Is Everyone Else's Eldest Disciple Like This? | Chapter 98 | Looking for Trouble | Novela.app

Half an hour later, Ming Zhu groaned and clutched his head, collapsing feebly against a soft pillow. "Na Lian, what exactly are you trying to do?" Na Lian was currently stoking the fire in the charcoal brazier, making the entire room warm and cozy. He replied nonchalantly, "I’m not doing anything. I just asked him to come over and take care of you. Is there a problem with that?" "Take care of me?" Ming Zhu countered. "Are you just itching for him to find out who I am?" "I think the boy is quite honorable," Na Lian said. "He doesn't seem like the type who would shun you just because he knew your identity. You’ve been mistreated so much that you’re jumping at shadows." Ming Zhu blurted out, "Who could ever love a monster?" Na Lian turned back to look at him. "The person Zhou Fuxue likes is only the Ming Zhu from fifty years ago," Ming Zhu murmured, his eyes downcast as he looked at his own legs. "Back then, Ming Zhu was flamboyant and unrestrained. Even though his cultivation was low, he could live openly in the world. But me..." Na Lian tossed another piece of charcoal into the brazier. Sparks flew, creating a brief, brilliant shimmer. "Buhui is nothing more than a loathsome demonic cultivator with a volatile temperament and eccentric behavior. He once said it himself—I am a monster." Seeing Ming Zhu’s dejected state, Na Lian arched an eyebrow and said provocatively, "Fine then, I’ll send someone to tell him not to come. It’s clear you don’t want him around." Ming Zhu froze. He hadn't expected Na Lian to play it this way, and his face filled with confusion and hesitation. Na Lian suppressed a smirk, continuing his act. "Besides, he has nothing else to do in Yucheng anyway. I’ll just have someone escort him back to Rizhao while I'm at it." Ming Zhu choked on his words. "That..." "Buhui, what do you say? Is that alright?" Na Lian asked. Ming Zhu’s expression was a picture of internal struggle. He fidgeted with his sleeve, twisting it between his fingers until he accidentally snagged a silver thread from the exquisite fabric. Na Lian stifled a laugh. "What’s wrong? Speak up." No matter how slow he was, Ming Zhu finally realized Na Lian was teasing him. A faint golden glow flickered in his eyes as he said darkly, "Xi Chu, bite him." Before Na Lian could react, a white snowball lunged from the corner. With a sharp "Awoo!", it clamped its teeth directly onto Na Lian’s ear. Na Lian immediately shrieked, "Ow, ow, ow! Let go, you little ancestor! My ear’s going to fall off! Buhui—no, no, no, Buhui! I was wrong, I was wrong! Make him let go!" Only then did Ming Zhu leisurely beckon with his hand. Xi Chu immediately kicked off Na Lian’s face with its paws and leaped eagerly into Ming Zhu’s arms. With a tooth mark on his ear and a plum-blossom paw print on his face, Na Lian looked quite pathetic. He didn't dare provoke this "ancestor" again and went back to tending the charcoal brazier with resigned diligence. After a moment, a thought occurred to him, and he suddenly said, "Buhui, promise me one thing." Ming Zhu was busy feeding Xi Chu bits of dried meat. He didn't even look up. "What is it?" "Don't let Xi Chu bite me again later." Ming Zhu: "..." Seeing Na Lian’s pathetic state, Ming Zhu nodded with a look of utter exasperation. "Fine." As if he had just received a life-saving talisman, Na Lian set down the iron poker. "A few days ago, while you were unconscious, Lu Qingkong and Zhou Fuxue came to me asking for the Linglong Jade. I gave it to them." "That’s it?" Ming Zhu didn't seem to care. "I was going to give it to them anyway. It’s no big deal." Na Lian assumed a posture as if he were ready to bolt at any second, looking like a man facing execution. "Before I gave it to them, I demanded that Zhou Fuxue cripple his own cultivation." Ming Zhu’s hand, which was holding the dried meat, paused. He looked up at Na Lian with a blank expression. Na Lian finished his sentence: "He did it." Ming Zhu: "..." He took a deep breath. His pale face showed little change in emotion as he asked, "Why?" Seeing Ming Zhu so calm, Na Lian finally breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down properly. "I heard you mention before that he was 'Spiritless.' When I met him, I secretly probed his meridians and discovered that he isn't Spiritless at all. On the contrary, he possesses a highly gifted type of meridian." Ming Zhu’s brow furrowed. "Highly gifted?" "It’s not an ordinary Spirit Vein; it’s a Spirit Root." "A Spirit Root?" "It means that all the methods he used to cultivate as a 'Spiritless' person were entirely wrong. If he continued that way, he would have peaked at the Nascent Soul stage and stayed there forever, turning into a pile of dust in a few hundred years. Back then, the reason Ming Zhao chose him to be the scabbard for the Red Lotus Sword was likely because he recognized his Spirit Root." Na Lian casually tossed a jade slip over. "Cultivators with Spirit Roots are one in ten thousand. Using standard methods to detect Spirit Veins, he would naturally appear Spiritless. Here—this is a set of cultivation methods for Spirit Roots I happened to collect. Give it to him." "Cultivation?" Na Lian couldn't take it anymore. He frowned and said, "I say, can you stop repeating everything I say?" Ming Zhu: "..." Ming Zhu caught the jade slip and turned it over in his hands. He couldn't understand a word of it. "So, you’re saying that by crippling his cultivation and having him use this jade slip, he can regain his power?" Na Lian sneered. "Regain that pathetic Nascent Soul level? Please, that measly bit of power isn't worth regaining. What I mean is that the realm a cultivator with a Spirit Root can eventually reach