Chapter 44: CH 44

Xu Xingzhi gasped in pain as he was tossed onto the bed by Zhou Beinan: “Fatty Zhou, are you getting revenge on me?”

“Meds, the meds, the medicine.” Zhou Beinan held himself back so that he wouldn’t bicker with Xu Xingzhi, who was feverish to this extent: “Xuechen, hurry up, he’s about to be burnt into charcoal.”

Wen Xuechen opened the ring he used to store items and took out the medicine he brought one by one: “Apart from the Baihui pill, what other medications have you used? List them out for me one by one. If any of the medicinal properties counteract with each other, then you can’t use them.”

When it comes to the experience of being ill, Wen Xuechen was the expert amongst them. 

After Xu Xingzhi reported the names of several medications, Wen Xuechen picked one out of the pile of medicinal bottles and handed it to Zhou Beinan. Zhou Beinan retrieved a cup, adjusted the temperature of the water to be lukewarm, then placed it against Xu Xingzhi’s lips: “Get up and drink it yourself. Don’t be disillusioned for this young master to feed you.”

Xu Xingzhi hooked his lips on the edge of the cup then narrowed his eyes at him in mirth.

Zhou Beinan scolded him “utterly shameless”, and then resignedly reached out to support his lower back and feed him the water.

Wen Xuechen stared at Xu Xingzhi, asking abruptly: “Xu Pingsheng was born from the same womb, what kind of enmity is between the two of you that things became like this?”

Xu Xingzhi was taken aback then turned around to glare at Zhou Beinan.

Zhou Beinan was very wronged: “. . . I didn’t spill it.”

“Indeed, I was merely passing by and heard some things that I shouldn’t have.” Wen Xuechen answered, “I’m not a person who likes to pry into people’s privacy. I just want to remind you to be more careful around him. What happened today. . .”

Xu Xingzhi pulled at his thick hair a few times, wanting to laugh, but the corners of his lips seemed to be restrained by someone, so he couldn’t show his usual confident, free and easy smile like he usually did. 

Perhaps it was because he was currently ill, but Xu Xingzhi’s intentions of wholeheartedly hiding things loosened quite a bit. Those words that he had buried in his heart for a long time sprouted from his chest and grew wildly, until it climbed to his throat.

He slowly let out a breath: “. . . It’s not without reason that my elder brother despises me. After all, even my name itself was something that I snatched from him.”

“. . . ‘Xu Pingsheng’, this name, originally belonged to me.”

Xu Xingzhi’s name originated from “why not hum and amble forward slowly”, while Xu Pingsheng’s name came from “a bout of wind and rain won’t deter me from a peaceful life”. 

Before Xu Pingsheng became five years old, he was called “Xu Xingzhi”.

When his mother was pregnant with a second child, his father suddenly became seriously ill and was difficult to cure with medicine or other remedies. At this time, a traveling cultivator passed by the Xu family village. After being greatly remunerated and making meticulous calculations, this person pointed at his mother’s pregnant belly and declared: “This fetus is female, heavily covered with malice, hurting others and harming the self. The fetus needs to be suppressed with the name of a boy who has lived in the world filled with Yang energy for five years in order to eliminate the evil spirit and be rewarded with peace.”

After that dog-sh*t Taoist priest took a large sum of money and left contentedly, Xu Pingsheng became Xu Pingsheng.

This name was chosen extremely hastily and Xu Pingsheng didn’t like it. 

He cried as he looked for his mother, wanting to recover his previous name, but his mother only stroked her pregnant stomach and comforted him helplessly for him to endure it for the sake of his father.

After he left, Xu Pingsheng eavesdropped from under the window and heard his mother call the child in her belly “Xingzhi” over and over again, every word filled with endless expectations and hope.

. . . He despised this person whom he had yet to meet.

Then as it turned out, that wandering practitioner was nothing but a charlatan. 

His mother gave birth to a boy after enduring all sorts of difficulties and dangers.

And his father passed away ten days after his younger brother was born.

His mother suffered from a postpartum illness after arranging for his father’s funeral, causing her joints to ache often.

Their home began to waft with the cloying smell of medicine all year round. 

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But he had to live out his days with the very same child. Because he was the elder brother.

The most unbearable thing for him was that this young child didn’t dislike him, not only that, but also pestered him repeatedly, calling him older brother and even loved to cling to him and act like a baby. 

