Ming Zhu smiled faintly. "Everyone knows he’s out for blood. Those people are well aware that going to Lueyue Tower is a death sentence; they just don't know how they’ll die. That’s hardly a choice at all."
The others turned to look at him simultaneously. Ming Zhu realized he had instinctively taken Na Lian’s perspective to analyze the situation and cleared his throat. "So, Master received an invitation?"
Lu Qingkong nodded, his face clouded with worry. "I don't know how this will all end. Now that we’ve found you, Shixiong, let’s just wait here for Master to arrive. It should be within the next few days."
"Alright," Ming Zhu agreed.
Though he gave his word, his heart was pounding. The trauma he had endured at Rizhao Mountain still haunted him, leaving him with a lingering sense of dread.
Ming Zhu’s gaze drifted, intentionally or otherwise, toward the silent Zhou Fuxue.
Zhou Fuxue had been watching him all along. Seeing Ming Zhu look his way, he offered a small smile and reached out to gently squeeze Ming Zhu’s palm. "I won't let anyone hurt you again," he whispered.
Ming Zhu froze.
His fear was written plainly on his face. Guining Zhenren’s cold treatment at Rizhao Mountain and Ming Fuhua’s soul-piercing arrows had wounded him to the core. Now, even a mere mention of them terrified him.
Feeling the warmth radiating from Zhou Fuxue’s palm, Ming Zhu breathed a small sigh of relief. He was about to say something when a sharp *smack* rang out. Shen Di’an had struck Zhou Fuxue’s hand away, saying coldly, "Speak properly. What’s with all this touching? Where are your manners?"
Zhou Fuxue: "..."
Zhou Fuxue had no choice but to reluctantly let go. He returned to standing by the side, pouring tea for his senior brothers—as a rebellious disciple, he didn't even deserve a seat.
Ming Zhu looked up and blinked at him.
The sight made Shen Di’an’s eyes ache. He rubbed his brow and whispered, "Eldest Shixiong, once this is all over, we’ll have a proper talk with Master. He cares for you so much; he won't have the heart to actually expel you from the sect."
Ming Zhu lowered his eyes and gave a soft "mm," his true thoughts unreadable.
Lu Qingkong knew exactly what Guining Zhenren had said. He suspected that no matter how much the Master had once doted on Ming Zhu, he would absolutely not allow him to return this time. Lu Qingkong was a straightforward person and had intended to speak up, but seeing Ming Zhu’s long lashes trembling slightly, he found a rare bit of tact and refrained from dousing him with cold water.
It would be a few more days before Shang Yanfeng and Guining Zhenren arrived. Even after all these years, Lu Qingkong remained a miser; they had only booked one room. Furthermore, when it came time to sleep, they dragged Ming Zhu into their room, leaving Zhou Fuxue to keep watch over an empty chamber alone.
Ming Zhu already had trouble falling asleep, and to make matters worse, Lu Qingkong and Shen Di’an were terrible sleepers. Within a short while, Ming Zhu had been kicked several times. Initially, he thought that since they had only just reunited, he should tolerate them for once.
By the middle of the night, Ming Zhu finally reached his limit. To hell with brotherly affection. He delivered a sharp kick to each of them—the two were sleeping like dead pigs and didn't even stir.
Fuming, Ming Zhu stormed out and knocked on Zhou Fuxue’s door next door.
Zhou Fuxue was currently cultivating according to the jade slip Ming Zhu had given him, and he was making significant progress.
Since Zhou Fuxue had discarded his cultivation, his damaged meridians had mostly healed. His dantian had been parched, and the spiritual energy that once filled his body had vanished entirely. He had been like a commoner who had never stepped onto the path of cultivation, unable to manifest even a sliver of power. Yet, he didn't know what kind of cultivation method was recorded in that jade slip; after only half a night of meditation, the dim Nascent Soul in his dantian seemed to stir as if touched by something, and spiritual energy began to condense minutely within his empty meridians.
He was just about to circulate the energy for a full cycle when he vaguely heard knocking.
Zhou Fuxue took a deep breath, withdrew his divine sense, and opened the door. He saw Ming Zhu rubbing his eyes, standing outside barefoot and looking half-asleep.
