Chapter 84

Chapter 84

The man was dressed in black from head to toe, black hat included, looking for all the world like an assassin. But judging by that crane-like posture honed through years of cultivation, it was clearly Gu Liuxian!

“Um… isn’t that Grandmaster?” Hua Wuhuang asked doubtfully.

“I think so too…” Ye Piaoling frowned. “But why would Grandmaster dress like that in the middle of the night? What kind of shady business is he up to?”

“Come on. Let’s follow him and see!” Hua Wuhuang whispered.

Unable to suppress the curiosity raging inside them, the two held their spiritual auras in check and followed from a distance.

The black-clad man headed straight out of the Tianwen Sect, but instead of taking the main gate, he vaulted over a deserted wall in a secluded corner.

Ye Piaoling and Hua Wuhuang quietly trailed after him.

The man made his way to the night market. First, he went to a pastry shop and bought a box of pastries. Then he bought a bouquet of fresh flowers.

Ye Piaoling and Hua Wuhuang were both baffled.

????

“Is that really Grandmaster?” Hua Wuhuang said in disbelief. “Why would Grandmaster sneak out in the middle of the night to buy flowers and snacks?”

Ye Piaoling also found it unbelievable. “With that setup, doesn’t it look like he’s secretly going on a date with some young lady?”

At that thought…

Ye Piaoling suddenly wasn’t sleepy anymore.

Holy crap!

Could Grandmaster really be…?

For all these years, Gu Liuxian had lived alone in the Tianwen Sect, without wife or family.

Now that gossip had suddenly appeared, Ye Piaoling grew excited and immediately continued following him like a paparazzo.

The black-clad man carried the flowers and pastries through the streets, eventually entering a narrow alley. He stopped in front of a door with a lantern hanging beside it.

He removed his veiled hat, revealing an aged face and white hair.

It really was Gu Liuxian himself!

Ye Piaoling and Hua Wuhuang held their breath and watched from the shadows.

Gu Liuxian raised his hand and knocked on the door. As he knocked, he put on a coaxing smile and said, “Ali, guess what gifts I brought you today? Fresh flowers I just picked up, and your favorite osmanthus cake!”

“I know you’re in there. You’re still angry with me, aren’t you… You have no idea how much I’ve missed you these past few days. I’ve missed you so much I can’t even sleep properly. Just come out and let me see you once. Just once, all right?”

Gu Liuxian pleaded piteously as he kept knocking on the door.

“Get lost!” Suddenly, an old woman’s furious roar came from inside.

“Gu Liuxian, how many times have I told you? Stop pestering me! You scumbag!”

“What scumbag? Ali, that was all a misunderstanding. Things weren’t what you thought…”

“A misunderstanding? I saw you hugging that vixen with my own eyes, and you’re telling me it was a misunderstanding? Get lost! I never want to see you again in this life!”

“…”

Ye Piaoling and Hua Wuhuang were both stunned.

Their faces screamed: juicy gossip.

A massive scandal!

Facing the door, Gu Liuxian said with unyielding persistence, “Ali, I can swear to the heavens that you are the only one in my heart. If you don’t want to open the door, then I’ll climb over the wall, all right?”

“You dare?!”

After a long moment, the door opened with a clatter.

An old woman with a head full of white hair stepped out.

She wore a clean, plain outfit made of coarse cloth. Her white hair was neatly coiled into a large bun, and her face was kind and benevolent, making her look just like the sweet old grandmother from next door.

But at this moment, she was glaring at Gu Liuxian, her face full of impatience.

“Gu Liuxian, do you have no shame?”

Gu Liuxian did not.

The moment she came out, he hurriedly scurried over and presented the flowers and pastries. “Ali, these are for you.”

The old woman snorted. “You think you can fool me with these little things? Do you take me for a teenage girl?”

“I don’t even know what teenage girls like. You’re the only one I care about.”

Gu Liuxian continued his confession, sidling up beside her. He sniffed and said ingratiatingly, “Ali, what did you wash your clothes with today? They smell truly wonderful!”

The old woman snapped, “Stay away from me, you old pervert!”

“I’m not an old pervert.”

Gu Liuxian looked wronged. “I simply adore you. Purely and innocently adore you.”

In the distance, Ye Piaoling and Hua Wuhuang’s mouths had already fallen open into perfect O-shapes.

Who would have thought their ever-stuffy Ancestral Master was this good at flirting!

Those little sweet nothings were cheesy, but somehow romantic…

If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they never would have believed it even if someone beat them to death!

Just then, Gu Liuxian stubbornly pointed inside the doorway and asked, “Ali, may I go in and sit for a while?”

“My shabby little courtyard is unworthy of a Grandmaster like you,” the old woman said with a sneer. “Go back to your Tianwen Sect!”

Gu Liuxian said solemnly, “As long as you nod, I’ll resign from the Tianwen Sect at once and come live with you!”

“I don’t care for that!” The old woman snorted and issued an order to leave. “I’m tired. Hurry up and go!”

Gu Liuxian held up the flowers and pastries in his hands, his expression stubborn. “If you don’t accept them, I won’t leave.”

The old woman sighed, took the gifts impatiently, and turned back into the courtyard.

With a bang, she shut the door.

Then she tossed out one last line.

“I’ll tell you one more time. Don’t come looking for me again! Be careful your disciples and grand-disciples don’t see you. Where will you put the dignity of an Ancestral Master then?”

At that, Gu Liuxian broke into a smile. “Ali is concerned about me! Don’t worry. I was especially careful when I came out. No one will see me!”

There was no response from inside the door. The old woman had already gone back into the house.

Gu Liuxian said to the door, “Then rest early. I’ll come see you another day.”

With that, he turned around reluctantly and walked out of the alley.

As he walked, he muttered to himself, a smug, delighted smile on his face.

“Ali still cares about me. She’s even worried that my disciples might see me… But in such a hidden place, how could I possibly run into any disciples?”

“Greetings, Grandmaster!”

Ye Piaoling suddenly bounced out, greeting him with a radiant smile.

Gu Liuxian: “!!!!!”