Pursuit of the Truth

The light from the moon fell on the ground and turned into glistening sparkles on the waves at the surface of the sea, as if there were silver scales spread out on them. The sea breeze blew gently, and it wasn’t cold when it touched their faces. It seemed to have fused together with the moonlight, becoming a light veil for the moon.

Under the moon and the sea breeze, Bai Su smiled. She looked calm, but the wild beauty within her was still there. She held a pot of wine in her hand and filled up Su Ming’s cup, which was placed in front of him, before she sat down demurely by his side.

Second senior brother sat across Su Ming. His expression was melancholic as he looked at the sky and the sea. He touched the mountain rock under him and drank the wine in his cup in one fell swoop.

”It… feels good to be home,” he said softly.

Hu Zi was also by their side, his face swollen and bruised. When he heard it, he let out a harrumph. He did not use a wine cup, but picked up the pot of wine right in front of him and took a big swig from it.

”You promise breaker, I shouldn’t have told you. It’s just a few plants and a stupid book about a man and a woman fighting, I’m not even interes…” Hu Zi mumbled, but when he saw his second senior brother looking towards him with a smile, he quickly shut up. He was afraid of his second senior brother. This was something Su Ming knew as well.

Hu Zi was not afraid of their eldest senior brother, and he was not even afraid of Master, let alone Su Ming. He was originally the youngest among them, but when Su Ming arrived, the feeling of a senior brother had instantaneously grew in his heart. To him, even if he died, he would absolutely not allow anyone to bully his youngest junior brother.

Yet Hu Zi was truly afraid of second senior brother.

Because eldest senior brother was constantly in isolation and would not hit him… because Su Ming was his youngest junior brother and would not hit him… because Master was too busy and would even occasionally come to Hu Zi with shifty eyes while asking him to break some Runes, he was not afraid of Master, either.

However… this was not the first time second senior brother had hit Hu Zi. All the past experiences had caused Hu Zi to be incredibly terrified of second senior brother. But he also had a very strange personality. The more afraid he was of something, the more he would want to challenge it…

It was precisely because of his fear that he had bawled the moment he saw second senior brother. These cries and tears contained the excitement of a reunion… and also terrified nervousness.

This was why he had decided that he might as well use words to restrict his second senior brother, then confess to everything that he had done in one breath. Once he did that, he did not expect that he would still be hit.

”You’re my senior brother, and we haven’t met in years, but right when we meet, you hit me…” Hu Zi felt incredibly wronged and took another big swig from his pot.

”Senior brother Hu Zi, what’s that book you mentioned about a man and a woman fighting? Could you let me see it?” This voice was very clear and contained hints of naivety. It was Yu Xuan’s voice. With a look of puzzlement and curiosity, she sat down beside Su Ming and asked Hu Zi.

Second senior brother’s expression twitched, and he glared at Hu Zi, instantly dispelling Hu Zi’s urge to speak as his face brightened with a lively glow.

”Little sister Yu Xuan, that book isn’t anything good, and neither is it a divine ability. It’s best that you don’t read it. It’s very difficult to understand.” The two spots beside Su Ming were now occupied by Yu Xuan and Bai Su. Bai Su covered her mouth and chuckled lightly.

Yu Xuan was momentarily stunned then lifted her chin.

”No matter how hard that book is, I’ll be able to understand it. I have plenty of books in my house, and I managed to finish all of them when I was ten. There’s nothing I don’t understand. Senior brother Hu Zi, bring me that book. I don’t believe that I won’t be able to understand it.” Yu Xuan let out a harrumph.

The mutt lying beside Yu Xuan blinked when it heard her words, then bared its teeth in a grin. That expression was incredibly strange, but the mutt did not make a single sound.

Qian Chen was holding onto a pot, pouring wine for Su Ming’s second senior brother with an eager and attentive look on his face. When he heard Yu Xuan’s words, he accidentally spilled some of the wine. He was forced down the mad laughter in his heart, rejoicing inwardly that even the witch would have such a day upon her. He looked forward to the moment the woman’s expression changed when she saw the book about the man and woman fighting.

”That’s right, Hu Zi, come on, bring that book to…” The boy that was the bald crane rubbed his hands with a look of curiosity, but before he managed to finish speaking, Hu Zi glared at him and lifted his right hand to seize the boy’s neck.

”Damn you, did you really think that I won’t manage to see who you are?! You’re that damn bald crane!” As the bald crane screamed in pain, Hu Zi swung him a few circles before throwing him again the ground again and again.

”Change into a woman! I’ll let you know personally what’s drawn in that book!” Hu Zi stood up and lifted the bald crane before he threw him on the ground again.

Second senior brother was taking a sip out of the wine cup at that moment. When he heard Hu Zi’s words, he nearly spat out his drink. As he laughed wryly, he looked at Hu Zi and the bald crane, then at the puzzled Yu Xuan as well as Bai Su, who knew what was going on but had decided not to speak and had instead chosen just to smile.

Eventually, he looked at Su Ming. When he saw a slight spark of curiosity towards the beast skin book in Su Ming’s eyes despite the indifferent look on his face, he could not help but let out a long sigh and shift his gaze to look at the statue placed near their group. That statue was naturally their eldest senior brother, and there was a pot of wine placed in front of him.

This was a gathering among those of the ninth summit. Their eldest senior brother might have turned into a statue, but this was his home. He must be present when the disciples of the ninth summit gathered together.

The bald crane’s screams of pain traveled outwards, and his body rapidly changed to his original look - that of a crane without feathers. With Hu Zi holding onto its neck, it continued forming arcs in the shape of a fan as it was repeatedly hit against the ground.

