Transmigration: The Peerless Immortal Husband

Tianlin Continent, Yuanyang Town.

The Gu family, one of the three prominent cultivation families in the town, was particularly lively today. It was the 70th birthday of their patriarch, Gu Wenhai. To celebrate, the other two local cultivation families, the Tian family and the Lu family, were present to offer their congratulations.

While the three families competed with one another, they also collaborated to prevent other factions from rising and dividing their cultivation resources. This collaboration often led to intermarriages. For instance, the Gu family patriarch’s eldest grandson, Gu Yao, was betrothed to Lu Minzhu of the Lu family since childhood.

However, even the commoners without spiritual roots in Yuanyang Town knew that this engagement was doomed to fall apart. Why? Because although Gu Yao held the title of the patriarch’s eldest grandson, his mother had passed away early. The saying “where there’s a stepmother, there’s a stepfather” applied even in the cultivation world. Moreover, Gu Yao’s spiritual roots were only marginally better than the weakest kind, the five-element root, making him a four-element root cultivator. This left him underappreciated in the Gu family, living a life worse than some branch family members. How could someone like him be worthy of Lu Minzhu, the Lu family’s beautiful young lady? If Gu Yao had any self-awareness, he should take the initiative to annul the engagement.

The Gu family estate was crowded with guests. The patriarch’s three sons, along with over a dozen grandchildren and outstanding branch family members, were busy entertaining the visitors. Gu Zhixiao, the eldest son, pulled aside his younger brother Gu Zhiming with a stern expression and asked, “It’s Father’s 70th birthday, and all the Gu family’s descendants are here—except your son, Gu Yao. Where is he? Why hasn’t he shown up yet? Does he even know what day it is?”

Gu Zhiming, the least talented of the three brothers, lived in the shadow of his older brother, who was heavily favored by their father, and his younger brother, who was adept at charming their father with sweet words. This left Gu Zhiming in an awkward middle position, pinning all his hopes on his children. However, his eldest son, Gu Yao, was a source of embarrassment. A four-element root cultivator was barely better than an ordinary person in a prestigious cultivation family—a total disgrace. Gu Zhiming typically sent him far away and rarely thought of him, especially on days like this.

“Who knows where that little brat has gone? I’ll find someone to look for him, big brother. Just wait,” Gu Zhiming replied impatiently. If Gu Yao failed to show up at such an important event, not only would Gu Yao be criticized, but Gu Zhiming himself wouldn’t escape scrutiny. He had no choice but to suppress his irritation and prepare to send someone to search for him.

“Father, you stay and entertain the guests. I’ll take a group to find my brother,” Gu Chen, Gu Zhiming’s second son, volunteered, a flash of excitement in his eyes.

“Good boy. Go quickly and bring your brother back. If only Gu Yao were half as promising as you, I wouldn’t have so many worries.” Gu Zhiming’s favorite child was Gu Chen, who had restored some of his dignity. At just thirteen years old, Gu Chen had already reached the fourth level of Qi Refinement. Meanwhile, Zhiming’s new wife had recently given birth to twins. Although the daughter, Xing’er, had weak cultivation, she was already ethereally beautiful. She would undoubtedly marry well in the future and support her twin brother. With such a capable family, Zhiming was confident their branch would thrive.

“Don’t worry, Father. I’ll persuade Brother to stop troubling you. Uncle, I’ll take my leave now.” After bowing respectfully, Gu Chen left the main hall.

In the northwest corner of the Gu family estate lay a secluded courtyard. Compared to the lively scene at the front, this area was eerily quiet, with not a soul in sight. Suddenly, a group of over a dozen youths, accompanied by servants and guards, marched straight toward the courtyard.

Gu Chen stepped forward and commanded his servants, “Knock on the door and bring Gu Yao out!”

“Something smells off here,” Tian Feirong of the Tian family muttered, twitching his nose as he caught a faint fragrance. This scent was all too familiar to someone who frequented brothels, and a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes. Interesting!

Before his words had fully landed, the servant who had kicked the door open bolted out, stammering in shock while pointing inside, “Y-Young Master Yao, he… he… he…”

The servant’s expression of utter embarrassment only piqued the curiosity of Tian Feirong and the others. Without hesitation, the group surged into the room behind Gu Chen, eager to see what had happened.

