Chapter 3: Lin Yichuan Looking for Trouble

Gu Lanyuan slipped out of the Grand Commandant’s residence and started wandering the streets alone.

Right now, Gu Lanyuan didn’t dare go home, because as soon as he did, Nangong Qin would definitely press him to get married.

Gu Lanyuan really couldn’t understand why anyone would get married so early. To think that getting married at 15 was even considered normal, while he was now 18 and considered very late.

As the saying goes, marriage is a grave. To step into the grave before even being happy, this was just too regrettable.

Look at Gu Mingmu, a typical henpecked husband, tsk tsk.

But fortunately, he was henpecked, and his mother spoiled him very much, otherwise, Gu Lanyuan would have been miserable.

Gu Mingmu was the type of strict father who, even if he had been studying hard for an hour and just happened to be taking a break when Gu Mingmu saw him, would assume he had been idling all along. He would be completely unable to argue his case, and Gu Mingmu would refuse to listen to any explanations.

Because explaining was just quibbling, arguing back, and the next action would be to take off the belt.

“How come I never see Dad beat my brother? Truly double standards!”

Gu Lanyuan was in a very bad mood.

*****

“Young Master Gu, you’re out shopping today! Why aren’t Xiaobai and Xiaoqing with you?”

An old pancake vendor greeted Gu Lanyuan.

Gu Lanyuan sighed. “I wanted some alone time today. By the way, Old Man Li, how are the minced meat pancakes today?”

Old Man Li said enthusiastically, “If Young Master Gu wants to eat, I’ll start a batch right away, guaranteed to be generously stuffed! It’ll only take seven or eight minutes. Does Young Master Gu want to eat?”

“Sure, I’ll wait. I’ll just use it to kill some time.”

Gu Lanyuan sat on a small stool, one hand propping up his chin, his eyes staring blankly ahead.

Just as Gu Lanyuan was daydreaming while waiting for the pancakes, in a distant alleyway, a pair of eyes were staring at Gu Lanyuan.

“Is that him?”

This man, who was around the same age as Gu Lanyuan, asked the open book in his hands.

And on the originally blank pages of the book, words actually appeared, answering him.

[ Yes, this person is named Gu Lanyuan, your arch-rival, and also a villain. ]

The book in this man’s hands was the very same Hetu Luoshu that Gu Lanyuan had thrown away, and this man was the arch-rival of Gu Lanyuan that the Hetu Luoshu had mentioned before, Lin Yichuan.

“So what should I do?”

[ You are the righteous one, and Gu Lanyuan is the villain. The villain has obvious villainous tendencies; you only need to prevent him from succeeding. ]

“So my strength can be improved this way?”

[ As the villain, Gu Lanyuan has a huge innate advantage. After you and Gu Lanyuan enter a hostile state, he will create trouble for you. In the process of solving these troubles, your strength will naturally improve.

Because the future is not unchanging, there are many possible futures. The future that this book can predict is only the future concerning you, and it can only predict the short-term future, not an infinitely long future.

Therefore, this book will choose a future with the greatest possibility from many futures, inform you of it, and let you judge for yourself. ]

Hearing that it could predict the future, Lin Yichuan’s expression was very shocked: “You’re so amazing, you’re truly worthy of being one of the Twenty-One Spirit Covenant Artifacts. You should be ranked very high, right?”

[ The Twenty-One Spirit Covenant Artifacts each have their own strengths and weaknesses, and there is no ranking. ]]

Lin Yichuan looked at Gu Lanyuan again and found that Gu Lanyuan had already stood up and taken the pancake from Old Man Li.

Gu Lanyuan took a bite of the pancake: “Old Man Li, you’re going to lose money selling pancakes like this.”

Old Man Li scratched his head and said with a smile: “Only for Young Master Gu, I wouldn’t put so much filling for others.”

“Alright, then thanks, I’ll be going now.”

“Take care, Young Master Gu. Come back whenever you’d like to eat again.”

Gu Lanyuan walked forward, munching on the sesame cake.

Lin Yichuan, who was peeking at Gu Lanyuan, had his eyes light up and muttered, “He didn’t seem to pay, is this not obvious villainous behavior? He’s actually unwilling to even pay for a sesame cake. Looking at how he’s dressed up like a respectable person, that boss could only send him off with a smiling face while watching him take the sesame cake. He must be a bully in this area. I didn’t expect it would be my turn to perform so soon!”

Lin Yichuan rushed forward and directly blocked Gu Lanyuan’s path.

Gu Lanyuan looked at Lin Yichuan standing in front of him in confusion, swallowed the food in his mouth, and asked, “What’s wrong? You need me for something?”

Lin Yichuan pointed at Gu Lanyuan’s sesame cake and questioned with a cold face, “Why didn’t you pay?”

“I…”

Before Gu Lanyuan could even speak, Lin Yichuan very aggressively gave Gu Lanyuan no chance to speak: “Looking at your luxurious clothes, you are actually unwilling to pay even a hardworking old man who sets up a stall. You are simply a beast, no! Worse than a beast! I advise you, hurry up and pay the money, otherwise today I will eliminate the tyrant and bring peace to the people!”

“I…”

Gu Lanyuan wanted to speak again, but Old Man Li charged over menacingly, brandishing his fire tongs.

Lin Yichuan thought Old Man Li had decided to rebel against Gu Lanyuan because of his words, and was standing beside him to condemn Gu Lanyuan.

However, Old Man Li pointed the fire tongs at Lin Yichuan and cursed furiously, “Where did this arrogant young punk come from, daring to insult Young Master Gu like this? And ‘suppressing violence to ensure peace’? I think the one who needs to be suppressed is you! You should take a good look in the mirror before you dare call Young Master Gu ‘worse than a beast.’ I see that you’re the one who’s worse than a beast, daring to insult such a good person as Young Master Gu!”

Lin Yichuan stared at Old Man Li, dumbfounded. “I-I was speaking up for you! Besides, I clearly saw him not pay. What kind of good person is he!”

Old Man Li stood with his hands on his hips, his chest heaving with anger. “Do I need you to speak up for me? Never mind that Young Master Gu already paid—even if he hadn’t, it would be my honor for Young Master Gu to eat my roasted flatbreads. Why are you sticking your nose into business that’s none of yours? You’re infuriating me!”

Lin Yichuan was stunned. Gu Lanyuan paid? Had he paid from the very beginning?

This is awkward.

Gu Lanyuan said speechlessly, “Why won’t you two let me speak? Old Man Li, stop being angry. You’re old; if you get sick from anger, it will be trouble. And you…”

Gu Lanyuan looked at Lin Yichuan. “It’s fine that you want to do a good deed, but you should have made things clear first, right? It’s not that I didn’t pay. I usually don’t carry money when I go out; my maid carries it. All along, if I go out alone, my maid will naturally settle the bill the next day.

I was already in a bad mood today, and you’ve made me feel terrible. I don’t want to make a fuss, so just apologize to me, and we’ll let this go.”

Lin Yichuan’s face flushed crimson, and he stammered out a “Sorry.”

“Alright, I accept your apology. Old Man Li, you can go back now. I’m going to look around somewhere else.”

Gu Lanyuan waved his hand and walked ahead.

Lin Yichuan felt extremely strange. Is this the villain? How can a villain be so easy to talk to? I practically framed him just now, yet Gu Lanyuan isn’t even angry. No matter how I look at it… he doesn’t seem bad at all.