Chapter 122 Someone is Hiding Ji Mingran felt that in recent days, Yu...
The girl, walking ahead, paused slightly as her fingers, which were clasped together through his sleeve, touched his palm. She didn't turn around, but her fingertips quietly returned his grip.
The two walked hand in hand, separated only by their sleeves.
Under the moonlight, the girl walked briskly, a smile playing on her lips, her eyes sparkling, clearly in a good mood.
These past few days have been busy with her studies. Although Ji Mingran comes to see him whenever she has a spare moment, their cultivation courses are different, so she can't always be by his side.
Although he wouldn't show it too obviously in front of his disciples, Yu Tianxing could sense the increasingly silent and tense atmosphere among the younger disciples.
Gang fights frequently broke out in various parts of the sect.
He overheard Jiang Chaoxing mention that recently, more and more outer disciples have been sent out of the sect due to serious injuries.
Yu Tianxing turned his head to look at the person who was small and thin, but whose spirit was particularly high. She seemed to be unaffected.
Yu Tianxing asked, "Do those people still bully you?" She had been targeted by her fellow disciples before she arrived. When he was around, they wouldn't do anything to her, but it was hard to guarantee that they wouldn't make a move when she wasn't there.
"Did they bully me?" Ji Mingran asked him, puzzled.
She's easygoing; there are some things she simply doesn't take to heart. Yu Tianxing: "Then tell me, how have they treated you these past few days?"
Ji Mingran recalled, "It was pretty good. Although they didn't talk to me much, they would greet me and smile at me when they passed by."
Yu Tianxing asked, "Why are you laughing?"
"Like this." Ji Mingran's upturned lips fell, and she snorted through her nose, "Heh." After the performance, she chuckled and asked, "Didn't I act perfectly?"
She didn't care about the cold words from others; she only wanted to know if her imitation was accurate. Yu Tianxing didn't know whether to be glad about her carefree attitude or feel helpless, so he could only continue to ask, "It's quite similar. Did they play with you?"
“Yes!” Ji Mingran chuckled twice, as if he had remembered something funny. “A few times I was walking and suddenly I floated up, then I kept doing somersaults, and finally I was hung up in a tree.” Ji Mingran’s eyes crinkled. “It was kind of fun, like swinging on a swing.”
This was clearly a mockery and a joke. Suppressing his anger, Yu Tianxing asked again, "Is there anything else? Anything you find strange?"
"Something I find strange?" Ji Mingran thought for a moment and said, "Oh, sometimes they walk unsteadily and rush towards me, and sometimes they can't hold onto things properly and things rush towards me, but I dodge quickly and don't bump into them."
Whether he should be glad that she was carefree or not, Yu Tianxing looked at Ji Mingran, who had a normal expression, and was speechless for a moment.
They mocked her, pushed her, and even hung her up. Her fellow disciples ostracized her, but she was oblivious to it all.
We need to add several more layers of protective magic to her, and then teach those junior disciples a lesson so they won't act recklessly.
But ultimately, this matter needs to be addressed at its root. Currently, the one in charge of managing the disciples is the second senior brother, Mao Qingyun.
Yu Tianxing mentally listed out the things he needed to do and said, "There's no rush to go to my place to study tonight. I'll reinforce and repair your house for you." Although her fellow disciples wouldn't cause her any trouble at her residence for the time being, there's always a chance of something going wrong, so she'd start there first.
Ji Mingran: "Okay!" Perhaps because she was too excited, she quickened her pace and pulled Yu Tian along.
Yu Tianxing applied slight pressure with his palm, pulling the person who had walked ahead back.
"Aren't you tired walking like this every day?"
"Yes, I'm used to it!" the girl said, beaming.
Yu Tianxing stopped, his arm pulled up by the girl walking ahead. He didn't move, she pulled again, and Ji Mingran turned his head: "Hmm? Aren't you coming?"
“It’s not a short distance from Xitang to your residence. You’re used to going back and forth like this every day, but I’m afraid it might be bad for your legs and bones in the long run.” He squatted down as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “I’ll carry you back home sooner.”
After waiting for a while without any movement, Yu Tianxing turned his head.
The moonlight was soft and dim, the shadows of the trees swayed gently, and the rustling leaves brushed against the girl's face.
