Ch 136: The Cannon Fodder Won’t Play Along Anymore [QT]

The little girl clearly couldn’t understand him and asked, “Why?”

“Hmph!” A haughty snort came from the direction of Crescent Moon Peak.

Everyone turned to look, and saw a little boy with his hair tied up in a lavish jade crown, jade beads dangling from the tips. His features were very fine, but his small face was tight and stiff, eyes full of pride and disdain. “I know why. It must be because he was too useless, that’s why he couldn’t stay at Crescent Moon Peak any longer.”

The little girl thought that sounded unpleasant and quickly retorted, “Cheng Yin, don’t talk nonsense.”

“I’m not talking nonsense,” Cheng Yin said loudly. “I heard it from my uncle. He only got taken back to Crescent Moon Peak because he looks like the Peak Master’s missing son. Look at him—every day he has a personal disciple escorting him back and forth, and he never gets close to us. Even though the Peak Master taught him personally for so long, he never made any progress.”

He said it all in one breath, finally letting out what he’d been holding inside. “Why should he be accepted as the Peak Master’s personal disciple? Obviously, because he’s nothing like the real little junior brother, he got driven out.”

Cheng Yin was fuming. His uncle was a Golden Core elder at Crescent Moon Peak—a true second-generation immortal.

Because his nephew had good talent, his uncle had always wanted him to become the Peak Master’s disciple. Who would have thought that Mu Xing would appear out of nowhere?

Cheng Yin happened to overhear his uncle mention Mu Xing, and he never forgot it.

At home he was spoiled rotten, so in his heart he believed Mu Xing had stolen the spot that should have been his, and had disliked him ever since.

Before, when Mu Xing always had a senior brother escorting him, he didn’t dare speak up. But now—Mu Xing wasn’t even at Crescent Moon Peak anymore. How could he not dare?

Mu Xing listened to him rattle on endlessly. He hadn’t even spoken yet when the table beside him was suddenly slammed, startling him so much he flinched.

It was his seatmate, the gentle little girl named Ling Xiuxiu—the same one who had just given him a bunny candy.

That one slam didn’t just shock Mu Xing, it stunned the Crescent Moon Peak disciples too.

Ling Xiuxiu stood up and pointed at Cheng Yin. “What rumors are you making up? Junior Brother Xingxing is our Medicine Peak’s personal disciple. You’ve taken classes—you should know what kind of crime it is to slander your fellow sect members. Let me tell you, slandering your fellow disciples means you’ll…”

She faltered—she hadn’t paid much attention in class and forgot the rest.

But she didn’t panic in the slightest. She just rolled up her sleeves. “Slandering fellow disciples—especially slandering our Medicine Peak’s little junior brother—means you’re going to get beaten up!”

Cheng Yin, only seven or eight years old, couldn’t stand this kind of provocation—especially from a girl a whole head shorter than him pointing at his nose and scolding him.

He shot to his feet. “What, the truth is too hard to hear? You want to hit me? Come on then, let’s see who’s afraid!”

The Medicine Peak children all stood up, and the Crescent Moon Peak children gathered around Cheng Yin.

Seeing this, Ling Xiuxiu tugged at Mu Xing. “Junior Brother Xingxing, later you hide behind us.”

Senior Brother had told them to take care of Junior Brother Xingxing. And since he was the youngest, of course as a senior sister she had to protect him.

Mu Xing hadn’t expected things to escalate in the blink of an eye. Both sides were squaring off, fists itching, while other little disciples from the nearby peaks stared wide-eyed at the unfolding drama.

How could he bear to let a bunch of seven-year-old brats fight on his behalf?

He said quickly, “No, no need, everyone doesn’t have to…” He wanted to say—what could six- or seven-year-old children possibly understand?

Smack.

A book slammed down on his head.

With a child’s tender skin, the corner of the book struck his forehead. Even before Mu Xing felt anything, reflex tears sprang to his eyes.

Ling Xiuxiu: !

Medicine Peak disciples: !

They dared to hit our little junior brother—right in front of us!

And even made him cry!

Crescent Moon Peak had gone too far!

The scene spiraled out of control. Inside the wide Mingyu Hall, books and toys flew in every direction. Ling Xiuxiu even took the chance to rush over and kick Cheng Yin twice.

The whole hall descended into chaos.

…

By the time Li Xuanyao received word, the brawl was already over.

The culprits—over twenty little disciples of Crescent Moon Peak and Medicine Peak—were lined up against the wall, small palms swollen from punishment by the hall’s elder.

This time Li Xuanyao had come to collect his own children.

As luck would have it, Crescent Moon Peak sent Qi Xiubai.

The two ran into each other at the doorway. Qi Xiubai greeted him politely, but Li Xuanyao was preoccupied with his juniors, so he only nodded before striding inside.

The Medicine Peak disciples stood to the left.

The little ones hung their heads, pitiful and wronged, huddled together in a way that was both sad and funny.

Li Xuanyao’s heart softened instantly. He didn’t yet know the details—only that his Medicine Peak juniors had fought with Crescent Moon Peak.

Keeping his face stern, he scolded, “What happened? You’re supposed to be here to learn. Who told you to fight? And with your own sect brothers, no less. Is this what your senior brother taught you?”

Mu Xing raised a hand helplessly. “Senior Brother, it’s my fault. They only stood up for me.”

When he lifted his head, the bruise on his forehead was revealed—ugly and purple.

Li Xuanyao forgot all about scolding. He hurried forward. “What happened to you?”

Ling Xiuxiu blurted quickly, “It was Cheng Yin from Crescent Moon Peak! They’re the ones with problems. As soon as they came, they insisted Junior Brother Xingxing was theirs. Then Cheng Yin went too far—he said Junior Brother Xingxing only became a disciple because he looked like their missing junior. He even said he was driven out of Crescent Moon Peak!”

