Slag Shou Cultivating Manual - Chapter 50

After stepping off the stage, He Lang met Ge Rulan.

She appeared astonished, saying, “I thought you’d be tossed off the stage with the first move, given how you lost your skills.”

Ge Wenjing nodded in approval, though his eyes showed a peculiar fervor. “It’s been a while since we sparred. I didn’t realize you’ve made such great progress. Rather than waiting for a suitable day, let’s go to the training ground now and have a match!”

He Lang hurriedly declined. Fortunately, at that moment, another disciple came to inform him that the elder was looking for him urgently, so he rushed off.

He originally thought he’d have to wait a few more days for the sect leader to make a decision about the protector position.

To his surprise, as soon as he stepped off the stage, the elder told him he was now the Right Protector.

Even though it was considered irregular and displeased many senior members, it was the sect leader’s personal decision.

Before He Lang could inform the Demon Doctor, the elder told him to pack his things and move to the sect leader’s side hall that night to serve him.

He Lang quickly packed his few belongings and went to the Demon Doctor to express his thanks.

Upon hearing that He Lang had been appointed Right Protector within hours, the Demon Doctor was astonished and lamented, “I didn’t expect you to succeed! If I had known, I would have tried my luck too!”

As he entered the grand hall he had never been in before, he had many thoughts. Would being a protector expose him to constant danger? How should he protect his assigned tasks?

However, reality proved contrary to his thoughts.

Rather than being a protector, He Lang felt more like a servant waiting on the sect leader.

In the few hours since he assumed the role, he had found himself staring at the back of the sect leader for two hours.

The sect leader, Ao Li, when He Lang first heard his name, smiled to himself, hoping this person would indeed stand out as his name suggested.

His appearance seemed to match his name: sharp features, prominent brow bones giving his eyes a deep-set look, and a frequently cold expression with tightly pressed lips. His eyes carried a natural arrogance, his gestures lazy but with an overbearing air of someone accustomed to power.

Ao Li seemed idle and unbothered with sect affairs, lounging with numerous art books scattered on his desk. He patiently examined each book, and only during these moments did his usually emotionless eyes reveal a hint of longing and curiosity.

With nothing else to do, He Lang observed him closely. Noticing Ao Li’s interest in art, he softly asked, “Does the sect leader have a fondness for painting and calligraphy?”

Ao Li, absorbed in his artwork, paused slightly, surprised by the new protector’s question.

After a long moment, he gave a slight nod.

Seeing Ao Li’s acknowledgment, He Lang naturally smiled. “I also enjoy painting and calligraphy. If the sect leader doesn’t mind, I could demonstrate my skills.”

He Lang wasn’t trying to show off or get closer to him but simply made the offer out of empathy, seeing how lonely Ao Li appeared flipping through the art books. If the Left Protector were present, he would have surely been startled by He Lang’s boldness.

Without a word, Ao Li suddenly appeared in front of him.

He Lang found himself staring into eyes filled with hostility, facing the intense scrutiny. His heart remained calm, though he suspected that under such pressure from this unpredictable person, he might be thrown out.

Ao Li’s pupils had a metallic sheen, appearing cold and impersonal.

He averted his gaze and responded with a barely audible acknowledgment.

Relieved, He Lang immediately smiled, moved to the desk in front of him, and prepared to draw. He unrolled a sheet of rice paper, picked up a brush, and began his work with smooth and natural movements, creating a piece of art with a certain grace.

Having mastered painting and calligraphy, a few strokes were enough for him to capture Ao Li’s likeness.

In the painting, Ao Li’s expression was not as fierce as it had been when looking at He Lang. Instead, he appeared with a slight smile, drawing the viewer into his gentleness.

Ao Li’s expression began to change subtly.

If… if he really smiled… would it look like this?

To capture Ao Li’s image accurately, He Lang had to look at him several times.

But these few glances made Ao Li angry, who felt this new protector had no manners. He immediately barked, “What are you staring at?”

He Lang’s smile faltered momentarily but didn’t retreat. Despite Ao Li’s scowling and intimidating appearance, he felt no killing intent. Perhaps because he wasn’t afraid of death, he truly couldn’t be frightened by his task.

“Since the sect leader is so good-looking, why shouldn’t people look?”

He Lang, with a hint of deliberate intent, didn’t realize how chilling his words might sound.

