Ye Weiai huddled in Ming Zhu’s arms, trembling. Recalling the person who had pursued him during the day, he hesitated for a moment before murmuring, "They... they are here to kill me."
Ming Zhu clicked his tongue and remarked sarcastically, "Just these few pieces of trash?"
With a sudden sweep of his palm, the room's door was thrown open. Several figures dressed in black stood in the long corridor outside, their long swords sharp and cold, their eyes peering through masks with indifferent gazes.
The leader spoke coldly, "Your Excellency has no relation to this brat. I advise you not to interfere in his business. Countless people across the Five Continents want his life. It would be a poor trade to lose your own for a stranger."
Ming Zhu narrowed his eyes, his expression pleasant as he spoke. "Then I shall advise you as well. I happen to enjoy bullying the weak. If you insist on making a move, I won't be polite. It’s been a long time since I’ve fought anyone, and my hands are itching for it."
"I see you prefer the hard way over the easy way!"
The leader sneered and waved his hand. The group surged forward, their long swords flashing with icy light as they slashed directly toward Ming Zhu’s slender frame.
Unfazed, Ming Zhu placed Ye Weiai on the nearby soft couch. "Sit tight. This will be over in a moment. After the fight, you’re buying me small yellow croakers."
Ye Weiai cried out in alarm, "Watch out!"
Ming Zhu gripped the battered iron rod. With a casual flick, the rust seemed to vanish instantly, revealing a blade shimmering with radiant light. He raised it slightly, parrying a wind blade aimed at his face.
Dressed in white like a soul-reaping wraith, he charged into the group of assassins with a smile. Wherever he passed, blood sprayed forth, yet not a single drop landed on his clothes.
Ming Zhu’s white robes fluttered as he traded blows with the leader. With a flick of that eyesore of an iron rod, a cold glint flashed, and the tip of the rod transformed in an instant into a sharp sword point, plunging straight into the black-clad man’s shoulder.
The blade pierced through his collarbone, lodging in the flesh. Then, the tip that had broken through the skin transformed again into sharp iron claws, hooking firmly into his back.
Ye Weiai was stunned by his ghostly movement techniques, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
After neatly dealing with all the assassins, Ming Zhu transformed his weapon back into a hairpin and tucked it into his long hair, walking toward Ye Weiai with a graceful air.
Smelling the thick scent of blood in the air, Ye Weiai stammered, "You... you killed them all?"
Ming Zhu replied, "One must pull up the weeds by the roots to ensure a good night's sleep."
Ye Weiai was startled by his nonchalant attitude. After a long pause, he cautiously changed the subject. "Senior, what kind of weapon is that? Did you find it at Hundred Swords Mountain?"
Most of the great masters in the world found their primary weapons at Weapon Peak. Once a weapon acknowledged a master, it would form a weapon spirit after the master formed their Golden Core, serving them for life.
"Ah, something like that," Ming Zhu touched the hairpin in his bun and answered vaguely. "It’s quite handy to use."
The leader of the assassins had a ring on his finger. Ming Zhu took it for himself without ceremony, forcibly tearing open the mustard-seed space within and dumping out a pile of items.
Ming Zhu had not been part of the world for fifty years and didn't recognize many of the modern treasures. After rummaging through the pile and finding nothing particularly rare, he only picked out a mask.
"This skin is quite good," Ming Zhu said, tossing the mask toward Ye Weiai. "If you're being hunted, you can use this."
Ye Weiai whispered, "I’ve only just reached the Foundation Establishment stage. If I wear something like that, anyone with a slightly higher cultivation than mine will see through it at a glance."
Ming Zhu shrugged and, showing no disdain, tucked it into his own robes.
As expected, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and rain soon began to fall, shrouding the vast city of Shou’an in a hazy mist.
On the official road outside the city, a figure in a black robe sat beneath a tree to avoid the rain. He pulled a fiery-red Flame Stone from his storage ring and placed it before him, warming the freezing air around him.
The man wore a voluminous cloak with a hood that obscured his entire face, leaving only his pale neck visible.
Suddenly, a faint light flashed within his sleeve. He reached inside and pulled out a jade token adorned with a blue tassel. His slender fingers brushed over the sun-and-mountain patterns carved into the jade, and a wisp of divine sense leapt out, followed by a figure manifesting before him.
In the sound of the falling rain, the man spoke softly, "Fifth Senior Brother."
Fifty years had passed. Though Shang Yanfeng’s face had not changed in the slightest, his aura had become more stable and majestic. He asked coldly, "Fuxue, have you reached Shishen yet?"
Zhou Fuxue pushed back his wide hood, revealing a face of extreme indifference. "I will soon reach the Xingyuan Platform nearest to Shou’an. The next Longyuan heading to the Kingdom of Shishen is at the hour of the Dragon tomorrow morning."
Shang Yanfeng said, "The Void Tokens of the Sky-Drifting Maidens have all vanished within Shishen. Although they have Master’s protection charm, I am still worried they might encounter danger."
Zhou Fuxue’s pale eyes were devoid of emotion, as cold and unfeeling as an ice carving. He replied, "Yes, Fuxue understands."
Having finished their official business, the two fell into silence. After a moment, Shang Yanfeng, unable to bear the quiet, spoke in a raspy voice, "Fuxue, it’s been fifty years. It’s about time you gave up."
Zhou Fuxue did not speak, nor did his eyes show any sign of being moved. He said coldly, "Fifth Senior Brother, if there is nothing else, Fuxue shall take his leave."
As he spoke, he reached out to wipe away the divine sense on the jade token.
