Is Everyone Else's Eldest Disciple Like This? | Chapter 79 | A Long-Awaited Reunion | Novela.app

Ming Zhu held Ye Weiai by the waist and offered a gentle smile to the surrounding crowd, looking somewhat sheepish. "Apologies. I lost my composure." Everyone was stunned by his casual act of tossing a heavily injured man off the Xingyuan. Even the man’s companions stood frozen, unable to even summon the thought of revenge. Ming Zhu bowed politely, his posture elegant as he carried Ye Weiai toward the wooden stairs. He had only ascended a few steps when a hoarse voice came from behind him, trembling with uncertain doubt. "Ming Zhu?" Ming Zhu turned back in confusion, only to meet a pair of reddened eyes. He froze where he stood. Zhou Fuxue had already risen from his corner. The hood that had concealed his face was thrown back, revealing a countenance that was cold yet twisted with a strange, frantic ecstasy. For a moment, both men were paralyzed. After his first call went unanswered, Zhou Fuxue’s lips trembled as he called out again. "Shixiong?" Ming Zhu stared at him in shock. Dazed, he tried to move closer to see if this was real, forgetting he was on the stairs. He missed a step and nearly tumbled down, but Zhou Fuxue rushed forward and caught him. Ming Zhu, who had been smiling while killing a man moments ago, now looked like a small animal that had finally returned home after enduring a thousand hardships. He was trembling all over. He looked up at the face of the man inches away, his lips quivering, but no sound came out. Zhou Fuxue stared at him without blinking, his voice raspy. "Shixiong." The weight of Ye Weiai in his arms suddenly snapped Ming Zhu back to his senses. His eyes were clouded with unshed tears. Realizing this was no place for a conversation, he whispered, "Follow me." One after the other, they entered a room on the second floor, leaving the noise of the lower deck behind. Zhou Fuxue closed the door softly. His gaze never left Ming Zhu; he moved as if in a trance, feeling as though he were trapped in a beautiful dream. Ye Weiai was severely injured. Ming Zhu laid him on the bed and deftly applied medicine and bandages before changing him into clean clothes. Only when he saw the pained expression on the boy’s face soften did he finally breathe a sigh of relief. Having settled Ye Weiai, he finally had the chance to look at Zhou Fuxue. Zhou Fuxue had been standing by the door the entire time, his eyes tracking Ming Zhu’s every move. His cold, resolute face was now filled with a rare sense of bewilderment, looking as helpless and pitiful as a lost child. Fifty years ago, such an expression from Zhou Fuxue would have deeply moved Ming Zhu. Though Ming Zhu’s temperament had changed drastically, he still had no defense against this kind of vulnerability. The fortress he had painstakingly built against the rest of the world crumbled instantly. Ming Zhu could no longer restrain himself. He strode forward and pulled Zhou Fuxue into a tight embrace. In these years, Zhou Fuxue had grown several inches taller, standing half a head above Ming Zhu. The height difference momentarily surprised Ming Zhu as he held him. Yet, the moment Ming Zhu threw himself into the embrace, Zhou Fuxue’s body seemed to lose all strength. He lowered his head, burying his face in the crook of Ming Zhu’s neck, his entire frame shaking violently. Ming Zhu’s heart ached terribly. He wrapped his arms around the younger man’s shoulders and murmured softly, "Thirteen." When Ming Zhu’s Life-Prolonging Lamp had gone out, Zhou Fuxue had felt no heartache. During the fifty years he spent wandering and searching, he had felt no true despair. But when this "Thirteen"—a name that had vanished for fifty years—was suddenly uttered, it became the final straw that broke him. His tremors grew more violent, and his fingers clutching Ming Zhu lost their strength. It wasn't until he heard the dull thud of knees hitting the floorboards that he realized he had collapsed. Fifty years of wasted time, fifty years of disappointment—it had been a slow torture, like *lingchi*, drop by drop extinguishing his passion, inch by inch turning his resilient sinews to water, leaving only a frame of iron bones standing in place. And now, this person had returned. His withered husk was instantly filled with blood and flesh, while the iron bones that had stood firm for fifty years collapsed like a crumbling snow mountain, shattering into pieces. Zhou Fuxue felt as if he had no bones left. Unable to even stand, he slumped onto the floor in a kneeling position. Ming Zhu was pulled down with him. Zhou Fuxue wanted to hold him with a death grip, but his arms lacked the strength. He could only hook his trembling fingers into Ming Zhu’s robes. Sensing the overwhelming sorrow radiating from Zhou Fuxue, Ming Zhu’s eyes grew red. He held him gently and called out in a soft, tender voice, "Fuxue, Shixiong is back." *He’s back...