Chapter 211: Yu Guang suddenly found himself “attacked”
Despite days of battling vengeful spirits without injury, a single meal had effectively brought down the entire Tianchong Class of over thirty people.
Failing to extract the so-called antidote from the captured cultivators and with several of their group doubled over in severe stomach pain, they had no choice but to head to a nearby town.
Fortunately, the Pei family owned an unused estate in the area, and Pei Wenjue led them there to rest temporarily.
The estate, having gone unmaintained for years, was home only to an elderly, half-deaf caretaker who shuffled about unsteadily and was hardly of any practical help.
Yu Guang went to the town’s medical hall to purchase medicine and returned with supplies to prepare a medicinal broth for the ailing youths.
“Big Brother, I can brew the medicine. Let me do it,” offered Ban Ying, still pale but eager to assist. Seeing Yu Guang unpacking the medicine, she quickly stepped forward. “You must be tired from carrying Wu Shan and the others back. Why don’t you rest for a bit?”
“All right, you take care of the medicine,” Yu Guang agreed, turning his attention to cleaning another large pot. “No one’s had much to eat. Everyone must be hungry. I’ll make some porridge.”
Ban Ying hesitated, looking as though she wanted to object, but in the end, she said nothing.
The medicinal broth still needed time, but the porridge was ready and placed on the table first.
The group gathered around the long table, staring at the porridge, yet no one dared to touch it.
Even the captured cultivators, now tied up in the woodshed, continued to spit frothy white foam, a miserable reminder of the earlier meal.
They interrogated for half a day, but none of them admitted to poisoning the food.
After calming down, the boys from the Tianchong Class started to think it through and gradually realized something was off. Poisoning such a large river didn’t seem very feasible.
With this thought, they began to wonder—could it really be the meat their eldest brother had cooked that was the problem?
Impossible! They didn’t believe it! The group of boys wrestled with their doubts, their inner conflict visible as they stared at the porridge on the table, slowly growing cold.
Finally, Ming Yu served himself a bowl of porridge and took a sip.
Under the watchful and tense gazes of the others, his thick, dark eyebrows relaxed. He calmly took another sip.
Seeing this, everyone else began to relax and picked up their bowls to drink the porridge.
Though the porridge tasted a little unpleasant, it didn’t make them feel nauseous.
This proved that their eldest brother’s cooking wasn’t the issue. As for the strange taste of the meat by the river, it was clearly not his fault either.
Maybe the fish and rabbits themselves were toxic—or maybe they were just naturally that unpalatable.
As the boys silently exchanged glances, Yu Yin had already started drinking his porridge.
Having spent so much time with Yu Guang, he naturally knew his habits.
Yu Guang had no talent for cooking. His vegetarian dishes were just ordinarily bad-tasting, but whenever he cooked meat, it was downright nauseating.
The group of boys finished their porridge and, after waiting to confirm that nothing was wrong, felt relieved.
“See? I told you, there’s no way our big brother’s cooking could be a problem!”
“Exactly! Even though it doesn’t taste great, it’s still better than what we could manage. I can’t even cook!”
“No wonder he’s the big brother—he’s still better than us.”
Yu Yin listened to the insincere compliments around him, each one spoken with a straight face, and couldn’t help but think back.
Back in the day, he had plenty of subordinates under his command, and there had been countless people trying to curry favor with him.
But this kind of blind admiration and trust, devoid of logic, was something he had never encountered before.
When it came to bewildering hearts, he, a naturally enchanting demon spirit, found himself utterly outdone by the barbaric big brother with a bright smile.
After this little episode, the previously oppressive atmosphere miraculously dissipated. The group, having been through this trial together, regained their vigor.
Yu Guang, feeling gratified, led the group onward in their internship journey, flipping through the task book as they tackled their assignments.
Exorcising evil spirits, holding assemblies, punishing wrongdoers, and leaving behind warning steles—a complete process that was an excellent exercise in personal growth.
The once-green and innocent youths, fresh out of the academy, were maturing at an astonishing pace.
Most of them came from privileged families and had never endured hardship before. This time, however, everyone tasted bitterness.
Yet no one quit or gave up, not even the two transfer students, who kept pace with the rest of the group.
Though there were moments of anger, disappointment, and self-doubt, the companionship of like-minded friends and the sight of their eldest brother’s back always helped them regain their direction and the courage to move forward.
All fears and worries seemed insignificant when their big brother was around.
