By the time Shen Di’an arrived, alerted by the commotion, Buzhiya had already been reduced to a field of ruins. Shattered wood and broken debris lay scattered in a wretched mess.
Another sharp screech pierced the air. Shen Di’an looked up to see the skeletal Changyuan, its massive bony wings beating as it circled above the ruins, letting out a shrill, bone-chilling cry.
A crowd of Rizhao disciples had already gathered. Wary of the skeletal creature, they hesitated to step forward, huddling in small groups and whispering amongst themselves.
A sudden realization struck Shen Di’an, and he grabbed a nearby disciple. "What happened? Did Da-shixiong get out?"
Before the disciple could answer, Zhou Fuxue’s voice rang out from the side. "Da-shixiong is over there! Hurry, save him!"
At the moment the house collapsed, Zhou Fuxue had been sitting on the corridor railing, waiting for Lu Qingkong to emerge. He had heard a sudden screech in a daze, and before he could react, the Wuxin Sword—enshrined within the Wenxian Residence—instinctively sensed the danger. It had streaked through the air, snagging Zhou Fuxue by the collar and dragging him just in time into a puddle in the courtyard.
In the next instant, the massive skeleton had erupted from the ground. Wood splinters flew everywhere as the buildings crumbled, nearly burying Zhou Fuxue beneath them.
Stunned by the impact, Zhou Fuxue took a moment to regain his senses. When he finally woke, the entirety of Buzhiya was a wasteland, with every possession buried under mounds of tile and timber.
He stared blankly for a moment before it suddenly hit him—Ming Zhu was still inside. He instinctively tried to rush forward to save him, but the other disciples held him back.
"That monstrous thing is still up there! Don't go over there and throw your life away! The Sect Leader will be here soon."
Zhou Fuxue struggled violently, shouting, "Shixiong is still inside! Da-shixiong!"
Shen Di’an’s vision went dark. Trembling, he asked, "Where... where is he?"
With his shoulders pinned, Zhou Fuxue couldn't move an inch. Seeing Shen Di’an was like seeing a lifeline; he pointed frantically at the pile of rubble. "Under there!"
Just as Shen Di’an was about to charge forward, a raspy voice spoke from nearby. "No, he’s not under there."
Everyone turned to see Lu Qingkong standing to the side, covered in dust, his robes tattered. One of his hands trembled slightly as he clutched a small wooden box.
Shen Di’an blinked. "He’s not under there? Then where is he?"
Lu Qingkong pursed his lips, looking too embarrassed to speak. After a long silence, his finger shook as he pointed toward the circling Changyuan above. "Up there," he croaked.
At that exact moment, a tragic wail drifted down from the Changyuan. "Ah—! Help! Save me!"
Shen Di’an: "..."
The crowd: "..."
They looked up and indeed spotted a flash of red clinging to the Changyuan’s wing bones.
The moment the Changyuan had reverted to its original form, Ming Zhu’s pupils had shrunk. He had shoved Shen Di’an aside, but being the closest, Ming Zhu had been swept up by the massive wing bones. After a frantic struggle, he had been carried into the sky, leading to the current predicament.
Ming Zhu was deathly afraid of heights and even more afraid of dying. As he spun through the air, the cursed Changyuan kept flapping its wings in an attempt to shake him off. He was so terrified he felt like he might cough up blood. His screams tore through the sky, actually drowning out the Changyuan’s own screeches.
"He-he-help!! Get me the hell down from here!"
"Whoever saves me, I’ll marry them on the spot! Ah! An eight-man litter! A mountain of dowry! Aaaaah!"
"Fuhua! Fuhua! Fifth Brother! Ah—Seventh Brother!"
Seeing that Ming Zhu had clearly begun to lose his mind and babble nonsense, Shen Di’an nearly went frantic. He shouted toward the sky with all his might, "Let go! We’ll catch you down here!"
Ming Zhu yelled back, "I can't! I'm stuck in its bone joints!"
Shen Di’an: "..."
Though the surrounding disciples knew the atmosphere was inappropriate, they couldn't help but muffle their snickers.
"What are you laughing at?" Shen Di’an roared at them. "Can't you see your Da-shixiong is suffering? What kind of disciples are you? Hurry up and fetch the Sect Leader... pfft!"