Shang Yanfeng sighed. "You won't listen to a word I say. Fine, do as you wish. Inform me when you reach Shishen; Xueyu and I will set out immediately."
Zhou Fuxue said, "Third Senior Brother’s eyes are poor; it’s better if he doesn't travel. Moreover, Tenth Senior Brother is still gravely ill. Someone should stay behind to look after him."
"Dian will be cared for by Little Martial Uncle. His heart ailment grows more severe by the day. Our trip to Shishen is also to visit the Moon-Snatching Tower in Shuoyu City to see if we can find the Seven-Apertures Exquisite Jade." Shang Yanfeng lowered his eyes slightly. "If we cannot find it, I fear Dian will not survive this winter."
Zhou Fuxue watched him quietly for a long time before saying, "Understood."
Shang Yanfeng wanted to offer more advice, but facing Zhou Fuxue’s cold, inhuman gaze, he found himself unable to say anything.
Zhou Fuxue wiped away the divine sense and leaned his head back against the tree. A drop of rain landed on his eyelashes and slid slowly down the corner of his eye. The icy sensation brought him back to his senses, and he let out a sudden, self-mocking laugh.
"It’s about time you gave up."
Over these fifty years, countless people had said those words to him—Gui Ning, every one of his senior brothers, even Zhou Mingzhong. They told him not to debase himself any longer for a dead man.
A dead man?
Zhou Fuxue didn't understand, nor did he want to. He had not seen Ming Zhu die with his own eyes, nor had he seen his corpse. Just because of a single extinguished Life Lamp, everyone assumed Ming Zhu was dead, yet he refused to believe it no matter what.
For fifty years, he had come to Shou’an City from thousands of miles away every single year, never giving up his search for the Eldest Senior Brother who seemed to have vanished into the vast sea of people. It was as if as long as he didn't give up, that beautiful and gentle senior brother would not truly be dead.
Clinging to this thought, he had searched for fifty years.
Zhou Fuxue had always been solitary by nature. Without Ming Zhu there to banter and chatter incessantly with him, he had become almost devoid of human warmth over the years. Simply standing there, he exuded a terrifying pressure that made people afraid to approach.
Zhou Fuxue pulled his hood back on, picked up the Flame Stone, and his black robes fluttered as he charged into the curtain of rain, heading toward the Xingyuan Platform outside Shou’an City.
Despite the rain, the night market in Shou’an was still open. People came and went in a continuous stream under their umbrellas, and the sounds of hawkers echoed through the street.
Ming Zhu held an umbrella, happily splashing through puddles. Ye Weiai, wearing a fur-trimmed cloak, followed helplessly behind him.
Perhaps finding the umbrella too cumbersome, Ming Zhu closed it and tossed it into Ye Weiai’s arms. He ran through the rain to a small stall, his eyes shining like brilliant stars.
"Quick, come here! You promised to buy me small yellow croakers!"
Ming Zhu held up ten fingers to the stall owner and said seriously, "I want ten!"
The stall owner had likely never seen someone buy so many at once and his lips twitched, but only a fool would turn down money. He quickly and efficiently placed the seasoned small yellow croakers into the boiling oil.
Ming Zhu looked on as if he were about to drool. As soon as one was fried, he took it impatiently and took a large bite, his eyes curving with delight.
Ye Weiai whispered, "Is it really that delicious?"
Ming Zhu nodded so hard his head nearly fell off. "It’s so good I could cry."
Ye Weiai: "..." Where is your dignity?
A moment later, Ye Weiai was jogging behind Ming Zhu, carrying several small yellow croakers wrapped in oil paper.
Ming Zhu had a bamboo skewer in his mouth, looking left and right like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world, curious about everything.
"I haven't been out for fifty years. Looking closely, the Five Continents seem to have undergone earth-shattering changes." Ming Zhu pinched a jade token and waved it at Ye Weiai, asking curiously, "What is this?"
Ye Weiai explained, "This is a Jade Token for communication. By placing the divine senses of two people upon it, they can meet through their connected senses even if they are far apart. It’s said to have been developed by Little Martial Uncle Gui He of Rizhao Mountain. It became a craze across the Five Continents twenty years ago. Now, everyone has one. Does Senior want one?"
Ming Zhu immediately asked, "Can I?"
He looked at Ye Weiai with sparkling eyes. Ye Weiai felt a bit embarrassed instead. He asked the stall owner to give him a few wrapped in cloth and said, "Of course you can."
Ming Zhu held the standing jade token, overjoyed. "Thank you. You really are a good person."
Ye Weiai’s cheeks flushed at such blunt praise. He muttered, "Senior saved my life; this small thing is only right."
Ming Zhu became even happier. When he was happy, he liked to say whatever came to mind. He slung an arm around Ye Weiai’s shoulder and said with a grin, "Then I’ll see this through to the end and escort you all the way home."
Ye Weiai was stunned, then said joyfully, "Really? Won't it be a bother for Senior?"
Ming Zhu waved his hand dismissively. "What’s the bother? Aren't you going back to the Kingdom of Shishen? I happen to be going to Rizhao; we’re going the same way."
Ye Weiai felt a bit helpless and whispered, "Senior, Shishen and Rizhao are not on the same way at all."
"Uh..." Ming Zhu scratched his hair. "It’s fine. I can go to Shishen first and then take a Xingyuan to Rizhao. I’m in no hurry."
Ye Weiai nodded and said shyly, "Then I shall trouble Senior. We will go to the Xingyuan Platform tomorrow morning to take a Xingyuan back to Shishen. My brother will surely thank you properly!"
Ming Zhu squinted his eyes and laughed. "No need to be polite. Just treat me to more delicious food."
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