Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Making a Name for Oneself (Part 3)

The official website of the Demon Slayer Association is quite a strange yin-yang forum, something Ming Yue doesn't particularly want to get involved with.

The official aesthetic is oddly rustic, a characteristic of China.

It has always been this way.

However, writing Ming Yue's name in such an ugly big red font and having it be seen by 30,000—no, now 50,000 people—one by one is a bit much.

Ming Yue feels like she just ate a pound of cow dung raw.

During the New Year's Eve dinner, the food had no taste, and she absentmindedly chewed on the end of her chopsticks.

The Ming family’s dining table was long, with a clean, neatly embroidered tablecloth featuring delicate peony flowers, exuding wealth and grandeur.

Pork, beef, lamb, and chicken—delicious meats were all available.

There were also paper-made "foods."

Zhou Lu, leading a group of old demons, sat at the west end of the table. After receiving a nod of approval from Ming Ye, they began to dig in—

One by one, they used their chopsticks to light candles, setting fire to the paper-made screaming chickens on their plates. The dark shadows flickered and the chewing made a creaking sound.

Paper-made Screaming Chicken: "......"

Ming Ye took a couple of bites, glancing sideways at Ming Yue, who was poking at the dumplings with her chopsticks.

Ming Yue remained absent-minded and silent.

Ming Ye did not speak either.

Zhou Lu, sitting next to Ming Yue, saw this and thoughtfully raised a toast to her:

"Thanks to the two elders for making the offerings of all kinds of livestock, I, Zhou Lu, have been dead for who knows how many years, and still get to eat these offerings. I am truly grateful."

Ming Yue came back to her senses, quickly lifting her cup of tea, using it as a substitute for alcohol: "Uncle, you're too kind."

"Once you enter the Ming family door, you are one of us."

"In the future, every year, if you want to eat anything, just let me know, and I'll have it made for you."

Zhou Lu, seeing that his words had brought Ming Yue back to reality, was satisfied and moved. He smiled, feeling touched that the child he had watched grow up had such an open and sincere heart."The craftsmanship of the two elders is the best."

"Much better than the old master."

Suddenly being mentioned, Ming Da: "......"

Ming Er, who didn’t want to be compared: "......"

Ming Yue: "Pfft."

Ming Ye raised his eyes, speaking calmly: "Zhou Lu."

Butler Zhou smiled respectfully: "I apologize for revealing the old master’s shortcomings in front of the two elders."

"Before the Lantern Festival, I’ll clean the floor of the ancestral hall. Old master, don't worry."

Ming Ye: "......"

Ming Yue shrank her neck and lowered her head, sipping tea "slurp, slurp, slurp" to pretend to be invisible.

Ming Ye’s gaze was sharp. He picked up a dumpling with a coin inside and placed it in his sister's plate, then poured some vinegar for her, asking:

"Speak. What’s going on? Why are you so absent-minded during the New Year's Eve dinner?"

Ming Yue lowered her head obediently, her little white hand resting on her knee.

"Nothing," she muttered.

"......"

Ming Ye didn’t speak. He picked up another dumpling and poured a generous amount of vinegar.

Ming Yue, embarrassed, looked at the vinegar jar that was now a third empty.

"I’ll ask you again," Ming Da said casually, his almost translucent fingertips tapping on the table.

Ming Yue: "Uh..."

Ming Yue mentally calculated how to explain.

She didn’t want to relive the "bamboo shoots stir-fried with meat" her brother had given her at the start of the winter break.So, she watched as Ming Ye opened the Lao Gan Ma with an emotionless expression. He took a spoonful, scooped out a huge portion, and dropped it into Ming Yue’s plate.

Ming Yue: "!"

How did he manage to scoop out "half a bottle with one spoon"?

"That’s enough, that’s enough." Ming Yue showed weakness, "You know my senses are sharp, I can’t handle strong smells or tastes, and you’re still grossing me out."

"Correction," Ming Ye said slowly, putting down his malicious hand, "It’s the five senses, excluding vision."

Ming Yue rubbed her hands together, feeling embarrassed as she recounted the events in front of a group of old demons who were secretly eavesdropping.

