Chapter 175 - Love from the Male Protagonist’s Harem

Gu Peijiu found it beautiful, yet there was an indescribable pang of bitterness. She didn't like seeing her with someone else. However, there was nothing she could do—she was merely attached to this puppet of a body, and everything before her was just the past perceived through Dou Dou's eyes. Chu Shi suddenly felt an itch on her head. She looked up to see Xia Wushuang grinning mischievously, hands hidden behind her back, "Oops." Chu Shi: "...What are you up to?" Xia Wushuang: "Guess." Chu Shi returned her gaze to the porridge in her hand, mood melancholic: "Can't guess, don't want to." Xia Wushuang chuckled and extended her hand, "Look." In her palm was a peach blossom petal. Her fair palm contrasted with the pale pink of the petal. Chu Shi suddenly felt a stinging in her heart. She put down the porridge, "Wushuang, I…" Xia Wushuang interrupted her, "Why did you stop drinking?" Chu Shi seemed to muster great courage and answered indirectly, "Wushuang, I must go back." "There's a letter from the border… the barbarians have invaded," said Chu Shi. "As a princess, I can't indulge in personal feelings." A gentle breeze blew, cooling the porridge and carrying away the petal from Xia Wushuang's hand. Gu Peijiu watched it all unfold. "Later, the princess returned to the capital," Dou Dou's voice was soft. "The Duke of State, under the pretext of purging traitors, led troops with the princess to overthrow the old dynasty. The princess, though carrying the air of royalty, could not become king. The Duke of State proclaimed himself Regent King of Chu and offered a bounty for anyone who could change the princess's fate." The scene shifted to a tranquil night filled with the crooning of frogs and scattered fireflies. A girl in a blue dress played the flute, and Gu Peijiu stood respectfully and silently behind her. The flute's melody was distant and enduring. Gu Peijiu felt a faint tremble in her heart. This was the melody she always heard in her dreams as a child, a song of longing for home. Before she could regain her senses, the person in front of her began speaking. "Ah Jiu, I'm heading to Yun Capital," she decided after the tune ended, putting away the flute. "If the princess isn't given royal command, her fragile self will perish in battle." "I will alter her fate." Gu Peijiu couldn't speak; she was a silent leader who obeyed orders at that time. The moon was soft, Xia Wushuang turned, holding the bone flute, her cat eyes full of lonely moonlight. Gu Peijiu's body suddenly shivered. As in every dream, it was a face identical to Xia Wuyin's. Gu Peijiu couldn't bear to see that face showing loneliness. Her heart ached softly. "Ah Jiu," the girl closed her eyes, clutching the flute slightly tighter, showing a fragile expression, "I… feel so lonely." Gu Peijiu, unsure why, felt an overwhelming heartache. Legend had it that Yun Capital was once the city of gods hundreds of years ago. Though the gods had fallen, the city remained prosperous, albeit without the grandeur of the deities standing tall. However, the divine scrolls that determined the fate of the world were still housed in the highest pavilion of divine decree in Yun Capital. Xia Wushuang, unbeknownst to Chu Yao, ventured alone with a puppet to Yun Capital, storming the pavilion to alter Chu Yao's royal destiny. "The mandate is set. You'll be cursed by the Heavenly Order for this!" The keeper of the pavilion was pinned to the ground by Gu Peijiu, watching the girl write and draw on the scroll with a brush, feeling his heart burst with pain, "You'll regret this! You surely will—" "Regret?" Xia Wushuang's eyes were full of carefree spirit, "Do you know who regrets? Those who have an opportunity before them but do nothing; they only regret terribly in old age." She squatted down beside the old man, raising her eyebrows with deep meaning, teasing, "Like you, an old man close to the grave? Have you many regrets in life?" Gu Peijiu stared at this person named Xia Wushuang. She had never seen such a spirited demeanor in Xia Wuyin. Xia Wuyin's words carried mischief but always with an instinctive restraint, like a relic, suppressing himself, cautiously maintaining balance. Like a thousand sails moving past, filled with the vicissitudes of life. But Xia Wushuang was different. Gu Peijiu looked at her, as if seeing Xia Wuyin in his truly spirited youth. "Brat! Brat!" the old man was furious, cursing, "You'll be cursed! I tell you, the last one cursed by the Heavenly Order is behind Destiny Mountain. You should see her fate!" Xia Wushuang finished amending the scroll, confidently closing it, smiling at the breathless old man, "Oh? Then what fate befalls her?" "The god who once roamed the world, now cursed by the Heavenly Order, has been chained for centuries without release!" "How tragic," Xia Wushuang said with a bright smile, "Since that god has been cursed by the Heavenly Order so terribly, being similarly cursed… as the saying goes, fellow sufferers empathize. Why not lend a helping hand?" The old man nearly spat blood, "Impossible!" Xia Wushuang casually drew two turtles on the old man's face, "Impossible, impossible. There's so much you say is impossible." Gu Peijiu: "…" "But I’m sorry, I'm naturally rebellious. When someone tells me not to do something, I do it," Xia Wushuang shrugged, tossing aside the scroll, squatting to look at him, "Where is this god of blessings and curses you spoke of?" Old man: "…" "Oh, I know, you mentioned it, behind Destiny Mountain." The old man, now with two turtles on his face, howled, "I didn't