Inside, they saw a figure hurriedly wrapping themselves in a blanket. Those who entered quickly caught a glimpse of two unclothed bodies, their skin marked with suggestive traces. The air in the room carried a heavy, unmistakable scent, leaving no doubt about the intense activity that had taken place just moments ago.

It seemed that Gu Yao, the eldest grandson of the Gu family, had been pinned down by some unidentified man!

“Ahhh—!” Lu Minzhu, Gu Yao’s fiancée, let out a sharp scream. “Gu Yao! I never thought you were this kind of person! I’m breaking off the engagement! I absolutely want to end this engagement! Let’s leave—this is disgusting!”

Her elder brother, Lu Minbai, ground his teeth in anger. “My sister is absolutely right. Our Lu family will not tolerate such filth! Gu Yao, let me tell you, from this day forward, my sister and you are completely finished!”

The Lu family stormed out as a group, leaving the Tian family behind, still savoring the drama. In their world of aristocratic politics, everyone understood the underlying schemes. For them, it was a free show, especially amusing since it happened during the Gu family’s grand birthday celebration.

Gu Yao was furious! If he could, he would have thrown out a vial of poison and knocked everyone out in the room. Who would have thought that upon waking up, he’d face such a humiliating scene? It was clearly a setup, and the thought of it made his blood boil!

“Get out! All of you, get out!” Gu Yao roared, his voice hoarse with anger.

“Gu Yao, how shameless can you be? Do you even know what day it is today?” Gu Chen rebuked him with righteous indignation.

Gu Yao sneered coldly. “What day? Second Brother, you’ve certainly outdone yourself! On such an important day, you orchestrated this whole show to ruin my reputation. But you should be asking yourself how much of the Gu family’s dignity you’ve just thrown away. Now, get out, all of you!” His voice turned sharp, fully exposing his fury.

Gu Xing, another cousin, snorted disdainfully. “It’s not the Gu family’s dignity at stake—it’s you, Gu Yao, who’s the disgrace. You’re the one ruining our family! Hmph, now that Minzhu has called off the engagement, let’s see how you explain this to Father and Grandfather. Second Brother, let’s go!”

Tian Feirong was the last to leave. Before stepping out, he sniffed the air and murmured, “This scent… it’s from the Drunken Beauty incense of Wenxiang Tower. That doesn’t come cheap.” He cast one last teasing glance at Gu Yao before leaving the room.

Outside, Tian Feiyang, Tian Feirong’s elder brother, waited for him. Seeing his younger brother amble out with a smug expression, he scolded in a low voice, “Hurry up. Watching is fine, but don’t get involved in the Gu family’s mess.”

Neither of the Gu family’s main branches was worth respecting. Everyone in Yuanyang Town knew about Gu Zhiming’s cold and callous nature. Gu Yao’s mother had died because of him, and not long after her death, he brought a new wife into the family. That new wife allowed the rest of the family to mistreat Gu Yao openly. Tian Feiyang had nothing but disdain for Gu Zhiming.

“It’s the Drunken Beauty incense from Wenxiang Tower,” Tian Feirong said with a sly smile, fanning himself leisurely. “That’s specifically designed for intimate encounters between men. A tiny bottle costs a thousand taels of silver. I wonder what kind of beauty Gu Yao thought was worth using such an expensive item on himself.”

As they left, Tian Feirong couldn’t help but feel intrigued. He had even subtly hinted at the issue to Gu Yao before leaving. The Gu Yao he remembered had been soft and timid, but that look in his eyes earlier? Even he found it unnerving.

“You sure are knowledgeable about these things,” Tian Feiyang shot a glare at his younger brother. “From what I see, the younger members of the first and second branches of the Gu family have probably teamed up on this. But the first branch was smart—they didn’t show up at this kind of event, letting the second branch take the lead. Foolish!”

“Brother, I get it. It must be that Gu Yan and Lu Minzhu have been secretly meeting for a while now. Maybe she’s already pregnant, who knows?” Tian Feirong whispered behind his fan, his tone low.

“Careful with your words!” Tian Feiyang snapped sharply. Although he didn’t deny the possibility, he still felt that the situation was more complicated than it seemed. The Gu family had clearly gone to great lengths to frame Gu Yao, but was this all just to ruin his reputation and facilitate the breaking of the engagement? He couldn’t help but wonder if there was something about Gu Yao that made the Gu family so desperate to scheme against him.