is on par with the highest level of a demonic cultivator—which is to say, you." "The highest level among humans in the Five Provinces—well, I mean the highest level back in the day—was the realm Ming Zhao reached before he entered the Ghost Path. Zhou Fuxue can reach that in ten years at most, and he’ll still have room to grow." Ming Zhu only half-understood. He stared at the jade slip for a long time before asking, "Why are you helping him?" Na Lian stood up and stretched. "I’m not helping him. I’m helping myself." Ming Zhu said, "Even if his cultivation reaches the peak, he will never be used by you or betray the Five Provinces." Na Lian laughed. He walked over and tapped Ming Zhu’s forehead, explaining, "If he has that kind of power, I can feel at ease leaving you to him." Ming Zhu: "..." For a moment, Ming Zhu didn't understand his meaning. "What?" Na Lian didn't say more. He pressed on Ming Zhu’s shoulders to make him lie back down and instructed, "Sleep. He’ll be here soon." Ming Zhu wanted to say something else, but Na Lian had already turned and strolled away. At that moment, Zhou Fuxue arrived. He had packed his things from the inn and arrived at the side courtyard of Lueyue Tower with a dark, expressionless face. Na Lian pretended not to notice his palpable dissatisfaction. He pointed to the room next door. "You’ll stay there. If Buhui needs anything, you must be at his beck and call. Do not be negligent." Without a word, Zhou Fuxue pushed the door open and walked in. The side courtyard of Lueyue Tower was exquisitely decorated, far superior to the inn that cost a thousand crystals a night. Zhou Fuxue tossed his storage ring onto the bed and scanned his surroundings, his face still set in a tight line. On the sandalwood table sat an elegant candle holder. A small silver snake coiled around a piece of Longevity Wood, its tiny fangs clutching a white jade stone the size of a thumb. A piece of paper was tucked under the candle holder. Zhou Fuxue glanced at it. *When the jade stone lights up, go to Buhui immediately.* Zhou Fuxue’s brow furrowed. Before he could even react, the jade stone suddenly lit up. Since Zhou Fuxue had agreed to take care of Buhui, he wouldn't make excuses or delay. He crumpled the paper into a ball, walked briskly to the room next door, and pushed the door open. The room was warm. Ming Zhu was curled up under a thick brocade quilt, facing the wall. He was holding a jade stone carved with a coiled snake pattern, his pale fingertip tapping the snake’s forehead as if he were playing with it. Hearing the door open, he didn't turn around. "I want to hear the *Scripture of Purity and Tranquility* today." Zhou Fuxue froze, standing by the bed without moving. Sensing something was off, Ming Zhu turned around. "Na Lian, what’s with you today... ah, Zhou-zhou-zhou..." Seeing Zhou Fuxue standing by his bed, he was so startled he nearly choked, covering his mouth as he let out a series of muffled coughs. It took a moment for him to catch his breath, his face flushed red. "What are you doing here?" Zhou Fuxue said flatly, "I'm here to take care of you." Ming Zhu immediately recalled the "wicked" thing Na Lian had just done. He felt a headache coming on. "I don't need taking care of—" He cut himself off mid-sentence and pulled the quilt up, leaving only his eyes visible as he looked at Zhou Fuxue. He cleared his throat and said in a muffled voice, "Help me pour a cup of water." Zhou Fuxue gave a short "Mm," poured a cup of water, and placed it on the small bedside table. He continued to stand there with an expression that said, *Is there anything else?* Ming Zhu didn't want him to leave so soon. After thinking for a moment, he added, "Help me trim the candle wick." Zhou Fuxue complied. "Open a window for some air. It’s a bit stuffy." He complied again. Ming Zhu had exhausted almost every task he could think of for Zhou Fuxue. Finally, the two of them stared at each other in silence. After a long pause, Ming Zhu said, "The shoes on the floor don't look symmetrical. Help me move them." Zhou Fuxue: "..." The moment the words left his mouth, Ming Zhu wanted to slap himself. What kind of nonsense was he spouting? Zhou Fuxue said nothing and actually went to adjust the shoes. He straightened up, his face unchanged. "Are there any other orders?" Ming Zhu buried his entire face in the quilt, enduring the shame. He hurriedly said, "No, no more. Go back and rest." After all this back and forth, it was already the middle of the night. Zhou Fuxue said nothing, turned around, and left. Ming Zhu stayed under the quilt for a long time before slowly poking his head out. He looked at the exquisite silver snake jade in his hand. Knowing that the corresponding summoning stone was with Zhou Fuxue, he felt an uncontrollable urge to press it. *His cultivation was just crippled; he should be resting. And it’s so late; I shouldn't trouble him to come over again,* he desperately told himself, forcing his eyes shut to sleep. Half a day—or so it felt—later, he couldn't stand it anymore. He snapped his eyes open, pulled the summoning stone from under his pillow, and pressed it down with a mix of grief and indignation. Soon, Zhou Fuxue, with his hair down and an expressionless face, pushed the door open. Having likely been woken from sleep, his cold, handsome face seemed even frostier. Fortunately, Zhou Fuxue had good self-restraint. He walked over and asked calmly, "What are your orders?" Ming Zhu looked at him and timidly held out his hand. "I pressed it too hard just now. My finger hurts. You..." He hesitated for a moment, then, as if throwing caution to the wind, he squeezed his eyes shut and said, "Help me rub it." Zhou Fuxue: "..." *Is there something wrong with this demonic cultivator’s head?* ***