Chapter Two: The Heroine Arrives

“How do you know my name? Who are you?” Ming Shuang, whose feigned death had been exposed, showed no shame and eyed the person before him warily. When he finally got a clear look at the youth’s face, he was struck by its stunning beauty and thought to himself: surely this is one of the heroine’s many admirers.

The beautiful youth seemed startled by the question, then grew angry and slapped Ming Shuang across the face. Seeing Ming Shuang’s bewildered expression after being hit only made him angrier.

In the world of cultivation, practitioners often used their Daoist titles rather than their birth names. Ming Shuang never expected that the original owner, Ling Xiaozi, would have the same mundane name as himself. Even the heroine probably didn’t know this; what a coincidence.

Thinking back, Ming Shuang remembered that in the novel, Ling Xiaozi had a childhood companion. They had joined the Azure Jade Sect together, and this “bamboo horse” had been accepted as the last disciple of the former sect master, making him, in name, Ling Xiaozi’s junior uncle. However, this junior uncle appeared only a few times in the story, and his relationship with Ling Xiaozi was unremarkable. Ming Shuang vaguely recalled that the bamboo horse ultimately sacrificed himself to protect the sect, killed by Ling Qiqi, who had seized power.

At that thought, Ming Shuang couldn’t help but feel sorry for this ill-fated junior uncle. In every respect, he was a first-rate man, and in terms of looks, he was at least as handsome as any of the heroine’s admirers.

A pity, then, that a beautiful man who doesn’t serve the heroine always ends up as cannon fodder.

“Junior uncle, what brings you here so late at night?” Ming Shuang secretly sized up his tragically short-lived childhood friend, who at the moment was clearly sulking, a far cry from the cold and indifferent figure described in the book.

After all, Ming Shuang wasn’t the original owner; with only a handful of lines from the novel, he couldn’t grasp the true nature of the relationship between Ling Xiaozi and his bamboo horse, nor did he know much about the latter’s temperament.

When silence dragged on, the bamboo horse’s expression turned odd. He rolled his eyes at Ming Shuang and said, “Why are you talking to me like that? Didn’t you always hate calling me ‘junior uncle’?”

Oh no, Ming Shuang thought. These two grew up together; he might be exposed at any moment. Flustered, he could only claim that he’d been hit on the head by the demon lord and was feeling confused—blaming everything on the demon lord.

The junior uncle’s doubtful gaze made Ming Shuang squirm, but when he finally heard the other introduce himself in all seriousness, Ming Shuang relaxed, sure he’d gotten away with it.

The bamboo horse’s name was Yun Ting, Daoist name Kong Mingzi. Their parents had been close friends, with the Yun family often away on business for various sects, leaving Yun Ting to be raised by the Ming family. Thus, though not blood brothers, the two were as close as siblings. Later, both joined the Azure Jade Sect, and because Yun Ting possessed a rare mutated thunder spiritual root, he was accepted as the last personal disciple of the former sect master, making him a junior uncle to Ming Shuang.

“Brother, do you know what my spiritual root is?” Ming Shuang asked, feeling sheepish after hearing Yun Ting’s story, and was unsurprised when Yun Ting looked at him with disdain.

The novel only ever mentioned Ling Xiaozi’s deep love for the heroine, never touching on his cultivation; Ming Shuang had finished the entire book without learning what kind of spiritual root Ling Xiaozi had.

“You have a mutated ice spiritual root; your talent is just a tiny bit below mine. But Master said he was too old to train two geniuses at once, so he left you to Senior Pingshu.”

Ming Shuang sighed in relief, glad to know he was a genius too. At least he wouldn’t be completely helpless against the heroine’s harem of men; with such talent, even if he avoided the heroine, Ling Xiaozi shouldn’t have ended up so miserable.

“Our Azure Jade Sect is an ancient and profound school, but we’ve declined in the past century. Master says it’s up to us to revive its glory.” Yun Ting pulled out a small porcelain bottle, took out a crystalline, cold-glowing pill, and shoved it into Ming Shuang’s mouth. Ming Shuang obediently swallowed it, feeling a gentle, refreshing power fill his body. His wounds tingled as new flesh grew.

Feeling he’d just been given a treasure, Ming Shuang looked at Yun Ting, whose expression was pained, and asked, “What was that? My stomach doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Yun Ting snorted and said it was the inner core of a century-old demon beast he’d hunted with great difficulty. If Ming Shuang hadn’t looked so pitiful, he wouldn’t have given it up so easily.

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As the former sect master’s disciple, the junior uncle ranked high in the Azure Jade Sect and had his own mountain peak, where he now intended to take the injured Ming Shuang to recover.

Ming Shuang thought that living with Yun Ting would not only give him a thoughtful guide in this new world but also help him avoid the heroine—a win-win situation. He immediately tried to get up, only to hurt himself with the sudden movement.

“Brother, could you carry me?” Ming Shuang tugged pitifully at Yun Ting’s sleeve, only to be swept up in a bridal carry.

This beautiful youth sure acted with surprising directness for someone so pretty. Ming Shuang, feeling awkward in the embrace, decided to keep his mouth shut. The longer this “princess carry” lasted, the more embarrassing it became.

Before they left, Ming Shuang saw Yun Ting kick Ling Qiqi, who was fast asleep and didn’t even stir.

