It had been a while since Xue Meng and Mei Hanxue last met.
Mei Hanxue was the type who wouldn't bother someone unless it was important. Moreover, during the apocalyptic battle, his identity swap with his younger brother was exposed before the world. Now, the entire cultivation world knew that there were two Immortal Masters Mei in the mortal world. Those female cultivators who had been deeply hurt by his brother and believed their relationships irreparable now set their sights on his older sibling.
They found Mei Hanxue handsome, composed, and not given to casual romances, with no scandalous history. He was the perfect substitute for Mei Hanxue in every way. They all declared that they would seek no other man in this life, desiring only a chance to be with Senior Brother Mei.
Mei Hanxue was so irritated by these interruptions that he seldom made appearances in the mortal world in the past two years.
The last time he had met Xue Meng was when he had been dispatched by the Bright Moon Building to deliver a supreme-grade Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus to him. Unbeknownst to him, he had coincidentally crossed paths with the new female head of the Jiangdong Sect who had come to pay her respects to Xue Meng.
The new leader of the Jiangdong Sect is Hua Ruowei.
Despite her position as the head of a sect, she was a unique flower, entirely distinct from the heroic Ye Wangxi, the gentle Madame Wang, and the formidable Madam Rong. After the former leader, Huang Xiaoyue, passed away, she had ascended to power through an unconventional means—by captivating all the elders of the sect with her charms.
Her most remarkable feat was that she had slept with all twelve elders of the Jiangdong Sect, a fact well-known among the common folk. However, the twelve cuckolded men remained oblivious, each unaware of the others' predicament. Even when rumors reached their ears, a single weeping plea from Hua Ruowei would incite the twelve elders to indignantly slam their fists on the table, exclaiming, "Weiwei is so innocent and pure-hearted! She is nothing like those vulgar and seductive women outside! You shall not spread rumors about her!"
Mei Hanxue found this woman truly a remarkable character, thinking she should spar with his younger brother to see who was more coquettish.
Regrettably, he was well aware of Hua Ruowei's true nature, whereas Xue Meng remained blissfully ignorant.
Xue Meng never cared for gossip, but after hearing eighteen different versions of the romantic tales involving Chu Wanning and Mo Weiyu's secluded life, he broke down and forbade such anecdotes from circulating within Death Peak again. As a result, he was completely unaware of Hua Ruowei's habit of coquetry and manipulating men.
Thus, when Mei Hanxue arrived with a snow lotus, he watched coldly as Hua Ruowei flirtatiously approached Sect Leader Xue with excessive familiarity—
"Brother Ziming, I admire you so much!"
"Brother Ziming, can I touch your shoulder guards? They look so shiny!"
"Brother Ziming, Weiwei thinks you're incredibly impressive. To be in charge of the entire Lower Cultivation Realm at such a young age, you must work very hard!"
Though Xue Meng found her words cloying, flattery could still pierce his defenses. He enjoyed hearing compliments, and under Hua Ruowei's sugary praise, he began to feel a little smug, chuckling foolishly.
"... " Mei Hanxue couldn't bear to watch any longer. He thought Xue Meng was being ridiculous, so he slammed the wooden box containing the snow lotus onto the table, startling Hua Ruowei with the noise.
Upon regaining her composure, the lovely maiden patted her ample chest and, with a flirtatious glance, said, "Brother Hanxue has such strong hands. Amazing."
Mei Hanxue looked at her with icy detachment. "I don't have a sister."
Hua Ruowei hadn't expected to be rebuffed and felt embarrassed. "I-I was just joking."
"Yes, I can tell that you're being rather casual."
Hua Ruowei: "..."
Xue Meng couldn't bear to watch and intervened, "That's enough, Headmaster Hua is still a guest after all. Besides, she just told me that after the Cataclysmic Battle, she gained insight and realized that what the Jiangdong Sect did in the past was wrong. This time, she specifically came to reconcile with the Peak of Life and Death. Isn't that right, Headmaster Hua?"
In front of Xue Meng, Hua Ruowei had been confident, but when she met Mei Hanxue's gaze, she felt as if her innermost thoughts were laid bare. She shrank back, forcing a laugh, "Y-Yes, that's right. Headmaster Xue is the headmaster I admire the most. I especially look up to him, hahaha."
Mei Hanxue sneered, "But it seems like you said the same thing to Jiang Xi at Solitary Moon Night."
Hua Ruowei's expression changed instantly, "You... You're lying!"
"After you finished speaking, you even snuggled up to Jiang Yichen's leg."
