The rebellious daughter of the Shining Light Mansion leader was now preparing to catch up on sleep in her new quarters in distant Nan Que.

During her three days of confinement as punishment, Ming Li had barely slept. Upon her release, she had been up all night causing trouble, and then had been unable to sleep through morning due to Nan Que’s investigation. Throughout the entire day, she had acted normally to keep herself above suspicion. Only when night fell could she finally return to her quarters to rest.

She lay on the bed in a light sleep. Discovering that even while asleep, she couldn’t dream of her junior brother, she woke herself up. Sitting up, she called softly into the empty darkness: “Zixi?”

No one answered.

“Zhou Zixi.”

“…”

“Junior brother.”

Ming Li hugged her knees against the wall, staring at the dim light and shadows for a while before burying her head and yawning. When she looked up, she saw the young man leaning against the door.

Zhou Zixi gazed at her lazily. Ming Li smiled and lay back down, closing her eyes to rest.

Neither of them spoke.

Outside, there was still some noise—footsteps passing by the door, disciples laughing and chatting. As rest time approached, these sounds gradually diminished until silence fell.

Zhou Zixi remained in place, listening. Occasionally, he would turn to look at the sleeping figure in the room.

Ming Li enjoyed a rare good sleep.

She had no dreams and woke naturally before the Meditation Bell sounded, immediately seeing the person still standing by the door.

In that moment, she had a fleeting recollection of her time at Bei Dou, when Zhou Zixi would always remind her not to sleep outdoors. Whenever she lazily fell asleep on a bamboo mat in the courtyard or the corridor under the eaves, she would wake up to find her junior brother watching over her with a helpless expression.

In those days, everyone was present.

Ming Li rubbed her eyes as she sat up and asked casually, “Why did you always remind me not to sleep outdoors in the past?”

Zhou Zixi turned his face slightly to look at the light and shadows outside, his expression indifferent as he said, “So you wouldn’t be seen by anyone but me.”

He answered without any hesitation, something he would never have dared to do in the past.

Ming Li held back her smile and pretended not to understand, asking, “What would happen if I were seen?”

Zhou Zixi thought for a moment before saying, “Should I call it jealousy?”

“Not many people could come to my courtyard,” Ming Li said. “My father, my brother, senior brother, Qing Ying, and you. Who were you jealous of?”

“Oh, senior brother,” Zhou Zixi confirmed. “I was jealous of him.”

Ming Li: “Why were you jealous of your senior brother?”

Zhou Zixi raised an eyebrow as he looked over, as if he didn’t understand why Ming Li would ask such an obvious question. “He was the closest male to you, with the most intimate relationship, unlike Dong Yenu, who was related by blood, and Qing Ying, who was a girl. If I wasn’t jealous of Chen Zhou, who else would I be jealous of?”

In the past, he had truly been jealous of Chen Zhou.

Jealous that he could walk side by side with Ming Li, jealous of their easy and natural interactions, jealous that he could casually touch Ming Li.

He was jealous of Chen Zhou’s relationship with Ming Li, and also jealous of Chen Zhou himself.

Because Chen Zhou was too good.

He was the kind of person that Zhou Zixi, as an earth ghost, could never become.

After hearing her junior brother’s words, Ming Li couldn’t help but smile.

Zhou Zixi: “What is Senior Sister laughing at?”

Ming Li shook her head without answering. She was laughing because even though Zhou Zixi’s emotions had become muted, this change allowed him to speak freely about things that would have been unspeakable before.

She didn’t answer this question, instead saying, “I was also jealous of the senior brother before.”

“Oh?” Zhou Zixi became interested. “What were you jealous of him for?”

In his view, his senior sister was the most formidable person in the world, and there could be no one capable of making her feel jealous.

Even after awakening his earth ghost instincts, Zhou Zixi still believed this.

Ming Li spoke as if reminiscing: “When I was young, only my senior brother could accompany my father on his travels. Senior brother was the first child he raised, so that relationship was always special. And as you may remember, senior brother primarily cultivated the Heart meridian. The Heart meridian nurtures one’s nature and is considered the most difficult of the eight meridians to cultivate.”

“Unlike the reserved tranquility of Auntie Qu and others who cultivated the Heart meridian, he remained headstrong and untamed, appearing unapproachable yet showing meticulous care for those close to him.”

Chen Zhou’s heart was resilient, kind, and oriented toward the light. He was like a tree, a great tree that grew strong while also providing shelter from wind and rain for those beneath him.

Ming Li rested her chin on one hand and said, “In the past, both my brother and I thought that senior brother was our father’s true son. I was only jealous of my senior brother for a fleeting moment, but my brother was jealous of him for a full three days and nights.”

