Su Yang didn’t sleep soundly. One reason was due to the troubles in his heart and the other was because the sun in the stone forest was too bright. If he wasn’t terribly exhausted, he would definitely not be able to fall asleep in this kind of situation.
Just as Gu Feidi’s footsteps approached, Su Yang opened his eyes.
He sat up straight. When he saw that it was Gu Feidi who was the first to reach this exit, he didn’t feel surprised at all.
In the script, the protagonist Gu Feidi was undoubtedly the character with the most transparent heart and the most focused on practicing martial arts. It took him less than half an hour to get out of the stone forest formation; breaking the fastest record since Lesser Jade House was established. Because of this, he was hand picked by the most senior master when he entered Lesser Jade House and instructed most carefully.
Later, he mistakenly intruded into the Veiled Pearl Pavilion at the back of Lesser Jade House and obtained the invaluable guidance of a brilliant master who was in seclusion, thus growing into a hero who was truly unrivaled in martial arts.
It can be said that Gu Feidi’s path to greatness began when he stepped out of the stone forest formation.
Su Yang leaned on the boulder and looked up at Gu Feidi, who was standing in front of him with sunlight shining on his back. He couldn’t help but feel a little surprised: He’s already here. Why doesn’t he go out?
“Why aren’t you leaving the formation?” Gu Feidi asked calmly.
Su Yang: …..
Okay, turns out it’s my problem again.
But he really didn’t come here voluntarily!
Su Yang made an effort to appear haughty, he curled the corners of his lips and directed a wicked smile at Gu Feidi before drawling: “I have yet to decide whether or not I want to enter Lesser Jade House.”
Gu Feidi’s face changed slightly and he asked: “Why do you hesitate?”
Su Yang pondered for a while and referenced the Jianghu rumours of the Devil Sect’s Young Saint: ‘I despise rules the most, respectfulness, nurturing… I’m used to being pampered and there are no beauties to serve my food and dress me. I can’t stand it. At first glance, this Lesser Jade House is a place full of regulations. I have to consider carefully whether or not to tie myself here…’
Gu Feidi said: ‘Lesser Jade House has become a legend of Jianghu because it is a martial arts giant, other schools of Jianghu are incompetent. If you squander your talent like this because you are greedy for pleasure, I am afraid it will be difficult to gain a foothold in the Jianghu in the future.”
Su Yang raised an eyebrow and smiled: “Isn’t that a good thing?! You should be happy about it.”
Gu Feidi’s expression finally revealed an angry scowl.
He gritted his teeth for a while and said in a low voice: “I don’t need you to give way like this every time. You and I should compete fairly to determine which of us is superior! You arrived here first but didn’t go out. Fine then, I won’t go out either. Nevertheless, you and I must be differentiated by who goes out first.”
Once he finished speaking, he actually turned around, walked to the huge boulder opposite Su Yang, sat down cross-legged upon it and ceased acknowledging Su Yang.
Su Yang was dumbfounded.
He wasn’t aware that he had hurt Gu Feidi’s pride by saying ‘You should be happy about it’, but he groaned internally: Since when did Gu Feidi have such an immature disposition? Isn’t this a bit too sudden?!
The protagonist refuses to leave the stone forest. If this plot continues, it will definitely affect the direction of the whole story.
Su Yang was having a headache as he attempted to resolve this dilemma which others would never be able to understand. He raised his hand and pressed the space between his eyebrows.
“Hey, Gu Feidi.”
He said in a low voice: “It’s not worth it for you to do this. It’s not that I’m giving way to you but I really don’t want to enter Lesser Jade House. It’s your own loss if you oppose me like this, don’t you realise?”
Gu Feidi closed his eyes like an old monk sitting in meditation.
Su Yang continued to persuade: “You said it yourself, Lesser Jade House is a legend of Jianghu, martial arts… uh, sacred place. So you definitely mustn’t miss this opportunity!”
Gu Feidi spoke, “Then why are you unwilling to enter the House?”
Su Yang was silent, then answered, “I really dislike rules. There are already so many rules for merely entering the House, I can’t bear it…”
Gu Feidi stopped talking again.
Su Yang became angry: “Why are you so stubborn! If you don’t leave the formation, if you don’t enter Lesser Jade House, where will you obtain the Restoration Scripture: Return To The Nest, think about it—”
“What did you say?”
Gu Feidi interrupted Su Yang. His eyes suddenly pierced Su Yang like arrows and he uttered in a low voice: “You know the whereabouts of the Return To The Nest volume? It’s in Lesser Jade House?!”
Su Yang wanted to give himself a slap on the mouth.
However, before Gu Feidi’s gaze, he had to keep his persona stable. He put on the demeanor of a profound intellectual: “Of course my Devil Sect’s information source can’t be revealed to you, but what you seek is very likely to be here.”
He didn’t convey the whole matter because he didn’t know whether or not the plot was still online. What if his arrival had also affected the existence of the Return To The Nest volume?
Gu Feidi lowered his eyelashes, his expression was strained for a while: “Although I should enter Lesser Jade House, I’m still unable to accept you yielding the first place to me.”
Su Yang was exasperated: “You kid, you can’t be so stubborn just because your surname is Gu aaa!”
Gu Feidi countered, “I’m sixteen years old, I’m not a child anymore.”
Su Yang replied with a serious face, “Since you’re sixteen years old and not a child anymore, you should be able to distinguish between priorities. You are a Martial World Young Tiger, a Righteous Young Eagle and the hope of the righteous Jianghu. Why should you quarrel with me, the Devil Sect demon?”
