Junior Brother Pays Respect to You: Chapter 10 - Return to the Present
Chapter 10: Return to the Present
As expected, Qin Zheng ended up being confined.
He sat casually on the icy ground, looking around.
Maybe the reason he never got sick after spending so many winters in mountain caves was because he’d been toughened up here.
Qin Zheng glanced at the cave entrance, which was unblocked, and lowered his head a little dispiritedly.
The cave had no door—not because the master believed those being punished would stay put out of conscience, but because everyone sent here was placed under a confinement spell. Until the time was up, they simply couldn’t leave.
Unless, of course, their cultivation surpassed that of the one who cast the spell.
By his calculation, the one-month deadline since he transmigrated was approaching, and the confinement handed down by his master was for half a month. He didn’t have much time left.
And he hadn’t even had the chance to tell his little junior his request before being locked up.
Tsk! What rotten luck!
When did he become so impulsive, anyway?
It wasn’t a big deal for Qin Su to get splashed with a little water. A change of clothes would’ve fixed it. Why did he have to go and push Qin Ke into the pond?
If he hadn’t made such a big fuss, he wouldn’t be in this mess now.
“Senior Brother, time to eat!”
Qin Shuang’s voice came from outside the cave.
Every time Qin Zheng was confined, Qin Shuang was the only one who came to bring him food.
Suddenly, an idea popped into Qin Zheng’s mind: why not ask Qin Shuang to bring Qin Su along next time? He had to make his request known somehow—otherwise, this whole trip would be for nothing.
As soon as Qin Shuang stepped into the cave, he saw the ever-unfriendly Qin Zheng looking at him with a scheming expression.
Startled, he stopped in his tracks.
“Senior Brother? That expression is giving me the creeps.”
Unexpectedly, Qin Zheng didn’t snap back at the gloomy comment. Instead, he smiled and beckoned, “Qin Shuang, come over here. Let’s have a little chat.”
“Heh heh,” Qin Shuang chuckled. “I brought you something good first.”
Qin Zheng looked at him suspiciously, not knowing what he was up to this time.
Then, a child stepped out from behind Qin Shuang.
Qin Zheng stared in surprise at the junior brother he’d been thinking about day and night.
“Qin Su! Why are you here?”
Qin Shuang led Qin Su over with a smile. “He said he wanted to visit you.”
“The master never said we weren’t allowed to check in on you.”
Qin Zheng nodded in satisfaction. “Oh~”
Qin Shuang set down the food container and finally asked with curiosity, “So what did you want to talk about, Senior Brother?”
It was the first time Qin Zheng had ever wanted to chat about life.
Qin Zheng took the food container in one hand and pulled Qin Su over with the other. Smiling, he said, “Just wanted to ask if I can talk to our little junior alone.”
Qin Shuang looked at him with mock hurt. “Senior Brother, you’ve changed. You used to only like the older ones.”
Qin Zheng pushed him toward the exit. “Please let us have a private word.”
“And for the record, I still only like the older ones!”
Reluctantly, Qin Shuang walked out of the cave.
As soon as he was out of sight, Qin Su suddenly asked, “Senior Brother, do you really like older people?”
Qin Zheng laughed as he pulled food from the container. “No. I only like you.”
Hearing that, Qin Su joyfully pounced on Qin Zheng.
Qin Zheng peeled him off, held his small shoulders, and solemnly asked, “Qin Su, is your senior brother good to you?”
Qin Su looked straight at him and smiled. “Senior Brother is the best! I like you the most!”
“Then if one day I’m poor and destitute, will you help me out and make sure I have enough to eat for the rest of my life?”
Qin Su nodded earnestly and declared like an oath, “Senior Brother won’t go hungry!”
“Promise?”
“Mm!”
Reassured by Qin Su’s firm promise, Qin Zheng began to eat.
While chewing, he reminded him, “Cultivate well. Don’t end up like your senior brother, got it?”
***
In a private room of the Tianque Temple, a man in meditation suddenly opened his eyes. He rose and walked slowly to the window.
The sky outside had darkened, and the occasional cold wind was as icy as the look in his eyes—though who could tell what he was really thinking?
***
When Qin Zheng woke up in the cave, the sky outside was already dim.
Xiao Bai was nowhere to be seen, but the cave had been tidied up neatly.
Probably because his soul hadn’t rested, Qin Zheng still felt sleepy despite his body having slept. He yawned, pulled the cold blanket over himself, and shut his eyes again.
Whatever it was could wait until tomorrow.
When he woke the next day, lying on the stone bed, he couldn’t quite snap out of the mindset from the Tianque Sect.
There, he didn’t have to worry about food or clothes, and the living conditions were excellent.
For a moment, Qin Zheng felt like he was back in the early days of his cave exile.
But reality came crashing back with the growl of his stomach. His whole body cried out for food.
He looked around. The only edible things were the fruits in the basket beside the bed.
Qin Zheng groaned, “The contrast is too much! I can’t adjust!”