He expected the fearsome and bloodthirsty sect leader to react aggressively, but Ao Li simply turned away with a look of disgust and coldly ordered, “Do not look at me.”

Ao Li wanted to give himself a punch. Why was his face feeling slightly warm? It was truly strange.

Seeing that Ao Li did not act aggressively, He Lang became bolder and began to speak in grandiose terms, “Why not? As your protector, I need to keep an eye on you at all times.”

“…You’re too good-looking. It makes me uncomfortable being stared at,” Ao Li murmured, looking down, his mouth moving slightly.

Indeed, when that person looked at him, his eyes seemed to flow like mist, sparkling with a focused smile, as if he saw only Ao Li… What was this? He was just a trivial new protector.

His words were barely audible, so He Lang asked again, “What did the sect leader say? I didn’t catch it.”

The air seemed to freeze for a moment before surging violently, like a roaring beast.

“Get out! I said get out!”

Ao Li, furious, shouted. With a slight movement of his hand, he released a strong burst of internal force, hurling He Lang out of the room with no resistance.

He Lang was thrown out, extremely embarrassed. If not for his trained physique, he might have had a few ribs broken by the seemingly casual but immensely powerful wind strike.

This person is really overbearing! He Lang rubbed his sore body.

Although his impression of Ao Li wasn’t great, he had to be respectful as his subordinate.

…

Due to being thrown out on the first day, He Lang’s pride was hurt. Plus, with his old injuries still healing, he did not serve by the sect leader’s side that day.

It was not his intention; however, the Left Protector had given him a warning the night before, saying he was unwilling to work with him and decided to take turns.

He Lang had no choice but to agree. The sect leader was indeed difficult to deal with, so a day off was not too bad.

The next day, the Left Protector regretted his previous words. Despite his usual diligent handling of sect affairs, the sect leader’s expression remained dark and unchanging. He spent the whole day staring at a painting on his desk.

And the person in the painting was the sect leader himself? The Left Protector, gathering his courage, asked quietly to ease the sect leader’s mood but was met with a glare and an aura of demonic energy that startled him.

The Left Protector’s heart grew cold. He thought that the sect leader’s temper had worsened, and he would rather be assigned a mission far away.

Fortunately, when it was time to rest, he could return to his quarters.

As night fell and the person did not arrive, Ao Li slowly asked, “Where is he?”

The Left Protector was stunned for a while before realizing that the sect leader was referring to the new Right Protector from yesterday.

“Uh… the Right Protector is injured, so he didn’t come to serve today.”

Ao Li’s brows furrowed again.

Injured? But he wasn’t hurt in the arena. Could it be that my force was too strong yesterday? He usually dealt with people this way, and he hadn’t seen any injuries on the Left Protector. Was the new guy really so fragile…

Ao Li’s ambiguous expression made the Left Protector anxious. He had originally been unhappy about sharing duties with the new protector and wanted more opportunities to perform in front of the sect leader. But now, he thought it might be better to let the new guy face this ordeal.

He Lang, still not fully recovered, was instructed by the Left Protector to follow the sect leader every day from now on.

He Lang, not understanding the customs and assuming this was the sect leader’s will, nodded in agreement.

The Left Protector left contentedly, looking forward to seeing the new protector’s misfortune.

The next day, He Lang showed up for work with some concern, wondering if the medical expenses could be reimbursed and whether this could be considered a work injury.

But unexpectedly, Ao Li seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when he saw He Lang and then tossed him a bottle of medicine, treating it like a piece of trash given to a beggar.

He Lang took it without much concern and thanked him naturally.

In the daily duty of watching over Ao Li, He Lang discovered that the sect leader was very… as Guatu described, reclusive.

Every day, Ao Li did nothing and simply had He Lang stand behind him, which was extremely boring. So, Ao Li would have him paint for him.

At least this gave He Lang something to do, returning to his daily practice of poetry and painting.

He transitioned from a senior servant to a personal artist.

However, He Lang couldn’t help but wonder why the hall, so wealthy, couldn’t afford to hire a professional artist… 

**Author’s Note:** Fewer and fewer people are reading! Could it be the synopsis feels too much like a typical drama… and the story develops slowly, so… has everyone left? My friends have criticized me a lot; I’ll speed up the pace Σ（っ °Д °；）っ