Chapter 116 You live alone?

As dawn broke, Mei Liangyu walked around the corner of the stairs and came to the eaves on the first floor, where she caught a glimpse of Yan Xiaochuan still lying on the bench in the courtyard.

Yan Xiaochuan is someone you're not exactly familiar with, but you wouldn't say you're completely unfamiliar with either.

Mu Yong'an came to Taiyi six years ago and immediately became a renowned teacher. He taught for two years, then spent three years recuperating from illness, and has not resumed teaching since.

Mei Liangyu met Mu Yong'an when he went to listen to a lecture by a famous master, but upon careful recollection, it seemed that Yan Xiaochuan was the first person he had ever met.

At that time, Yan Xiaochuan was not even as tall as his chest, a thin and small person, and a little shy. When Yan Xiaochuan, who was only eleven years old, came to Taiyi, he got lost and wandered around until he arrived at the Guidao family. Looking at the unfamiliar environment, he was so anxious that he scratched his head.

Yan Xiaochuan panicked and, disregarding his pride, grabbed a passerby and asked, "I...I...I..."

The tall boy who had been caught was playing with a wind-listening ruler with his head down when he was suddenly grabbed and stopped from leaving. He glanced at the person with raised eyebrows.

Yan Xiaochuan finished speaking haltingly, and it took Mei Liangyu a while to understand what he meant. It was probably that the little guy got lost and wanted to find a famous master, but ended up at the Ghost Daoist's house. He even got the name of the famous master's house wrong.

Looking at Yan Xiaochuan back then, Mei Liangyu seemed to see herself when she first arrived in Taiyi.

They felt resistant and anxious about the unfamiliar environment.

Yan Xiaochuan has grown rapidly over the past six years.

Mei Liangyu remembered that it started two years ago when the boy, who had grown taller, became lively and cheerful. He was very talkative and could chat with anyone. He was always running around, joining in on fun activities, and you could see him everywhere.

His personality is completely different from when he first came to Taiyi, when he couldn't even utter a complete sentence for a long time.

After hearing Mu Yong'an's words today, Mei Liangyu couldn't help but carefully examine Yan Xiaochuan after he grew up. Could it be that I knew this kid before? Or does this kid actually know me?

Mei Liangyu silently approached the courtyard, lightly kicking a bench, startling Yan Xiaochuan so much that he sat bolt upright, his eyes widening as he stared at him. Relieved upon recognizing the person before him, he complained, "Senior Brother Liangyu, so late at night..."

“It’s dawn,” Mei Liangyu interrupted him.

Yan Xiaochuan then looked up at the sky, sat cross-legged on the bench, and yawned while covering his face with one hand: "You've been talking with Master for so long, where is Master?"

"I'm asleep," Mei Liangyu said. "Come back tonight."

"Okay." Yan Xiaochuan rubbed his eyes.

Seeing his sleepy face, Mei Liangyu said, "Go back to your lodgings and sleep."

"I'm not sleeping anymore, I still have a lot to do." Yan Xiaochuan stretched and perked up, counting on his fingers as he said, "I need to bring breakfast buns for Lin Ye and the others, pick up Gui Chenlu for Xuanxue, and I need to copy several calligraphy models for Yan Mu..."

Mei Liangyu looked him up and down: "Why are you the one doing these things?"

"I have a lot of friends!" Yan Xiaochuan said casually. "Some of them don't have time to do it, but I happen to have time and can help them out."

Mei Liangyu said lazily, "Is that what you call making friends?"

Yan Xiaochuan tilted his head slightly to look at Mei Liangyu, who was standing there, and blinked.

Mei Liangyu had noticed Yan Xiaochuan's situation, but he hadn't paid any attention to it until today when he heard Mu Yong'an's words. He then realized that he should pay more attention to this kid.

Yan Xiaochuan's attempts to make friends were not going smoothly. Although he tried to take the initiative and become more talkative and lively, he still had to maintain this initiative in order to keep his relationships with others.

Mei Liangyu thought that his approach was less about making friends and more about pleasing others.

But these words were somewhat hurtful, so Mei Liangyu changed the subject and asked Yan Xiaochuan, "I have a question for you, tell me the truth."

Yan Xiaochuan, taken aback by the question, suppressed his playful expression and replied solemnly, "Yes!"

"Do you know me?" Mei Liangyu asked, staring at him.

The question was somewhat ambiguous, but Yan Xiaochuan knew what it meant.

He rolled his eyes and nodded.

Before Mei Liangyu could finish speaking, Yan Xiaochuan raised his hand as if to swear: "But I didn't recognize you at first either. It was only after Master told me that I found out. Master said you have amnesia. If you don't want to remember, then don't bother you."

Yan Xiaochuan thought that if Mei Liangyu could forget the past, forget his identity, forget those grudges, then he could also abandon his former identity and memories and live a completely new life.