Xue Meng was startled, "What?!"
Hua Ruowei: "..."
Mei Hanxue said expressionlessly, "This Headmaster Hua used the same words to seduce Headmaster Jiang at Solitary Moon Night last month. While at it, she took the liberty to nuzzle against Jiang Yichen's thigh. In a fit of rage, Jiang Yichen twisted her arm and escorted her out of Solitary Moon Night. Later, he even sent her a famous gynecological prescription as a 'greeting'."
Xue Meng: "..."
"Hanxue, the rumors have already spread throughout Yangzhou City. I happened to be staying there for a couple of days and overheard them."
Hua Ruowei never expected that the elder brother, Mei Hanxue, would be so much more indifferent than the younger one, Mei Hanxue, to the point of not giving any consideration to a woman's dignity! Blushing, she held onto the last sliver of hope to salvage the situation and spoke pitifully, "Brother Hanxue, those are all just rumors. Look into my eyes. Can you tell I'm lying...?"
Mei Hanxue really turned to look at her. Hua Ruowei was delighted and started fluttering her eyelashes at him seductively.
"Stop blinking," Mei Hanxue said coldly without a hint of emotion, "I have a low libido, especially towards you."
"..."
Mei Hanxue was clueless about romance! He didn't even deserve to carry his younger brother's shoes!!!
Hua Ruowei no longer wanted to engage in a confrontation with him. Frustrated, her pretty face flushed red like liver, and she hastily bid farewell with teary eyes, sobbing as she ran away.
With the girl gone, Mei Hanxue had no patience left for the stunned Xue Meng. Pushing the wooden box with his long finger, he casually offered six words, "For you. Eat more."
Still dazed, Xue Meng felt a sense of oppression in his heart, wondering how Jiang Yechen, at his age, could still attract such a swarm of admirers. Absentmindedly glancing at the box of snow lotus, he mumbled, "Thank you."
"Not necessary," Mei Hanxue's jade-like eyes held a faint hint of sarcasm and displeasure. His pale lips parted, "To nourish your brain."
Xue Meng: "???"
After a moment, he suddenly realized what had happened, but Mei Hanxue had already left. All Xue Meng could do was shout at his back, "Mei Hanxue! You're courting death! You dare to insult me?!"
In truth, Mei Hanxue was far more dependable than his younger brother. Ever since Xue Meng took the throne, he had maintained a certain level of decorum. However, that day, Xue Meng must have been in a foul mood because he taunted Mei Hanxue just as he used to in the past. After mocking him, he left without even turning back. Their meeting ended on an unpleasant note, and after that, Xue Meng cursed Mei Hanxue secretly, even suspecting that perhaps he had been bewitched by some kind of flower charm in his previous life, making him tolerate the Mei brothers' eccentricities.
Could any normal person endure being with them for so long? Not a single day!
Since then, Mei Hanxue hadn't set foot on the Peak of Life and Death. Xue Meng had assumed they would never cross paths again, yet here Mei Hanxue was, suddenly needing to see him urgently. This left Xue Meng somewhat surprised.
"What does he want? To nourish my brain again?"
Xuan Ji froze, "What?"
Xuan Ji's bewildered expression brought a measure of clarity back to Xue Meng's mind.
Clearing his throat softly, Xue Meng thought to himself, Forget it, forget it. I'm the sect leader, while Mei Hanxue is only the senior disciple. He hasn't inherited the Bright Moon Building's legacy yet. My position is higher, no need to dwell on this.
Hmph!
Clearing his throat, he assumed an air of dignity and asked, "Very well, what urgent matter does he have?"
Xuan Ji remarked, "I've heard that... there's been a major upheaval at Peach Bud Manor."
"Aha?" Xue Meng widened his eyes in surprise and glanced at the "Shouhou" maiden from Peach Bud Manor beside him. He frowned and asked, "Be more specific. What's really going on?"
Xuan Ji shook his head. " Elder Mei didn't go into specifics, but he mentioned that the troublemaker was his younger brother."
Mei Hanxue, standing by the side, raised his eyebrows in confusion, "..."
Xuan Ji failed to notice the oddity in "her" demeanor and continued somewhat hesitantly, addressing Xue Meng, "— as well as Sect Leader yourself."
Xue Meng: "???"
The Mei brothers, unlike others, were not required to wait in the outer hall of the Danxin Palace but were instead invited to rest in the garden veranda of the inner courtyard. When Xue Meng arrived, Mei Hanxue was standing by a colonnade, tilting his head up to admire a newly planted crabapple tree in the courtyard.
