Chapter 15

The fleeting danger from just a moment ago felt like a mere illusion. The smile on Zou Yan’s face was as perfect as a mask. He looked toward Jiang Wen and asked, "And who is this?"

Jiang Wen stepped between him and Si Gui, his expression calm. "Mr. Zou is my guest. If you want to cause trouble, go do it somewhere else. Xiwei, come here."

I would have gone to my second brother even without him asking, but just as I made a move, someone pressed down on the back of my neck. That man, venomous as a viper, hooked his arm around my neck. Strands of black hair brushed against my cheeks, and he rested his head on my shoulder, his breath warm.

"Xiwei, are you really going to go to him? Did your dear second brother not bother to introduce his 'good friend' to you properly? A Saint not even sixty years old—haha, how interesting. Zou Chuhuan, I’ve heard of you. Born with the 'Heart-Eye.' Who was your master, again? I’ve seen few Saints from the Yin-Yang School, but your lot is always acting so cryptic, hiding away from the world—who knows what you’re plotting? I heard that when you were initiated, you gouged out your own eyes and crawled out of the Myriad-Fathom Star Sea with nothing but a broken spiritual bone. In all these years, you’re the first to ever return from that hellish place alive... Ha, truly interesting! To think the Yin-Yang School actually produced someone like you after all this time!"

I couldn't help but stomp on his foot. Though I hadn't quite grasped the situation, Zou Yan had been well-behaved on the mountain all these days, mostly spending his time watering the spiritual plants. Besides, he was someone my second brother had brought up; even if I didn't trust him, I trusted my brother. This lunatic Si Gui had come in and started stabbing at people's hearts the moment he arrived—where did that leave my brother? I wondered how he hadn't been beaten to death out there yet.

Suddenly, I let out a sharp cry. The lunatic—he bit me!

Si Gui held my upper body so tightly I couldn't move at all. He bit down on the soft flesh of my cheek, and he didn't hold back in the slightest. Tears welled up in my eyes and spilled over instantly. I looked at my second brother, my eyes brimming with tears.

Jiang Wen’s expression remained incredibly calm—so calm it was frightening. He looked at his third brother. "What do you want?"

Si Gui wasn't satisfied with just one bite; he intended to leave a mark on my other cheek as well. This time, I couldn't hold back my tears. I cried and bit his wrist hard. Just as I opened my mouth to call for help, a finger pressed against my lips. In my ear, his voice trembled with excitement: "Zou Chuhuan... can you still use that 'Heart-Eye' of yours?"

Zou Yan held onto his wheelchair, his expression seemingly always good-natured. Even in the face of Si Gui’s aggressive behavior, he remained composed, as if the person whose secrets were being laid bare wasn't him. He looked at Si Gui and curved his lips slightly. "What is it you wish to see? Do you want to see past lives and future incarnations? Karma and destiny? Or perhaps the movement of Heavenly Fate?"

His voice dropped, carrying a subtle edge. "Has Brother Jiang told you that since ancient times, those with peak senses are never tolerated by the Heavenly Dao? Do you truly wish to see the world through my eyes?"

In that instant, his expression mirrored Si Gui’s—a familiar, eerie danger, but with an added layer of mockery. He did not remove the white silk covering his eyes and continued to smile, but the smile did not reach his depths.

Jiang Wen turned and said something to him. Then, looking at me, trapped in Si Gui’s embrace, he finally spoke. "Si Gui, do you want to disturb Father?"

The hands restraining me remained as steady as a mountain. I was so angry I stomped on his feet several times and clawed at him with all my might, but I couldn't shake the lunatic at all. Eventually, I grew exhausted and leaned against him. As Si Gui stared at them, Zou Yan suddenly spoke up. "Alright, why don't you let go of your sister first? Look at how much you've made her cry."

Si Gui’s grip loosened. I seized the chance to slip out of his embrace. After a moment's hesitation, I stomped on his foot hard one last time before hiding behind my second brother. I looked at Zou Yan with gratitude, deciding that no matter what Si Gui planned to do to him, I wouldn't let him succeed.

"Heh..." Si Gui’s ghostly eyes remained fixed on Zou Yan. His smile was sinister. "I am very curious about the world in your eyes, but what I’m most curious about is how you haven't gone insane after all these years."

