Lone Moon Peak.
“Eldest Senior Brother? Eldest Senior Brother?”
Fang Cheng Lang slowly returned to his senses and offered Ye Cong Xin an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Junior Sister, I was distracted earlier. Could you repeat what you just said?”
Ye Cong Xin pouted and gazed at her toes. “Does Eldest Senior Brother not want to talk to me?”
“Of course not.”
Fang Cheng Lang’s voice was gentle.
Ye Cong Xin murmured softly, “Then why does Eldest Senior Brother keep getting distracted when speaking to me these past few days?”
Fang Cheng Lang fell silent.
After a moment of hesitation, Fang Cheng Lang, thinking that both Junior Sister Ye and Sixth Senior Sister Yu Zhao were women who might help him untangle his thoughts, asked tentatively, “Junior Sister, have you noticed if Sixth Senior Sister has been acting differently lately?”
Ye Cong Xin raised her innocent-looking face and shook her head. “Sixth Senior Sister has never liked me, so I… I don’t talk to her much. Did something happen?”
Though she spoke innocently, her heart was filled with disdain.
Yu Zhao’s behavior had been unusual ever since returning from the Black Prison, and her recent deliberate distance from their five senior brothers was particularly striking.
Fang Cheng Lang only brought this up today, which showed how utterly oblivious he was!
Disappointment flashed through Fang Cheng Lang’s eyes as he lowered his gaze, his heart weighed down by frustration.
Last night, rather than meditating as usual, he spent the entire time reflecting on recent events.
To his shock, he realized it had been ages since he’d seen Little Six smile.
She used to smile all the time, her crescent-shaped eyes filled with starlight, making everyone around her feel inexplicably happy.
But now, whenever she faced him, her expressions were either sorrowful or weary. The joy in her eyes had vanished, replaced by deep-seated gloom.
His attitude toward her had also worsened drastically.
When Little Six spoke, he found her noisy.
When she stayed quiet, he thought she was dull.
No matter what, he could always find something to criticize.
But Little Six was the child he had personally raised. He never wanted to hurt her.
Fang Cheng Lang vaguely realized his unstable emotions had led to unfair treatment, which in turn caused Little Six to grow distant.
Yet, deep down, he clung to a sliver of hope that she was merely sulking and would soon return to her old self.
Conflicting emotions wrestled within Fang Cheng Lang, leaving him deeply troubled. He sighed softly. “I haven’t been a good Eldest Senior Brother.”
“Eldest Senior Brother, don’t say that!”
Ye Cong Xin, attuned to Fang Cheng Lang’s growing guilt toward Yu Zhao, refused to let Yu Zhao reclaim his attention.
She stood abruptly, her voice shaking with emotion. “Eldest Senior Brother is the best! The reason I wanted to become Master’s disciple wasn’t just out of admiration for Master, but also because of you! I’ve always envied Sixth Senior Sister. I’ve always wanted a Senior Brother like you to dote on and protect me… Cough, cough…”
Overcome by emotion, Ye Cong Xin began coughing violently, her pale face flushed with an unusual red hue.
Both touched and concerned, Fang Cheng Lang helped her sit and poured her water.
Ye Cong Xin continued to protest tearfully, her reddened eyes silently pleading for him to stop belittling himself. It took a long time for her to calm down and smile again.
Fang Cheng Lang felt deeply moved.
Little Six had blamed him for caring too much about Junior Sister Ye, but she didn’t realize how much Junior Sister Ye deserved his attention.
Eight Treasures Pavilion.
The standoff between Yu Zhao and Su Ming continued.
The others dared not speak, leaving the hall in tense silence.
Su Ming’s face was livid, and he gritted his teeth in anger.
When had Yu Zhao become so petty?
It was just a few Spirit Stones!
Did she have to block him in a shop to demand them back?
How stingy! How utterly inconsiderate!
If they were at the Five Elements Dao Sect, Su Ming wouldn’t hesitate to reprimand her harshly. But under the current circumstances, with so many eyes on them and Zhou Jin Yue nearby, he had to maintain his dignity and could only hold his tongue.
“Third Senior Brother, returning what one owes is a virtue,” Yu Zhao warned icily, her tone suggesting she was moments away from burning bridges.
Yu Zhao, though only thirteen, barely reached Su Ming’s shoulder. Su Ming looked down at her from above, easily observing every detail of her expression.
Her calm demeanor, devoid of any emotional ripples, seemed oddly out of place for her age. It was as though she had matured overnight, leaving Su Ming feeling strangely uneasy.
Shaking off the thought, he reminded himself that Yu Zhao was his Junior Sister no matter how she changed. That much would never change.
Clearing his throat, he tried to coax her. “Yu Zhao, be reasonable. Let’s go back and discuss this.”
Su Ming’s attempt to smooth things over completely exhausted Yu Zhao’s patience.
She shifted her gaze toward a group of bystanders on the staircase.
Most of them were unaffiliated cultivators, relying on odd jobs assigned by the market’s stewards. They often followed Su Ming, basking in his wealth and praise, and were his loyal lackeys.
Yu Zhao’s eyes locked onto the scholarly middle-aged man standing at the back of the group. She dredged up a distant memory of the Eight Treasures Pavilion and asked sharply, “Steward Liu, what item did my Third Senior Brother fancy earlier? Has it been accounted for?”
Steward Liu looked troubled.
Holding his position at the Eight Treasures Pavilion meant he wasn’t foolish.
It was clear there was tension between Su Ming and Yu Zhao, both direct disciples of Master Qing Yan. Offending either side would be unwise. He replied vaguely, “No, it hasn’t.”
It wasn’t exactly a lie. Su Ming had indeed shown interest in a beautifully crafted artifact, but he hadn’t yet paid for it, and the item was still upstairs.
“Good,” Yu Zhao said. “Then leave it as is. Let it remain a centerpiece of your store.”
“This…” Steward Liu pulled out a clean handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his brow, casting a glance at Su Ming.
Caught off guard by Yu Zhao’s decisiveness, Su Ming was furious. His hand reflexively rose.
In the past, when Yu Zhao was mischievous, he never actually hit her, opting instead to flick her forehead lightly as a playful punishment.
Now, in his anger, his body reacted instinctively.
Typically, Yu Zhao would cover her forehead and smile at him apologetically, signaling reconciliation.
But this time, Yu Zhao’s face twisted in fear. She backed away, arms crossed defensively over her chest.
Everyone present froze, their reactions varied.
The bystanders’ eyes filled with scorn and shock, as if they hadn’t expected this seemingly dignified young master to behave so despicably in private.
Zhou Jin Yue’s fury was palpable.
Instinct couldn’t be faked.
She shuddered to think of how many times Yu Zhao must have been hit, how much abuse she had endured.
The sight of Su Ming raising his hand triggered her immediate response. Stepping between them, she shielded Yu Zhao, her expression filled with disgust. “Su Ming, I warn you, if you dare touch her again, I’ll break your hand.”
“I-I didn’t!” Su Ming stammered, staring at his hand, utterly bewildered.
He hadn’t even laid a finger on Yu Zhao!
He was being wrongly accused!