I Really Deserve to Die!

Su Yun's eyes lit up as he listened. He clapped his hands, his face full of genuine admiration:

"What a poem!"

"The bright moon overhead, the ancient bridge standing alone, longing for a dear friend far away, reminiscing about the elegant pastime of playing music together in days gone by. What a vast, pure mood! It's the very definition of brotherly affection!"

As he spoke, he nudged Tang San in the chest with his elbow, looking thoroughly exasperated with him.

"Come on, Xiaosan. It's such a lovely poem about missing a friend. Why were you stammering and trying to hide it just now?"

Looking at Su Yun's crystal-clear eyes, free of a single trace of impurity, Tang San felt a pang of anguish deep inside.

Oh, god...

What had I been thinking?!

He was thinking only of art and the conduct of a gentleman. And what about me?

Tang San, Tang San, how could you be going backward after living two lifetimes?

How could your thoughts be so filthy?!

I really deserve to die!

Su Yun, meanwhile, paid none of this any mind and continued examining the belt in his hands.

"Since it's a gift of apology from Grandmaster Yu, and it evokes the mood of Twenty-Four Bridges..."

A smile blossomed across Yu Xiaogang's face like a chrysanthemum. He nodded repeatedly.

"Exactly, exactly. Why not call it Twenty-Four Bridges..."

Su Yun grinned, revealing a row of gleaming white teeth, and shouted:

"Let's call it Jade Blowing Xiao!"

Crack.

It was as if something had shattered in the air.

"Jade... Jade what?"

The smile froze on Yu Xiaogang's face. He stood rooted to the spot.

Even Tang San, beside him, stumbled and nearly lost his balance.

If that name got out, how could Yu Xiaogang ever show his face again?

"No! Absolutely not!"

Yu Xiaogang forgot all about acting like a grandmaster. He rushed forward, his face flushed, and grabbed Su Yun's sleeve with both hands. His voice trembled:

"Su Yun! That name is too... too vulgar! It's a disgrace to proper conduct! If word gets out, what will people think of me? I... I'll never be able to show my face again!"

He practically begged, his eyes turning red:

"Please, pick another one! Anything, even Bright Moon Belt or Twenty-Four Bridges!"

Seeing Grandmaster looking utterly devastated, as if the sky had fallen, Su Yun slowly let his smile fade and knitted his brows.

He took off his Sunglasses, revealing a pair of clear, bright eyes as pure as a mountain stream.

His gaze was filled with shock and confusion, along with a trace of deep disappointment.

Su Yun slowly stepped back, putting some distance between himself and Yu Xiaogang, as if something had frightened him.

"Grandmaster... I don't understand what you mean."

Su Yun's voice was youthful and sincere. Each word landed like a heavy blow against Yu Xiaogang's conscience:

"This is an elegant art, in which the gentlemen of old expressed their love of nature. How did it become vulgar and disgraceful coming from you, Grandmaster? How could it possibly be a disgrace to proper conduct?"

"I..."

Yu Xiaogang opened his mouth, but it was as if a wad of cotton had lodged in his throat. Not a sound came out.

Su Yun gave him no chance to catch his breath. He lifted his head and gazed straight at Yu Xiaogang with those unblemished eyes.

"You gave me this belt, Grandmaster Yu. The name includes the character 'Yu' to show my gratitude for your precious gift."

"The rest of the name is meant to remind us to be as noble and upright as music itself."

"It's a tribute to your noble character, Grandmaster!"

At that, Su Yun paused. His gaze grew profound, even tinged with pity:

"Grandmaster, you're a leading authority in the field of theory. In your understanding, are musical instruments passed down for a thousand years, and the art that embodies a gentleman's virtue, actually... something lewd?"

Boom!

Yu Xiaogang felt as if he'd been struck by lightning. His face turned as white as paper.

Shame shot from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. He wanted nothing more than to draw his sword and kill himself on the spot to apologize to the world.

Oh, god... What had I been thinking?!

He'd been thinking only of art, gratitude, and the conduct of a gentleman.

And what about me?

I, Yu Xiaogang, have spent my whole life reading. How could my thoughts be so vile?

I'm nothing but a beast in human clothing!

I really deserve to die!

"Alas..."

Su Yun sighed deeply and shook his head, looking bitterly disappointed in the two men before him.

Listlessly, he buckled the belt around his waist.

"If Grandmaster thinks that elegant name is too fine for him, then never mind."

Su Yun's tone was calm, even carrying a hint of compromise to spare Grandmaster's feelings:

"Let's just call it Yueyue Bao!"

Yu Xiaogang jerked his head up, his jaw nearly dropping to his feet.

Yue... Yue... Bao?!

What kind of ridiculous name was that?!

"What? Still not satisfied, Grandmaster?"

Su Yun raised an eyebrow, seeming disappointed by Grandmaster's reaction.

