A string of cheerful, silver-bell-like laughter drifted from upstream. A woman drawing water by the river rose curiously to look that way. Before long, she spotted a bundle of dead branches, slowly spinning as it drifted downstream. The laughter came from inside the bundle.
The woman furrowed her brow, seemingly displeased by the child's parents' carelessness—or perhaps their cruelty. Whatever the reason, the child had ended up alone on the river.
The sky was dark and overcast. Rain fell, but it wasn't cold. Sixth Senior Brother, a little bored, leaned against the window and looked toward the house across from him, imagining that some amusing, exasperating scene was unfolding there again.
That was Little Junior Brother Luo Yunji's room. Three years earlier, Shiniang had carried him back from Small Bamboo Peak. Back then, he'd been tiny, soft, and warm, like a big white bun, and he smiled at everyone. He made people want to reach out and pinch him a few times, then take a bite. But now...
At the thought, Sixth Senior Brother couldn't help shivering. He drew a deep breath, then slowly let it out.
"You little brat!!!!" Before Sixth Senior Brother could collect himself, his master's furious roar rang out from the house.
It was an everyday occurrence. If they went a day without hearing their master roar, everyone would find it strange. After getting used to his furious bellowing, when they heard him lecture them, the brothers could face it calmly. They no longer felt the fear and guilt they once had, but instead felt a little touched, thinking their master was so gentle and polite with them. Sometimes, when the brothers gathered and reflected on how their attitude had changed, they sighed and felt they'd become a little abnormal. It was all because of Little Junior Brother! That was the answer they'd all agreed on.
"Get back here!" His voice was strong and full of authority and anger.
"Mom!" A childish scream followed.
"Shiniang! She's my mother. I've told you hundreds of times." The voice rang like an oriole, clear and lovely. Though the words were spoken in annoyance, they made everyone feel cheerful and at ease.
"All right! You make a fuss every day. Hurry up and get into bed!" A gentle voice came from the room. It was Shiniang's. She was always so kind and considerate, and the brothers respected and loved her most. Whenever their master punished them, she always found a way to help. Their master also listened to her more than anyone, so whenever they had a problem, they went to her. It was just like a family, with a stern father, a loving mother, mischievous little siblings, and dependable elder brothers.
"Ah! Mom, Little Junior Brother fell off!"
"Ah! Little Ji, did you hurt yourself?"
"I told you not to call me that." Little Junior Brother Luo Yunji and their master shouted the words at the same time.
"Hurry and let Shiniang check if you're hurt." Shiniang had clearly paid no attention to their protests. Whenever she called Little Junior Brother that, all the brothers wore the same pained expression. They wanted to laugh, but were afraid Shiniang would be displeased, so they could only force themselves to hold it in.
"Enough! Hurry up and get settled. You little brat, lie down and close your eyes. I said close them, so why are they still open?" Their master's booming voice made Sixth Senior Brother's ears itch, even from so far away. He stuck his little finger in his ear, dug around, and kept listening to the commotion in the room.
"You're so loud, you'd wake him up even after he'd fallen asleep," Shiniang scolded, raising her voice.
"I'm not loud! If I'm not loud, I'm afraid he won't hear me," their master replied irritably.
Then came a stretch of silence. Sixth Senior Brother thought perhaps Little Junior Brother had finally tired himself out and was willing to go to sleep. Sure enough, before long, their master and Shiniang came out, helping Junior Sister along between them.
"Sixth, you're still not resting?" Shiniang said with a smile when she saw him leaning on the window and looking over.
"If you can't sleep, then cultivate. You look like you've got nothing to do." Their master must have been full of anger just then, with nowhere to vent it. And now he'd found someone right there in front of him. How could he let the opportunity pass? He definitely wouldn't.
Clattering sounds came from the other rooms, then all was silent. It seemed that in the whole world, only Sixth Senior Brother and his master remained, the latter glaring at him with a bellyful of fury.
"I... was... closing the window. Right, closing the window. Master, Shiniang, Junior Sister, good night." Sixth Senior Brother's eyes darted twice as he quickly came up with an excuse. Then, with a bang, he shut the window, leaving his master with a bellyful of anger and nowhere to vent it.
"You little brats! Not one of you lets me have any peace."
