Troubled Senior Brothers

Just as Su Ru was deep in thought and filled with anxiety, a soft snoring sound drifted through the air. Su Ru followed the noise, shook her head with a wry smile, carried the person to the bed, tucked him in, and then headed to the main hall to wait for her husband so they could discuss the matter properly.

It was not long before Tian Buyi walked in with a sullen expression. Seeing Su Ru sitting in the hall, he paused, "Didn't you go to Small Bamboo Peak?"

"Never mind that for now! Come to the bedroom, I have something to tell you." Su Ru's face was etched with anxiety. Tian Buyi suppressed his confusion and followed her into the bedroom, only to see his youngest disciple sleeping soundly on the bed.

"Why is this little brat sleeping here?" Tian Buyi was displeased. He was old enough now; why was he still so willful?

"Forget about that! Look at this!" Su Ru pulled Tian Buyi down to sit and shoved the piece of Qilin Horn into his hand.

"What is this?" It looked familiar, but he couldn't place it at all. Tian Buyi asked curiously.

"A Qilin Horn!" Su Ru whispered back.

"What?" Tian Buyi didn't know if he hadn't heard clearly or if he simply couldn't believe it.

"The Spirit Venerable's horn!" Su Ru raised her voice slightly.

"How did you get it?" This time, it was Tian Buyi's turn to lower his voice.

"Your precious disciple snapped it off today!" Su Ru glanced at the bed and replied.

Looking at the little disciple still sleeping obliviously on the bed, Tian Buyi was skeptical. "This thing—even if I used my full strength and my Scarlet Flame, I couldn't cut it. What kind of treasure could that kid possibly have to sever the Spirit Venerable's horn?" Tian Buyi found it completely unbelievable.

"Then what do you say this is?" Su Ru glared at him, pointing at the Qilin Horn in his hand.

After a moment of silence, Tian Buyi still shook his head. "I still don't believe it."

"But I saw it in Little Ji's hand at the Jade Purity Hall. I asked him, and he said it was the horn from the Spirit Venerable's head!"

"So that's why you ran back in such a panic?" Tian Buyi finally understood the reason for Su Ru's unseemly behavior at the Jade Purity Hall.

"Was it that obvious?" Su Ru's face flushed, and she asked with embarrassment.

"Extremely obvious!"

"Never mind that. What are we going to do now?"

"Do about what?"

"The Spirit Venerable! The horn on the Spirit Venerable's head! If people find out, Little Ji is finished!"

"Wouldn't it be fine if we just didn't let anyone know?" Tian Buyi replied as if it were nothing.

"How can we keep something like this a secret!" Seeing her husband's nonchalant attitude, Su Ru scolded him loudly.

"Should I tell the Senior Brother the truth? Should I go and offer an apology?" Tian Buyi wondered.

"What if the Sect Leader doesn't agree?"

"Then what do you suggest?" Tian Buyi picked up the teapot from the table and poured a cup of water for himself and Su Ru.

"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking you!" Su Ru was truly angry, glaring at her husband.

"Alright, alright! I know you're worried about Yun Ji, but it's already done, and worrying won't help!" Tian Buyi coaxed.

"Worrying might not help, but we still need to find a solution!" Su Ru's eyes were red with anxiety.

"I know! Don't worry. The kid will be fine. The Sect Leader examined him today. Do you know? This little brat has already cultivated the Taiji Mystic Purity Dao to the fifth level. The Sect Leader even praised him. Five levels in three years—do you know what that means? It means that as long as it isn't something unforgivable like betraying the sect, he will be fine no matter what trouble he causes!"

"Is snapping off the Spirit Venerable's horn considered a minor, forgivable mistake?" Although Su Ru was happy to hear of her young disciple's progress, the problem at hand remained unsolved.

"This... I suppose only the Senior Brother can decide."

"Then that means there's still no solution!!" Su Ru was frantic.

"Why don't you take Ling'er and Yun Ji to hide at your Senior Sister's place?"