Later, they realized that their father did love them too, just in different ways.

As Zhou Zixi listened to her words, he couldn’t help but recall the days at Bei Dou.

*

During the Qixi Festival one year, the male and female disciples were all caught up in the melodrama of who loved whom. Gossip was always abundant, but most frequent during festivals.

That day, Ming Li had gone to Dong Yang to attend a pilgrim gathering. Chen Zhou, having finally completed his duties at Shining Light Mansion, felt unburdened and planned to go into town with Fu Yuan and others to see the lantern festival. However, just as they entered the town, he spotted two dejected figures on the city tower eaves, drinking silently in the wind.

Chen Zhou told Qing Ying and Fu Yuan to go ahead and enjoy themselves, then turned and went up to the city tower to ask the two who were drinking in silence: “The Qixi Festival is so lively. Why aren’t you down there having fun, why stay up here?”

Neither of them spoke.

Chen Zhou looked at the pile of wine jars behind them, his eye twitching slightly, and asked, “Something on your minds?”

Zhou Zixi lowered his head and said, “No.”

Dong Yenu shook his head and said, “No.”

Yeah, right.

Chen Zhou, maintaining his composure, picked up a jar of wine and sat down between the two. He didn’t speak either, just accompanied them in their sporadic drinking. The night wind was cool, and occasionally they could hear the sounds of children laughing and playing.

The background noise was varied and abundant—hawkers calling out, pedestrians chatting, objects colliding, the brilliant lights of the festival, and so on. Chen Zhou waited patiently until after several rounds of drinks:

These two had drunk too much.

Zhou Zixi, holding a wine jar, said gloomily, “What’s so good about Dong Yang that would make Senior Sister stay out all night?”

Chen Zhou: “Your Senior Sister is there on official business.”

Dong Yenu opened another jar of wine and drank with his head tilted back, saying in a muffled voice, “I thought she had moved on, but I never imagined that the person in her heart was never me.”

Chen Zhou: “Then you should just give up on her.”

Zhou Zixi said, “There are so many pilgrims, why did Song Tianjiu specifically come to Bei Dou to personally escort Senior Sister? My Senior Sister doesn’t get lost.”

Chen Zhou clinked cups with him and said, “She indeed doesn’t get lost, and you don’t need to worry about her not returning.”

Dong Yenu said softly, “I gave her a jade hairpin. Although she accepted it, she never wore it. She still wears that wooden hairpin given to her by someone else.”

Chen Zhou turned to clink cups with him: “I don’t know which young lady you’re so infatuated with, but based on what you just said, you should cut your losses.”

With his left ear listening to Zhou Zixi muttering “Senior Sister, Senior Sister, Senior Sister,” and his right ear hearing about Dong Yenu’s repeatedly broken heart, Chen Zhou looked speechlessly at the two men who were just talking to themselves. Didn’t they say they had nothing on their minds earlier?

After they had both rambled for a while:

Zhou Zixi spread his arms and lay down, looking at the Milky Way above, and said, “You guys keep drinking. I’m going to find Senior Sister.”

Chen Zhou waved his hand: “Just stay there.”

Zhou Zixi was quite drunk, narrowing his eyes as he lay there for a while before asking, “When will Senior Sister return?”

Chen Zhou: “Tomorrow, probably.”

“That late?” Zhou Zixi sat up again and said, “I’m going to find her.”

Chen Zhou waved his hand and pushed him back down: “Where do you think you’re going? Just wait here.”

Dong Yenu wiped his face and said, “My sister really won’t get lost.”

Zhou Zixi blinked: “Oh.”

He quieted down, giving Chen Zhou one less person to listen to, but Dong Yenu hadn’t stopped yet. He continued drinking one mouthful after another, and when finished, muttered: “She wants revenge, and I’ll help her.”

“When the Yan bandits humiliated her brother, I went to save him.”

“When she wanted the people of Luohou City dead, I took action too.”

At this point, Dong Yenu paused, looking up at the other two. His bright eyes were filled with doubt and bewilderment, and some barely perceptible helplessness: “I thought I had done a lot, yet it seems like I’ve done nothing. Perhaps as she said, I can’t help her… That day, after I escorted her back to the imperial capital, she didn’t look back even once when I left.”

It was the first time both had seen Dong Yenu reveal such a vulnerable and confused expression. They were silent for a moment, then Chen Zhou reached out and patted his shoulder, saying, “Don’t go out for a while. Just stay at Bei Dou.”

“Go spend some time cultivating with Master,” Zhou Zixi added. “Senior Sister won’t get lost, but in your current state, you might.”

Dong Yenu looked very dejected, lowering his head without speaking.

