Shen Hongchuan plucked a begonia flower from a nearby branch. Cupping Ming Zhu’s face, he gently pressed a single petal beneath the man’s eye to conceal that striking red mark. He tucked the remaining blossoms into Ming Zhu’s hair bun, stepping back with a satisfied nod.
Ming Zhu allowed him to fuss, not forgetting to cast flirtatious glances at the passersby. It was a stroke of luck he had been born a man; with his habit of "attracting bees and butterflies" wherever he went, he would have been crated and drowned in a pond long ago for his scandalous behavior.
Zhou Fuxue’s gaze remained fixed on Ming Zhu until he felt a nudge at his elbow. He turned to find Lu Qingkong leaning in, whispering, "Go check that Extermination Mandate. Does it really say 'dead or alive'?"
Startled, Zhou Fuxue hesitated for a moment before frowning and squeezing through the crowd toward the notice. He swept a glance over it, and his expression instantly darkened.
Beneath that incredibly lifelike portrait of Ming Zhu, the words "dead or alive" were indeed written in plain ink.
Zhou Fuxue walked back with a face like leaden water. He gave a microscopic nod and lowered his voice. "What is the Youngest Martial Uncle thinking? Even if he truly wants Senior Brother to return quickly, is there any need to specify 'dead or alive'? Is he not afraid that Senior Brother might actually come to harm because of this mandate?"
Lu Qingkong shook his head. "Eldest Senior Brother usually drifts through life, taking things as they come. His greatest weakness is his fear of death. Martial Uncle has likely seen through the fact that he will never resist if it means saving his own skin. That is why he is so emboldened."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ming Zhu came scurrying over with dainty steps, asking curiously, "What are you two whispering about?"
Lu Qingkong pushed him away with a look of disgust. "Don't get so close to me. That rouge smells nauseating."
Ming Zhu loved to be contrary. He completely ignored the "come closer, come closer" longing in Zhou Fuxue’s eyes and instead lunged at Lu Qingkong. He grabbed the younger man’s arms, breathing like an orchid near his ear. "Junior Brother, your sister’s legs are weary. Why don't you carry me on your back? There might be a reward in it for you."
Lu Qingkong’s face turned black.
"Shen Hongchuan! Shen Hongchuan, get this hideous thing away from me!" Lu Qingkong struggled desperately. "Zhou Fuxue! Are you two blind?"
Ming Zhu burst into laughter. "Hahahaha!"
Amused by Lu Qingkong’s desperate avoidance, Ming Zhu actually behaved himself for the rest of the walk. He stopped flirting with strangers and devoted his entire being to clinging to Lu Qingkong, finding immense joy in watching the boy’s reluctant fury.
Unfortunately for Lu Qingkong, neither his other senior brother nor his junior brother were particularly helpful. Every time Lu Qingkong looked ready to strike, Zhou Fuxue would shoot him a cold, knife-like glare that clearly said, *“I dare you to try.”*
And when he reached the limit of his patience and prepared to unleash a verbal lashing, Shen Hongchuan would let out a slow, questioning "Hmm?"—effectively choking the words back down Lu Qingkong’s throat until he nearly gagged on his own rage.
Lu Qingkong’s fragile spirit suffered a great trauma. He felt that before his Eldest Senior Brother could bring ruin to the country and its people, he would first drive Lu Qingkong insane.
Fortunately, Ming Zhu’s whims were intense but fleeting. Once they reached a private room in a restaurant, he lost all interest in Lu Qingkong. He sat cross-legged on a chair, pointing around like a conqueror. "I want to eat the most expensive dishes."
Lu Qingkong, still pale with lingering irritation, snapped back, "Order the cheapest. I have no money."
Ming Zhu looked at him as if he were a fool. "I didn't ask you to pay."
Lu Qingkong muttered sullenly, "I don't care. You're not allowed to eat them anyway."
Ming Zhu looked at Shen Hongchuan, who gave a helpless nod. Emboldened by this support, Ming Zhu called for the waiter and rattled off dozens of dish names in a single breath, all of them the most expensive on the menu.
