Chapter 116 Gu Ye (ETL) Part 1
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Chapter 116 Who Are You to Him?
[Banana: It’s a slow plot for this chapter so y’all can wait until the next chapter is out before reading yo]
Gu Ye’s eyelids had been twitching for several days1, and that gave him a bad feeling. Were those old men up to something again? Uneasy, Gu Ye went to Xie Cheng to inquire, “What did those old men say about me again?”
Xie Cheng jokingly said, “Don’t you know? Your old man is showing off his ability.”
Hearing that, Gu Ye was puzzled. “My dad? Impossible! He doesn’t even understand what I do, let alone knowing anyone in this circle.”
“I’m not talking about your family’s dad. Don’t you have another good Father?” Xie Cheng smirked. “When Old Master Yu heard about this, he was furious. He felt someone was bullying his child. Hence, he invited people to his courtyard every day for tea and chatted with them about why they were bullying his child. Now almost everyone in the circle knows you’re a part of the Yu family.”
Gu Ye couldn’t help but curve his lips. He was touched and happy that Old Master Yu was so protective of him, but if he continued to make such a fuss, wouldn’t this matter become known to everyone? Gu Ye hadn’t expected the old man to be so carefree after coming to terms with his relationship with Yu Ze.
…
At the moment, at the Yu family mansion, Old Master Yu was still entertaining guests for tea. The guests he invited were several seniors with many disciples and grandchildren, who were usually prim, serious, and attentive to etiquette. In short, those who called Gu Ye a cancer and tried to exclude him were all on Old Master Yu’s blacklist.
Old Master Yu said good-naturedly, “It’s been a long time since I last saw you all. I’d like to invite you all to come for tea and chat. Everyone, please feel free to take a seat.”
Several masters sat down with a smile on their faces. “It’s been a while since we last met. Elder Yu didn’t hold a tea party this year, but we were thinking of visiting sometime.”
Elder Yu smiled and said, “I’m not interested in that anymore. Old Tang isn’t in good health, and without him, I’d be missing a close friend. I don’t have the energy to continue organizing the tea party2. Besides, fate can’t be changed. I’ve already given up. There’s a saying that goes, ‘You can’t defy fate.'”
The others followed suit with a smile. “That’s the truth. If it’s destined for you, it will happen. If it’s not, don’t force it. You just have to let it go.”
“I saw Elder Tang the other day. He’s definitely not as healthy as he used to be. He’s old and can’t handle the stress anymore.”
“At your age, you shouldn’t worry too much about external matters. Living a fulfilling life is better than anything else.” Elder Yu asked calmly, “You’re in your seventies, right?”
“74 this year.”
Elder Yu nodded. “That’s about the same as me. We are ‘one leg in the coffin’ already (dying soon of old age).”
Everyone laughed awkwardly. It was a fact, but it felt unlucky to say it now.
Elder Yu smiled and said, “I invited everyone here today because I have something I’d like to know. I heard you have some issues with this kid, Gu Ye?”
Hearing that, several people’s expressions turned into disgust. “Why did Elder Yu mention him?”
Elder Yu took a sip of his tea. “As a father, I have to ask about my own child’s situation.”
At this, the masters’ expression turned strange. Gu Ye was old enough to be Elder Yu’s grandson, so when did he become Elder Yu’s son?
“Are you saying that Gu Ye is your godson instead?”
“Not really, he is just my youngest son. What’s wrong with him being my son?”
Mentioning Gu Ye brought back memories of his insults, and several masters’ expressions turned grim. Being insulted like that by a junior and unable to vent their anger was painful, no matter how they thought about it. One master lamented, “You don’t understand Gu Ye’s character. This young man is unruly and overbearing.”
“Yes, and he’s not a good person either. He doesn’t have many friends in the circle.”
“A few days ago, he did something even more outrageous. He dug up his senior brother’s grave and took the only burial item in the coffin. Don’t you think that’s inhuman? Master Yu should reconsider your decision. This kid… sigh.”
