The Little Martial Uncle smiled with his usual good temper and said, "Very well. Then let me ask another question: what do you believe is the fundamental difference between demons and wraiths and us, those who walk the path of cultivation?"
Ming Zhu replied, "Naturally, it is because they are not human. Demons and wraiths are, at their core, four-legged beasts. They lack human nature and are driven by cruel, murderous impulses for their own selfish desires. Even if some among them possess great power and transcend their tribulations to become demons, they are merely draped in human skin. That skin can be shed at will, but their essence remains the same—is that not what you have always taught us, Little Martial Uncle?"
The Little Martial Uncle said, "I am asking what *you* think."
Ming Zhu’s eyes darted around. Seeing the Little Martial Uncle’s smile, which was as warm as a spring breeze, he said tentatively, "I’ll speak the truth then, but you must promise not to go to Master and tattle on me."
Upon hearing this, the disciples immediately knew their Eldest Senior Brother was about to say something sacrilegious. They perked up, eager for the show. In a corner, a disheveled, unkempt youth unfastened two scraps of rusted iron from his wrist. The metal was covered in dense, tiny runes; with a light tap, they began to glow with a faint light.
The Little Martial Uncle said kindly, "Very well, I promise."
Ming Zhu breathed a great sigh of relief. He turned his head to cast a threatening glare at the junior brothers and sisters who were watching the spectacle before speaking with an air of solemn righteousness. "I think such talk is pure nonsense. It is nothing more than the self-righteous denunciations of arrogant ants."
A collective gasp erupted, and the Hall of Blamelessness practically exploded with chatter.
Fu Hua frowned and hissed a low reprimand, "Silence."
The Little Martial Uncle’s expression remained unchanged as he continued to encourage him. "Then, in your opinion?"
"Demons and wraiths were driven out or slaughtered hundreds of years ago; they no longer exist in this world. Ancient texts record them mostly as bloodthirsty, evil beasts. But in my view, those demons who possessed the power to summon wind and rain might have been hunted to extinction by humans based on nothing more than fabricated charges."
He spoke wildly, spouting grand theories he had picked up from who-knows-where. "When massive, powerful demons stood beside us, they possessed strength greater than ours and bodies sturdier than ours. In every aspect, they were superior to our weak selves. In such a situation, narrow-minded humans would not first feel admiration or awe, but rather suspicion and dread. Only when a fear that overrides instinct is born in the mind does one become so desperate to drive them out and slaughter them."
As soon as these words were spoken, the others fell into an even greater state of chaos, many jokingly bowing in worship to their "heretical" Eldest Senior Brother.
"E-E-Eldest Senior Brother! Truly worthy of being the head of the Twelve Oddities of Rizhao! I am in awe!"
"If the Sect Leader heard those words just now, Senior Brother would be punished again."
"Hahahaha!"
Amidst the clamor, the Little Martial Uncle smiled like a precious, noble flower. He said softly, "Alright, alright, don't be so noisy."
However, everyone was too busy arguing over Ming Zhu’s fallacious reasoning to notice. The Little Martial Uncle’s voice, thin as a mosquito’s buzz, was drowned out, and no one paid him any mind.
The Little Martial Uncle had a very good temper. After several attempts to speak went ignored, he simply turned to the gloating Ming Zhu and said amiably, "Ah-Zhu, there are so many books in the library; why do you only pick the ones filled with crooked theories and heterodox sayings?"
Ming Zhu replied, "No, no, no. These aren't crooked theories. I think they make quite a lot of sense."
The Little Martial Uncle tried a few more times to quiet the crowd, but the waves stirred up by Ming Zhu’s words were not going to settle anytime soon. He could only maintain his smile, clutch his book to his chest, and say, "Then today’s morning lesson ends here. Everyone, please transcribe the Sect Rules ten times."
The Little Martial Uncle himself hated facing crowds. Whenever a lecture became impossible to continue, he would have everyone transcribe the rules so he could leave the Hall of Blamelessness with a clear conscience.