“Don’t hang around people like her. She looks stupid and she’s ugly,” Yun Ting said bluntly, full of disdain.

Ming Shuang found it odd that, as a handsome man, Yun Ting seemed completely unaffected by the heroine’s “everyone-loves-her” aura. Was it possible that his childhood friend was actually a girl in disguise?

Lost in thought, Ming Shuang’s hand went to Yun Ting’s chest. It was flat. The victim of his groping didn’t even react—so he really was a man. Why had he even entertained such an idea?

Yun Ting said the night air was cold and he didn’t want Ming Shuang, the delicate invalid, to catch a chill, so he flew them back to his mountain atop a dazzling chariot of thunder and lightning—a truly spectacular sight.

“Your thunder and lightning is amazing,” Ming Shuang sincerely praised, secretly wondering if his own ice spiritual root might look just as impressive.

Yun Ting gave a couple of smug grunts, and after they arrived at Kong Ming Peak, tucked Ming Shuang into bed and told him to rest while he went to report to the sect master.

Having finally escaped the original plot’s entanglement with the heroine, Ming Shuang could finally relax. It wasn’t just relief at dodging his fate—he couldn’t explain the instinctive trust and closeness he felt toward Yun Ting. Perhaps it was the original Ling Xiaozi’s feelings for a brother raised at his side. Seeing Yun Ting bring him medicine in the middle of the night showed how much he cared, and thinking of how the novel had ended with the two brothers separated by death, Ming Shuang sighed. If it were up to him, he would treasure this brotherhood, not sacrifice it for the heroine and bring ruin to the sect.

What’s done is done. Ming Shuang resolved to stay away from the heroine and protect his brother, then drifted off to sleep, even dreaming of two little kids quarreling.

He couldn’t hear what they were arguing about, but vaguely saw a beautiful, androgynous child grabbing another boy by the collar and threatening, “If you go play with that girl next door again, I’ll break your legs...”

Even the children in this cultivation world were fierce. Ming Shuang woke from his existential musings to see Yun Ting sitting cross-legged beside the bed, meditating.

Last night’s deviation from the novel’s plot had happened so fast that Ming Shuang hadn’t had time to appreciate the beauty before him. Yun Ting was a flawless youth, his delicate features retaining a trace of childishness—a face capable of charming all ages and genders. The realization gave Ming Shuang goosebumps; staring too long at such beauty could lead to dangerous thoughts. He quickly forced himself to look elsewhere, noticing the red string around Yun Ting’s pale neck. The cord was frayed, but whatever was attached inside his shirt was hidden from view.

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Meanwhile, Ling Qiqi awoke to find her senior brother missing. In a panic, she searched the entire mountain, not even finding a single hair of Ling Xiaozi.

Unable to find him, she went, sweating and out of breath, to the sect master, who calmly assured her that Kong Mingzi had taken Ling Xiaozi away to recuperate the previous night.

“How did I not know? I was by his side all night,” the confused and flustered heroine protested.

Pingshu, the sect master, sipped his tea and replied blandly, “You’ve only just arrived on the mountain. Perhaps your cultivation isn’t yet sufficient to remain alert at all times.”

Ling Qiqi was left speechless, certain the sect master was mocking her for sleeping so soundly and missing the intrusion. Although it was true, being called out so bluntly bruised her dignity. Hurt, she went off to complain to her senior brother.

When she finally reached Kong Ming Peak, she planned to ask someone for directions, only to find the entire mountaintop deserted. Despite the abundant spiritual energy, the place was so quiet and secluded it hardly seemed fit for people. Ling Qiqi decided that Kong Mingzi must be a very eccentric old man.

Determined not to leave without seeing Ling Xiaozi, she rubbed her hands together for warmth and pressed on toward the summit. There was only one path, so she kept climbing.

Her luck held, and halfway up the mountain she found a large courtyard guarded by two little boys. After explaining her purpose, she was led to Kong Mingzi’s door, where a boy helpfully knocked for her.

Not yet formally initiated, Ling Qiqi only knew to address men as “senior brother” and women as “senior sister.” When the youthful Kong Mingzi opened the door, she blurted out, “Senior brother, I’m looking for Senior Brother Ling Xiaozi,” startling the boy beside her, who bowed hastily and ran off.

“Since when did the old man take in such a talentless and ugly junior sister?” Yun Ting looked down at Ling Qiqi, who barely reached his shoulder, his face impassive and his tone icy.

His scorn was as biting as ever, but where he had rolled his eyes at Ming Shuang, here he was utterly cold, if not more cutting.

Ling Qiqi was hurt but slow to react. At first, she wanted to argue that her talent wasn’t poor, but then she realized she might have addressed him incorrectly.

Sprawled in bed, Ming Shuang had been rapidly healing since swallowing the demon beast core, and with his junior uncle’s spiritual energy, he was nearly recovered—at least enough to get out of bed.

Hearing Yun Ting mocking someone, Ming Shuang got up to see who the unlucky soul was. He shuffled to the door and, upon spotting the adorable little “crybaby,” instantly regretted not staying in bed.

In the original story, Ling Qiqi had tended to the injured Ling Xiaozi, during which their feelings had deepened rapidly. Now that Ming Shuang had run off and the heroine had come chasing after him, was this going to turn into a thousand-mile pursuit?