Normally, teenagers who grew up together would naturally hang out together and become childhood friends, but the guys on Fuyao Mountain were obviously not ordinary teenagers. Some were particularly troublesome, some were particularly bad, some were particularly unsociable, and some were particularly unkempt... However, during the trip to the Demon Valley, the coldness and estrangement between the four brothers unknowingly melted away, and their true natures gradually emerged.

Master Mu Chun was initially pleased about this, but he soon discovered that it would be better for his disciples to treat each other with respect as before.

One unlucky child is just a child. Two together can make a thousand ducks. Three together can turn the world upside down. As for four...

There was no peace on Fuyao Mountain from then on.

One day, the increasingly outrageous Yan Zhengming had a sudden idea. He stuffed a large incense burner under each of his fellow students' desks, and burned the preaching hall so that it was filled with fog all day long, just like a big soup pot. He himself turned into a white dumpling floating on the soup pot, and slept soundly in the white during morning classes every day. He felt so comfortable.

The mean Li Yun couldn't stand his conceitedness, so he dug out the recipe of "Ningshen Fragrance" from somewhere.

Ningshen incense is undoubtedly a unorthodox method, and is not as innocent as its name suggests. It is said that applying a pinch of it on the pillow of a sleeping person can make the person have erotic dreams all night long and bring endless pleasure.

Li Yun came up with a secret recipe, and Han Yuan volunteered to prepare it.

As everyone knows, Han Yuan is a confused person. He still hasn't memorized all the rules of the sect. What can he prepare when he can't even understand a recipe?

What's more, this little beggar loved innovation and incorporated his own ideas into the mixture without authorization - he added two kitchen seasonings into it without authorization, and turned the "Concentrating Incense" into a half-baked psychedelic incense, and then stuffed it into his own incense burner with great anticipation when the eldest brother began his "morning sleep".

On that day, all the flowers, birds, fish and insects near the missionary hall went crazy.

Two butterflies were dancing above the master's head, and could not be driven away. Their fluttering wings made him look like he was wearing a pair of women's hairpins, the most fancy kind.

Li Yun's new favorite, a big-bellied katydid, crawled out as if it was drunk, staggered a few steps, and with some strange light-body skill, plunged headfirst into Cheng Qian's inkstone. Cheng Qian's hand, which was about to dip the pen in ink, hung stiffly in mid-air for a moment, and the ink stains on his sleeves looked like a cluster of black plum blossoms.

The master had never attracted so many bees and butterflies in his life. He could not even continue reading the sutra. He stuffed the butterfly that had climbed onto his head back into the backpack, and in a frustrated voice, he dragged on his old woman's voice and sang the scolding like a play, causing Han Yuan to extinguish the incense burner.

Han Yuan brought up the large incense burner from under the table with a playful smile, and picked up a bowl of tea to pour it on top. When Li Yun was snickering at his master's new image, Cheng Qian deftly picked up the katydid with two pens, raised his hand and threw it into the incense burner: "Junior brother, let me help you."

Li Yun: "Oh, don't!"

But it was too late. The unknown species of katydid and Han Yuan's half bowl of tea were poured onto the incense burner. There were water-repellent charms on the incense burner that Master Yan brought. Even if water was really needed, it had to be poured through special channels and holes. The water-repellent charm was provoked and immediately fought back, burning a ball of flames as high as a palm. Li Yun's katydid came from nowhere, but it was real gold that was not afraid of fire. It flew out with a body of fire, drew a sharp flame in the air, and rushed straight towards the master's two small mustaches.

The seasonings in the incense came into play in this situation - the fire katydid burned the master's beard into two pieces of charred shreds with a strong sauce aroma.

On that day, Han Yuan and Li Yun were punished to copy scriptures twenty times. Yan Zhengming was the instigator and he slept in the morning class, which was too outrageous to be tolerated. He was punished ten times in a row. Only Cheng Qian, although he played an important role in instigating the incident, was spared because he did not do it on purpose and admitted his mistake in time afterwards.

For this reason, Yan Zhengming, with his airs and thick skin, intercepted Cheng Qian on his way back to Qing'anju in the evening, and said sanctimoniously: "Little copper coin, I happen to have some free time today, how about I teach you some sword skills?"

After spending many days together, Cheng Qian has seen through this man's character - as long as it comes to eating, drinking and having fun, Young Master Yan will definitely forge ahead courageously, but once he is asked to sit down and learn something, he will immediately turn into a sick beauty, whining so much that it hurts from his toenails to his hair.