He spoke so fast without pausing for air that his eyes nearly rolled back in his head. Lu Qingkong looked ready to faint from anger as well. In the end, Shen Hongchuan had to stop Ming Zhu before he actually suffocated himself just by ordering food.
Ming Zhu panted for a few moments before huffing at the waiter, "I want exactly those. Did you get that?"
The waiter, drenched in cold sweat, said timidly, "My apologies... you spoke too fast. Could the honored guest please repeat that?"
Ming Zhu: "..."
This time, he really was about to faint from fury.
Lu Qingkong finally let out a breath of relief and cursed, "Serves you right."
Shen Hongchuan struggled to suppress his laughter. He cleared his throat and said softly, "Ignore him. Just bring us a few of your signature dishes. Thank you."
Ming Zhu glared death at the waiter, his eyes performing a mental vivisection.
The waiter scrambled to acknowledge the order and fled the room as fast as his legs could carry him.
Long after the waiter had vanished, Ming Zhu’s chest still ached with indignation. He continued to stare blankly at the doorway, seemingly debating whether to chase the man down and beat him.
Shen Hongchuan called out, "Senior Brother?"
When Ming Zhu was truly angry, he practiced indiscriminate aggression. He swung an elbow back into Shen Hongchuan’s abdomen and shot him a sideways glare. "What kind of place did you choose? What use is a waiter who can't even remember the names of dishes?"
Shen Hongchuan smiled good-naturedly. "This is the finest restaurant in all of Shuoyu City. The food is excellent. You'll see once you taste it."
Ming Zhu huffed, "I'm not eating."
The other three looked at him in confusion, wondering why he had suddenly changed his tune.
Ming Zhu patted his waist and snorted. "I still feel a bit fat. I tied the waist cincher too tight when I was changing earlier; it’s quite suffocating. If I eat too much, I might actually stop breathing."
The three of them: "..."
Shen Hongchuan patted his head and said gently, "Senior Brother, trust me. You aren't fat at all. Go loosen the cincher. Why suffer like that?"
Ming Zhu did feel quite uncomfortable. After some hesitation, he hurried behind the beaded curtain of an adjoining room to adjust his clothes.
The moment he left, Shen Hongchuan’s gentle expression vanished. His slender fingers tapped lightly on the table as his gaze, sharp as a blade, swept over his two junior brothers. His voice was like ice. "Which one of you told him he was fat? Confess now, and I might let you live."
Lu Qingkong stiffened his neck. "It wasn't me. I don't care if he's fat or thin."
Shen Hongchuan let out a soft "Oh," and shifted his gaze to the expressionless Zhou Fuxue. "Then it was you."
Zhou Fuxue frowned. "I didn't mean it that way."
Shen Hongchuan countered, "But you said it."
Zhou Fuxue hesitated for a moment before admitting it straightforwardly. "Yes."
Shen Hongchuan narrowed his eyes at him for a long while, contemplating how to punish this audacious little junior brother. But before he could act, a blood-curdling scream erupted from behind the beaded curtain, echoing through the entire restaurant.
Shen Hongchuan reacted instantly, throwing the curtain aside and rushing in. Before he could even find his footing, a red shadow flashed before him. Ming Zhu, his clothes in disarray, lunged forward and hid behind Shen Hongchuan, trembling violently.
Shen Hongchuan asked urgently, "Senior Brother, what happened?"
Ming Zhu’s pupils were shaking. "Someone... someone is coming to kill me..."
Shen Hongchuan looked up and saw a shimmering longsword hovering in the air—it seemed that in his panic, Ming Zhu had summoned the Kua-yu Sword. The sword was currently spinning in place, looking rather confused. However, the room was otherwise empty. There was no sign of the assassin Ming Zhu spoke of.
Lu Qingkong and Zhou Fuxue rushed in as well, staring at the bizarre scene in bewilderment.
Shen Hongchuan noted the open window. After a moment’s hesitation, he stepped toward it. Deprived of his shield, Ming Zhu stumbled forward and collapsed, shivering, into Zhou Fuxue’s arms.