say that! It's not there!" "Idiot! Imbecile!" Xia Wushuang ignored the shouts, "The last god in the world—I really want to see what they look like." The old man chorused, "You'll regret this!" Gu Peijiu watched Xia Wushuang. She didn't know why. Though she appeared so reckless and wild. She could see deep loneliness in her eyes. Because that person was no longer there. Her soul was left adrift and unable to return. The last god left in isolation from the world. Gu Peijiu thought. Whether it's a god of misfortune or blessing, it doesn't matter to this person. What mattered most was that the other person felt just as lonely as she did. "You keep an eye on this old man," Xia Wushuang said carelessly, "I'm going to check out Destiny Mountain." Gu Peijiu quietly acknowledged. She wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. When Xia Wushuang returned from Destiny Mountain, she had brought back a little girl in red attire. The girl was filthy, barefoot, unable to speak, with soft black hair and narrow eyes. When she looked at Xia Wushuang, her gaze was soft and gentle, as if taking in the whole world. But when she looked at Gu Peijiu, her eyes were filled with hostility. Gu Peijiu's pupils contracted slightly. This person. Even if she turned to ashes. She would recognize her. — Su Chan! Or rather... a young Su Chan? The old man shouted, "You'll regret this! You altered fate and released the god of misfortune! You will regret it—" Xia Wushuang nonchalantly said, "Make the old man shut up." Gu Peijiu bound the old man's mouth tightly with cloth. Xia Wushuang noticed the little girl in red staring at Gu Peijiu and introduced them, then crouched down with a gentle voice, "Shall I take you to see the world?" The little girl clung tightly to her clothes. Her once dirty face was now clean thanks to Xia Wushuang, and upon hearing this, she nodded with a touch of arrogance and shyness. Dou Dou softly recounted an untold tale, "Xia Wushuang took the god of misfortune out of Yun Capital, and I awakened. At the same time, wars broke out across the land, and news spread of Xia Wushuang altering the fate of Chu Yao…that part, you should have seen in the White Dream Cave." Gu Peijiu remembered it well. Or rather, she only remembered Xia Wushuang's words to Chu Shi from that time. "—To meet the princess, and rule the world." Each word was piercing. Chu Shi didn't linger long in the bamboo grove and left Xia Wushuang with the little girl in red and Gu Peijiu. Xia Wushuang, having plenty of leisure, spent her days with the little girl catching chickens, fishing, raiding bird nests, and digging bamboo shoots, living a life detached from the world. Gu Peijiu followed them quietly. That evening. Thinking the little girl was asleep, Xia Wushuang went out alone. She hadn't walked far. She stopped and tilted her head, saying, "Why are you following me? Go back." Gu Peijiu stood still, silent as a doll, not moving or leaving. "Are you broken?" Xia Wushuang came over, "I told you to go back." Gu Peijiu played dumb. Xia Wushuang muttered, turning away, "...Fine." Gu Peijiu followed her step by step. Xia Wushuang suddenly turned around. Gu Peijiu remained dumb. "..." Xia Wushuang sighed, "I saw you move." Gu Peijiu thought for a moment, took two steps back to her previous spot, then looked at Xia Wushuang with her dark eyes. Xia Wushuang couldn't help but burst into laughter, "I must say, you're so adorable." She laughed. For a moment, Gu Peijiu wasn’t sure if they were in the past or the future, she just knew that if it were that moment, she would do the same. Not just because Dou Dou was her. But because she was Gu Peijiu. After her laughter subsided, Xia Wushuang said, "The moonlight is beautiful tonight." Her eyes showed a hint of loneliness. Gu Peijiu didn’t know how to comfort her. "So, let's learn how to play the flute," Xia Wushuang suggested, taking out the flute and handing it to her, "After all, you're my leader, and there's no shortage of useless puppets under my command." Gu Peijiu stared at the flute in Xia Wushuang's hand and shook her head. Xia Wushuang felt a headache but tried to persuade her, "Come now, if I teach you to play, you can listen to my orders, and then make the others listen to you." Gu Peijiu still shook her head. Seeing Gu Peijiu’s refusal, Xia Wushuang didn’t insist. She put the flute away, turning away with a smile that masked a trace of desolation. What was she hoping for? Even a puppet with emotions would still only be a puppet. Xia Wushuang thought, the management of those chaotic puppets didn't actually matter to her. She just wanted someone who could play the flute for her. Gu Peijiu’s heart twinged. She wanted to do something, anything, but found herself paralyzed. Why did she refuse back then? After all, she was an obedient puppet, wasn't she? As these thoughts swirled, her body moved on its own. A pale hand caught Xia Wushuang’s arm. Xia Wushuang was slightly startled and turned to look at her. The moonlight fell softly, illuminating the girl's dark eyes with gentleness. "I can't." Gu Peijiu heard her own voice, her gaze soft, "I'm afraid I won’t play it well." And make you laugh at me. She saw the somber shadow in Xia Wushuang’s brow slowly dissolve, replaced by a gentle smile. "You're even shy in front of me." "It's nothing to be embarrassed about." Gu Peijiu said nothing. "No worries," Xia Wushuang smiled, her lips pressed together, "I'll teach you. With a great teacher, you'll become an excellent student!" That night, the first song Xia Wushuang taught her leader was the melody of returning home.