Just now, Yan Zhengming was halfway through his sword practice when he claimed that he had heatstroke.

He offered to teach me swordsmanship? Unless the sun rises in the west.

Sure enough, the next moment, his senior brother stated his original purpose in a very graceful manner: "Oh, I remember that today the master punished me to copy scriptures. Uh... well, it seems that I don't have time, but if you can help me copy a few times..."

Hey, a night owl comes into the house for no reason.

Cheng Qian pushed him back without even looking up: "Brother, you should go and copy the scriptures. I dare not trouble you with such rough work as sword practice, for fear that you might hurt your waist."

Yan Zhengming: “…”

Why can't life just be like the first time we met? His third junior brother, who was hypocritical but polite, could never be found again.

"Wait!" Yan Zhengming still refused to give up. He rolled his eyes and saw that there was no one around, so he raised his arm and hooked Cheng Qian's neck, pulling him over, and whispered, "Write a few copies for me, and I'll tell you a secret."

Cheng Qian sighed and said earnestly, "Big Brother, you don't need to tell me such a big secret as 'how to tie the belt so that it will float'."

Without saying a word, Yan Zhengming took advantage of his tall stature to hold Cheng Qian under his arm and carried him away - he walked with a breeze under his feet, not at all like someone who had just suffered from heatstroke.

Cheng Qian seldom wandered around the mountain. Every day he would go from Qing'anju to the Mission Hall, and then from the Mission Hall back to Qing'anju.

It's not that he didn't have curiosity, of course, but he had extremely strong self-control. He thought that he had not yet completed his training and it was inappropriate for him to run around everywhere. Therefore, although he knew that there were many caves left by his predecessors on Mount Fuyao, he basically had never visited them.

Yan Zhengming took him all the way to the top of the mountain. In the howling wind, he brought Cheng Qian to a strange rock that looked like a monkey: "This is it."

Cheng Qian took a quick glance and asked in confusion, "Is this... a statue that Senior Brother erected for Junior Brother?"

Yan Zhengming said proudly: "Little thing, don't try to be so good at talking. There will be a time when you will beg me for help."

After saying that, he took out a handkerchief from his bosom and wiped the dust along the outer edge of the stone, only to see a door-shaped gap there.

Yan Zhengming placed his hand on the stone door and lowered his head for a moment. After a series of creaking sounds, the door on the stone monkey's belly was pushed open by him. Inside was a cramped little cave. From the entrance of the cave, one could see a row of dark stone steps leading directly underground.

Yan Zhengming: "This door can only be opened by someone who can draw Qi into the body. Unless you go to ask the master for help, I am the only one who can bring you in on this mountain - follow me."

After saying that, he ducked down and went in.

Cheng Qian followed him lazily. At first, he was not very interested and asked perfunctorily, "What is this place?"

Yan Zhengming led the way and said, "No one has ever given it a name, but Master calls this place the Sutra Tower."

Cheng Qian was stunned.

The symbols engraved on the stone walls on both sides seemed to be able to sense someone coming in. After two people walked in, the originally dark walls immediately emitted a faint white light, which was not dazzling, but just enough for illumination.

"It contains countless classics of my sect over thousands of years. In addition to the hundreds of scriptures that Master loves, there are also the mental and sword techniques that our predecessors have collected from all over the place." If Yan Zhengming had a tail, it would have been raised by now. "Little copper coin, if Master asks me to copy some scriptures and sect rules in the future, if you can share some of the cost with me... I can come to open the door for you every ten days, how about it?"

As they were talking, the stone steps were almost at the end. A scent of ink from old papers wafted over them. Cheng Qian couldn't help but ask with some suspicion, "If you are so powerful, why have I never seen you here, brother?"

Yan Zhengming replied righteously: "You can't chew too much if you bite off more than you can chew. More haste makes waste. Now I just need to practice my own wooden sword well. Knowing too much will only distract me."

He had practiced a set of introductory sword techniques for seven or eight years, and he really had the nerve to say that - Cheng Qian simply had no way to deal with him. But the next moment, he was completely stunned.

The narrow path came to an end, and the front suddenly opened up. A huge stone cave came into view. Bookshelves stretched from the bottom to the top of the cave. Stacks of silk, bamboo slips, animal skins and the most common paper books were arranged in different categories. There were mental methods, sword techniques, various unorthodox methods, and even travel notes and anecdotes about famous mountains and rivers, etc. - there were endless volumes.

