Chapter 58: CH-58: Peaceful times...

Ye Che couldn’t help laughing again.

The two continued chatting for a while before eventually heading toward the dining area.

Neither of them noticed the small white swan following behind them.

Dodo had apparently decided that she was hungry.

Again.

...

Life continued like this for several weeks.

There were no great battles, no mysterious enemies, and no unexpected disasters.

Gu Changsheng gradually became accustomed to this peaceful routine.

He cultivated.

He ate.

He spent time with Dong Mulan.

He occasionally trained with Ye Che.

He watched An Jian continue recovering and becoming more energetic.

Su Mingyue and Ning Rongrong occasionally joined them as well, and the group gradually became more familiar with one another.

Even An Jian had started becoming more talkative around them.

Sometimes they would simply sit together and discuss meaningless things.

Sometimes Dong Mulan would drag everyone somewhere because she had discovered a new food stall.

Sometimes Gu Changsheng would attempt to cultivate peacefully only to find Dodo sitting beside him and staring at him.

Nobody knew why she did that.

Gu suspected she was judging him.

He was probably right.

One evening, Gu Changsheng and Dong Mulan sat together beneath the familiar tree.

The sun was slowly setting, casting a warm glow over the sect.

Dodo rested between them, comfortably enjoying the evening breeze.

Dong Mulan leaned against Gu Changsheng’s shoulder.

He glanced down at her but didn’t say anything.

She seemed unusually quiet today.

After a while, she closed her eyes and smiled faintly.

"It’s peaceful."

Gu Changsheng looked toward the setting sun.

"Yeah."

After everything they had experienced, neither of them needed to say much more.

For once, they could simply sit together without worrying about what would happen tomorrow.

Dodo looked at the two of them.

Then she looked at the setting sun.

Then she looked back at them.

She had absolutely no idea why she had suddenly become interested in these two humans.

Perhaps it was because Dong Mulan was amusing.

Perhaps it was because Gu Changsheng was strange.

Perhaps it was because she had become accustomed to their presence.

Or perhaps it was simply because the snacks were good.

The guardian beast decided that the last explanation was probably the most reasonable.

She quietly leaned closer to Dong Mulan.

Gu Changsheng noticed this and smiled.

"Looks like someone is getting attached."

Dodo immediately turned her head away.

Dong Mulan giggled softly.

"Dodo likes me."

Gu Changsheng smiled.

"Seems like it."

Neither of them noticed the faintly embarrassed expression on the little swan’s face.

And for the first time in a very long while, the guardian beast didn’t particularly mind being mistaken for an ordinary little duckling.

...

The peaceful atmosphere continued for several more days, and Gu Changsheng had slowly begun to believe that perhaps the heavens had finally decided to leave him alone.

It was a dangerous assumption.

Not because something terrible was immediately approaching, but because Gu had developed a habit of becoming comfortable whenever things went smoothly.

And whenever Gu Changsheng became comfortable, Dong Mulan usually found some new way to disturb that peace.

It happened one afternoon when Gu Changsheng had finally managed to find a quiet place to cultivate.

He had specifically chosen a secluded spot away from the main residences, the training grounds, and, most importantly, Dong Mulan.

Not because he disliked her.

Quite the opposite.

He simply knew that cultivating beside her came with certain risks.

The biggest one being that she would eventually get bored.

And once Dong Mulan became bored, everyone nearby became involved in whatever strange idea happened to appear inside her head.

Gu Changsheng sat beneath a tree with his legs crossed, calmly circulating his spiritual energy through his meridians.

The surrounding spiritual energy slowly entered his body, following the circulation of his cultivation technique before being refined into his own spiritual power.

Everything was going smoothly.

No distractions. ℴℴ𝘮

No interruptions.

No strange noises.

Gu Changsheng almost smiled.

Perhaps today would finally be—

"Changsheng!"

His eyes opened immediately.

Gu stared into the distance with an expression of someone who had just witnessed his peaceful future collapsing before his eyes.

A few moments later, Dong Mulan appeared from behind the trees, carrying a basket in one hand while Dodo Duckling followed behind her.

Gu sighed.

"I knew it."

Dong Mulan stopped in front of him, blinking innocently.

"Knew what?"

"That I wouldn’t get to cultivate peacefully."

Dong Mulan tilted her head before smiling.

"But I didn’t do anything."

Gu looked at the basket.

"You’re carrying food."