"It’s nothing."

"The matter with Baoshan Hospital was handled, right? I thought it was all over."

"That night, the Demon Slayer Association also came—gave, gave our hospital a fine."

"My roommate just called me, said my name was posted on the Demon Slayer Headquarters website."

"They want… all the major spiritual academies to take this as a warning." Ming Yue’s voice became softer and softer, eventually sounding like a mosquito.

Even though she had fantasized countless times about singing in triumph as a liberated serf.

Yet in front of Ming Da, Ming Er never stood tall.

Once she finished speaking, the dining table fell silent, with both humans and demons in complete stillness.

The row of old demons sitting at the west end of the table exchanged glances. Many of them, who had watched Ming Yue grow up and changed her diapers, showed expressions of relief in their eyes.

Finally, she’s made it to this step.

Our little master has reached the Demon Slayer Association’s Qingyun Road!

Zhou Lu smiled contentedly, nodding frequently, making Ming Yue feel like she was seeing a ghost.

Ming Ye’s expression remained unchanged, calm as if even a thunderstrike right in front of him wouldn’t make his eyelids twitch. He responded: "Hmm."

"So, what’s your plan?"

Ming Yue lowered her head, her little hair tuft moving slightly, and said in a soft voice: "I feel so embarrassed."

"Luckily, there’s still half a month of winter break left. It’s such a relief not to face my classmates."Ming Yue let out a sigh, feeling relieved as she spoke her mind, picking up her chopsticks to grab a dumpling and starting to munch away.

Seeing that Ming Yue was no longer sluggish and had regained her appetite, Ming Ye’s gaze softened a bit. But he was still the same Ming Da, the one who never let anyone off easy. After Ming Yue finished seven or eight dumplings, he poured her some water. "Drink a bit, don't choke."

"But Ming Yue, you might be thinking too optimistically."

Ming Yue spat out a coin, was about to comment on her good luck, but then heard this and turned her head.

Ming Ye’s words were both vague and precise, "Your name on the Demon Slayer Association website is actually a great opportunity for fame."

"Next year’s the joint entrance exam for hundreds of schools. Many people are eager for this kind of opportunity, but they can’t even get it."

"If it falls on you, it wouldn’t be reasonable to let you have an easy time."

"Who cares, if there’s a benefit, there’s always a price to pay."

Ming Yue, feeling carefree, washed the coin clean with some water, grinning as she pushed it over to Ming Ye. "Brother, good luck to you, Happy New Year."

Ming Ye looked at her for a moment, then hummed in acknowledgment, taking the coin. "Let’s eat."

"The evening gala should start soon."

The family head made an announcement, everyone responded, and then they raised their glasses. Under the reflection of the electronic fireworks by the floor-to-ceiling windows, they sent their wishes for the New Year.

The Spring Festival Gala got worse year after year.

In recent years, in an attempt to balance the younger audience while also catering to the middle-aged and elderly, the show had become a mess, with lip-syncing performances one after another.

On the sofa, a few old demons were munching on melon seeds wrapped in yellow paper, sucking on Alpenliebe candies, speaking in dialect, and offering deep critiques.

"Sigh, this year the zj got cut."

"Dammit, I came just to watch Dong Qing, and now even she’s been cut!"

"The song and dance segment is a snooze!"

"Haha, the sponsor is Baidu."

On this rare day of relaxation, Zhou Lu also let his guard down. He shed his usual formal and rigid butler demeanor, leaned back on the sofa, and coolly said, catching the attention of all the old demons:"The underworld is giving out red envelopes."

The old brothers: "......"

As soon as these words were spoken, no one made any more rude comments. Everyone immediately started scrolling through their phones.

Ming Ye was pressing the remote control.

It wasn’t clear why every channel was showing the Spring Festival Gala, but somehow, he still switched channels.

His sister, wrapped in a blanket, sighed deeply, her head down as she stared at her phone.

"My God, it’s New Year’s, and these people still can't calm down?"

"Watching the Spring Festival Gala! Why would you look at the Demon Slayer Association’s official website on a festive day? Isn’t that bad luck?"

Ming Ye almost smiled: "......"

He leaned over. "What’s wrong?"

