Nan Huairen might have been envious, but he had no desire to become a sacrifice to Moon Vortex Sun. Everyone knew that once one cultivated this technique and fell into it, it was difficult to emerge again; in the end, one would become useless!
Li Qiye merely smiled at Nan Huairen's astonishment and said nothing more.
The next day, Li Qiye rose early as usual to cultivate. But the moment he opened his door, there was someone standing outside. The person stood there silently and soundlessly, startling even the ever-composed Li Qiye.
It was an old man who looked to be in his fifties or sixties. He wore coarse hemp clothes, his face thin and beardless, his aged eyes bright and keen. Though advanced in years, his back was ramrod straight, and he was brimming with vigor.
"Senior Brother, good morning." The old man was quite respectful upon seeing Li Qiye and bowed his head to greet him.
"Uh—" Li Qiye was instantly speechless. Even he, who had always been calm and unhurried, could not help but stare blankly for a moment. It was understandable enough for Nan Huairen to call him Senior Brother, but this old man in his fifties or sixties was calling a boy of thirteen or fourteen Senior Brother. No matter how one looked at it, it made no sense.
After being speechless for a while, Li Qiye came back to himself and said, "Old sir, you must be mistaken. I'm not your Senior Brother."
The old man looked around, then looked at Li Qiye and said, "This is Lone Peak, correct?"
"Yes." Li Qiye could only answer honestly. If not for the old man's clear-minded appearance, he would have thought he had encountered a lunatic.
"You are Li Qiye, the Chief Disciple of our Washing Yan Ancient Sect, correct?" The old man continued looking at Li Qiye as he spoke.
Li Qiye could only obediently answer, "That's right, I am Li Qiye."
The old man smiled and nodded earnestly and solemnly. "Then there is no mistake. Since this is Lone Peak, and you are the Chief Disciple, then you must be my Senior Brother."
"Uh—" Li Qiye was speechless again. He could now be certain that the other party had not mistaken him for someone else, but having an old man in his fifties or sixties call him Senior Brother made him feel strange all over, thoroughly uncomfortable.
"Sorry, sorry, I came late." At that moment, Nan Huairen popped out. He rushed over, panting for breath, and gave an awkward laugh.
When Nan Huairen arrived and saw Li Qiye and the old man deadlocked at the doorway, he could not help giving an awkward laugh. Then he introduced them to each other, saying, "Eldest Senior Brother, this is Second Senior Brother. Second Senior Brother, this is—"
"I know, he is Eldest Senior Brother." Before Nan Huairen could finish, the old man interrupted him, speaking with absolute certainty and earnestness.
"Uh—Second Junior Brother—" Li Qiye was speechless for a long while, his mind unable to react for a moment.
The old man nodded, revealing a kindly smile. "Senior Brother, my name is Tu Buyu. I am Master's second disciple. Senior Brother is the Chief Disciple of our Washing Yan Ancient Sect, the Eldest Senior Brother of all third-generation disciples."
That kindly smile made Li Qiye's scalp prickle. He wanted to howl, Sir, I'm only thirteen or fourteen! You're already in your fifties or sixties, so stop pretending to be young in front of me and calling yourself Junior Brother!
With great difficulty, Li Qiye invited his junior brother Tu Buyu inside. Then he hurriedly pulled Nan Huairen aside, glared at him, and asked, "What is going on here?" A junior brother in his fifties or sixties had suddenly appeared; this was truly more than he could bear.
"Uh—" Nan Huairen was at a loss for words for a moment. In the end, he could only say, "Senior Brother, some time ago, I—I told you that Second Senior Brother would be returning soon."
Of course Li Qiye knew that his second junior brother was returning. Nan Huairen had mentioned it before, but he had not taken it to heart. At the time, he had assumed that Su Yonghuang, the sect master's second disciple, would only be in his twenties or thirties, perhaps forty at most. Yet this second junior brother before him, regardless of his actual age, looked to be about sixty. A second junior brother around sixty had suddenly appeared, leaving Li Qiye rather depressed.
"Senior Brother, he truly is Senior Brother Tu Buyu, the sect master's second disciple," Nan Huairen said with great certainty. In fact, the sect master had only one disciple beneath him: Tu Buyu! Li Qiye had only recently become a disciple under the sect master as well.
Li Qiye could not help falling silent. Up to now, he had not even met Su Yonghuang, the master whose name he bore, yet a sixty-year-old junior brother had already appeared.
Still, this was fact. He could not exactly refuse to acknowledge Tu Buyu as his junior brother. As the Chief Disciple, he was the Eldest Senior Brother of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect's younger generation. Regardless of age, everyone had to call him Eldest Senior Brother.
"How many more junior brothers this old does our Washing Yan Ancient Sect have?" Li Qiye could not help glancing at Nan Huairen. He was a boy of thirteen or fourteen; just imagining a crowd of old men surrounding him and calling him Senior Brother was unbearable.
"Just this one," Nan Huairen said with an awkward laugh.
Hearing this, Li Qiye finally let out a breath of relief. He walked over to Tu Buyu and asked, "When did Junior Brother Tu return? Has Master returned as well?"
