Every Man for Himself

“Fourth Senior Brother! Fourth Senior Brother!”

Luo Qingyu’s mind was groggy. In her hazy state, she heard Ye Qiao’s voice and slowly opened her eyes.

As soon as she woke up, the people around her gave her a fright.

It was Xue Yu, Ming Xuan, Ye Qiao, and Mu Zhongxi. All four of them were crowded around her bed, their eyes fixed on her as if they were looking at some rare animal.

Ming Xuan was the first to speak. “Fourth Junior Brother, you didn't faint because your body is too weak, did you?”

Mu Zhongxi chimed in. “Exactly, Fourth Senior Brother. I asked you before if you wanted to train with me, but you refused.”

Hearing the two of them chime in one after another, a vein throbbed on Luo Qingyu’s temple. She gritted her teeth and said, “My body is not weak at all.”

Luo Qingyu looked at the four of them and asked in a low voice, “Alright, out with it. What on earth did you guys come here for?”

A grin instantly spread across Ye Qiao’s face. “Aw, Fourth Senior Brother, you figured it out already. Master said a small secret realm is about to open near Cloud City, and he wants us to go gain some experience together.”

Luo Qingyu massaged her forehead helplessly. “Fine, fine, fine, I get it. Go wait for me at the sect gate first. I’ll head over once I pack a few things.”

Ye Qiao nodded obediently. “Alright, Fourth Senior Brother.”

Before leaving, Ye Qiao stuffed a bottle of Mind-Nourishing Pills into Luo Qingyu’s hand and advised, “Fourth Senior Brother, you look terrible. Take some pills to nourish your spirit.”

Pausing, she specifically instructed, “Also, don't wear your sect uniform when we go down the mountain. Just change into your regular clothes.”

Luo Qingyu was startled, instantly recalling the plot of the original novel. The first time Ye Qiao went down to a secret realm, Xue Yu and the others had stood out like sore thumbs in their sect uniforms.

Later, it was Ye Qiao who urged everyone to change into casual clothes. She quickly nodded. “Okay, I’ll remember.”

Seeing her Fourth Senior Brother agree so readily, Ye Qiao nodded in satisfaction and turned to leave the courtyard.

...

On the way, Ye Qiao felt a bit puzzled. She turned to Xue Yu and asked in a low voice, “Third Senior Brother, isn't Fourth Senior Brother usually very gentle with people? Why did he seem to be in a bad mood today?”

Overhearing this, Ming Xuan immediately walked over to her side. “Little Junior Sister, you don't know the half of it. Your Fourth Senior Brother may look gentle and harmless, but he’s actually a black sesame tangyuan—white on the outside, but black on the inside. What's more, he's incredibly petty and holds grudges. I still remember when he first joined the sect, I gave him a nickname.”

“Later, he dragged me to test his newly refined flying artifact. That artifact was terrifyingly fast, and I couldn't control its direction at all. I crashed headfirst into Little Martial Uncle, who happened to be passing by.”

“Because of that, Little Martial Uncle caught me and made me draw talismans for half a month.”

Thinking back to this, Ming Xuan couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

Mu Zhongxi quickly stepped forward to interject and defend her. “Little Junior Sister, don't listen to Second Senior Brother's nonsense. Fourth Senior Brother is a great person. Every time I cause trouble, he's always the one who cleans up my mess.”

Xue Yu also sighed helplessly and added, “Although Fourth Junior Brother can be in a bad mood sometimes, he is extremely protective of his own.”

“If you ever get bullied in the future, Little Junior Sister, you can go to your Fourth Senior Brother. He has so many artifacts that he could crush the other party to death with them alone.”

Ye Qiao nodded seriously, committing these words to memory.

In summary: Fourth Senior Brother sometimes had a bad mood and held grudges, but he was highly reliable, and most importantly, rich.

Just then, Luo Qingyu walked up slowly from behind them, a smile playing on her lips as she spoke. “Are you guys talking behind my back?”

