Zhou Fuxue was a man of great endurance. Remaining unperturbed, he asked, "And what about you, Eldest Senior Brother?"
The Eldest Senior Brother replied, "Aren't there still a few days left in the month? I shall personally instruct you then."
Having said that, he gave Shen Dian a triumphant wink. "Old Ten, what do you think? This way, Little Thirteen will become a master of everything—mechanisms, swordsmanship, music theory, and medicine."
Shen Dian nearly rolled his eyes at him. "I won't speak for the other brothers, but what exactly can you teach Thirteen? How to sleep in a position that doesn't squash his face?"
Ming Zhu didn't seem to realize Shen Dian was mocking him. He actually stroked his chin, considering it for a moment. "That is something worth considering."
Shen Dian’s face went dark. "Eldest Senior Brother!"
Only then did Ming Zhu clear his throat. He patted Zhou Fuxue’s head and said, "Rizhao Mountain doesn't have many rules. As long as you don't leave the mountain gates, you can go wherever you please. The Library is in the tall building to the far north... Mm, Old Ten, give him a Jade Command. He can read any book inside; just tell him to be careful not to damage them."
He thought for a moment longer and asked, "Am I forgetting anything else?"
Seeing his careless attitude, Shen Dian felt a sense of foreboding. He thought that if the Eldest Senior Brother continued with this "hands-off" teaching style, he might end up raising a great demon who would defect from the sect. He hurried forward and said, "Hey, hey, Eldest Senior Brother, please stop your death-defying antics. I’ll teach Thirteen. As for you, go find somewhere cool to stay out of the way."
Ming Zhu was a bit unhappy now. "But Master told me to teach him."
Shen Dian retorted sharply, "Master also told you not to dream of leaving the mountain gates, yet don't you try to break out every few days? Do your legs, which were punished with kneeling just a few days ago, not hurt anymore?"
Ming Zhu: "..."
Stunned by the retort, Ming Zhu gnashed his teeth, looking very much like he wanted to lean over and bite this junior brother.
Zhou Fuxue watched their bickering with a cold expression. Only when the two had called a truce did he speak. "Master told me to follow Eldest Senior Brother just now. If he finds out I’ve sought out another brother, he might be displeased. I won't trouble Tenth Senior Brother."
Ming Zhu and Shen Dian both thought simultaneously: *Master probably wouldn't even care.*
However, since Zhou Fuxue had put it that way, Shen Dian couldn't say much more. He shrugged and tactfully stood up to take his leave.
Ming Zhu suddenly remembered something and chased after him, shouting, "Old Ten, have someone send me some wound medicine!"
Hearing this, Shen Dian walked even faster. "Come get it yourself."
Ming Zhu couldn't very well abandon his dignity as the Eldest Senior Brother in front of his new junior by sprinting after Shen Dian. He cleared his throat, turned back, and said with a beaming smile, "Forgive the display, Junior Brother. Is there anything else you lack here? If it's too late to get it today, you can borrow it from my courtyard."
Zhou Fuxue said, "Thank you, Senior Brother."
The phrases Zhou Fuxue used most with Ming Zhu were "Greetings, Senior Brother" and "Thank you, Senior Brother." Aside from those, he rarely spoke. Ming Zhu stroked his chin as he looked at the crown of his junior brother's head, thinking idly: *Someone with this temperament should have been given to Second Brother Yi to raise. That would ensure his taciturn nature is put to good use. Me raising him? Isn't that a total clash of temperaments?*
Ming Zhu subtly felt his knees, which were sore and weak from kneeling. Perhaps he was truly afraid of the punishment, for he didn't dare go before Perfected Master Guining to seek another scolding. Instead, he summoned the thick skin he usually used to flirt with female cultivators. His eyes curved into crescents as he said, "By the way, I don't yet know what kind of spiritual vein you possess. I need to know so I can go to the Library and borrow the introductory books that suit you."
In Ming Zhu's eyes, a mere child arriving in a strange place would surely be filled with trepidation. As long as he showed a bit of kindness, he could surely turn this prickly hedgehog into a soft rabbit.
Zhou Fuxue had originally maintained a cold aura, looking as though he would politely say "Thank you, Senior Brother" even if someone pointed at his nose and called him an ungrateful wolf. But the moment Ming Zhu finished speaking, a flash of fury crossed his youthful face. He gripped the brand-new scriptures in his hand so tightly his knuckles turned white. His jaw tightened into a sharp line, and his words were practically squeezed through his teeth: "There is... no need for Eldest Senior Brother to trouble himself."
Ming Zhu blinked blankly, not knowing how his heartfelt kindness had been so poorly received. Within moments, he was confusedly ushered out by Zhou Fuxue.
He stood before the closed courtyard gate, agonizing for a long time over which specific word he had said wrong. In the end, he had no choice but to go to Shen Dian’s place to get his medicine.
Shen Dian lived in a courtyard filled with a medicinal garden. Most of the herbs on Rizhao Mountain were sourced from him. In the summer, the overwhelming scent of herbs could be smelled from far away.
"Hiss—Old Ten, Brother Ten, Tenth Brother! Can you be a bit gentler? This is a head, not a rock."
Shen Dian pressed Ming Zhu down onto a stool, frowning as he rubbed medicine onto his forehead. He said crossly, "So you do know pain? You only have yourself to blame for courting death."
The space between Ming Zhu's brows was swollen and red. Even a light touch brought a piercing pain, causing his eyes to brim with tears. "I didn't. Don't slander me. You know Master's temper; he spends all day looking for an excuse to beat me. Hiss—gentler, gentler, I beg you."
