Chapter 31 Hello, Brother Ghost General! Part 1

Hearing what Yu Ze said, Gu Ye stood stiffly on the chair. His hands are still raised to take the painting while his face is showing a stunned expression. His fingertips trembled as he asked, "So it’s not just Old Master Yu’s masterpiece in this room?"

Yu Ze put one hand on the chair and stabilized it, "His so-called treasure is this one. On his birthday one year, I forgot to prepare a present. So I drew this for him impromptu, and he hung it up as a treasure."

Gu Ye is shocked, Yu Ze must have been influenced by his father to draw so well! He really can't imagine that the cold and calm Yu Ze could have such a mind at the age of sixteen. This person's appearance is too deceiving.

"Well, the sentence just now... doesn't count." Thinking of what he said just now, Gu Ye explained awkwardly, "I thought it was all Old Master Yu's work."

Yu Ze's eyes darkened, and he asked lightly, "Which sentence?"

Gu Ye hehe-ed twice. He can’t tell Yu Ze that it’s the part where he said he has fallen in love. Seeing Yu Ze's expression, it seems that he doesn't care at all. Gu Ye felt relieved immediately, normal men should not be so sensitive. He took off the painting and shifted to another topic directly, "It's nothing. So, can this painting be given to me?"

Yu Ze suppressed the emotions in his eyes that no one else could understand, "If you like it, just take it away."

Gu Ye smiled with curved eyes, "I like this one the most, and can you write a few words for me?"

Yu Ze refused in disdain, "The painting is too ugly. It is not worth an inscription."

Gu Ye looked at the painting again, and really couldn't agree with Yu Ze's sense of aesthetics, "Where is it ugly? It’s so handsome, alright?! Please write me an inscription, thank you!"

Yu Ze stretched out his hand to help Gu Ye get off the chair but didn't answer.

There’s nothing Gu Ye couldn't do if he wanted to do it. How could he just let Yu Ze go like this? Grabbing Yu Ze by the sleeve, Gu Ye dragged him to sit at the desk by the wall, "Please write me a sentence, consider it as my reward."

Yu Ze is still unmoved, "You have taken all 3 paintings, and you still want a reward?"

Gu Ye pressed Yu Ze on the chair, acting like a rogue, "It's because the old master likes me and appreciates me, so it doesn't count."

Yu Ze laughed, "So clever to see it like that."

Gu Ye pointed to his eyes, "Brother Monkey’s golden fire eyes*, I can tell whether others are looking down on me or not/take me lightly."

*Reference to Monkey King who has golden fire eyes that can see through the disguise of demons

Yu Ze laughed, "It's a good skill. But I want to know, why did you choose this one among so many paintings?"

"Because ‘Broken Sword’ is very imposing, and I feel quite similar to myself. I have been abandoned by thousands of people, and yet I am still standing here strong." Gu Ye then asked proudly, "Looking at the entire mystic society now, who else but me?”

Gu Ye put the calligraphy brush into Yu Ze's hand and urged him, "You won't understand anyway even if I explained, just help me write it!"

Facing those longing eyes, Yu Ze dipped his brush in the ink helplessly, "What do you want me to write?"

Gu Ye said seriously, "Please write - Gu Ye is number one in the world, everyone else is bullshit!"

Yu Ze just wanted to put the brush down.

"Eh? Don't put it down, write it quickly! You must sign it with your name, and also state the date."

Amidst Gu Ye's urging, Yu Ze wrote such a second-grade/chuunibyou sentence with a sullen face. After finished writing, he held his forehead with his palm. Gu Ye patted him on the shoulder to comfort him, "Mr. Yu has written such good words. The stroke is proud and flamboyant. Someday when I set up a stall under the overpass, you can sell calligraphy by my side. We will definitely get rich."

Yu Ze imagined the scene with a sullen face. Then he put down the pen with a cold face, never wanting to pick it up again.

Gu Ye chuckled a few times. He put the painting on the table and admired it again. In his heart, he felt that this painting not only has the temperament of the Ghost General but also magically complements his life. He, Gu Ye, is dead, but so what? He has come back to life and kicking, and he has done so many good things that even God can’t bear to take him.

And so, the painting is placed on the table while Gu Ye went around in the study again. Finally, he chose a calligraphy scroll of majestic poems, Yue Fei's ‘Man Jiang Hong’. Gu Ye felt that his father would definitely like the heroic style of Yu Lao's cursive strokes.

As soon as Gu Ye picked up the calligraphy scroll, Zhao Pengyu entered while eating an ice cream, and saw the painting on the table at a glance. Then, when he saw the inscription on the painting, Zhao Pengyu couldn't control his tongue out of shock.

"You guys... Uncle, are you being hor-n-y (fā sāo)?"

Yu Ze’s expression darkened and he said sternly, "Swallow what's in your mouth before speaking."

Zhao Pengyu quickly wiped his mouth, "I mean, do you have a fever (fā shāo)? You even wrote this for him!"

Zhao Pengyu is in a complicated mood and doesn't know how to describe his feelings. After hesitating for a moment, he choked out a sentence, "You guys...you are so childish!"

