Purple Bamboo School used to be a place of high prestige. Starting from several generations before Situ An, they had always bore the reputation of being excellent teachers. Disciples from even the most prominent of sects would be sent there, only to come out to say they had been under the tutelage of the Situ Clan. And for generations, such a title would be an honor.
Just two hundred or so years before our story took place, Purple Bamboo School housed a lovely family of three—a loving and loyal husband, a caring and doting wife, and a smart and lovely son. For a long while, they were the envy of the cultivation world.
The father taught his students carefully while the mother cared for the children who had often been neglected by their family. Their young child would make friends with nearly everyone, but he was very lonely. He never told his parents this, but he always felt out of sorts. The care he gave for people was one-sided. In all his friendships, he was never the one who was seen. And it made him feel lonely. But how could he bring that up to his parents when they were already living a happy life?
So, the young child kept his mouth shut and never said a word.
But, one day, a horrifying woman came to Purple Bamboo Sect, with a child around his age in tow. The child was quiet, with a pale face that accentuated his horrible bruises. And the horrifying woman had a horrible temper. The young boy remembered his mother trying to reason with this witch, but the woman was impatient. Eventually, the young boy couldn’t listen in anymore and went to the back gardens to play.
There was a pond of koi fish here and a swing and many flowers and bamboo. The bamboo leaves were tinged purple and if you chose just the right one, they would be able to whistle a beautiful tune.
The young master of the Situ family loved finding the perfect leaf for the perfect sound. It was an odd hobby for a ten-year-old, but he could spend hours picking a leaf.
On that particular day, a soft crunch scared the young master. He turned around and found the young boy behind him. The boy stared at him with hollow, greyish eyes. Upon noticing the young master’s gaze, the boy took a step back and was about to run. But the young master caught him.
“You—are you staying here?” the young master asked, his voice higher-pitched due to his nervousness.
The boy tried to twist his wrist out, but the young master held on.
“M-my name Situ Rong’ao (荣傲). You can just call me Rong’ao…you…what’s your name?” the young master asked.
The child stared at Situ Rong’ao for a long time before giving his hand a light squeeze. “Lingtian.”
It was only that night that Rong’ao found out that the evil woman was the boy’s shizun and that the boy would be staying with them for a while to “Teach him manners”.
This was the first time Rong’ao questioned an adult’s intentions.
Wu Lingtian was a soft and quiet boy. His head was lowered most of the time and he rarely smiled. If you moved too suddenly, he would be scared. He would say thank you in a soft voice and he wouldn’t ask for anything that wasn’t given to him. Aside from being so flighty, these were all manners that Rong’ao’s parents tried his best to teach him.
So, what did that scary woman mean about Wu Lingtian?
When Rong’ao asked his mother, he saw an emotion that had never touched that woman’s eyes—it was sadness.
“Rong’ao,” his mother knelt down before him and gently grasped his shoulders. “You’re right. That woman doesn’t know what she was talking about. But I do need you to help Mother with one thing.”
Rong’ao kept his expression curious, but his heart fell to his stomach. Oh. It was this again.
“Xiao Ling is scared of people, so you have to be very nice to him, okay? Take care of him like he’s your little brother, okay?”
Despite his own thoughts, Rong’ao hummed as he rubbed into his mother’s warm hand.
He never had a little brother. And he didn’t know what it was like to really have one. But after hearing “take care of him like he is your little brother” so many times, Rong’ao grew to resent this nonexistent entity. And once such a phrase was pasted on to the pitiful boy, Rong’ao began to slowly resent him too.
But reality was different from what Rong’ao expected.
A week passed and Rong’ao had grown quite uncomfortable.
“Here,” a cold voice pulled Rong’ao from his thoughts.
When he looked over, he saw a piece of candy held out to him. His gaze shifted upwards as he looked at the young boy, who was no longer so covered in bruises. The eyes that looked back at him weren’t so empty either and the pair of lips that were pressed into a line were not so stiff anymore.
“…What?”