"He... he's coming for my life... he followed me!" Ming Zhu babbled incoherently, leaving Zhou Fuxue and Lu Qingkong completely baffled. They had no idea who "he" was.
Shen Hongchuan dodged the hovering Kua-yu Sword and inspected the window. Finding no suspicious persons, he prepared to turn back, but his peripheral vision caught something on the windowsill. A tiny white snake, no thicker than a finger, was coiled there, flicking its tongue fearlessly at him.
Shen Hongchuan finally let out a sigh of relief. He picked up the white snake by its tail and waved it toward Lu Qingkong. "It's nothing."
Lu Qingkong also relaxed. They had initially feared that someone had recognized Ming Zhu from the mandate and come to capture him. They had all been on high alert, only for it to turn out to be a palm-sized snake.
Shen Hongchuan tossed the snake out the window and turned back to Ming Zhu. "Senior Brother, don't be afraid. It's gone. No one is coming to kill you."
Ming Zhu, huddled in Zhou Fuxue’s embrace, shook his head wildly. "No... no, he followed me... he wants to swallow me whole! He just opened his mouth..."
Shen Hongchuan felt utterly helpless.
There were three things Ming Zhu feared most in life: first was death, second was heights, and third was snakes.
The root of this fear likely stemmed from a recurring nightmare he’d had for as long as he could remember.
In the dream, he was clinging to the edge of a cliff. Beneath his feet was a bottomless abyss of darkness. A cold, fishy wind blew from below, making him sway precariously.
Ming Zhu would struggle desperately to climb up, but then he would feel a sharp, realistic pain in his wrists. His body would plummet into the abyss, only to be swallowed by a massive white snake that lunged out of the darkness.
Then, he would wake up in a cold sweat.
Over time, perhaps driven mad by the nightly terror, Ming Zhu began to hallucinate that every snake he saw was an assassin coming for his life. Usually, a scream of terror was a mild reaction; once, he had actually fainted on the spot.
It was because of that humiliating incident that everyone on Mount Rizhao knew their grand Eldest Senior Brother was terrified of a common reptile.
Ming Zhu was usually boisterous and casual, acting as if he feared nothing, but in reality, he had far too many weaknesses. Any one of them could be used to pin him down completely.
Shen Hongchuan tried to coax him for a long time to no avail. He sighed, "He's still having those dreams after all these years?"
Lu Qingkong frowned. "It seems so. It’s never gotten better. I remember shortly after you left, Shen Dian gave him some calming medicine. He drank it for over a month, but there was no improvement at all."
Shen Hongchuan clicked his tongue. "That useless Shen Dian."
Lu Qingkong suggested, "He should be fine after he calms down. Can we eat first?"
Shen Hongchuan looked at Ming Zhu, who was still shivering in Zhou Fuxue’s arms, then shot a look at Lu Qingkong. "Senior Brother is in this state, and all you can think about is eating?"
Lu Qingkong replied righteously, "I saw the prices of those signature dishes you ordered... even if we sold Eldest Senior Brother, we couldn't afford them. Since you're paying, we naturally shouldn't let them go to waste, right?"
Shen Hongchuan was completely defeated.
Zhou Fuxue picked up the limp Ming Zhu in his arms. Lu Qingkong followed for a few steps, then turned back to Shen Hongchuan. "By the way, if we can't finish it, can we take the leftovers with us?"
Shen Hongchuan: "..."
"Get out."
How embarrassing.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 诛伐令 | Extermination Mandate | A formal order for punishment or execution, often issued by a sect. |
| 晶玉 | Crystal Jade | The currency used in this world. |
| 夸玉剑 | Kua-yu Sword | Ming Zhu's sword. |
| 说玉城 | Shuoyu City | The name of the city they are currently in. |
| 沈娣安 | Shen Dian | A character mentioned as having provided medicine (likely a healer or disciple). |
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Is Everyone Else's Eldest Disciple Like This? | Chapter 31 | A Myriad of Weaknesses | Novela.app | Novela.app
