Ming Zhu sat on the floor, taking a moment to untangle his chaotic thoughts.
Shen Hongchuan stared at the vivid red lotus mark blooming on the back of Ming Zhu’s left hand and asked softly, "Does it hurt?"
Ming Zhu pulled his hand back into his wide sleeve and shook his head. "I don't know what pain is."
Shen Hongchuan was struck speechless.
Leaning on Shen Hongchuan’s arm, Ming Zhu stumbled to his feet, the jade token gripped tightly in his hand. "Let’s go. We head to Lveyue Tower in three days."
Shen Hongchuan was taken-aback. "What?"
Ming Zhu flicked the jade token, and a line of flamboyant calligraphy appeared in mid-air: *Three days from now, Lveyue Tower in Shuoyu City. Ming Zhao’s objective: Xi Chu.*
"For years, Ming Zhao has been searching for a way to bring the dead back to life. Not long ago, a major secret realm opened. Amidst the chaos of the struggle, he failed to seize the Spirit-Soothe Lamp and was forced to withdraw." Ming Zhu let out a cold sneer. "The Spirit-Soothe Lamp... how could a villain like him ever be worthy of it?"
Shen Hongchuan asked, "Then what does this have to do with Xi Chu?"
Ming Zhu shook his head. "I don't know. But he never does anything without a reason. Xi Chu must possess something that would make him rush from Jianglou to Shuoyu overnight. If that’s the case, this Xi Chu’s identity is certainly extraordinary. I want to visit Lveyue Tower in three days."
Shen Hongchuan usually granted Ming Zhu’s every request, but now a look of hesitation crossed his face. He said, "Senior Brother, do you know what kind of place Lveyue Tower is?"
Ming Zhu asked in confusion, "A place... to eat?"
Shen Hongchuan gave a dry cough. "In a... in a sense, yes..."
Since they were on someone else's property, it wasn't convenient for Shen Hongchuan to explain further. He led Ming Zhu out of the side room.
Wen Feng was still in her previous position, looking ethereal as she read her book. Hearing their footsteps, she didn't even look up as she said, "The purple crystal and jade bead curtain—two thousand crystal jade."
Shen Hongchuan: "..."
After Shen Hongchuan swallowed his anger and paid the fine, he led a bewildered Ming Zhu downstairs. The massive hall was currently in an uproar. A crowd had gathered around the source of the commotion, pointing and whispering incessantly as they watched the spectacle.
Shen Hongchuan disliked noise, and Ming Zhu was preoccupied with the jade token, so they both instinctively tried to bypass the crowd. Just as they were about to head out the door, a familiar voice rang out from the center of the throng, vibrating against Shen Hongchuan’s eardrums.
"I've said it a thousand times, we didn't touch you! You broke that jade token yourself. Do you not understand human speech? Biting everyone like a mad dog—you're sick."
Shen Hongchuan: "..."
With a blank expression, Shen Hongchuan continued pushing Ming Zhu toward the exit. The dazed Ming Zhu suddenly snapped back to his senses. "Eh?" he said. "Did I just hear Old Ninth's voice?"
Shen Hongchuan feigned composure. "No, you misheard."
Another voice erupted from the crowd: "Whose dog is off its leash, barking and biting people at random? Do you have no upbringing at all?!"
Ming Zhu: "That’s Old Ninth."
Shen Hongchuan: "..."
A miscalculation.
Ming Zhu hurriedly ran toward the crowd, and Shen Hongchuan had no choice but to follow.
The two squeezed through the mass of people for a long time before finally reaching the center. Before they could even steady themselves, they saw Lu Qingkong and Zhou Fuxue standing there with icy faces. Opposite them were several men in indigo robes surrounding a richly dressed young master. He looked like the scion of some noble house. A staff member from Wenfeng Tower stood beside them, drenched in sweat as he tried to mediate.