Gu Ye rolled his eyes, "What do you know!"

Zhao Pengyu went and sat down on a chair. He really didn't understand why his uncle doted on Gu Ye so much.

"Gu Ye, I heard that you took that female ghost away, what do you want to do with it?"

"Not a ghost, she is a spirit and she agreed to be my servant. Good points about her are good-looking, good at singing and dancing, and playing the pipa. In the future, we can develop her skills to do laundry, cooking, accepting delivery, and takeout."

Gu Ye carefully packed the ‘Man Jiang Hong’ and ‘Broken Sword’ into a box. After a moment of consideration, he planned to ask Old Master Yu later about ‘Broken Sword’. Since it is his treasure, why would he tell him to find it and take it away? Can't figure it out.

Standing by the window, no one knows what Yu Ze is thinking, but when he hears their conversation, he asks without turning his head, "Spirit, is there a physical body?"

Gu Ye waved his hand and said regretfully, "No, to cultivate a physical body, it will be a hundred years later, or unless she encountered a big lucky encounter. But I took her because I didn't want to see her destroyed."

Zhao Pengyu shuddered when he thought of Gu Ye carrying a female ghost-like spirit with him, "I feel chilly when I see you."

Gu Ye still said the same sentence, "People like you don't understand at all."

Seeing Gu Ye holding the painting in his arms, Zhao Pengyu suddenly remembered, "I seem to have seen that broken sword in the painting before, eh? Uncle, isn't it the one that was placed in your study before?"

Gu Ye's thoughts are instantly captured, "Is there a real thing?"

Yu Ze turned around, "Do you want to see it?"

Gu Ye had a premonition that the broken sword is definitely related to the Ghost General. Now that it is getting dark, it is time for the Ghost General to show up. "I want to see the real thing, is it convenient?"

"Let's go." Yu Ze turned around and left. Gu Ye is taken aback by the swift decision, Yu Ze is really easy to talk to.

"Mr. Yu, wait a moment. I need to say goodbye to Old Master Yu."

Yu Ze said with a gentle face, "I’ll wait for you at the car then."

Zhao Pengyu quickly raised his hand, "I want to go too!"

Yu Ze’s expression turned cold, "No, you don't want to."

Zhao Pengyu: "..."

Gu Ye hurriedly went to look for Old Master Yu and saw that those masters had all left. Old Master Yu is drinking tea with Elder Tang. When he saw Gu Ye holding 3 scrolls, he asked him with a smile, "Which other 2 did you pick? Let me have a look."

Gu Ye opened the scrolls with a smile. As soon as Old Master Yu saw Yu Ze's writing, he burst out laughing, "You really have some abilities, to be able to make him write for you. I asked him to write for me before, but he didn't do it."

Gu Ye said with a smile, "Because I'm shameless enough, I can play tricks."

Old Man Yu chuckled, "How can you be so self-deprecating? This is also your skill. I really want to know what expression Yu Ze had when he wrote these words."

Gu Ye thought for a while, then smirked, "Probably a despairing expression."

"That must be very interesting." Old Master Yu took a sip of tea happily, "So tell me, you coming to see me shouldn’t be just to say goodbye, right?"

"Yes," Gu Ye put away the painting, and asked earnestly, "I don't understand. Since you have always cherished this painting, why did you give it to me now?"

Old Master Yu looked at Gu Ye with a smile, "Because I think you are destined for this painting, so I know you will fall in love with it. I hope that even if you encounter setbacks in the future, you will not change your original intention. A gentleman must have the will to break rather than bend. Even if broken, there must be the belief in yourself to be able to take down the enemy. I was very happy that Yu Ze was able to draw such an imposing manner years ago, but now he has learned to restrain his sharpness. I seem to see the younger version of him in you."

Old Master Yu then said regretfully, "It's a pity that now that he's grown up, I can't figure out what he's thinking, alas."

At the side, Elder Tang’s words gently stabbed Old Master Yu, "Didn’t he already have such a temperament since he was a child? But you never didn't guess it."

Old Master Yu pressed the teacup on the table with resentment on his face, and several drops of water splashed out.*

*Not sure how to phrase this to make it gentler because they are not quarreling.

Gu Ye almost laughed. He understood the meaning of the two old people’s words, and sincerely thanked them, "I understand what you two mean. Thank you for the teachings, seniors. No matter what happens in the future, I will not change my original intention. As for temper, I will listen to Elder Tang and try to change it."

Elder Tang said happily, "That's good. Your senior brother was just too rigid. There are many ways to save people but he chose the most extreme way. When the entire society of mystic art was at a loss, he slapped them with the fact that he saved a whole city of people with forbidden techniques, at the price of his life. His death made me feel so sad, and it also made me understand that the society of mystical arts needs to be reformed. Otherwise, even if it is passed on, it will be deformed and unhealthy."

Gu Ye said obediently, "I will cherish my life in the future, don't worry."

Raw word count: 5526 (whole chapter)

#EditedMTL
#IAmABananaTranslation
#AppreciateKofi
#AppreciateComments
#NoRepostInWattpad
#PleaseTurnOffAdblock
#ManyThanksForReading