It was already late spring, yet the night wind remained piercingly cold.
The rooms in the middle deck of the Sky-Kite were not as small as Shen Hongchuan had described. On the contrary, they were much larger than those of an ordinary inn, fully furnished with every necessity. Aside from a slight swaying when encountering strong winds, the interior felt no different from being on solid ground.
Zhou Fuxue, clutching several yellowed scrolls, knocked on Ming Zhu’s door. Upon entering, he saw Ming Zhu lying listlessly on the bed, his hair spread across his back. He looked as though he wanted to vomit but couldn't, his expression one of utter misery.
Without even lifting his head, Ming Zhu murmured weakly, "I... I want some water."
Zhou Fuxue let out a soft sigh and fed him a cup of water. After adding some oil to the lamp on the table, he walked to the bedside and said, "It’s late. You should sleep."
Ming Zhu tried his best not to think about the fact that he was currently suspended hundreds of feet in the air. He took a deep breath, burrowed into the soft bedding, and curled up as he closed his eyes. "Mhm. What are you reading today?"
Zhou Fuxue replied, "The *Lianshan* and *Guizang*."
Ming Zhu paused. "The... the what now?"
Zhou Fuxue lifted the thin, yellowed ancient text in his hand. "I got it from Ninth Senior Brother. It seems to be about hexagrams and divination. Do you want to hear it?"
"No, definitely not," Ming Zhu said. "How dare you read books from Old Nine? Aren't you afraid of ending up with that same ghostly, eerie temperament of his? Change it."
Zhou Fuxue said helplessly, "Then we shall stick to the *Classic of Purity and Stillness*."
Ming Zhu wanted to pick something else, but Zhou Fuxue patted his quilt and said, "Stop overthinking. Go to sleep."
Ming Zhu found it extremely difficult to fall asleep. Sometimes, even after Zhou Fuxue had finished an entire book, Ming Zhu would still be wide awake, occasionally posing tricky or bizarre questions to keep his mind active, which only made sleep more elusive. Over the years, Zhou Fuxue had grown accustomed to this.
"...The reason sentient beings do not attain the True Way is because they possess a deluded heart. Once there is a deluded heart, the spirit is startled; once the spirit is startled..."
Zhou Fuxue’s voice was deep, carrying the slight rasp of a youth transitioning into manhood. To Ming Zhu, it felt like a feather brushing against his ear, making his neck tingle with a phantom itch.
Hearing this, Ming Zhu suddenly opened his eyes and looked curiously at Zhou Fuxue, who was sitting upright on the edge of the bed. He tugged at the younger man’s sash and asked, "Do you have a deluded heart too?"
Zhou Fuxue replied, "I am reading to you so you can sleep. Why are you getting more energetic instead? Close your eyes."
Ming Zhu gave an "oh" and obediently closed his eyes, but then repeated, "So, do you have a deluded heart or not?"
Zhou Fuxue was truly at his wits' end. He set the book down and said, "My cultivation has not yet reached the Golden Core stage. If I harbored a deluded heart, I fear my primordial spirit would suffer. For a cultivator, a deluded heart is a great taboo; it easily invites inner demons. Senior Brother should know this well, so why ask such a redundant question?"
Ming Zhu disobediently opened his eyes again, rubbing his face against the soft pillow. He was likely exhausted to the limit, yet sleep remained out of reach, leaving a thin veil of mist over his peach-blossom eyes.
Zhou Fuxue had intended to tell Ming Zhu with a cold, indifferent face that he possessed no such deluded heart. However, when his gaze fell upon Ming Zhu’s weary countenance, for some reason, his tranquil state of mind felt as though it had been struck by a violent blow, leaving a buzzing ring in his ears.
Ming Zhu didn't notice his stunned expression. He rolled around in the blankets twice and patted the empty half of the bed, mumbling, "It’s too late. Just sleep here with me."
Zhou Fuxue froze. Then, the tips of his ears turned a sudden, bright red. He stood up abruptly, haphazardly gathering his books. Keeping his head down and not daring to look at Ming Zhu, he stammered, "N-no, I should go back to..."
He walked forward with stiff, awkward steps. Just as he reached the door, he felt a sudden pang of reluctance. He turned back tentatively, only to see Ming Zhu sitting on the bed, half-wrapped in the quilt. His healthy right hand was gripping the edge of the bed so tightly that his knuckles were white, and his eyes were filled with panic.
During the day, he hadn't shown a single trace of fear regarding the height. Occasionally, he would even crack the window open to glance at the sea of clouds outside. Both Lu Qingkong and Zhou Fuxue had almost believed he was truly no longer afraid of heights; they hadn't realized it was all a front.