As the Little Martial Uncle lowered his head and silently slipped out of the hall, Ming Zhu hurriedly called out from behind, "Little Martial Uncle! Remember our deal! No telling Master!"
The disciples in the Hall of Blamelessness were all doubled over with laughter at Ming Zhu’s words—except for a few inner disciples of the North Mountain and Fu Hua.
Not only were they not laughing, but even the usually smiling Shen Dian had a darkened face. The look she gave Ming Zhu was as if she were looking at a heretical monster who had betrayed the Way.
Shen Dian thought expressionlessly, *As expected, those great demons who betrayed the sect were all corrupted by this useless fool.*
Fu Hua was practically radiating cold air. She used her spiritual power to shatter the ice around Ming Zhu’s shins, snapped her book shut, and said coldly, "Come out."
With that, she left the Hall of Blamelessness on her own.
Ming Zhu, who had been looking quite smug, instantly turned into a coward. He let out a submissive "Oh" like a bullied daughter-in-law and followed her out.
The moment they left the hall, Fu Hua grabbed Ming Zhu’s hand and forcibly dragged him to a giant boulder beside a waterfall. The splashing water immediately soaked their clothes.
Ming Zhu shivered from the cold water. "Fu Hua, let’s talk this out properly. What are you doing?"
Fu Hua said coldly, "Stand still! Let the water clear your head."
Ming Zhu wiped the water from his face and muttered, "I’m not wrong. Didn't Master teach us that all things have a reason for existing? Since they exist, why must we negate them? Does killing them not go against the nature of all things?"
The stray hairs on his forehead were wet, clinging pathetically to the side of his face. His skin was pale from the cold, and before long, he began to tremble slightly.
Fu Hua watched him coldly, saying nothing.
Ming Zhu added, "Besides, it was the Little Martial Uncle who asked me to state what was in my heart. If you want to blame someone, blame him."
Fu Hua replied, "He asked you to state your thoughts, not to speak nonsense."
"How is this nonsense?" To this moment, Ming Zhu did not feel that his fallacies were rebellious. "Let me give you another example. Hundreds of years ago, the way they treated demons and wraiths is exactly how we treat demonic cultivators now. It isn't for some grand purpose of 'eliminating evil for the people'; it’s mostly just fear and suspicion."
After Ming Zhu finished, he turned to leave. Fu Hua’s hand, hidden in her sleeve, suddenly struck the ground with a burst of spiritual power. The water on the boulder instantly froze into crystals, locking the two of them firmly in place.
Unable to move, Ming Zhu said helplessly, "What now?"
Fu Hua asked, "In your heart, have all things in this world always been equal? Is there truly no difference between the Righteous Way and the Demonic Path?"
Ming Zhu said shamelessly, "None."
Fu Hua stared at him coldly and stopped speaking.
Ming Zhu wanted to leave but couldn't; he tried to talk to Fu Hua, but she ignored him completely. After standing there for a while, he couldn't take it anymore. Above this waterfall were the glaciers of the Rizhao peaks. Though it was midsummer, the falling water still carried the biting chill of deep winter. His lips turned blue from the cold, and before long, he lost his nerve and softened his tone. "Fu... Fu Hua, I was wrong. I won't do it again. Your Senior Brother is very calm now. Can we... can we go now?"
Seeing his pathetic state, Fu Hua knew he was only offering a perfunctory apology, yet she couldn't help but feel her heart soften. She lowered her head, gave a soft "Mm," and the ice beneath their feet vanished.
Ming Zhu felt as if he had received a grand pardon. With a few leaps, he reached the shore. Just as he was about to head back to change his clothes, Fu Hua suddenly spoke.
"Brother."
Ming Zhu turned around. He saw Ming Fuhua standing on the giant boulder, her white robes soaked and dripping with water. Behind her was the thundering waterfall, like a sheet of white silk. She looked as if she were merging with the cold, flying mist.