Although the rest of the sentence wasn’t mentioned, judging by everyone’s attitude, Gu Ye is not a good person.
Elder Yu calmly sipped his tea and asked slowly, “Isn’t this his sect’s internal affairs? Since when did Shao Fuxian’s sect’s affairs become your responsibility?”
Everyone was speechless. “We… were just talking about this matter. His reaction shows that he has a problem with his character. We don’t care about his sect’s internal affairs.”
Elder Yu smiled. “I heard before from someone that there was a treasure hidden in the tomb of a certain sect’s founder. Their descendants burned incense and prayed in a ceremony, then opened the coffin to retrieve the treasure. At that time, they invited everyone in your circle to watch. Oh, I mean to witness it! It was a lively scene; everyone was praising it and feeling grateful that the treasure had been unearthed, bringing benefit to mankind. So, are you guys just feeling upset with Gu Ye because he didn’t invite you to the ceremony?”
The atmosphere suddenly became quiet. It was clear that Elder Yu was trying to protect Gu Ye. Someone chuckled to smooth things over, “What Elder Yu said is true. We shouldn’t bother with a junior. The thing is, his senior brother had great merit. He left nothing behind except this divination plate. So, opening his coffin would be a crime to conscience.”
The audacity made Old Yu laugh in anger. He had always assumed they disliked Gu Ye, but now he truly understood how much they were ostracizing him. It all came down to Gu Ye’s prowess, his dislike for following the rules of the circle, his lack of respect for his ‘elders’, and his failure to flatter them. This was what fueled the growing resentment among these so-called respected veterans. Add to that the incident he caused in the Xuanshu Association, they had long harbored resentment towards Gu Ye.
Elder Yu’s lips curled up, and he chuckled. “Alright, you all think you have good reasons. That’s fine. I don’t need to force everyone to listen to my opinion. It’s not like we are having a debate right now. But for my sake, if Gu Ye does anything to upset you in the future, don’t go after him. Go to Yu Ze instead.”
Elder Yu’s words were a subtle yet veiled threat. On the surface, it sounded like he was asking everyone to give him face (respect), but in reality, he was indirectly telling everyone that Gu Ye was under Yu Ze’s protection. First, Elder Yu said Gu Ye was his son, then Yu Ze was protecting Gu Ye. There had been rumors that Yu Ze’s marriage line was being tied to Gu Ye, and that they were together. Could it be… really?
Several people looked at each other in bewilderment. Was Elder Yu crazy? Not only didn’t he stop the relationship, but he was protecting it?
The most important question right now wasn’t whether Elder Yu was crazy or not, but if Yu Ze truly was protecting Gu Ye, with this purple aura, anyone who harmed Gu Ye would be defying destiny. Wouldn’t that be courting death?
Old Master Yu watched their expressions change several times and said with a smile, “Don’t just get dazed here! The tea’s gone cold.”
This was a fine pot of tea, but no one could appreciate its flavor. Everyone understood now. No wonder those who drank tea at Old Master Yu’s place never mentioned what happened there. This wasn’t a tea party; it was the Hongmen Banquet.
Back to Gu Ye’s side, he couldn’t help but call Yu Ze to talk about Elder Yu, “You should tell our family’s ancestor (Old Master Yu) to stop interfering. Not only is it a waste of breath, but it’s also a waste of good tea leaves.”
But Yu Ze replied seriously, “That’s fine. He has nothing to do at home, so I bought him another 10 jin (6 kg) of tea and told him to treat some guests every day and drink as much as he wants.”
Gu Ye was speechless. “The news is going to get out there. From now on, I’ll stop calling myself Gu Ye and change to Yu Guye instead.”
Yu Ze smiled, “That’s even better.”
Gu Ye didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but no one was bothering him anymore. The waves in the circle that had just started were suppressed, and the world returned to calm and peace.
