Chapter 27 – As a Man, I Want to Give You a Sense of Security
“Host, you can’t tell anyone about me; the existence of the system must remain a secret from ordinary people,” 179 cautioned.
“Understood, I won’t say a word.”
“Even if Gu Wenzhu is whispering sweet nothings in your ear, you can’t disclose it. You must guarantee it. Men can’t resist those little temptresses’ sweet words,” 179 still seemed a bit uneasy.
“I promise I won’t talk; you can rest easy.”
“Right, you’re not the kind of man who hasn’t seen the world. Like me, you’re a principled guy who’s weathered many storms.”
179 recalled something else. “Host, you haven’t accepted a new task since completing your last one yesterday. When are you planning to take on a new one?”
Xia Yi glanced at Gu Wenzhu, who was still dazed and didn’t have time to talk. “I’ll accept it now.”
As soon as he spoke, a large interface appeared in his mind, and 179’s voice rang out.
“Now, the Cultivation System 179 is issuing your fourth task.”
[Task Description: Awaken Cang Yi Xian Zun]
[Completion: 0/1]
[Reward: One rare gift package.]
Cang Yi Xian Zun? That name sounded familiar; wasn’t that how Cheng Ming referred to Zhu Ge when he was going mad? This task seemed interesting and felt personal.
“What do I need to plant this time?”
“Winter melon.”
“Winter melon? As far as I know, even though it has ‘winter’ in its name, it isn’t planted in autumn, right?” Xia Yi was a bit surprised; was this some kind of intentional difficulty?
“Just focus on planting; don’t worry about these little seasonal details.”
“Are these little details insignificant?”
“We will control the temperature; you can rest assured.”
“Alright, I understand; I’ll plant winter melons.” Xia Yi felt somewhat distracted. “By the way, 179, I completed a task last time, which was to find clues about the missing master of the sect. After being sent to the cultivation realm, I really found the clues. Was that due to the task?”
“I’m not sure, Host. After all, our system has never experienced issuing tasks in a different world; this is the first time, and everything is still being explored.”
Gu Wenzhu walked silently, his mind reeling with the overwhelming shock, his inner turmoil raging like a storm.
He had heard that those deceived by the Fang Xian Dao believed it wholeheartedly, almost as if possessed. They would go to their deaths without hesitation. He absolutely couldn’t use force to make Xia Yi break away from the Fang Xian Dao; Xia Yi seemed gentle on the surface, but he was actually strong-willed deep down. It had to be a gradual process.
He was Xia Yi’s only relative. If he claimed that Xia Yi’s words were nonsense, who else could Xia Yi rely on? No matter what, as long as Xia Yi believed it in his heart, Gu Wenzhu had to go along with it for now.
If he said he had gone to become an immortal, then he had truly done so. Gu Wenzhu mustn’t show any doubt or distrust.
Yes, that was it.
As long as he was safe and could remember to come home, that was enough.
Gu Wenzhu’s mood gradually sank, and he murmured, “If next time, you go to be an immortal again, you must remember to come back. No matter how long it takes, I’ll be waiting for you.”
“I’ll definitely come back.” Xia Yi felt a mix of sadness and softness inside. “No matter how wonderful the cultivation world is, if you’re not there, I won’t stay even for a moment.”
Both of them stopped in their tracks, gazing at each other affectionately.
Under the moonlight, Xia Yi’s skin glowed with a silvery sheen, delicate and translucent. His lips were rosy, and his round almond-shaped eyes had long, graceful eyelashes. Gu Wenzhu felt a stir in his heart and unconsciously swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
“179, quickly move aside; don’t peek.” Seeing the moment was right, Xia Yi hurriedly urged 179 to look away while he leaned closer to Gu Wenzhu, slowly closing his eyes and pouting.
“Xiao Yi! Wenzhu!” A desperate shout from Uncle Wang in the distance abruptly interrupted them.
I knew Uncle Wang would be here.
How frustrating.
“Xiao Yi!” Uncle Wang rushed over, out of breath. “You, your Fourth Uncle, he—”
“Uncle Wang, slow down. Did he go mad again after seeing something in the fields?” Xia Yi asked.
“No, I figured you guys were gone, so I was taking him back to the old house. We were talking, and then suddenly, he just disappeared,” Uncle Wang stammered, shocked.
“Did Xiao Ming go back?” Xia Yi immediately asked the system.
“Yes, it just showed that he returned to the cultivation realm through a space-time rift.”