For a moment, Yu Tianxing couldn't see Ji Mingran's expression clearly. It wasn't until the breeze carried away the shadows of the branches that he saw Ji Mingran put away the smile that was often on his lips, and his bright eyes were looking at him calmly, as if he wanted to see through him and understand something.
"What's wrong?" Yu Tianxing asked.
“So that’s how it is.” Ji Mingran’s expression shifted slightly, and he said softly, “This is your memory, Yu Tianxing.”
"What was it?" Something flashed through his mind, but it was too fast for Yu Tianxing to grasp. He tried to recall it carefully, but he couldn't remember that feeling no matter what he tried. He frowned and asked.
It seemed as if he was asking Ji Mingran, and also asking himself.
Warmth enveloped his back, and in the blink of an eye, Ji Mingran had already climbed onto his back, his head still slightly tilted back, his warm face pressed against his cheek.
Ji Mingran pressed her face against his and whispered, "It's nothing." She chuckled, "Giddy up! Let's go!"
Never mind. Putting aside his thoughts of that strange feeling, Yu Tianxing smiled faintly, thinking to himself, "I'll send her back first, then deal with the rest."
*
The next morning, at Qinghe Courtyard.
Mao Qingyun, the second senior brother of the Unnamed Sect, stepped out of the courtyard and immediately saw the person waiting in front of the gate.
Mao Qingyun showed no surprise and chuckled kindly, "Junior Brother, what brings you here to visit your senior brother today? The morning dew is heavy, don't catch a cold."
As he spoke, he pulled Yu Tianxing inside.
"Second Senior Brother." Yu Tianxing followed Mao Qingyun's steps, subtly pulling back his sleeve, "I do have something to discuss with you."
“It’s a coincidence, me too.” Mao Qingyun’s round body squeezed back into the main courtyard gate and said with a smile, “I was hoping to have a chance to look for you today, but you came looking for me instead. Don’t you think we brothers are very in sync?”
Mao Qingyun pointed to the chairs in the hall, "Sit, sit, sit." Then he busied himself making tea, "Come, come, junior brother, how's your cultivation of the mental techniques going these past few days?"
Yu Tianxing said, "I have gained some understanding recently, thank you for your concern, Second Senior Brother."
"That's very good, that's very good, then I can rest assured." Mao Qingyun's chubby face was stretched with layers of flesh as he smiled and picked up the teapot to pour Yu Tianxing a cup of tea: "Drink, drink, take a break."
Yu Tianxing took the teacup, looked down at the tea leaves rising with wisps of steam, and said, "Second Senior Brother, I have already established my foundation. I can withstand this bit of chill."
"Haha, that's true. I still remember how you looked when you were first brought back to the sect. Oh, you were so thin and small, like a little kitten." Mao Qingyun quickly opened the exquisite box on the table again.
The box was filled with fancy-looking round glutinous pastries and cakes. "Eat, eat, eat more." Mao Qingyun picked up a white glutinous rice ball himself, ate it in one bite, and said indistinctly, "Junior brother, what brings you here so early?"
"Second Senior Brother," Yu Tianxing said slowly, "I've heard that recently, more and more disciples have left the sect due to injuries sustained in fights."
"Oh." Mao Qingyun looked around the pastry box, picked out a red bean and osmanthus cake, put it in his mouth and chewed it as he said, "It's inevitable that some injuries will occur when junior disciples spar with each other. The big exam is coming soon, and they're anxious."
“A friendly competition.” Yu Tianxing lowered his long eyelashes. “The grand examination is a test of knowledge, not martial arts. Why don’t the disciples study hard day and night, but instead choose to compete and spar?”
"Oh, little junior brother, you don't know," Mao Qingyun mumbled while chewing on osmanthus cake. "Not everyone is as single-minded as you, burying themselves in their studies. When they get bored with their studies, they sometimes practice a bit. After practicing, they actually feel more energetic."
“What Senior Brother considers ‘gesturing’ didn’t just happen recently. Moreover, they were bullying the weak and taking advantage of their numbers. That’s humiliation, not gesturing,” Yu Tianxing said. “Aren’t you going to do anything about it, Senior Brother? It’s not good if it affects the important exam.”
