BW Extra 6

Later (6)

Ning Xiu disappeared for three and a half months in one go, with no sign of life or death. If not for seeing that his life lamp was still lit, Xie Chang’an and the others nearly went directly to find Hao Zheng and Ning Buwei to search for him.

But even so, their trip to the Wandering Dragon Secret Realm not only failed to achieve their purpose, but also resulted in all five of them missing classes for a month and a half after Wanxuan Academy’s term started.

Obviously, Hao Zheng had already notified their family elders.

Xie Zhi came up and gave Xie Chang’an and Xie Changming a thorough scolding. “Do you think you’ve grown capable!? Even Shen family disciples need Dean Hao and high-cultivation elders from their clan to escort them when they go to the Wandering Dragon Secret Realm. Are you few teenagers going in there looking for death? Just because someone ranked first on the Tianji List dares to enter, you think you can do it too! Did you come to Wanxuan Academy to study or did water get into your brains! Day after day, it’s either seeking death or courting death – overestimating yourselves! Self-righteous!”

Xie Chang’an and Xie Changming hung their heads listening to the lecture, but were clearly not very convinced, but Xie Zhi, who was in the midst of his anger, obviously wasn’t giving them a chance to argue back.

Ge Yunyang and Ge Yunxi’s father was a stern middle-aged man, but this father clearly favored his daughter greatly. “Yunyang, I told you to take good care of Xixi, not to take her up mountains of knives and down seas of fire to risk your lives every day. Look at her now, where is there even half the appearance of a proper young lady? She’s at the right age too, and I’ve already refused several marriage proposals from the clan. If there’s a next time, I’ll take Xixi back home.”

“Father! Xixi is still so young, you can’t do this!” Ge Yunyang said anxiously.

“You also know she’s still young!” Father Ge scolded coldly. “It’s one thing for you bunch of boys to fight and cause trouble all day, but what does it look like dragging along Xixi, a young lady!”

Ge Yunyang was about to argue back, but unexpectedly, Ge Yunxi, who had been silent all along, spoke up. “Father, what’s wrong with being a young lady? When we train and adventure on our own in the future, enemies won’t show mercy just because I’m a young lady, they might even think I’m easier to bully because I’m a young lady and become even more vicious!

What I do may not be any worse than brother’s! Back then, Ancestor Sang Yun who sacrificed herself to save the Seventeen States, the current Hehuan Sect Master Senior Qing Mian, Chongzheng Alliance Leader and Wushi Sect Master Senior Shen Xi, and Dean Shang Nuanwei in our academy – which of them isn’t a young lady? Now don’t they all shine brighter and more capably than most men! I absolutely refuse to be like mother, marrying early to serve the husband and teach children, trapped in the inner courtyard scheming and plotting until death!

I want to roam the Seventeen States with brother and Ning Xiu and the others, to find my own path – only then will this life not be wasted!”

Not to mention Father Ge, even Ge Yunyang hadn’t expected that his always delicate and cute little sister harbored such great ambitions in her heart, but he was the first to agree. “I think Yunxi is right! I support her!”

“Exactly!” Xie Changming, who was being lectured nearby, voiced his loud agreement.

“Father, although we may be young in your eyes, we know what we’re doing.” Xie Chang’an said seriously, “Maybe what you’re saying is right, but when you were our age, would you have obediently listened to adults about everything?”

Xie Zhi, who had always been the ringleader of mischief in his youth: “…………”

Father Ge, who hadn’t even finished his coursework at Wanxuan Academy: “…………”

Ning Xiu looked at Ning Buwei, whose face was dark as water, and kept his head down, not daring to make a sound.

Until now, Ning Buwei hadn’t scolded him even once. His father usually didn’t have the best temper, but most of his anger was playful in nature. None of the siblings were really afraid of him. On the contrary, Chu Jun was usually gentle and mild, but when he spoke up, each of them became as obedient as quails.

However, when Ning Buwei truly got angry, he was much more frightening than Chu Jun.

Like now, Ning Xiu felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, with thorns on his back.

“Chang’an and the others said you disappeared for three and a half months, but now your cultivation has already advanced to Hinayana. What did your dad and I tell you before?” Ning Buwei asked him.

“To try my best to suppress my cultivation level, and not to undergo tribulation to enter Hinayana before establishing my dao heart…” Ning Xiu said somewhat dejectedly, “But that Daoist called Cang Gui insisted on taking me as his disciple, and I was trapped and couldn’t get out…”

He briefly explained the situation to Ning Buwei.

“Were you injured?” Unexpectedly, Ning Buwei’s first words weren’t a scolding.

Ning Xiu was stunned for a moment, instinctively shaking his head, but meeting his father’s all-knowing eyes, he obediently nodded instead. “I’m already healed.”

His constitution was special – even severe injuries could heal on their own, so his father and dad never had to worry.

“Let me see.” Ning Buwei frowned and pulled him over, seeing the wounds on his back and shoulders that now only left faint scars. Although they had faded to barely visible, based on Ning Buwei’s experience, these wounds had cut deep to the bone and could have taken half his life.

Ning Buwei then thoroughly examined his meridians, dantian, and sea of consciousness, and only after confirming there were no problems did he let him go, falling silent without saying anything more.

Ning Xiu looked at him somewhat uneasily, “Father?”

“Nothing serious. Study well at Wanxuan Academy.” Ning Buwei patted his face and walked out of the room.

After the other two fathers finished their scoldings, they also left in a huff.

“You go to the Self-Reflection Pavilion and serve half a month of confinement.” The Dean came in with a cold face and gave them another thorough lecture.

Facing the Dean was different from facing their own fathers. They could argue back boldly and defiantly with their dads, but when facing the Dean, each of them was lectured into submission and obediently went to the Self-Reflection Pavilion.

