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墨書 Inktalez
Li Hong gestured to Chuxiong to stay put, then lightly sprang into the air, hooking his feet onto an old tree branch. He cautiously peeked out from behind the dense green leaves toward the direction of the voices.
Two people were speaking quietly face to face. One was his second senior brother, Chu Qiu, and the other was Chuxuan.
Li Hong became even more curious and leaned in to listen closely.
He heard Chu Qiu coldly sneer, "Very well, now you’ve distanced yourself from this matter."
"That's not how it is, second senior brother. I'm just trying to avoid trouble. I don't plan on going through with this," Chuxuan replied, looking somewhat sincere.
"Don't give me that! Don't you know what kind of people they are? It's too late to be scared now."
"It's not fear, second senior brother. Think about it; we haven't been here long, and who knows what will happen in the future? It's better to avoid unnecessary trouble and keep things peaceful. I don't want to be punished by Master again."
"Do as you wish! But when you're bullied in the future, don't come crying to me! Hmph!" With that, Chu Qiu flicked his sleeve and vanished in an instant.
Chuxuan shook his head with a sigh and also left down the mountain.
Li Hong jumped down and felt unsettled. What did this mean? It sounded like they were planning something; Chu Qiu intended to proceed with their original plan while Chuxuan wanted to back out. They even mentioned the future—what did that have to do with them? Could it be… aimed at me and Chuxiong? Did Chu Qiu want to deal with us while Chuxuan really wanted to withdraw? Li Hong's heart raced.
Returning to Chuxiong's side, Li Hong recounted the conversation between Chu Qiu and Chuxuan word for word. Finally, he asked, "Second brother, what do you think they mean?" They still referred to each other as elder brother and younger brother in private.
Chuxiong spat on the ground fiercely and clenched his fists. "They want to deal with us! It's too late for Old Eight to back out now; I won't buy his act! We need to be careful; the second one isn't a good person."
The opinions were unanimous. Li Hong frowned.
Chuxiong waved his hand and said, "Forget it, big brother. It's not worth our time to deal with such small-minded people. Anyway, everything is decided by Master and the elders. They wouldn't dare do anything to us! Come on, let's go have breakfast. Maybe there will be eggs today. I haven't had a fried egg in a long time." As soon as food was mentioned, all of Chuxiong's worries vanished, and he eagerly pulled Li Hong along.
Li Hong thought it made sense. The Spirit Stone had been treating him and his younger brother quite well. Was there really a need to fear any tricks? With that thought, he quickened his pace, circulating his inner energy, and with a light leap, he soared over Chuxiong's head, shouting, "Race! Let's see who gets there first!"
The two of them took off like great birds, soaring above the treetops and racing down the mountainside like lightning.
Breakfast did not include fried eggs. Chuxiong felt a bit disappointed, but that didn't stop him from devouring a huge bowl of noodles along with countless meat buns. Li Hong also enjoyed his meal, just as he was lifting a large chopstick full of noodles to his mouth when someone sat down beside him and greeted him quietly, "Sixth Senior Brother." A small bowl of porridge was placed beside him as the person settled down.
It was Chuxuan, which was quite surprising. Even though their relationship had improved somewhat, it was still a rare occurrence.
Li Hong smiled and said, "Oh, it's Eighth Disciple. You woke up early today." He glanced at Chuxuan with intentional depth.
Chuxuan's expression changed slightly as he turned his eyes and whispered, "Sixth Senior Brother, don't misunderstand."
"Misunderstand? Heh heh, Eighth Disciple is speaking in riddles; it's hard to guess," Li Hong chuckled as he continued to eat the noodles while hesitating internally about whether to probe further. It was just that there were too many people around.
Just as he was thinking this, Chuxuan leaned closer and whispered in his ear, "Wait for me in the maple grove later; I have something to tell you."
Li Hong nodded and calmly finished the last bite of noodles before wiping his mouth and calling out loudly to Chuxiong, "Old Seven, I'm full."
After waiting for a short while in the maple grove, Chuxuan hurried over, looking hesitant as if finding it difficult to speak.
Li Hongyu expressed curiosity. Finally, Chuxuan hesitated and said, "You two should be careful; Second Senior Brother is going to deal with you."
This statement was somewhat meaningful, confirming earlier thoughts. Li Hong countered, "What do you mean? Why are you telling us this?"
Chuxuan replied, "Believe it or not. I've said what I needed to say; it's up to you to fend for yourselves." He turned to leave.
"Wait," Li Hong said. "You need to clarify what you mean; otherwise..."
"Otherwise, you'll go tell the Master, right? Without evidence, who would believe you? I certainly won't testify. Last time, because of you two, Second Senior Brother was punished by the Master to copy the Tao Te Ching, losing face completely. Since then, the Master has never looked kindly at Second Senior Brother. He swore he would deal with both of you and initially wanted me to join him, but I really don't want to stir up trouble. That's all I have to say; be careful." After saying this, Chuxuan left without looking back.
