Is Everyone Else's Eldest Disciple Like This? | Chapter 107 | Distorting the Truth | Novela.app

Lu Qingkong recounted the tale of how their youngest junior brother had supposedly seduced their Eldest Senior Brother, embellishing the story with such dramatic flair and vivid emotion that the others felt it was a waste of his silver-tongued talent for distorting the truth that he wasn’t out writing folk novels. Shang Yanfeng remained silent throughout the narration. Lu Qingkong nudged Zhou Fuxue, who was standing with his head bowed, and whispered, "Is Fifth Senior Brother stunned speechless by your outrageous behavior?" Zhou Fuxue: "..." Zhou Fuxue already felt guilty. Seeing Shang Yanfeng’s expression, he thought for a moment and then stepped forward. "Fifth Senior Brother, my feelings for Eldest Senior Brother are sincere." It would have been better if he hadn't spoken. The moment the words left his mouth, Shang Yanfeng’s face turned a shade of sickly green. Shang Yanfeng took a deep breath. Ignoring Zhou Fuxue entirely, he fixed his gaze on Ming Zhu. "Eldest Senior Brother?" Ming Zhu gave a soft "mm" and looked up at him in confusion. For some reason, he recalled Lu Qingkong’s earlier remark about asking Shang Yanfeng to "settle the matter" for him. In a momentary lapse of judgment, he suddenly asked, "Are you going to settle things for me and Thirteen?" Shang Yanfeng: "..." The Fifth Senior Brother, who had remained composed even while hearing of Zhou Fuxue’s "outrageous behavior," finally lost his cool. Even his voice trembled. "Settle... settle what?" Ming Zhu felt a bit sheepish. "I thought you were going to preside over the joining of registers for me and Thirteen." Shang Yanfeng nearly fainted. Join... join... join registers? His radiant Eldest Senior Brother hadn't even been back for long, and he was already going to join registers with someone else? Shang Yanfeng’s breath hitched, and he managed to wheeze out, "This matter... we shall discuss it later. First, let us... let us..." He couldn't find a way to finish the sentence, his voice cracking under the strain. Ever since hearing Ming Zhu mention joining registers, Zhou Fuxue felt as though he were walking on air. A rare warmth spread across his icy features as he gazed at Ming Zhu’s profile with a tender look he couldn't pull away. Shang Yanfeng caught this out of the corner of his eye and felt an ache throughout his entire body. He took a deep breath and said, "Zhou Fuxue, go buy some wine. Eldest Senior Brother, it has been a long time since we last drank together. Tonight, we shall not return until we are drunk." Lu Qingkong and Shen Di'an hovered far off to the side, terrified of being caught in the crossfire. Lu Qingkong whispered, "Fifth Senior Brother usually calls him Fuxue, but this time he’s truly enraged—he used his full name. Oh boy, Little Shidi is in for it now. Serves him right!" Zhou Fuxue didn't want to leave Ming Zhu’s side again. Mustering his courage, he said, "Let’s go back to the inn. There is wine at the inn." Shang Yanfeng’s eyes turned cold. "I told you to go, so go! Why are you wasting words?" Zhou Fuxue was instantly silenced, like a cicada in winter. Ignoring him, Shang Yanfeng grabbed the hesitant Ming Zhu and turned to leave, looking thoroughly incensed. Ming Zhu kept trying to look back. "Yanfeng, wait, Fuxue is..." Shang Yanfeng placed an arm around his shoulders, preventing him from turning around. He struggled to maintain his composure and said, "Fuxue is going to buy wine. We’ll find a restaurant and wait for him there. Don't worry, he’ll find us." Ming Zhu was half-convinced as he was forcibly led away by Shang Yanfeng. Despite saying Zhou Fuxue would find them, Shang Yanfeng led Ming Zhu to an extremely remote and hard-to-find restaurant. He booked a private room and the group sat down. Shang Yanfeng closed the door and, after a moment’s thought, decided it wasn't secure enough. He added several layers of restrictive wards to the door, determined not to let Zhou Fuxue find them. Ming Zhu was busy listening to Shen Di'an talk about Lu Qingkong and