"Yes, young lady... please calm down. If word of this gets out, it will damage your reputation."Gu Lei suddenly found his whole body so stiff that he could not move. Terrified, he shut his eyes and cried out in panic.
Fortunately, Gu Lan had never intended to strike him for real. Her whip changed direction midway and lashed the ground beside him instead.
"Now everyone has to flatter me whenever they see me. Even if they know I beat this ugly thing, no one would dare say a word."Gu Lan lifted her chin arrogantly. As long as she had her second brother behind her, she could do whatever she pleased.
"Young lady, just think about it. If this news reaches Young Master Shen Jingyuan of Fengluo City... hehe..."After Gu Lei finished speaking, a fawning smile spread across his face.Standing outside the hall, Gu Tianchen frowned when he heard this. He had wanted Gu Lei to suffer a few more lashes, but this boy was quick-witted enough to bring up the Shen family of Fengluo City.
The Shen family of Fengluo City also had members who had become outer disciples of Qingxiao Immortal Sect. In the past, the Gu family naturally had no way to establish ties with the Shen family, but now, with Gu Tianyu's status and Gu Lan's attractive appearance, there was a possibility.
"You actually... actually..."After hearing this, Gu Lan was speechless for a long while. In the end, she stamped her foot and ran off in anger. Before leaving, she did not forget to throw out one final threat."If any of you dare tell anyone what happened today, I'll make you regret it."Gu Tianchen watched Gu Lan disappear around the corner of the corridor, whip dragging behind her. Then he stepped into the main hall of Jingxin Hall, walked over to Song Qingran, and said, "Go back."The person curled up into a ball heard Gu Tianchen's words.
Not only did he not relax, he shrank even tighter into himself. Through the thin clothing, several fresh whip marks could vaguely be seen.Song Qingran was only thirteen this year, and with his small frame, he looked more like a child of ten.
Even though Gu Tianchen had seen countless bloody scenes in his previous life, he still found it hard to bear the sight of the abused child before him.Letting out a helpless sigh, Gu Tianchen's voice turned a little firmer."I won't do anything to you. Do you want to stay here, or come back with me?"Cultivators fought the heavens for their fate; their destiny was always in their own hands. If a person did not wish to live, then no matter how much others tried to help, it would all be pointless.
Gu Tianchen naturally would not do such a useless thing. After speaking, he simply stood there and waited for the other party's answer..Song Qingran finally recovered a little from his initial fear. The words he had just heard kept echoing in his mind, leaving his eyes full of confusion.
If he did not go back, where else could he go?His body moved before his thoughts had fully settled, and he slowly pushed himself up from the ground.Gu Tianchen watched coldly as the child struggled to stand, with no intention of helping. Song Qingran, too, kept a wary eye on Gu Tianchen's every movement.
When he saw that Gu Tianchen did not step forward, he quietly relaxed a little.But he had not eaten for two days and had just been whipped. The moment he stood up, his body nearly gave way.This time Gu Tianchen reacted quickly and caught his arm, only to hear a faint gasp.
Lowering his head, he saw the new and old wounds exposed beneath the sleeve.There were the whip marks Gu Lan had just left behind, bruises from the stick Gu Tianchen had used a few days earlier, and even older scars that had long since formed. It seemed this shuanger had been abused even before entering the Gu family.
His life in the Song family had not been much better.As soon as he regained his footing, Song Qingran hurriedly withdrew his arm. His eyes secretly lifted for a brief glance, then quickly dropped again before they could meet Gu Tianchen's gaze."Let's go."Seeing that Song Qingran could still stand on his own, Gu Tianchen felt a little relieved. He was not used to close contact with others.
If Song Qingran could walk back by himself, that would be for the best.Before stepping out of Jingxin Hall, Gu Tianchen suddenly thought of something and stopped."Gu Lei, go report to Madam first. I'll take him back. In two days, when he feels better, I'll bring him to pay respects in person."
"Yes, young master."Gu Lei's stiff body had only just started to regain feeling. As he stood up, clutching the lash marks on his back, he no longer dared respond carelessly to Gu Tianchen's words.He had no idea what the young master had done to him just now. He was a martial artist, yet he had been thrown out so easily.
