Early the next morning, Zhou Fuxue was jolted awake by a dull thud. Opening his eyes, he saw a figure curled up on the footstool at the base of the bed—it was Ming Zhu.
Startled, Zhou Fuxue immediately moved to help him up. Ming Zhu remained huddled, clutching his abdomen and trembling with pain, soft whimpers escaping his lips.
Zhou Fuxue lifted him and placed him gently back on the bed, whispering, "Senior Brother, let me see where you hit yourself. Where does it hurt?"
He gently brushed aside Ming Zhu’s disheveled hair and found blood trickling from his temple; the fall had clearly been a hard one.
Ming Zhu ignored the wound on his head, gritting his teeth as he held his stomach. "I... I hit the corner of the footstool..."
Zhou Fuxue: "..."
The bed was so large that one could roll around several times without falling off. He truly didn't know what kind of talent Ming Zhu possessed to manage to tumble directly off such a high bed.
Zhou Fuxue gently but firmly pulled away the hands clutching his abdomen and lifted his inner robe. A dark bruise had already formed on his waist. One look was enough to tell how much it must hurt.
Ming Zhu was shivering all over. He gritted his teeth and pointed at the footstool. "Move... move it out..."
Zhou Fuxue felt utterly helpless. He used a dry cloth to wipe the blood from Ming Zhu’s temple, then covered the gash with his palm, channeling spiritual energy into it. Within moments, the inch-long wound healed rapidly, leaving not even a scar.
Ming Zhu blinked, his eyes slowly fluttering open, misted with tears. He looked at Zhou Fuxue in confusion. "This... what is this?"
Zhou Fuxue repeated the process on his waist, explaining calmly, "It’s a technique Tenth Senior Brother developed a few years ago. It uses spiritual energy to repair physical injuries. The healing is almost instantaneous. Does it still hurt, Senior Brother?"
Ming Zhu indeed felt much better. He sat up in bed and asked, "Old Ten? How has he been these past few years?"
At the mention of Shen Dian, Zhou Fuxue’s expression turned solemn. He shook his head slowly. "His health has been deteriorating. He often falls into deep slumbers that last for months. Fifth Senior Brother says that if we cannot find the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Jade, he might not survive this winter."
Ming Zhu’s face paled instantly. "What is the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Jade? Where can it be found?"
Zhou Fuxue replied, "Nan Qinghe of Shuoyu City has come into his own over the years, expanding the influence of the Moon-Plucking Pavilion. While the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Jade is rare, it shouldn't be an impossible find for the Moon-Plucking Pavilion. I originally planned to head to Shuoyu City after finding Ninth Senior Brother."
Ming Zhu nodded hesitantly. "Then I will return to Rizhao with Qingkong first..."
The moment the words left his mouth, Zhou Fuxue’s expression shifted. He grabbed Ming Zhu’s wrist, his voice cold. "No. You must stay with me."
Ming Zhu: "..."
Ming Zhu looked at him strangely. "Once you find the jade and return to Rizhao, you’ll see me again. It’s not like we’re parting forever. Why are you so panicked?"
Zhou Fuxue pursed his lips and said nothing, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but his grip on Ming Zhu’s wrist remained deathly tight.
As they reached a stalemate, Lu Qingkong burst through the door like a whirlwind, shouting, "Eldest Senior Brother! Eldest Senior Brother, let me hug you!"
Zhou Fuxue: "..."
Ming Zhu immediately shook off Zhou Fuxue’s hand, threw an outer robe over his shoulders, and caught the lunging Lu Qingkong.
Holding Ming Zhu, Lu Qingkong finally felt at ease. He rubbed his forehead against the crook of Ming Zhu’s neck, murmuring with closed eyes, "Good, good. It’s not a dream."
Ming Zhu was almost moved to laughter. He reached out to pat the younger man's head. "You... when will you ever learn to be steady? If I had arrived a step later, your life would have been forfeit."
Thinking of that, Lu Qingkong couldn't help but feel a lingering fear. He clung to Ming Zhu, refusing to let go, and said furiously, "I’m definitely telling Master when I get back! That Ye Weiyang is a total piece of trash. To think we trusted him so much! Every time we asked for clues about those cultivators whose souls were dissipated, he’d just say he couldn't find anything. Heh, he was the culprit all along; it would’ve been a miracle if we’d found anything through him."