There are stone steps behind the cave leading to the lower level.

Yan Zhengming put his hands behind his back and said, "The Sutra Building has nine floors with countless books. Li Yun stole all those messy formulas when he and I were cleaning the Sutra Building. Tsk, these useless things - by the way, copper coins, have you decided to copy the scriptures for me, your senior brother?"

Cheng Qian felt like a rat that had fallen into a rice jar.

He had never liked Yan Zhengming so much before. At this moment, let alone copying scriptures for his senior brother, he would even pledge his love to him!

As one can imagine, from then on, Cheng Qian led an increasingly reclusive life. He never relaxed for a moment on his studies, and in his spare time he had to share the increasing number of copying assignments from his senior brother, and he also had to secretly digest the books he read in the Sutra Building in the dead of night.

Yan Zhengming opened the door for him once every ten days as promised, but Cheng Qian was like a greedy snake, wishing he could cram the entire Sutra Building into his brain and take it away. He would memorize a few large chapters in a hurry and then use the remaining ten days to slowly ponder them.

Such days are fulfilling and pass quickly, and in the blink of an eye, a whole year has passed from spring to autumn.

During this period, the demon girl from the puddle had already shown her inhuman side - she had learned to crawl, walk and jump ahead of her time. Although she was only one year old when she broke out of the shell, her height was already as tall as that of a mortal girl of three or four years old.

Regardless of rain or shine, Cheng Qian went to the Sutra Tower without interruption. At the same time, his handwriting became more and more like the inscriptions on the mountain, and he even learned how to imitate Yan Zhengming's handwriting without any guidance.

Yan Zhengming initially thought that Cheng Qian, like Li Yun, would secretly take away a few story books about unorthodox practices and strange anecdotes. However, when he accidentally glanced at him one day, he discovered that he was seriously reading sword manuals and martial arts techniques.

Yan Zhengming, the hopeless senior brother, came to a conclusion - Tongqian was crazy.

On Fuyao Mountain, Cheng Qian was an absolute outlier, especially compared to Han Yuan, who had been a disciple for more than a year and had not yet learned all the sect rules.

One day, when opening the door of the Sutra Tower for Cheng Qian, Yan Zhengming finally couldn't help but ask about the doubts in his heart.

"Copper coin," the young master said seriously, "What exactly are you planning to do? Are you going to rebel at Nantianmen?"

Cheng Qian evaded the question, "Master said, 'The thorns and the pillars, Li and Xi Shi, the Dao is one.' Although the Dao has a thousand changes, it does not deviate from its essence. I intend to read more so that it can complement my own practice."

Yan Zhengming asked curiously, "You've only been practicing for a year, why are you in such a hurry to learn the skills?"

Cheng Qian said, "When we came back from the Demon Valley last year, didn't our senior brother also say that he wanted to pluck all of Zi Peng Zhenren's hair? How can we defeat her if we don't learn the skills well?"

Yan Zhengming was even more surprised: "Yes, I said 'one day'. That old bastard is over 800 years old and I'm only 16. Why should I be in such a hurry? Maybe in 700 or 800 years, I will be more powerful than her."

This is definitely a pipe dream...

During this period, the young Yan Zhengming's stature gradually grew taller and taller, and he was becoming as tall and slender as an adult man. His gestures also began to shed his immaturity and began to show some elegance. Sometimes Cheng Qian would look at his own skinny arms and legs and his slow stature, and then at his eldest senior brother, and would feel a little envious.

But this little bit of appreciation and envy was not enough for him to tolerate Yan Zhengming's increasingly conceited behavior.

This fellow seemed to feel that he was enough to shame Song Yu and Pan An to death. He would take the opportunity to take a look at anything reflective - puddles on the ground after the rain, his shining sword. Judging from his facial expression, Cheng Qian believed that he must be admiring himself in his heart when he was taking the pictures.

A person who uses a sword as a mirror and practices for another seven or eight hundred years, or seven or eight thousand years - can he master any good sword skills?

Cheng Qian had nothing to say to him, so he walked aside and opened the book he had been reading halfway through last time.

I feel like the sect can't get any better.

The author has something to say: Note: The meaning of the word "莛 and 楹, Li and Xi Shi, and the way they are one" comes from "On the Equality of Things".