Chapter 17

Chapter 17

On the other side, Xie Licheng had already arrived at Gu Zhangyuan's courtyard.

Xie Licheng had changed into the new clothes Gu Zhangyuan had given him. After this long period of rest and recuperation, not only had his vitality improved, but he had also gained considerable weight.

When Xie Licheng had first transmigrated here, he weighed a mere 53 kilograms. Now he weighed 60 kilograms.

For his height, 60 kilograms was still too thin.

However, compared to when he had been even thinner, he looked far better than before.

At the rate he was gaining weight, another month or so should bring him back to a normal level.

Not only did he eat at the Gu family's dining hall, but he also supplemented his meals in his hidden world.

Fish, rabbit, pork, beef, lamb... he kept eating nonstop.

The original body hadn't gotten thin from illness—it was pure starvation.

Thinness from hunger was easy to fix.

With good food, plenty of milk, and enough exercise, the weight naturally shot up.

Xie Licheng had changed into clean new clothes, which made his tall, lean frame stand out even more.

He stood tall, with a build that was easy on the eyes.

His shoulders were broad, his limbs long and lean, making him look a bit out of place among the Central Plains folk.

Gu Zhangyuan looked at him and asked, "Why would you send me a dead rabbit?"

Xie Licheng blinked, holding the wolf cub, then put on a simple, honest look as he said, "Young Master, that wasn't a dead rabbit—it was a live one I caught. I figured rabbit meat was tasty and nourishing, so I wanted to give it to you to build up your strength."

Hearing this, Yuan Qiao, standing nearby, let out a soft laugh. He thought this guy was a total idiot—that clearly wasn't what the Young Master meant.

Gu Zhangyuan, however, didn't laugh. He still thought Xie Licheng was playing dumb.

He raised a hand, signaling Xie Licheng to bring the cub over.

Without overthinking it, Xie Licheng brought the wolf cub over to Gu Zhangyuan.

To make it easier for Gu Zhangyuan, who was seated, to see the cub, he knelt on one knee before him.

Gu Zhangyuan's gaze slowly swept over him, then landed on the wolf cub in his arms.

He said curiously, "This little thing is so well-behaved when you hold it. It doesn't look fierce at all—it's even shaking."

But in his hands, the little thing seemed to know who was easy to push around. It either tried to bite him or lunged to scratch him.

Just like now—the second he reached out to touch its head, it opened its mouth like it was about to bite him.

Hearing this, Xie Licheng replied, "Beasts have instincts. Like people, they pick on the weak and fear the strong."

Gu Zhangyuan found that a bit amusing.

"So you're saying I'm the weak one and you're the strong one?"

Xie Licheng's lowered eyes flickered. He did think Gu Zhangyuan was kind and he himself was wicked.

But he couldn't admit that now, or his "honest guy" act would fall apart.

After a moment's thought, Xie Licheng answered slowly, "That's not it either. It's more that you're handsome, and your voice is gentle and kind. This little beast senses your gentleness, so it's not afraid of you deep down. As for me, I've caught them and hunted other beasts, so I carry the smell of blood. So naturally, they're scared of me and behave when I hold them."

Gu Zhangyuan said, "Alright then—hold it for me so I can pet it properly."

This little cub was pretty cute, but its temper was way too fierce.

Hearing this, Xie Licheng blinked, instinctively glanced up at Gu Zhangyuan, then held the wolf cub tight as told.

Yuan Qiao, who was serving nearby, secretly smiled and slipped out with Xuan Cui, one after the other.

Once outside, Yuan Qiao whispered, "Young Master, has he really taken a liking to that horse slave?"

Xuan Cui glanced back to make sure they couldn't be heard inside, then cupped her hand over her mouth and whispered back.

"I'm not really sure. I think... it's more curiosity than actual interest. That horse slave is rough and skinny as a rail—the Young Master's taste can't be that bad."

Even if there's some fondness, it's probably for his looks, not for the man himself.

Yuan Qiao said, "I think so too. A precious beauty like our Young Master would go for a noble young gentleman, not some crude horse slave."

With that, the two decided to move a bit farther away, so as not to disturb their master's business.

After observing him for a while, they'd gained some trust in Xie Licheng, the horse slave.

Of course, they dared to step away not just because they trusted Xie Licheng, but because they trusted their Young Master.

Their Young Master was no ordinary gē'er—he knew a little martial arts.

Besides, the Young Master had called for him himself, and even let him into his room.

The Young Master must be somewhat interested in him, so there was no need to worry too much.

Then, just as they were walking off, a shrill voice suddenly rang out from the courtyard entrance.

The voice belonged to Gu Tinghe. He had just arrived when the servants at Gu Zhangyuan's gate stopped him.

Seeing this, Gu Tinghe became even more convinced that Gu Zhangyuan was up to something shameful.

He made a scene, shouting, "I want to see my elder brother! I'm his own blood brother—I can enter his courtyard whenever I please!"

The servant at the gate tried to stop him, but Gu Tinghe lashed out with his whip.

That servant was an ordinary gē'er, not like Gu Tinghe, who was used to brawling.

Struck by the whip, the servant immediately clutched his face and burst into tears.