"Junior brother, don't just talk, have a piece too." Mao Qingyun quickly ate most of the pastries in the box. "The cultivation world is a dog-eat-dog world, so it's nothing. If you can't even stay in the outer sect, it will be even harder to live in the dog-eat-dog world of cultivation in the future. It's not a bad thing for the losers to leave early."
Yu Tianxing neither touched the exquisite pastries and cakes nor drank the tea. "From my observation, those who have been bullied recently are actually the ones who are usually more outstanding in their studies. If they hadn't been bullied, they should have passed the big exam smoothly."
"Junior brother, you didn't pay attention to these things before?" Mao Qingyun stopped holding the pastry, looked up and smiled kindly, "I heard that you've been getting close to a junior sister from the outer sect lately. You brought this up because of her, right?"
Yu Tianxing lifted his eyelids, his expression blank.
Mao Qingyun tossed another piece of black pastry into his mouth. "I've also investigated this junior sister. Her usual performance is quite good, and with some effort, she has a good chance of passing the final exam. But these past few days, thanks to your guidance, she's been performing exceptionally well and has gained the teacher's favor. She's actually more likely to pass the exam now. This..."
Mao Qingyun spread his hands, "That's where the problem lies."
"Her outstanding performance is due to her hard work," Yu Tianxing said calmly. "How is that a problem?"
"The number of people who pass this competition is limited, and the number of disciples has already been determined. Her recent performance will inevitably affect the list," Mao Qingyun said, taking a sip of hot tea.
The fifty spots had already been decided internally.
More than ten of them came from wealthy backgrounds, while the rest were followers who had gathered around them in order to survive and obtain resources. This small, cohesive group was determined to expel the rest, including Ji Mingran, before the big exam.
“Senior brother’s direct appointment of disciples is against the sect’s rules, and condoning infighting among disciples is also against the sect’s rules,” Yu Tianxing said.
“Junior Brother, our sect has been in seclusion for many years. If we don’t find truly good talents, how can we maintain our sect in the long run?” Mao Qingyun said. “When you take charge of the sect’s affairs in the future, you will know the painstaking efforts of your senior brother. Your senior brother is always consistent and is the most disciplined person.”
"Whoever pledges allegiance to you, you'll break the rules for them." Yu Tianxing: "Senior Brother's personality has indeed never changed."
“Yes, I’ve never changed. I’ve always been the most law-abiding.” Mao Qingyun ignored the first half of Yu Tianxing’s sentence and winked at him. “Junior brother, it’s you who suddenly became interested in her. Don’t try to fool me. Her recent rapid progress could only be because of you.”
Yu Tianxing: "Senior brother has a deep misunderstanding."
Mao Qingyun smiled broadly: "It really was my misunderstanding. A while ago, you asked Chu Rangyue to interfere in the disciples' playful antics and brought her out, ruining my plans. I really thought you did it on purpose. But, I'm not angry with you, am I? In any case, you are still my good junior brother."
Yu Tianxing: "..."
"Junior brother, do you really like her? Oh dear, this is not easy. The list has indeed been finalized, but don't be upset." Mao Qingyun said gently, "I'm still discussing it with you. As for her, she should step down. You can keep her outside and visit her when you have time."
“Senior brother is insulting her, and also insulting me, with such foul language,” Yu Tianxing’s eyes were icy cold. “What you just ate, senior brother, was it feces or pastries?”
Mao Qingyun paused in his chubby hand, which was holding a lump of black glutinous rice, and his chubby chin swayed incessantly: "Oh dear, junior brother, you have always been self-disciplined and courteous, how come you have become so arrogant these past few days? You are influenced by your surroundings, which proves that she absolutely cannot be kept."
"She cannot be kept." Yu Tianxing said calmly. "Is it because she, like those expelled junior disciples, did not offer you gifts to show her loyalty?"
Yu Tianxing lowered his eyes and said, "Senior Sister, she..."
"Heh." Mao Qingyun's voice suddenly turned cold: "I can't control her, and she can't control me either." His narrowed eyes contained a warning: "Last time, she broke the rules by picking someone up. If she comes again this time, I won't be so lenient."
The power struggle between the eldest sister and the second brother is none of his business.
He always kept to himself, and unless circumstances changed, he wouldn't say much. "The sect leader is especially concerned about his disciples' cultivation. If he discovers this upon emerging from seclusion..."