As he spoke, he couldn't help but let out a laugh himself.
Zhou Fuxue’s face went dark. "Shixiong!"
Shen Di’an cleared his throat. "Right, right, I know—just hold on a bit longer! Someone has already gone to get Master. He’ll be here soon to save you."
Ming Zhu screamed, "Save my ass! Master went out this morning! Go get Fifth Brother! Tell Fifth Brother to save me!"
Shen Di’an replied, "Fifth Shixiong is in secluded meditation! How is he supposed to save you?"
Ming Zhu let out another wail, his voice quickly growing faint as if he were on the verge of expiring.
Just as everyone was racking their brains for a way to get their Da-shixiong down, a length of white silk streaked across the sky. As if guided by an invisible hand, it shot straight toward the flying Changyuan. The light, soft fabric darted through the gaps in the skeletal frame, binding the massive wing bones tight with the speed of a lightning bolt.
The Changyuan let out a long, mournful cry and began to plummet toward the earth, unwillingly. Freed from the joints of the wing, Ming Zhu screamed as he fell from the sky.
The disciples below gasped in alarm. But as Ming Zhu flailed in mid-air, a hand gently caught him by the waist, pulling him into a firm embrace. A faint, elegant scent of orchids immediately filled Ming Zhu’s senses.
Startled, Ming Zhu looked up.
The bound Changyuan crashed straight into the ruins, completing the destruction of the house. Despite the pouring rain, dust and debris swirled for a long time before settling.
Shen Di’an breathed a sigh of relief. "Third Shixiong arrived just in time."
The Third Senior Brother, Yan Xueyu, was dressed in robes as white as snow. Like a transcendent immortal from another world, he stood poised atop a length of white silk swaying in the wind. His expression was cold, his dark hair fluttering. He looked down at his junior brothers with a haughty gaze, his thin lips parting to utter a frigid remark: "Useless trash, the lot of you."
Ming Zhu clung to his waist for dear life, shivering in his arms. With a tearful voice, he said, "Look, Third Brother, don't scold them yet. Can we go down first?"
Yan Xueyu showed him even less mercy. "You have the nerve to speak? You are more useless than they are."
Ming Zhu conceded immediately. "Fine, fine, I’m useless, I’m the most useless! Just take me down!"
Yan Xueyu let out a cold snort. With a wave of his wide sleeve, he carried Ming Zhu slowly down to the ground.
Shen Di’an and Lu Qingkong immediately stepped forward. "Greetings, Third Shixiong."
The moment his feet touched the ground, Ming Zhu pushed Yan Xueyu away and doubled over, retching violently. The bandages on his back had begun to seep blood from the ordeal.
Zhou Fuxue ran over, his eyes red as he rubbed Ming Zhu’s back to help him breathe. "Shixiong? Shixiong, are you alright?"
"I'm fine... not dead yet." Ming Zhu waved a hand weakly. He vomited for a long while before stopping, then simply sat down on the rain-soaked ground, uncaring of the dirt. He looked at Yan Xueyu and asked, "You usually never leave the Duxue Residence. Why did you show up so perfectly to save the day?"
Yan Xueyu had likely rushed over; his body was covered in raindrops. He reached out a hand with a cold face. Shen Di’an understood immediately, grabbing an umbrella from a nearby disciple and pressing it into his hand.
Holding the umbrella like a reclusive master, Yan Xueyu pointed a finger. The white silk that had served as his platform dissolved into white mist and vanished into the space between his brows. He said coldly, "You caused such a massive disturbance. If I hadn't come, were you planning to tear down the entirety of Rizhao?"
The culprit, Lu Qingkong, hung his head, not daring to make a sound.
Ming Zhu had been severely shaken, and his fever was rising again. Feeling lightheaded, he leaned against Zhou Fuxue’s shoulder and said feebly, "It’s my fault. I’ll go accept my punishment when Master returns. This time, I thank Third Shidi for saving my dog of a life. Next time, I’ll write a plaque for you to hang in your courtyard."
Yan Xueyu had no desire for a plaque from Ming Zhu that would likely say something as undignified as *'Boundless Grace, Savior of My Dog Life.'* He asked coldly, "Shut your mouth—what was that thing causing trouble?"
