Chapter 45
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The Grand Cultivation Competition was scheduled to begin after the sun had risen. The participants were all young talents from the cultivation world, the future stars of various sects who were highly expected to shine. Pei Yunshu, along with his Senior Brothers, excluding Zhuyou, who had recently joined their sect, was naturally going to participate in the competition.
When they arrived at Wuzhi Peak, the other Senior Brothers were already waiting in place. Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master led them toward the competition venue.
Shanshui Sect had reserved a peak exclusively for the competition. It was a renowned sect with great powerhouses seated at the top, and with the presence of senior figures, the disciples waiting below dared not make any rash moves. They stood upright, their faces solemn.
Pei Yunshu and his Senior Brothers stood among the disciples of Shanshui Sect. Zhuyou was nowhere to be seen, and he felt more indifferent than ever.
Dressed in white, he exuded an icy and aloof aura, appearing like a snow-capped mountain. When Third Senior Brother saw him today, he felt that something was amiss. He couldn’t help but say, “Junior Brother, are you in a bad mood?”
Pei Yunshu had been gentle and friendly while drunk a few days ago, but today, he seemed as cold as an unsheathed sword.
Third Senior Brother fixed his gaze on Pei Yunshu’s face, but Pei Yunshu remained expressionless, his voice cold as he replied, “Junior Brother is fine.”
Third Senior Brother was taken aback, and he stopped fanning himself. He felt that something was off with Pei Yunshu. He took a step closer and whispered, “Junior Brother Yunshu, if you’re not feeling well, feel free to talk to Senior Brother. If you want to drown your sorrows in alcohol, Senior Brother has plenty of wine.”
Finally, Pei Yunshu looked up at him, but before Yunman could even break into a smile, he met Pei Yunshu’s unresponsive black eyes. Pei Yunshu said, “Third Senior Brother, I’m fine.”
Yunman frowned, scrutinizing him from head to toe. He couldn’t help but feel that something was wrong. He reached out to Pei Yunshu’s wrist, attempting to check his pulse, and asked, “Junior Brother, are you feeling unwell?”
Pei Yunshu swiftly evaded his touch, and he raised his gaze. He glanced over his Senior Brothers.
“I’m fine,” Pei Yunshu replied. “It’s just that a few days ago, Grandmaster removed Junior Brother’s emotion string.”
Eldest Senior Brother, who had remained silent, suddenly clenched his fist, his pupils constricting. He couldn’t help but take a step forward, his voice tense, “What did you say—”
Pei Yunshu’s gaze passed over Eldest Senior Brother’s trembling hand. As if his emotion string had truly been severed, he felt neither joy nor sorrow. He lowered his gaze, the warmth of spring in May turned into the cold of February. “Junior Brother has lost his emotion string.”
Third Senior Brother’s teeth clenched, and he felt the taste of blood in his mouth. At this moment, he couldn’t even manage a smile. His face stiffened, and he felt like there was a gaping hole in his chest, with the howling wind sweeping through his entire being. “Junior Brother, please don’t jest with your senior brothers.”
To have lost his emotion string meant the absence of the seven emotions and six desires. Why would their Grandmaster take away his emotion string?
This joke wasn’t funny at all, and it sent shivers down his spine.
After uttering these words, Third Senior Brother saw Pei Yunshu’s dispassionate black eyes, and he gave him a faint look.
Their Grandmaster practiced the ruthless dao, but even practitioners of the ruthless dao didn’t remove their own emotion roots. Why would their Grandmaster take away Fourth Junior Brother’s emotion roots?
Yunman hastily turned to look at Yuncheng, his eyes wide. “Second Senior Brother, is there any way to restore the emotion strings—”
“Can’t do it anymore,” Yuncheng replied with an emotionless face. He had his hands behind his back, appearing completely calm. His eyes, however, were deep and intense, like a storm about to descend. “Fourth Junior Brother, do you truly have no feelings left for your senior brothers at all…?”
Pei Yunshu remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.
When memories were absent, the body still remembered many things for him. When he saw his Senior Brother, he felt fear, and when he saw his Grandmaster, he felt sadness.
He didn’t know what he had forgotten, but the words his Grandmaster had spoken, the memories he had forgotten, must have been excruciatingly painful.
When he was drunk, he had begged his Senior Brother not to break his legs. Looking at himself then, Pei Yunshu found it strange and absurd.
What kind of experiences did he have to go through to become like that?
It certainly couldn’t have been anything good.
While the Grandmaster feared that it would affect his Dao heart, his Master had also once coldly told him, “Yunshu, your Dao heart is unstable.”
It was rather ironic that their master had expressed these concerns for Yunwang, his little junior brother. His Little Junior Brother became the Grandmaster yet the Grandmaster worried his dao heart was unstable.
What could possibly shake his resolve more than his master’s cold words?