Twice along the way, teams of cultivators sent by the Exorcism Bureau tried to capture them, but their big brother easily subdued these groups and left them in the towns they passed through.
Their big brother even turned these relentless pursuers into a teaching opportunity, introducing them to new knowledge—reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance techniques.
They quickly put what they learned into practice, playing cat-and-mouse games with the cultivators tracking them.
When they could hide, they hid; when they couldn’t, they fought.
Despite being greenhorns, the group of youths showed no fear or hesitation even against seasoned cultivators.
Their numbers gave them strength, and if they ever found themselves overwhelmed, their big brother would step in.
With him around, all they needed to do was focus on learning, honing their skills, and applying what they had learned to the fullest.
Their big brother seemed omnipotent. As long as he was there, they felt they had nothing to fear.
Back at the academy, they merely respected their big brother. But during their time away, they gradually became accustomed to looking up to his figure, even treating him as their emotional anchor.
Yu Yin was no different. Like the boys from the Tianchong Class, he too found himself constantly watching Yu Guang.
Whether in his own natural field of vision or through the cat’s eyes, Yu Guang remained the most dazzling presence.
Even if one didn’t intend to look at him, he would inevitably draw their gaze.
In the past, Yu Yin disliked and found such brightness blinding, but over time, he had grown used to it.
…
One night, while they stayed in a villager’s home, seven or eight of them crowded onto a kang bed.
These boys, who used to insist on bathing immediately if they smelled bad and couldn’t sleep if the mattress wasn’t soft enough, were now able to pile together on a farmer’s earthen bed in a jumble, fast asleep.
Yu Guang had Yu Yin sleep by the wall, shielding his frail younger brother from the restless boys who even managed to jostle in their sleep.
Lying on his side, Yu Guang used his not-so-broad chest—still carrying the faintness of youth—to create a comfortable space for Yu Yin.
Leaning against his chest had become a habit, and when Yu Yin was startled awake by the hoot of a night owl outside, he suddenly realized that he had changed.
When had he stopped resisting sleeping next to Yu Guang? When had he started leaning against his chest or occasionally resting on his arm?
At first, he had resisted vehemently. Though unable to escape, he had cursed Yu Guang countless times in his heart.
Yu Guang always kept a close watch on him. Even during their time at the Divine Academy, when they stayed in a courtyard with multiple rooms, Yu Guang insisted they share a bed.
Whenever Yu Yin woke up, Yu Guang would wake up too.
Inwardly, Yu Yin had mocked his “big brother’s” excessive caution countless times. He thought bitterly, I’m already like this—what is he still so afraid of? Afraid I’ll go do something evil?
Yu Yin lay awake in the darkness, his hollow eyes open, his mind wandering through a jumble of thoughts.
The chest he leaned against rose and fell with a steady rhythm, and for once, Yu Guang hadn’t woken up.
Nearby, the boys were fast asleep. Someone ground their teeth for a moment, muttered a few words in their sleep, and fell silent again.
The sound was fairly loud, but it still didn’t wake Yu Guang.
Testing the waters, Yu Yin moved slightly. Though the motion was barely perceptible, the chest he rested on trembled lightly, and Yu Guang immediately woke.
He bent his arm, found Yu Yin’s head, gave it a few reassuring rubs, then shifted to pat his back gently as though soothing a child startled awake in the middle of the night.
Yu Yin had been awake the whole time, but now Yu Guang was gradually becoming more alert. “Do you need to go to the bathroom?” he asked.
“…Hmph.”
Whether it was a grunt of denial or affirmation, Yu Guang took it as the latter. Scooping him up with practiced ease, he carefully stepped over the sleeping boys on the kang bed and sat him down by the edge.
Yu Yin couldn’t see, and the cat that usually guided him was nowhere to be found. Yu Guang deftly grabbed Yu Yin’s shoes, slid them onto his feet, and led him outside by the hand.
The courtyard was bathed in moonlight, silver and frosty. Yu Yin didn’t head to the bathroom but walked further out of the yard instead.
Yu Guang studied his expression. “Got something on your mind? Want to talk to your big brother about it?”
Yu Yin ignored him. Without a tongue, there was no way to respond, and certainly no one who could force him to speak.
“Not feeling like going back inside? Is the kang too crowded? Or is it Wu Shan’s stinky feet?” Yu Guang teased.
Already in a sour mood, Yu Yin became even more reluctant to return after that comment.
