In the dining hall, Ye Yun stared in horror at the senior brothers and sisters crowding around him. He'd just endured a round of inhuman torment: his tender little cheeks had been pinched red, and though he couldn't see his backside, the dull ache told him it was probably red, too. Those beasts were just jealous of his talent and taking the chance to get revenge. Yeah, that had to be it.
Thinking this, Ye Yun felt a little better. But when he saw his senior brothers and sisters glaring at him, his heart sank again. They'd bullied him plenty lately. They meant well, but it was still bullying.
"W-what are you going to do? Master and Mistress haven't gone far. You can't bully me like this." Ye Yun glared at the group before him.
Du Bishu smiled warmly. "You're incredible, little junior brother! You've made us proud. I never expected you to be so talented. You'll have to work hard at cultivation from now on. Our future happiness depends on you."
Ye Yun: "??!"
I'm talented, so you have to beat me up? What kind of logic is that? Ye Yun roared inwardly. But when you were under someone else's roof, you had to keep your head down. He didn't dare say what he really thought.
Song Daren noticed the wariness in Ye Yun's eyes and smiled in realization. "Forgive us, little junior brother. We were just so excited that we got a little carried away. But you can't blame us. Great Bamboo Peak hasn't had a disciple with such astonishing talent in a long time. With your gifts, as long as you work hard, in a few years you'll surely surpass us and shine in the sect competition. That'll make Master and Mistress look good, and things will go better for us, too. So, little junior brother, we're counting on you for our future."
Everyone present, except Tian Ling'er and Zhang Xiaofan, gazed at him with "eager anticipation." Feeling his senior brothers' sincerity, Ye Yun "happily accepted" their request. In the end, the group left the dining hall "all smiles." But Ye Yun noticed the fleeting disappointment in Zhang Xiaofan's eyes as he stood at the back of the crowd.
After pinching Ye Yun's chubby cheeks to her heart's content, Tian Ling'er left as well. When everyone else was gone, Ye Yun walked over to Zhang Xiaofan and tugged at his sleeve. In the tone of an adult, he said, "Xiao Fan, talent doesn't mean everything. Sometimes, luck and hard work matter more. After all, even the most talented person will end up ordinary if he never gets a chance. Don't lose heart. You're someone with great fortune. As long as you persevere and never give up, the day will come when you soar. Believe in yourself."
Zhang Xiaofan's eyes lit up. The gloom on his face finally gave way to a smile. "Xiao Yun, thank you. I'll work hard. I won't let Master down."
"Good. I'll head back now. Starting tomorrow, I'll be chopping bamboo, too." Ye Yun waved and walked toward his room.
The main reason Zhang Xiaofan felt so dejected was Ye Yun—or, more precisely, what Tian Buyi had said.
Earlier, Tian Buyi had checked Zhang Xiaofan's cultivation progress and discovered that he hadn't even opened his acupoints. In his anger, he told him what had happened at Tongtian Peak. It turned out there had been two reasons Ye Yun had joined Great Bamboo Peak alongside Zhang Xiaofan. First, Ye Yun was still young and needed a familiar playmate. Lin Jingyu had astonishing talent, and it would be a shame to hold him back. Besides, the other peaks didn't want two exceptionally talented disciples under the same master. Second, Zhang Xiaofan had poor aptitude, while Ye Yun was quite gifted, so Ye Yun was a suitable consolation for accepting Zhang Xiaofan. Great Bamboo Peak also had very few disciples, so the two of them had been sent there together.
Tian Buyi's words had indeed hurt Zhang Xiaofan, but they'd also stirred his competitive spirit and driven him to cultivate harder. Now Ye Yun's words had finally untied the knot in his heart.
That's right. My talent might be a little lacking, but if I work hard, I can catch up. And I have two masters and two cultivation methods—twice as much as other people. If I put in the effort, one day I'll surpass them and make Master see me in a new light. Zhang Xiaofan silently encouraged himself.
Ye Yun had no idea his words had eased Zhang Xiaofan's worries and turned his grief into motivation, making him work even harder. By then, he had returned to his room and sat cross-legged on his bed, beginning another round of cultivation.
The next morning, Ye Yun woke to the clear chirping of birds. After stretching for a long moment, he quickly got up and dressed. He'd learned how to put on these old-fashioned clothes by now.
Once dressed, Ye Yun chewed on a willow twig, dipped it in salt, and cleaned his teeth. Before Tian Ling'er could come looking for him, he hurried to the kitchen. Influenced by Ye Yun, Great Bamboo Peak had changed from eating two meals a day to three. Breakfast was usually porridge, not as lavish as lunch and dinner, but still far better than having to do morning chores on an empty stomach like the disciples of other peaks.
Du Bishu had been in charge of the kitchen before. Now that Ye Yun and Zhang Xiaofan had joined, there was one more Zhang Xiaofan to help out. When Ye Yun arrived, Zhang Xiaofan was holding a big bowl and drinking steaming meat porridge, while Du Bishu was frying some side dishes.
Breakfast wasn't required to be a group meal, so Zhang Xiaofan usually ate first, then went off alone to chop bamboo. Tian Ling'er and Ye Yun came afterward. Since Tian Ling'er's favorite pastime lately was teasing Ye Yun, she and Zhang Xiaofan weren't as close as they had been in the original story.
When Zhang Xiaofan saw Ye Yun come in, he set down his chopsticks, took a clean bowl from the side, filled it with porridge, and handed it to him. Ye Yun accepted it without fuss, thanked him, and slowly drank. By the time Zhang Xiaofan finished eating and picked up his hatchet to go chop bamboo, half of Ye Yun's porridge was still in his bowl. Just as he was about to hurry up and finish it, he suddenly realized the bowl in his hands had vanished.
He looked up to see a pretty figure smiling as she held his bowl. What made Ye Yun angriest was that she blew on the porridge, took a sip to check the temperature, then finished it in just a few mouthfuls and handed him back the empty bowl.
"Little junior sister, why are you bullying little junior brother again?" Song Daren's warm voice came from the doorway.
"What do you mean, bullying him? Xiao Yun gave it to me willingly. If you don't believe me, ask him. Isn't that right, Xiao Yun?" Tian Ling'er retorted loudly, her lovely eyes fixed on Ye Yun, the threat in them unmistakable.
"Eldest senior brother, Senior Sister is right. I set it aside for her on purpose. Sixth Senior Brother, I'd like another bowl." Faced with the threat of the wicked, Ye Yun caved without hesitation. What could he do? He was small and weak, and no match for her!
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