The three senior brothers stared at Pei Yunshu, their expressions tense, as if the words he spoke were akin to life-and-death incantations.
As for Pei Yunshu, he felt like he was plummeting into an abyss.
His whole body was cold, and his breath caught.
Yuncheng, with his hands behind his back, had blood seeping from his palm.
The red eyes from his dreams had haunted him for many days. On that day, Junior Brother could still cry with red eyes when he was drunk. However, just a few days later, he had lost his emotion roots.
He pushed Yunman, who was in front of him, aside. He didn’t even pay attention to Yunjing, who was standing dumbfounded nearby, and walked straight up to Pei Yunshu.
The other disciples from different peaks around them also sensed that something was wrong and turned to look in their direction. Someone raised their voice and asked, “Junior Brother, is something wrong?”
Yuncheng ignored them.
As he approached Pei Yunshu, Pei Yunshu glanced at him lightly.
This glance was extremely plain, as if Yuncheng was just an ordinary person within the sect.
It was even less than the way Junior Brother had looked at him when he killed that fox that day.
Yuncheng raised a strand of hair by his ear and brushed it across the side of Pei Yunshu’s pale face, smiling at the corner of his mouth. “Junior Brother, even if Senior Brother does this, do you really have no emotions in your heart?”
A drop of blood from his palm streaked across Fourth Junior Brother’s face, leaving a crimson mark.
Pei Yunshu simply stared at him, not saying a word.
Senior Brothers from other peaks were already frowning and approaching. They whispered lowly, “Yuncheng!”
Yuncheng’s eyes deepened further, and he appeared profoundly mysterious. As if he hadn’t heard the voices of those reprimanding him, he enveloped himself and Pei Yunshu within a barrier. In the midst of the public eye, he seemed dazed for a moment, lowered his head, and approached.
But before his lips could touch Junior Brother’s lips, he froze in place.
Yuncheng lowered his head, Qinyue Sword was sheathed, and pressed coldly against his chest.
In the next moment, his Senior Brothers broke through his barrier with combined effort. They pulled Yuncheng away and used leaves to shield them from the curious gazes of disciples from other sects.
Yuncheng was quietly led away, his black eyes fixed on Pei Yunshu, refusing to look away.
However, Junior Brother’s expression remained unchanged. He didn’t even spare a glance at Yuncheng. After wiping away the blood on his face with a handkerchief, he calmly averted his gaze.
“Yuncheng, have you lost your mind?” A Senior Brother under the sect leader’s command shouted sternly. “What are you trying to do to Yunshu during the Grand Cultivation Event?”
“That’s your junior brother!”
What are you trying to do?
What he was trying to do was something that would stir some emotions in him. Even that day, when Junior Brother had crushed the sect’s wooden plaque and made up his mind to leave the sect, it was still better than his current state.
Yuncheng let out a slow and light chuckle. He was about to speak when a flash of white light streaked across the sky. Their unfeeling and desireless Grandmaster, dressed in white robes, descended onto the platform.
Yuncheng’s laughter came to a halt, and a shadow fell across his face as he looked toward their Grandmaster.
The sect leaders and elders from various sects on the platform quickly stood up and greeted Venerable Wuwang. He nodded slightly in response. Seated in the center, he cast his gaze over the young talents below from various sects and soon spotted Pei Yunshu standing among the crowd.
Pei Yunshu appeared ethereal, with a frosty demeanor. There was no smile on his face, and his eyes revealed neither joy nor anger.
Many disciples looked at him eagerly, hoping for a reaction, but Pei Yunshu seemed completely oblivious to Venerable Wuwang’s arrival. He didn’t even lift his head to glance up.
Venerable Wuwang’s long eyelashes trembled lightly as he lowered his gaze.
After a moment, he couldn’t resist looking in Pei Yunshu’s direction again.
Even as the expressions of his Senior Brothers changed dramatically, Pei Yunshu remained unaffected. He stood still, closed his eyes, and let his spiritual energy circulate throughout his body.
It was as if he had truly become the image that Venerable Wuwang had in mind.
Venerable Wuwang watched him for a long time, and then, as if remembering something, he turned to look behind Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master.
The newly accepted Junior Brother was indeed standing behind Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master. He had a slender figure and a handsome face, with a calm expression as he gazed down below.
The image of Pei Yunshu, blushing, with his arms around his neck, burying his face in his chest, and calling out “Little Junior Brother” softly, flashed in Venerable Wuwang’s mind.
The fingers of Venerable Wuwang trembled.
He couldn’t help but involuntarily imagine what it would be like if the person in Pei Yunshu’s embrace were him, nestled in his arms, their laughter carrying the scent of wine, him calling out, “Little junior brother.”
His face blushing, his features relaxing.
It would indeed be the most beautiful thing.
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