Once he got excited, his words flowed like a torrential river. Ming Zhu felt helpless, genuinely worried the boy might talk himself into dehydration.
After cursing Ye Weiyang for a while, Lu Qingkong seemed to remember something. He gripped Ming Zhu’s arm tightly and urged, "Eldest Senior Brother, where have you been all these years? Second Senior Brother said you fell down Biri Cliff and even your Golden Core was shattered. How did you survive?"
Ming Zhu, who had been smiling, suddenly turned pale at the topic. He pursed his lips, hesitating. "I..."
Watching from the side, Zhou Fuxue had long been displeased. He stepped forward, grabbed Lu Qingkong’s hand, and shoved him aside. "Chattering so early in the morning... it’s enough to give one a headache. If you have nothing to do, contact Fifth Senior Brother and let him know you’re safe. He has been worried about you."
Lu Qingkong glared fiercely at Zhou Fuxue, but seeing Ming Zhu’s pale face, he didn't have the heart to crowd him further. He curled his lip and pulled a jade token with a yellow tassel from his sleeve, giving it a light swipe.
After a long moment, Shang Yanfeng’s spiritual sense flickered out from the token, condensing into a translucent figure. His brow was furrowed. "Qingkong? Are you alright?"
Lu Qingkong chirped, "Yes, yes! I almost lost my life. Fifth Senior Brother, where are you? When are you coming to Shishen Kingdom to help me beat up Ye Weiyang? Luckily Eldest Senior Brother arrived in time, otherwise you’d never see me again."
Shang Yanfeng froze, his frown deepening. "Eldest Senior Brother? What nonsense are you talking about?"
Lu Qingkong was also stunned. He looked up at Ming Zhu. "Haven't you told Fifth Senior Brother yet?"
Ming Zhu found it hard to explain and could only offer a faint smile.
Zhou Fuxue said, "We haven't had the chance. Ask Fifth Senior Brother if he has reached Shou'an City yet. If he has, warn him not to enter the city recklessly. Two powerful demonic cultivators have emerged from Biri Cliff; he might not be their match."
Lu Qingkong didn't understand the details, but he relayed the message faithfully.
Shang Yanfeng’s expression turned grim. "We have already reached Shou'an. The city is deserted. It’s likely... Third Senior Brother! Watch out!"
The group saw a flash of terror cross Shang Yanfeng’s face. Then, his spiritual projection shattered like falling snowflakes, vanishing instantly.
Lu Qingkong’s face went white. He swiped the jade token again and again, trying to reconnect with the spiritual sense Shang Yanfeng had left behind, but it was useless.
He looked up blankly, stammering, "E-Eldest Senior Brother..."
Ming Zhu and Zhou Fuxue also looked grim. Soon, Zhou Fuxue made a decisive call. "We’re going back to Rizhao immediately."
Lu Qingkong said urgently, "But Shou'an City..."
Zhou Fuxue said coldly, "Shou'an is filled with countless demonic cultivators and a resurrected Na Lian. Even if Master came in person, he might not win. Moreover, they have a white-haired man whose spiritual power is on par with Na Lian’s. That man’s power is monstrous—he’s like a freak. If we encounter him, no matter how many lives we have, it won't be enough!"
The color drained from Ming Zhu’s face. His lips trembled slightly. After a long pause, he whispered, "Will Yanfeng and Xueyu be alright...?"
Seeing him looking as pale as paper, Zhou Fuxue reached out to take his hand in sympathy. But before he could touch him, Ming Zhu recoiled in terror. He stepped back instinctively, his eyes filled with fear as he looked at Zhou Fuxue.
That look sent a sharp pang through Zhou Fuxue’s heart. "Senior Brother..."
Ming Zhu took a deep breath, realizing his reaction had been too extreme. He forced a smile and was about to speak when another jade token in Lu Qingkong’s hand suddenly lit up. The spiritual sense of Junior Uncle Gui He appeared immediately.
Lu Qingkong’s eyes welled with tears. "Junior Uncle!"
Gui He’s face was grave. He said coldly, "Are Yanfeng and Xueyu with you? Their Longevity Lamps... they just went out."
At those words, everyone was struck with horror.
Ming Zhu felt a buzzing in his ears. His body swayed, his vision went black, and he collapsed abruptly.
