Although Xiao Lingyu had resolved to visit Chu Mingwei, going to the Reflection Peak was far from easy for a six-year-old. The greatest obstacle came from his master, Wu Yunzi.
With the sect’s five-yearly grand competition drawing near, Wu Yunzi was busy every day and could only spare time to instruct Wu Chun to look after his young disciple. Upon hearing that Xiao Lingyu wanted to go to Reflection Peak, his first reaction was a firm “no,” for no one could accompany the child. What? Letting the disciple go alone? Wu Yunzi immediately dismissed the idea. The previous incident in the restricted area had already caused him considerable worry, and Reflection Peak was dangerously close to that forbidden zone—what if something happened? Besides, Xiao Lingyu was only six years old. Even with a transportation immortal crane, Wu Yunzi could not bear to let the boy ride there alone.
Faced with his master’s refusal, Xiao Lingyu could only step back silently. He couldn’t exactly tell Wu Yunzi, Master, last time in the forbidden area I deliberately planned it, I won’t be that foolish twice. And as for the immortal crane, he couldn’t even mention it—since arriving at Yilan Peak, he had never ridden it. Previously, he had Chu Mingwei’s brand of external transportation device, but later he was confined to Yilan Peak and didn’t even set foot at its base. In the eyes of others, Xiao Lingyu simply could not operate the crane. Under such circumstances, he couldn’t just claim that his extraordinary talent meant he could ride it.
Because of these obstacles, it wasn’t until Meng Fan came once more in place of Chu Mingwei to visit him that Xiao Lingyu could finally go to Reflection Peak.
Standing atop the enormous dice, even with memories from two lifetimes, Xiao Lingyu couldn’t help but glance around curiously. Turning his treasure into a dice—what a genius idea. In a battle, the moment your opponent sees a dice, they would be momentarily stunned, giving you the perfect opportunity to strike. The more Xiao Lingyu thought about it, the more brilliant the idea seemed, and he began to ponder what unique form he could craft for his own treasures in the future.
The old spirit scoffed, “You could forge a full set of pots and pans. Everyone would immediately know it’s a foodie, and the shock value would be even greater.”
Xiao Lingyu snorted coldly. “Do you take me for that stupid pig?”
“Speaking of which, you should give Lingxi Pig a proper name. Calling it ‘stupid pig’ every day—careful it doesn’t get even dumber.”
Xiao Lingyu frowned. “How about Xiao Bai? Simple and clear.”
The old spirit scratched his ear. “Naming Lingxi Pig ‘Xiao Bai’ is just like when you were called ‘Dog Egg’ back then. What do you think?”
Xiao Lingyu waved it off. “If Xiao Bai has objections to its name, it can come to me itself. You don’t need to intervene.”
The old spirit, blocked mid-complaint, grumbled in revenge, calling him “Xiao Dog Egg” several times.
Watching his little junior first gaze around excitedly and then put on a thoughtful expression, Meng Fan couldn’t help but ask, “Little junior, what are you thinking about?”
Taking advantage of the moment, Xiao Lingyu kicked the old spirit out of his mind and shared his recent idea, then earnestly asked, “When I forge treasures in the future, how can I make their forms so surprising that no one expects them?”
Xiao Lingyu’s question made Meng Fan’s face darken. He could already imagine the disaster that would ensue if the eldest brother learned of his little junior’s current thoughts. Seeing the serious expression, Meng Fan groaned inwardly and could only chatter on aimlessly, discussing various possibilities with him, while repeatedly warning him not to mention such things in front of the eldest brother.
Xiao Lingyu, catching Meng Fan’s concern, feigned innocence. “Meng Shixiong, why can’t we tell the eldest brother? He treats me so well; I don’t want to hide anything from him.”
Meng Fan could only stare at the obedient little junior with helpless exasperation. How could he explain that the eldest brother fears he might lead the boy astray, adding threats toward him? The dice treasure had already infuriated the eldest brother before; if the junior now crafted something even more bizarre, the eldest brother might skip directly to punishing Meng Fan himself.
After turning the thought over in his mind, Meng Fan resorted to coaxing and trickery: “Little junior, actually, back then the eldest brother really liked dice-shaped treasures. But because he had to set an example for the other disciples, he gave the concept to me. It’s a sore point for him. You love the eldest brother so much; you surely wouldn’t want to bring up this sad memory, would you?”
Xiao Lingyu stared at Meng Fan’s expression—‘we’re all doing this for the eldest brother’—and was dumbfounded, almost wanting to shake him and shout, “Are you really the same Meng Fan who tricked me so many times last life? This excuse is too much! Do you take me for an idiot?”
The old spirit popped out again, unwilling to be ignored: “A six-year-old kid? In his eyes, you’re nothing but an easily amused fool.”
Xiao Lingyu was already used to the old spirit’s antics and ignored him.
Suppressing his surprise, Xiao Lingyu immediately wore a sad expression and accused Meng Fan, “Meng Shixiong, how can you do this? You know this is the eldest brother’s sore point, so why keep using the treasure? Won’t it make him even sadder?”
Looking at the accusing little face, Meng Fan felt as if he was about to spit out a mouthful of blood.