…
After school that afternoon, Gu Ye was about to go to the library to borrow a book when he received a call from his counselor on the way. His homeroom teacher wanted to see him. Gu Ye rubbed his eyelids. Could it be that his bad luck wasn’t caused by those old guys, but that he was going to be scolded by the teacher?
Zhao Pengyu gloated, “You are done! You are going to be scolded! Hurry up and come back alive!”
And so, Gu Ye went there nervously. His homeroom teacher asked with a smile, “Are you feeling better?”
Gu Ye nodded obediently, “Thank you for your concern, teacher. I’m feeling better now.”
“I’m glad you’re okay. I didn’t call you here for anything special. I just wanted to ask about your studies. I heard you wanted to graduate early?”
Looking at his teacher’s expression, it didn’t seem like Gu Ye was going to be scolded. Could it be that his eyelid twitching had nothing to do with that? He answered sweetly, “I do have that idea, and I’m preparing for it now.”
The teacher said happily, “Okay. Come see me again when you’re ready, and I’ll apply for you at the school’s side.”
“Thank you, teacher.” Gu Ye chatted with the teacher for a while. The teacher then brought up Gu Ye’s lack of participation in school activities and encouraged him to take a leading role. Gu Ye obligingly agreed and emerged from the office building with a relaxed demeanor. Seeing Zhao Pengyu and Xia Xiang waiting for him at the entrance, Gu Ye curved his lips and waved.
Zhao Pengyu looked disappointed. “You seem to be in a good mood. Didn’t the teacher scold you?”
Gu Ye smiled and shook his head. “No, the teacher just asked about my studies.”
Zhao Pengyu felt a wave of jealousy and envy. “Why did the teacher call me last time and scold me?”
Gu Ye said seriously, “Maybe it’s because you’re ugly.”
Zhao Pengyu suddenly felt the urge to hit his ‘aunt’, even if it means risking his own life/karma3.
Xia Xiang smiled and said, “I’m glad you’re okay. Are you going home tomorrow?”
“I’m not,” Gu Ye said with a smile. “I have something to do at night.”
Zhao Pengyu frowned. “Are you going out to do something dangerous again?”
“No,” Gu Ye said with a smile. “I’m going to do a livestream tomorrow night. You all should come and give me tips/donations.”
“Pfft!” Zhao Pengyu was amused. “Can you sing, dance, or eat? You can’t just tell everyone ghost stories, can you?”
Gu Ye nodded seriously. “Yes.”
Zhao Pengyu stopped joking and said sternly, “Stop it. You’ll scare people to death.”
At that, Gu Ye just smiled and opened Weibo. Then he posted: [From now on, I’ll do a livestream every Saturday at 8 pm and tell you ghost stories. I’ll have wine, meat, and stories. Will you guys come?]
The comment section under the post instantly exploded: [Gu Ye, have you been hacked? How could our aloof Master Gu do something as down-to-earth as a livestream?]
[I read it several times just to make sure my eyes weren’t blurry! Master Gu is going to do a livestream. It’s not raining red, it’s raining sun!]
[Master Gu is telling ghost stories. Holy shit! That exciting? Master Gu, don’t tell me your ghost stories are all true! I’m already excited!]
[I want to see and hear! Lick my handsome male god’s face! With his handsome face protecting me, I’m not afraid of anything! Tell me! If you dare to tell me, I’ll listen!]
[It’s going to sound especially exciting at night. I’ll buy some sunflower seeds and soda in advance and wait for your livestream! Anyone who doesn’t come is a dog!]
[Since you already said the time, why not send me the link to your livestream? Come on, act real!]
Gu Ye showed the comments to Zhao Pengyu and Xia Xiang. Then he said seriously, “See, they’re all so excited. No one’s afraid.”
Zhao Pengyu said admiringly, “Your fans are different from normal people.”
…
Raw word count: 7169 (whole chapter)
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