If everyone forgets, abandons the past, and starts anew.

Then their lives will be free from strife, killing, and endless hatred.

Yan Xiaochuan thought that living a carefree life was the best choice.

Mu Yong'an was waiting for Mei Liangyu to make her own choice, and also giving Yan Xiaochuan a chance to choose for himself.

What is certain is that whatever choice these two make, he will personally help them.

Yan Xiaochuan noticed that Mei Liangyu's expression remained unchanged, and he seemed indifferent, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

“Senior Brother Liangyu…” Yan Xiaochuan tentatively began, but Mei Liangyu merely glanced at him before taking out the buzzing wind-listening ruler and looking down at it.

Yan Xiaochuan patted his knees, which were crossed, and said, "I can't say much more. You know, there are some things that will kill you if you say them out loud in Taiyi. Words have power, the heavens are visible, the wind is heard, and the sun and moon illuminate words. No matter how you reveal relevant information, it will be detected."

After he finished speaking, he looked up at Mei Liangyu, who was standing there, and asked in a low voice, "Senior Brother Liangyu, do you choose to leave Taiyi?"

Mei Liangyu replied to the message while typing in the crossword puzzle, grunting "hmm" without even looking up.

"Actually, I don't know much about you either," Yan Xiaochuan scratched his head, looking embarrassed. "I just know that there is such a person."

Mei Liangyu said "Oh," and then said, "So, you mean our relationship isn't that good?"

Yan Xiaochuan shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, no, actually we are as close as brothers!"

Mei Liangyu looked up at him, her eyes filled with suspicion.

"It's almost time, I need to hurry to the dining hall to buy steamed buns." Yan Xiaochuan stood up.

Mei Liangyu took the wind-listening ruler, turned around, and walked out, saying, "Buy one for me while you're at it."

Yan Xiaochuan: "Why don't we just go to the vegetarian hall to eat?"

Mei Liangyu said casually, "You're willing to buy from your friends, but not from me, who's like a brother to you?"

Yan Xiaochuan sighed helplessly, "Buy, buy, buy! I'll go buy it right now."

That's what they said, but Mei Liangyu still accompanied Yan Xiaochuan to the dining hall in the end. He saw that Yan Xiaochuan had bought a lot of steamed buns and carried four or five food boxes, almost hanging the fifth food box around his neck.

Mei Liangyu stared at him speechlessly: "Will I give you money?"

Yan Xiaochuan tossed his head with a flourish: "It's bad luck to talk about money among friends!"

Mei Liangyu sneered and said, "You'd better be rich."

He carried the fifth food box back to the dormitory with Yan Xiaochuan, but one of them thought the filling of the buns wasn't to his liking, so he didn't take it.

Yan Xiaochuan asked, "What kind of filling do you like to eat?"

Mei Liangyu left without even listening, taking the food box to Xing Chun.

Xing Chun was deeply moved to receive the breakfast he sent. He rubbed his hands together and exclaimed repeatedly, "Today must have been an incredible day! Mei Mei actually brought me breakfast."

Mei Liangyu stood at the door and said, "I'm leaving. You can eat by yourself."

Xing Chun's eyes widened: "I'll eat it myself? You want me to eat it myself? Take it away!"

Mei Liangyu went to see Yan Xiaochuan pick osmanthus dew. In the osmanthus grove of a farmer, she climbed up a huge osmanthus tree and carefully used a bottle to collect the dew dripping from the freshest leaf at the top of the tree.

After picking up Gui Chenlu, he went back to the Master Calligraphy Study Hall to help people copy calligraphy. After finishing, he went to help the uncles and aunts in the miscellaneous shop with some physical labor. Yan Xiaochuan was quite popular with these people.

While Yan Xiaochuan was sweeping the fallen leaves on the road, Mei Liangyu sat on the bench playing with her wind-listening ruler, casually listening to Yan Xiaochuan muttering to himself.

“Brother Liangyu, you didn’t see it before, but Gu Gan and Brother Sheng were fighting fiercely in the dormitory. Brother Sheng was troubled because the little princess liked Gu Gan. Brother Mu and I discussed and analyzed it all night before we asked Brother Sheng to go to the little princess.”

Mei Liangyu glanced up at him and asked, "What are you going to see her for?"

“Tell the young princess about the consequences of liking Gu Gan!” Yan Xiaochuan swept past Mei Liangyu with a broom, neatly piling up the fallen leaves. He was clearly very skilled. “But I think Senior Brother Sheng is overthinking it. The young princess is smarter and more capable than he thinks.”

Mei Liangyu thought to herself, "Of course, Sheng Fei is stupid, but my junior sister isn't."

After Yan Xiaochuan finished sweeping this area, he carried the broom and headed into the mountains. Mei Liangyu asked, "Want to sweep some more?"