"In reply to Senior Brother, I returned alone. I only arrived today..." Tu Buyu answered earnestly, wearing his kindly smile.
Li Qiye cut him off and said, "Junior Brother, you are already an old man in your fifties or sixties. Being this humble is going to shorten my life..."
"In reply to Senior Brother, I am one thousand six hundred and seventy-five years old this year..." Tu Buyu said earnestly with a kindly smile.
With a smack, Li Qiye nearly lost his footing upon hearing this. He staggered and almost fell to the ground. Li Qiye was not the only one who nearly fell; Nan Huairen staggered too!
"Y-you, say that again—" Li Qiye nearly choked on his own saliva. An old man over a thousand years old was calling him Senior Brother, while he looked only thirteen or fourteen! Was there such an ancient junior brother?
"I am one thousand six hundred and seventy-five years old..." Tu Buyu repeated, still earnest and kindly.
Upon hearing that age, Li Qiye glared at Nan Huairen. Nan Huairen was equally innocent; he had never known Tu Buyu was so old. He had always believed that his second senior brother was only in his fifties or sixties.
"Senior Brother, are you all right? Shall I pour you a cup of water..." Seeing Li Qiye's choking expression, Tu Buyu asked earnestly and kindly.
Li Qiye came back to himself, cut Tu Buyu off, and wailed, "Sir, stop calling yourself Junior Brother! If you keep calling yourself Junior Brother, my goosebumps will fall all over the floor. First, I'm only thirteen, while you are over a thousand years old. If you keep calling yourself Junior Brother, you'll shorten my life. Second, and this is the most important point! Sir, are you deliberately trying to pretend to be young in front of me? I'm thirteen, yet you're over a thousand and still calling yourself Junior Brother in front of me. Aren't you trying to make me sound old? Do I look that old? Huairen, do I look that old?"
Li Qiye's near-mad appearance made Nan Huairen laugh. Li Qiye had always been calm and composed; this was the first time he had seen him so frantic.
However, under Li Qiye's murderous glare, Nan Huairen could only suppress his smile. Inside, he was already laughing himself inside out. This was also the first time he had learned that Second Senior Brother was so old!
"Since Senior Brother has instructed it, Junior Brother... no, I shall respectfully comply rather than stand on ceremony." Tu Buyu readily accepted the advice, his kindly smile never leaving his face.
"Junior Brother Tu's decision is wise and mighty!" Li Qiye was extremely satisfied with Tu Buyu's readiness to take good advice, and he nodded.
Tu Buyu smiled as well. "When it comes to wisdom and might, I am inferior to Senior Brother."
Tu Buyu's words immediately left Nan Huairen speechless. He considered himself smooth and sophisticated, skilled at reading people's thoughts, yet Tu Buyu was even better at flattering others. It seemed he had met his match.
Li Qiye laughed. Of course, he did not take it seriously. Tu Buyu was quite an interesting person. Someone who had lived for over a thousand years and could still face a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old boy like him and call him Senior Brother—such a person was either incomparably sinister or exceedingly interesting.
Of course, no sort of person could escape Li Qiye's discerning eyes. He had seen countless people; when it came to judging people, how many could evade his keen gaze? Otherwise, how could he have raised an invincible existence like Immortal Emperor Mingren?
Li Qiye only exchanged a few hurried words with Tu Buyu before sending him away. In truth, he did not care why Tu Buyu had returned and could not be bothered to ask. To him, none of it mattered. He had only one goal now: strengthen himself and rebuild the Washing Yan Ancient Sect. Whoever blocked his path would be killed without mercy!
If the appearance of a junior brother like Tu Buyu had left Li Qiye speechless and amused, then the news Nan Huairen brought the next day did surprise him somewhat.
The next day, Nan Huairen and his master, Protector Mo, personally came to Lone Peak. They brought Li Qiye a piece of news: Li Shuangyan, the princess of the Nine Sacred Demon Gate, would arrive at the Washing Yan Ancient Sect tomorrow.
As the person in charge of the marriage alliance between the two sects, Protector Mo had always handled this matter. When Li Shuangyan was to visit the Washing Yan Ancient Sect, the Nine Sacred Demon Gate had sent someone to deliver the news to Protector Mo.
"It is good that she is coming. Best if she has thought it through; if she has not, it does not matter." Li Qiye was rather surprised. He had thought that the Nine Sacred Demon Gate would watch and wait for ten years or eight, but he had not expected Li Shuangyan to come to the Washing Yan Ancient Sect in less than a year.
Of course, if the Nine Sacred Demon Gate truly intended to wait and see for ten years or eight, then they would have no part to play in the future! By then, his wings would be fully grown, and he would not need the Nine Sacred Demon Gate as decoration. What he needed were assistants and allies who delivered charcoal in the snow, not allies who added flowers atop brocade!
Protector Mo was not in a position to ask Li Qiye personally, so he gave Nan Huairen a meaningful look. Under his master's command, Nan Huairen could only brace himself and ask, "Senior Brother, what if—what if Princess Li is willing to stay in our Washing Yan Ancient Sect? Will you truly make her a Sword Servant?"
Before you continue