After his mother died, he sold the family property, took the child to a nearby town, and worked as an apprentice in a small tavern.

He wanted to spend the rest of his life quietly, he had even planned everything out for himself: after he saved enough money, he would buy the vacant haunted house located on West Street at a low price. After a string of renovations, he would invite Taoist priests and monks to bless it then open a small tavern of his own where the middle-aged would flock to drink. He would possess a place to call his own, marry a woman who wasn’t too beautiful, but at least gentle and lovely enough. He would have a bunch of kids, who although may not be obedient, were contented and could appreciate everyday joys then live out his life peacefully and leisurely.

However, Xu Xingzhi seemed to have been especially born in order to shatter his dreams.

On the second day of arriving in the village, seven year old Xu Xingzhi beat up the top dog of the village who was a head taller than him. 

On the third day, Xu Xingzhi collapsed by the backdoor of the tavern with bruises all over his body and three broken ribs.

Xu Pingsheng had to use all of his wages from several months in advance in order to treat Xu Xingzhi.

After the doctor had seen to his injuries, written a prescription, and collected the consultation fee, Xu Pingsheng had questioned him: “Why did you have to provoke those people?”

Xu Xingzhi didn’t dare to use too much force when speaking and spit out with fine-laced anger: “. . . They scolded me.” 

Xu Pingsheng was so infuriated that he almost cried out: “Can’t you stop causing me trouble?!”

Why on earth were you born to become my little brother? Did I owe you in my previous life?

Xu Xingzhi grinned widely and smiled apologetically: “Elder brother, I’m sorry.”

After the reprimand, he looked at Xu Xingzhi’s sunken chest, and abruptly felt that the other’s state was extremely glaring. There was a tearing pain in his chest and he stretched out a trembling hand as if he wanted to soothe it with his touch. 

Xu Xingzhi stared at him in surprise: “. . . Elder brother, are you crying?”

Xu Pingsheng withdrew his hand instantly, wiped at his face twice, his expression returning to indifference: “Who is crying?”

After he recovered from his injury, Xu Pingsheng reluctantly allocated part of the money from his savings to send Xu Xingzhi to school. “Mother exhorted me when she was alive that I must send you to school. I’m begging you, please study hard and don’t cause any more trouble, agreed?”

However, it was all just wishful thinking. 

Somehow Xu Xingzhi became very familiar and personable with the group of drifters and idlers in the town.

Naturally, he would not go along with their bullying and when he saw them talking roughly and acting violently, he would even step forward to stop them. If the two sides disagreed, there would inevitably be a fight. As a result of the back-and-forth altercations, Xu Xingzhi somehow actually cultivated his own following and had some young disciples unknowingly.

Xu Xingzhi was born with lengthy limbs and a handsome appearance. He was a mere twelve year old youth, but he already had a vigorous temperament and demeanor. He was not sluggish with his actions nor were his emotions fickle; it seemed as if nothing could make him feel discomfited, ashamed, or sad. Xu Pingsheng saw him laughing heartily most often and never knew what could’ve made him happy to this extent.

Sometimes when he was just walking down the street, girls in the lofts would toss flowers at him. Then when he caught the flowers, he would kiss its petals, causing those maidens to blush uncontrollably. 

Since he became nine years old, he never asked Xu Pingsheng for money ever again. He worked all over the town as a part-timer and most of the money he earned was handed over to Xu Pingsheng, while the rest was exchanged for wine.

He could really drink and loved to drink.

Before this, Xu Pingsheng could never have imagined that a callow child could drink until drunk and belt out songs at the age of eleven. He even taught a boisterous and unrestrained person, who associated with them in private, a drinking game and “those in all directions ask, a thousand pieces of gold in exchange for half a day of leisure” would be sung ostentatiously the moment he opened his mouth.

But this kind of Xu Xingzhi was overly dazzling, serving as a glaring foil against the mediocrity of the young man who wiped the tables and poured wine in the tavern. 

Xu Xingzhi occasionally passed by the door of the tavern and would greet Xu Pingsheng loudly: “Elder brother!”

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The young lady who was bustling about with Xu Pingsheng would look at Xu Xingzhi enviously and ask Xu Pingsheng: “Is that person your younger brother?”