Watching his retreating figure, Li Hong fell into deep thought, unsure whether Chuxuan's words were true or false.
Chuxiong snorted, "A weasel wishing a chicken a happy new year; there's no good intention there! They're not trustworthy. Big Brother, don't pay them any mind."
"We can only respond to change with consistency," Li Hong said. In a situation where he couldn't discern who was the villain and who was the ally, this was the best approach. To be honest, he didn't trust Chuxuan at all.
*******
The following days were calm and uneventful. Master Spirit Stone often went out, while the two brothers practiced writing and drawing talismans during the day and cultivated at night. Their schedule was packed; aside from mealtimes at the Dining Hall, they hardly interacted with anyone else. Apart from Chuming visiting occasionally in his capacity as the Senior Brother to check on them, no one else ventured up to the Small Pavilion at the mountain top.
One afternoon around noon, Li Hong and Chuxiong went to the Dining Hall for their usual meal when Senior Brother Chuming hurried in. Upon seeing Li Hong, his eyes lit up as he waved and said, "So you're here! Old Six! Old Seven! Come out."
Once outside the Dining Hall, Chuming said, "The Master has returned and is currently at Nine Separation Peak; he wants both of you to come meet Sect Leader Uncle."
"Li Hong," upon hearing the summons from the Spirit Stone, quickly clasped his hands and said, "Please take us there, Senior Brother."
"Alright."
The three of them headed towards the Three-Story Pavilion.
Just as they reached the clearing in front of the Three-Story Pavilion, Chuxuan rushed over, drenched in sweat. Upon seeing Chuming, he shouted, "Great! Senior Brother, come with me quickly. Old Nine has gone berserk, and Master is not at Nine Vermilion Peaks. I'm really worried!"
Chuming was startled. "How could you be so careless!" He turned to Li Hong and instructed, "Wait here for a moment; I'll come back to take you later."
Chuxuan nodded at Li Hong as a greeting and then followed Chuming as they ran off.
Li Hong and Chuxiong waited around, but after half an hour, there was still no sign of Chuming returning. Could it be that Chu Liang's situation was very serious? Li Hong thought about going to check it out, but honestly, due to his not-so-good relationship with Chuxuan and Chu Liang, he had no idea where they lived. He vaguely remembered that it seemed to be down this way, but it was quite hard to find.
Just as he was contemplating whether to ask someone else for directions, a cold voice came from above: "Get up here!"
It was actually Second Brother Chu Qiu. He was piloting a Wingless Ship in mid-air, looking down at them with an icy expression, as if covered in frost. "Senior Brother is busy taking care of Old Nine and doesn't have time to escort you. Let me take you."
Li Hong suddenly recalled Chuxuan's earlier warning and turned to look at Chuxiong, who also wore a doubtful expression.
Seeing their hesitation, Chu Qiu's face grew even darker, gradually taking on a frosty hue. "Don't want to go? Then I’ll leave. Hmph, don’t blame me for any delays!" With that, he formed a hand seal as if about to fly away.
Li Hong's mind raced as he forced a smile and said, "Second Brother misunderstood. We would appreciate your help." He lightly stepped up onto the Wingless Ship. Seeing Li Hong board the ship, Chuxiong muttered a few words before following him up.
Chu Qiu coldly said, "Hold on tight, don't blame me if you fall!"
Wingless Ship rose higher and turned away from Nine Vermilion Peaks.
The wind was strong, making it hard to open one's eyes. Chu Qiu stood steadily at the bow of the ship, his expression calm, hands forming a seal as he pointed forward, lost in thought.
Li Hong held onto the ship's railing, feeling uneasy. He glanced at his younger brother beside him, whose face clearly reflected the same concern. The two exchanged a silent, wary glance. Li Hong had a vague sense that something was off, but he couldn't articulate why.
After flying for a long time, Nine Separation Peak still showed no sign of appearing. Li Hongyu felt anxious and was about to speak up when Wingless Ship suddenly made a sharp turn in mid-air, heading straight for a bare and strange mountain peak below.
Li Hong panicked and shouted, "What are you doing, Chu Qiu!"
The mountain peak loomed closer in an instant. In a fleeting glance, he noticed what seemed to be a cave halfway up the mountain, with strange red light emanating from its entrance. Li Hong didn't have time to examine it closely; just as he was about to rush to the bow and grab Chu Qiu, he saw Chu Qiu give a cold smile, swiftly summon his Flying Sword, leap onto it, and fly away without looking back.
Li Hong was shocked to the core; they couldn't control a sword!
The out-of-control Wingless Ship charged straight toward the mountainside. The red light intensified, and scorching heat rushed toward them.
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