Seeing no way to explain, Meng Fan admitted defeat and confessed to Xiao Lingyu that he was a bad person, promising never to use the treasure again to upset the eldest brother. Watching Meng Fan’s miserable expression, Xiao Lingyu darkly smiled.
All the frustrations of the previous life with Meng Fan vanished instantly.
In high spirits, Xiao Lingyu soon arrived at Reflection Peak. The watery barrier slowly parted, and he saw Chu Mingwei standing behind it, smiling sincerely.
Chu Mingwei was pleasantly surprised at Xiao Lingyu’s arrival. Though he verbally warned that Reflection Peak was perilous and desolate, urging the little junior not to come again, his smile could not be concealed.
Seeing Chu Mingwei’s face light up at the sight of him, Xiao Lingyu felt a warm, indescribable feeling in his heart.
Because of the approaching grand competition, Meng Fan had to leave after dropping him off, promising to return in the afternoon. He instinctively began to summon his dice treasure, but remembering his earlier promise to Xiao Lingyu, he changed the spell halfway and instead summoned his long-unused Frost Sword, looking rueful.
Chu Mingwei, unaware of Meng Fan’s promise, thought he was simply restraining himself in preparation for the upcoming competition. Encouraging him briefly as Meng Fan was about to leave, he only mentioned matters like performing well in the competition. Watching Meng Fan’s bitter face, Xiao Lingyu could barely restrain his laughter.
Meng Fan hurried away like a fugitive, while Xiao Lingyu turned to Chu Mingwei, who was smiling at him, and returned a big, bright grin.
Xiao Lingyu had never visited Reflection Peak in his previous life. This time, he saw that it was not so different from the lush Yilan Peak where he usually stayed, only that Reflection Peak was far more barren.
Seeing the little junior curiously inspecting the surroundings, Chu Mingwei glanced at the time and softly asked, “Little junior, are you hungry? Let’s rest there first, and we can continue in the afternoon, alright?”
Though not feeling tired, Xiao Lingyu nodded obediently. “Alright!”
Chu Mingwei led him to his temporary residence, a simple cave recently cleared. Seeing Xiao Lingyu’s surprised expression, he thought the little junior was unaccustomed to such simplicity and gently said, patting his head, “Reflection Peak is very plain. You’ll just have to make do, little junior.”
Understanding the underlying meaning in Chu Mingwei’s words, Xiao Lingyu lifted his head and earnestly explained, “Senior Brother, the place I lived before coming to Yuntian Sect wasn’t even as good as this. I’m not finding it too simple.” He didn’t quite know why he was explaining—it was likely to prevent Chu Mingwei from misunderstanding his thoughts.
This was Chu Mingwei’s first time learning about Xiao Lingyu’s past. Seeing the obedient little junior, he felt even more pity, and his heart ached with greater intensity. Watching Xiao Lingyu lower his head after speaking, Chu Mingwei gently crouched down, holding the small body in his arms and solemnly promised, “From now on, Senior Brother will take care of you. You won’t have to suffer anymore.”
The promise came so suddenly that Xiao Lingyu didn’t know how to respond.
The old spirit, watching the scene, looked on with an amused expression. “Why does that sentence sound so strange? Heh heh.”
“Shut up!”
Xiao Lingyu was well aware of the old spirit’s lecherous tendencies. He wasn’t a heartthrob; a six-year-old child couldn’t possibly attract anyone. In his previous life, Xu Xuan had been elevated to a god-like status by many sect disciples when he arrived at the sect at twelve, with his refined looks and cultivated temperament from a life of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. This time, arriving six years earlier, no one pursued him like before.
Chu Mingwei’s sudden promise likely came out of sympathy for Xiao Lingyu’s harsh upbringing and his natural pity for the weak. Xiao Lingyu softly responded with “Mm,” acknowledging the promise.
Unaware of Xiao Lingyu’s thoughts, Chu Mingwei began calculating who could take care of the little junior over the next ten years. He completely forgot that, besides himself, the boy had a master who fiercely protected him—the proper guardian.
After imagining all sorts of hardships in the little junior’s early life, Chu Mingwei sent a message to the outer disciples of Haotian Peak at noon to prepare food. Xiao Lingyu intended to mention he had brought some snacks, but the words died on his lips under Chu Mingwei’s disapproving gaze. Watching Chu Mingwei carefully remove fish bones for him, Xiao Lingyu blinked and performed a beautiful Clear Water Technique, earning a smile of praise.
Xiao Lingyu spent the day at Reflection Peak thoroughly enjoying himself. The entire afternoon, he rested in Chu Mingwei’s arms, listening to tales of his youthful adventures in the sect: secretly roasting Elder Li’s favorite doves and blaming it on wild beasts, losing in fights in the marketplace and hiding for three days until the bruises healed, stealing eggs from the Spirit Beast Garden only to be chased six times around Yuntian Sect by a returning purple eagle, barely escaping thanks to the elders’ intervention.
Xiao Lingyu had never known Chu Mingwei’s lively past. In his previous life, Chu Mingwei had already died by the time he learned of him, and Meng Fan and the others had changed greatly. Seeing the smiling Chu Mingwei now, Xiao Lingyu’s spirits lifted. Perhaps this life, he thought, he could truly experience such carefree happiness.