"The mountain path on Jueyun Peak hasn't been swept yet," Yan Xiaochuan replied honestly as he turned around.

Mei Liangyu put away the Wind-Listening Ruler, stood up, and looked at him with an inscrutable expression: "You don't cultivate?"

"I'm just working on it because I've hit a bottleneck recently, so I'm just looking for something to do," Yan Xiaochuan said. "Although I obtained the Heavenly Secrets Technique in the Dragon Slaying Cave, my Light Core Realm hasn't improved!"

Mei Liangyu stepped forward: "Tell me about it."

Yan Xiaochuan's eyes lit up. "Are you going to help me?"

Mei Liangyu said, "I might not be able to help."

"I can help you, I can help you! Senior Brother Liangyu, you're so amazing!" Yan Xiaochuan held the broom horizontally behind his neck, his hands hanging on the stick, and walked backwards facing Mei Liangyu. The boy smiled brightly and said, "Senior Brother, do you know about the twelve heavenly ladders of the famous Jueyun Peak? I can only get to the eighth ladder, there are still four more I can't climb."

The two talked as they walked into Jueyun Peak.

The Twelve Heavenly Ladders of Famous Masters is also a Level 3 Forbidden Area.

Some forbidden areas are not harmful; they are simply used by disciples to test and improve themselves.

Only in top-level forbidden areas like the Legalist Upside-Down Moon Cave are disciples not allowed to trespass at will.

The mountain peaks are majestic, and sunlight falls on the water, refracting into fragmented shadows. The rippling water flows down layer by layer, each step being tens of feet high and wide. Shallow water flows on the steps, all the way down to the first step at the bottom.

Under sunlight and moonlight, and viewed from different angles, one can spot fleeting glimpses of text on the horizontal and vertical surfaces of the ladder.

The Twelve Heavenly Ladders lead from the foot of Jueyun Peak to its summit. Climbing the Heavenly Ladders means reaching the top of Jueyun Peak.

Mei Liangyu stood on the eighth step, where the foot of the mountain was no longer visible. The higher the step, the stronger the wind. The water was blown by the wind and the mist was scattered, but it all avoided Mei Liangyu.

Panting, Yan Xiaochuan climbed up the eighth step and lay down on the side, ignoring the shallow, flowing water beneath him, which soaked his clothes and hair.

"Senior Brother Liangyu, what's the highest level you can reach?" Yan Xiaochuan asked.

Mei Liangyu looked back up: "It used to be nine, now it's ten. The Heavenly Ladder of Jueyun Peak determines the limit based on your own cultivation level."

“I want to go up the Nine Ladders, but it’s a bit difficult, and I’m not willing to give up.” Yan Xiaochuan stood up from the ground and shook the water droplets off his face. “If I get thrown down by the Heavenly Ladders, you have to catch me, senior brother, and don’t let me fall to the bottom, otherwise I’ll have to climb back up.”

Mei Liangyu said, "I can only guarantee that you won't die from the fall."

"This is far from what I expected. Senior brother, you came here today to help me, right?" Yan Xiaochuan said loudly, but he was holding his breath and his eyes were flashing with golden light.

He has an extremely precise control over the five elements. Whether it is as fine as a needle and thread or as vast as a river, Yan Xiaochuan can control it precisely and materialize it into what he wants.

Yan Xiaochuan took a deep breath and launched an attack on the ninth step. Just as he rushed to the stone wall, he saw the trickle of water turn into a giant waterfall, with the water rushing and surging rapidly.

He could see the strange and wonderful golden lines on the waterfall, and Yan Xiaochuan climbed the waterfall by stepping on the parts with the golden lines.

Whenever he stepped on a golden thread, the golden thread would transform into a complete character.

"Mountain."

"stone."

"Forest."

Yan Xiaochuan, who had climbed halfway up, was stunned when he looked up at the golden line in front of him. Which one was water?

His perception of the words couldn't keep up with the speed of the changes in the Heavenly Ladder, so he couldn't continue climbing the waterfall and was swept backward by the rushing water.

Mei Liangyu formed a hand seal and waved it, causing the spirit tree to grow upon contact with water. The green vines grew rapidly, pulling Yan Xiaochuan back from the heavenly ladder.

Yan Xiaochuan, who had been captured and brought back, lay on the ground, panting heavily.

"Whoa!" He kicked twice into the air. "Just a little bit more!"

Mei Liangyu stood beside the waterfall, watching it transform into a stream, and said calmly, "Mountain, rock, forest, water, sky, earth—you're missing more than a little bit of those six words."

"I don't have to worry about falling to the bottom and having to climb back up today, let's try again!" Yan Xiaochuan quickly regained his energy and vitality, taking this opportunity to challenge himself on the way to the ninth step.