This time, Gu Feidi was silent for much longer.
He slowly raised his eyes and stared at Su Yang’s face. He asked seriously: “I don’t think you are a demon-whatever. Besides… don’t you refer to yourselves as the ‘Yin Tan Divine Sect’? Why do you follow the righteous martial world way of addressing the Devil Sect?”
Su Yang was at a loss for words, not knowing how to respond.
During filming, he also referred to himself as from the ‘Devil Sect’. Who knew that there was such a reference like ‘Yin Tan Divine Sect’?
Gu Feidi continued: “This stone forest formation is actually called ‘Stone Forest Bewilderment Array’. If you are really as rumoured, your mind full of confusing and shrewd thoughts, you would not arrive here before me. Su Yang, the people of the Jianghu have misread you and I was wrong too.”
Su Yang was taken aback when he heard this.
He suddenly understood the crux of the whole thing.
The Stone Forest Bewilderment Array was to assess whether the person who entered it had a clear heart, whether they were focused, whether their goals were definite and firm…
The Devil Sect’s Young Saint was born in the Devil Sect that aided and abetted evil deeds; no doubt he would be unavoidably influenced. His thoughts were violent, his temperament was tyrannical and it was inevitable that he wouldn’t pass the stone forest formation.
But Su Yang came from a small and simple family in modern society. He was spoiled by his grandmother ever since he was a child and because of his good-looks, he was indulged everywhere. Even when he later joined the entertainment industry, he hadn’t encountered any dark experiences before he had transmigrated here.
The current him was in fact even more unworldly than Gu Feidi who had spent his childhood growing up in Tengyun Pavilion.
What’s more, his goal had always been very clear— run with the plot, return to reality. No twists and turns, don’t take notice of anyone here, let alone be overwhelmed by slander lest it affect his determination.
What the stone forest formation detected was not ‘Su Yang, Devil Sect’s Young Saint’, but him and his soul that had transmigrated from outside the script.
Su Yang’s grip on his sleeves slowly tightened; for a moment he felt a bit confused and anxious.
Even if he knew that he had unintentionally broken through the stone forest formation, he couldn’t resolve the current predicament.
They say it’s easy to be bad and hard to be good, but in fact, it was impossible for him to become a shrewd and astute person in an instant. Therefore, he had no way to trap himself in the stone forest formation.
Gu Feidi stared at Su Yang, then suddenly, his expression became a little surprised.
“What are you scared of?” He couldn’t help asking, “You look very nervous, I… have I said anything I shouldn’t have?”
Su Yang closed his eyes and said dejectedly: “…I’m fine.”
He spoke unhurriedly and gently: “Gu Feidi, you should get out soon. Lesser Jade House is a good opportunity for you. It would be unfortunate if you miss it. As for me… I cannot enter Lesser Jade House.”
Gu Feidi asked, ‘Why can’t you?”
Su Yang raised his chin, “ ‘Can’t’ means ‘can’t’. There’s no ‘why’. I… must return to Devil Sect.”
Gu Feidi frowned and said solemnly: ‘Devil Sect’s Leader is forcing you? The thing on your back… I, what I mean is that I heard that the Devil Sect’s Leader has no children, you… were actually an orphan he adopted from some peasants?”
Su Yang: ……
Where did this detail come from?
Hasn’t the Devil Sect’s Leader always been in seclusion?
That dude won’t appear until Gu Feidi goes to destroy Devil Sect and he was killed off almost immediately not long after that!
Seeing Su Yang’s complicated gaze, Gu Feidi’s expression became clear, “I understand.”
Su Yang was almost driven to madness: I don’t understand!
Gu Feidi said: “Since Devil Sect Leader is coercing you this way, all the more you should enter Lesser Jade House. Only when you become stronger, you will no longer be controlled by others and you no longer have to… endure humiliation.”
Su Yang and Gu Feidi wouldn’t agree to leave together, so Su Yang rubbed his face in vain and said seriously: “You better quickly go ahead. I won’t enter the House.”
For a moment, Gu Feidi didn’t reply, then he said, “If you’re not going out, I will stay here and wait.”
Su Yang was so angry that he could only glare at Gu Feidi.
Gu Feidi met Su Yang’s gaze and did not flinch.
For a long,… long time.
“You two… what are you doing?”
Xu Yunzhan had finally exited the stone forest formation with much difficulty. The first thing he saw as soon as he came out of the formation and raised his head were two people sitting on opposite boulders next to the exit and glaring at each other.
He immediately stepped in front of Gu Feidi, blocking Su Yang’s gaze; his tone full of anger: “You demon, what are you doing to Feidi now?!”
Su Yang finally retracted his gaze and blinked his sore eyes, he drawled: “You should be asking him what he wants to do to me……”
Xu Yunzhan gave a cold snort, turned around and pulled Gu Feidi to his feet: “Don’t answer him, Feidi, let’s go.”
When he finished speaking, he moved to drag Gu Feidi out of the stone forest.
Gu Feidi rooted his feet to the spot and stood in place, forcefully pulling Xu Yunzhan back.
His tone was serious: “Su Yang was the first person to arrive here, but he refuses to leave the stone forest formation. I don’t want to accept his goodwill. If he is not the first to go out, then I will also not set half a step out of the stone forest.”
Su Yang originally thought when Xu Yunzhan heard these words, he would blame Gu Feidi for his stubbornness.
But he didn’t expect that Xu Yunzhan’s first reaction was to turn around in shock at his direction.
“…The first person to reach the stone forest formation exit was actually you?!”