The young master had a face as fair as powder and was exceptionally handsome. Though he appeared arrogant and overbearing, he had clearly been well-bred; he didn't even know how to curse properly. Instead, he was being subjected to Lu Qingkong’s acerbic mockery and looked like he was on the verge of tears.
Lu Qingkong, with that caustic mouth of his, somehow possessed the confidence to always accuse others of lacking upbringing. Seeing the young master about to cry from frustration, he felt even more in his element, prattling on: "You couldn't even hold onto your own jade token, yet you have the nerve to blame others? If you suddenly tripped on the road, would you just grab a passerby and demand an explanation? Are all the people in Shuoyu City this arrogant? I’ve truly had my eyes opened today."
The onlookers: "..."
*The arrogant one seems to be you, doesn't it?*
The young master stammered, "You—you—you—you—you!"
Lu Qingkong raised an eyebrow. "Me—me—me... what about me? Speak properly. Use human words."
The young master: "..."
Shen Hongchuan: "..."
*What an embarrassing, wretched brat!*
Not understanding the situation, Ming Zhu hurried forward. "Old Ninth! Hey, Ninth Brother, Ninth Brother, calm down first. What happened? Why are you fighting?"
Lu Qingkong had a strange temperament to begin with, and his tongue was particularly venomous. It was just that while staying at Rizhao Mountain, he couldn't unleash his full power on his fellow disciples. This trip out had finally provided him with an outlet; he had been ranting for half an hour without repeating a single phrase.
Zhou Fuxue stood by, watching in awe.
Lu Qingkong crossed his arms and sneered. "We were originally buying a jade token for Little Martial Uncle. Suddenly, this person grabbed me, claiming I bumped into him and broke his token, and demanded I pay for it."
Zhou Fuxue leaned toward Ming Zhu’s ear and whispered, "Because of this, Ninth Senior Brother has been arguing with them for half an hour."
Ming Zhu was instantly filled with a sense of solemn respect.
Lu Qingkong was someone who refused to lose. Being framed for no reason while walking down the street was naturally something he wouldn't stand for. The young master had initially demanded money with great arrogance, threatening to have his guards teach them a lesson if they didn't pay.
Though Lu Qingkong had only recently reached the Foundation Establishment stage, he remained unfazed, scolding everyone in sight. Zhou Fuxue had no choice but to step in and give the guards a thrashing.
With a "thug" backing him up, Lu Qingkong became even more emboldened, engaging the young master in a shouting match... or rather, a one-sided verbal assault that lasted half an hour.
It was unclear if the young master was missing a few strings in his head. He couldn't win the fight, and he couldn't win the argument, yet perhaps out of a desire to save face, he stubbornly stood his ground against Lu Qingkong for thirty minutes. His eyes were bloodshot, and he had bitten his lip until it bled.
The young master: "You—you—you—you..."
Lu Qingkong turned around and said coldly, "You what? Didn't I tell you to speak human? Or can you not understand human speech either?"
The young master: "I—I—I—I..."
Lu Qingkong: "Are you a stutterer?"
The young master: "..." He was about to cry from rage.
Ming Zhu: "..."
Ming Zhu gave a dry cough and gave the young master a slight nod, smiling. "I am truly sorry. My junior brother has a bit of a temper and has caused you trouble. I will pay whatever the jade token costs."
Lu Qingkong frowned. "Senior Brother, stay out of this. I can handle it."
Ming Zhu gave him a kick.
The young master had been scolded for half an hour. Had it not been for Lu Qingkong’s overbearing pressure making him refuse to back down, his tears would have burst forth long ago. Now that Ming Zhu’s gentle attitude had appeared, he suddenly couldn't hold it in. With a "wah," he burst into tears.
Ming Zhu: "..."
The young master looked to be about the same age as Zhou Fuxue, still just a youth. His sudden sobbing and the way his tears fell in streams made him look incredibly pitiful.
Ming Zhu suddenly felt like he was committing a sin. He glared fiercely at the culprit, then tentatively stepped forward and gently patted the boy’s head. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "Don't cry anymore. How about Brother buys you some candy?"
