Gui He stood frozen in place, his eyes meeting Ming Zhu’s. His lips parted slightly as if he wanted to explain something.
In the next instant, a white blur streaked out from the Great Hall. Perfected Man Gui Ning appeared before Ming Zhu in a flash, his robes billowing. Before his wind-swept sleeves could even settle, he struck Ming Zhu between the eyebrows with irresistible force. He instantly sealed Ming Zhu’s soul, causing the light to fade from the youth's eyes.
Only then did the "Little Martial Uncle," Gui He, walk forward stiffly. He plucked the thrashing shadow from the motionless Ming Zhu’s hand and tremblingly pinned it beneath his foot. Only then did the shadow settle down.
Gui He’s voice shook slightly. "S-Senior Brother?"
Gui Ning’s face was a mask of indifference. He looked down at Ming Zhu, who knelt on the ground like an ice sculpture, and said in a low voice, "The 'Shadow' is no longer working. I must find the Spirit-Suppressing Lamp to sustain your life."
"But hasn't the Spirit-Suppressing Lamp vanished from the world?" Gui He asked.
"No. I heard recently that the people of Evernight Villa once stumbled into a secret realm and saw the Spirit-Suppressing Lamp inside. I plan to leave Rizhao Mountain in your hands for a time and go there alone."
Gui He was startled. "Senior Brother, you mustn't! Any secret realm is bound to be an extremely perilous place. Even with your heavenly abilities, you might not be able to escape..."
An expression of impatience crossed Gui Ning’s face. "Why are you still so indecisive? I hear you chanting those scriptures about 'no construction without destruction' and 'seeking change when at an impasse' every morning in the Hall of Longevity, yet you can't apply them to the matter at hand? Have you read those books into a dog's belly? You useless thing—no wonder you can never get anything done."
Gui He’s pale face turned even more unsightly. He quickly lowered his head, not daring to speak.
Gui Ning rarely lost his temper, but once he did, his attacks were indiscriminate. He scolded Gui He until the latter looked ready to burst into tears, not daring to utter another word of nonsense.
Gui Ning glanced at the kneeling Ming Zhu and said coldly, "I am not like that useless father of his, unable to protect even the person he wants to guard."
Gui He slowly raised his head, his eyes shimmering as he looked at Gui Ning. "Senior Brother?"
Gui Ning sighed softly. In a rare gesture, he reached out and patted Gui He’s head. "I will not watch you die a second time. Rest easy; your Senior Brother is here."
Gui He’s breath hitched. This was likely the first time Gui Ning had spoken such blunt words of affection. A faint flush appeared on his fair face. Leaving behind a command to "Return quickly and do not stay long under the sun," Gui Ning’s body dissipated into spots of light. Beside them, Ming Zhu, who had been frozen like a stone, slowly began to regain consciousness.
Gui He’s furrowed brow tightened further. He sighed, raised his umbrella, and walked away slowly.
When Ming Zhu fully regained his senses, his hand was still slightly raised in the posture of pinching something, but his palm was empty. There was no one around.
He blinked in confusion, brushed the stray hairs from his forehead, and muttered, "Have I been kneeling so long I’m hallucinating?"
He looked at his palm. The sensation of the shadow’s violent squirming seemed to linger there. Was that a hallucination too?
Ming Zhu was naturally easygoing; if he couldn't figure something out, he didn't bother thinking about it. He continued to kneel properly under the scorching sun, his back straight.
At lunchtime, Shen Dian carried a food box to the Hearing-Strings Residence. He glanced toward the Unrefined Abode across the way and, seeing the doors tightly shut, knew the eldest disciple was still serving his punishment outside the hall.
He whistled with schadenfreude, planning to drop by and kick Ming Zhu while he was down after delivering the food to Zhou Fuxue.
Though Zhou Fuxue had only knelt for a short while, the icy water—cold enough to rot bone and flesh—had left his knees a bloody mess. After Ming Zhu’s clumsy bandaging, he could only sit stiffly on the edge of the bed, unable to go anywhere.
Fortunately, he had always preferred quiet. Unlike the others, he wasn't flighty; he could spend an entire day reading a single scripture.
Shen Dian pushed the door open and greeted Zhou Fuxue casually. He placed the two-tiered food box on the table and said, "Eldest Brother asked me to bring you food. Eat up—are your knees really alright?"
Zhou Fuxue bowed politely and thanked him, saying calmly, "It is nothing. They no longer hurt."
Shen Dian laughed. "If only our Eldest Brother could learn a bit of your calm and collected manner. You have no idea—every time he gets hurt, even if it's just a scratch, he howls so loud the whole of Rizhao Mountain knows about it. When it's time to apply medicine, he thrashes around like he's being flayed alive. You can't even hold him down."
Hearing him mention Ming Zhu, Zhou Fuxue remembered. "Has Eldest Brother not returned yet?"
"Hahaha, that's right!" Shen Dian said. "I reckon he'll be punished until the middle of the night. Serves him right!"
Zhou Fuxue: "..."
Zhou Fuxue really wanted to know what kind of grudge these two had for Shen Dian to be so hostile toward Ming Zhu.
Eager to go watch Ming Zhu’s misery, Shen Dian didn't stay long. He stood up and instructed, "Remember to eat while it's hot. Don't walk around. If you need anything, just call the young Daoist attendants outside. I'm off."
It was inconvenient for Zhou Fuxue to stand, so he simply bowed to see Shen Dian off.