Chen Zhou continued, “You like her, and you’ve already tried to express that affection. If others don’t accept it or don’t need it, that’s not your fault, and also…”

“First, put away that look in your eyes like a little puppy waiting for its master’s pity after falling into water.”

Dong Yenu: “…”

He silently turned away from the two.

Chen Zhou: “What’s the use of turning away? Who hasn’t mastered the Heavy Eyes meridian and can’t see?”

Dong Yenu’s temple twitched violently upon hearing this. Why would anyone need to use the Heavy Eyes meridian to look?

He started drinking in silence again. Chen Zhou and Zhou Zixi occasionally offered a few words of consolation, but mostly talked about other things to distract him. Gradually, Dong Yenu began to join the conversation.

The number of people on the street slowly decreased.

Qing Ying, carrying paper bags full of items, returned with Fu Yuan and the others. She called up to the three on the eaves: “Senior Brother! Why are you all still drinking?”

Chen Zhou said to Fu Yuan below, “Quickly come and carry Yenu back. He’s drunk.”

Fu Yuan, holding an armful of paper bags, said with a dark face, “Do I look like I can carry him? What about Zixi next to you?”

Chen Zhou said, “It’s a blessing from heaven that Zixi can still stand without falling.”

Fu Yuan: “What about you then?”

Chen Zhou: “It’s a blessing from heaven that I can still recognize you.”

Fu Yuan: “…”

In the end, Fu Yuan handed his items to Black Fox Mask, who was yawning constantly and exhausted, and carried the unconscious Dong Yenu back to Bei Dou.

Black Fox Mask repeatedly pushed Chen Zhou back when he leaned toward him. Though previously exhausted, he had now become fully alert and asked with amusement, “What are you all doing drinking so much?”

Chen Zhou pinched the bridge of his nose, raising his head to say, “Those two have tasted the bitterness of love and hate, so they need to drown their sorrows in wine.”

Qing Ying rummaged through the paper bags and handed a bottle of sobering fragrance to Zhou Zixi, who was standing lazily on the spot in a daze. She opened the cap and waved it in front of him. Only after being stimulated by the fragrance did Zhou Zixi come back to his senses and continue walking. Qing Ying then handed the sobering fragrance to Chen Zhou.

Fu Yuan asked, “The bitterness of love and hate?”

Black Fox Mask said, “Better not to taste it.”

Chen Zhou nodded and said, “I definitely won’t.”

Just as the group passed through the mountain gate, they saw Ming Li and several mansion leaders walking under the flower grove opposite. As cries of “Master” rang out, Dong Yeshou and the others looked toward the mountain gate.

In the night, Ming Li saw Zhou Zixi walking at the back. He seemed to be stunned for a moment before reacting, his drunkenness immediately dissipating. His aimless gaze found its focus, becoming clear and filled with smiles.

Fu Yuan, carrying Dong Yenu on his back, approached. The Tian Ji Mansion leader disdained his wine smell, but Fu Yuan protested his innocence: “It’s not me, it’s Dong Yenu. Master, I haven’t been drinking!”

Qing Ying gave the gifts she had bought to Qu Zhuyue. The Yu Heng Mansion leader, standing nearby, looked on with one eye open and one eye closed, then couldn’t help turning to ask Black Fox Mask, “Where’s my gift?”

Black Fox Mask was confused by the question and said, “Master, didn’t you say you didn’t want anything? You said, ‘What gift do I need for the Qixi Festival? I don’t care for such a meaningless holiday.”

The Yu Heng Mansion leader, exasperated, said, “Look at other masters’ disciples.” Qing Ying, hearing this, couldn’t stop laughing, and quickly handed a gift box to Black Fox Mask, telling him to go placate his master.

Chen Zhou told his master about Dong Yenu’s poor state, saying they should keep an eye on him recently. Dong Yeshou looked back at his unconscious, drunken son.

Ming Li walked over to Zhou Zixi, smelling the wine on him, and asked, “Are you drunk?”

Zhou Zixi shook his head and smiled, “No.”

Walking side by side with Ming Li behind the others, he asked softly, “Wasn’t Senior Sister supposed to return tomorrow?”

“There’s nothing particularly interesting in Dong Yang. If I can come back early, I’ll come back early.” Ming Li paused as they walked, leaning close to sniff the wine smell on him, and asked again, “Really not drunk?”

Zhou Zixi nodded seriously: “Really not drunk.”

Ming Li held up some fingers in front of his eyes and waved them: “How many is this?”

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhou Zixi answered: “It’s Senior Sister.”

Ming Li was stunned by his answer. She blinked, shook her head, and laughed for a long time, unable to stop.