“Candy,” Lingtian said. He raised a brow, a small pout on his lips. “What? You don’t want it?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Rong’ao stared at the candy that came from goodness knows where and spoke without thinking: “Where did you get this candy?”
Ktf rbecv bo atf kbgvr mjerfv Ebcu’jb ab aegc mbiv. Lf rtbeivc’a tjnf jrxfv rbwfatlcu ilxf atja. Llr wbatfg abiv tlw atja atlr ybs kjr rmjgfv bo qfbqif. Qbeivc’a j defralbc ilxf atja yf jxlc ab jrxlcu lo tf rabif? Ccv rafjilcu kjr j yjv atlcu! Qbeiv tf atlcx tf kbeiv ufa sfiifv ja? Lbk kjr Ebcu’jb ublcu ab gfwfvs atf rlaejalbc, tf—
His brain went silent as he looked at the boy’s little smirk. The boy leaned in and whispered: “I stole it.”
Rong’ao sat in shock as sweetness coated his tongue.
“And now you can’t tell anyone, because you ate a piece. You’re an accomplice,” the impish boy said, his smile only growing wider.
Rong’ao’s face paled and the boy threw his head back in laughter. He felt a warm hand rubbing his head as he listened to the wonderful sound.
“I’m joking! A nice big brother gave it to me,” Lingtian said, his eyes sparkling. “He said if you feel upset, you should eat something sweet! Rong’ao, you didn’t look very happy, so I’m sharing my candy with you. Don’t feel sad anymore, okay?”
Rong’ao felt his face slowly warm. He averted his gaze as he concentrated on the sweetness on his tongue.
So, Wu Lingtian liked to eat sweets?
The winter months soon shifted into spring and Wu Lingtian had been a guest at Purple Bamboo Sect for three months now.
In that time, the boy had grown to be taller than Situ Rong’ao. His laugh was louder and his smile was very attractive. When he laughed a little too hard, his dimples would show and he would reach out to smack the person closest to him. Unknowingly, Rong’ao loved when he made the normally unsmiling boy laugh that loud.
“Rong’ao!”
The call startled the young master from his studies. He looked up and watched as Wu Lingtian fell from the wall. He ran over and held out a big basket.
“Look! Your mother gave me a bunch of pastries.”
Rong’ao looked at him curiously. “Eat it before it gets cold, then.”
Wu Lingtian hummed as if Rong’ao had just said the world’s truest statement. He opened the basket and moved the steaming pastry towards his lips. But when he saw that Rong’ao had turned back to his homework, he quickly tilted the young master’s chin up and shoved the warm pastry into his mouth.
Rong’ao stared at Wu Lingtian, wide-eyed. He took a reluctant bite and moved the pastry away. “What are you doing? Mother made these for you!”
“I know,” Wu Lingtian sat down on the table and grinned. “But I wanted to share with you. You also like to eat sweet things, don’t you?”
Rong’ao hesitantly glanced at the pastry in his hand. He did, but—
“Don’t look at it as if it’s some treasure. There’s a whole basket,” Wu Lingtian said, happily showing off his treasure.
Rong’ao looked at the smiling boy and lowered his gaze again. His heart hammered uncomfortably in his chest.
It wasn’t until Rong’ao was eleven did the young boy have to leave.
At that time, he was anxious. If Wu Lingtian returned with that wicked woman, what would happen? Would he lose his smile again? Would he be able to eat sweets again? Just the thought made Rong’ao’s nose sour. The night before, he ordered his servants to get several sachets of candy and when the morning came, he quickly snuck them into Wu Lingtian’s bag.
“A-Rong, what are you doing?” Wu Lingtian asked, watching on in amusement.
“That evil lady might not let you get candy! So, I bought a bunch for you,” Rong’ao whispered as he carefully tucked them away.
Wu Lingtian chuckled. He gave Situ Rong’ao a tight hug and sighed. “You know, you’re my first friend.”
Rong’ao stilled.
“That big brother was right,” Wu Lingtian murmured as he pulled away. His eyes sparkled. “There are many nice people in this world.”