Hearing the commotion, Xuan Cui and Yuan Qiao hurried toward the gate.

They saw Gu Tinghe strike someone and then charge straight in.

Xuan Cui frowned and scolded, "Young Master, this is the Eldest Young Master's courtyard. How dare you strike people here?!"

Gu Tinghe didn't even spare her a glance. He shoved Yuan Qiao aside as the latter tried to block him, and rushed toward Gu Zhangyuan's bedchamber.

But Gu Zhangyuan wasn't in his bedchamber—he was in his study, playing with the wolf cub alongside Xie Licheng.

The cub was restrained by Xie Licheng, unable to bite or scratch, and could only stare at him with pitiful eyes.

Xie Licheng looked at its pitiful appearance and couldn't help but think to himself: Being petted by a beauty like a heavenly fairy—he hasn't bullied you or hit you, so what's a little wolf cub like you got to be so upset about?

Gu Zhangyuan gave the little wolf a pat on the head and suddenly noticed the scar on Xie Licheng's forehead.

He asked, "By the way, last time my younger brother hurt you, have your injuries healed?"

Xie Licheng replied, "They're all healed. Your servant is thick-skinned and tough, so I've long since recovered."

Gu Zhangyuan stood up, walked to the dressing table, and found a jar of scar-removing ointment.

"Here, take this. Remember to apply it every morning and evening to remove the scars on your body."

Just the mention of it made it sound like a precious, costly ointment, and Xie Licheng felt it wasn't necessary for him.

He was just a rough-and-tumble guy with countless scars all over his body, and it wouldn't do much to fade them anyway. Giving it to him would simply be wasting something good.

Xie Licheng didn't take it but instead lowered his head and said to Gu Zhangyuan, "Thank you, young master, but your servant is nothing but a lowly criminal slave. Something this precious should be saved for you."

Gu Zhangyuan wasn't angry upon hearing this, but instead walked up to him with a curious expression.

"You obviously don't see yourself as lowly, so why talk about yourself like that?"

Xie Licheng wasn't flustered by the question. He knew he must have carelessly given himself away earlier, or Gu Zhangyuan wouldn't have suddenly said such a thing.

Just as he was thinking about how to answer, the door to the room they were in was kicked in.

The one kicking the door in was none other than Gu Tinghe, who had been searching everywhere for Gu Zhangyuan.

Gu Tinghe kicked the door open and saw the horse slave kneeling on one knee before Gu Zhangyuan.

Seeing that the horse slave had not only put on weight but also fully recovered from his injuries, it made him feel deeply irritated.

A base slave who dared to offend him shouldn't be allowed to live in peace. Thinking this, he wanted to go up and give him a few more lashes with his whip.

But when he rushed over and saw Gu Zhangyuan looking at him coldly, he managed to restrain his temper and didn't actually swing the whip.

Gu Zhangyuan looked at him and said, "Where are your manners? Don't you know to knock before entering your elder brother's room?"

Gu Tinghe sneered at him upon hearing this, "You have manners? Do you act like an elder brother? In broad daylight, you bring a male slave into your room to fool around. Is this the example you set for your younger brothers and sisters?"

Hearing this, Gu Zhangyuan let out a laugh of disbelief and took a step toward Gu Tinghe, looking faintly amused.

"Setting aside whether I was actually fooling around with him, even if I were, do you think you have any right to tell me what to do?"

"I... how do I not have the right? You don't care about your face or your reputation, and you can't marry into another family anyway. But... I care about my face, my reputation, and I still want to get married someday."

"If you want to marry, go speak to Father about it. He'll naturally find you a good family to marry into. As for my affairs, not Father, not Uncle, not Aunt—none of them has any say in them, so there's no need for you, as my younger brother, to bother yourself about it."

With that, Gu Zhangyuan raised his chin slightly and signaled to Xuan Cui and Yuan Qiao, who had rushed in, to escort him out.

Xuan Cui quickly stepped forward to pull Gu Tinghe out, but Gu Tinghe was unwilling to leave so easily. He had finally caught Gu Zhangyuan making a fool of himself and had no intention of leaving obediently.

Gu Tinghe said, "I'm not leaving! You've done something so shameless, why can't I interfere or question it?!"

Xuan Cui said, "Young master, if you keep causing a scene like this, our young master will really lose his temper."

Gu Tinghe retorted, "What right does he have to be angry? What face does he have to be angry? I... Ah?!"

Before Gu Tinghe could finish his words, Gu Zhangyuan raised his hand and slapped him.

He probably hadn't expected Gu Zhangyuan to hit him in front of so many servants, so he looked completely stunned.

It wasn't until Xuan Cui and Yuan Qiao dragged him out that he seemed to snap back to reality and let out a scream.

Gu Tinghe cursed loudly, "Bitch! You bitch! How dare you hit me! I'll tell Father! I'll tell Uncle! I'll make sure you die a horrible death!"

Gu Zhangyuan listened to the curses from outside and let out a deep sigh before saying, "Go, lock him in the ancestral hall. Only release him when he admits his mistakes and calms down."

An old servant woman outside received the order and immediately summoned several female martial guards, who gagged the young master and dragged him away.