I Ruined the Long Ao Tian Script

Xuanwu happily shook the rabbit in its grasp: "Did you bring this especially for me? Can I eat it?"

Xu Shulou quickly snatched the trembling rabbit back and tucked it into her arms: "This one isn't for eating."

Xuanwu slumped back to the ground in disappointment: "Then why bring it? Just to show me? It’s not even that cute—covered in fur."

"..." Xu Shulou stroked the rabbit in her arms. Poor Ping'er had been frightened and now insulted for its looks—truly a miserable day.

"Is it your dao companion?" Xuanwu suddenly asked.

"What? Of course not."

Xuanwu stomped a foot: "You pet it, you cradle it in your arms. I thought only dao companions were allowed to be that intimate."

At the mention of this, Xu Shulou grew flustered and hastily pulled out a food box to distract it: "Actually, things aren’t so strict these days. Touching doesn’t necessarily mean marriage. Here, I brought you golden-sliced jade fish."

"Really?" Xuanwu's tortoise body remained still, but its snake head perked up curiously, flicking out its tongue to snag a few pieces of fish. "Not bad. At least you have some conscience. I’ll let the earlier matter slide."

Truly, a magnanimous Xuanwu.

Xu Shulou sighed: "If I hadn’t run fast last time, you’d have drenched me with water. If anyone should be holding a grudge, it’s me."

Xuanwu snorted: "Have you forgotten how you offended this venerable one?"

Xu Shulou changed the subject, producing another food box: "Have some fish."

Xuanwu stopped arguing and busied itself with eating. Seizing the chance, Xu Shulou patted its snake head, and it didn’t resist.

Bai Roushuang, seeing that Xuanwu showed no hostility, relaxed slightly and asked Xu Shulou: "I thought demonic cultivators could only speak after taking human form. How can Xuanwu talk without transforming?"

Xuanwu shot her a disdainful look: "Demonic cultivators? I am an ancient divine beast. Who cares about human forms?"

Xu Shulou, one hand soothing the ruffled rabbit, explained to her junior sister: "Xuanwu is an ancient divine beast, born with intelligence, capable of speech, and blessed with endless lifespan."

Xuanwu’s snake body gave her a meaningful glance, prompting Xu Shulou to add: "They disdain taking human form."

Bai Roushuang found it astonishing how she could detect pride and smugness on a snake’s face.

It glanced at the rabbit in Xu Shulou’s arms: "This venerable one is nothing like those little creatures that let themselves be petted by anyone."

"Yes, yes, you’re mighty and awe-inspiring," Bai Roushuang watched as her senior sister offered a perfunctory compliment, then stealthily stroked the snake’s head while it was busy eating. Xu Shulou then asked, "You don’t like Black Tortoise Tower’s Left Guardian Shen Ji? Why?"

The snake head, occupied with fish, flicked its tail toward the tortoise shell: "You explain."

The tortoise body remained motionless: "She petted you, fed you—what does that have to do with me? You explain."

Bai Roushuang was fascinated: "Do Xuanwu’s tortoise and snake halves have separate minds?"

Xu Shulou shook her head: "Just one mind. It’s putting on a two-man show."

The snake half rolled its eyes: "I’ve lived for tens of thousands of years. Is it so strange to talk to myself when bored?"

The words carried a lonely, desolate tone. Xu Shulou pondered briefly: "How about this—shrink down like last time, and I’ll sneak you out for a stroll."

"No way. The moment I’m small, you reckless cultivators will take the chance to pet and cuddle me."

It lifted its head haughtily, looking down at Xu Shulou with an air of having seen through her schemes.

Xu Shulou chuckled: "Don’t you want to leave Black Tortoise Tower and see the world?"

"I’ve lived so long—what haven’t I seen?" Xuanwu said indifferently. "For instance, the years between your last visit and today are but a blink to me."

"Senior Sister," Bai Roushuang whispered curiously, "Is it truly indifferent, or is it upset you took so long to visit?"

Xu Shulou wasn’t sure either: "Probably indifferent. Without some detachment, how could one endure endless life?"

Having finished the fish, Xuanwu lazily coiled up: "If there’s nothing else, you may leave."