the wandering girl, laughing so hard he was doubled over. He didn't notice Shang Yanfeng’s little maneuvers. After a long while, the group had nearly finished the food on the table, but Zhou Fuxue had yet to arrive. Ming Zhu asked in confusion, "Why is he taking so long to buy wine?" The mere mention of Zhou Fuxue gave Shang Yanfeng a headache. With a cold face, he asked, "Does Senior Brother wish to drink?" Ming Zhu knew exactly what he was like when he touched alcohol and was about to wave the offer away, but Shang Yanfeng pushed the door open and left, returning shortly with several jars of wine. "Let’s not wait for him. We’ll drink on our own." Ming Zhu could only offer a forced smile. Unfazed, Shang Yanfeng poured a full cup and handed it to Ming Zhu. "A toast to Senior Brother." Ming Zhu held the cup, his brow furrowing. He looked up cautiously. "Fuxue hasn't returned for so long. Could something have happened? He has no cultivation now; if he encounters danger..." Hearing Ming Zhu mention that brat again made Shang Yanfeng’s face stiffen. He forced a smile and said, "It’s fine. He won't die." Ming Zhu: "What?" Shang Yanfeng cleared his throat. "Don't worry, he’ll find his way. Let’s drink first." It had been a long time since Ming Zhu had tasted the strong spirits of the outside world. He tentatively licked the rim of the cup with the tip of his tongue. The expected burn wasn't as intense as he thought. Reassured, he clinked cups with Shang Yanfeng and drained it in one gulp. Beside them, Lu Qingkong had already collapsed after two cups. After all these years, he hadn't improved at all; he was still a lightweight who loved to grab people and babble nonsense when drunk. "Wandering girl..." Lu Qingkong hung his arms around Shen Di'an’s neck, shouting drunkenly, "Where is the decorum? Where is your decorum?!" Shen Di'an tried desperately to push him off. "Ninth Senior Brother, please don't tell me you usually act like a spoiled child and hug her like this!" Lu Qingkong continued to whimper, his words unintelligible. Shang Yanfeng was long used to this. Without changing his expression, he poured more wine for Ming Zhu and said calmly, "Ignore them. They always act like children who won't grow up. I don't know when they'll ever be able to stand on their own... Senior Brother?" Ming Zhu held his cup, staring at him quietly. His speech was clear as he said, "Senior Brother." Shang Yanfeng: "..." Shang Yanfeng tested him. "Senior Brother? Are you drunk?" Ming Zhu said, "Yanfeng." Shang Yanfeng breathed a sigh of relief. Ming Zhu’s tolerance used to be legendary; surely it hadn't dropped to a single cup over the decades. However, before he could fully relax, he heard Ming Zhu say, "In seclusion again." Shang Yanfeng blinked. Ming Zhu seemed to be in a trance, continuing to call out names. "Xueyu," he said expressionlessly. "Blind man. You look decent enough, so stop saying things that make people blush." "Fuju. Mute. You slashed me. Wuwu, it hurts... let me finish talking first." Shang Yanfeng: "..." Shang Yanfeng was stunned by Ming Zhu’s senseless, rambling state. He took Ming Zhu by the shoulders and shook him gently. "Senior Brother? Are you alright?" Ming Zhu didn't even look at him. His eyes were vacant and dazed, staring into the void like a puppet. He murmured, "Fuxue kissed me. Ah, I’m going to tell Master. Have him expelled from the sect. Haha, expelled. I’m so impressive." Shang Yanfeng: "..." He really was drunk. Shang Yanfeng felt like spitting blood. He hadn't expected Ming Zhu’s tolerance to have become so poor. He had originally planned to ask him some questions about Zhou Fuxue while he was tipsy and muddled, but he hadn't expected a single cup to turn him into this ghostly state. Ming Zhu leaned into his arms, still mumbling, "I don't bully others, yet others want to bully me. It’s so unfair. I also..." He leaned against Shang Yanfeng’s chest, his hands haphazardly wrapping around his waist as he muttered, "I want to be a bad person too, so no one can bully me. Ah! No bullying my Shidi... I won't allow it!" Shang Yanfeng patted