Ming Zhu was young, and his features were so beautiful they were almost otherworldly. If he sat quietly and didn't move, he was breathtaking enough to make one's soul wander. However, he was almost never quiet. He spent his days jumping about, turning the vast Rizhao Mountain upside down. Over the past ten years, everyone at Rizhao had suffered from his mischief. No one appreciated his peerless beauty; instead, they all wished they could mar that face of his.
After applying the medicine, Shen Dian stuffed the bottle into Ming Zhu's sleeve. After giving a few instructions, he asked, "I thought you were going to stay at Zhou Fuxue's place for a while. Why did you come out so soon?"
Ming Zhu was also puzzled. "I don't know. He just kicked me out for no reason."
Ming Zhu had a natural talent for offending people without ever realizing it. Shen Dian said, "I think our little junior brother seems quite easy to get along with. You must have said something wrong."
"Nonsense!" Ming Zhu slapped the table. "I really didn't say anything this time. I was even kind enough to offer to borrow books for him from the Library. I just casually asked about his spiritual vein. Is that something to get angry about?"
Hearing this, Shen Dian looked at him with an expression of utter disbelief, making Ming Zhu’s skin crawl. "What? What did I say wrong?"
Shen Dian said, "My dear Senior Brother, did you eat the words our Young Martial Uncle said during morning lessons along with your breakfast a few days ago?"
Ming Zhu said righteously, "I never attend morning lessons—what did Young Martial Uncle say?"
Shen Dian sighed. "Aren't you even curious why Zhou Fuxue is named Zhou?"
"His name is Zhou because his father's name is Zhou. What's there to be curious about?"
Shen Dian thought: *Eldest Senior Brother, you truly are an unprecedentedly empty-headed beauty.*
Shen Dian dipped his finger in some tea and drew a short, simple pattern on the purple sandalwood table. He lowered his eyes and his voice. "Zhou Mingzhong of the Kingdom of Jianglou. He has the power to summon wind and rain; wherever he goes, a storm of blood follows. Even the other four kingdoms fear them. Senior Brother, even a three-year-old has heard of their fearsome reputation. Don't tell me you're less informed than a child."
Though Ming Zhu’s head was filled with straw, he had indeed heard of the famous Zhou Mingzhong of Jianglou.
Zhou Mingzhong of Jianglou was of royal descent and held a high status. He was respected and immensely wealthy. He could have lived a peaceful life as a profligate noble, but for some reason, he became obsessed with seeking the Dao. In just a hundred years, he had actually managed to use his wealth to buy his way into becoming a great master of the current age. He was considered the quintessential example of someone in the cultivation world with "more money than brains."
"Ah, so he's from the Zhou family. Wait, why would someone from the Zhou family come to the Kingdom of Ximu and join Rizhao Mountain? Shouldn't he be supported by Zhou Mingzhong's wealth while he cultivates?"
"Master likely has some history with the Zhou family." Shen Dian wiped away the Zhou family crest from the table. "Young Martial Uncle said that although Zhou Fuxue is of the direct line, he was extremely disliked within the family. It's a miracle he grew up safely. It's said that Master saw how pitiful and helpless he was, so he brought him to Rizhao."
At this point, Shen Dian lowered his voice. "It is because... he has no spiritual veins."
Upon hearing this, Ming Zhu finally understood.
In a great clan like the Zhou family, the strength of one's spiritual veins determined one's status. In the Zhou family, where the strong preyed on the weak and familial affection was as thin as ice, having no spiritual veins was an unpardonable sin.
Ming Zhu nodded thoughtfully. No wonder Zhou Fuxue had such a strong reaction when asked about his spiritual veins. Ming Zhu was broad-minded and didn't hold grudges; he expressed his understanding with kindness and decided to graciously forgive his tragic little junior brother.
Zhou Fuxue had a sleepless night. He finally managed to sleep for half an hour before dawn. When he woke, he was drenched in cold sweat. He sat on the bed, staring blankly at the unfamiliar surroundings. For a moment, he almost thought he was still in that dark, dilapidated shack back at the Zhou house.
The insults from his nightmares still echoed in his ears. His eyes were red as he stared fiercely into the empty air, his fists clenched until they cracked.
"The Fourth Young Master? Him? He's just a waste with no spiritual veins. If the Head of the House didn't care for his bloodline, he would have been left to rot long ago. How could he possibly..."
"Not only does he lack spiritual veins, his head probably isn't right either. The servants in that courtyard beat him constantly, yet he endures it in silence and doesn't dare say a word to the Head. Why fear a waste like him?"
"Waste..."
In the small shack, the young boy listened to the malicious cursing outside, crouching in the corner with his hand over his mouth as tears fell silently.
There seemed to be footsteps outside the door. Startled, he scrambled into his quilt, his small body trembling slightly.
A beam of light spilled through the crack in the door. The child watched almost greedily as that rare light grew weaker and weaker, finally narrowing into a faint line before slowly vanishing.
Zhou Fuxue’s entire body shuddered. Before he could realize where he was, the door beside him was pushed open with a bang. Then, Ming Zhu, dressed in red, walked in as if he owned the place. The youth's eyes were bright as he looked at him—brighter than the faint light he had seen in his nightmare.
Ming Zhu burst in boisterously and greeted him with great familiarity. "Little Thirteen, stop sleeping. Come on, Senior Brother is taking you to morning lessons."
Zhou Fuxue looked at him in a daze. Stirred by the noise, his chaotic thoughts suddenly cleared, and he realized he was not in that dark, sunless Zhou house.
Looking at his stunned expression, Ming Zhu found him more amusing the more he looked. He stepped forward and ruffled the boy's hair. "What's wrong? Did you sleep yourself stupid? Do you still remember who I am?"
All the frustration and sorrow from Zhou Fuxue’s dream suddenly surged up at once. He looked at the smiling youth before him, who was like a brilliant light. By some inexplicable impulse, he reached out and threw his arms around him.