This wasn’t their first time here. After all, they had spent half their childhood growing up at Wanxuan Academy. They each skillfully found their usual seats and obediently began copying books as punishment.

Ning Xiu’s seat was next to Xie Chang’an. Only when the Dean left during break time did he find a chance to talk to Xie Chang’an. “Brother Chang’an.”

Xie Chang’an turned to look at him.

“I didn’t mean to crush your talisman paper on purpose. That golden eagle was extremely cunning and could track you through the talisman paper. I—”

“I know.” Xie Chang’an interrupted him. “I was just angry before and shouldn’t have hit you.”

Ning Xiu smiled, “I deserved it. This time I really caused a huge mess.”

“Brother Chang’an, you’re not angry anymore?” Ge Yunxi, sitting across from Xie Chang’an’s low table, asked quietly.

“Mm, not angry.” Xie Chang’an sighed and leaned back against his chair. “I was just afraid something really happened to Xiao Shan.”

“I’m sorry for making you all worry.” Ning Xiu apologized.

“We’re all brothers, what are you apologizing for!” Xie Changming bumped his arm. “Besides, we voluntarily went with you. If something happened to us, wouldn’t you come help the same way?”

Xie Chang’an smacked the back of his head, “What I said before was all in anger. Don’t take it to heart.”

Ning Xiu smiled at him.

“Oh you guys, apologizing back and forth between brothers is way too formal.” Ge Yunyang complained. “Did getting scolded by your own fathers scare you all that much?”

“Get lost!” Xie Chang’an kicked at him. “You’re the most cowardly one, not even as good as Yunxi.”

Ge Yunxi covered her mouth and laughed softly. Ge Yunyang protested indignantly, “Your father and my father aren’t the same type. My dad really is ruthless and merciless… flower-destroying… flower-under-moonlight?”

The group burst into laughter at his mangled words.

Young people act impulsively – anger comes quickly and dissipates just as fast. They forget the pain once the wound heals. After being dejected for a while, a few words were enough to make them lively again, and all grudges were forgotten in their laughter and banter.

“Speaking of which, Xiao Shan, what exactly did you do these past few months? What about that Shen Jingxue?” Xie Changming sat on the low table and asked.

“Right, that Shen Jingxue is definitely not a good person!” Ge Yunyang sat cross-legged beside the low table and angrily pounded the table. “This whole thing is partly my fault too. I actually misjudged him for a moment. He’s a gu cultivator! The innocent lives on his hands are countless. Xiao Shan, he didn’t poison you with gu, did he?”

“No.” Ning Xiu shook his head and explained the whole story. “…So he approached me probably with designs toward the Linglong Bone, so he pretended to go along and mixed in with us. That golden eagle was also his contracted beast.”

Although this had been clarified before, over the years there had been many persistent people coming after him. Ning Xiu could handle them himself, but this was the first time he encountered someone so devious and cunning, and he nearly fell into their trap.

“This Shen Jingxue is truly detestable!” Xie Changming said angrily, “To think I actually thought well of him.”

“He’s a gu cultivator over three hundred years old. Playing tricks on us would be child’s play.” Ge Yunxi frowned. “And Xiao Shan even saved him by accident. I’m afraid he won’t let this go.”

Ning Xiu couldn’t help scratching his arm.

Xie Chang’an turned to look at him, “What’s wrong?”

“When I was carrying him through the Scorpion Cave, I kept feeling like I was holding a giant bug.” Ning Xiu scratched his neck vigorously, and his pale neck immediately showed many red marks.

“You carried him the whole way?” Xie Chang’an raised an eyebrow.

“His leg was broken, and I couldn’t see. We temporarily cooperated.” Ning Xiu scratched vigorously again.

“Ha, serves him right with the broken leg.” Ge Yunyang said angrily, “Next time I’ll break his leg again!”

“This time it wasn’t you who broke it, it was Xiao Shan.” Ge Yunxi corrected him.

“Stop scratching.” Xie Chang’an held his hand down. “Think of something else, like… not bugs and scorpions… bats?”

“Oh brother, please stop talking.” Xie Changming also started feeling uncomfortable all over. “You don’t know about that bug nest that Ning Xiu and I fell into back then. Thousands upon thousands of different bugs swarming around us and gnawing. If you had arrived even a little later, we both would have gone mad!”

When Ning Xiu was seven or eight years old and playful, he and Xie Changming conspired to sneak into the Foluo Secret Realm. The place turned out to be extremely dangerous, and after a brush with death, they were finally pulled out of the bug nest by Xie Chang’an. For this, Ning Xiu got a solid beating from Ning Buwei…

From then on, Xie Changming and Ning Xiu stayed far away from any bugs, leaving them with serious psychological trauma.

“Serves you right for always causing trouble.” Xie Chang’an was still amused by the memory. “You two cried with snot and tears all over me, covering me in bug droppings—”

“Brother Chang’an!” Ning Xiu covered his face in agony.

Xie Changming was already frantically casting cleaning spells on himself and Ning Xiu. “Ahhhh I’m dying, brother, you said you’d never mention it again!”

Xie Chang’an was clearly also disgusted by the memory and tried to find something else to cover it up. “Actually it was much better than when I took you to blow up the swamp. That time we stank for a whole month, Yunxi nearly cried to death, and we had to listen to classes from outside…”

Ge Yunxi and Ge Yunyang, who had been laughing gleefully, suddenly twisted their faces. “Brother Chang’an, shut up!”

When the Dean entered, he was immediately covered by overwhelming cleaning spells and water control techniques, and asked in bewilderment, “What are you doing? Did you fall into a Sky Sea Beast’s dung pit again?”

“Dean—” Several people cried out in agony. “You said you wouldn’t mention it again!”