Becoming a Useless Toddler
“Now that we are all ready, let’s head up to the mountain. Old Qi, I, Wang Ke, will take my leave.” The middle-aged man said, leading the group as he bowed to the old man before turning to leave.
The excited young contenders followed him on the path laid with green flagstones.
There was hesitation in each of Gu Feidi’s steps, as he gave a final look back at the closed door.
Pu Lingyun, said in a puzzled voice, “Xiao Shixiong, let’s go?”
Gu Feidi gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, hesitating for a moment before turning his head to leave.
“Young man…”
At the entrance of the farmhouse, Old Qi, who was resting his eyes, suddenly opened his mouth.
Although the middle-aged man was a distance away, he still stopped the moment he heard the old man. Turning to face the old man, he said respectfully, “Is there anything else that I can do for you, Old Qi?”
The old man didn’t answer him, instead, he closed his eyes and said unhurriedly, “...Young man, there are times when a decision may bring you short-term advantage…but it will become an eternal thorn in your heart, that will forever haunt you afterward, day after day. It is more difficult for a martial artist to advance with an unstable mental state.”
Gu Feidi suddenly lifted his head to look at the old man.
But the old man closed his mouth, not adding another word.
The middle-aged man was not in a hurry to depart at this instant. He stood impassively on the stone steps, surveying at the twenty-something young contenders below him, waiting for the child who was singled out by the Old Qi to step out.
Old Qi had been in the House of Jade for many years, to the point that the number became blurred, but he always paid little attention to ordinary affairs. Having him speak in person, the child’s natural endowments must be excellent. Even this old man couldn’t bear seeing this young man go astray, which was why he voiced out the advice.
Gu Feidi lowered his gaze. In this moment of conflict, he tightened his jaw then loosened it. He suddenly closed his eyes, only to open seconds later; determination filled them.
He turned back toward the old man by the front of the homestead, saluting with cupped fists he said, “This one appreciates the senior’s guidance!”
Then he faced toward the middle-aged man standing up the mountain road, lowered his head, and stated, “Sir, there is another young contender in the homestead who was very diligent in his training. Yesterday I saw him practicing out in the courtyard before I turned in for the night. It wasn’t until I woke up in the morning that I saw him entering the farmhouse to rest. I assumed that…he didn’t train before the start of the day due to an evening of intense training.”
Eyebrows raised slightly, the middle-aged man asked smiling, “Oh? Which young man?”
Gu Feidi answered, “It’s the Young Hero Su from the Evil…Yantan Divine Sect.”
As soon as he brought this information out in the light, the young contenders along the mountain path immediately became chaotic.
Pu Lingyun scrambled, “Xiao Shixiong! What are you saying?!”
Xu Yunzhan also frowned and questioned, “Feidi, is this true?”
Gu Feidi nodded calmly against everyone's suspicious stares.
“He practiced in the courtyard last night and didn’t stop until light suffused the horizon.” He said with slightly reddened cheeks. He focused on the ground and continued with difficulty, “This one is ashamed. Before…I thought only of hiding this.”
“It is difficult to avoid mistakes when you are inexperienced.” The middle-aged man replied with a smile. “to recognise one's mistakes and be able to reform is the greatest virtue.”
Gu Feidi gazed up at the man, no longer avoiding eye contact, and declared, “This one understands.”
The man beamed. “However, even if you admit your mistake, it doesn’t mean the punishment will be dismissed. No objection?”
Before Gu Feidi could speak, Pu Lingyun blurted out anxiously, “Sir! Feidi did not intentionally conceal this information. If there’s a mistake, it was also the time when you said, ‘only people who trained during the hours of the dragon’ are qualified to pass.”
Xu Yunzhan, standing aside was intending to cover Pu Lingyun’s mouth, but under the watchful eyes of the man, he didn't dare to shut her up, only tugged at her sleeve hard.
Paying zero attention, she carried on, “Even if that demon…if Young Hero Su practiced diligently last night, it doesn’t mean he did it at the start of the day! In this one’s opinion, you should not punish Feidi, just have someone inform Young Hero Su.”
The man in the centre looked at Pu Lingyun solemnly.
Although uneasiness appeared in her eyes, she did not avoid his gaze, instead, bravely confronted it.
The middle-aged man suddenly burst out laughing. “You sure are courageous enough to contradict my judgement and defend your companion. You have the temperament of a Jianghu child.”
His words didn’t sound like a criticism, producing joy on her face.
The man pressed on, “However, there is no possibility for him not to be punished.”
Pu Lingyun uttered, “But sir—”
“Gu Feidi, the punishment will be for you to inform and request for Su Yang to come out.”
The man completely disregarded Pu Lingyun and gave a direct order to Gu Feidi.
This shocked Gu Feidi at first, before he came to his senses and replied by cupping his fists, “Understood.”
Without hesitation, he walked toward the farmhouse.
Fan Xi called out, “Ah, that…” He turned around to glance at the man and plead, “Can I go with him? I am friends with Su Yang, so…”
“This is a punishment for Gu Feidi. No one else should interfere.” The middle-aged man said without the slightest shift in his expression.
Fan Xi flattened his lips, silently shrunk his neck, and stopped talking.