“Is that so, Uncle Wang?” Xia Yi cleared his throat, thinking quickly. “My Fourth Uncle has been saying he wants to go home these past few days; this means he went back.”
“Just like that, he’s gone?” Uncle Wang still looked dazed.
“That’s how he is; he takes the chance when you’re not paying attention and runs off to hide somewhere, waiting until you leave before coming out,” Xia Yi pointed to his own head. “After all, there’s something wrong here.”
Uncle Wang nodded, feeling relieved. “That’s good, that’s good.”
After bidding farewell to Uncle Wang, Gu Wenzhu cautiously asked Xia Yi, “Did your Fourth Uncle say he wanted to go home? I never heard him mention it.”
“Yes,” Xia Yi nodded firmly. “He’s originally from the cultivation realm. There was a spatial disturbance that caused part of two worlds to overlap, which is why he was teleported here. But now he’s back.”
Gu Wenzhu: …
At least that fake Fourth Uncle finally left. Gu Wenzhu sighed in relief. Looking at Xia Yi beside him, he felt a bit uneasy, worried that if he blinked, Xia Yi might disappear too. He couldn’t help but take his hand, gripping it tightly, thinking he needed to be more vigilant in the future.
Sensing Gu Wenzhu’s tension, Xia Yi leaned closer, resting his head on his shoulder. They walked home together, supporting each other in silence.
The next morning, Xia Yi got up early to harvest the row of radishes.
In less than an hour, he had collected the radishes from a plot of land. He loaded the freshly harvested ones into a cart and stored the rewards for the three acres in the system space with 179.
After lunch, Xia Yi started rummaging through the small wooden box by Gu Wenzhu’s bedside. He remembered there was a good-quality silver ingot inside, with high purity, which he planned to take to the neighboring village to make a pair of rings.
Seeing Gu Wenzhu looking restless these days, Xia Yi felt that as a man, he should provide his partner with a sense of security. So, he secretly made a decision.
He was going to propose to Gu Wenzhu.
Holding the silver ingot, Xia Yi found Gu Wenzhu washing dishes in the kitchen and playfully jumped onto his back, saying affectionately, “I’m going to the neighboring village to take care of something; I’ll be back soon.”
Gu Wenzhu continued washing the dishes, “Do you want me to accompany you?”
Definitely not; that would ruin the surprise.
“No need. I’m just going to buy some winter melon seeds.” Xia Yi had originally planned to buy some seeds as there were vendors in the neighboring village.
“Then come back early. If you’re not back by dinner, I’ll go get you,” Gu Wenzhu had been a bit clingy lately, perhaps due to feeling insecure.
“Okay, you behave too.” Xia Yi gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and turned to leave.
Gu Wenzhu watched him until his figure disappeared at the gate before returning to the dishes.
The neighboring village wasn’t far, just about three or four miles, and Xia Yi arrived shortly. This village was larger than theirs, with more people and a few small shops.
Xia Yi quickly found the silversmith, and after much explaining and gesturing, the silversmith still didn’t know how to engrave the letters “XY” and “GWZ” onto the rings.
The silversmith blinked in confusion, looking distressed. “I usually just make small locks for the village kids; I can’t carve those designs.”
“How about this? I won’t make it hard for you; just engrave one of each, okay? We can do one ‘Y’ and one ‘G.’” After saying that, he picked up a twig and sketched it on the ground. Xia Yi had no choice; rural silversmiths really didn’t know how to do that.
“Alright, I’ll give it a try.” The silversmith took the silver ingot. “You can come back later. For now, why don’t you wander around the village?”
“Sure, I’m going to buy some winter melon seeds.” Xia Yi stepped outside.
The village was lively, almost like a small town. Xia Yi not only bought the seeds but also picked up some sewing supplies to take back to Gu Wenzhu. Additionally, he bought a bell for Qilin to wear around its neck. The bell was made of brass and attached to a leather strap; it looked quite nice.
“Why didn’t you buy me anything?” 179’s dissatisfied voice piped up. “I want that pink headband for boys.”
“What do you need it for? Even if I bought it for you, you couldn’t wear it,” Xia Yi said helplessly.
“You bought things for Gu Wenzhu and Qilin, but not for me,” 179 grumbled, “Even if I can’t wear it, it’d make me happy just to look at it every day.”
Xia Yi reluctantly counted out some coins and bought the pink headband designed for boys.
“I also want some words on it. Have Gu Wenzhu embroider the numbers ‘179’ on it.”
Fine, fine, fine.
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