Ming Yue handed him her phone.

Ming Ye took it. The screen was showing a group chat from the Sealing Spirit Academy, which had anonymous messages. Inside, various spirits and demons were all shouting:

"Aaah, aaah, aaah, it’s our turn! This year’s website fine is for us at Sealing Spirit Academy! Hahahaha!"

"Today is a good day~ Everything we wish for comes true~"

"And! Every one of these 8769 fines belongs to us Sealing Spirits!"

"Isn’t it exciting! Isn’t it unexpected!"

"Come, come, let me read this. Who are the rising stars of our Sealing Spirit?"

"Ugh! I’m going to write a soft article tonight and submit it to the school newspaper, sending it out on the first day of the new year to annoy that Emperor Jiang!"

"Hahaha, big brother upstairs, staying up late on New Year’s Eve to write, that’s what I call righteous!"

Ming Ye: "......"

Old-fashioned Ming Da furrowed his brows: "What kind of nonsense is this?"Ming Yue collapsed onto the sofa, the blanket falling to the floor. Frustrated, she said, "Brother, you were right."

"Fame comes with the shadow of the tree, and public opinion siege is just a matter of a few hours."

Ming Ye picked up the blanket and draped it over her, "This can't really be considered a public opinion siege."

"The scale is too small."

Ming Yue suddenly sat up, slapped Ming Ye’s arm with a dead fish-like stare, "Give me your phone."

"Stop looking at this."

Ming Ye handed it over, sitting back leisurely, waiting.

The phone came back to her.

It turned out to be a BBS forum for the top-tier spiritual academies.

At the top of the page, an update post floated by, shimmering like a red koi fish:

【Fine Update, #8769】

【Sword points at Jin University, Sealing Spirit!】

Clicking into the post, explosive comments started flooding in:

[1L: .......... Update, Fine #8769, 【screenshot】]

[2L: Everyone, please follow the principle of “Friendship first, tearing each other apart second.” Please be respectful in your comments. This floor will be cleared with each update, only the latest fine comments will remain. Just a heads-up.]

[……]

[23L: Finally! The fine has circled back after ten rounds, and now it’s back in the south!]

[24L: (snacking on melon seeds) It's been a year, right? It took a year to come back to Nanhua Xia, you up there, what are you so smug about?]

[25L: What’s the matter?! If you have the guts, turn those students called Ming Yue into ducks from the North Hua Xia spiritual academy!]

[26L: Fire Tongs Liu Ming! Watching the North-South war unfold!]

[……][178L: Hey, you guys up there, enough already! It's been five years since we in the Southwest have seen an academy fine! Have we said anything wrong?]

[1179L: Have some sympathy for those in Fengdu near Yuda.]

[180L: Yuda Spiritual Academy reporting in!]

[181L: Get out of here, today’s post is for our Jin University!]

[182L: Exactly!]

[……]

[386L: Damn, I’m at the 200th floor watching you Jin University show off. What about the Imperial University? If someone’s challenging your authority, come out and take the beating!]

[389L: Oh! I recognize these people from the official website! Damn, the one at the front, isn’t that my junior? I even invigilated their exams!]

[390L: Damn! Big brother upstairs! Quickly tell us, let us learn from your advanced experience!]

[……]

After casually scrolling through dozens of comments, in just ten minutes, Ming Ye saw that the comments had increased by twenty pages.

Ming Ye: "......"

What kind of freaks are these?

The younger generation is this wild?

Ming Yue, wrapped in the blanket, squirmed like a fat worm on the sofa.

"It’s over, it’s over, this is so embarrassing."

"Li Hesun [Note] that brat must be laughing at me in the capital."

"Maybe he’s one of those people attacking Sealing Spirit in the forum!"

Ming Ye was amused by her: "Don’t be happy over external things, don’t be sad over yourself."

"This is the honor that your abilities deserve, why feel discouraged?"

"Those who can, aren’t afraid of their reputation being ruined. Walk the right path, stand tall."

Ming Yue: "......"Ming Yue sat up, crossed her legs, "That's true."

Ming Ye patted his sister's head, handing her the remote control, "Watch TV."