With a bang, a flowerpot outside Sixth Senior Brother's window fell to the ground. Nobody knew whether Sixth Senior Brother had knocked it down while closing the window or whether their master's booming voice had shaken it loose. In any case, it had fallen at the perfect moment, right after their master finished shouting, so...
The brothers had all made a little progress in their cultivation. Even when they were far apart, they could still clearly hear one another's muffled laughter from their beds, unless they deliberately blocked it out.
"All right, hurry back to your room. Ling'er is sleepy too." Shiniang's voice came at just the right time, rescuing the brothers.
"Hmph!" Their master flung his sleeves in annoyance and strode back into the house. Shiniang and Junior Sister followed him inside.
That was their bedtime routine every day since Little Junior Brother had arrived. Even when things went differently, not much changed. It was always warm and comforting, or so all the brothers thought. Of course, their master was the exception.
Sometimes, Sixth Senior Brother really wanted to ask their master whether he was truly angry, or whether he too thought their little everyday moments were warm and comforting. But he didn't dare! Once, he'd egged Eldest Senior Brother on to ask, and then the famously honest Eldest Senior Brother had given him a thorough dressing-down. After that, Sixth Senior Brother gained a whole new understanding of the phrase "honest man."
Time flew, and several years passed in the blink of an eye.
At dawn, he pushed open the window. A breeze brushed his face. Last night's drizzle had dampened not only the ground but the morning air too. The wind carried the fresh scent of grass and earth. He took a deep breath of the clean air.
"Morning."
"Good morning, Second Senior Brother!"
"Hurry up and wash up. Breakfast is ready."
"Yeah! I'll be right there." Sixth Senior Brother stepped out of his room, smiling as he picked up his washing things.
"Little Junior Brother! You big sleepyhead!" Even an oriole's song could hardly rival her cry. The brothers all smiled as they watched Junior Sister bouncing around before them.
"Good morning, Junior Sister!" they greeted her.
"Good morning, Senior Brothers!" Junior Sister stopped and beamed at them.
"Little Junior Brother's still asleep," Fourth Senior Brother said with a mild smile. He was egging her on! Everyone from Big Bamboo Peak knew it, and so did Big Yellow, who was a dog. Junior Sister's favorite thing was to rouse Little Junior Brother from bed, though she'd never once succeeded!
That was precisely why Junior Sister had made waking him up her current goal. She'd been at it for two years already! Everyone watched cheerfully as she dashed into Little Junior Brother's room. A moment later, all sorts of noises came from inside.
"Youth really is wonderful," Eldest Senior Brother said, looking toward Little Junior Brother's room as he listened to the commotion.
The other brothers all looked at him oddly.
Under their stares, Eldest Senior Brother felt a little uncomfortable. He hunched his shoulders and hurriedly explained, "I mean, there's all that noise, and Little Junior Brother can still sleep through it." Everyone understood and looked away. Eldest Senior Brother secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
At the dining table, no one started eating right away. As usual, they waited for Little Junior Brother to arrive, looking thoroughly aggrieved as their furious master hauled him over.
Sure enough, their master tossed Little Junior Brother onto a stool. He was still rubbing his eyes. He seemed to be trying very hard, but those big eyes still didn't want to open.
"Eat!" their master ordered, and everyone got started. Little Junior Brother rubbed one eye with one hand, picked up a spoon with the other, and began to eat in his sleep.
Given Tian Buyi's temperament, Luo Yunji should have been thrown out of Big Bamboo Peak long ago.
But first, this troublesome little disciple had been personally carried back from Small Bamboo Peak by his wife, Su Ru. The people of Small Bamboo Peak all adored him, and whenever they had some free time, their disciples would come in groups of three or five to visit Luo Yunji at Big Bamboo Peak. Though as time passed and Luo Yunji grew older, the disciples of Small Bamboo Peak stopped coming so often;
Second, his wife treated Luo Yunji like her own son, after all, she'd raised him from a tiny newborn to the boy he was now. And on top of that, this little disciple had exceptional talent. Without that final reason, no matter how favored Luo Yunji was, Tian Buyi would have thrown him off Big Bamboo Peak, or simply let him live off the sect while doing nothing, ignoring him completely.
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