The young master: "Waaaaah!"
Ming Zhu: "There, there, don't cry..."
Seeing Ming Zhu coaxing the person who had tried to scam him, Lu Qingkong felt a surge of annoyance. Shen Hongchuan leaned over and whispered, "Exactly how much did he want you to pay for you to scold him like that?"
Because there were too many people, Shen Hongchuan—whether to avoid exposing their identities or because he found the scene embarrassing—placed the mask Ming Zhu had just taken off back onto Ming Zhu's face.
Lu Qingkong was still fuming. "He wanted a hundred crystal jade! Little Martial Uncle only gave us two hundred for this trip. If we pay him, how are we supposed to get back?"
Shen Hongchuan: "..."
Shen Hongchuan found it utterly unbelievable. "You've been arguing here for half an hour over a hundred crystal jade?"
Lu Qingkong stomped hard on his foot. "Shut up!"
Shen Hongchuan, who had just spent a hundred thousand crystal jade on a single token without blinking, looked at Lu Qingkong’s face, which was pale with anger. He remained silent for a long time, unsure if he was shocked by Lu Qingkong’s persistence or by their sheer poverty.
Perhaps relying on his face, Ming Zhu managed to stop the young master’s crying after a while. The boy was now twitching as he clutched Ming Zhu’s sleeve, sobbing, "I... I wasn't lying. It really... really was him who bumped into me..."
Hearing this, Lu Qingkong immediately flared up. "You still dare to say that? Would I not feel it if I bumped into someone? Stop talking nonsense and slandering people."
The young master shrank behind Ming Zhu, pointing tearfully at the cluster of iron trinkets hanging from Lu Qingkong’s waist. "It was... when you turned around, that... iron ball flew out and hit—hit my jade."
Ming Zhu followed his gaze.
Lu Qingkong: "..."
Shen Hongchuan couldn't bear to watch any longer. He stepped forward and tossed a bag of crystal jade into the arms of the guard behind the young master. "Our junior brother was in the wrong this time," he said calmly. "I ask that you all do not lower yourselves to his level, considering he is a fool. Here are a thousand crystal jade as an apology."
Lu Qingkong: "...Shen... mmmph!"
Zhou Fuxue stepped forward and clamped a hand over his mouth.
The young master was still sobbing softly. He didn't look at the others; instead, with a slight blush on his face, he glanced at Ming Zhu’s devastatingly beautiful features and whispered, "Then... for Brother's sake, I... I won't hold a grudge."
Ming Zhu immediately let out a shallow smile.
The young master gently tugged at his sleeve, appearing somewhat bashful as he murmured like a mosquito, "I... my name is Qinghe... what is Brother's name?"
"My name is Ming Zhu."
Qinghe looked up at Ming Zhu, then immediately lowered his head again, still murmuring, "Brother Ming..."
Ming Zhu had spent many years at Rizhao Mountain. His junior brothers usually called him by his name with great audacity or addressed him formally as Senior Brother. Even his biological sister, Ming Fuhua, only called him "Brother" in a stiff manner. In all his years, he had never been called "Brother" in such a soft, sweet way. His restless heart nearly skipped a beat.
Ming Zhu beamed. "Say it again."
Qinghe blushed but still obeyed. "Brother Ming."
Ming Zhu was thoroughly satisfied.
At that moment, a guard behind them reminded him, "Young Master, it is noon. If we don't return, the Master will likely be furious."
Qinghe started, then hurriedly stammered, "Right, right. I need to buy a jade token for Xi Chu. Buy a jade token."
Ming Zhu froze. "Xi Chu?"
Qinghe immediately covered his mouth and shook his head frantically.
Shen Hongchuan seemed to realize something. "Are you the son of Nan Yue of Lveyue Tower, Nan Qinghe?"
Ming Zhu looked up in astonishment.
***
