My Gentle and Pure Sect Leader Husband - Chapter 72

Yan Hongyin had no real question about what kind of identity he should use to return to the Luocha Sect, but what face and identity Yu Luocha should use to go back was a matter where Yan Hongyin and Yu Luocha rarely had a disagreement.

Yan Hongyin’s finger hooked a light, flowing red gauze robe, with a thick sable cloak draped over her arm, and she said with enthusiasm, “This set, this set is suitable. The inner layer looks good, and the outer layer keeps you warm.”

Yu Luocha’s face stiffened for a moment. After a while, he lowered his head and smoothed out his expression, sighed, and said softly, “But Ah Yin… this is women’s clothing.”

He emphasized the last two words.

Yan Hongyin certainly knew this was women’s clothing; it was chosen from her own wardrobe and absolutely matched Yu Luocha’s aesthetic. “You can shrink your bones, and your facial features are attractive. It’s no problem, come try it on quickly!”

Yu Luocha: “…”

Actually, he hadn’t previously thought there was anything wrong with disguising himself as a woman. In fact, during the years when he hadn’t been able to master martial arts, he discovered that disguising himself as a woman made it easier to lower enemies’ guard, and he had worn women’s clothing quite often. But wearing it in front of Yan Hongyin—for some reason, facing Yan Hongyin’s rarely seen sparkling eyes and eager expression, a sense of shame that had been delayed for more than a decade crept into his heart.

“These clothes are a bit small. Although I can shrink my bones, it’s not that miraculous…” Yu Luocha struggled to find excuses.

Wang Lianhua, who was eating melon seeds nearby, spoke up, “Nonsense. The bone-shrinking technique of the Great Heaven and Earth Shift is extremely refined, and I’ve practiced it. But if your skill is insufficient, Father can also help you adjust the size of the clothes.”

Yu Luocha smiled with his lips but not his eyes and said, “You really are… capable of everything, aren’t you?”

“Small matter.” Wang Lianhua grabbed another bunch of grapes and held them in his hand, picking and eating them one by one. “It can’t compare to the magnificent estate of the Sect Leader, but those of us who roam the jianghu all have some skills.”

The winter grapes in Loulan were all preserved in ice—some were used to make ice wine, and some were supplied to people of noble status. Yan Hongyin didn’t particularly like the taste, but Yu Luocha and Wang Lianhua ate quite a few.

Yu Luocha gritted his teeth audibly.

If he were wearing women’s clothing just for Ah Yin to see, that would be fine! It could be considered what Central Plains people called—bedroom pleasure, yes, bedroom pleasure!

But why did he have to wear it for these two people to see?!

Indeed, besides Wang Lianhua, there was also Agha, who recently had been getting along very well with Wang Lianhua, sharing common interests, and nearly becoming close friends despite their age difference!

Agha looked back at Yu Luocha with an innocent expression, took the grapes Wang Lianhua handed over, and nodded with a smile. “That’s right, he looks very good in a skirt. When he doesn’t speak, he looks like the most adorable and dazzling little girl in the desert.”

To hell with little girl!

Yu Luocha glared at Agha with a gaze that carried a hint of murderous intent.

Being a good friend after all, Agha wasn’t like Wang Lianhua who was dedicated to pushing Yu Luocha to the edge. After watching the show for a while, he cleared his throat and said, “Actually, besides being a personal maid, there’s another identity that can accompany Your Majesty’s side.”

Yu Luocha’s identity as Loulan’s High Priest was considered a not-so-secret secret among the upper echelons of the Luocha Sect, and Yan Hongyin’s portrait had long been circulated within the Luocha Sect. No one knew exactly what had happened in the Luocha Sect, or where those elders and evil spirits got the courage to spread rumors that Yu Luocha had died from illness and to install a puppet young leader in his place, but…

For Yan Hongyin’s visit to the Luocha Sect, rather than going to see a group of sect members harboring sinister intentions under the intimidation of Yu Luocha’s supposed death, she was more interested in seeing what kind of evil spirits were hiding in that pool of sludge.

—Especially after learning about Su Mengzhen’s existence, her curiosity and investigation of the Luocha Sect had risen to a new level.

Actually, at the beginning, Her Majesty had ordered the Jinyiwei to thoroughly investigate the Luocha Sect, but with all the subsequent events that occurred, and the leader of the Luocha Sect being tied to Yan Hongyin’s side, this matter had been shelved until now. Currently, with rumors spreading in the Luocha Sect that Yu Luocha had died from illness, it was perfectly reasonable for her, as the newly widowed spouse, to return to the sect to mourn and legitimately inherit his husband’s will…

To be honest, even the Jinyiwei’s flawless identity fabrication couldn’t be better than this.