The four of them jumped at the familiar voice, suddenly feeling guilty.

Ye Qiao quickly asked in a fluster, “Fourth Senior Brother, when did you get here?”

Surely Fourth Senior Brother hadn't heard everything they just said?

Luo Qingyu’s smile didn't fade as she replied calmly, “What a coincidence. I heard every single word of your conversation just now.”

Ming Xuan’s heart sank. He was finished; Fourth Junior Brother was definitely going to hold a grudge now.

He immediately turned and shifted the blame, pushing Ye Qiao forward. “Fourth Junior Brother, it was Little Junior Sister who asked first, so we only answered. This is entirely Little Junior Sister's fault from start to finish!”

Ye Qiao’s eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Ming Xuan. Her gaze was filled with accusation, as if saying, “How dare you, Second Senior Brother! You actually backstabbed me! Are we even martial siblings?!”

Ming Xuan guiltily looked away, not daring to meet Ye Qiao’s gaze, and silently apologized in his heart. He was sorry, but he really didn't want to be dragged into testing Fourth Junior Brother's artifacts again. As the saying goes, every man for himself when disaster strikes. For now, he could only trouble his Little Junior Sister to take the fall.

Luo Qingyu took in all their panicked little movements. She smiled helplessly and waved her hand. “Since Little Junior Sister asked out of curiosity, let's drop it.”

Then she couldn't help but add, “If you want to know more about me, Little Junior Sister, you can just come and ask me directly in the future.”

All four of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Only then did Ye Qiao notice a cute little red fox perched on Luo Qingyu’s shoulder. Her eyes lit up instantly, and she quickly asked, “Fourth Senior Brother, is this your little fox?”

Luo Qingyu nodded. “Yes, this is my contracted beast, Qiuqiu. Do you want to pet it?”

Ye Qiao nodded repeatedly, her eyes full of anticipation. “Yes, please!”

Luo Qingyu carefully picked Qiuqiu up from her shoulder and handed it to Ye Qiao.

Ye Qiao gently stroked Qiuqiu’s soft fur while feeding it some snacks.

“Fourth Senior Brother, I’ve been on the Main Peak for so long. How come I’ve never seen Qiuqiu before?”

Luo Qingyu chuckled and explained, “Qiuqiu usually plays in the bamboo forest behind my courtyard. It rarely comes out. If you like it, Little Junior Sister, you can come to my courtyard to play with it whenever you want.”

Ye Qiao nodded seriously upon hearing this.

Seeing this, Xue Yu spoke up, “Since Fourth Junior Brother is here, let us depart.”

Mu Zhongxi had long been ready. Hearing that they could depart, he immediately summoned his Zhaoxi Sword and leaped onto it. “Let's go, go, go!”

Luo Qingyu took out the jade pendant from her waist. With a slight nudge of her spiritual energy, the jade pendant instantly transformed into a soft, fluffy Somersault Cloud. The others leaped onto it one after another.

Cradling Qiuqiu in her arms, Ye Qiao lay down comfortably on the soft Somersault Cloud and couldn't help but sigh, “Ah, Fourth Senior Brother, this flying artifact is so convenient. We can actually lie down while traveling.”

Ming Xuan chimed in with a sigh, “I know, right? I asked Fourth Junior Brother to refine one just like this for me before, but he said he lacked the rare materials. What a shame.”

Luo Qingyu turned her head, looked at Ye Qiao beside her, and suggested with a smile, “Little Junior Sister, do you want to try controlling the Somersault Cloud yourself?”

Ye Qiao was thrilled to hear this and immediately agreed.

However, since it was her first time, she couldn't control her spiritual energy output properly. She injected too much spiritual energy, causing the Somersault Cloud beneath their feet to suddenly accelerate, leaving Mu Zhongxi, who was flying on his sword ahead, far behind in an instant.

Left behind, Mu Zhongxi yelled anxiously, “Hey! Why didn't you guys wait for me!”

With that, he surged his spiritual energy and sped up to chase after them.