Zhou Fuxue hurried him inside.
Once in, Ming Zhu flopped directly onto the bed and mumbled, "Those two brats... I’m definitely beating them up tomorrow."
Zhou Fuxue walked over and took Ming Zhu’s feet in his hands, finding them ice-cold. He was about to massage them as he had done before, but Ming Zhu immediately pulled back warily. He patted the pillow and said, "Don't massage them. Just come to sleep."
Zhou Fuxue had no choice but to lift the covers and lie down.
Sleeping with frozen feet was miserable. Ming Zhu shifted inward, curled his knees, and tucked his feet into Zhou Fuxue’s embrace, sighing contentedly. "So warm."
Left with no alternative, Zhou Fuxue helped warm them.
Only by Zhou Fuxue’s side could Ming Zhu sleep soundly. Zhou Fuxue had been worried that if Lu Qingkong and Shen Di’an found Ming Zhu here in the morning, they might beat him up again. But as he turned his head to glimpse Ming Zhu’s peaceful sleeping face, he forgot everything else.
*If they kill me, they kill me,* Zhou Fuxue thought. *It’s worth it.*
The next morning, when Lu Qingkong and Shen Di’an woke up and found Ming Zhu missing, they indeed stormed over to Zhou Fuxue’s room to demand an explanation.
Zhou Fuxue was just setting breakfast on the table, waiting for Ming Zhu to wake, when the "adultery-catching duo" burst in like a whirlwind.
"Zhou Fuxue!"
"You little bastard!"
They were making quite a racket. Before Zhou Fuxue could defend himself, Ming Zhu, huddled under the blankets, groggily pulled the covers off his head. He fumbled around blindly at his side and mumbled, "Thirteen... my waist hurts."
Shen Di’an was horrified. "W-waist? Your waist hurts?"
Lu Qingkong cursed without hesitation, "You beast!"
Zhou Fuxue: "..."
By the time Ming Zhu was fully awake, Zhou Fuxue was sitting in a chair with a face so cold and detached he looked ready to achieve nirvana on the spot.
Ming Zhu was confused. "What’s wrong?"
Lu Qingkong rolled up his sleeves. "Nothing. We just gave him a lesson. Shixiong, does your waist still hurt?"
At the mention of this, Ming Zhu immediately glared at him. "You have the nerve to ask? It’s because you two kept kicking me."
Lu Qingkong: "..."
Ming Zhu lifted his inner robe, revealing several bruises on his waist. They looked quite gruesome, as if he had been severely beaten.
Shen Di’an’s eyes suddenly darkened.
While Lu Qingkong was busy apologizing profusely to Ming Zhu, Shen Di’an seemed to think of something. He tossed a bottle of medicine to Lu Qingkong and said, "Apply this to Shixiong. Use a light touch. Fuxue, come with me."
Zhou Fuxue followed Shen Di’an to the next room. As soon as the door closed, Shen Di’an asked coldly, "Why is there deathly qi on Shixiong? How exactly did he survive?"
Zhou Fuxue replied, "Soul-snatching."
Shen Di’an froze, then sucked in a sharp breath.
Zhou Fuxue added, "Don't mention it in front of him. He doesn't like it."
Shen Di’an didn't know how to react. He exhaled slowly, and after a long silence, he said, "Then what is wrong with his body? I know how much strength Qingkong has. A few kicks shouldn't have left him in that state."
Zhou Fuxue pursed his lips. "He is extremely sensitive to pain. Does that count as a medical condition?"
Shen Di’an asked, "To what extent?"
"If there’s a scratch on his arm," Zhou Fuxue pointed to his own arm, "the pain makes him want to kill himself."
Shen Di’an’s expression finally changed. He was skilled in medicine and had seen all sorts of strange and difficult illnesses, but this was the first time he had heard of such a condition.
He listened as Zhou Fuxue explained the details, then sighed. "I’ll find a way. For now, the most important thing is that Eldest Shixiong seems very resistant to me checking his pulse. To be safe, you should try to persuade him."
Zhou Fuxue knew why Ming Zhu was resistant, so he nodded.
Shen Di’an looked at his expression and suddenly asked, "Are you... serious about Eldest Shixiong?"