***
In a heavy, suffocating darkness, Ming Zhu’s consciousness drifted. He fell into a chaotic, lingering dream—a dream of the scene after he fell into Biri Cliff all those years ago.
The surroundings were sweltering.
Hot.
His entire body felt so scorched it was as if he were boiling.
In his stupor, a voice drifted from afar, faint and indistinct.
"You are burning up. That is what pain is."
Ming Zhu thought muddledly, *Ah, so I’ve been in this much pain all along.*
A sense of profound weakness filled his meridians. Blood flowed slowly from his severed left wrist, and his life force ebbed away from the wound in his abdomen.
*I’m going to die.*
Ming Zhu couldn't even open his eyes. He felt so much pain he was almost numb. He didn't know if he was crying or struggling; he only heard his own voice echoing in the void.
"Master..."
"Father..."
"Fuhua, Yanfeng, Ten... Thirteen..."
He fruitlessly whispered the names of everyone who might come to save him. His voice grew fainter as the scalding blood spread over his body, dissolving his flesh into white bone, inch by inch.
No one was coming to save him.
In the depths of his agony, the thought even occurred to him that dying like this might be a good release.
In his delirium, it seemed as if people were whispering in his ear—all sorts of voices, noisy and incessant, incredibly lively.
He strained with all his might to listen and thought he heard a burst of collective laughter.
"Fifth Senior Brother! Third Senior Brother! Second Senior Brother!"
"Hahaha! I never thought people as elegant and refined as Second and Third Senior Brother would also gossip like commoners when they're bored."
"Ninth Senior Brother’s counter-accusation is legendary. Isn't he afraid of getting mobbed?"
Ming Zhu slowly opened his eyes. Before him was an ominous, bloody red. The source of the constant noise was a small Memory Pearl, which must have fallen from his neck when he tumbled down Biri Cliff.
Perhaps it had accidentally broken through a formation; the recording of Lu Qingkong counter-accusing the inner disciples after failing to confess during Junior Uncle’s morning lesson slowly played out before him.
Back then, the Memory Pearl had been placed right in the center of the lecture platform, capturing everyone’s image perfectly.
A younger Lu Qingkong stood tall and proud. Amidst the noise, he tilted his chin and said, "There, Fifth Senior Brother. Come and confess your sins just like me."
Amidst the jeering, Shang Yanfeng walked onto the platform with a dark expression. He shot Lu Qingkong a cold look and hissed, "You just wait."
Lu Qingkong wasn't afraid of him at all. He sneered, "I’m waiting."
Shang Yanfeng stood on the platform, facing the disciples. With a stern face, he said, "It was my failure to explain clearly that led to this situation. I will request Master to let me undergo half a year of solitary meditation as punishment."
The disciples below immediately broke into an uproar.
"Fifth Senior Brother going into seclusion? How is that a punishment? That’s clearly a reward!"
"Exactly, exactly!"
"Fifth Senior Brother is too shameless!"
Relying on his high cultivation, Shang Yanfeng shamelessly ignored the protests. He slapped the table and said, "It is settled."
With that, he sauntered down.
Next was Yan Xueyu. The very first sentence he spoke on the platform made everyone turn beet-red with embarrassment. Even Lu Qingkong couldn't take it and hurriedly ushered him down.
Yi Fuji, unable to speak, could only play a piece on his zither to express his deep apologies. Of course, except for the inner disciples, no one else understood what he was "saying," though they all praised Second Senior Brother’s superb zither skills.
Finally, there was the innocently implicated Zhou Fuxue.
He stood on the platform with a cold, awkward face for a long time before Eldest Senior Brother finally found his conscience and went up to rescue him.
Ming Zhu’s vision was very blurred. He struggled, wanting to reach out and touch the youth who seemed so close. But in his delirium, he had already forgotten that this was just a recording—that he was no longer at Rizhao, but trapped in hell.
Ming Zhu murmured, "I... I cannot die..."
I...
I haven't built a grave for Hong Chuan yet.
I haven't bought a scabbard for Fuxue.
I haven't brought back anything fun for Yanfeng; I promised I would.
I haven't apologized to Father...
I have so many things left to do. How can I just die?
I must live...
Live on by any means necessary, even if...
Two streaks of bloody tears fell from Ming Zhu’s eyes.
***
