Hearing My Beautiful Senior Brother's Heart - Chapter 1

My senior brother is the sickliest person in the world.

Since crawling out of the Niwang Realm, his health has visibly deteriorated. Though beautiful, he gets winded after a few steps and occasionally coughs up blood.

The elders assigned me, the top alchemy cultivator, to take care of him. But at some point, I began to hear his inner thoughts:

“So annoying. I’ve been pretending to be weak for so long, my junior sister won’t actually think I’m useless, right?

“Ugh, why do they keep challenging me to duels? I’m a waste now, a total waste!

“I just want to spend time alone with my junior sister!”

I: “…”

I looked at the demon realm protector who had been thrown out, lying on the ground unconscious and foaming at the mouth, then at the courtyard sealed by layers of arrays. For a moment, I couldn’t tell if I was hallucinating or just delirious from lack of sleep.

I bypassed the arrays and entered the courtyard, which had been barren and empty but now suddenly showed signs of life.

Under a lush apricot tree was a wooden chair. Through the propped-open window, I could see a young man in plain robes leaning weakly against the bed. He coughed softly, raised his head, and struck a pose as delicate as Xishi clutching her heart:

“Junior sister, I think I’m having another episode.”

I deliberately listened, but there was no second voice. It seemed I had indeed imagined it.

Ying Zhijing was always aloof; how could he say things so out of character?

I deftly took a few pills from the pouch slung across my body and entered the room.

“Senior brother…”

I had just called out when Ying Zhijing spat out a mouthful of blood.

Startled, I hurried over, fed him the medicine, and poured a cup of water.

Ying Zhijing leaned against my shoulder, his face pale and forehead glistening with sweat.

“Boo-hoo, I feel like I’m really becoming useless. Junior sister won’t despise me, right? Right?

“Junior sister likes handsome men the most. Luckily I have this face, or there’d be no hope.

“Zhao Yanshuang called me a pretty boy. Hmph, what does he know! He’s a hopeless straight guy whose wife ran off and hasn’t come back for centuries! I’m not just a pretty boy, I’m a kept man too. Boo-hoo, I’m obsessed with my junior sister; without her, I can’t do anything! … Huh? Why is she spacing out? What’s she thinking?

“She’s not really disgusted with me, is she?

“AAAAHHH, I’m so done for, wu wu wu.”

I: “…”

Before I could start questioning whether my mental state had gone from crazy to some kind of freakish mutation, Ying Zhijing furrowed his brows and lifted his head from my shoulder. His dark lashes lowered, contrasting with his pale skin to add a touch of tragic beauty.

“Junior sister, your senior brother has been a burden to you.”

He smiled miserably, then couldn’t help but cough again. “This body of mine is at its limit, not long for this world. Yet I still keep you by my side, making medicine every day…”

“I’m sorry…” He looked up at me, apologizing quietly and calmly.

My heart softened instantly, and guilt almost made me forget that bizarre voice entirely.

“Junior sister has dark circles under her eyes; she’s clearly not sleeping well, all because of concocting medicine for me. AAAHHH, I’m truly a doomed man!

“To punish myself, I’ve decided that tonight when I take my medicine, I won’t eat any sugar beans. This bitterness is nothing compared to the pain in my heart!”

I: “Sugar beans…”

Ying Zhijing always took his medicine without flinching, making me sigh in admiration-this was exactly the kind of patient alchemists loved, fully embodying the principle that good medicine tastes bitter.

It was hard to imagine such a person would sneak sugar beans after I left.

“Hm?”

Ying Zhijing didn’t catch what I said. I smiled:

“The pills I usually make are too bitter. Senior brother probably can’t stand it. Another day, I’ll add some sweet herbs…”

“Bitter?”

Ying Zhijing raised an eyebrow in apparent surprise and said coolly,

“Good medicine tastes bitter but benefits the illness. Has someone said something to you, junior sister? I don’t find it bitter at all.

“You don’t need to change your habits because of a few words from others.”

“Boo-hoo, is my junior sister the only alchemist in the entire sect? Why does everyone come to her for healing and then complain! If I weren’t still injured, I’d kick them all from the main peak to the sect gate!”

The sound of furious teeth-grinding echoed in my ears again. I deliberately observed Ying Zhijing and noticed he was looking down in contemplation.

In a flash, I recalled something from mortal storybooks-“inner thoughts.”

I blinked and said mischievously,

“Since senior brother doesn’t find it bitter, I’m relieved.

“The other day I bought a spiritual herb from the senior brothers of Medicine Peak. It’s extremely effective for your injury, but it’s terribly bitter.”

Ying Zhijing’s face remained impassive. He covered his mouth with a handkerchief and coughed,

“Thank you for your trouble, junior sister.”

His inner thoughts collapsed into madness:

“AAAAAAHHH! Why does bitterness exist in this world!

“I can’t eat sugar beans today. Let the bitterness kill me; I don’t want to live.

“Tonight I’ll sneak to Medicine Peak and pour boiling water over all those bitter spiritual herbs!”

My brow twitched, and I immediately reached out to cover Ying Zhijing’s mouth.

Can’t joke around about that-those are the graduation projects of the Medicine Peak senior brothers.

If Ying Zhijing scalded them at night, by noon the next day, there’d be a row of hanging figures outside the sect leader’s quarters.

Ying Zhijing’s inner voice paused, then was flooded with a scream of “AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!”