"If you think it's too childish and lacks depth, then we can go back to the earlier name..."

"No! I'm satisfied! Very satisfied!"

Yu Xiaogang immediately let out a shriek, his voice going shrill.

At that moment, Yueyue Bao seemed to him like the loveliest, safest, purest name in the world!

"Yueyue Bao... Lovely! Easy to understand! Profound in its simplicity! Now that's a good name!"

Su Yun nodded with satisfaction, seeing Grandmaster look as if he were deeply grateful and had been given a new lease on life.

At last, the group walked along chatting, until the massive iron fence around the Soul Hunting Forest came into view.

The black iron bars stood ten meters high, their tips glinting coldly. At regular intervals, fully armed soldiers patrolled the area.

The grim atmosphere instantly drowned out the bustle of the market.

The group walked straight toward the gate.

"Stop!"

Two gleaming spears crossed in front of Red Hair.

The soldier on guard swept his cold gaze over the strange-looking group.

"This is the Soul Hunting Forest, a restricted area. Unauthorized personnel may not approach. Show your Spirit Hall token!"

Red Hair's swaggering step froze in midair.

Then he spun around, held his hands out in front of him, palms up, and respectfully presented them to Su Yun.

"Godfather, these blind fools insist on seeing a token. Be so kind as to hand it over, and I'll slap it in their faces and teach them a thing or two!"

Su Yun froze.

He blinked, and his Sunglasses slipped down a little, revealing a pair of innocent eyes. "A token? What's that?"

He turned to look at Tang San. "Xiaosan, didn't Wang Sheng tell you?"

Tang San looked just as confused and shook his head. "Wang Sheng only said we'd be forming a team. He never mentioned needing a token..."

The air suddenly fell silent as the grave.

A cold wind swept by, lifting a few dead leaves and sending them skittering against the group's stunned faces.

The Guard Captain frowned even harder at the clueless group. His grip tightened around his spear.

"No token? Then leave at once! Otherwise, you'll be treated as trespassers in a military restricted area!"

"Wait, wait! Take it easy, brother!"

Red Hair panicked and hurriedly turned to Su Yun. "Godfather, what do we do?"

The group exchanged bewildered glances, then finally looked to Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang stood in the wind, completely dumbfounded.

His mind was swept up in a violent storm.

He looked at the innocent Su Yun, then at the Yueyue Bao fastened around Su Yun's waist.

A cruel truth pierced straight through his skull:

Wait...

So you really don't have a token?!

Without me, you wouldn't even be able to get through the gate???

If I'd taken out the token instead of giving you the belt to get on the team, wouldn't you all have had to get on your knees and beg me to lead you inside?!

Then why did I...

Why did I act like a servant, crying and pleading as I handed them a Storage Soul Tool worth a fortune?!!

"Grandmaster? Grandmaster, what's wrong? Why's your face so green? Did your blood sugar drop because you got up too early?"

Su Yun's voice carried over, full of concern as he looked at Yu Xiaogang.

Seeing that they still weren't leaving, the Guard Captain had begun calling his men over to surround them.

Yu Xiaogang felt a rush of blood rise in his chest. He nearly spat it out.

But now he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

He'd already given away the belt, and judging by Su Yun, there was no way he'd get it back.

If he didn't show the token now and everyone turned around and went home, that belt would truly have gone out like a meat bun tossed to a dog: gone for good.

To cut his losses...

With a trembling hand, Yu Xiaogang took a token from inside his robes.

His movements were painfully stiff. With every inch he lifted it, his heart bled.

"I have... a token."

Yu Xiaogang's voice was hoarse, as if he'd suddenly aged several decades.

The Guard Captain recognized the insignia on the token. His expression turned solemn, and he immediately waved his men back, his tone respectful.

"So you're a lord carrying a Third-Level Token. Let them through!"

The Steel Gate slowly swung open with a rusty creak.

The crisis was over.

Red Hair and the others breathed a sigh of relief and gave Yu Xiaogang a thumbs-up.

"Hey, not bad, old man! Didn't know you had that in you! You were hiding it well!"

Su Yun beamed at him.

"Gosh, we owe it all to Grandmaster! You really are too kind."

"Not only did you give us equipment, you covered our admission fee. Not only are you our guide, you're moonlighting as a ticket inspector."

"Grandmaster, you're a wonderful person! There aren't many honest, selfless people like you these days!"

"Pfft—"

Yu Xiaogang clutched his chest. He swayed, nearly collapsing to the ground.

Selfless? Honest?

Every word stabbed him straight in the heart.

Yu Xiaogang had spent his whole life scheming, yet today he'd been utterly cleaned out by a child.

"Let's go... into... into the forest."

Yu Xiaogang waved weakly and led the way through the gate.

His back was hunched, his steps unsteady. He looked utterly forlorn.