Chapter 53 Yanran's Little Rabbit Suggests Visiting a Brothel

After Gu He left a message for Yun Yun, he departed the Sect with Nalan Yanran, who had quickly changed her clothes.

Neither of them wore the Sect's attire embroidered with the Colorful Cloud Sword.

At the foot of the mountain, the crowds were bustling, as dense as woven threads, with the cries of street vendors rising and falling.

"Jianbing Guozi! Get your Jianbing Guozi here—"

"Come take a look, have a look..."

Nalan Yanran swayed in her pink dress, circling Gu He like a little peach blossom.

Suddenly, she stopped beside a small stall.

"Gu He, look! It's a little rabbit!"

Gu He was somewhat surprised that Nalan Yanran didn't call him Elder. He looked toward where she was pointing and saw a stall making Glutinous Rice Cakes.

The female stall owner was using a machine to cut the Glutinous Rice Cakes. On a small table at her stall sat a large, hollowed-out wooden box containing a rabbit-shaped rice cake, its eyes made of red beans looking quite spirited.

Yanran asked, "Is this rabbit a brown sugar Glutinous Rice Cake?"

The stall owner had sharp eyes and immediately judged something from Nalan Yanran's clothing, saying,

"The one you're talking about is a model and isn't edible. If you want a rabbit shape, I can provide the Materials for the two of you to make your own."

"However many you make, I'll help you steam them."

Gu He stepped forward and tossed a bag of gold coins.

There were probably dozens of gold coins in the bag. The stall owner beamed with joy and brought out her glutinous rice flour, roasted peanuts, sesame seeds, and other items, setting them on the table where customers ate for Gu He and Yanran.

The two of them sat down.

Gu He looked at the array of tools and Materials and asked with a hint of gravity,

"Yanran, do you know how to make Glutinous Rice Cakes?"

Nalan Yanran was stunned for a moment. "Um... I just need to wrap the filling with the dough and shape it into a little rabbit... right?"

Her eyes darted around toward the ground, looking somewhat silly and cute.

Gu He could barely suppress a smile. After washing his hands, he took a small ball of brown sugar glutinous rice dough, rolled it into a ball, pressed it into a disc, and then added the filling. As he worked, he said,

"Follow my lead."

Yanran nodded and began to imitate him bit by bit.

...

Finally, two plump, creamy-white little rabbits were freshly made. After Yanran sprinkled them with coconut powder, she carefully added two pairs of red bean eyes. For a moment, she looked quite reluctant to eat them.

"Silly girl, if you don't eat it, it'll harden!"

The two rabbit-shaped rice cakes together were about the size of a man's palm, and their four legs were stained with flower stamen juice—

Actually, they looked a bit like 'dark cuisine'.

But since they were made by their own hands, Gu He took a bite and finished off the rabbit's ears.

To be honest, it was a bit dry, but also had a sweet and soft chewiness.

Nalan Yanran's almond-shaped eyes, like those of a cat, went wide, and the pink lips on her snow-white face were very prominent.

"One bite for both ears?"

Gu He looked at the rice rabbit and couldn't help but nod.

Just as he thought Nalan Yanran had softened toward the snack they had made,

A wind blade flashed from Yanran's fingertip. Before the wind had even passed, the rabbit's head was severed.

Revealing the black sesame filling inside.

Nalan Yanran took a fierce bite, her tone carrying an unconscious bitterness, like cutting into a sour grapefruit.

"When I was little, I liked rabbits, so I had a guard uncle catch one and kept it in a cage."

"Later, my grandfather found out. He was very angry, saying these 'playthings' would delay my Cultivation and sap my ambition. He killed that rabbit right in front of me."

In her memory, that fluffy snow-white rabbit seemed to still be in her palm.

Warm beast blood splattered on her face, reflecting confusion amidst the macabre scene.

From then on, she Cultivated desperately, as if she had lost her goal, yet found an excuse to charge headlong in a certain direction.

Later, she happened to catch the eye of the Cloud Mist Sect Master, Yun Yun, and became a Personal Disciple, her cultivation progressing even further.

Nalan Yanran took another bite of the rice cake, her tone carrying a complex nostalgia.

"I cried for a long time back then, and I was sulking for nearly a month. But looking back now, the rabbit doesn't matter anymore..."

"...I can't go back to the past."

Her eyes were dazed as she finished the snack in her hand bit by bit.

It was very sweet, very filling, and also very delicious.

Gu He cut off the part of his rice cake he had already bitten and handed the earless rabbit to Nalan Yanran.

"Do you want it?"

Yanran burst into laughter.

"I'm already full, Gu He!"

She didn't refuse the rice cake; after taking it, she bit into it directly. After chewing away the sweetness, she licked the corner of her lips and only spoke after a long while.

"So, I've learned to look forward now."

"Do you know? The moment I defeated Xiao Yan, it felt so good!" Yanran tilted her head with a clever smile, the sweetness of the dessert seemingly flowing into her heart and rippling across her face.

At this moment, she was extremely close to Gu He.

Gu He watched her smile and the way the tassel accessories behind her head swayed, and he couldn't help but press her fluffy head into his chest.

He sighed.

"I can understand what you're saying... we are both lonely people."

"Since I was a child, I never knew who my parents were. I was fostered in a kind family's home. Later, I stumbled through learning some alchemical knowledge, and when I got older, I came to this Imperial Capital..."

"Drifting through the wind and rain for years."

"Sometimes I also... feel an indescribable sense of loneliness and think of when I was young."

Gu He's palm shifted slightly, touching Nalan Yanran's cheek and feeling a warm tear.

"Why are you crying again?"

Yanran buried her small face deep, whispering,

"I've brought up your sad memories..." She sounded like a child who had made a mistake, seeking forgiveness.

"Not at all. It's just that we're the same, and I couldn't help but say a few words," Gu He said.

"Then... can you tell me more about yourself?" Nalan Yanran raised her small head. The phthalocyanine blue tassels at her temples swayed, looking much like the ripples on a lake.

"Alright." Gu He dropped some of his steady composure, took her hand, and spoke freely as they walked.

"The city where I lived as a child was very small and remote, in a corner of the Jia Ma Empire. It was very poor there..."

...

The two of them wandered idly and unknowingly arrived at an exceptionally lively street.

Red lanterns hung on both sides of the street, giving it a festive appearance.

Most of the people walking on the street were young and middle-aged men.

"Intoxicating Red Tower, He Huan Pavilion, Spring Snow Tower, Fragrant Scent Pavilion, Jade Orchid Tower..."

Nalan Yanran read out the names on the shop plaques along the street word by word as far as the eye could see.

"Gu He, what kind of shops are they? The names are so elegant!"

"Intoxicating Red Tower... is it a restaurant for tea and wine?"

Her almond eyes flashed with curiosity, her cheeks flushed pink, and she suddenly leaned close to Gu He to ask.

"Hmm?"

Gu He was stunned. He observed the surroundings and suddenly realized they had unintentionally walked into the most bustling red-light district of the Imperial Capital!

Nalan Yanran didn't know where this was, but how could he, a grown man, not know?

"Cough, well, we've been out for quite a while. It's time to go back." Gu He's voice was as steady as ever, without a trace of panic.

Nalan Yanran pouted her small lips, her eyes carrying a faint dissatisfaction. She was somewhat puzzled by Gu He's sudden words.

"Why go back all of a sudden! Let's browse a bit more~"

"How about... we go back after visiting this Intoxicating Red Tower?" She swayed Gu He's arm and proposed with a sweet voice.

...