His words were interrupted by Mao Qingyun: "You, you, you should remember your master and mistress's instructions and focus on your cultivation."
“Junior brother,” Mao Qingyun sighed heavily, “Master has indeed been too strict with you. Although the Gui Cang Heart Technique is powerful, the backlash is more severe with each level. If you don’t break through on time, your life will be in danger. You are already at the fifth level. If you can’t get through it, I’m afraid your life will be in danger.”
Yu Tianxing said in a cold tone: "Senior brother, you may speak frankly what you want to say."
“Since you don’t want to discuss this with me, Junior Brother, I’ll grant your wish,” Mao Qingyun said gently. “Junior Brother, just listen to me and help those top fifty disciples. Let those who should leave leave as soon as possible. Treat her the same way they treat her. You’re smart enough; I don’t need to say more, do I?”
“I really don’t understand what you’re talking about.” Yu Tianxing stared at him.
“Junior brother, the number of disciples this time has been decided.” Mao Qingyun continued eating pastries one after another, smiling as he said, “You should listen to your senior brother and do what you are supposed to do. Otherwise, how can your cultivation improve? Don’t forget, your Guizang Heart Sutra is divided into two volumes. The first volume only records half of the fifth level of the Heart Sutra, and the other half is in the second volume. This second volume is with me.”
Yu Tianxing's eyes were icy cold: "Senior brother, are you implying that if I don't obey your orders, you won't give me the next volume?"
"Hey, hey, hey!" A short, chubby finger covered in rice flour waved in front of him. Mao Qingtian said, "Junior brother, what are you saying! Master entrusted me with the second volume because he trusts me and knows I will keep a close eye on you. If you don't cultivate properly and waste your life with that little girl, how could Master let her off?"
“If you successfully pass the fifth level of the Heart Sutra, Master will not tolerate any stray cats or dogs that have been picked up from outside, defiling his son.” Mao Qingyun smiled and clinked his cup against Yu Tianxing’s teacup: “Junior Brother, you shouldn’t have gotten involved in this matter in the first place.”
The hot tea in the cup had completely cooled down.
Yu Tianxing pushed aside his teacup and silently walked out of Qinghe Courtyard.
Mao Qingyun's voice came from behind, "Junior brother, compared to your life, compared to your cultivation, what is a mere orphan? Don't you think so?"
*
Ji Mingran felt that Yu Tianxing had been acting strangely these past few days.
After he carried her home, Ji Mingran couldn't find him again the next day.
He would tell her his schedule beforehand so she could find him after class. If there were any changes to his schedule, he would inform her promptly or simply wait for her at a place she was sure to pass by.
But in the past few days, she has searched the entire sect but still cannot find him.
She wanted to ask Jiang Chaoxing, but he would turn away as soon as he saw her, wishing he could stay at least three feet away from her.
I wanted to ask my senior sister, but she was too busy with other things. When I finally managed to catch her, she said, "Junior brother? It's been a long time since I've seen him. But cultivation is the most important thing. Perhaps he has reached a critical point in his cultivation and is currently in seclusion to break through."
Ji Mingran didn't believe it, not because he didn't believe his senior sister, but because he didn't think Yu Tianxing was in seclusion.
If she were truly in seclusion, Yu Tianxing would have informed her.
Moreover, Ji Mingran walked alone in the grassland. She stopped and looked around thoughtfully.
The grassland is open and flat, with no rock walls, ancient trees, or shrubs to obstruct the view.
But she always felt that a gaze was fixed on her.
From morning till night, from leaving home to returning to the thatched hut.
His gaze was subtle yet relentlessly following her; eventually, she would become aware of it.
Ever since she was caught in that gaze, the junior disciples who had been looking for opportunities to cause her trouble have stopped appearing by her side.
The younger disciples weren't very friendly to her, but Ji Mingran didn't take them to heart. Now that Yu Tianxing was gone, she was bored and decided to tease the younger disciples, hanging them upside down from the trees.
But now the younger disciples no longer followed her furtively. They even scattered as soon as they saw her from afar, and Ji Mingran lost her chance to scare and tease them.
"I should go and catch them early tomorrow," Ji Mingran thought to himself. "Even though these are memories, I should still retaliate."
The most urgent matter is something else entirely.