"What is it?"
"Is the reason you've been trying to escape Rizhao Mountain all these years because you still feel... resentful?"
Ming Zhu stood on the shore, drenched. Water dripped from his black hair and the hem of his robes. Upon hearing those words, his spiritual essence leaked out uncontrollably for a moment before he forcibly pulled it back. As the water droplets from his body hit the ground, a seductive red lotus suddenly bloomed from the earth, only to vanish in an instant.
His face, handsome to the point of being ominous, still wore a smile. He said lazily, "Your brother has no other talents, but I have a broad heart. Those things happened so many years ago; they're old news, and I've mostly forgotten them. Why would I still be resentful?"
Fu Hua took a step forward and asked, "Then do you still think of taking revenge?"
Ming Zhu’s expression did not change. He raised his left hand and looked at a red, lotus-shaped mark on the back of it. He said flatly, "Revenge? For what? Fu Hua, you’ve always liked to overthink things since you were little. How is it that you still have this ghostly habit now that you're grown?"
He didn't waste any more words and turned to leave. The face he turned away from Ming Fuhua held no trace of a smile; it was as cold and indifferent as the snow on the mountain peaks.
Ming Fuhua stood on the boulder, letting the water strike her. She watched that red figure walk faster and faster until he vanished around a corner.
Ming Zhu doubled back to the Hall of Blamelessness. Amidst the laughter of the disciples, he picked up Zhou Fuxue with an unbothered expression. Along the way, he collected several scented sachets from the West Mountain female disciples, flirting and lingering with them for quite a while before finally leaving the hall.
Although Zhou Fuxue still didn't particularly like the man, Ming Zhu had helped him out of a bind that morning, so he couldn't very well give him the cold shoulder. He could only stand aside with a sour expression, watching him make the senior sisters laugh.
By the time the two finally left the Hall of Blamelessness, breakfast time had already passed. Only then did Zhou Fuxue find a chance to speak to Ming Zhu. "Senior Brother, what happened to your clothes?"
Ming Zhu replied, "Oh, I got a bit too close to the waterfall while admiring it with your Senior Sister Fu Hua. It’s no matter. Right, I’ll go back and change first, then I’ll personally cook a meal for you."
Zhou Fuxue was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected this Eldest Senior Brother, who looked like he had never lifted a finger for chores in his life, to actually know how to cook. He immediately felt a surge of self-reproach for having called the Senior Brother "good-for-nothing" earlier, feeling that his own cultivation was lacking and his mind was not steady enough—how could he judge a person by their appearance?
Zhou Fuxue returned to the Abode of Listening Strings to change out of his school uniform. Just as he was planning to head to the Unknowing of Elegance, he saw a youth dressed in black walking hurriedly from outside the camphor forest. It seemed he was looking for the Eldest Senior Brother.
Zhou Fuxue had a good memory; he remembered that this youth seemed to be the new disciple who had sat in the corner during the morning lesson, head down and silent. He just didn't know which senior brother he was.
The gates to the Unknowing of Elegance were wide open. A plume of black smoke drifted out, carrying a pungent smell that nearly choked the black-clad youth into retreating.
Zhou Fuxue happened to reach the gate at the same time. The black-clad youth tilted his head to glance at him. Those pitch-black eyes seemed tempered with ice, and they seemed to have the words "I have a bad temper, don't mess with me" written across them in large letters.
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
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成妖魅魉 | Demons and wraiths | General term for various supernatural or monstrous entities.
无咎堂 | Hall of Blamelessness | The hall where morning lessons are held.
日照十二奇葩 | Twelve Oddities of Rizhao | A group of eccentric individuals within the Rizhao Sect.
不知雅 | Unknowing of Elegance | Ming Zhu's residence.
闻弦居 | Abode of Listening Strings | Zhou Fuxue's residence.
红莲 | Red Lotus | A mysterious mark or phenomenon associated with Ming Zhu.
