Call me senior brother Xuanji

Zhiguan hesitated, then nodded. He took out paper and a brush and wrote, "I don't eat much. One bowl will do."

Chi Yu smiled. "I understand."

So he made a little less food.

Xiaoqiu looked Zhiguan over and asked bluntly, "Are you mute? Why don't you talk?"

Chi Yu called out to him. "Xiaoqiu, he's practicing silent meditation. We're studying in a Chan school now. Broaden your thinking!"

Zhiguan froze, then couldn't help laughing. He bowed with his hands clasped and nodded, indicating that he was indeed practicing silent meditation.

Chi Yu said smugly, "See? I knew it. You can't just look at the surface of things. You have to understand them in context. Got it?"

Looking enlightened, Xiaoqiu said, "I understand."

After the meal, Chi Yu went to wash the dishes. Seeing Lianchi approaching with a cultivator, he greeted him. "Senior brother Lianchi, what brings you here?"

Lianchi smiled when he saw him and brought the cultivator over. "Junior brother Aotian, let me introduce you. This is junior brother Qingxuan, a newcomer to our Dao Di Chan Abode. He just passed the Mind-Certifying Terrace today. His aptitude is quite good, so the Chan master asked me to bring him over and settle him in."

Chi Yu looked up at the cultivator. His looks went without saying-there were no unattractive cultivators in the cultivation world-but this cultivator was particularly handsome, with cool, aloof features that gave him a distinct charm.

Terms like "aloof master" and "aloof Buddha-son" instantly flashed through Chi Yu's mind. Oh my, this is a rare type.

A brilliant smile spread across Chi Yu's face. "Hello, senior brother Qingxuan. My Dharma name is Long Aotian. You can call me Aotian or junior brother Long. It doesn't matter. Whatever you like."

"Junior brother Long." Qingxuan gave him a reserved nod. His expression held no warmth; he maintained his aloofness to the end.

Chi Yu didn't mind. He told Lianchi, "Senior brother Lianchi, since you have things to do, go ahead. If you have time, I'll treat you to a cup of tea before you head back."

Lianchi cheerfully agreed.

Chi Yu carried the basin inside.

Lianchi led Qingxuan behind Chi Yu's quarters. There was another dwelling not far away at the foot of the mountain, in a very peaceful, elegant setting. Lianchi enjoyed conversation and company, or he wouldn't have struck up a conversation with Chi Yu. He told Qingxuan, "That junior brother just now has exceptional spiritual insight. He arrived a little before you and has a very lively personality. Your quarters aren't far apart, so you can visit him occasionally. Just talking to him will lift your spirits."

Qingxuan considered this and asked, "Is the Anuttara Buddhist Sect's Buddha-son at the Dao Di Chan Abode?"

Lianchi said, "Oh, you mean senior brother Xuanji. Never mind him. He's proud and rather difficult to get along with. You needn't waste your effort."

Then he laughed. "But senior brother Xuanji does get along quite well with junior brother Aotian. I've seen them chatting and laughing together. It makes sense, really. Junior brother Aotian has a likable personality and spiritual insight, and he's full of witty remarks. Talking to him is always interesting, and you always come away with a little insight. I suppose gifted people like them all enjoy spending time together."

Qingxuan said, "There's no need to belittle yourself, senior brother. Anyone who can enter the Dao Di Chan Abode can hardly have mediocre aptitude."

Lianchi said good-naturedly, "Even among the talented, there are those more talented, and among those, there are the most talented of all. When it comes to aptitude, there's always someone better. Even in the Dao Di Chan Dormitory, some have greater aptitude than others. Senior brother Xuanji has been at the dormitory for three years, and he's already refined four Buddha Bones and entered Second Chan. He's the only one who's progressed that fast. We haven't even begun refining a single Buddha Bone."

"Although Venerable Shangshan says he has a Rebellious Bone, a demonic heart, and an obsessive heart, as long as he refines all 108 Buddha Bones, a few flaws in the Buddha-son won't matter much."

Qingxuan fell silent and said no more.

Noticing something amiss in his expression, Lianchi didn't think much of it and reassured him, "Your senior brother is at the Bitter Truth Chan Abode, and his quarters aren't far from here either. If you're worried, I'll have a junior brother choose better quarters for him later."

Qingxuan said, "Thank you, senior brother. Although my senior brother is older than me, he acts without any restraint. I need to keep a closer eye on him. If possible, I'd like to live with him."

Looking troubled, Lianchi said, "That would go against the rules."

Qingxuan wasn't surprised and gave up readily. "Then never mind."

Lianchi took him to his quarters. On his way back, he remembered what Chi Yu had said and stopped by his place for a cup of tea.

Chi Yu asked him, "What's the new senior brother's cultivation level? Golden Core Realm?"

Lianchi laughed. "There aren't that many Golden Core Realm cultivators around. Like you, he's at Foundation Establishment, though he's at its peak, just one step away from Golden Core. Perhaps he's having trouble advancing and came to Zizai Continent to try his luck."

Chi Yu said, "I see."

Lianchi shared some gossip with him. "He has a senior brother with quite a temper. When he came out of the Mind-Certifying Terrace and saw that he'd been assigned to the Suffering Truth Class, he made a fuss and demanded another assessment. Doesn't that just prove his temperament is poor? Did he really need another assessment? Everyone was watching, wasn't he? The Chan master was displeased and assigned him to a large shared dormitory full of powerful cultivators. They should be able to temper that personality of his."