Gu Lei remembered clearly that he should have been able to avoid the young lady's whip, but at that moment, his body had suddenly gone out of control.After taking that lash, Gu Lei decided he had better restrain himself for the time being, at least until he figured out what was going on.Seeing that Gu Lei had finally become more sensible, Gu Tianchen led Song Qingran back to Qingzhu Courtyard in satisfaction.
Song Qingran walked quietly behind Gu Tianchen the entire way. Whenever servants passed by, he caught the contempt in their eyes. Even though he was already used to such looks, he still unconsciously raised a hand to cover his face.Gu Lei had been sent off to report the matter to Madam Zhao.
When Gu Tianchen returned to Qingzhu Courtyard, he could only call over the shuanger servant who was sweeping the yard."Xiao Liu."Although Xiao Liu had been in Qingzhu Courtyard for many years, he had never served the young master personally before. He was unfamiliar with Gu Tianchen, and when suddenly called over, he grew a little nervous.
"What are your instructions, young master?""Go make some vegetable porridge," Gu Tianchen instructed.He had overheard the conversation between the two maids outside Jingxin Hall and knew that Song Qingran had not eaten for two days. Gu Tianchen thought it would be best to let him eat something first before dealing with anything else."Yes, young master."Xiao Liu responded at once and quickly left the courtyard, heading for the kitchen in the rear courtyard of Gu Manor.With Xiao Liu gone, only Gu Tianchen and Song Qingran remained in the room.
Faced with this unexpected marriage, Gu Tianchen's feelings were complicated.After thinking it over, he felt that neither of them was old enough to become dao companions. The future was uncertain, and many things could still change. Gu Tianchen decided to take things one step at a time. Perhaps in another year or two, Song Qingran would find his own path."Sit down."Gu Tianchen's attitude toward Song Qingran softened as he gestured for him to sit.This was the first time Song Qingran had seen Gu Tianchen so calm since their wedding night.
Though confused, he obediently sat down, enduring the stinging pain from the wounds on his body.Seeing that Song Qingran remained silent, Gu Tianchen picked up the kettle on the table and poured him a cup of water.After a while, Xiao Liu returned empty-handed.Gu Tianchen found this strange and raised an eyebrow.
As soon as Xiao Liu entered the room and met the young master's questioning look, he nervously explained, "Young master, the kitchen said it's already past the noon meal, so they won't light the fire now. They said we'll have to wait until dinner."
The moment Gu Tianchen heard this, he knew the servants of Gu Manor were deliberately making things difficult. There had never been such a rule before.After thinking for a moment, he stood up, took the money pouch from the cabinet, and handed a small piece of silver to Xiao Liu."If the kitchen won't do it, then go outside and buy something."
Xiao Liu was a little surprised to see the young master giving him money. After all, the young master had never treated the young madam well before. Perhaps he had finally figured some things out after falling ill."I can wait until dinner."
Before Xiao Liu could take the silver, a thin voice came from behind.Gu Tianchen turned his head and saw Song Qingran sitting on the stool. He had lifted his head slightly, though his face was still hidden behind messy hair. Only those dark gray eyes beneath the black strands could be seen clearly.Gu Tianchen turned back to Xiao Liu."Go quickly."Then he looked at Song Qingran again.
"You'll have to wait a while anyway. Why don't you go change your clothes and put some medicine on your wounds first?"Earlier, Song Qingran had been walking behind him, so Gu Tianchen had not noticed much. But now, looking at his back, he remembered the child was still injured from the whipping.Song Qingran did not answer. He only sat there, staring blankly at Gu Tianchen.
From childhood to now, everyone had looked at him with disgust. The father who gave him life, the mother who bore him, the family's madam, his aunts, brothers and sisters, even the servants in the manor, and the former Gu Tianchen—every one of them had looked at him the same way.No matter how others scolded him or beat him, Song Qingran had long since grown numb.But facing the considerate Gu Tianchen in front of him, he felt panic for the first time.He was suddenly afraid that everything before him was only an illusion, and that in the blink of an eye, he would be thrown back into that endless abyss.