"Zou Yan... Zou Chuhuan." He chewed on his tongue, enunciating every word. His voice trembled, whether from excitement or something else. "You must make sure not to die easily. Born with the 'Heart-Eye' and still alive to this day... Ha! What a rarity!"

I couldn't help but tighten my grip on my second brother’s hand. Sometimes I felt like Si Gui was more of a patient than I was; he simply didn't act like a normal person. Fortunately, Father had already sent him away; this guy wouldn't be able to wreak havoc on me or my second brother for a while.

My second brother led me away, but a gaze from behind felt like needles on my back. I couldn't help but turn around and glare at him. He was staring at me and Zou Yan with a very subtle look, like a predator about to hunt.

I sat on the bed while my second brother applied ointment to my face. I held up a mirror, looking left and right, and saw two clear bite marks on my cheek. I pounded the pillow in indignation. "Is he a dog?!"

Jiang Wen’s fingers dabbed the cooling ointment onto my face, tracing my cheek with care. The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. Nothing good ever happened when that guy returned; he had not only scared my little White, but also caused trouble for my second brother and Zou Yan.

Speaking of Zou Yan, I carefully looked up at the young man with the white silk over his eyes. He didn't seem affected at all, as if the person Si Gui had been talking about wasn't him. I recalled the revelation that Zou Yan had apparently gouged out his own eyes, and I didn't know what to say.

I sighed, feeling that Si Gui was truly beyond the pale. Just then, I heard Zou Yan speak. "Do you have any questions you would like to ask?"

I looked around, bewildered, before realizing he was speaking to me. Zou Yan touched the white silk over his eyes and smiled. "I can answer three questions for you, free of charge... Heh, you may ask anything."

I shook my head. "No need. My third brother has always been lawless. He’s the same way with his own family. Don't take it to heart; he’s just a lunatic."

Zou Yan sat in his wheelchair, resting his chin on his hand, the curve of his lips seemingly fixed in place. "You two are very close."

I looked at him, confused and bewildered. He couldn't be serious.

Zou Yan began to laugh. I suddenly felt that this might have been the only genuine smile he had shown in all these days. He beckoned to Jiang Wen. After Jiang Wen finished applying my medicine, he walked over to him. They spoke of something, and Jiang Wen remained silent for a long time.

Only when he pushed the wheelchair to open the door did he say lazily, "In that case, I shall take my leave. Brother Jiang, it’s not easy to come home, so do be sure to spend some time with your family."

I watched his retreating figure and couldn't help but tug on my second brother’s sleeve. "Mr. Zou, he..."

Jiang Wen wasn't looking at him; he was looking at me. He touched the bite marks on my face, his touch as light as a feather. I blinked, looking at him in confusion. We stared at each other for a long time without me understanding what was wrong with my second brother, but I vaguely sensed that he was in a bad mood.

"Xiwei, get some rest. Don't worry about anything else," Jiang Wen said softly.

In the middle of the night, I lay in bed, tossing and turning. One moment it was the cultivation manual Father had given me, the next it was Si Gui’s viper-like gaze. I sighed, pulled the blanket over my head, and forced myself to sleep.

The next day, Bai Wei brought a food box to find me. Following behind her was a little tail. As soon as the little tail saw me, he lunged at me. I caught him in a full embrace, happily lifting him up to gauge his weight.

"Yuan-Yuan? You’ve grown taller again."

"Sis... ter..." Yuan Yuan mumbled. I saw some dust on his fair, tender face, so I reached out to brush it off. The child giggled at my touch and planted a kiss on my cheek. The more I looked at him, the more I adored him, so I kissed him back.

Bai Wei stared at us for a long time, a thoughtful expression on her face, before suddenly leaning in and kissing my other cheek. With both sides of my face conquered, I looked at her, dazed. Bai Wei smiled innocently. "Wei-Wei wants to kiss me too."

I suppressed my shyness and quickly brushed my lips against her cheek. She clapped and laughed, "Again!"

After being kissed several times, I buried my face in the table, my ears burning. Bai Wei poked my cheek. "What’s wrong, Wei-Wei?"

