Chapter 239: The Frail Little Uncle

The Senior Sect Sister looked nervous, and her eyes shifted around, making Yang frown. But before she could even open her mouth, Yang heard the sound of coughing from the right side.

“Augh!! Augh!”

Yang turned to look at where the harsh, racking sound came from, only for his gaze to come across another fellow disciple standing aside from the entrance. 

It was a young man wearing the White Cloud Sect’s robes with a vibrant red inner robe visible at his collar. He was beautiful, but Yang could see the slight darkness under his eyes, the dull pallor of his skin, and the way his robes seemed to hang upon his frame. Unlike his Master, who had a delicate appearance but exuded an underlying strength that was impossible to conceal, the first word that came to mind upon seeing this person was frail.

Amongst cultivators who routinely boasted flawless skin and perfect health, barring an injury, he stood out like a sore thumb.

“Augh.”

The violent coughing certainly didn’t help.

There was another surly looking man standing beside him. Tall and broad, wearing black militaristic-style clothes. With a sword and various weapons strapped to his person. As Yang’s gaze met his, he brought both his hands together in front of him in a fist and saluted Yang.

“Young Lord.”

Yang immediately bowed back and returned the greeting. “Senior.” And turned to the fellow sect disciple that seemed to be making the Senior Sect Sister nervous. “Senior Sect Brother.” 

Considering Yang’s own age and underwhelming cultivation, it was pretty much a guarantee that any White Cloud Sect Disciple he would encounter outside the sect would be his senior.

“Call me Little Uncle.” The man coughed again as he brought a hand to his chest. Yang almost stepped closer to help support him at the sight of such weakness. His body practically shook with chest-wracking coughs.

“Little Uncle?” Yang repeated, bewildered. Both at the relation and at the sight of a cultivator suffering from what appeared to be a common mortal ailment.

The frail man let out a delicate smile, his body slightly swaying as he spoke. “Nephew Yang must not remember me. I was present at your acceptance ceremony. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to meet as I was not feeling well that day and had to leave before the ceremony even finished.”

Yang grew even more confused. He was even more sick back then?

The Senior Sect Sister, seeing a brief lull in the conversation, seized this opportunity and quickly fled, “Since the Junior Sect Brother is here to take care of everything, I shall take my leave.” She gave a lightning-quick bow to the little Uncle and a slight bow of her head to Yang with a sympathetic look in her eye and practically sprinted away from them.

Yang, completely out of his depth, could only stare at her quickly disappearing back when another bout of coughing brought his attention back to his self-proclaimed little Uncle.

His gaze shifted to the blank-faced young man, Little Uncle’s companion, who had stepped closer to the sick man to support him, holding his elbow. Yang’s gaze caught the expectant gaze, and he came to grasp the meaning of it, putting him in an uncomfortable position.

Having no choice, since the person had already formed a relationship and elevated himself by calling himself his uncle, and considering he was brought here in the midst of White Cloud Sect's secret camp by a fellow disciple, it was clear this was a trusted sect member as well. He may as well treat this elder graciously.

“Little Uncle,” Yang offered tentatively, seeing no other way. “Would you like to come inside and wait for my Senior Brothers?”

The man gave a little smile. “Of course, if you insist on it, nephew Yang.” And strode inside like he owned the place.

Yang watched the slack-jawed at the moving tent flap and hurried after both of them.

He found them standing in the center of the compound, admiring the gardens and the courtyards visible nearby.

Senior Brother Lu Feng’s courtyard was the main hall, but Yang would never presume to lead a guest there without his permission, so he quickly gestured towards the path leading to his own courtyard.

“Little Uncle, this way please.”

They both followed as Yang led them to his own hall and gestured towards the main seat. Since this person was calling himself his elder, it wouldn’t be polite to take the position of honor while he sat next to him.

Little Uncle looked pleased with the offer and, without any further ado, took the seat. His companion assumed a resting position, standing a step behind him, prompting Yang to verbally offer him a seat as well. “Senior, would you not take a seat?”

The Senior refused. “Thank you, Young Lord, but my duty demands I stand beside my Master.”

Yang inclined his head as Little Uncle offered an explanation. “Don’t take offence, Nephew. This is Shao You, my personal guard.” Little Uncle’s face went sorrowful as he lamented. “Due to my ill health, my Master has assigned Shao You to take care of me, and he takes his duty too seriously.”

“Augh! Aught”

Yang looked worried at the Little Uncle. “Let me brew a pot of tea to relieve your throat, Little Uncle.” 

He quickly took out a set of teacups and a kettle along with the best tea leaves he had. Something he had received as a gift during his acceptance ceremony. He hadn’t tasted it himself since he wasn’t fond of tea, but Senior Brother Qing An had assured him it was a famous and rare blend of herbs that was quite appreciated by most cultivators who could afford it.

Little Uncle looked delighted with his show of filial piety.

Yang quickly used a technique to fill the kettle with water and increased the heat as he tossed in a handful of tea leaves. 

He heard another deep cough and decided to increase the temperature and added another fistful to speed along the flavoring process.

“Nephew,” Little Uncle rasped amidst another bout of chest-wrecking coughs, “are you fond of tea brewing?”

“I am not fond of the flavor, Little Uncle, but I have become something of an expert with how often I have needed to brew tea to stave off my headaches.”

Yang heard a sudden noise from Senior Shao You, only to find him staring just as stoically into space.

“With such expertise,” Little Uncle gave a delicate smile. “My Senior Brother must be delighted to have you to serve at his side.”

Yang gave a helpless smile back to the amicable, handsome uncle. “I wish I had the opportunity to serve my Master and my Senior Brothers this way. Alas, none of them are fond of tea.”

“I can see why.” Little Uncle muttered something under his breath.

“Sorry?” Yang looked up, missing what was said.

“Nothing, Nephew. I was merely admiring your profound tea brewing technique,” Little Uncle said with a wide smile.

“Little Uncle?” Yang asked as he peeked into the kettle to smell if it was strong enough. “Are you my Master’s junior brother?”

“Our Grand Masters were disciples under the same Master.” Little Uncle clarified with a gentle smile. “I am around your Senior Brother Xiao Zhan’s age but of the same generation as your Master.”

Yang let out a soft “Ah.” 

So they shared Great Grand Masters. He hadn’t expected the relation to be so distant, but this Little Uncle behaved as if he were their actual uncle. Even the Sect Master wasn’t so friendly, considering he was actually their Master’s Senior Brother.

But it was not Yang’s place to dictate the behavior and relations of his elders. And to be perfectly honest, this newly acquired Little Uncle of his was pleasant enough, even though a bit sickly.

Yang couldn’t help but wonder if someone had harmed this Uncle. He hadn’t met a cultivator suffering from an illness. Injured ones were not rare, but the coughing had really surprised him.

Yang looked at the tea, estimating by the color and aroma that it smelled enough like the blend that the tea must have sufficiently flavored the water by now.

He poured out a steaming cup and was reaching to pour into the next one when he again heard a violent racket of coughs coming from Little Uncle. Abandoning the other cup, he quickly took the filled one and pushed it towards Little Uncle. “Here, quickly. Drink this. It should help soothe your throat.”

Little Uncle’s cough intensified, and he looked towards Senior Shao You, who looked back helplessly; clearly, he wasn’t that good at his job.

Yang stood up and grabbed the cup, hoping to help Little Uncle take a few sips, but he had barely taken a step when he saw Little Uncle’s eyes roll back in his head as he fainted. 

Thankfully, Senior Shao You finally came to his senses and, instead of staring like a fool, grabbed Little Uncle before he could hit his head on the table or, worse, the floor.

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