Mei Liangyu spent another day with him, from initially watching Yan Xiaochuan climb, to challenging himself to climb to the tenth step, and when he tried to climb to the eleventh step, he was knocked down to the bottom.

Yan Xiaochuan clung to the edge of the eighth step, watching Mei Liangyu climb up from the first step with longing eyes, and shouted, "Go, Senior Brother Liangyu!"

Mei Liangyu's eyes twitched slightly as he heard this; it was as if he were the one who couldn't climb up.

Challenging the Twelve Heavenly Ladders consumes a great deal of the Five Elements Qi, requiring the gathering and mobilization of all the body's strength for each sprint.

In the end, one wanted to go to the ninth step, and the other wanted to go to the eleventh step. The two spent nearly two days and two nights at Jueyun Peak. On the third night, they parted ways and left, exhausted, and went back to their lodgings to sleep as soon as they collapsed into bed.

Yan Xiaochuan released his power like this after a long time. Finally, he was no longer climbing the Heavenly Ladder of Jueyun Peak alone. There was someone beside him talking to him so that he wouldn't fall to the bottom.

As he pondered this, he chuckled and fell fast asleep with a wide smile.

Mei Liangyu had just lain back on the bed when she remembered that she still had things to do. She sat up with a frown, took out the Wind Listening Ruler, and asked where Yu Sui was.

"At the dormitory," Yu Sui asked. "Is there anything I can help you with, Senior Brother?"

"Wait, I'll show you a little trinket." Mei Liangyu grabbed the coat from the wooden rack and went out to find her.

Yu Sui replied, "Senior brother, I've changed dorms. I'm on the 86th floor now, room 1078."

Mei Liangyu raised an eyebrow and hurried toward the location she had mentioned.

During the few days that Mei Liangyu and Yan Xiaochuan were challenging the Heavenly Ladder of Jueyun Peak, Yu Sui had already completed two tasks: talking to Gu Gan and changing dormitories.

Yu Sui leaned against the door waiting for someone. Blackbeard had personally brought people to redecorate the room for her, and now even the main room was decorated in a magnificent style.

The door was open, and Mei Liangyu immediately saw the person waiting by the door. As he approached, he could even smell the fresh scent of a bath. He glanced at Yu Sui, whose smooth, jet-black hair was loose. It seemed that she had just finished bathing, so her usual hairpins, hair ornaments, and headbands were nowhere to be seen.

"Senior brother, you don't look like you slept well." As Yu Sui closed the door behind her, she glanced curiously at the man standing in the room, his aura cold and deep, and asked softly, "Is there something urgent?"

She hadn't forgotten that Mei Liangyu, still half-asleep, was somewhat ferocious and difficult to deal with. Even if the girl he liked stood in front of him, she probably wouldn't get the better of him.

Mei Liangyu wasn't still half asleep; he hadn't rested at all. The challenge of the Twelve Heavenly Ladders had taken a toll on his energy, and he was genuinely exhausted.

He glanced at the magnificent interior of the room; such a sight wouldn't surprise Yu Sui now.

"You live alone?" Mei Liangyu didn't realize there was anyone else there.

“Yes,” Yu Sui said. “I was lucky and got a dorm room number that no one lived in.”

The college reassigned dormitories by randomly selecting them from the School of Communications, which was no different from letting Yu Sui choose for herself.

After learning that she lived alone, Mei Liangyu pulled out a chair at the table in the main room and sat down. He drew a character on the clean and tidy table with his fingertip, displaying the calligraphy and painting he had obtained from Mu Yong'an.

He said, "These are records related to the Destroyer. They contain information that Gao Tianhao couldn't find or didn't know, as well as the location of the Water Boat. Take a look first, and ask me if you have any questions."

Yu Sui gazed at the map of the Xuan Gu Continent displayed on the table. Circles of flames and waves were flowing, and countless little figures stood in different positions. Some of the little figures had names, and some did not. The text records that appeared before her eyes were very clear, and she was quickly captivated by them.

The room was very quiet. Yu Sui sat opposite Mei Liangyu, intently examining all the records on the calligraphy and paintings. When she had a question and subconsciously looked up at the man opposite her, she saw him leaning back in his chair, eyes closed, brows slightly furrowed, already asleep.

Yu Sui propped his head up with one hand, his dark eyes flickering as he scanned his senior brother's sleeping face. Because of his furrowed brows, his sleeping posture looked a bit fierce.

She can be quite fierce when she's lucid.

Yu Sui couldn't help but recall the time when she pretended to be dead to deceive Mei Liangyu, and heard him call out the name Nangong Sui in a gloomy tone. Now that she thought about it, she felt a little regretful that she hadn't been able to see what her senior brother's expression was at that time.

She felt a surge of desire, wanting to see the fierce side of that face appear because of her.

[Author's Note]

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!