At last, Ling Xiuxiu said angrily, “He even hit Little Xing with a book! They were the ones who struck first!”

Children seemed to care very much about who made the first move. When the teaching elder struck their palms, Ling Xiuxiu’s eyes brimmed with tears, yet she kept insisting it was Crescent Moon Peak who acted first, demanding that the elder give Crescent Moon Peak a few extra strikes with the ruler for fairness.

Li Xuanyao’s expression darkened.

He turned to look at Qi Xiubai, whose face was also unpleasant: “Junior Brother Qi, I think there are some things your Crescent Moon Peak should explain clearly to its disciples. Xingxing was personally sent to Medicine Peak by Uncle-Master Xue, he is Medicine Peak’s personal disciple. Your Crescent Moon Peak spreading such rumors is an insult to our entire Medicine Peak. I will report this matter to Master, and have him personally come to Crescent Moon Peak to demand an explanation!”

He patted Ling Xiuxiu’s head. “Come back with your senior brother first.”

But Qi Xiubai did not look at the pitiful junior disciples beside him. His gaze stayed fixed on the bruise on Mu Xing’s forehead, his eyes full of distress. “Does it hurt?”

Mu Xing gave him a puzzled glance and asked, “Senior Brother Qi, who are you asking?”

Qi Xiubai froze.

Mu Xing leaned against Li Xuanyao, his large black-and-white eyes calm as he looked straight at him. “I am Mu Xing, not your Xiao Yu. Senior Brother Qi, don’t mistake me for someone else.”

Too lazy to look at him further, he tugged Li Xuanyao’s sleeve. “With my senior brothers and sisters protecting me, it doesn’t hurt at all.”

Outside, Li Xuanyao could not openly show his heartache. He led his junior disciples back to Medicine Peak.

He applied medicinal salve to their wounds, then brought out several plates of spirit fruit and little snacks for the children, before asking, “What exactly happened today?”

Ling Xiuxiu, always lively-mouthed, immediately rattled off the entire incident.

In the end she emphasized, “I kicked Cheng Yin several times. If the teaching elder hadn’t come, we definitely would have won!”

Li Xuanyao clapped his hands, pulled out many little trinkets from his pouch, and gave them to the children. “Well done! Crescent Moon Peak deserves a beating. Next time, if they say such things again, just fight them. Just make sure you don’t suffer losses yourselves.”

The little ones all responded together, “Yes, Senior Brother!”

Mu Xing: “…”

Seeing his little junior brother’s round eyes staring at him, Li Xuanyao couldn’t help rubbing his head and said, “Don’t listen to what that Crescent Moon Peak disciple said. You are not someone thrown out. It’s that Crescent Moon Peak isn’t good enough, not worthy of having a little junior brother like our Xingxing.”

Then he earnestly advised, “Next time, don’t be so straightforward. If someone throws something, you have to dodge.”

Mu Xing was touched one moment, then amused the next.

Compared to Crescent Moon Peak, Medicine Peak’s disciples, environment, and atmosphere were all far better.

The best thing Xue Wuya ever did was to send him to Medicine Peak.

The corners of his lips curled up. “Mm! This time was an accident, there definitely won’t be a next time.”

*

Not long after, the Medicine Peak Master personally visited Crescent Moon Peak.

Yao Wushi had originally planned to wait until the strange effect of his shrinking medicine wore off before going to speak with Xue Wuya.

But these endless troubles had made him too irritated.

He stormed to Crescent Moon Peak and, pointing at Xue Wuya’s nose, scolded him harshly:

“Look at yourself, what kind of state is this? I know you feel miserable because of Xiao Yu’s accident. But you are not alone. As long as you are Crescent Moon Peak’s master, all of Crescent Moon Peak’s disciples are your responsibility! Look at what a mess you’ve made of your peak!”

“If you feel grief, if you cannot let go of Xiao Yu, then go search for him! Turn heaven and earth upside down. If he still lives, you’ll surely find him. If he’s truly gone, then train hard, and one day sweep clean the Demon Realm. I’ll praise you as a real man with true responsibility. But what skill is there in bullying a six-year-old child with an entire peak?”

“I don’t care what happened before. Now, Mu Xing is my disciple. You know what kind of temper I have. If I hear any more of those messy rumors, I won’t bother with those little brats, I’ll hold you directly responsible. From now on, don’t even think of getting a single pill from Medicine Peak.”

“You’d better reflect on yourself. And your disciples too—after all these years of cultivation, if they still can’t endure even a little bit of life and death, falling into demons in their hearts, then when they face tribulation, they might as well wait for the lightning to strike them into dust!”

“…”

The Medicine Peak Master came like the wind, didn’t even drink a sip of tea, and left like the wind.

The next day, every peak of Taixu Sect received invitations: one month later, Medicine Peak Master Yao Wushi would host a disciple-acceptance ceremony to celebrate taking in his beloved disciple.

Normally, personal disciples did not have such ceremonies, unless the master truly valued them.

Yao Wushi had always disliked such tedious formalities. But Mu Xing’s situation was special. After that fight, rumors had spread outside.

After thinking it over, Medicine Peak decided to be high-profile, to let everyone see that Mu Xing was a cherished disciple of Medicine Peak.

This was the best way to shut people’s mouths.

As for why they had to wait another month…

Yao Wushi looked deeply at the little child in the mercury mirror. For such a solemn occasion as accepting a disciple, he couldn’t possibly appear in such a shrunken shell, could he?

❣╰(⸝⸝⸝꒳⸝⸝⸝)╯❣

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