Zhou Fuxue’s expression didn't flicker. "Yes."
Over the years, everyone at Rizhao Mountain knew the place Ming Zhu held in Zhou Fuxue’s heart. When Ming Zhu was dead, it hadn't felt so visceral. But seeing Zhou Fuxue in such intimate contact with a living Ming Zhu made Shen Di’an feel like he was going to have a breakdown.
Who would have thought that one day, their beautiful Eldest Shixiong would be snatched away by their youngest Shidi? And it seemed the Shixiong was a willing participant.
Shen Di’an patted Zhou Fuxue’s shoulder weakly. "It’s not my place to speak on your affairs. Just be mentally prepared. Fifth Shixiong won't be easy to deal with. If he finds out about your indecent intentions toward Eldest Shixiong, I think he might just castrate you."
Zhou Fuxue nodded. "I know."
Despite saying he knew, when Shang Yanfeng arrived three days later, Zhou Fuxue stood somewhat timidly behind Ming Zhu, not even daring to make eye contact.
As soon as Shang Yanfeng stepped off the sky-kite, he left Ming Fuhua and Guining Zhenren behind and came running. When he saw Ming Zhu with his own eyes, he froze for a second, then lunged forward and pulled Ming Zhu into a crushing embrace.
He used so much force that Ming Zhu hissed in pain. Shen Di’an, noticing something was wrong, quickly intervened. "Fifth Shixiong, you’re hurting him."
Only then did Shang Yanfeng take a deep breath and gently let Ming Zhu go. He couldn't stop stroking Ming Zhu’s cheek. His usually cold face showed a rare flash of intense emotion, and his eyes brimmed with tears. He murmured hoarsely, "It’s good you’re back. It’s good you’re back."
Ming Zhu’s eyes also grew warm. He placed his hand over Shang Yanfeng’s and said softly, "I promised I’d bring you something delicious. I would never break my word."
At those words, the steady, cool-headed man actually let two trails of tears fall. Shang Yanfeng’s voice cracked as he struggled to restrain himself, trembling, "We... we have been waiting for Shixiong to return."
Ming Zhu heartached for him and helped wipe his tears. "I know."
Shang Yanfeng had always been one to hide his emotions. Under this wave of overwhelming joy and sorrow, the feelings he had suppressed for decades were vented all at once, and his gloomy aura dissipated.
Shang Yanfeng quickly composed himself. Only then did he notice Zhou Fuxue standing nearby with his head bowed, silent.
Since Ming Zhu’s departure, Shang Yanfeng had been the one raising Zhou Fuxue. He knew the boy’s character perfectly. Seeing him look like this, he could tell the boy had a guilty conscience.
*Guilty?*
Shang Yanfeng was puzzled. The boy hadn't looked this guilty even after destroying his own cultivation. Now that Eldest Shixiong was back, what did he have to be guilty about?
"Fuxue, what’s going on?"
Zhou Fuxue pursed his lips and said nothing.
*Is he afraid?*
Shang Yanfeng narrowed his eyes and asked Lu Qingkong, "Qingkong, you tell me."
At Rizhao Mountain, the Sect Leader never bothered with affairs, and the Junior Uncle was too gentle. Since Ming Zhu left, Shang Yanfeng had been the one handling all sect matters. He was cold and ruthless in his methods, often dragging people into secluded cultivation at the slightest provocation. Consequently, everyone at Rizhao feared him.
Hearing his name, Lu Qingkong shuddered. He shot Zhou Fuxue a glare before answering, "Fifth Shixiong, this bastard Zhou Fuxue has indecent intentions toward Eldest Shixiong! When we arrived, we saw him getting all handsy with him!"
Shang Yanfeng: "..."
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 夺舍 | Soul-snatching | Also known as possession; taking over another's body. |
| 行鸢 | Sky-kite | A type of flying vessel or transport. |
| 死气 | Deathly qi | An aura or energy associated with death or the dead. |
| 不轨之心 | Indecent intentions | Literally "nefarious designs," used here to describe romantic/sexual interest. |
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Is Everyone Else's Eldest Disciple Like This? | Chapter 106 | A Gathering Storm | Novela.app | Novela.app