Zhou Fuxue sighed. As expected, a fear buried deep in one's bones could not be changed overnight.
After a moment of hesitation, he still opened the door and turned to leave.
The moment Zhou Fuxue closed the door, Ming Zhu’s rigid body suddenly convulsed. He scrambled to the edge of the bed and vomited out the water he had just drunk.
No matter how steadily the Sky-Kite flew, there was an unavoidable sensation of weightlessness, a feeling of not being on solid ground. The more Ming Zhu tried not to think about it, the more his mind raced.
He felt, in a daze, that he wasn't on a vessel at all, but hanging by one hand from a precipice. All around him was the howling wind, and beneath him was a bottomless abyss. At any moment, a hideous beast would leap up and swallow him whole.
*It’s too terrifying,* Ming Zhu thought, huddled in his quilt at the edge of the bed. *If I truly inherited my mother’s ability to foresee fate through my bloodline, then are these dreams... are they things that will happen in the future?*
In the future, would there really come a day when he would be standing on a cliff, heartlessly cast down, only for a fierce demonic beast to lunge from the abyss with its maw wide open, swallowing him into the darkness?
The more Ming Zhu thought, the colder he felt. His body was already shivering uncontrollably. The oil lamp on the table had burned to its end; the flame was slowly dying, and darkness was encroaching inch by inch.
The pea-sized flame flickered until it vanished, leaving no light—until a hand suddenly and gently placed another lamp on the table, illuminating the large room.
Before Ming Zhu could react, he stared blankly as the returned Zhou Fuxue placed a gaudy, ornate lamp on the table. He explained casually, "The lamps on the Sky-Kite actually use oil. The smell is too strong. I went to Ninth Senior Brother to get a spirit crystal lamp; this way, we won't have to wake up at night to refill the oil."
As he spoke, he untied his outer robe. He walked to the bedside and looked at the pale Ming Zhu, his brow furrowed. "What’s wrong? Still can't sleep?"
Ming Zhu didn't know how to respond for a moment, so he simply nodded.
Zhou Fuxue nudged him to lie back down and then awkwardly lay down beside him. Seeing the dazed look in Ming Zhu’s eyes and assuming he was still afraid, he whispered, "Don't be afraid. If you really can't sleep, I..."
He was about to say that if Ming Zhu couldn't sleep, he would recite the *Classic of Purity and Stillness* directly into his ear. But then, Ming Zhu seemed to be seized by a sudden impulse and lunged forward, burying his head in Zhou Fuxue’s chest.
Zhou Fuxue: "..."
Zhou Fuxue’s entire body went rigid. His instinct was to shrink back, only to find he was already at the edge of the bed; any further and he would fall off.
Ming Zhu pressed his forehead against the younger man's chest. His right hand reached out and gently grasped the ties of Zhou Fuxue’s inner garment, trembling as he wound them several times around his pinky finger. Only then did he finally let out a sigh of relief.
"So warm," Ming Zhu murmured, eyes closed. He felt the heat of Zhou Fuxue’s body and heard his heart beating—*thump-thump, thump-thump*—incredibly fast.
Zhou Fuxue felt awkward and stammered, "S-S-S-Senior Brother..."
Ming Zhu’s hand, still tangled in the garment ties, patted gently over Zhou Fuxue’s heart. He muttered, "It’s beating too fast. It’s noisy."
Zhou Fuxue: "..."
*If it’s too noisy, then get lost to the other side of the bed!*
Zhou Fuxue wanted to say more, but when he looked down, he saw that Ming Zhu had completely relaxed his body. Leaning into his embrace, he had already drifted into a heavy sleep.
Zhou Fuxue was stunned. He had looked after Ming Zhu’s daily life for over five years and knew exactly how much of a fuss he could kick up before bed. It was truly unexpected that he would fall asleep so easily this time.
Soon, Ming Zhu’s breathing became steady. The pinky finger of his right hand twitched unconsciously, pulling the garment ties and tugging open a gap in the front of Zhou Fuxue’s robes.
Zhou Fuxue took a deep breath. With a trembling hand, he untangled his ties from Ming Zhu’s finger, then carefully pressed on Ming Zhu’s shoulder to move him back to the inner side of the bed.
Ming Zhu was extremely difficult to get to sleep, but once he was out, he wouldn't wake even if the heavens collapsed. Thus, being pushed aside didn't cause much of a stir; he only mumbled a few incoherent words in his daze.
Zhou Fuxue lay back down, controlling his breathing. Only after a while did he feel his heart stop racing so violently. He let out a sigh of relief and was about to fall asleep when the previously peaceful Ming Zhu seemed to be seized by a nightmare, beginning to struggle restlessly.