"This lowly one shall take her leave," Xu Shulou teased in response. "But there’s one more thing—what kind of person is Black Tortoise Tower’s current leader, Gao Zhuo?"

Surprisingly, Xuanwu shook its snake head: "I don’t know. When he first became leader, he was an enthusiastic young man. But he hasn’t visited me in a long time since then."

Xu Shulou nodded: "Then I’ll be going. I’ll visit again when I have time."

As the two left Xuanwu’s massive chamber, Bai Roushuang stuck out her tongue: "I’ve never seen a divine beast with such a personality..."

"Divine beast." A rumbling voice echoed from behind the door, correcting her.

"..."

Only when they were farther away did Bai Roushuang dare ask: "Senior Sister, how come you can’t navigate other paths, yet know your way around a divine beast’s room so well?"

Xu Shulou pointed upward: "Because the first time I came to Black Tortoise Tower, I entered from there."

"..." Bai Roushuang looked up in surprise but saw no sign of an entrance. Then again, what sect would build an entrance on the roof?

Xu Shulou’s eyes held a faint nostalgia: "Back then, I was dueling with someone, and we accidentally smashed through the roof."

"And then?" Bai Roushuang was instantly intrigued by her senior sister’s wilder past.

Xu Shulou smiled: "That was many years ago. The leader and Left Guardian weren’t the current ones. The leader then was a delightful old man. Instead of scolding us, he let us finish our duel. After I won, he gifted me the most beautiful epiphyllum in the tower. Pity—I’ve never managed to make it bloom."

Bai Roushuang sighed wistfully: "Black Tortoise Tower sounds so different back then."

Xu Shulou nodded: "The old man was already fading. I remember him saying his successor should be virtuous, someone who could benefit the people of Ruzhou. But who knows what changes happened after that."

Bai ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‍Roushuang recalled the fifth young master they’d met earlier and wrinkled her nose: "Maybe the current leader isn’t so bad—just lax with his sons?"

"Perhaps." Xu Shulou adjusted her disguise artifact. "It’s late. Let’s return to our room."

"Alright."

When they returned, Gao Ming was already waiting inside, his expression a perfect mix of indignation and resistance—eerily similar to Ping'er when tied to the bed earlier.

"Take off your pants," he said coldly the moment Xu Shulou entered.

"..."

For the first time in her life, Xu Shulou was rendered speechless by such an opening line. Bai Roushuang, however, burst into laughter.

"You—" Gao Ming’s gaze landed on Bai Roushuang’s face, shifting from confusion to shock. "It’s you?"

Xu Shulou had no choice but to remove her disguise again: "It's me, Fellow Daoist Gao. I'm here to rescue you."

"You actually came?" Gao Ming looked at her as if she were a warrior, his fingers resting on her left wrist. "Did you remove the gu worm? Has the wound healed? Where is the real Shen Ji?"

Xu Shulou chose to answer the third question: "He's asleep in your bed."

"..."

"If you mind, I can at least compensate you with a new bedsheet."

"Who's talking about bedsheets?" Gao Ming checked her pulse and relaxed slightly. "Good, good, the love gu has been completely removed. I never thought you'd actually endure it—your willpower is the strongest I've ever seen. But you’re still reckless. You should leave before anyone notices."

Xu Shulou pulled a rabbit from her sleeve, cradled it in her arms, and sat down in front of him. "Since I’m already here. I can take you away today, but he can always summon you back. Since you’re suffering under Gao Jie, why not just leave Ruzhou City?"

Gao Ming sighed. "I can’t accept it."

"Accept what?"

"You risked your life to save me, so I won’t hide the truth. Remember before I removed the gu, I said I hoped you could help me kill someone?" Gao Ming sighed again. "That person is the current master of Black Tortoise Tower."

Xu Shulou noticed that he neither called him "father" nor by his name, but instead referred to him as "the master of Black Tortoise Tower."

"How do you know I can kill him?"

"When I saw you remain calm despite carrying the love gu, I knew you were no ordinary person," Gao Ming shook his head. "Besides, I was desperate at the time."

"Why kill him?"

"Because he killed my mother," Gao Ming’s expression turned cold. "He claimed she had poisoned him with a love gu, then killed her with his own hands."

"..."