”Hu, you little brat! Your Grandpa Crane is a crane of integrity! I am not going to change!”

”You damn brat, if I didn’t save you all those years ago, you would have turned into a seed a long time ago! I refuse to change! I refuse to!”

Hu Zi glared at the bald crane and brought it to his face.

”How dare you talk about what happened in the past. Do you think I don’t know about this? You could have saved me with an even easier method, but you just had to let me suffer… You don’t want to change, huh? Fine, I’ll drag you into my Dreams and continue beating you up there.

”Let me tell you, your Grandpa Hu is great. A year ago, I had a dream, and I dreamt that I reached Berserker Soul Realm. Guess what? When I woke up, I really reached Berserker Soul Realm.”

Su Ming smiled and brought the wine cup to his lips to take a sip. He had managed to tell much earlier that Hu Zi had become far stronger than before, and only then did he know the reason. When he remembered their Master talking about the mysteries of Hu Zi’s Enter Dream as well as his expectations towards him, he was not surprised.

Their second senior brother was also looking at Hu Zi with a smile. He might always hit him, but he was even happier than Hu Zi himself when he saw Hu Zi’s level of cultivation increasing.

”I’m not going to change even if you Enter Dreams! Your Grandpa Crane is a crane of integrity, and I won’t submit to your will!” It was rare that the bald crane would be so firm. As it screeched, its expressions and tone made it clear that it would absolutely not submit to Hu Zi, even though he was abusing his power.

Yet at that moment, Yu Xuan, who was beside Su Ming, blinked and said with a smile, ”Senior brother Hu Zi, don’t be angry. How about this? I’ll have it change into the form you want, but you’ll have to show me the divine abilities you learned from the book, okay?”

Second senior brother immediately let out a few fake coughs, but before he managed to say anything, Su Ming had already cast his eyes on the bald crane.

”It’s fine even if you transform for a while. Senior brother Hu Zi, you have reached Berserker Soul Realm, and you can use that divine ability to let me see the circulation of your Qi. I feel that your Qi has stagnated in certain parts, but I don’t know what caused it.”

Second senior brother hit his forehead. He had no idea what he could say now.

Hu Zi’s expression became a little strange. He might be simple and honest, but he had still managed to understand what that beast skin book was about. After a moment of hesitation, his face turned red, which was a rare sight on him.

”Youngest junior brother… Do you… Do you really want to see it?” Hu Zi looked at Su Ming helplessly.

Su Ming was momentarily stunned, then nodded.

”Are you… Are you sure you really want to see it?” Hu Zi looked as if he was about to cry, then turned towards his second senior brother as if he was trying to ask him what he should do.

His second senior brother decided to turn his head away and ignore him.

”Fine, then. Youngest junior brother, since you want to see it, then I’ll give it my all!” When Hu Zi gritted his teeth, a look of excitement appeared on Yu Xuan’s face. She pointed at the bald crane and ordered it with a clear voice.

”Little baldy, hurry up and change!”

”No! Even if you beat me to death, I won’t change! It doesn’t matter who’s the one who said it, I won’t change! This Grandpa Crane won’t submit to anyone, I will absolutely not bow my head this time. Even if Dao Chen becomes my steed in front of me, I won’t change!” the bald crane cried out loudly with a determined look on its face. It continued telling itself that this time, it definitely must adhere to its principles, and it would absolutely not change into a girl. This was the bottom line that it must absolutely not pass as Grandpa Crane.

”Heh… Youngest junior brother, if it refuses to change, I can’t do anything about it.” Hu Zi let out a sigh of relief and quickly sat down. Just as he was about to take up his pot of wine and continue drinking, he suddenly widened his eyes and stared blankly at Yu Xuan.

Right before his eyes, Yu Xuan brought out a bag with flowers embroidered on it from her bosom. She poured out some sparkling crystals from it and threw one into the distance.

That crystal turned into a ray of crystalline light as it flew, but then a black shadow shot up with a whooshing sound and caught up to the crystal before it grabbed it with its claws. It was naturally… the delighted bald crane.

The crane brought the crystal in its claws to its beak and bit down on it. The crane’s eyes instantly began sparkling.

Yu Xuan threw out a few more crystals with a smile, causing the bald crane to fly about everywhere.

In the end, Yu Xuan flipped over the bag towards the ground, and a dozen something crystals instantly fell on top of each other on the ground in a pile. The light that spread out from them made the bald crane so excited that it started shivering.

”Transform. Once you do, I’ll give all of this to you,” Yu Xuan said with a smile.

At that moment, all talks about principles and bottom lines faded away in the bald crane’s eyes. The pile of crystals on the ground became the highest bottom line and the greatest principles in the world in its eyes.

Without a single bit of hesitation, it moved its body swiftly… and a delicate lady with a vulgar expression appeared before the group.

”Senior brother Hu Zi, hurry up and use that divine ability.”

Yu Xuan was truly incredibly curious, and she was also slightly unwilling to accept what Bai Su had said about her not being able to understand this ability. When she saw that the bald crane had already transformed, she immediately opened her mouth and urged Hu Zi to take action.

Su Ming also looked over.

Second senior brother closed his eyes and sighed with a wry smile.

Hu Zi was stunned. He looked at Su Ming, then at Yu Xuan, and at Bai Su, whose cheeks were flushed red and whose expression had turned strange. Eventually, he looked towards his second senior brother, who had his eyes closed. Then, Hu Zi scratched his head hard, looking as if he was about to burst into tears.

”Youngest… Youngest junior brother… Do you… Do you really want to see it?”