Ch 135: The Cannon Fodder Won’t Play Along Anymore [QT]

Shi Zhizhu was startled when he saw Li Xuanyao.

He cupped his hands and said, “So it’s Senior Brother Li of Medicine Peak. Only, Xiao Yu is clearly a disciple of Crescent Moon Peak. How did he become Medicine Peak’s little junior brother?”

Li Xuanyao didn’t bother giving him a good face. “Who is Xiao Yu? I don’t know. Why are you asking me? How would I know? Go ask your own Crescent Moon Peak people. All I know is that Xingxing is now our Medicine Peak’s personal disciple.”

Then he turned back to Mu Xing. “Xingxing, did these few people bully you just now?”

Mu Xing thought for a moment and shook his head. “They didn’t know I was already a disciple of Medicine Peak. It was a misunderstanding.”

Li Xuanyao still wasn’t assured and pressed him again. “Really nothing? If you were bullied don’t hold back, tell senior brother boldly. Medicine Peak has never been afraid of trouble.”

Mu Xing: “…”

Senior brother, if you act like this, aren’t you afraid of raising a little tyrant?

He didn’t want to get tangled up with these not-so-normal people, so he said, “They only said a few words to me, and then you came.”

“That’s good.” Li Xuanyao crouched down and fastened the newly issued disciple token and storage pouch to Mu Xing’s waist. Smiling, he said, “It’s still early. Senior brother will take you down the mountain to eat something tasty!”

He had no intention of paying attention to the Crescent Moon Peak disciples.

Shi Zhizhu, still standing there in confusion, saw they were about to leave and quickly called out, “Wait!”

Li Xuanyao glared at him unpleasantly.

Shi Zhizhu asked, “What on earth is going on? Yesterday everything was fine. How could little junior brother suddenly be at another peak?”

Irritation flickered across Li Xuanyao’s eyes. These Crescent Moon Peak disciples all acted as if they couldn’t understand human speech.

He was just about to speak when the obedient little junior beside him piped up crisply, “It was Uncle-Master Xue who thought Crescent Moon Peak wasn’t suitable for me, so he sent me to Medicine Peak.”

“If Senior Brother Shi has any doubts, you can ask Uncle-Master Xue.” He didn’t even want to call him master anymore.

Shi Zhizhu didn’t care about the form of address, only felt disbelief. “Master? How could he possibly… bear to let Xiao Yu leave Crescent Moon Peak?”

Li Xuanyao sensed something wasn’t right, and that his little junior also didn’t seem to like Crescent Moon Peak. Naturally, this was the time for a senior brother to step up.

What’s the role of a senior brother?

Of course, when little junior meets people he doesn’t like, it’s to take him away.

With a cold expression, he gave the group a nod. “My junior brother and I have other matters. We’ll take our leave.”

*

Sitting cross-legged on Li Xuanyao’s gourd, Mu Xing turned to look at his newly minted senior brother.

Ever since running into Shi Zhizhu and the others, Li Xuanyao had gone a little quiet, several times looking like he wanted to say something but stopped.

Mu Xing called, “Senior brother.”

Li Xuanyao instinctively pulled out a handful of spirit pills from his storage pouch and stuffed them into his hand. “Just something I made for practice, little snacks to pass the time. No pill toxins. Xingxing, have a taste.”

Mu Xing: “…”

Senior brother, I’m really not some little hamster.

Still, while he thought that, his body was honest—he accepted them, popped two into his mouth.

The same tangy sweetness. Delicious.

Seeing his little junior’s cheeks puff up as he chewed, Li Xuanyao’s face showed a strangely blissful smile.

Thinking of those Crescent Moon Peak disciples earlier, he cautiously asked, “Xingxing, were you unhappy living at Crescent Moon Peak?”

He had only heard Shi Zhizhu’s words—that if Xingxing didn’t listen, master and senior brothers wouldn’t like him.

It wasn’t said in a joking tone.

Li Xuanyao only found it strange. Who talks to a child like that?

And this little junior had just come to Medicine Peak, but he was so well-behaved and sensible. How could he be disobedient?

With his eighteen layers of rose-colored filters, Li Xuanyao was convinced little junior had no problem at all. So naturally, the problem had to be Crescent Moon Peak.

So that was what he wanted to ask.

Mu Xing thought, then answered in a way fitting for his age, “Yes. Because senior brother and Aunt Wang always wanted me to wear bright clothes, put on a cinnabar mark, and learn qin and incense. I didn’t like it.”

Li Xuanyao frowned, but his tone stayed gentle. “Hm? What’s this? Tell senior brother more clearly, how did they make you do it?”

So Mu Xing recounted the general experiences of the original body over the past month at Crescent Moon Peak.

The more Li Xuanyao heard, the tighter his brows drew. By the end his eyes were nearly blazing with anger.

Suddenly something soft touched his face.

A small forefinger pressed between his brows. He lowered his head, meeting his junior’s warm smile. “Senior brother, don’t frown. It won’t look good.”

A warmth spread through Li Xuanyao’s heart. His anger dissipated a lot.

He had mostly pieced together what was going on.

When Demon Clan attacked Crescent Moon Peak, the whole sect had been shaken. Uncle-Master Xue’s beloved son had gone missing—no secret.

Uncle-Master Xue had searched countless times, always in vain. Everyone assumed that Xue Zhongyu had perished.