"I was young then. In my memory, they were always deeply in love, rarely even arguing... I believed him at first. But later, I found my mother’s books and began studying gu poison. That’s when I realized his symptoms didn’t match those of someone afflicted by a love gu."

"..."

"My mother was from Miaojiang and had indeed studied gu poison, so many believed his story. No one bothered to investigate. When I voiced my suspicions, they dismissed me, saying I was too young to remember anything." Gao Ming shook his head. "When he found out I was studying gu poison, he berated me, burned all my mother’s books—though I’d hidden some beforehand."

"You want me to kill your father?"

Gao Ming shook his head again. "I suspect he isn’t my father at all."

"Disguise?" Xu Shulou touched her own face.

"No, no disguise spell or artifact could last that long."

"Possession? Skinning your father to make a mask?" Xu Shulou speculated. "Or some monster that peeled off his skin and wore it?"

"...Actually, I just meant to say—my father had a long-lost twin brother. Could he have taken my father’s place?" Gao Ming stared at her, stunned. "It’s not as sinister as you imagine."

"Apologies," Xu Shulou shrugged. "But your theory is still quite a stretch. Do you have proof?"

"No. But when I was young, my father would shield me from wind and rain with his spiritual energy, not letting a single drop touch me," Gao Ming murmured, staring at his legs. "Now, he has no qualms about treating me like this..."

Bai Roushuang sympathized. "Physician Gao, I understand how you feel—not wanting to believe your own kin could do such a thing. My mother once..." She paused before continuing, "But your theory is highly unlikely."

"You’re being polite. Some have outright called me mad for suggesting this," Gao Ming smiled bitterly. "But after my mother’s death, Black Tortoise Tower underwent frequent power shifts. Even his close friends were sent away to guard spiritual veins. They blamed it on my mother’s death and the love gu altering his temperament, but I don’t believe it."

Bai Roushuang poured him tea. "Physician Gao, if your father were truly replaced, wouldn’t others notice?"

"My mother probably noticed. That’s why she went from being his wife to his late wife," Gao Ming said sarcastically.

"..."

Xu Shulou stood. "I understand, Fellow Daoist Gao. Do you wish to stay here, or shall I escort you out?"

Gao Ming was disappointed, but he was used to no one believing him. He nodded. "I want to leave."

After a moment, he added, "You’re right. I should consider leaving Ruzhou City. At the very least, I shouldn’t give the master of Black Tortoise Tower another excuse to spill the blood of the Joyful Union Sect."

Bai Roushuang, having witnessed his fragile hope and subsequent resignation, felt a pang of sorrow. She patted his shoulder gently. "I’ll push you out."

Fortunately, Gao Ming knew the way, allowing them to avoid areas where the Fifth Young Master might appear. They soon reached the gates of Black Tortoise Tower.

Xu Shulou pointed imperiously at Gao Ming in his wheelchair. "The Fifth Young Master ordered me to dump him outside under cover of night."

The guards, seemingly accustomed to such scenes, bowed obsequiously. "Understood."

Xu Shulou then stuffed a rabbit into Bai Roushuang’s arms and mimicked Left Protector Shen Ji’s tone, barking, "Hurry and take him away! If the Tower Master finds out, you’ll regret it!"

Is Shijie not coming? Bai Roushuang panicked but dared not speak in front of the guards.

Xu Shulou sent a voice transmission: "Don’t worry. If I haven’t rejoined you by dawn, leave Ruzhou City and lay low."

Bai Roushuang fumed. Shijie is ditching me—probably to do something dangerous again.

They first escorted Ping'er back to the Drunken Dream Pavilion before returning to their small courtyard. Bai Roushuang anxiously waited for dawn, but Xu Shulou proved surprisingly reliable this time, reappearing while the night was still deep.

Bai Roushuang rushed to meet her. "Shijie, are you alright?"

"I’m fine, but I stole something," Xu Shulou admitted sheepishly.

Bai Roushuang gasped. "You didn’t actually steal the sect’s sacred beast, did you?"

Xu Shulou straightened, radiating righteousness. "How could I do such a thing?"

Bai Roushuang exhaled in relief. "Good, good. Then what did you steal?"

Xu Shulou pushed open the courtyard gate and dragged in a human-shaped object. "I stole their Tower Master."

"..."