He wandered around the house twice without showing any intention of going to bed. Yu Guang eventually plopped himself down on a haystack by the roadside, pulling Yu Yin down beside him.
Three seconds later, Yu Guang leaned back, closed his eyes, and fell asleep. Yu Yin, pinned by one of his brother’s hands, couldn’t get up.
The dry grass poked and scratched him, making his skin itch and flush red. Annoyed, Yu Yin shoved Yu Guang hard.
Yu Guang opened his eyes, glanced at Yu Yin, and without a word, shifted him into his arms. He wrapped his arm tightly around him and pinned him in place with his leg, making it completely impossible for Yu Yin to move.
…
The next morning, when the other boys woke up and didn’t see Yu Guang, they simply assumed he had gone for his morning exercise. None of them realized the brothers had spent the night sleeping outside on a haystack.
Nearly two months into their journey, the task book in their hands had been whittled down to just a few thin pages, containing only assignments in remote villages and small towns.
That day, they arrived in Longshi Town. After dealing with a malevolent ghost and preparing to leave, Yu Guang suddenly found himself “attacked.”
From a small alley, a child darted out and hurled a large clump of yellow mud, which smacked against Yu Guang’s shoulder.
“Go die, all of you!” the child shouted venomously before turning on his heels to run.
The mud stain on Yu Guang’s shoulder incited an uproar among the group.
“What’s wrong with that brat? Is he out of his mind?”
“Let me catch him!” one of the boys said furiously.
But Yu Guang casually brushed the mud off his shoulder. “Forget it. Let’s go.”
The group continued onward, but two streets later, the same child appeared again.
“Go die!” the boy screamed before throwing a bag of reeking pig manure at Yu Guang and the others.
This time, the child’s plan backfired. As he turned to flee, a surge of force grabbed him mid-step.
Having anticipated the attack, Yu Guang easily dodged the manure and caught the child by the collar. Holding him firmly, he asked, “Why are you attacking us?”
The boy, no older than six or seven, struggled fiercely, his eyes full of hatred. “It’s because of you! You killed my sister!”
The boys gathered around, startled by the accusation. “What nonsense! When did we ever kill your sister?”
Yu Guang, however, quickly pieced it together. “You’re Shi Chu’s brother, aren’t you?”
The group fell silent. The evil spirit they had eliminated in Longshi Town was, in life, called Shi Chu.
Shi Chu and her younger brother, Shi Bai, lost their parents at an early age. To support herself and her brother, Shi Chu turned to the flesh trade.
Even so, their lives were harsh. When Shi Chu was sixteen, she caught the attention of a young master named Liu from the town, who tricked her into his home.
Liu had p*rverse tastes and accidentally killed Shi Chu during their encounter.
After her death, Shi Chu transformed into an evil spirit. In her rampage, she devoured Liu, along with his wife, parents, and several servants in the Liu household.
Lacking reason or awareness, the ghost’s sole drive was to consume people. After finishing off the Liu family, it moved on to devour a young couple from another household on the same street.
After eliminating the evil spirit, Yu Guang and his group had already pieced together the full story. They hadn’t expected Shi Chu’s younger brother, Shi Bai—who was reportedly missing—to suddenly reappear.
“You killed my sister! You killed my sister! You’re all horrible, evil people!” Shi Bai cried, struggling and wailing in Yu Guang’s grip.
Some of the girls in the group felt pity and tried to explain.
“Your sister had already turned into an evil spirit. If we hadn’t stopped her, she would have harmed many more people.”
“That’s right. Your sister’s death wasn’t caused by us.”
But no matter how they explained, Shi Bai refused to listen. He just kept crying, screaming insults, and lashing out with punches and kicks.
For the group of boys and girls in Tianchong Class, this was the first time they’d faced anger instead of gratitude after eliminating a ghost. The situation left everyone feeling awkward and disheartened.
“Forget it. He’s just a child. Let him vent,” someone said, assuming that their big brother, known for his generosity and easygoing nature, wouldn’t take offense.
Even though they felt stifled, they pretended not to hear the boy’s insults and urged, “Big Brother, let’s just go. Don’t bother with him.”
But Yu Guang didn’t let go of Shi Bai. Instead, he hoisted the boy onto his knee and delivered a series of sharp smacks to his backside.
The group of teenagers froze.
“…?”
Wait—Big Brother, you actually hit him?!
