Ming Qiao’s face is full of energy, which Du Sheng finds extremely annoying. He sneers as he approaches Ming Qiao, “Just because you slept well last night doesn’t mean you’ll sleep well tonight.”

Earlier this morning, Du Sheng checked the woodshed, but Ming Qiao was already gone. He doesn’t know how Ming Qiao escaped, but he’s certain Ming Qiao won’t be so lucky next time.

The two of them stand face-to-face, and the tension between them is palpable. 

Just as Du Sheng is about to do something, the canteen aunt calls out from behind. “Qiao Qiao, come here.”

The canteen auntie calls Ming Qiao over and hands him a hot meat pastry and a bowl of vegetable porridge. “Eat while it’s hot. The other kids have already finished their meal. You’re the last one here.”

The pastry is homemade by the auntie, stuffed with meat and mushrooms—Ming Qiao’s favorite. He eats happily, his cheeks puffed out, and even has meat crumbs on the corners of his mouth.

The auntie watches him with a warm smile and hands him his medicine. “Put this in your storage ring and take it after your meal.”

“Mm! Thank you, auntie.” Ming Qiao smiles brightly as he thanks her, his eyes curving into crescent moons.

The auntie’s smile deepens even more as she watches him. The scene of the two, one big and one small, by the food stall looks warm and harmonious.

Du Sheng, watching nearby, is irritated by this sight. It reminds him of his younger brother who drowned—always smiling sweetly and speaking softly, making everyone think he was innocent and adorable.

“Du Sheng, have you noticed how much adults like Ming Qiao? I know that auntie has a bad temper. But lately, she’s been giving Ming Qiao special treatment and even making medicine for him.”

“Yeah, it’s like she’s treating him like her own son.”

“It’s not just her. Old Ge, the gatekeeper, seems to care about him too. He gave me a note, telling us not to bully Ming Qiao.”

The kids around Du Sheng continue to chat, discussing how well Ming Qiao is treated. During the testing period, they formed a small group, with Du Sheng as the leader.

Coming from a royal family, Du Sheng never lacks resources. Du Sheng isn’t aiming for ordinary rewards like magical herbs or pills.

His goal is to become an inner disciple at the prestigious Lin Tian Sect, which rarely accepts disciples directly into its inner circle.

However, Ming Qiao’s presence has become an obstacle to his plans, and Du Sheng can’t tolerate it.

“Let’s go to the test.” Du Sheng says.

At the food stall, the auntie wipes Ming Qiao’s little face with a damp towel and then urges him to go.

This is Ming Qiao’s third test, where he will enter a small world inside the Void Mirror to find his own opportunity.

Spiritual treasures related to the five elements are hidden within the small world. Those who find them, or whose spiritual roots are nourished by them, will earn extra points.

After filling his stomach, Ming Qiao enters the small world alone. Not long after, Bai Yu, who has been waiting at the garden gate, sees someone approaching.

“You Qing, what are you doing here?” Bai Yu asks, surprised. He looks around but sees no one else with You Qing.

“I’m here for Qiao Qiao.” You Qing replies. He’s dressed in black, his hair neatly tied back, revealing his handsome face. A wooden sword hangs at his waist, along with a money pouch. Yao Qing hands the pouch to Bai Yu.

“Our first senior brother asked me to give this to you.”

A while ago, when Ming Qiao went missing, Bai Yu sent word back. Now, Yao Qing has come, likely worried about Ming Qiao.

“Where did this money come from??” Bai Yu askes.

“He earned it with the third senior brother.” Yao Qing answers briefly.

After passing on the message, he asks again: “Where is Qiao Qiao?”

“He’s inside the test. It’s been a few days, and he hasn’t come out yet.” Bai Yu says, worried. 

“Most of the kids in there are much older than him. I hope he’s not being bullied.”

“Can I go in?” You Qing asks.

Bai Yu thinks for a moment and then shakes his head. “I’m not sure.”

You Qing has missed the registration for the test, so he can’t join like the other kids. But given his age, he might be able to sneak in. The two exchange glances before moving to the side.

“There’s only one guard at the back gate, while the front has many.”

“The guard at the back is an old man named Old Ge, who’s always dozing off.” Bai Yu explains in a low voice. 

“Be careful. If it doesn’t work, just come back, and we’ll keep waiting.”

You Qing simply nods and walks away. Watching him leave, Bai Yu can’t help but sigh. “Such a handsome face, but nowhere near as cute as Qiao Qiao.”

“If it were Qiao Qiao, he’d be sweet and soft when talking. But this junior brother is a bit too cold!”

Unfazed by Bai Yu’s comments, You Qing sneaks to the back gate, hiding behind a tree to observe. He didn’t mention it earlier, but his previously broken spiritual root has started working again.

