“Ning'an, Sining, Huo Huang, follow me to Tianzhu Peak to apologize in person,” Xiao Hongye said coldly.
She would not allow any of her disciples to become bad influences, even if they were exceptionally talented.
“Yes,” the three of them replied in hushed voices, looks of embarrassment washing over their faces.
Although they weren't the ones who had caused the trouble, as Long Zitian's senior sisters, they had failed to guide him properly and were essentially accomplices.
With that, Xiao Hongye glanced at the three of them, took Murong Qing by the hand, and flew toward Tianzhu Peak, with Leng Ning'an and the other two following closely behind.
Tianzhu Peak.
“Xuanyi, have you finally gained some sense today?”
“You make it sound like I was some mindless fool before.”
“Oh? You're surprisingly self-aware.”
“Old geezer, have I been spoiling you too much?!”
A moment later...
“I'm sorry, Grandfather. I know I was wrong,” Wang Xuanyi rubbed his swollen, pig-like face, looking incredibly aggrieved.
“Haa~” Mo Yan breathed on his fist, took out a rag, and buffed it until it was shiny. He glanced at Wang Xuanyi and said, “You little brat, you're a few hundred years too early to go up against your grandfather.”
“Hey, if you've got the guts, don't use your fists!”
The moment those words left his mouth...
Another moment passed...
“I'm sorry, Grandfather. I shouldn't have been so disrespectful, lacked manners, used foul language, or failed to show respect to my elders. Please forgive me,” Wang Xuanyi apologized sincerely, his face even more swollen than before.
“Mhm, recognizing your mistakes and correcting them is the greatest virtue.” Mo Yan rubbed his other fist, repeating his previous action until it gleamed with an oily luster before finally stopping.
“No, we agreed on no fists! You have no martial ethics!” Wang Xuanyi knew he was wrong, but he wouldn't change. He'd do it again next time.
“I am your grandfather and your master. How I beat you is up to me,” Mo Yan shot back.
“Oh.”
Now Wang Xuanyi behaved himself. Getting beaten up twice for no reason made him feel incredibly wronged. He noted it down in his little mental ledger, planning to steal the old geezer's medical insurance card when he grew old.
“Master, Senior Brother, I'm back.”
Just then, Zhu Huai walked into the bamboo forest with light steps.
From far away, she had already heard their conversation and seen her senior brother's swollen, pig-like face, as well as Mo Yan's "what can you do about it" expression.
The grandfather and grandson were no different from usual.
Having watched enough, Zhu Huai let out a soft chuckle before finally showing herself.
“Come, come, sit down and eat. Your senior brother made so much delicious food, just waiting for you to get back,” Mo Yan quickly gestured for Zhu Huai to come over.
“Thank you, Master.”
Zhu Huai didn't stand on ceremony or care for tedious etiquette, sitting down directly.
“Here, try the garlic prawns your senior brother made. They smell amazing.”
As he spoke, Wang Xuanyi personally peeled a prawn and placed it into Zhu Huai's bowl, then picked up a few pieces of sweet and sour ribs and added them as well.
Here, there was no distinction between inner and outer sect, only senior and junior brothers, home and family.
“Okay, I'll eat more.”
Zhu Huai really loved this simple, happy life.
Of course, every day spent with her senior brother was like this.
She had already made up her mind: once she found a cultivation technique that could suppress her Peach Blossom Eyes, she would immediately claim her senior brother, lest her happiness be snatched away by someone else.
However, the warm scene only lasted for a short moment.
The people from Tianyun Peak arrived.
Xiao Hongye led her disciples to the bamboo forest and happened to see the master and disciples eating together, laughing and talking in a very heartwarming scene.
Originally, she hadn't wanted to disturb them, but she hadn't expected that upon seeing Wang Xuanyi, Murong Qing would shout, “Big Brother!” and run over on her short little legs.
“Where did this little brat come from?”
“Big Brother, I'm Qing'er! You saved my life. Can I eat some of this?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't just grab it with your hands!”
“Hey, hey, why are you sitting on my lap?”
“Hey! Don't wipe your hands on me!”
Hearing the voices of Wang Xuanyi and Murong Qing coming from the bamboo forest, Xiao Hongye let out a helpless sigh and turned around, preparing to wait until they finished eating before coming back.
