Junior Brother Has No Idea - Chapter 10

The Qingyun Sect, also known as the Qingyun Sword Sect, was primarily composed of sword cultivators with a smattering of other practitioners. The sect sat atop the peak of Mount Qingyun, situated at the border of the Central and Northern Provinces, and was divided into four halls: East, West, South, and North.

Daoist Master Fuying was the master of the North Hall. Her head disciple, Wuyi, managed all affairs in her stead. After the induction ceremony, Fuying introduced Xie Yong to the Sect Master and the other three Hall Masters before handing him over to Wuyi.

Wuyi took Xie Yong to collect his identity waist-token and disciple robes, explaining a bit about the sect’s history along the way. Because Mount Qingyun straddled two provinces, every sect trial sparked a massive argument between the Central and Northern Provinces over who the sect truly belonged to.

“Anyway,” Wuyi said, “we are the number one sect in the Northern Province and one of the top five in the Central Province. Once you put on those robes, you can walk with your head held high anywhere you go!”

She handed him a set of silver-white and pale-green robes. On top lay a small jade token engraved with the name “Xie Yong.”

[Number one sect? They can’t even engrave a name correctly! I’m dying of laughter!] The System cackled in Xie Yong’s mind.

Xie Yong thanked Senior Sister Wuyi calmly while replying privately, “Do you not know how to read? It’s not wrong.”

[The ‘Yong’ in Xie Yong is wrong. Isn’t it supposed to be ‘Yong’ as in ‘mediocre’? That’s what it says in the Task Book.] The System was confused.

Xie Yong lowered his gaze. No matter how polite he looked on the outside, he was exasperated within. “Then the Task Book is wrong. My mother chose my name ‘Yong’ meaning ‘to embrace.’ She said that in this life, I would obtain everything I desire.”

[No, that shouldn’t be right, Your name is supposed to be a ‘suffering point.’ Because you’re named ‘Mediocre,’ you’re supposed to be insecure and boring…]

Xie Yong: “Bullshit.”

[Master, please refrain from profanity.]

Xie Yong: “Get lost.”

Xie Yong ignored the System and followed Wuyi to the disciple quarters. On the way, he asked casually, “Senior Sister, how many ‘Eldest Senior Brothers’ do we have in the sect?”

“Aside from the Sect Master’s and the other Hall Masters’ head disciples, the personal disciples of other Martial Uncles also count,” Wuyi explained. “In total… maybe a dozen or so? We have a large family and many elders.”

“And how many of them practice the Way of Heartlessness (Ruthless Dao)?”

Wuyi burst into laughter. “As far as I know, almost every sword cultivator wants to practice the Way of Heartlessness.”

Xie Yong stopped, looking confused. Wuyi clarified: “They probably think it looks cool. It’s not just our sect—everywhere you go, it’s the most popular choice among sword cultivators!”

[Pfft!] The System couldn’t help itself. [The Way of Heartlessness has the highest enrollment rate but the lowest graduation rate.]

The problem was that the System had told him the ultimate mission was to “seduce the Eldest Senior Brother who practices the Way of Heartlessness.” Now, Xie Yong was lost. “If a dozen of them are doing it, which one am I supposed to seduce?”

The System contemplated and gave an answer: [All in? Take them all?]

Xie Yong’s face went dark. He went back to ignoring the System.

The Transformation

Wuyi led him to a private room. Unlike the outer disciples who shared quarters for eight or nine people, inner disciples had more privacy. Xie Yong’s room was simple: one table, one bed. It was a far cry from the luxury of the Xie estate, but he didn’t complain.

Before he left home, his mother had revealed that Fuying accepted him because of an old debt. She had chosen him over his more talented brothers because she knew Xie Yong needed the protection of a master most of all.

[Master, there’s a plot point here,] the System warned as he began to change. [You’re supposed to be bullied in this room, both physically and mentally. A disciple who likes the Senior Sister will see you two are close and force you to do dirty work. They’ll raid your room and steal all your pretty bracelets and charms everything!]

Xie Yong: “…”

[And you are supposed to be submissive and endure it. But don’t worry, they’ll eventually be moved by your ‘pure and gentle’ nature…]

Xie Yong: “Pure and gentle? Who? Me?”

He ignored the System’s mockery and changed into his new robes. The inner disciple uniform silver and pale green looked elegant yet martial. Because the sizes were standardized, the robes hung loosely on his thin frame. He tightened the silver waist-belt, emphasizing his slender waist.

Thinking of the “bullying” plot, he took off his gold jewelry and gemstone ornaments, tucking them safely into his storage bag. He even replaced his ornate hairpin with a simple writing brush to hold his hair back. He left only the jade ring on his thumb and the emerald drop-earrings.

The Mob Mentality

When he emerged, Wuyi blinked. Her little junior brother, who had been jingling with jewelry moments ago, now looked plain and refined.

[Legendary skin downgraded to Epic Purple skin,] the System muttered.

Wuyi led him around the sect to get his bearings. As the North Hall’s head disciple, she was well-liked and had no ego. Junior disciples flocked to her, and soon a crowd had formed around Xie Yong, buzzing with curiosity.

A pair of identical twins, the Zhao brothers (Zhao Qianlai and Zhao Yuanlai), squeezed to his sides, slinging their arms over his shoulders.

“In the future, we’re all family!” “If you need anything, just say the word!”

Xie Yong felt suffocated. “Could you two… let go?”

“Eh? What’s the junior brother mumbling?” Qianlai squeezed tighter, leaning his face close.

Xie Yong stared straight ahead, dead inside. “I’m being crushed to death.”

The crowd chattered and walked, oblivious to where they were going, until Xie Yong suddenly stopped. The path ahead was blocked by two men.

They looked to be of similar age, both exceptionally handsome. One wore an intricate version of the sect uniform, two flowing ribbons hanging from his hair-crown and twin swords crossed at his back. He looked like a refreshing breeze over a moonlit lake.

The other was dressed in black, carrying a massive five-foot heavy sword on his back. The blade was pitch-black, wrapped in cloth at the hilt, and etched with dark gold runes. He was stunningly handsome but radiated a bone-chilling, “do-not-disturb” aura.

The laughing crowd went instantly silent. The Zhao brothers yanked their arms back, looking down at their toes like frightened quails.

The people in the back, unable to see, kept pushing forward. Someone shoved the person behind Xie Yong, who in turn knocked into him. Xie Yong stumbled out of the crowd, nearly crashing into the man in black.

The man in black reached out, placing a hand on Xie Yong’s chest to steady him.

Xie Yong looked up into his face.

Hiss. Someone in the back sucked in a breath of cold air.

Wuyi, sensing the shift in atmosphere, pushed through the crowd. Her lips twitched slightly as she saw the two men, but she quickly masked it with a polite smile. “Good day to you both, Senior Brothers.”

In Xie Yong’s mind, the System let out an excited, high-pitched scream.