As for whether it made sense that she had just gotten married in Loulan and was now returning to the Luocha Sect for a funeral—did the upper echelons of the Luocha Sect really believe the ghost story that Yu Luocha had died from illness?

Speaking human language to ghosts wouldn’t work; to deal with ghosts, one had to speak ghost language and follow ghost paths, to trace the vine and find the melon with one decisive strike.

Yu Luocha had a bad feeling, but at the moment, there was nothing worse than him dressing as a woman. He quickly asked, “What identity?”

Agha unhurriedly peeled a grape skin, put the flesh in his mouth, chewed and swallowed, and then said meaningfully, “Your Majesty’s male concubine, of course.”

Yan Hongyin was momentarily stunned.

Yu Luocha had a look of “what are you saying, say it again.”

Wang Lianhua, however, immediately understood and clapped his hands. “Excellent, excellent! This Central Plains princess came for a marriage alliance and was crowned queen. Although the harem promised to have only the High Priest, it’s not surprising that she might miss her homeland and prefer the elegant white-robed gentlemen of the capital!”

Yu Luocha: “…”

It was an angle he hadn’t considered. Yan Hongyin, who wasn’t particularly good at understanding the nuances of male-female relationships, suddenly realized and seriously considered it before nodding. “Feasible.”

Yu Luocha asked with a puzzled expression, “Why would you all think I’d be willing to cuckold myself?”

And let the entire Luocha Sect know about it?

“Anyway, your identity will be revealed later; it’s just for a short period.” Agha shrugged. “If not, you can continue trying on skirts. If you like any accessories, I have plenty; feel free to choose~”

Yu Luocha’s face turned from green to white several times, and finally said through gritted teeth. “…Then this it is.”

After discussing some other arrangements, Wang Lianhua and Agha left one after another. Yan Hongyin set aside the items in her hands, walked over to Yu Luocha, and raised her hand to stroke his long hair.

“Are you angry?”

Yu Luocha, who had been lost in thought, looked up in surprise. “Hmm? Angry about what?”

Yan Hongyin wasn’t one to accumulate problems; she spoke frankly, “About the disguise. If it doesn’t work, you can also follow me from the shadows.”

“It’s nothing. Agha actually had good intentions, letting father enjoy a verbal victory to prevent father-in-law from harboring resentment and always looking to make his son-in-law uncomfortable. As for the disguise… following from the shadows is somewhat inconvenient, and I always want to be with you.” Yu Luocha raised his hand to grasp Yan Hongyin’s hand and gently pressed it to his lips. “I was thinking about how to return.”

His secret guards were indeed always following, but if he sent them as escorts, it would feel like something was missing.

Yan Hongyin followed Yu Luocha’s movement, her finger joints repeatedly brushing against Yu Luocha’s cheek. “Send a message directly back, ordering the Luocha Sect to respectfully welcome the Sect Leader’s wife back to the sect.”

This way, upon receiving the order, the Luocha Sect would be thrown into confusion but would have no choice but to send someone to investigate.

By then, the ceremony would be in place, the identity established, and the Luocha Sect would have to properly serve the wife they themselves had welcomed back.

Yu Luocha immediately understood Yan Hongyin’s meaning and smiled, opening his mouth to bite the finger at his lips. He held it for a moment before pushing it out slightly with his tongue tip, teasing, “Wife has such wicked thoughts.”

Yan Hongyin’s finger forcefully explored Yu Luocha’s lips again, her fingertip stirring as she slowly leaned down closer to Yu Luocha’s cheek and whispered, “Do you like it?”

“Of course I…” Yu Luocha bit Yan Hongyin’s finger, his eyes and brows full of bewitching allure, his teeth gently rubbing with force, “like it very much.”

As they gazed at each other, the atmosphere around them gradually turned ambiguous. Yu Luocha stood up, extended his arm with force, and directly lifted Yan Hongyin onto his shoulder as he walked toward the bed.

However, when passing by the clothes rack, Yu Luocha paused.

Yan Hongyin used her waist strength to turn her body, sitting steadily on Yu Luocha’s shoulder, narrowed her eyes to look down at the man who had stopped, and asked in a dangerous tone, “What are you thinking?”

When Yu Luocha wanted to stir up trouble, he wasn’t afraid at all. He took the red gauze robe that Yan Hongyin had casually draped over the rack earlier, placed it on his arm, and raised an eyebrow. “Wife…”

When Yan Hongyin saw Yu Luocha’s actions and heard his tone, she immediately extended her hand to push against Yu Luocha’s shoulder, flipped her waist, and kicked out.

Yu Luocha refused to let go. He dodged Yan Hongyin’s leg with a backward bend, spun on his feet while still holding Yan Hongyin’s waist, and following Yan Hongyin’s momentum, they both fell onto the bed.