Yu Tianxing had reinforced the house for her, but Ji Mingran looked up at the thatched roof and muttered to herself, "The wind has been strong these past few days, so we need to lay two more layers of thatch to make the roof more solid."
She got to work as soon as she decided to, carrying bundles of thatch on her back, climbing onto the roof, and starting to lay the thatch with great effort.
A small figure walked back and forth on the rooftop. At that moment, dark clouds swayed in the sky and covered the moon, dimming its light.
"Ouch!" Ji Mingran slipped while walking on the thatched roof and fell backward onto the ground with a thud.
Dark clouds drifted by, and moonlight fell back onto the earth, sweeping over the girl with her eyes tightly closed, and the bloodstains seeping from the back of her head into the grass.
A shadow suddenly peeked out from the eaves, gradually forming a human figure, and walked towards the girl who had fainted on the ground.
"Aha!" The girl lying on the ground leaped up and pounced on the dark figure with lightning speed. The latter was hit hard and fell backward to the ground.
Ji Mingran sat on the shadowy figure, roughly kneading its facial features as if he were shaping clay: "How long are you going to hide from me?"
The figure lay quietly on the ground, as if dead.
"Why are you pretending to be dead?" Ji Mingran pinched the figure's face with both hands and pulled it away. She leaned closer, her nose almost touching the figure's high nose shadow: "Why are you hiding from me and secretly following me, Yu Tianxing?"
The figure trembled slightly.
Ji Mingran moved closer again.
The shadow receded like water, revealing an ethereal, otherworldly face. A thin layer of pink quickly spread from his fair cheeks to his neck and ears.
Yu Tianxing stared intently at the lips that were inches away from his own, and whispered, "Get up."
"I won't get up. What, are you going to push me away?" Ji Mingran said with a grin.
"...No." Yu Tianxing was tense and motionless. Ji Mingran had just fallen from the roof. He didn't know if the fall was real or not, but if it was, he was afraid that any movement would hurt her.
“Speak,” Ji Mingran said. “Why have you been avoiding me these past few days? I won’t get up until you tell me.”
Yu Tianxing remained silent for a long time before saying, "I'm afraid you'll be upset if you hear this."
"Sad?" Ji Mingran asked curiously, even more interested: "Tell me about it."
How could he keep it a secret any longer? Knowing that Ji Mingran would be extremely disappointed in him once he found out, and that his hopeful and enthusiastic eyes would dim in an instant, Yu Tianxing felt as if his heart was imprisoned by ice, with a chill seeping out from within.
But he didn't want to lie to her, and since she had caught him, he had no choice but to confess.
Yu Tianxing avoided her gaze, his voice low and hoarse, "They want me to join them, to bully you together, and to drive you out of the sect."
"Bullying me?" She suddenly pulled away from him, who was standing very close.
Yu Tianxing instinctively felt his body turn icy cold in an instant.
But Ji Mingran's voice didn't sound frightened or confused as I'd expected; instead, it was as clear and bright as a sparrow's as ever. "So you can't show up beside me, and can only secretly help me chase those people away?"
How could she... Yu Tianxing almost used all his strength to barely suppress the intense shame in his heart, and mustered up his courage to lift his thick eyelashes and stare at the girl who was looking down at him, "Why aren't you angry?"
"Angry? Why are you angry?" Ji Mingran asked. "Didn't you secretly chase them away for me?"
Yu Tianxing clenched his fists tightly, and traces of blood seeped from his palms: "But I can't do anything else."
He's a disgusting coward and a piece of trash. He despises himself to the extreme; how could he possibly face her?
A dark, shadowy tide rose from the ground, creeping up the contours little by little, threatening to cover and envelop people once more.
The pinch on her face was released, and Ji Mingran's face came close again, forcing him to look at her. "Oh, this must be him threatening you with something important."
She spoke slowly, "This is really difficult, Yu Tianxing, you're really in a difficult position." As she said this, her words were calm and composed, without the slightest hint of anxiety.
"Since they want you to bully me." Smiling, she got closer and closer. Yu Tianxing could see the bright starlight in her clear eyes and feel her warm breath spreading across her lips.
Ji Mingran said in a light and cheerful voice, "Fine, Yu Tianxing, go ahead and bully me. I allow it."
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