Yuan Yuan clung to my neck, laughing. Like a little puppy, he licked my cheek, startling me so much I looked up, only to be kissed by him again.

I put on a serious face and set him on a chair. "Yuan-Yuan, you’re three years old now. You can’t just go around kissing people like you did when you were a baby."

Yuan Yuan clapped: "Kiss! Sister!"

I: "Even if I'm your sister, you can't."

Yuan Yuan giggled: "Sister!"

Bai Wei joined in, laughing: "Kiss! Wei-Wei!"

I rubbed my forehead, suddenly feeling that it was truly hard for our eldest brother to take care of us every day.

Yuan Yuan had just turned three this year. Three years ago, he had been abandoned in a bamboo basket, drifting down the river to the foot of Nine-Fold Mountain. The crying of the infant had alerted Bai Ze, who was patrolling the mountain. I had been at the foot of the mountain with the creature at the time. Following the sound of the crying, I found a baby with lips purple from the cold. The tiny child was dying, a jade pendant hanging from his chest, wailing without even knowing it. If not for his cries, we never would have discovered him.

I hid him in Bai Ze’s fur and brought him back to Nine-Fold Mountain.

Eldest Brother had wanted to send him to a hunter’s family at the foot of the mountain, but he later discovered that the child’s constitution was extremely unique. His flesh and blood held an immense attraction for demons and monsters, and even before his meridians had fully formed, he could store spiritual energy on his own. Leaving him alone would likely attract unwanted guests and potentially endanger others. Thus, the child who had drifted down the river remained on Nine-Fold Mountain.

It wasn't until Father finished his seclusion that he looked at the jade pendant on the child's chest for a long time, then tapped his forehead, sealing the meridians that were uncontrollably absorbing spiritual energy, and named him Yuan Yuan.

The child named Yuan Yuan became the youngest disciple of the Heavenly Venerable.

There were five disciples under Father: Eldest Brother Fu Guang, Second Senior Sister Ying Zhen, Third Senior Sister Bai Wei, Fourth Senior Brother Fenghuang, and the youngest, Yuan Yuan.

Over the years, apart from Bai Wei, who had never left the mountain alone due to her mental condition, and Yuan Yuan, who was too young to descend, the other disciples had all gained some level of fame in the world below.

I played with Yuan Yuan and Bai Wei for half the day. Yuan Yuan was too young to start practicing cultivation. He was fair, tender, and cute, with a good temperament; he never cried or made a fuss, smiled at everyone he met, and if he stumbled while walking, he would only shake his head and climb back up on his own. We all loved him dearly.

I held him, his lotus-root-like arms wrapped around my neck, and he kept smiling at me. I pressed my cheek against Yuan Yuan’s soft, fair skin, thinking he looked like a charming New Year painting doll.

Yuan Yuan and Bai Wei both had their own congenital flaws, so I was very understanding of Eldest Brother, who was responsible for taking care of them. But there was no help for it; Father was simply too busy. As the eldest disciple, Eldest Brother had to share the burden for him.

At noon, the three of us snuck into the kitchen to have a meal together. My diet was strictly controlled, and there were many things I couldn't eat because my constitution was too weak and I was frequently on medication. Eldest Brother was in charge of my diet, and I had to go through him even to have a snack.

I looked at Yuan Yuan and Bai Wei devouring their food with envy. In this life, not only was my body frail, but I couldn't even eat to my heart's content.

After thinking about it, I filled a bowl with some meat, intending to save it for White. By the time Bai Wei took Yuan Yuan back, it was already dark. When I arrived at the Green Lotus Pond, I searched for White everywhere but couldn't find him, which left me puzzled.

The Green Lotus Pond had protective barriers; White couldn't have snuck out unless someone had stolen him...

My expression cycled through a spectrum of colors.

Si Gui’s room was at the far south, separated from mine by a mountain ridge. I crept stealthily outside his room, and after much hesitation, I knocked on the door.

The door wasn't locked; it swung open instantly. I stared in shock at the person who was supposed to have been sent away, now lounging on the bed, reading a book.

That book looked very familiar.

It looked exactly like the dual-cultivation manual Father had given me.