"Tenth Senior Brother went to find out where you live, Master, Master he..." Eleventh Brother's baby face scrunched up like a bun, and he burst into tears, "It's all over, Eighth Brother, Master is not normal!"
“This is abnormal, really abnormal. What’s even more abnormal than Master’s generosity is that the senior brothers take Master’s abnormality for normalcy. Junior brother, tell me, who is abnormal – me, Master, or the senior brothers?”
On the rooftop, I gazed at the moon and sighed.
"Don't overthink it, senior brother." Zi Gui smiled gently beside him.
“Junior brother, you don’t know.” Eleven took the washed apple and took a bite. “Master was acting strangely as soon as we crossed the Huai River. When he saw the disaster victims who couldn’t enter the city, he actually got jealous. It wasn’t the jealousy of having his rituals stolen, it was the kind of jealousy that makes you almost cry. Have you ever seen a master like this in your life?”
Under the moonlight, Zigui shook his head thoughtfully.
“That’s right. Master has been crazy and laughed, and he’s been petty and calculating, but he’s never cried.” Eleven said, somewhat confused. “Before entering the city, Master went to a small mound and stood there for a very long time, until his body started to tremble. I wanted to go up and support Master, but Tenth Brother stopped me. It seemed like there was something that Master and my brother knew, but they were keeping it from me.”
The baby-faced man turned around and looked at her questioningly. "You know what, junior brother?"
After a long while, she smiled and lay down on her back, mimicking Eleven. The crescent-shaped autumn water in the sky reflected in her eyes, becoming two pools.
"Senior brother, do you remember your past, before you joined the sect?"
Hearing this, he turned his face away. "I remember a little bit."
"I've never heard my senior brother mention this before."
"It's not something to be happy about." Her delicate brows furrowed slightly.
"So Master and Senior Brother probably don't want us to know."
He was taken aback for a moment, then broke into a bright smile, revealing two prominent tiger teeth.
While munching on apples, the two lay side by side on the rooftop, basking in the moonlight.
"I still remember what my junior brother said when he came in: 'My father is called Yu Dafeng, and my mother is called Muhu Laohu.'" He imitated in a hushed voice, "At the time, I wondered how anyone could have such names."
"Because it's similar. My dad is always frivolous, only my mom can keep him in check. What kind of people are your parents, senior brother?"
“I have never met my mother and I have rarely seen my father, but I know that my father was a very remarkable person.”
The stars and moon are reflected in her pure eyes, just like the boundless sky.
"Master, your disciples have arrived." After knocking twice, Fu Xian led his junior brothers into the room.
The room was pitch black, with only a vague figure sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Master?"
Old Seven gently called out with his folding fan, and Wang Shuren finally came to his senses. "Oh, everyone's here. How come it's already dark?"
The two brothers exchanged a glance, and the ninth brother silently lit the lamp. The black smoke trail went upwards and was drawn in the orange light.
"Please sit down." The old man counted them off one by one. "Leave the thoughtful Chuan'er to take care of your teacher and your junior brothers and sisters. When you ran away from home, it was actually planned long ago, wasn't it?"
Looking at the five people who were in perfect sync and pretending to be asleep, Wang Shuren sighed.
"I only want to know whether you are doing this because you are bothered by what happened back then, or if this is your true intention. Xian'er, tell me."
The sixth disciple, whose name was called, glanced to his side and then raised his head. "Betrayed by our fellow disciples, we almost perished in the flames. This hatred will never be forgotten. But please rest assured, Master, our disciples are not acting out of personal grudges."
Wang Shuren's eyebrows twitched, and he seemed to be moved.
"Our eldest brother died young, and the late emperor was indulging in debauchery. Only our second brother's ascension to the throne could bring hope to the dynasty, and we disciples understand that. Our third brother had the world in his heart and was determined to revive the dynasty, and we disciples also understand that. He betrayed our sect to fight for the throne and then went on to exterminate us all after his ascension. Although we resent this, we can understand it if we put ourselves in his shoes. But in recent years, since he ascended the throne, he has been waging war and causing constant conflict throughout the country. To pay for the army, he has promoted cruel officials and exploited the people. How can we not resent this? Even if Zhu Duo was blinded by the throne, how can Ji Junze forget what he promised us when he burned down the Five Wonders Academy?"
His pale eyes held a hidden anger.
"A scholar must be resolute and persevering, for his burden is heavy and his journey is long! To take benevolence as one's own responsibility, is that not a heavy burden? To strive until death, is that not a long journey? He did not hesitate to betray his brothers, nor did he hesitate to kill his master; how could he forget this? How could he forget!"
Wang Shuren closed his eyes and sighed deeply.
"The usual." Old Nine shrugged indifferently.
"Beat him hard until he remembers." Old Eight grinned maliciously, his knuckles cracking.
"Whatever, I'm not familiar with the second and third brothers anyway." Rong Ye opened his fan in a showy manner.
"My senior brothers were just saying that, just saying that." Luo Shi began to wrap things up—to whitewash the situation.
“When you entered officialdom, I asked you whether you wanted to bring prosperity to the world or destroy it. Now it’s your turn to make that choice.” Wang Shuren gazed intently through the candlelight.
"To rise or to fall."
...
"That's the crux of the problem."
Seeing Shangguan Yijun lazily glance at Duan Yan, Yu Zigui wisely added a spoonful of water, waiting for him to speak.
"It is clearly a matter of destroying the world, yet Ji Jun wants to revive the world with the 'Five Absolutes.' Isn't this a contradiction?"
That seems to make sense. She nodded, slowing her grinding motions. "I wonder which one Sixth Senior Brother and the others chose."
She and Eleven overheard this last night, and their conversation abruptly ended. Whether it was a rhetorical question from their master, or a subtle exchange of glances between the senior brothers, remains unknown.
"Your senior brother still can't bring himself to do it, even though he's just drilling a hole in the silver ship without stealing the tax money. He just wants to teach Shengde and Ji Junze a lesson that won't hurt them much."
Shangguan let out a soft snort, a sound that was both amused and mocking. "Like master, like disciple. What, are you already angry?" Looking at that slightly displeased face, Shangguan Yi smiled with pleasure. "Actually, I almost became Zigui's senior brother."
Hearing this, she was taken aback, and then Xiao Kuang, who had just entered the room, added insult to injury: "Back then, the Five Masters wanted to take my uncle as a disciple, but my uncle shut him down with 'You're still confused yourself, why should you teach me?' My grandfather was so angry that he chased after him and beat him with a stick, yelling, 'You brat, let you be arrogant, let you be arrogant!'"
He gestured animatedly, but stopped laughing as soon as he caught sight of someone's unfriendly expression. "Just as Uncle predicted, the influx of martial arts practitioners into the county these days is indeed the work of the imperial court. This is a document from Shuntian Prefecture in Southern Zhili to Qiyang Manor."