He was clad in a snow gauze flowing sleeve robe, custom-made by the Treading Snow Palace of Kunlun, adorned with simple yet elegant patterns. The only adornments were pale blue trims along the cuffs and hem. Perhaps it was because his lustrous golden hair, smooth as silk, was so dazzling that this attire did not render him dull or uninteresting. On the contrary, he resembled a slumbering glacier amidst snowy peaks, exuding an aloof and lofty aura. Yet beneath the icy exterior lay warmth, silently churning with dangerous, simmering lava.
One couldn't tell when it would erupt or spatter, potentially scalding those too close.
Xue Meng coughed, drawing Mei Hanxue's attention back.
"You..."
After such a long time apart, the situation was incredibly awkward. Xue Meng didn't want to engage in idle chatter with him, so he used his coughs to express his feelings instead.
The first cough was to make Mei Hanxue turn around.
The second was a form of greeting.
The third signified putting past grievances aside.
By the fourth cough...
Mei Hanxue's jade-like eyes glanced over, his tone cold as he asked, "Are you imitating a rooster crowing?"
Xue Meng: "..."
"It's quite an unusual fight."
Xue Meng never expected the other party to misunderstand his subtle hint and mock him instead. His eyes widened in surprise. "Mei Hanxue!! You—!"
"Let's not be so formal with each other for now," Mei Hanxue said, standing with his hands behind his back. The watery gemstone pendant on his forehead shimmered with a clear luster. "Xue Ziming, you've landed yourself in deep trouble, do you know that?"
"Huh?"
As an obedient child who always followed his mother and master's orders, Xue Meng instinctively felt wary of the phrase "trouble." He had never thought he would cause any problems; the number one troublemaker at the Peak of Life and Death was always Mo Ran or Mo Weiyu. Thus, he immediately asked anxiously, "What kind of trouble could I have caused?"
"Did you leave over a hundred negative reviews under the pseudonym 'Peach Bud Manor Ruined My Youth' for the Scroll of Worry Relief?"
"...So what if I did?" Xue Meng crossed his arms in defiance. "Is it possible Ma Fang was so enraged that he couldn't bear to drown himself in West Lake?"
Mei Hanxue glared at him.
Feeling a bit guilty under the glare, Xue Meng hesitantly asked, "No way, right? Did he really jump into the lake?"
"What jumping?" Mei Hanxue's gaze fell unashamedly on Xue Meng's waist, and he stared at the hand on Xue Meng's hip with an uncomfortable expression. He then commented bluntly, "Moreover, as the leader of a sect, you should mind your manners and appearance. Don't imitate a shrew."
"???" Xue Meng's anger flared instantly. "Hold on, Mei Hanxue, I'm the sect leader, how dare you speak to me like that?"
Mei Hanxue cast him a glance. "I am speaking frankly with you only because we are alone. If you are unwilling to accept it, so be it. Keep that fork in your mouth; don't take it out even during meals. Just remember to find a disciple to feed you."
"You, you—"
Xue Meng was so enraged that he almost fainted.
He truly couldn't decide whether Mei Hanxue or Mei Hanxue was more despicable. Mei Hanxue teased him incessantly, his flirtatious demeanor on full display whether in public or private, which often made him feel utterly humiliated. First published on WebnovelTV www.webnovel.tv m.webnovel.tv
Mei Hanxue was different; he still gave him ample face in front of others. But when they were alone, or when Mei Hanxue was in a bad mood, his words could be even more irritating than his younger brother's. (Remember the novel on 'QuickRead: m\.biqugeTv\.com' for an exciting reading experience.)
Moreover, due to Mei Hanxue's usual impeccable demeanor and his infrequent entanglements with the outside world, the cultivation realm's understanding of him remained superficial, leading to an exceedingly favorable reputation. Thus, whenever Xue Meng ranted furiously about Mei Hanxue's biting sarcasm, people would cast sympathetic glances at Sect Leader Xue and advise him, "Oh, Sect Leader, do remember to indulge in more Silver Ear and Lotus Seed Soup when you have the time; it will help quell your heartfire and alleviate your agitation."
And that's precisely it!
No matter how much Mei Hanxue had bullied him in the past—mocking his uniquely swollen face, calling him foolish for securing first place, later insisting he needed brain nourishment and even claiming he required hand-feeding—when he relayed these incidents to others, no one would believe him!