"Yes."

"You brought Dodo."

"Yes."

"You found me while I was cultivating."

"Yes."

Gu nodded solemnly.

"That is already enough evidence."

Dong Mulan puffed her cheeks.

"You’re blaming me for things I haven’t even done yet."

Gu considered her words for a moment before nodding.

"That’s fair."

He shifted slightly beneath the tree.

"Then what did you come here for?"

Dong Mulan immediately brightened.

"I found something interesting."

Gu’s expression became cautious.

That sentence had almost never been followed by anything good.

"What did you find?"

Dong Mulan reached into her basket and pulled out a small wooden box.

Gu stared at it.

"What’s that?"

"I don’t know."

"Then why did you bring it?"

"Because it looked interesting."

Gu closed his eyes.

Of course.

He should have expected that.

Dodo, meanwhile, had quietly walked beside the box and began examining it.

The little swan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

There was nothing particularly remarkable about the object, but something about it made her hesitate.

Dong Mulan noticed her reaction.

"Dodo, do you know what it is?"

The guardian beast immediately looked away.

She had no idea what the box contained.

More importantly, she wasn’t interested.

At least, that was what she told herself.

Dong Mulan opened the wooden box.

Inside were several small pastries.

Gu Changsheng stared.

Dodo stared.

Dong Mulan smiled proudly.

"I found them at the market."

Gu remained silent for several seconds.

Then he slowly looked at her.

"You made me think there was something mysterious inside."

Dong Mulan blinked.

"Isn’t food mysterious?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

She seemed disappointed by his answer.

Dodo, however, had already approached the box.

Gu looked at the swan.

"See? At least Dodo understands what’s important."

Dodo paused.

For some reason, she felt that statement was insulting.

She picked up one of the pastries and began eating.

Dong Mulan immediately smiled.

"Dodo agrees with me."

Gu shook his head.

"She’s only here because you keep feeding her."

Dodo stopped chewing.

Her expression became strangely offended.

Gu noticed it.

"Don’t look at me like that. I’m not saying anything wrong."

Dodo turned away and continued eating.

She had decided that arguing with this human was beneath her dignity.

Especially when there were pastries available.

...

Eventually, Gu gave up on cultivating for the afternoon.

There wasn’t much point in trying to meditate while Dong Mulan was sitting beside him, happily feeding Dodo one pastry after another.

Instead, he simply leaned against the tree and watched them.

The sight was surprisingly peaceful.

Dong Mulan was laughing about something while Dodo listened quietly, occasionally making a soft sound in response.

Gu didn’t understand how a bird could somehow become such an important part of their daily life.

Yet, somehow, it had happened.

Even the other members of their group had grown accustomed to the little swan.

An Jian had taken to carrying small pieces of fruit for her.

Ning Rongrong occasionally brushed her feathers.

Su Mingyue treated her like an ordinary spirit beast.

Ye Che had once attempted to teach her a sword technique.

That particular event had ended after Dodo stared at him for nearly a minute before turning around and walking away.

Ye Che had been devastated.

He had spent the entire evening wondering what he had done wrong.

Gu had wisely decided not to explain.

Dodo had simply decided that learning swordsmanship from a human was beneath her.

She had lived for countless years.

She had forgotten more techniques than Ye Che had ever learned.

Being lectured by him about sword posture was an experience she had no intention of repeating.

...

Several days later, the group gathered together for lunch.

It had become a fairly common occurrence.

Gu Changsheng sat beside Dong Mulan, while Ye Che, Su Mingyue, Ning Rongrong, and An Jian sat nearby.

Dodo Duckling was naturally present.

Nobody had invited her.

Nobody needed to.

She simply appeared whenever food was involved.

An Jian placed a piece of fruit beside her.

"Dodo, I brought this for you."

The little swan looked at the fruit before pecking it once.

Then she turned toward Dong Mulan.

Dong Mulan immediately understood.

"She wants something sweet."

An Jian blinked.

"How do you know?"

"Because she always wants something sweet."

Gu Changsheng nodded.

"That is surprisingly accurate."

An Jian immediately looked impressed.

"Senior Sister Dong really understands Dodo."

Dong Mulan proudly nodded.

"Of course. Dodo and I are best friends."

Dodo glanced at her.

For some reason, she didn’t dislike hearing that.

Ning Rongrong smiled.

"You two really have become close."

Dong Mulan happily wrapped her arms around the swan.