The Protagonist is Always Intimidating Me - Chapter 40

An hour had passed since they left. Mo Hankui stood with his hands behind his back, his gray eyes fixed on the brightly lit Main Palace of Yinchen Hall in the distance, a look of barely concealed worry in his gaze.

He had wanted to go with Bai Meng, but his role and status made it impossible—he was the Master of Xingge Hall. Even if no one in Xingge Hall would dare oppose him now, the words of the elders from Yinchen Hall made him realize that even if he didn’t care, the rumors would inevitably target Bai Meng.

He didn’t want things to end that way.

He just wanted to give Bai Meng the best.

Mo Hankui’s slender fingers tapped the windowsill, his hands pale as jade, with sharply defined joints. The wood beneath creaked under the pressure, the dull sound echoing around the quiet room.

Lowering his gaze slightly, Mo Hankui turned his eyes to the nearby river. It flowed calmly, resembling silver brocade silk under the moonlight, with shimmering white ripples like tiny scales glinting under the moon’s glow.

The rhythm of Mo Hankui’s tapping was steady, until suddenly, a dark figure emerged from the riverbank. Startled, Mo Hankui clenched the wooden edge, splintering it.

“Cough, cough, cough…” Bai Meng stumbled out of the water, soaked, and reached back to pull two people out with each hand.

“Pffft—”

Lan Wei remained expressionless as he spat a mouthful of water onto Bai Meng, and then sneered.

“Had enough? Lucky for you I’m from Lanxi Hall and grew up around water. Otherwise, I’d be choking like that little fool, Xiao Jiuge.”

Mo Jiuge, struggling to stand, coughed continuously. None of them had anticipated that the exit Bai Meng opened would lead into the river. All three were submerged and, despite his strong affinity for water, Lan Wei had swallowed a mouthful, not to mention Bai Meng and Mo Jiuge, who rarely encountered water, the experience had nearly left them drowning.

In a critical moment, however, one can often unleash unexpected potential—especially Bai Meng, whose animal-like instincts had him swimming to shore, dog-paddling his way up while pulling the other two along.

Once out, he looked dazed as Lan Wei sprayed water all over his face.

Even though Bai Meng was splashed in the face, he didn’t appear too angry. Hearing Lan Wei’s remark, he only narrowed his eyes slightly before dunking him back underwater again.

“Mmmph…!”

Now, instead of one person coughing and gasping, there were two—Mo Jiuge and Lan Wei.

Supporting the injured Lan Wei, Bai Meng helped him along while Mo Jiuge trailed behind. The three of them hurried back to the inn under the moonlight, where they found Mo Hankui standing at the entrance, holding a long whip. Upon seeing them, he put it away unhurriedly and said in a low voice, “Come in.”

Back at the inn, they quickly changed out of their soaked clothes. Bai Meng, with his short hair, dried off in a few hasty bursts of spiritual energy, his little tail shaking briskly as if he’d just taken a bath.

When Bai Meng came back out, Mo Jiuge was quietly reporting the situation to Mo Hankui, while Lan Wei sat alone in a corner of the room, drinking something.

When Bai Meng went downstairs, his keen sense of smell detected a faint scent of alcohol in the air. Following the scent, he approached Lan Wei and found him drinking a stash of fine liquor that the innkeeper had carefully hidden away.

“What?! Where did you steal that from? I thought the innkeeper hid that stuff really well!”

Bai Meng was stunned.

“What’s that supposed to mean?! Who are you calling a thief?” Lan Wei shot him a sideways glance. “I’m a famous master—if I dig it out by skill, it’s not theft, it’s called taking. Understand? Want a drink?”

“……”

Alright, fine, whatever you say.

Without a word, Bai Meng sat down and accepted the offer without hesitation. Glancing up at Lan Wei, he noticed that he was already slightly tipsy.

Lan Wei had changed into clean clothes, and his wounds had been dressed with bandages, but his hair was still dripping wet, with little droplets falling from the dark blue tips, soaking his new clothes.

Bai Meng got up, fetched a towel, and tossed it to Lan Wei. “Why don’t you dry your hair? You’ll have a terrible headache when you wake up.”

“Because I like it this way! And you, little guy, why aren’t you sleeping yet? Hoping to get even shorter?” Lan Wei caught the towel, grinning with mischief.

“Oh, go away! Do you even know how to talk properly?!” Bai Meng, unwilling to argue with a drunk, glanced over and saw that Mo Jiuge had finished discussing important matters with Mo Hankui. Bai Meng promptly dragged Mo Hankui upstairs to rest, leaving Lan Wei to Mo Jiuge without a second thought.

“Elder Lan Wei…”

“You don’t have to stand around here. You’re such an eyesore!” Lan Wei waved his hand dismissively at Mo Jiuge, signaling him to leave.

“……” Mo Jiuge helplessly glanced at Lan Wei, who clearly had no intention of resting, and went upstairs alone. From the stairway corner, he took one last look at Lan Wei, sitting alone, feeling an inexplicable sense of unease.

In the Four Halls Tournament, Mo Jiuge had once seen Lan Wei. If not for a vague memory of his face, even Mo Jiuge might not have recognized him—Lan Wei had changed so much.

Back in the day when they first met, Lan Wei was full of youthful vigor. Among the four halls, he was the youngest elder and rivaled the best in strength. That year’s tournament drew countless participants, yet Lan Wei alone stood above them, hailed by all as the “pride of heaven.”

But now, in stark contrast to his former splendor, he seemed like someone whose spirit had been broken, his limbs shattered, his meridians severed. All his blood seemed drained, leaving only his spine rigid, as if in the final throes before death.

…What on earth am I thinking?

Mo Jiuge shook his head, brushing off these inexplicable thoughts, and left Lan Wei alone downstairs with his drink.

As the surrounding silence deepened, Lan Wei kept pouring alcohol into his mouth as if it were water, seemingly unfazed by drunkenness.

His wet hair clung to his neck, the night breeze sending chills down his spine. Grabbing the towel Bai Meng had handed him, he wiped his hair roughly before angrily throwing it back to the floor, his dark blue eyes filled with frustration.

“I hate drying my hair… hate it…”

Lan Wei’s voice trailed off, and silence reclaimed the room. He sat, lost in thought, his voice softening, “I didn’t mean to disturb you…”

He looked like a child who had done something wrong, floundering helplessly with his explanations. But it was no use… no use… Lan Wei tugged violently at his light blue hair, his handsome face filled with despair.

“…I was too reckless, too selfish. I won’t act like that anymore… I was wrong…”

He couldn’t get drunk, so he knew he had erred. And perhaps he was already drunk, for why else would he keep apologizing?

Lan Cheng was dead. He clearly…

Couldn’t hear him anymore.