Sect Master Wen's Junior Martial Brother Who Shared His Hardships Has Returned - Chapter 5

White-faced boots with crimson patterns—cloud-ascending boots—stepped onto the clean, dark stone slabs. In this palace, not a single fallen leaf could be found.

Xu Chaoqi walked through the corridor. The faint light in the distance grew closer, becoming brighter and clearer.

He stepped onto the stone stairs, his footsteps extremely light, and before long he arrived before a door two zhang tall.

In the deep black night, this vast palace had stood here for who knew how many years. Starlight had never reached this place; only the lamplight within the window flickered on and off.

Bang bang, bang… 

After nearly ten thousand years, this silent palace was finally knocked upon. Even Xu Chaoqi himself had not known he would be the first person to knock on this door.

Outside the hall, it seemed only an instant had passed; inside the hall, it felt as though a hundred years had gone by.

The wind rose, and the lamplight from within the hall shone outward, dyeing Xu Chaoqi’s fair skin a warm yellow.

A tall figure clad in a Daoist robe of white base with ink-black hems and silver patterns filled Xu Chaoqi’s vision. He did not know how special he was—just as he had done in his younger years, he immediately threw himself into the other’s embrace.

“Senior Brother…” The call came from the one in red, full of youthful vigor, his voice pleasant to the ear.

Wen Chaoxi instinctively held him in his arms. A cool wind swept in; he glanced outside the hall, his wide sleeve shielding the other, afraid that the cold wind would let him catch a chill.

The door was closed. Xu Chaoqi held onto his senior brother’s sleeve, his peripheral vision sweeping across the hall.

This was the first time he had come to his senior brother’s sleeping chamber. The hall was roughly the size of twenty large beds put together, rather dim, and he could only make out the furnishings inside.

The interior was extremely simple—only a window, a table, a meditation cushion, and a bed that seemed to be there merely as decoration, and yet didn’t quite look like one either.

He looked toward the window in the distance, his eyes gradually widening.

This kind of window was something he had never seen before—it was enormous, an entire wall made of window, over two zhang tall and six zhang wide.

Outside the window, a rushing current fell straight down from a great height. The stream was two zhang wide, and the water was clearer than anything he had ever seen.

Some of the water splashed toward the window, but was blocked by an invisible barrier, forced to return to the stream and flow onward.

A fine, gentle breeze blew in through the window—not cold, but refreshing.

The dark-colored curtains on both sides rose with the wind, swaying.

Xu Chaoqi did not particularly like the furnishings of the room, yet he loved this window immensely.

He glanced at the window a few more times, but did not let it steal his attention away entirely.

He tilted his head up to look at his senior brother, his forehead brushing against the other’s chin. “Senior Brother…”

His senior brother lowered his eyes, and his wrist relaxed. Xu Chaoqi felt the sleeve in his hand sinking downward.

Xu Chaoqi had come here to ask a favor of him—how could he possibly let his senior brother leave?

He immediately hugged him back tightly, trying to stand on his tiptoes, bringing his eyes close to the other’s face.

If his spirit body still existed, he wouldn’t need to breathe. But now that he had become a mortal body, he had to breathe at all times.

As Xu Chaoqi drew closer, his hot breath, carrying a scent belonging only to youth, met Wen Chaoxi’s face.

Wen Chaoxi’s fingertips twitched, veins tightening on the back of his hand. He lowered his head slightly, his eyelids drooping, just barely avoiding the direct meeting of their breaths.

“Xiao Yao.” he said in a low, slightly hoarse voice.

“Senior Brother.” Xu Chaoqi’s eyes were bright as he gazed at him.

“Senior Brother, will you be descending to the mortal realm these days?”

His senior brother said nothing, instead lowering his head, trying to brush away the hands Xu Chaoqi had wrapped around him.

Xu Chaoqi was displeased. He drew even closer to his senior brother, even pressing part of his own weight onto him.

“Xiao Yao wants to go down to the mortal realm. Senior Brother, come down with me.”

Wen Chaoxi pried the other’s hands away, finally able to step back. But before he knew it, Xu Chaoqi had embraced him once more, his bright eyes drawing near. “Senior Brother, come with me.”

Seeing Xu Chaoqi drawing ever closer, Wen Chaoxi pressed his palm against the other’s forehead and sighed silently. “Alright.”

Xu Chaoqi’s eyes curved into a smile, thoroughly satisfied. From beginning to end, he had never noticed anything amiss.