Startled, Zhou Fuxue half-rose to hold down Ming Zhu’s left arm, preventing him from putting pressure on his wound. However, in the next moment, he experienced the true meaning of "reaping what one sows"—because Ming Zhu, likely sensing a familiar scent, muttered something and reached out with his right hand to grab Zhou Fuxue’s lapel, once again diving headfirst into his chest.
Zhou Fuxue: "..."
The heart that had only just calmed down began to pound wildly once more.
Ming Zhu’s furrowed brows slowly relaxed. He found a comfortable position and stopped moving.
Zhou Fuxue remained rigid, not daring to move again. He felt that the body which was usually soft and warm now felt as scorching as a hot coal in his arms. He wanted to push him away but couldn't bring himself to do it. He could only lie there in a state of half-agony and half-bliss, letting Ming Zhu lean against him while he silently recited the *Classic of Purity and Stillness* a hundred times.
It was a sleepless night.
The storage ring Shen Hongchuan had prepared for Ming Zhu was stuffed with a mountain of pastries and snacks. When Ming Zhu took them out in the morning, it made Lu Qingkong green with envy.
"These things are expensive," Lu Qingkong said around a mouthful of food. "When I went shopping with Seventh Senior Brother, I wanted to eat these, but he wouldn't buy them for me."
Zhou Fuxue couldn't stand his constant talk of money and frowned. "If you want to eat them, buy them yourself."
Lu Qingkong rolled his eyes at him. "Would you pay five hundred spirit crystals for a bag of pastries? Only a spendthrift like Shen Hongchuan would buy this much without blinking. Heh, since Eldest Senior Brother isn't eating, it’s just more for us."
Ming Zhu sat nearby, sipping water listlessly. "Are they really that expensive?" he asked absentmindedly.
Lu Qingkong gave a hum of affirmation, swallowed the pastry, and sat down next to Ming Zhu. "I heard Seventh Senior Brother say he tucked some spirit crystals in there for you. Have you checked how many?"
Ming Zhu shook his head. He had never had much of a concept of wealth. He simply tossed the storage ring to Lu Qingkong to let him see for himself.
Lu Qingkong took a sip of water and casually glanced inside, only to spit the water right back out.
Ming Zhu nearly got sprayed. He pulled back and said with disgust, "Old Nine, I know you aren't usually very refined, but..."
Before he could finish his mockery, Lu Qingkong tied the storage ring back around Ming Zhu’s neck, his face looking a bit sickly. "That extravagant bastard Shen Hongchuan... did he stuff an entire mountain of spirit crystals in here for you?"
Ming Zhu was confused. Beside him, Zhou Fuxue tossed over a clean cloth, saying with disdain, "Wipe yourself off first."
Lu Qingkong wiped his face haphazardly. Just as he was about to speak, Ming Zhu suddenly raised a finger. "Shh."
The two immediately fell silent, holding their breath in unison.
From the corridor outside came the sound of light footsteps. They seemed to stop right in front of Ming Zhu’s door, followed by two voices.
"Are you sure that person is the Ming Zhu from the bounty warrant? You didn't see wrong, did you?"
"Impossible. That brat’s face is so unique, I could never mistake it. The two kids traveling with him haven't even formed their Golden Cores; they aren't even worth mentioning. Hehe, once we catch him, that bounty of hundreds of thousands of spirit crystals will be ours."
"But I thought that person had a very ordinary face. Was it because he was wearing a skin mask?"
"Probably. But I remember his left hand is injured, wrapped in layer after layer of white gauze. Just remember that." The speaker’s tone suddenly became suggestive. "It’s a pity for a face like that to be on a man. Otherwise..."
The words that followed were too foul to listen to.
The three inside were struck with horror and exchanged looks.
Since Ming Zhu had boarded the Sky-Kite, he had taken off the skin mask because it was a nuisance. He had spent the last day and night inside the room and hadn't gone out much; how could his face have been seen?
Lu Qingkong signaled to the other two silently: *Late Nascent Soul stage.*
Ming Zhu’s heart sank instantly.
When he woke up this morning, Ming Zhu had found his own room too bright, so he had come to Lu Qingkong’s room across the hall to eat. The two men outside seemed to think Ming Zhu was still in his own room and were currently lingering by his door.
Lu Qingkong signaled again: *What do we do?*
Ming Zhu shook his head, indicating they should wait.
However, Zhou Fuxue whispered, "Their cultivation is far higher than ours. If they spread their divine sense, they will soon realize Senior Brother’s room is empty."
Ming Zhu’s face was pale. "How much further to Rizhao?"
Lu Qingkong calculated the time. "Another day. We won't arrive until midnight tonight."
***
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