Xue Meng was truly like a mute eating bitter lotus seed, unable to express his suffering!
Frustrated and unsure of how to react, Xue Meng heard Mei Hanxue say, "Let's focus on the matter at hand. The problem lies with those over a hundred negative reviews you left." After a pause, he added, furrowing his light golden brows, "Of course, my brother's actions contributed to it as well."
"What on earth is going on?" Xue Meng asked.
Mei Hanxue replied, "The Mother Chest of the Scroll of Dispel Sorrow has come to life."
Xue Meng was astonished. "What?!"
Mei Hanxue continued, "Thanks to you and my younger brother."
Xue Meng's mouth opened and closed, finally settling on a stunned expression. "So... what has it become now?"
"A person."
"It actually managed to cultivate into human form?!"
"Yes," Mei Hanxue confirmed.
Xue Meng nervously smacked his lips. He had a fiery personality and couldn't tolerate Mei Hanxue's slow revelation. Impatiently, he urged, "Come on, give me more details. What exactly is happening?"
"In a nutshell..."
"Don't give me that simplification!" Xue Meng was on the verge of tears from frustration; he jumped up anxiously. "Make it complicated! You go all out with the complexity!"
Mei Hanzhen glanced at him indifferently and said lazily, "Alright, then. Let's complicate things. When Ma Fangzhi was crafting the Distress Relieving Scroll, to make it seem more intelligent, he placed an extremely rare Wisdom Spirit Stone into its 'mother' body. This stone can mimic human behavior to some extent. But, after all, it's just a foolish stone. It wouldn't be able to learn something that only happened once or twice. However, one day, Hanxue also bought a scroll."
"And then?"
"He created a hundred identities to chat with five hundred girls simultaneously through the Distress Relieving Scroll, repeating this action a hundred times. The mother body of the scroll learned everything thoroughly."
"..." Fair enough. That sounded like something Mei Hanxue would do.
Seeing Xue Meng's speechless expression, Mei Hanzhen raised his brows slightly. "Don't think that the problem lies solely with him. If it had been Hanxue alone, nothing would have happened. It's because you left over a hundred negative reviews for the Distress Relieving Scroll precisely at this time, using harsh words that severely hurt the nascent self-esteem of the newly awakened Wisdom Spirit. That's what triggered its rampage."
Xue Meng was stunned. "It could happen like that?!"
"It doesn't end there," Mei Hanzhen said coldly. "In its anger, the mother body of the Distress Relieving Scroll absorbed the spiritual energy poured into it by all its users and started imitating your and Hanxue's actions. Not long ago, it broke through Ma Fangzhi's restrictions, used the power of lightning to transform into a human form, and became a monster. This monster possesses great magical powers and is inflicted with two incurable illnesses."
"What?"
"First, excessively fickle."
"Seems like it learned from Mei Hanxue," Xue Meng continued, asking, "What about the second one?"
Mei Hanxue paused, lowering his faint golden lashes to look down at Xue Meng. His thin, pale lips parted to reveal a meaningful statement, "Second, overly narcissistic."
Xue Meng nodded, oblivious to himself, and said solemnly, "Mei Hanxue is indeed very narcissistic."
Mei Hanxue: "…"
Unaware of his own shortcomings, Xue Meng continued, "It seems that even though I've repeated a hundred times how it shouldn't leave bad reviews, it hasn't picked up any of my habits." He exhaled in relief, "So, what's going on now? Can't Courtesan Horse capture this monster by itself?"
Mei Hanxue was silent for a moment, about to speak when rustling sounds came from behind the ornamental rocks. Immediately, he sternly called out, "Who's there?!"
The flower shadows trembled, and after a while, the graceful and charming Shouhou girl emerged from behind the rock, a withered leaf stuck in her light-colored hair. She didn't dare to glance at Mei Hanxue and instead waved at Xue Meng with a smile, "Patriarch, I'm just passing by, I'll leave right away..."
Before she could take two quiet steps, Mei Hanxue's gloomy voice stopped her, "Stop."
Xue Meng frowned, "She's a guest in our sect, a disciple of Peach Bud Manor named Shouhou. She's a nice person, you don't have to be so fierce to every girl."
Mei Hanxue narrowed his eyes. "Miss?"
"Yes."
"Peach Bud Manor?"
"Indeed."
"Madam Longevity?"
"Correct."
With an icy expression, Mei Hanxue descended the steps and approached Madam Longevity. "Mei Hanxue."
Xue Meng: "????"
"You played with him again?"
Xue Meng: "!!!!"