"Hide! How are we supposed to hide!" Su Ru glared at Tian Buyi. "Forget it, I'll go to my Senior Sister's and think of a way. No, I'm going now!" With that, she picked up the little fatty from the bed and hurried out of the bedroom.

"Hey! When will you be back?" Seeing his wife's panicked retreating figure, Tian Buyi shouted.

"When I think of a solution, I'll come back!" Su Ru's angry voice drifted from afar. Tian Buyi sniffed, curled his lip, and ignored it. When he saw the Qilin Horn still clutched in his hand, he looked around guiltily like a thief before hiding it away.

"Master, didn't Mistress go to Small Bamboo Peak this morning? I thought I just saw her?" After Song Daren had finished arranging the new disciple who had just joined the sect according to Tian Buyi's instructions, he came to report, only to see the Mistress carrying the Junior Brother and pulling the Junior Sister along as they left in a hurry.

"Oh! Your Mistress came back to get some things, don't worry about her." Tian Buyi picked up his teacup and took a sip. He had been startled by his youngest disciple earlier and had talked so much with his wife that he was quite thirsty now.

"The new disciple has been settled in! Though he is still unconscious." Song Daren picked up the teapot and refilled Tian Buyi's cup.

"Let it be! We'll talk about it when he wakes up!" Tian Buyi smiled happily at the thought of his youngest disciple's cultivation progress. "Daren!"

"Master!" Song Daren replied, though he wondered to himself, Back at the Jade Purity Hall, Master was still in a foul mood and seemed unwilling to take that child in. Now, I wonder what could have happened to make him so happy.

"You must work hard! Your Junior Brother has already cultivated the Taiji Mystic Purity Dao to the fifth level!"

"What! When did this happen? How come none of us knew?" Song Daren asked, looking at Tian Buyi with both surprise and joy.

"Hmph! You expect that muddle-headed Junior Brother of yours to know anything? If the Sect Leader hadn't noticed, I'm afraid even he would still be in the dark." Tian Buyi felt irritated just thinking about it; how oblivious could one be to not know what level their own cultivation had reached!

"Master! You... didn't notice either?" Song Daren asked softly.

"With the way he is, carrying a wood-chopping axe to the back mountain every day, only to sleep on the rocks—he only knows how to come back for meals on time. With that behavior, if I told you his cultivation had improved, would you believe me?"

Song Daren thought about it and nodded in agreement. "Junior Brother is indeed too muddle-headed."

"Alright! You may go now!"

"Yes! Master!" Song Daren acknowledged and retreated.

In the courtyard, several junior brothers were talking among themselves, all waiting for Eldest Senior Brother to come out so they could ask what had happened in Jade Purity Hall.

Once Song Daren came out, everyone hurriedly gathered around him.

"You're all in for more suffering again!" Song Daren said, looking at everyone except He Dazhi.

"What's going on?" Fifth Senior Brother asked with a frown.

"Little Junior Brother's Taiji Mystic Purity Dao has broken through to the fifth level," Song Daren said. Even he felt a bit of pressure now.

"What! That little monster spends every day either eating or sleeping, and he doesn't even do his lessons properly. How did he break through?" Sixth Senior Brother shouted, both envious and jealous.

"How did he break through? Right there in Jade Purity Hall?" Fourth Senior Brother asked curiously.

"Not exactly. From Master's tone, it seemed even Little Junior Brother himself didn't know when he'd broken through!"

"That bizarre!" Second Senior Brother Wu Dayi cried in surprise.

"Hurry up and cultivate! Especially you lot—even Junior Sister has broken through to the fourth level. As her senior brothers, shouldn't you be making the most of your time?"

"It's not like we want this! Who told those two to be such little freaks?" Sixth Senior Brother said gloomily, his face crumpling.

The others felt exactly the same and kept nodding.

"All you know how to do is clown around. Hurry up and go cultivate!" Song Daren felt much the same, too. It seemed he really would have to push his junior brothers even harder in their cultivation.