Firmly embracing his beloved in his arms, Yu Luocha leaned close to Yan Hongyin and began to whine, “Good Ah Yin~”

“I’ve already cuckolded myself, can’t you indulge me just once~”

“I want to see Ah Yin wear this…”

“This cloak is very warm, not cold at all…”

****

Meanwhile, far away in the Luocha Sect, the two older and one younger finally found a place to temporarily shelter before the sky turned completely dark.

The courtyard wasn’t large, with only one room divided into inner and outer sections. The fence next to the courtyard enclosed four or five obviously well-fed hens, and a fierce-looking yellow dog was tied at the entrance.

The Crown Prince glanced at the yellow dog that was starting to bare its teeth, held the little dumpling, and both pairs of eyes stared directly at the only young swordsman who knew martial arts.

The young man was silent for a moment, his gaze wandering to the side, but in the blink of an eye, the little dumpling handed him a round, small pebble.

The Crown Prince looked puzzled at the little dumpling, who hadn’t left his sight throughout the journey. “Where did this come from?”

The little dumpling blinked. “Picked it up by that small stream.”

Then he stretched his neck to ask the young swordsman. “Young Hero Brother, is one enough? I have more!”

The corners of the young swordsman’s lips curved up almost imperceptibly, and without answering, he pinched the pebble and flicked it with his finger. With a whooshing sound, the fierce yellow dog yelped and fell down.

However, seeing the furry chest still rising and falling, it was obviously just knocked unconscious.

The two young men went in first to check inside, leaving the yellow dog to the eager and the enthusiastic little dumpling.

The little dumpling tied the yellow dog’s limbs together with no prior training, and somehow found a thick branch to thread through the middle.

When the two young men came out, they saw the little dumpling with a face begging for praise, beside a yellow dog that had woken up but could only whimper and bare its teeth.

The Crown Prince couldn’t help but laugh, and as he laughed, his voice became increasingly unrestrained. In the end, he directly held onto the doorframe unable to stop, bent over laughing, gasping for breath, and said in a trembling voice, “I’m saying, little rascal, are you… are you planning to… to eat roasted dog meat tonight?”

The white-clad young man stood beside him, frowning slightly, a flash of incomprehension passing through his eyes as he moved his feet to the side.

He didn’t understand what was so funny about the scene before him—the young man’s gaze swept past the pouting little dumpling and the pitiful yellow dog, pausing—perhaps it was indeed somewhat amusing.

…But certainly not enough to laugh like that.

The little dumpling ignored his brother who was laughing so hard he could barely breathe, laboriously moved the yellow dog to the side while hugging it, and then pouted while holding his little belly. “…I’m hungry…”

The Crown Prince’s laughter abruptly stopped.

He looked at the little dumpling, then at the white-clad young man.

He and the little dumpling didn’t need to be mentioned—one was the only son of the King of Taiping, and the other was a prince who had survived despite being out of favor in the current situation where His Majesty had few children. Naturally, they had both grown up without having to lift a finger, not even knowing which door led to the kitchen.

And this young man…

When they had encountered disaster at sea and were rescued by the young man, the Crown Prince, although he had never left the capital, had discernment from his upbringing. The arrangements on the ship and the servants all indicated the young man’s extraordinary family background.

Such a young master probably couldn’t even cut vegetables, right?

Noticing the Crown Prince’s gaze, the young swordsman thought for a moment and said, “I can cut vegetables.”

The Crown Prince’s suspicious gaze shifted to the sword in the young man’s hand.

The young swordsman’s face darkened. “With a kitchen knife.”

“Young Hero Brother is amazing, you can even cut vegetables?” The little dumpling deliberately bypassed the Crown Prince and went straight to hug the young swordsman’s leg, looking up at him with admiring little eyes.

The young man’s body immediately stiffened, and he struggled slightly but couldn’t extract himself from the little dumpling’s grasp. After a good while, his body gradually relaxed.

“Before my father taught me swordsmanship…” As the young man spoke, his expression showed a hint of resentment completely different from his demeanor throughout the journey, “he made me practice tens of thousands of cuts, slicing and julienning.”

The Crown Prince’s determination to learn swordsmanship wavered slightly, “Your sword practice… also requires learning this?”

The little dumpling raised both hands high. “I want to learn, I want to learn!!”

The young swordsman pressed down the little dumpling’s hands and looked at the Crown Prince. “Who will light the fire and cook?”

……

After the kitchen was blown into a mess, the two young men and one little dumpling picked out firewood from the woodshed, piled it into a bonfire in the courtyard, and caught a hen to roast and eat.

Although the taste was bland, at least it was cooked and… edible.