Gu Feidi strode into the farmhouse. He stood in front of the door where Su Yang was staying and knocked on it gently under everyone’s gaze.
Su Yang in fact had already got up as he heard the conversation between Gu Feidi and the man just moments ago on the mountain path. He didn’t expect that Gu Feidi and the old man would see him last night, when he sneaked outside because of insomnia, to practice martial arts. In the script, he should have passed the assessment, so he was already packed and ready to go.
It was just that he encountered an unexpected inconvenience.
Looking at the disordered clothes in his arms, Su Yang couldn’t resist the urge to roll his eyes.
Now he regretted ending his session last night with a dance, more-so on taking off and tossing all of his clothes with great abandonment and burrowing himself into a blanket burrito.
The Evil Sect’s outfits were very complicated. Three outer layers and three inner layers. Many belts and sashes were used for the sake of keeping one’s elegant body in shape. In the beginning, the costumes used in the drama group appeared brightly coloured decorations, but in fact, the robes and belts were all fastened by hooks. And just a few days ago, he had a petal retainer to serve him. Other than the simple outer layers, his petal retainer helped him wear the other cumbersome layers.
Only now, when everyone around him left, did he find out that despite everything, he—the famous and brilliant Young Master of the Evil Sect—became a useless toddler.
The door was knocked upon again, followed by Gu Feidi’s voice.
“Young Hero Su, this one is here requesting for you…”
“I know. I heard what you all just said.” Then, he ultimately said for a lack of a better option, “But I’m in a bit of trouble. Wait a moment.”
As he said that, he added after thinking for a moment, “Oh! If you could let Fan Xi help me, it would be great.”
Su Yang knew that people of the House of Jade were perceptive, which meant that the middle-aged man must have heard him.
Sure enough, the man said not a second later. “Gu Feidi, go see what kind of assistance Su Yang needs. Help him solve it, consider this your punishment.”
Su Yang: “...”
Hey, this uncle, where is your common sense card?
If he showed his current appearance to Gu Feidi, would it be punishment to Gu Feidi or himself?!
Gu Feidi knocked on the door again and asked, “May I enter?”
He threw his clothes on the bed and raised his hand to his forehead.
After a moment’s hesitation, he could only accept, “...Alright, you can enter.”
As soon as Gu Feidi opened the door, he saw Su Yang with disheveled hair, dressed in only the middle robe standing in front of the bed.
The Evil Sect’s middle robe was a half-sleeve style, exposing the two pale arms. Although the lower garment were trousers, the white silk was slightly transparent, and the creamy skin colour was faintly visible under the material.
This appearance was conservative enough in Su Yang’s opinion, but in Gu Feidi’s eyes, this was the same as being without a stitch of clothing.
Gu Feidi’s face was suddenly blank for a moment, then turned bright red as he mumbled, “You-you-you…!”
He didn’t utter anything else but ‘you’ for a long time.
His reaction also embarrassed Su Yang. He used his internal energy to transmit his voice to Gu Feidi, calling for help, “These clothes are too complicated. I used to have my petal retainer for assistance on wearing them. Now by myself…I don’t know how.”
Gu Feidi: “!!!”
The serious-faced man outside the door who was crossing his arm suddenly choked on his own spit and coughed violently.
The old man outside the farmhouse kept his eyes closed, but his beard was quivering weirdly. It seemed that he was working hard to hold back his laugh.
Su Yang picked up a gauze garment from the pile of clothes on the bed and put it on his body, demanding, “Just tell me how to wear these, you don’t have to personally help me.”
He also knew that letting Gu Feidi help him dress was almost equivalent to humiliating him. He didn’t want to dig a deeper death trap for himself. He certainly didn’t have the urge to die. Furthermore, this was not part of the script. He must try to avoid physical contact between them at all costs.
Hearing Su Yang’s words made Gu Feidi feel relieved. He used his voice to guide Su Yang on how to find the hidden belts in the clothes and put on the complicated formal attire properly.
After long, hard work, Su Yang finally got all the scattered pieces of clothing where they should be, and dismantled all kinds of decoration and unnecessary belts and sashes, which was a relief.
He couldn’t help complaining to Gu Feidi, “These are really troublesome. I think the simplest form-fitting garment is good enough.”
When he finished his complaint, he pulled at his long hair and successfully tugged the half loose hair band off.
Su Yang: “...”
Gu Feidi: “...”
Su Yang glared at the fallen hair band. He said after a long pause, “Whatever, leave it untied. We are taking too much time, we should head out.”
He really couldn’t handle his overlong hair. Might as well stop this feeble struggle.
He turned around and picked up his pack from the bed. Turning back, he saw Gu Feidi pick up the fiery-red hair band on the ground.
Without a word, he handed the hair band to Su Yang, with his eyes lowered and an expressionless face.
Studying the young man’s quiet and well-disciplined appearance, he suddenly felt that the kid was quite adorable.
That was right, no matter how powerful Gu Feidi was, he was still a sixteen-year-old boy. In modern times, he would be in just high school, the time where they acted the most vigorous and were at their most immature.
Su Yang unconsciously began to act like a senior. He reached out to take the hair band from Gu Feidi and smiled brightly, “Thank you.”
ahahaha maybe I’m projecting but it seems the middle aged man ships it