* Zhou Fuxue had spent fifty years chasing a phantom. In countless dreams, that youth in red would always curve his peach-blossom eyes and say with a smile: "I’m back." He had waited so many years. When he finally heard those words for real, the grievances and despair that were fifty years overdue surged into his heart, striking his numbed chest with a blunt, throbbing pain. After the pain came a wave of bitterness, causing the tears that had been dry for so many years to fall in a sudden torrent. Zhou Fuxue clung to Ming Zhu, unable to bear the magnitude of his emotions, and suddenly broke into loud, wailing sobs. Outside the window, a fine drizzle began to fall. Due to the Xingyuan’s speed, the raindrops tapped against the carved wooden shutters with a light, rhythmic sound. The massive vessel soared through the dark clouds, while the vast world below was shrouded in a misty haze. When night fell, Ye Weiai finally woke up in a daze. He moved his body, surprised to find that the pain from his injuries had vanished as if it had never existed. Someone had healed him. He sat up and looked around but didn't see Ming Zhu. "Senior?" The middle-tier rooms of the Xingyuan were divided into inner and outer chambers by a screen. Ye Weiai walked around the large screen and saw Ming Zhu sitting on a small daybed in the outer room, his back to him as he gazed out the window, lost in thought. Hearing footsteps, Ming Zhu turned his head slightly and smiled. "You're awake? Feeling better?" Ye Weiai nodded, his cheeks flushing slightly. "Senior has saved my life once again. I don't know how to repay you." Ming Zhu chuckled. "Actually, I have some history with your elder brother. Once we reach Changye Mountain Villa, I’ll just make him treat me to a lavish feast. You don't need to feel embarrassed." Ye Weiai: "..." He paused for a moment before asking cautiously, "I... I still don't know Senior’s name." Ming Zhu beckoned him over. He tilted Ye Weiai’s chin up and gave an ambiguous smile. "When you were little, didn't you love following me around, calling me 'Brother'? Why have you become so distant now that you've grown up?" Ye Weiai stared at him in shock. After a moment, as if remembering something, he whispered tremulously, "Brother Zhu?" Ming Zhu burst into laughter. "You finally recognize me? I don't think I've changed that much since I was a kid. I’ve been hovering in front of you for days without a reaction; I thought you’d forgotten me." Ye Weiai’s face turned bright red. He twiddled his index fingers nervously and stammered, "I... I..." Once Ming Zhu finished laughing, he gently patted the boy’s head. "Alright, I’m not blaming you. It has been decades, after all. If I hadn't known your name, I wouldn't have recognized this handsome young man as the same little brat who used to cry all the time." At this, Ye Weiai’s face grew even redder. He mumbled a few incoherent words before burying his face in Ming Zhu’s chest. Ming Zhu laughed even harder. Just then, the door was pushed open. Zhou Fuxue walked in carrying a cup of water. Seeing Ye Weiai nuzzling against Ming Zhu, his pupils constricted, and an instinctive hostility toward the boy flared up. He walked forward expressionlessly, grabbed Ye Weiai by the collar, and tossed him aside. "Shixiong is ill," he said coldly. "Keep your hands to yourself." Zhou Fuxue had just finished his bout of weeping and had quickly reined in his surging emotions, returning to his cold, inscrutable self. If not for the slight redness at the corners of his eyes, Ming Zhu would have almost believed the person who had just cried like a child wasn't him. Zhou Fuxue sat beside Ming Zhu and brought the cup to his lips. "Shixiong, have some water." Ming Zhu felt a bit awkward and reached for the cup. "I can do it myself." Zhou Fuxue remained expressionless, his hand holding the cup steady. Ming Zhu tried to take it a couple of times but couldn't pry it away, so he was forced to let Zhou Fuxue feed him half a cup of water. Ming Zhu’s throat had been feeling terrible, and the warm water helped immensely. He turned his head away to signal he was finished, and only then did Zhou Fuxue withdraw his hand. Watching from the side, Ye Weiai asked cautiously, "Brother, is this the old friend you were looking for?" Ming Zhu suddenly remembered and introduced them. "That's right. This is my Shidi, Zhou Fuxue. Fuxue, this is Weiyang’s younger brother, Weiai. I’m escorting him back to Changye Mountain Villa in the State of Shishen." Ye Weiai nodded obediently and said softly, "Brother Zhou." Zhou Fuxue had no liking for him. Only for Ming Zhu’s sake did he give a curt "Mn" through a frown, but he didn't even spare the boy a glance, remaining utterly cold. Ming Zhu noticed how much Zhou Fuxue’s personality had changed over the years but didn't overthink it. He waved at Ye Weiai. "It's late. Go back to sleep." Ye Weiai nodded and went into the inner chamber. Once the inner room was quiet, Zhou Fuxue said coldly, "I don't like him." Ming Zhu laughed. "Why are you acting like a child? I only think of him as a younger brother." As soon as he said it, he felt something was off. He wondered in confusion, *Strange, why did I feel the need to explain that to him?* Ming Zhu cleared his throat and changed the subject. "What about you? Why were you in Shou'an City, and why are you going to Shishen?" "I'm going to Shishen to find Ninth Shixiong," Zhou Fuxue replied. He avoided answering why he had been in Shou'an City. Ming Zhu asked, "Xiao Jiu? What happened to him?" "Over the years, there have been many reports of powerful cultivators going missing in Shishen. The end result is usually a violent death, with even their souls being scattered," Zhou Fuxue said briefly. "Last month, Ninth Shixiong and Younü went to Shishen for a trip and suddenly vanished. Fifth Shixiong feared the worst and sent me to investigate." *** **Glossary** Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation --- | --- | --- 行鸢 | Xingyuan | A large skyship or flying vessel (literally "Flying Kite"). 实沈 | Shishen | One of the states/regions in the setting. 长夜山庄 | Changye Mountain Villa | Eternal Night Mountain Villa; the home of the Ye family. 小九 | Xiao Jiu | "Little Ninth," referring to the Ninth Senior Brother. 游女 | Younü | A character name. 凌迟 | Lingchi | Death by a thousand cuts; used metaphorically for slow, agonizing pain.