this, Su Xiruo was both angry and helpless. She couldn’t win a fight, so she raised her voice instead. But ultimately, strength decided everything, and she was bound to lose out. The thought that she’d been taken advantage of by a man she’d only just met—who didn’t even apologize—made her tears fall even more fiercely.

Du Gu Bieli swallowed, his mind racing for a solution. Suddenly, inspiration struck. He said, “If I recall, your name is Su Xiruo? Were you assigned to the forbidden zone as well? Just now, I was cultivating the Art of Artifact Refining and was too absorbed to notice you behind me. If not for… Ahem. Is there something you needed here?”

Sensing the awkwardness, he quickly changed the subject.

Su Xiruo paused, finally recalling why she’d come. Worried that her earlier accusations had soured him, she hesitated but at last steeled herself and stated her purpose.

After listening, Du Gu Bieli didn’t hesitate for a moment. He patted his chest and declared, “If you need my help, just ask. As long as it’s within my ability and will help you, I’ll do my best.”

“Really? Thank you!” Hearing his agreement, the gloom that had weighed on Su Xiruo for decades was instantly swept away. Even the recent accident was temporarily forgotten, her smile blooming like a flower, dew still clinging to the petals.

Seeing her pure and guileless smile, Du Gu Bieli felt as if the entire storeroom was bathed in spring light, and he stood there, entranced.

…

“So that’s it? It’s settled just like that?” The Headmaster’s jaw nearly dropped. He grasped at the water screen before him, mouth twitching uncontrollably. “You have to admit, Wuying, don’t you think those two make a rather good pair…”

“Hmph!” Wuying’s face was dark, and he made no comment. A daughter is a father’s heart’s treasure. Though Su Xiruo was not his by blood, he’d raised her from infancy, and the bond between them was no less than that of a biological parent. To think that his “heart’s treasure” might one day leave him, to laugh and cry with another man, to face life’s trials and joys together—it left Wuying feeling conflicted and decidedly out of sorts.

Catching his expression, the Headmaster chuckled mischievously, “Jealous, aren’t you? But think about it—could Xiruo remain unmarried her whole life? If she finds a man who can make her happy, satisfied, and secure, that’s a blessing. Perhaps today’s mishap is a turning point. Besides, we’re both getting old. We can’t always protect her as if she’s a little girl…”

“Yes, old indeed…” Wuying sighed, the wrinkles on his face deepening, the marks of time binding him tightly. On reflection, it was true: Su Xiruo was a genuine woman, already thirty years of age, and it was time she found someone to rely on, to share her life with, to grow old together.

“Let’s hope so.”

“If he truly has the ability to cure Xiruo, and is a man of deep feeling and loyalty, then that’s her good fortune,” the Headmaster said meaningfully. Then, gritting his teeth with a crazed gleam, he added, “What’s more, he might be able to perform Divine Forging!”

“Divine Forging…” Wuying closed his eyes and prayed silently. “Oh Queen, let this be true. Don’t let it be nothing but an empty dream…”

“Enough with the doom and gloom!” the Headmaster snapped, his hair and beard bristling like an angry lion about to pounce.

Wuying quickly nodded and fell silent, but could not help but add, “Even if he can do it, it seems he’s only just begun to grasp the basics. Besides, if we ask him for the method, will he give it?”

“Idiot, fool!” the Headmaster cursed, shaking his head with a sigh. “What goes on in your head? Have you not thought: if he and Xiruo become a couple, then he’ll be family, one of us. Would he still refuse? And even if he won’t share the secret, as long as he’s here, can’t we just have him forge us a few artifacts?”

“Brilliant!” Wuying clapped his hands, then chuckled slyly. “A few now, more later—bit by bit, we’ll meet all the academy’s needs. And if we’re running short, we just ask Xiruo. He wouldn’t dare refuse, would he?”

“Heh heh…” The Headmaster lost all composure, grinning lasciviously.

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