However, Xu Pingsheng would be so indifferent to it that he wouldn’t even deign to lift his head: “Unfamiliar.”

. . . If they genuinely didn’t know each other, that would be great. 

Yet on a certain day, he had no choice but to acknowledge him.

One of the village bullies who fought with Xu Xingzhi until he was seriously injured back then came to the tavern where he worked to drink and when he became tipsy and mellow from it, he specifically asked to see Xu Pingsheng.

Xu Pingsheng wiped his hands and went over with trepidation, but never did he expect for the other party to drown him in profuse apologies the moment he saw him, making Xu Pingsheng even more baffled.

That person explained to him with a thick tongue: “At first. . . when you and Xingzhi first entered the town, I saw that you seemed thin and weak, so I kicked you from behind. Who knew that Xingzhi would harbor such a grudge at such a young age and wait all night in front of my house, biding his time just so that he could attack me with a brick. . . Now, Xingzhi and I have already repaired our relationship. I know you are Xingzhi’s elder brother, I only hope that you won’t make a fuss over it. . .” 

Xu Pingsheng didn’t even remember that matter anymore. Because of his reticence and timidity, he was often bullied since he was a child, so how would he remember who kicked him and at what time.

However he clearly remembered that when he asked Xu Xingzhi why he fought someone, his answer was a downplayed and understated “he scolded me”.

Xu Pingsheng couldn’t bear to not soften his heart slightly from this matter.

Yet, who knew that in less than three days, their small tavern would usher in a handsome cultivator in white shoes and elegant clothes. 

Due to the fact that his mother was cheated when he was young, Xu Pingsheng didn’t have a good impression of practitioners, yet this person’s words and actions were vastly different from that charlatan cultivator, making it very difficult for people to have ill feelings towards him.

He spoke in a very soft tone, unbelievably gentle: “I heard that this place had the best rice wine within a hundred miles. My fellow cultivator mentioned it, thus I especially traveled thousands of miles to come for a taste.”

On this day, Xu Xingzhi happened to be present in the tavern, wanting to hand over this month’s wages to his elder brother. Hearing that this cultivator was quite interesting, he took the initiative to invite the other to partake of the best wine the tavern had to offer and drink together.

This practitioner loved wine, but was obviously not a good drinker and became dead drunk within half a jar. Xu Xingzhi helped the other gather his things and carried him to a nearby temple to rest. 

On the second day, Xu Xingzhi returned to the tavern and excitedly reported: “Elder brother, that cultivator yesterday said that he really hit it off with me, assessed my spiritual roots, and determined that I have potential. He asked if I would like to enter the sect and become a cultivator.”

Xu Pingsheng wasn’t surprised at all. Rather, with Xu Xingzhi’s personality, he wouldn’t be nonplussed by anything he did: “All’s well. If you believe him, then go.”

“Elder brother, come with me ba.” Xu Xingzhi placed his hand beside the wine rack, a sincere plea in his eyes, “You are all the family I have left, I want to be with my elder brother.”

Perhaps the visit from the village bully a few days ago softened his heart, or maybe it was because he had a natural yearning for cultivating immortality and longevity, or due to certain unspeakable emotions, but he agreed to Xu Xingzhi’s ridiculous request by some chance. 

He quit his job and ascended Fengling Mountain together with Xu Xingzhi.

In the first half of the year, he and Xu Xingzhi were both outer sect disciples and the two worked together, starting from sweeping  the ceremonial hall to reciting scriptures and other miscellaneous trivial tasks.

Xu Pingsheng’s heart was unprecedentedly at peace.

From that moment on, both he and Xu Xingzhi started from scratch and he was not like Xu Xingzhi who reminisced and longed for the mortal world. 

He thought that he might be able to do even better than Xu Xingzhi here.

However, half a year after the two of them entered the sect, Xu Xingzhi abruptly disappeared without a trace for more than ten days.

Just when Xu Pingsheng was incomparably anxious, the newly minted sect leader Qingjing-jun, who brought them to Qingling Mountain, suddenly held a grand ceremony for the recruited disciples. There he declared that Xu Xingzhi had outstanding spiritual roots and wisdom, thus as the Heavens willed, he was promoted to the first seat as his leading disciple.

While the whole hall was in an uproar, Xu Pingsheng was full of grief and indignation. 

After ten days, Xu Pingsheng was separated from Xu Xingzhi again.