“Senior Sister Xiao, since you're already here, why don't you have a cup of tea before you go?” Mo Yan's voice echoed from a distance.
Since they had already been spotted, there was nothing else to be done.
“Excuse the intrusion,” Xiao Hongye said apologetically, then led Leng Ning'an and the other two to the stone table in the bamboo forest.
“Please, sit.” Mo Yan waved his hand, and a chair and four small bamboo stools appeared beside the dining table. Wang Xuanyi and Zhu Huai tactfully scooted over to make room.
“Sorry to disturb you.” Xiao Hongye took her seat, while Leng Ning'an and the other two stood behind her with their heads lowered.
“This is...” Mo Yan was puzzled.
Xiao Hongye explained, “The three of them made a mistake, so I brought them here to apologize in person.”
“...”
As soon as those words were spoken, the entire area fell silent.
“What do you mean?” Mo Yan asked, confused.
Although Tianzhu Peak and Tianyun Peak were neighbors, they rarely interacted and had no deep grudges, so why would they need to apologize?
Could it be that some conflict had arisen between Zhu Huai and Leng Ning'an's group in the Little Purple Realm?
Zhu Huai stopped eating, stood up, looked at the two elders, and bowed. “Master, Martial Aunt, may I explain?”
This scene left Wang Xuanyi a bit dazed.
What? Was his junior brother really bullied by that bunch of women from Tianyun Peak?
“Mhm, it's best to hear from someone who was there,” Xiao Hongye said, though her gaze drifted toward Wang Xuanyi, who was currently feeding the child.
Oddly enough, Murong Qing was actually very well-behaved in Wang Xuanyi's arms, sitting quietly like a cute little white rabbit.
“While in the realm, Senior Sister Leng and the other three provoked public anger due to Junior Brother Long's banditry. In their haste, they accidentally entered my formation. Out of respect for the relationship between our two peaks, I helped them. However, not only did Junior Brother Long show no gratitude, but he also insulted my senior brother. In my anger, I knocked the four of them unconscious, deactivated the formation, and left them to fend for themselves.”
Zhu Huai recounted everything with precise accuracy, then added, “Senior Sister Leng and the other two did nothing wrong.”
“...”
Wang Xuanyi was bewildered. How had this ended up involving him?
But whatever, as long as his little junior sister hadn't suffered any losses, it was fine.
As a side note, Wang Xuanyi had always known that Zhu Huai was a girl and knew what she looked like; he had just never exposed her.
Hearing Zhu Huai's description, Mo Yan frowned. He glanced at Leng Ning'an and the other two, but ultimately left the decision to Wang Xuanyi, asking, “Xuanyi, what do you think?”
“I don't think much of it. If he wants to curse at me, let him. It's not like I'll lose any flesh over it,” Wang Xuanyi said with a shrug.
He understood his grandfather's difficult position. He didn't want to get too involved with Tianyun Peak, and even less did he want to lose his life over a few words, so he could only choose to ignore it.
“Xuanyi...”
Wang Xuanyi immediately interrupted, “Martial Aunt, it's only natural for kids to want to keep good things for themselves when they see them. There's no need to blame yourselves over a few words.”
For some reason, hearing these words come from Wang Xuanyi's mouth felt particularly unpleasant, especially for Leng Ning'an and the other two, whose faces flushed with shame.
Leng Ning'an and Wen Sining were older than Wang Xuanyi, yet they didn't understand this simple truth, while Huo Huang and Long Zitian were the same age as him but remained completely oblivious.
This was the gap between them.
“Hoo, hoo~ Big Brother, what is this? It's so numbing, spicy, and fragrant. Why is it so delicious?”
Murong Qing huffed, her mouth covered in oil from eating.
Even so, she reached out with her oil-stained hands to grab Wang Xuanyi's clean white undergarment, stared at the prawns on the plate, and asked expectantly, “Big Brother, can you feed Qing'er another one?”
“I can, but could you please not use my clothes as a rag?” Wang Xuanyi was utterly speechless.
He didn't know what was wrong with this kid; instead of clinging to Long Zitian, she kept squeezing herself over to him, and he was completely powerless against her.
This did not match the original novel at all!
Rate on N.U.