Since the age of three, he had followed behind his senior brother. They had grown up together, and over the years he had asked things of his senior brother thousands upon thousands of times.

As a child, he would either tug at the hem of his robe or hug his leg; but the most effective method was still to face his senior brother directly and press close with his eyes.

Wen Chaoxi looked at the sleeve that had been tugged at, his lashes lowering to cover his eyes.

Having obtained what he sought, Xu Chaoqi should have left. Yet he looked toward the great window ahead, and envy crept into his eyes.

Tonight, he had specially asked his senior brother to let him stay inside the hall.

Xu Chaoqi now had a mortal body—how could Wen Chaoxi possibly let him sit here all night?

The bed was merely a decoration, and as it happened, Wen Chaoxi had never refined a bed.

But Xu Chaoqi didn’t need a bed—if he could just sit by the window for a night, that alone would be wonderful.

He pushed an unused meditation cushion over and placed it before the window. As it happened, there was already another cushion in front of the window, so Xu Chaoqi moved the two cushions close together and sat himself directly on the one to the right.

The sound of the flowing water outside the window was relaxing. He watched the droplets that splashed out, glimmering faintly, and his eyelids grew heavy.

Footsteps approached; the ink-black hem of a robe entered the edge of his vision as his senior brother sat down behind him.

The air around Xu Chaoqi grew much warmer, and he found himself wrapped in a sense of safety.

At some point, without him noticing, the small figure sank down, lying into the arms of the one beside him. The person on the left wrapped an arm around Xu Chaoqi, to keep the restless one in his arms from rolling away.

The figure by the window sat there like this, accompanying Xu Chaoqi through the whole night.

The golden morning sun shone through the window onto Xu Chaoqi’s eyelids. His lashes trembled, and he opened his eyes hazily.

Xu Chaoqi’s whole body was covered by a wide outer robe. His phoenix eyes followed the golden light upward.

Beyond the window, for ten thousand li, golden clouds and mist layered upon one another. He, the window, and the morning glow all stood at the same height.

Fu Xuandao had been handling official documents all night. As soon as dawn broke the next day, he waited in front of the main hall for the Grand Ancestor to arrive so he could bid him farewell.

Yet this wait of his lasted more than an hour. Not until the sun was high and bright did the Grand Ancestor come, unhurried.

As he bowed his head while taking his leave of the Grand Ancestor, he felt puzzled.

On ordinary days, the Grand Ancestor would arrive at the main hall before dawn—why was he so late today?

Just as he finished this thought and was about to leave, he heard the Grand Ancestor tell him to prepare for the matter of the Grand Competition.

Fu Xuandao did not react at first. Once he understood the meaning, the documents in his hand nearly fell to the ground.

Shock and joy exploded in his mind, buzzing loudly.

For a moment he fumbled in a panic, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest.

Half a shichen later, he walked out of the main hall, his expression somewhat dazed.

The Grand Ancestor had instructed him on several matters, and they kept echoing in his mind, all very chaotic.

But there was one sentence he remembered very clearly, one he had practically carved into his mind.

“In all things, put Xiao Yao first. Do not displease him.”

Though the name “Xiao Yao” was unfamiliar to him, he knew at once who it referred to.

Just as he was walking out, he ran into the very person spoken of.

The person in question, Xu Chaoqi, was yawning, as if he had just woken up.

Fu Xuandao became even more respectful. That he could hold such power within the sect proved he was no fool—he had already guessed the reason behind the Grand Ancestor’s words just now.

He bowed to Xu Chaoqi, and Xu Chaoqi returned the greeting.

As Xu Chaoqi walked past him, he turned to glance around and asked quietly, “How did Little Grand Ancestor manage to convince the Grand Ancestor?”

He had replaced “Grand Ancestor Xu” with “Little Grand Ancestor,” the latter sounding much more intimate.

Xu Chaoqi did not object. He raised an eyebrow, “What’s so hard about that? I merely said it once, and Senior Brother agreed.”

Fu Xuandao was slightly startled, and the look he gave Xu Chaoqi grew even more respectful.

As he was about to leave, Fu Xuandao looked back at Xu Chaoqi and asked with concern. “Why did Little Grand Ancestor get up at this hour?”

What he meant was: why had Little Grand Ancestor woken up so late?

But Xu Chaoqi heard it as: why did you get up so early?

He lowered his head troubledly and rubbed it. “The ground was cold and hard, it hurt.”

Fu Xuandao: “Huh?”