With the will of the Heavens, as the Heavens willed, no matter how diligent he, Xu Pingsheng, was, he ultimately still lost to the two words “Heavens’ will”.

When he still hadn’t developed his cultivation base, Xu Xingzhi easily broke through to the third level of Qi Refining.

When he worked arduously and finally climbed to the stage of Refining Qi, Xu Xingzhi had already successfully built his foundation. 

When he was struggling day and night to break through the fifth stage of Refining Qi, Xu Xingzhi had already taken the top spot of the Heaven’s Proclamation list, his seven emotions were given free reign while his temperament was uninhibited, what a grand disposition. Moreover, Xu Xingzhi was on the verge of fully cultivating his golden core, very likely to become the first person among the four sects in cultivating his Nascent Soul.

Xu Pingsheng threw away all the secret cultivation methods and treasures that Xu Xingzhi secretly gave him and relied only on himself to climb to his current position step by step, but he still couldn’t catch a glimpse of Xu Xingzhi’s back.

Some disciples once saw Xu Xingzhi come to the disciple’s hall to look for Xu Pingsheng and asked him enviously: “Xu Pingsheng, who is Xu-shixiong to you? I heard him call you elder brother. . .”

Xu Pingsheng responded coolly: “I have nothing to do with him.” 

A few disciples who couldn’t stand his aloof and unapproachable attitude made fun of him from the side: “How could he be Xu-shixiong’s elder brother ne? How could an unbridled and sanguine person like Xu-shixiong have such a boorish elder brother?”

“That’s true. Shifu is dearly fond of Xu-shixiong, this fact is known among the four sects. Even cultivation treasures that are slipped between the gaps of Xu-shixiong’s fingers are enough for us to easily climb to foundational cultivation. If he was really Xu-shixiong’s elder brother, how could he still be mucking around the mud with us?”

After finishing, the chattering disciples hooted with laughter.

And Xu Pingsheng chortled with them until his cheeks stiffened. 

After being met with refusal a few times, Xu Xingzhi stopped pestering him.

Xu Pingsheng thought that he could finally cultivate with a pure heart, but one day, a girl came to find him, inquiring with a clear voice: “. . . Are you Xu Pingsheng?”

This initial meeting with that maiden made Xu Pingsheng feel like he couldn’t catch his breath for the first time in his life.

The girl’s raven black hair was tied up by a hair ribbon which fluttered like a butterfly. Her skin was snow white, lips red, her body smooth and lustrous, but it didn’t arouse people’s desires at all. It was probably because she had a clean and elegant air about her which neutralized her alluring and seductive appearance by seven points. 

Before her, Xu Pingsheng had never seen such a beautiful maiden before. Now that he did, he became enthralled until he lost his ability to speak, unable to utter a word.

The girl tilted her head playfully and repeated with a smile: “Are you Xu Pingsheng? My name is Yuan Ruzhou, I am a disciple of Guangfu-jun.”

It was rare for Xu Pingsheng to reveal a sincere smile: “I am. May I ask Yuan-shijie, why are you looking for me?”

“It was Xu-shixiong who asked me to send you some fresh pastries.” When she mentioned those three words, her eyes were full of undisguisable fondness and admiration, “. . . Who are you to Xu-shixiong ya? It looks to me that Xu-shixiong cares for you greatly.” 

. . . Xu-shixiong. Xu-shixiong. Xu-shixiong.

Xu Pingsheng stood bathed in the spring glow of March, but his entire body felt so cold that it seemed to be drenched in snowy water.

After a long time, he heard himself utter blankly: “I’m just someone from the same village as he.”

—If everything was viewed from the perspective of Xu Pingsheng, then what a loathsome and repugnant person Xu Xingzhi would be. 

The author has something to say:

Perhaps the little angels don’t like to see Xu Pingsheng, and I have been debating about which part I should put the flashbacks of the two brothers.

In the end, I still decided to put this content in a relatively earlier position rather than as a side story.

Xu Pingsheng is a relatively important character in the plot. If the two’s past wasn’t made clear, then some behaviors and changes of Xu Pingsheng in the later period will seem particularly neurotic qwq 

This piece is called “The Villain is Outrageously Beautiful”. The villains in the world are all relative and for Xu Pingsheng, how could you say that Shixiong isn’t that outrageously beautiful villain.

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