Ch137 - Afterstory (II)

Moments later, Heavenly Sun City.

A few disciples were dutifully counting out money. Mu He split his attention between supervising them and smiling at Xie Zhiwei.

“Second senior brother, I’ve really had enough. Is it fun for you to always come up with this? If you do this next time again…I won’t believe it anymore, seriously, see how you explain yourself when eldest senior brother and the rest show up later. Four years! Four years again! You can sure stay calm!”

Chu Zhishi wore an ugly expression as he kept asking questions and occasionally slapped the table. Xie Zhiwei split his attention between replying and smiling at Mu He. The two of them were normal at other times, one being taciturn and ethereal, the other kindly, affable, and with immortal bearing. But every time they exchanged glances, their eyes were simply honey with syrup, sticky beyond belief.

Chu Zhishi wasn’t that angry and was bluffing all along. When he finished venting, he was unused to the sight. As someone who lived nearly a hundred years as a man on top of the world, he’d heard of cut sleeves but simply treated them as novel tales. He never expected something like that to happen right next to him. He could never forget the scene when he followed the crowd into King Yin Manor to look for Mu He and Xie Zhiwei in the ruins.

The second senior brother whom he knew all too well had been burnt to a crisp, his face completely disfigured until he was no longer human. That tragic situation left him grieved as a junior brother after the hair-raising chills passed. But Mu He actually hugged and clung to the skeleton as if he wanted to be one with it. He even kissed it in front of everyone else.

In a flash, Chu Zhishi seemed to understand many things.

Why Xie Zhiwei treated Mu He so well from the start, even more than how he doted on him as the youngest junior brother.

Why Xie Zhiwei would go to his death on One Step Cliff, why Xie Zhiwei came back from the dead only to follow Mu He in secret, why Xie Zhiwei defied Yan Zhifei’s orders to protect Mu He, why Xie Zhiwei’s soul grew listless after Mu He was imprisoned, why Xie Zhiwei in the end…died again.

Turns out they were actually in that kind of relationship?

Chu Zhishi couldn’t figure it out even if he thought it over a hundred times: how could one man love another?

He could count as someone who watched master and disciple from beginning to end. Back then Mu He was just a little brat. How could his puritanical second senior brother ever take a fancy to him?

And Mu He was something else. Second senior brother was a daoist with bearing, but as skinny as a bag of bones. Seeing him one would only think of a bamboo thatched hut. It was good for a chat, but who would kiss it?

Chu Zhishi felt like he wouldn’t get it even if it took him a lifetime. He stared at Xie Zhiwei’s grin and finally gave a dry cough. “I say…can’t you two be more self-aware? This is Heavenly Sun City, which is all, all…” All male disciples. Suppose you lead them astray, what then?

But Chu Zhishi couldn’t say it outright, which made it seem like Heavenly Sun City disciples were immodest to begin with.

Xie Zhiwei understood. “We’re all family, aren’t we, youngest junior brother?”

Mu He immediately nodded and added, “Youngest martial uncle means to say, we shouldn’t act like outsiders so Heavenly Sun City’s senior brothers and junior brothers can avoid following formalities. Don’t worry youngest martial uncle, we absolutely won’t.”

Before Chu Zhishi or Xie Zhiwei could react, he instantly moved to the latter’s side, took one of his hands, and stood right next to him with a grin. “This is much better, isn’t it, youngest martial uncle?”

He was so blatantly fooling around that Chu Zhishi could only gape. Xie Zhiwei seemed frightened as well as his grin stagnated.

Chu Zhishi only muttered, “Second senior brother, this is too flagrant.”

“It is a little too much,” Xie Zhiwei nodded deeply before telling Mu He, “Don’t make a scene.”

But his smile deepened as he spoke, his voice so gentle that it was like a soft breeze or drizzle, not at all intimidating. Mu He obediently let go but leaned in to say something inaudible by Xie Zhiwei’s ears with a pleading tone. Xie Zhiwei nodded rather helplessly before Mu He grinned again and pinched his wrist before properly standing well.

The more Chu Zhishi looked, the more he felt like this was some shy girl acting spoiled in front of someone with a hint of resentment. He had to regard Mu He with new eyes. Leaving aside their private grudge, Mu He really was a tender, fair-faced youth. Although he was taller than Xie Zhiwei, he lowered himself to flatter others like a little bird that was easily overlooked. His methods used to be vicious and venomous, but when he put on an act he was no different from a girl of pear blossoms and rain.

No wonder…

Chu Zhishi imperceptibly arched a brow. Although he didn’t understand why second senior brother had such tastes, one thing was already certain.

Then for some reason, Chu Zhishi felt smug. Sure enough, Xie Zhiwei has his methods. Serves Mu He right for being topped!

Silence surrounded them as the Heavenly Sun City disciples nearly dropped their jaws from witnessing the scene. Chu Zhishi could only put on a straight face and said, “All of you withdraw. Go to the peak gates to greet your sect leader martial uncle.”

As the disciples scattered, Chu Zhishi still put on the semblance of a bad mood. “I told you to watch yourselves. You guys kept making eyes at each other, are you gonna keep it up in front of eldest senior brother too?”

Mu He said faintly, “No, just then shizun and I discussed going back to Suihan Lodge later.”

Xie Zhiwei’s expression looked unnatural for a moment before he said calmly, “That’s right, we plan to stay for a few days.”

“I understand, stay as you like,” Chu Zhishi chuckled and waved a hand. “Daoyao, come in.”

Tan Daoyao called back, “What are shizun’s orders?”

Tan Daoyao had grown taller and stronger in four years. Xie Zhiwei had already spotted him digging for bamboo shoots, but hadn’t noticed him in the crowd. Only now did he realize the color of his robes weren’t the most common crow-gray.

In just four years, he had already rose through the ranks. He really was a good seedling for cultivation.

Chu Zhishi instructed, “Bring in the square box from the lowermost eastern compartment of the pill room.”

“Yes, shizun.”

The three of them exchanged some more normal pleasantries before the box was brought. It was only the size of half a palm.

Chu Zhishi said, “Give it to your second martial uncle.”

“This is…” Xie Zhiwei trailed off.

Chu Zhishi had Tan Daoyao leave before he put on a sly grin. “This was taken from Bai Jianzhu’s old quarters in Pill Furnace City. I was wondering whether I should toss it out, but now it has its use. Inside is a pill refined with Black Wolf blood which is several times more effective than normal Black Wolf blood. Second senior brother, I’ll give this to you. After eating it, you’ll definitely be extra aggressive, get it?”

Xie Zhiwei’s mouth clearly twitched.

Chu Zhishi didn’t notice and asked Mu He in a meaningful tone, “Martial nephew, how do you like it?”

He wanted to make things hard for him, but didn’t expect Mu He to smile and reply just as meaningfully, “Disciple…really likes it too much.”

—

Translator’s Note: Don’t trust your straight bro to guess your positions at first glance (?) Ah Mu He, so misleading lol~

I didn’t cry when Shen You was wronged and humiliated, when Xie Zhiwei faked his death, when Wood Box was grieving, when Mengmeng died while concealing the whereabouts of Golden Lotus, and [even] when Xie Zhiwei was burned into a charred corpse. But after reading the super harmonious extras, my tears won’t stop.

(The comments section this time was 11 pages long, most of them being readers laughing at Cheese and poor, poor Xie Zhiwei)