his head and coaxed him helplessly, "Alright, alright. No one will bully him." He happened to glance down and watched in astonishment as Ming Zhu’s long hair, bound by a hairpin, began to turn a strange, silvery white. As Ming Zhu shifted, the hairpin slipped, and the white hair cascaded down, draping over both of them. Shang Yanfeng froze. He lifted a lock of the cool hair, but before he could examine it closely, he felt something strange about Ming Zhu’s hand. He grabbed it and discovered to his shock that Ming Zhu’s pale wrist was covered in a layer of fine, silver-white scales. Startled, Shang Yanfeng looked down at Ming Zhu, only to find that he had opened his eyes at some point. Ming Zhu curled against his chest, looking at him blankly. His pupils were a brilliant, radiant gold—vertical slits filled with a wild, cold animality. "Ming Zhu," Ming Zhu said in a daze. "They all say I am... a demon, a monster." Shang Yanfeng looked at him in disbelief. Ming Zhu’s hands trembled as he tried to tidy his hair. He looked at him vacantly and asked, "Is that so?" Shang Yanfeng’s lips trembled. After a long silence, he said hoarsely, "No." Drunken Ming Zhu was very easy to coax. He thought for a moment, then lifted the hem of his robe and pointed at his leg. "I have a tail. Am I still not a monster?" Shang Yanfeng seemed to realize something, but he suppressed his heartache and whispered soothingly, "Senior Brother will always be Senior Brother. You are no monster. If anyone says that again in the future, tell me, and I will teach them a lesson for you." Ming Zhu tilted his head, seemingly trying to discern if he was telling the truth. But soon, his alcohol-addled brain forgot the matter entirely. He used his hands to crawl outward, mumbling, "Find... find Fuxue. Fuxue was carried off by a wild beast." Shang Yanfeng didn't know whether to laugh or cry and quickly reached out to support him. At that moment, the door to the private room was suddenly pushed open. Shang Yanfeng looked up to see Guining Zhenren and Ming Fuhua, who had somehow found their way here. Behind them stood Zhou Fuxue, carrying several jars of wine. Before Shang Yanfeng could speak, Ming Zhu, who was on the floor, seemed to get a fright. He jumped up and dove back into Shang Yanfeng’s arms, pointing at the people behind him and shouting, "Ah! The beasts are here! The beasts are coming to carry me off! Wuwu, I don't want to be bitten, it hurts so much..." Zhou Fuxue’s face turned pale at the sight. How had Ming Zhu become like this after being apart for only a short while? Guining Zhenren and Ming Fuhua, who had been mistaken for "wild beasts" by Ming Zhu, looked extremely displeased. Zhou Fuxue stepped forward and pulled Ming Zhu out of Shang Yanfeng’s arms, gently patting his back to comfort him. "Senior Brother, I’m back." Ming Zhu looked at him with terror, clutching his shoulders and whispering, "You... you were carried off by them. How did you come back?" Zhou Fuxue caught the faint scent of alcohol on Ming Zhu and guessed he had drunk too much. He coaxed him softly, "I’m fine." Ming Zhu didn't believe him. He looked back and forth, trying to recognize his face, but his feverish, muddled mind struggled to identify people. He looked for a long time without success and was on the verge of tears. "Are you Thirteen?" Zhou Fuxue quickly replied, "I am." Ming Zhu looked at him, tears welling in his eyes. "Then why aren't you kissing me?" Zhou Fuxue: "..." Everyone present—including Guining Zhenren—turned a shade of green. *** Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation --- | --- | --- 合籍 | Joining Registers | A Daoist term for marriage or becoming cultivation partners (Dao-pairing). 禁制 | Wards / Restrictions | Magical seals or barriers used to block entry or sound. 雅间 | Private Room | A secluded room in a restaurant or tavern. 竖瞳 | Slit pupils | Vertical, cat-like or reptilian pupils. 千杯不醉 | Thousand-cup tolerance | An idiom for someone who can drink a vast amount without getting drunk. 噤若寒蝉 | Silent as a winter cicada | An idiom meaning to be frightened into silence.