“Young Hero Brother, my name is Ji Zi’ang.” The little dumpling’s little face was shiny with oil as he ate a chicken leg, his little mouth moving constantly. “What’s your name?”

The Crown Prince, hearing this, also moved his eyes, holding a chicken bone and swinging it in front of the flame, casually saying, “I’m called Gong Jiu, and I’m this troublesome little rascal’s cousin.”

The young swordsman’s dining etiquette was even more proper and formal than that of a Crown Prince and a prince next to him. Since he needed to speak, he put down the food in his hand and said, “My name is Ye Gucheng.”

The Ye family of the South Sea did indeed have profound heritage, but Baiyun City had not been renowned in the Central Plains for two generations, and his father had never set foot in the Central Plains due to his physical condition.

So for people in the Central Plains, Baiyun City was just an island that could be heard about from sea merchants or fishermen, nothing particularly remarkable or covetous.

“Ye… Gucheng, Brother’s name is nice to hear.” The little dumpling nodded earnestly, took another small bite of his chicken leg, and began to chew, mumbling, “My brother and I ran away from home. We both want to find masters to learn martial arts and roam the jianghu!”

Gong Jiu’s temple vein popped. “I ran away from home; you should have been sent back!”

“Well, I’m already here anyway.” The little dumpling stretched out his small hand to perfunctorily smooth Gong Jiu’s feathers, “Ninth Brother, calm down… calm down.”

Ye Gucheng had trouble keeping up with the conversation between the two brothers and hesitantly asked, “Running away from home to the Luocha Sect?”

After rescuing the two brothers at sea, they had parted ways at the dock.

One of his initial purposes for coming to the Central Plains for experience was to find a medicinal herb in the Luocha Sect, but just a couple of days after infiltrating the Luocha Sect, it was turned upside down by the brothers in front of him.

It became harder to get close to that Luocha Sect young leader.

The little dumpling looked up, confused. “We were initially heading towards the capital, but somehow, we seem to have deviated a bit…”

Gong Jiu: “Who knows, maybe we took a wrong turn while traveling in the dark.”

Then, changing the subject, he asked seemingly casually, “What about Young Master Ye? Why did you rescue us from the dungeon?”

Ye Gucheng: “What I want is in the hands of that Luocha Sect young leader.”

With one sentence, though it didn’t seem to answer Gong Jiu’s question, it revealed many things.

Gong Jiu curved his lips, revealing a smile on his face that, although not fully matured, already showed signs of handsomeness. “Each for his own needs, that’s good. I’ll help you get what you want, and you protect this little rascal to leave this place alive. How about that?”

Gong Jiu’s finger pointed at the little dumpling across from him.

The little dumpling paused in his chicken leg gnawing, his mouth twitching a couple of times, but in the end, he didn’t speak up.

Ye Gucheng also looked at the little dumpling and nodded in agreement.

……

Ye Gucheng took the first watch, while the little dumpling and Gong Jiu went inside to rest.

Half an hour later, the little dumpling came out.

Ye Gucheng, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, opened his eyes and looked down at his side.

The little dumpling hesitated for a moment, then tugged gently at Ye Gucheng’s clothes, pulled them down slightly, and asked in a lowered voice, “Brother Ye, do you know how to treat illnesses?”

Ye Gucheng: “No.”

The little dumpling said dejectedly, “…Alright.”

“Then, Brother Ye, can you help me hold back Ninth Brother after we leave the Luocha Sect?” The little dumpling made another request.

Ye Gucheng lowered his gaze. “Why?”

The little dumpling hesitated for a moment, as if struggling for a while before saying, “Ninth Brother is sick, very painful, he can’t sleep every day, and he also hurts himself…”

Ye Gucheng’s gaze was very calm.

Gong Jiu was merely a passing collaborator to him.

However, the little dumpling’s description sounded more like a martial artist who had gone astray in their practice, but Gong Jiu didn’t know martial arts except for some agile fist and foot techniques, so how could he have such symptoms?

“You can take him to find a doctor after leaving this place.”

“But Ninth Brother doesn’t want to see a doctor.” The little dumpling sighed.

“Then that’s the path he has chosen for himself.” Ye Gucheng stood holding his sword and said flatly, “You can stop him for a moment, but not for a lifetime.”

The little dumpling slowly released Ye Gucheng’s clothes and stood dazed for a long time.

It wasn’t until a painful groan and the sound of something breaking came from inside that the little dumpling suddenly reacted and hurriedly ran into the room.

From inside the room soon came the sound of the little dumpling patiently and childishly coaxing his brother to sleep.

Outside, Ye Gucheng raised his head to look at the winter moonlight, thinking of his family far away at the ends of the earth.

Father… you must wait for me.