He sympathized with Crescent Moon Peak’s plight. But what was this they were doing?

Finding a child with similar looks and forcing him to dress, behave, even cultivate like that missing junior brother. Even the name had to be copied.

Had Crescent Moon Peak lost their minds?

What were they trying to do—recreate a “little junior brother”?

And in doing so, where did that leave the innocent child?

“Cultivating the heart…” Li Xuanyao muttered, “Could it be that the whole of Crescent Moon Peak has fallen into madness?”

He couldn’t help reaching out to rub Mu Xing’s head. “Fortunately, Xingxing isn’t there anymore. Such a lovely Xingxing, those people really didn’t know how to cherish you.”

Mu Xing smiled and nodded. “Mm! I’m now Medicine Peak’s little junior brother. I’m Little Xingxing, not Xiao Yu anymore.”

Li Xuanyao laughed heartily, and as they neared their destination, he scooped Mu Xing up and descended on the clouds. “Yes, Xingxing is Little Xingxing, no need to imitate anyone else.”

*

They wandered through the town at the foot of the mountain for more than an hour.

Even though Mu Xing’s spirit held up, this body was still only six years old. In the end, he was yawning constantly and fell half-asleep on Li Xuanyao’s back, not even knowing when they returned.

After bringing Mu Xing back, Li Xuanyao went to see Yao Wushi and relayed what Mu Xing had said that day.

“Disciple feels Crescent Moon Peak is… somewhat pathological?” He paused, choosing what he thought was a very mild word.

Yao Wushi, still looking like a child perched on an oversized chair with legs too short to touch the ground, nodded. “I already learned of this matter earlier today. Your junior brother suffered grievance at Crescent Moon Peak, so look after him more. As for Crescent Moon Peak, I will speak with Xue Wuya.”

*

The next morning, Mu Xing was woken by Li Xuanyao.

Next to him lay a neatly folded disciple robe. Though Li Xuanyao spoiled his junior brother, he wasn’t like Granny Wang, who insisted on doing everything for him—even washing his face and dressing him.

Mu Xing dressed himself swiftly and followed Li Xuanyao outside, only to find several children about his own age waiting.

“These are Medicine Peak’s junior brothers and sisters. Today is your first day of lessons, I’ll take you there. After this, you’ll go together with them, alright?”

Mu Xing nodded.

Among the disciples of Taixu Sect, younger ones were restless. The sect arranged elders to teach foundational cultivation classes.

The difference was that inner disciples and personal disciples of the thirteen peaks also had their own masters and seniors as tutors, like private lessons.

The Medicine Peak children looked curiously at Mu Xing.

They had been told vaguely who he was, knowing he was the peak master’s disciple—different from themselves.

But at six or seven years old, they didn’t truly understand. At first they were a little restrained, but Mu Xing’s pretty looks, gentle temper, and constant smile soon drew them close.

“Your name is Xingxing? Did you just come to Medicine Peak?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t the peak master scary? I’ve never seen him.”

“…Not really.” In fact, far too young.

“You’re really good-looking.”

“….”

Chattering filled the air. Li Xuanyao walked ahead with hands behind his back, listening with a smile. Occasionally, he’d pluck something edible from the roadside and hand it to the children.

Mu Xing noticed everyone was used to it. It seemed the children of Medicine Peak were regularly fed this way.

After breakfast, Li Xuanyao sent them to Mingyu Hall, where disciples under ten studied.

The Mingyu Hall curriculum was for all sect disciples under ten.

It covered the most basic topics: literacy, morals, guiding qi into the body.

Mu Xing sat with the Medicine Peak disciples, listening to an elder lecture on the current powers of the cultivation world.

Three sects and four clans of the immortals, tied together in alliance.

The demon clan respected the Demon Lord, though many demon kings were restless and seeking independence.

The yao clan remained hidden, the most mysterious of all.

Mu Xing glanced around. Some children listened eagerly, others looked lost, and a few had already dozed off.

The elder didn’t mind and continued speaking at his slow pace.

After half an hour, he left with his teaching ruler, and the hall instantly grew lively.

Across the room, several children kept glancing over. Mu Xing noticed the embroidery on their robes: Crescent Moon Peak again.

He had little impression of them.

From memory, each time he came to these lessons, he was brought quickly and taken away just as quickly.

The original Mu Xing had been timid, rarely speaking, and hadn’t been close to them.

Soon, a little girl with two braids walked over.

“Are you Junior Brother Xiao Yu?” Her voice was bright and clear, drawing attention.

Without thinking, Mu Xing replied, “No.”

The girl froze, staring at him in confusion, then insisted, “You are.”

The Medicine Peak little senior sister beside Mu Xing firmly retorted, “You’re mistaken. He’s our Medicine Peak junior brother Xingxing, not Crescent Moon Peak’s Xiao Yu.”

The little girl looked dumbfounded, staring at Mu Xing as if doubting her own eyes and memory.

She turned to ask her peer, “Song Yuan, did I mistake him?”

Song Yuan, a round-faced chubby boy, looked him over and declared, “No mistake, that’s definitely Junior Brother Xiao Yu.”

The girl looked back at Mu Xing. “You clearly are Junior Brother Xiao Yu. Why don’t you admit it, and why are you sitting here with Medicine Peak?”

Mu Xing answered, “Because I’ve already joined Medicine Peak. I’m not Xiao Yu. Mu Xing is my real name.”

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