Villainous Junior Chapter 31
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 31: Double Standards
Taixuan Sect recently welcomed another monthly exam.
But the disciples' mood was quite elated, only because after the monthly exam, they would embark on their annual trip to Xianle City.
Taixuan Sect's management of disciples was very humane. Although they strictly required disciples to practice and conducted regular inspections daily, they did not blindly force them to study. In addition to cultivation, they would arrange some leisure activities for the disciples to relieve pressure and relax their minds. The trip to Xianle City was one such activity.
Speaking of Xianle City, it was a place renowned throughout the entire cultivation world. The city lord of Xianle City, Li Chen, was a powerful cultivator at the peak of the Mahayana Realm, who had already lived for over four hundred years. He had lived hundreds of years of unrestrained and indulgent days until he met the palace mistress of Yueha Palace, Qu Ying, and fell in love with her at first sight, becoming Dao companions. To please his wife, Li Chen spent countless resources and immortal power to create Xianle City in five years.
Rumors in the cultivation world said that the most beautiful immortal scenery, the most moving immortal music, the most intoxicating immortal wine, the most wondrous immortal realms... were all in Xianle City. Because this city was so large, after his wife's suggestion, Li Chen generously opened it to the entire cultivation world, welcoming all righteous cultivators to come and visit. As years passed, Xianle City undoubtedly became the hottest leisure destination in the cultivation world.
"Is Xianle City really as fun as the legends say?" new disciples who had never been there asked their senior brothers and sisters curiously.
The senior disciples replied with profound expressions. "It's a place that once you go, you never want to return to the sect to practice."
The disciples became even more excited, redoubling their efforts to study late into the night, planning to have a great time after the exam.
"Senior Brother," Yin Chi smiled as he leaned on the desk, looking at the young man writing across from him, "Let's go to Xianle City together this time, shall we?"
Meng Chen didn't even raise his eyes as he said, "I'm not going."
Yin Chi: "...Why?"
Meng Chen: "Don't want to."
Yin Chi stared at Meng Chen for a while, then said, "Senior Brother, I've noticed that since I came in, you haven't looked up at me once."
Meng Chen finished writing the last character, unhurriedly put down his brush, and then slowly raised his eyes. It had been a while since Yin Chi had appeared before him, and whether it was an illusion or not, Yin Chi seemed to have lost some weight, his complexion was paler than before, and his originally bright features had become more pronounced and sharp. At first glance, it was inexplicably unsettling.
Yin Chi: "Aren't you going to ask me where I've been all this time?"
Meng Chen stood up and pulled a book from the bookshelf beside him. "Probably went down the mountain to complete a mission."
Listening to the young man's cold voice and seeing his indifferent expression, Yin Chi felt as if his heart was being burned by poisonous fire, hot, painful, and resentful.
"Senior Brother, I've been wanting to ask for a long time," Yin Chi said. "Do you not like me anymore?"
Meng Chen's book-flipping motion paused slightly.
"Ever since Xue Lang entered Tianji Peak, your attitude towards me has completely changed," Yin Chi said. "He has completely replaced me, hasn't he?"
It was precisely because he had deeply experienced the gentleness of the person before him that he knew more acutely the other's current coldness.
The patient companionship during practice, the concern for his well-being in daily life, the indulgent gaze, the gentle smile, the intimate hand stroking his hair...
All of it was gone.
He could no longer receive a caring look from this person, could no longer see this person smile at him, could no longer hear this person initiate a conversation with him.
Even when he had disappeared for so long, this person hadn't even asked once "where did you go?"
"Senior Brother," he said, "I originally thought that among all of us, you were the least like Master."
Meng Chen was gentle, considerate, attentive, cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Whether inside or outside the sect, he always had endless "trivial matters" to attend to, completely different from Zhongli Jing's personality of disregarding everything. In comparison, people like Pei Yuze and Yin Chi, who were warm on the outside but cold inside, still had some similarities with Zhongli Jing.
But now Yin Chi knew that his senior brother had one point in common with their master.
— Heartlessness.
When they cared for you, their eyes were full of you, so gentle that there seemed to be no bottom line, as if they could agree to your every request.
But when you were no longer in their heart, they wouldn't even bother to spare you a glance, as if you were a complete stranger to them, as if everything that had happened between you was just a dream you had alone.
Cold to the point of indifference, heartless to the point of cruelty.
Meng Chen gave a light sneer upon hearing this.
He never thought there would be a day when Yin Chi would call him "heartless."
He couldn't be bothered to argue anything, only responded with a faint "Is that so," then sat back down with his book, picked up his brush, and continued writing with his head lowered.
The dismissiveness of a cherished person was a poison, more chilling than malicious words. Yin Chi's nails dug deeply into his palms. He trembled as he took a breath, gave Meng Chen one last deep look, then turned and strode away.
After driving the person away, Meng Chen finally put down his brush.
Although revealing everything now wasn't a very wise choice, he really didn't want to continue putting on a facade with these people anymore.
Before, he had been concerned that angering these people might threaten Xue Lang's safety, but now that Zhongli Jing had returned early, although it was also a big trouble, at least certain people wouldn't dare to make a move under Zhongli Jing's nose.
Thinking of Xue Lang, Meng Chen's thoughts slightly digressed.
That day, after he had carelessly accepted those words, Xue Lang froze for a while, then stammered an excuse and ran away. Thinking about it later, Meng Chen realized his words had indeed been too direct. After all, young people have thin skin, and having their thoughts mercilessly exposed probably made them feel embarrassed and angry.
Moreover, he had spoken those words naturally in the flow of conversation. He didn't feel anything wrong before saying them, but upon reflection afterwards, he felt it might have been a bit inappropriate.
He was considering whether to go apologize to Xue Lang, but feared bringing up the old matter would make the young man even more angry. As he was hesitating, a faint sound of flapping wings came from the window. Meng Chen turned his head to look and saw a small blue bird diving down fiercely from the air, then getting stuck... in the openwork of the carved wooden window.
The blue chubby head squeezed through the window, with the back half of its body left outside. No matter how much it puffed out its chest, sucked in its stomach, or flapped its wings, it couldn't squeeze in. It could only cast a pitiful gaze towards Meng Chen, chirping miserably twice.
Meng Chen laughed as he got up and walked over, gently pushing its little head out of the openwork, then went around to the door to personally welcome the chubby little bird in. It was then that he noticed a letter tied to the little bird's back with a thin string, and two pale pink wildflowers tucked into the envelope.
Meng Chen gently plucked the little pink flowers and placed them in the earthen pot on the table where he was growing frost-colored flowers, then opened the envelope.
Inside was only a thin sheet of paper, with one line of awkwardly written characters:
[Going to Xianle City the day after tomorrow, want to come along?]
Meng Chen looked at that line of text, his lips curving slightly into a smile, and picked up his brush to write below it:
[Okay.]