Rong’ao pursed his lips and felt uncomfortable again. “Why don’t you call me gege?”
“Why would I call you gege?”
“…Hah?”
“I’m older than you,” Wu Lingtian said, raising a brow. He grinned and rubbed Rong’ao’s head. “Of course, you can call me gege if you want!”
It was the first time in Rong’ao’s short life that he felt disappointed that he wasn’t called “gege”.
When you ask Situ Hong later, he would laugh at his own childishness. It was because of this that he hadn’t gone off to send away Wu Lingtian. Still, Wu Lingtian had always been kind. Even with Situ Hong’s cold shoulder, he continued to write letters until Situ Hong responded again.
At first, the letters had been cheerful, but when the two boys became teenagers, the contents of the letters became a little more desperate.
“A-Rong, are you okay?”
“A-Rong, you don’t even have to write anything, just send back an envelope.”
“A-Rong, it’s been three months. Please answer.”
“A-Rong, if you don’t answer, I’ll go find you myself!”
But Situ Rong’ao still did not respond.
In the fourth month of his fourteenth year of living, his mother was discovered as the daughter of a demonic cultivator.
The grown-up Situ Hong remembered little about that year. He only remembered feeling the injustice of losing his mother to the baseless accusations of the so-called righteous. So, what if his mother was the daughter of a demonic cultivator? Had she ever hurt anyone? Had she ever studied the demonic path? She had never even met her father, that supposed madman. She had been raised by her mother all her life until her mother passed. Then, after, she had been taken into Purple Bamboo Sect.
The adult Situ Hong remembered little, but he would always dream of this scene:
His mother was being dragged away. The servants and disciples cried, but didn’t dare approach. Situ Rong’ao was the only one foolish enough to follow. His mother gave him a kiss on the forehead, telling him to live a happy life, and then she was taken away.
He ran frantically back into the foyer to find his father. But when he asked his father to save his mother, the cold-hearted man took one look at him and went back to his study.
It took two years for father and son to speak again, but, by that time, Situ Rong’ao had gone through drastic changes.
At fourteen, he began to drink. At fifteen, he was more commonly found in brothels. The same year, he read more and more books on demonic cultivation than he did about the so-called righteous path. While his cultivation soared to new levels, he barely practiced. He was a prodigy, despite not even wanting to be associated with cultivation any longer.
In just a short span of two years, he gained a reputation of being a useless young master, who was gifted with the talent of cultivation. By the time his father tried to manage him, the young Situ Hong no longer had the patience to listen to him.
But despite his poor reputation, he was still the only son of Situ An. No matter how much Situ An wanted to leave Situ Hong at home, he still had to bring him to the conference.
And it was there that Situ Rong’ao—now old enough to adopt a given name—reunited with his old friend.
Wu Lingtian stared at Situ Hong with displeasure on his face. The shorter, prettier teenager beside him looked between them and examined the delicate atmosphere.
“This…can we get a move on?” Xiao Xunrui asked softly. “If we linger here, we’ll get caught.”
“Alright. But I won’t go unless he comes with us,” Wu Lingtian said, glaring at Situ Hong. “At worst, I’ll scream and all three of us can get caught.”
Situ Hong shifted his gaze from Wu Lingtian. “…Alright.”
The three young men disappeared into the darkness of the night and arrived quickly at a restaurant not too far nearby. As Xiao Xunrui ordered a few bottles of wine, his gaze continued to shift over to Situ Hong and Wu Lingtian. Once everything was ordered, he lightly cleared his throat.
“Wu-xiong, who is this?”
“This Purple Bamboo Sect’s young master, surnamed Situ. A-Rong, this is a disciple under the Hall of Impartiality, surnamed Xiao.”
“Hello, Young Master Situ,” Xiao Xunrui said, with a charming smile.
Situ Hong hummed, but didn’t give him the courtesy of returning the greeting.
The room fell silent.
“You don’t want a friend like me anymore?” Wu Lingtian suddenly asked.