Chi Yu asked, "How? They can't fight, can they?"

Lianchi laughed. "Of course not. The Chan Sect expressly forbids fighting. Anyone who breaks that rule is expelled immediately. Think about it-the Chan Sect charges nothing and even hands out cultivation resources every month. Who would want to leave? Naturally, everyone behaves and follows the rules."

"But," Lianchi paused, then said, "if someone is goaded into striking first, that's another matter."

Understanding dawned on Chi Yu, and he couldn't help laughing. "I see."

After sharing the gossip, Lianchi looked around Chi Yu's quarters. Seeing the two children sitting to one side eating snacks, he laughed. "Junior brother Aotian, you certainly have it easy, raising two children in your quarters."

Chi Yu introduced them. "This is Xiaoqiu, and this is Zhiguan. He's here to study too. You must have seen him before, senior brother Lianchi? We're all fellow students."

Lianchi looked at Zhiguan and remembered. "Oh! It's you! The little stutterer!"

Zhiguan's face instantly flushed red, and he glared at him furiously.

Startled, Lianchi awkwardly made an excuse and fled.

Xiaoqiu said quietly, "Little stutterer? You weren't really practicing silent meditation, were you?"

Zhiguan: "..."

He immediately burst into angry tears, glistening droplets pattering down his face.

The sight broke Chi Yu's heart. He went over and pulled him into his arms, patting his back firmly to comfort him. "Oh, don't cry. It's nothing, nothing at all. Don't cry."

Nestled in Chi Yu's warm embrace, Zhiguan slowly stopped crying and couldn't help smiling shyly.

Seeing him get a hug from Chi Yu and then smile like that, Xiaoqiu froze. He hadn't cared much about him before, but now he grew angry too-

Sneaky! Devious! Tricking him into giving you a hug!

Bad guy! You're awful!

Author's note:

Xiaoqiu: I'm the only little sidekick allowed!

Little Puppy Fish: That's not how it works.

Turns slightly, revealing an entire company behind him (x

Chapter 28: Call me senior brother Xuanji

Once Chi Yu had comforted Zhiguan, he wiped away his tears and asked, "So you really do stutter?"

Zhiguan stole a look at his expression. Seeing only concern on his face, he hesitated before slowly nodding.

Chi Yu lowered his voice and asked quietly, "Do you want to change that?"

Zhiguan blushed with embarrassment. He looked as tall as a twelve- or thirteen-year-old, but he was actually a year younger than Xiaoqiu, only nine. He had left home for Zizai Continent at such a young age and relied entirely on himself. After all, he was a cultivator, and cultivators weren't judged by age. Even at nine, he could take care of himself.

Seeing his hesitation, Chi Yu smiled and said, "If you want to change it, it's not actually that difficult. Taking the first step is the hardest part. If you trust me, I'll talk you through it. It would be such a shame not to speak just because you stutter."

Xiaoqiu ate snacks beside them, feeling rather indignant. After a while, Zhiguan nodded at Chi Yu.

Chi Yu reached out and patted his back. "You're so brave! You deserve praise for that!"

Then he told Xiaoqiu behind him, "Xiaoqiu, go outside for a bit. I need to talk to him."

Xiaoqiu opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing. He glared at Zhiguan and ran outside.

Zhiguan found it rather baffling, but didn't dwell on it. Chi Yu said to him, "Come on, say a few things to me first?"

Zhiguan hesitated again. After a while, under Chi Yu's encouraging gaze, he slowly spoke. "Wh-what, what do you you want me to to s-say?"

Not only did he stutter, he also seemed unable to catch his breath, needing long pauses before he could say the next word.

There was also something wrong with his articulation. Chi Yu opened his mouth to look and discovered that his tongue was shorter than it should have been. From its shape, it was clearly congenital. He was rather puzzled. Were there really congenital developmental problems even in the cultivation world?

The tongue was crucial to speech. If it was too short, some sounds might be impossible to produce, or speech might be unclear.

Chi Yu felt things had become a little troublesome. This condition could only change when Zhiguan reached the Golden Core Realm and reshaped his body.

Still, it wasn't a big problem.

Chi Yu said optimistically, "It's all right. It's not a big problem. I think you're speaking quite clearly already. It's a minor issue. You can start by getting out one word at a time, build your confidence, then slowly add more words. You mustn't be afraid to speak. The more frightened you are, the harder it will be."

Looking at his smiling face, Zhiguan couldn't help smiling too and nodded firmly.

Chi Yu said, "You can't just nod."

Zhiguan paused, then said, "Okay!"

Chi Yu showered him with praise. "Wasn't that great? So much spirit! That's how you do it! Fantastic! Who's the most amazing person in the world? Yes, that's right! It's you, little student Zhiguan!"

His impassioned tone and praise left Zhiguan stunned. Encouragement-based education had never been popular in the cultivation world, which always emphasized talent, aptitude, and cultivation. Despite his good aptitude, he had suffered considerable mockery and suppression within his clan because of his stutter. He had never experienced anything like Chi Yu's approach, and his spirits couldn't help lifting considerably. He bowed to him with clasped hands and smiled.

Meanwhile, Xiaoqiu ran furiously into Xie Xiyi's palace and grumbled to him, "Your Highness! That Zhiguan plays the victim and uses dirty tricks. I've never met anyone like him!"