On the back mountains of the sect, Yao Qing found an ancient book, one of its yellowed pages explains how to cultivate a broken spiritual root. A broken spiritual root, as the name suggests, once functional that has become useless.

Cultivating it requires using secret techniques to reactivate it, much like reviving dead wood. This process is not easy. When cultivating, Yu Qing must repeatedly break through his blocked meridians. 

Though the pain was almost unbearable, the thought of the little one inside the sect kept him going, he gritted his teeth, endured the immense pain, and pushed through.

The Senior Brothers inside the sect seem good and kind. Yet, he still doesn’t trust them with Ming Qiao. He doesn’t trust anyone—only himself.

You Qing stands quietly behind the tree for a long time before he finally makes his move. He approaches the inconspicuous wall and tries to climb over it.

He tries three times but is forcefully bounced back and falls hard to the ground each time. On his fourth attempt, he heads directly to the back gate.

“Is Ming Qiao inside?” he asks Old Ge, who is dozing off. 

“I’m his brother. Can I go check on him?”

Old Ge sips from his worn gourd of wine and ignores him. You Qing notices the little tassel hanging from old Ge’s gourd, presses his lips together, steps back, and continues climbing the wall.

This time, he isn’t bounced back, and he successfully makes it over.

Inside the wall, You Qing’s eyes darken. He recognizes the tassel on old Ge’s wine gourd—it belongs to Ming Qiao.

It seems old Ge and Ming Qiao have a good relationship. And old Ge letting him in confirms that Ming Qiao is likely facing some trouble. His handsome young face remains calm as he sneaks in. 

Meanwhile, Ming Qiao, still undergoing testing, has no idea that his brother is nearby.

He is so angry. Although he has multiple spiritual roots, he has never trained before, making it difficult for him to sense the elemental treasures.

After much effort, he finds a wood-element treasure, a wooden lump. But someone from Du Sheng’s group swoops in and snatches it away before he can collect it. 

Since it wasn’t taken directly from his hands,  it technically wasn’t against the rules. These people are exploiting loopholes in the rules, repeatedly snatching the spiritual treasures that Ming Qiao worked so hard to find.

After several setbacks in the small world, Ming Qiao emerges with a dirty, frustrated face. His once-clean little clothes are now smeared with dust from falling while chasing after the thieves.

Covered in dirt, Ming Qiao becomes the center of attention.

“Wow, are five spiritual roots that useless? Couldn’t even find a single treasure?”

“I used to think having five spiritual roots was impressive. Turns out, not really.”

“Looks like he can’t even compare to Du Sheng’s three spiritual roots.”

The mocking words reach Ming Qiao’s ears, he wipes his dirty face with his hand, letting out a cold snort. “Shameless! You’re all bad guys!” 

“They not only stole my spiritual treasure just now but they also mock me now!”

He’s furious, cheeks puffed up. After cursing them, he runs off to the library. In frustration, he forgets to pick up dinner and his medicine from the cafeteria.

As Ming Qiao runs away, the kids continue to mock him. Finally, one older kid speaks up: “Enough already. Five spiritual roots mean he has more paths to cultivate, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be amazing without training.”

“He’s just a kid, and you guys are much older. Why are you all addicted to bullying a little kid?” With that, the older kid rolls his eyes and walks away.

Meanwhile, in the shadows, You Qing’s dark eyes are fixed on the faces of the kids who mocked Ming Qiao.

After a moment, he quietly follows Du Sheng, he doesn’t go to find Ming Qiao. So, Ming Qiao, who runs back to the library, has no idea that his brother is in the same courtyard as him.

Ming Qiao climbs up to the sixth floor of the library and sits on the stairs, not going any further. The book spirit floats anxiously around him, seeing his dirty face and torn clothes, spinning in worry.

“Baby…” the book spirit whispers softly, afraid of startling him. The book spirit can’t understand how the once neat and tidy baby has come back looking like this. The book spirit is frantic with concern. 

Ming Qiao, sitting on the steps, is feeling down. In the morning, he told his mother he was going to take first place.

But after today’s test, he knows for sure that he won’t have any points. Tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that, he may not get any points either.

This round of testing will end soon, Ming Qiao realizes he won’t be able to take first place. Thinking about this possibility, Ming Qiao sniffles, and his eyes redden.

Seeing this, the book spirit panics and rushes upstairs. “Qing Heng! The baby is crying!” 

The book spirit yells in alarm, wildly exaggerating the situation. “I knew these kids were no good! Baby’s been bullied! He’s been beaten, and cried!”

With the book spirit’s over-the-top storytelling, the little guy sulking on the stairs downstairs seems like a pitiful, tragic little soul!

—————————————————————

Author’s note: 

Brother You Qing: Bully my baby? I’ll deal with them one by one.