Just as Shen Dian had said, it wasn't until sunset that the lights in the Unrefined Abode across the way were slowly lit. Ming Zhu’s faint mumbling could be heard from the courtyard.
After a day of rest, Zhou Fuxue’s legs could barely manage a walk. Feeling uneasy, he wanted to go check on him. Just as he reached the courtyard gate, he had a second thought: *Tenth Senior Brother said his punishments are a regular occurrence. Why am I worrying for nothing? With Eldest Brother’s troublesome, rotten personality, he probably won't even appreciate it.*
Thinking this, he turned back from the gate. Before he had taken two steps, the sound of a body hitting the floor came clearly from the opposite courtyard, followed by a series of clattering crashes.
Zhou Fuxue turned around and walked out again, muttering as he went, "He... he helped me out before. I'm just going to take a look. I'll come back once I see he's fine."
It seemed Ming Zhu’s act of helping him was going to be used as an excuse to offset all sorts of things. Heaven knew when the debt would be paid off.
Dragging his injured legs, he limped step by step to the Unrefined Abode. The courtyard was a mess; there were even skid marks on the ground where someone seemed to have slipped. Zhou Fuxue grew more alarmed as he looked. By the time he reached the door to Ming Zhu’s room, the wooden shelf that had previously stood in the corridor had been knocked over, scattering wooden pegs all over the floor.
Seeing the wreckage, Zhou Fuxue wondered if his Eldest Brother had been serving a punishment or going mad. He stepped forward and knocked gently on the door, testing the waters. "Senior Brother, have you retired for the night?"
A candle the size of a bean flickered inside. The door was half-ajar; at Zhou Fuxue’s knock, it creaked open further, revealing an even more chaotic interior.
Having been oppressed since childhood, Zhou Fuxue was inherently self-conscious despite his noble status. Even with the door open, he didn't dare intrude into someone else's space. He stood outside and called softly again, "Senior Brother?"
There was a dead silence inside, save for the chirping of cicadas and insects outside the window. Soon, however, the rustle of fabric came from within, followed by Ming Zhu’s voice: "Little Thirteen? Come in, you've come at just the right time."
Zhou Fuxue hesitated before pushing the other half of the door open and walking in slowly.
But as soon as he entered, he realized there was nowhere for him to even set his feet.
He didn't know how this eccentric Eldest Brother had managed it, but the floor was covered in a heap of random items: scriptures, brushes, ink, sachets, clothes—everything. Zhou Fuxue’s sharp eyes even spotted a pillow in the corner.
The habitually tidy Zhou Fuxue felt his vision go dark. He said bluntly, "Senior Brother, is this a dog's kennel?"
Ming Zhu argued righteously, "I'm just making the best use of everything. The floor was so empty; putting more things there ensures no space is wasted."
Zhou Fuxue nearly rolled his eyes. His gaze swept the room and found Ming Zhu lying amidst the clutter, a writing brush stuck crookedly in his hair. He looked utterly pathetic.
Ming Zhu greeted him with a beaming smile. "Junior Brother, come help your Senior Brother. It's crushing my leg."
Zhou Fuxue: "..."
Half of a wooden shelf was pinned across Ming Zhu’s calf. Ming Zhu had used all his strength but couldn't budge it, so he had simply lied there playing dead, waiting for Zhou Fuxue to rescue him.
Zhou Fuxue was an invalid himself, but seeing Ming Zhu’s useless state, he sighed and resignedly stepped forward, using his strength to heave the wooden shelf aside.
Once freed, Ming Zhu immediately curled his leg and hugged it gently. His face was drenched in cold sweat, and his whole body was trembling. "Th-thanks, Junior Brother. You saved my dog's life. Tomorrow morning, I'll personally cook a meal for you."
Zhou Fuxue truly didn't understand who he had learned this self-deprecating way of speaking from. But then he thought: *He doesn't even respect himself, so why am I worrying?*
Zhou Fuxue said coldly, "Senior Brother should focus on recovering. There is no need for such labor. I will take my leave."
Ming Zhu gave a soft "mm" and curled his body into a ball on his side. It looked as though he intended to sleep on the floor all night.
Zhou Fuxue was surprised. "Are you not going to sleep in your bed?"
Ming Zhu hissed through his teeth. "My leg... it's cramping. I can't move."
Zhou Fuxue: "..."
Zhou Fuxue wanted to help him up, but his own legs weren't steady yet, and he didn't want to overexert himself. He said nothing more and turned to leave.
As soon as Zhou Fuxue’s footsteps vanished from the courtyard, the Ming Zhu lying on the floor seemed to reach the limit of his endurance. He suddenly slammed his hand against the hard floor, his teeth clenched so tight that a sliver of blood slowly seeped from the corner of his mouth.
His long hair lay disheveled across the floor, masking his violently shivering body. If one looked closely, they would see he looked as if he had just been fished out of water, his entire body soaked in cold sweat.
"Ming..." His hand struck the bluestone floor, causing the hard stone to spiderweb with cracks. A low, chilling roar of fury escaped his throat, so strained it sounded almost like a sob. "Ming Zhao, one day, I will make you..."
Halfway through his sentence, the red lotus mark on the back of his hand—red as a raging fire—suddenly emitted a faint glow. Then, like countless fine threads, it surged across Ming Zhu’s entire body.
He let out a sudden cry of extreme agony, but in the next instant, he forced it back down his throat.
"...make you die a horrible death!"
***
