Ingenious Scheming Part 2

After finishing his self-reflection, Feng Rugu stepped into the cool hall with both feet.

He put down the shade-providing fan, but the light flashing in his eyes was no different from ten years ago.

Feng Rugu knew his faults, but never corrected them.

He never needed to curry anyone's favor.

It's just...

He turned his head to glance at Ruyi, his gaze a bit unsteady, a bit puzzled, as to why he, who had lived freely his whole life, always yearned to make an exception in front of this child.

...How very strange indeed.

...

The news spread from one to ten, from ten to a hundred. When the Qingyang Mountain disciples heard that Feng Rugu had come to the mountain, they admired the legendary stories about him. Each and every one of them came even more orderly than usual for the daily roll call.

After the roll call, it was time for the banquet.

The disciples toasted Feng Rugu one by one, all wanting to see the bearing of this "Lord Yunzhong".

Amidst the clamor, only Guan Buzhi stood to the side with arms crossed, sneering coldly as he watched his vain and ostentatious behavior.

Guan Buyong remembered arranging a vegetarian meal, but didn't remember arranging a banquet.

He asked his younger brother, "What are you doing?"

Guan Buzhi said, "Doesn't this 'Lord Yunzhong' love excitement? I'll give him plenty of excitement then. When he's had enough fun and shown off enough, he should leave."

Feng Rugu had to drink whenever toasted. He quickly drank until his face showed tipsiness.

His alcohol tolerance could originally rival his master Lord Xiaoyao's, but drinking little in the past ten years caused his tolerance to decline drastically. After a few dozen cups, the alcohol rushed to his head. He slumped on the table, resting his chin in his hand and smiling.

Ruyi reminded him, "Drink less."

Feng Rugu said, "It's fine."

Ruyi had no choice but to say again, "If someone from the demon sect is mixed among the disciples and hands you poisoned wine, what will you do then?"

Feng Rugu didn't want to let him know that he had the extremely poisonous Seven Flowers Seal on his body that could neutralize all poisons. He raised another cup, "Wouldn't that be perfect? That way, the suspicious people would only be the few dozen who toasted me."

Ruyi pressed down on his wine cup with his palm, looking at him with a hint of annoyance.

At this, both of them froze for a moment.

At this time, another disciple came forward to toast.

Feng Rugu, incorrigible in his self-destructive ways, raised his hand to accept another drink, but was surprisingly stopped by Ruyi reaching out to block him.

Ruyi said, "This cup, I will drink it in place of Lord Yunzhong."

At this, both the one offering the toast and the one being toasted were stunned.

"This is a vegetarian wine," Ruyi, having followed his adoptive father for many years, had some ability to discern wines. He half-forcibly took the wine cup, lowering his eyelashes to gaze at the faint glow within the cup. "Besides, I am not an inner disciple of the Buddhist sect and have few taboos. I follow my heart in all things."

With that said, Ruyi drank down a cup, his ears immediately flushing with a light red.

However, his alcohol tolerance was quite remarkable. No matter how much he drank, his face always maintained a light blush, and his eyes remained as cold as ice.

Feng Rugu knew that Ding You had come for him. Seeing Ruyi drink in his place, Ding You would likely not make a move so easily.

Yet he still could not put his mind at ease.

As Feng Rugu and Ruyi tugged back and forth over the wine, a person wearing the attire of the Qingyang Sect, hidden in the shadows, let out a light chuckle.

...There was no need to fight, no need to struggle.

He had long placed the Heart-Devouring Gu, given to him by Sect Leader Ding, into the water source of the Qingyang Sect.

The water was then taken to brew wine.

As a result, they had already ingested the Gu-tainted wine.

This Gu could provoke the strongest desires in a person's heart, impossible to conceal or suppress.

Sect Leader Ding had originally wanted to gradually erode the Qingyang Sect, causing internal strife and killing, imperceptibly wiping out an entire sect. But unexpectedly, Feng Rugu suddenly visited. After his shock passed, he was overjoyed and immediately ordered his subordinate disciples who had already infiltrated the Qingyang Sect to increase the Gu's potency a hundredfold.

The other disciples drank little, at most becoming restless and prone to quarrels. But Feng Rugu, who drank heavily, had stepped right into the trap they had painstakingly laid.

Feng Rugu was a madman of the sword, so his desires were certainly related to martial prowess.

If they could make Feng Rugu succumb to his inner demons, unable to distinguish friend from foe, and wantonly slaughter the Qingyang Sect disciples, then Sect Leader Ding could, without shedding a drop of blood, obtain the lives of the Qingyang Sect Daoists and the head of Feng Rugu, delivered by the enraged and foolish Daoist Sects.

...Three hours. The Gu's effects would manifest in just three hours.

As for that bald donkey who blocked the wine for him, just consider it his misfortune.

...

Unable to hold his liquor, Feng Rugu was helped into his room by Sang Luojiu. He slept until the moon hung high in the eastern sky.

Having not had a drop of water for over two hours, he felt unbearably thirsty. He got up to pour water but glimpsed a ramrod-straight shadow under the window.

Feng Rugu pushed open the window and saw Ruyi.

He was surprised, yet also not that surprised.

Looking at Ruyi's dew-dampened shoulders, Feng Rugu omitted the title of "Master" and cut straight to the point, asking, "How many hours have you been standing here?"

Ruyi considered whether to lie, but ultimately decided not to break a second precept in one day: "A little over an hour."

Feng Rugu was puzzled. "What matter does the Master have?"

Ruyi's eyes were complex, seeming to hesitate over whether he should ask, and also seeming to regret that he shouldn't have come.

As Feng Rugu watched him with interest, guessing how long it would take before he turned to leave, he heard Ruyi's voice: "...Did it hurt?"

Ruyi's fingertips trembled slightly with this question, but he clenched his fingers, barely managing to complete the question he wanted to ask: "Ten years ago, did it hurt?"

Feng Rugu was a bit dumbfounded.

He came back to his senses. "You... waited here for over an hour?"

Ruyi turned his head, trying his best to calmly repeat: "A little over an hour."

Feng Rugu: "Just to ask this one question?"

This time, Ruyi took a long while to remain silent before letting out a soft nasal sound: "Mm."

Ruyi had endured through the day, not letting the evil arts of the Jade of Testing Love take effect, thinking he was fine. But unexpectedly, when the evil arts encountered the alcohol, they flared up at night without warning, tormenting him and robbing him of sleep.

Tossing and turning, his eyes and mind were filled with images of Feng Rugu being bullied in the past.

The Feng Rugu of that time was far younger than he was now.

If his younger self had encountered such torment, could he have smiled as casually as the man he was now?

Ruyi had never experienced lovesickness in his life, which was why his first encounter with it was so overwhelming.

He didn't understand why his heart ached for the Feng Rugu of ten years ago. He only knew that being closer to him might make it a bit better.

But he didn't know if it was Feng Rugu who would feel better with someone beside him, or if he himself would feel better.

With such entanglements in his heart, Ruyi felt the round collar of his monk's robe was a bit tight, constricting him until he couldn't breathe. He could only forcefully tug at it, slightly alleviating the evil fire in his chest.

...Had he really drunk too much?