Situ Hong stiffened. “I…It’s not like that…”
“Then, why haven’t you answered my letters in the past few years? Oh, well, I suppose Young Master Situ has been busy all year round. It must be difficult to find time to write a letter to little ol’ me,” Wu Lingtian said.
“That’s not it!” Situ Hong said, abruptly looking up at Wu Lingtian. When he saw the playful glint in the other boy’s eyes, he calmed back down. He averted his gaze again. “It’s just…I…I don’t know.”
Xiao Xunrui lowered his head, a pitying sigh leaving him.
Who in the cultivation world hadn’t heard about what happened to Purple Bamboo Sect? Although Wu Lingtian and Xiao Xunrui were orphans, they could guess the impact of losing your mother in such a horrible way. As for what happens to people suspected of being traitors…well, Madam Situ wouldn’t have died a very peaceful death.
The waiter came by and carefully placed the snacks and wine on the table. Once the table was set, the waiter bowed and took his leave.
Wu Lingtian let out a long sigh and opened a bottle of wine. He poured out a bowl and placed it in front of Situ Hong. The liquid sloshed at the sides and trickled onto the table.
“If you don’t know, then don’t say anything. Drink. This is your punishment for ignoring me,” Wu Lingtian said.
Situ Hong felt his nose sour slightly. He lowered his head and gulped the alcohol down. When he finished, his bowl was quickly refilled.
Xiao Xunrui held his bowl up and smiled. “Cheers to a new friendship?”
Wu Lingtian held his bowl up as well and looked at Situ Hong. The sound of three clay bowls touched each other and was followed by a teasing laugh.
“Rong’ao, you’re old enough to have a given name now, but you’re still crying!” Wu Lingtian said. He stood up and rounded the table to sit down beside Situ Hong. “Aw, you big crybaby. What are we going to do with you?”
“Wu-xiong,” Xiao Xunrui frowned slightly.
“Piss off,” Situ Hong sniffled, lowering his head further so no one could see his embarrassing state.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Cry to your heart’s content,” Wu Lingtian said, throwing an arm over Situ Hong’s shoulder. He grinned. “Your Xiao-gege and Wu-gege are here. If anyone dares bully you, we’ll beat the crap out of them!”
“You’re the only one who would bully me!” Situ Hong protested, softly nudging Wu Lingtian away.
“Then, your Xiao-gege can protect you from me. Right, Xiao-xiong?” Wu Lingtian turned to Xiao Xunrui.
Xiao Xunrui gave a helpless laugh and hummed. “So, let go of him, won’t you?”
Wu Lingtian pouted. He gave Situ Hong’s head a few more good rubs before he released him. He leaned on the table and watched Situ Hong for a moment as his smile softened.
“A-Rong, if anything is bothering you, don’t hide it, okay? We’re friends, aren’t we?” Wu Lingtian said, carefully thumbing away Situ Hong’s tears.
Situ Hong swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded.
This one question was what made Situ Hong so bitter, so many years later. They were friends, so why hadn’t he been told anything?
A/N: sorry about the late update everyone! Some personal life stuff has been going on and I forgot to update ;v; the extras this time around might come out a little slower bc i still haven’t finished them. Look out for them on Wednesdays and Fridays! (hopefully it’ll be more frequent tho…)
I’m more and more surprised that the righteous sects lasted as long as they did. They hurt a lot of powerful people! I guess some of those people had to finish growing up before they could clean house.
if everyone wished for the destruction of the world, the cultivation world wouldn’t have lasted so long. they should just consider themselves lucky that some people they hurt wanted to maintain peace lmao– THANKS FOR READDDINNGG
The righteous sects sometimes were the worst and most evil bastards. Always quick to pass baseless judgement. That is why i support some demonic cultivators (WWX) and others.
there’s a lot to be said about what can be done in the name of righteousness, especially when a harmless comment can be quickly turned into a witch hunt by the righteouoss faction ;v; thanks for readdinnnngggg
Chibi WWX is my FB profile pic and I was born in ’69 😄.