The Changyuan lay in the ruins, bound so tightly by the white silk that it couldn't move. Only a bone-chilling *clack-clack* sound emanated from its skeletal throat.
Seeing this, Ming Zhu immediately gestured frantically to the other disciples, signaling them to keep their mouths shut. Shen Di’an cooperated perfectly, spinning a lie. "It’s nothing, nothing at all. Ninth Shixiong was showing Da-shixiong his latest mechanical bird. We didn't expect the little thing to go out of control and fly off with Da-shixiong in its beak."
Yan Xueyu frowned.
Zhou Fuxue had heard before that the Third Senior Brother, Yan Xueyu, was born blind. This was his first time seeing him. This legendary Third Shixiong had a face as beautiful as carved jade, and his phoenix eyes were as still and deep as an ancient well. He was exceptionally handsome; no one would ever guess he was blind just by looking at him.
Zhou Fuxue glared at Lu Qingkong, about to say something, but Ming Zhu immediately covered his mouth and mouthed the words: *Shut up, Shidi.*
Though Yan Xueyu was cold and arrogant by nature, he never seemed to doubt what others told him. Despite whatever suspicions he might have had, he easily accepted Shen Di’an’s explanation.
"If it is a mechanism you cannot control, do not bring it out to make a fool of yourself."
Lu Qingkong lowered his head and muttered, "Yes."
Seeing that they had fooled him, Ming Zhu quickly said, "Old Ten, hurry and escort your Third Shixiong back. The path is slippery in the rain; be careful he doesn't fall."
A touch of mockery appeared on Yan Xueyu’s snow-white face. He said calmly, "In this world, there has never been anything capable of making me yield. If such a thing existed, it could only be myself."
Ming Zhu: "..."
The crowd: "..."
Yan Xueyu uttered these shameless words without so much as a blush. The fellow disciples listening, however, all turned red with embarrassment on his behalf.
"Ahem," Ming Zhu said. "Then... then, safe travels, Third Shidi?"
Yan Xueyu gave a slight nod. Holding his umbrella, he walked slowly away along the bluestone path of the camphor forest, showing no sign whatsoever of being blind.
Shen Di’an looked at the ruins with a heavy heart and sighed. Still worried about Yan Xueyu, he said, "Go rest at Fuxue’s place for now. I’ll bring some medicine to re-bandage your wounds after I see Third Shixiong back. And you..."
Knowing he had caused a disaster, Lu Qingkong pursed his lips and remained silent.
Shen Di’an said helplessly, "Why do you look like the victim? Hurry up and pack up that Changyuan. If Master finds out, he’ll definitely be furious and hand out punishments."
And as for who would be punished, everyone knew the answer.
After giving his instructions, Shen Di’an chased after Yan Xueyu without even taking an umbrella.
Ming Zhu dismissed the other disciples with a few words. His body was so weak he could barely stand, so he had to lean on Zhou Fuxue as they slowly made their way to the Wenxian Residence.
Ming Zhu was soaked to the bone. His spare clothes were all buried under the ruins, so he had to settle for a quick, naked wipe-down before crawling into Zhou Fuxue’s blankets. Only then did he let out a sigh of contentment.
Zhou Fuxue’s brow hadn't unknotted once. He pressed his palm against Ming Zhu’s forehead to check his temperature, his expression darkening. "The fever is back. Shixiong, do you feel unwell?"
Ming Zhu lay listlessly on the bed. He nodded vaguely, then quickly shook his head, his voice faint as a thread. "I'm alright."
By then, a soaked Lu Qingkong had subdued the Changyuan. He approached again, carrying the box that had been nearly crushed.
Zhou Fuxue felt a surge of anger the moment he saw him. Now on his own turf, he felt more emboldened; he stood in front of Ming Zhu’s bed with his arms spread, saying coldly, "Shixiong needs to rest. Get out."
Ming Zhu forced himself to look up and chuckled. "Thirteen, don't be like that. Let your Shixiong come over."
Lu Qingkong pursed his lips, his long wet hair clinging to the side of his face, making him look particularly pitiful. He walked to Ming Zhu’s side, placed the box on the edge of the bed, and said in a raspy, muffled voice, "I’m giving... giving them all to you."
Ming Zhu: "..."
***
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