In the end, he bent down, picked a fruit, wiped it on his clothes, and started eating.
While chewing, he recalled the promise he’d made Qin Su before returning.
Could it really come true?
Munching, Qin Zheng slowly walked to the cave entrance and looked outside.
Suddenly, he felt anxious.
Back then, the sect leader's junior brother was only two or three years old. Would he forget the promise he’d made?
Qin Zheng quickly shook his head, pushing the worry away.
Even if he was young, Qin Su was remarkably clever—he’d definitely remember what he said.
But… he probably didn’t know he was here. Should he go find him himself?
Still, the prayer ceremony was just yesterday. Could they have returned already?
Qin Zheng smacked his thigh in frustration. Why had he been so careless?
Taking a big, angry bite of his fruit, he muttered, “Qin Su, don’t let me catch you. I will make you pay back a whole month’s worth of work like a beast of burden!”
He turned and went back into the cave, glanced at the meager food supplies in the corner, then at the fruit in his hand. Rubbing his growling belly, he sighed, “No hot food in the middle of winter—this is torture.”
Looks like he had to go out and make some money to ease the emergency.
Qin Zheng picked up his badge and slung it over his shoulder.
Just as he stepped out of the cave, he saw someone in blue and white robes walking briskly toward him from a distance.
Tsk tsk, people with high cultivation really are something—they can walk such a bumpy path as if it’s smooth.
Every time I make this trip, it’s exhausting. Though, I suppose I can’t rule out that I’m just getting old.
The person stopped right in front of him and handed over an envelope with both hands.
“This is something the sect leader asked me to deliver to you.”
Qin Zheng looked at the envelope in surprise, a flicker of alarm in his heart. Was Qin Su trying to imply something?
He reached out and took the envelope, turned it over in his hand, then asked curiously, “What’s written inside?”
The young man shook his head and smiled. “Sir, the envelope is sealed. If you want to know what’s inside, you just have to open it.”
Qin Zheng gave a meaningful look to the young man in front of him.
Looks like Qin Su didn’t tell him who I really am.
Trying to avoid suspicion, huh? Tsk tsk.
“Then how did your sect leader know I live here?”
The young man just shook his head again.
“Well, now that I’ve delivered the item to you, I’ll take my leave.” With that, the young man turned and left the way he came.
Qin Zheng held the envelope, still confused, and walked back into his cave.
After a moment’s thought, he slowly tore open the envelope, muttering, “If you’re going to send a letter, what’s the harm in adding some money?”
He opened the envelope and pulled out two pieces of paper in different colors.
He looked at the first one—and it turned out to be a silver note worth one hundred taels!
Quickly checking the second, he saw a line of elegant handwriting: These silver taels should last you a lifetime.
Qin Zheng stared at the letter, then at the silver note, astonished. “Didn’t expect the time scroll to work this fast!”
But damn you, Qin Su! Do you even know how long my ‘lifetime’ is?
A hundred taels might be enough for an ordinary family to live lavishly for the rest of their lives, but I don’t have a ‘rest of my life!’
Still, complaints aside, staring at the silver note in his hand made Qin Zheng think of the delicious food from the restaurant down the mountain.
After a bit of thought, he decided—one indulgent meal couldn’t hurt.
One should enjoy life while one can, after all.
***
An hour later, Qin Zheng was already standing at the entrance of that restaurant he’d been dreaming about.
He dusted off the imaginary dirt on his clothes, tidied his hair, and strolled in with great flair.
Qin Zheng had eaten at this restaurant eighteen years ago. Back then, it had just opened and offered a day of free meals. He’d been divining fortunes up on the mountain when he heard temple visitors talking about it, and he had hurried down just in time for a good meal.
He still hadn’t forgotten the taste to this day.
But a meal here now cost enough to buy him a month’s worth of rice.
The restaurant had two floors. The first was for common diners; the second floor had private booths that charged extra. Luckily, Qin Zheng was used to eating in a cave and wasn’t picky about the setting. Being able to sit and eat properly at a table outside was already a treat for him.
He walked around the floor, picked a nice spot, and, like he did in his dreams, called out loudly, “Waiter! Bring me a menu!”
“Coming right up!”
Soon, a cheerful young waiter rushed over to him.
“Senior Brother?!”
Before Qin Zheng could even place an order, a familiar voice rang out.
He turned his head—and there was that guy Qin Shuang, already standing behind him.
Qin Zheng stood up, quickly clapped a hand over Qin Shuang’s mouth, and shoved him onto an empty stool beside him.
“I’m not your senior brother anymore.”
Qin Shuang chuckled. “Senior Brother, you don’t have to act like this. I know the whole letter thing was definitely Qin Ke trying to frame you. I’ve always believed you’re innocent.”
Qin Zheng gave him a sideways look. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, well, we came to the Tianque Temple to pray for blessings. Something went wrong, so we had to stay here for a while. This is the only place we could come to eat.”
Qin Zheng looked at him skeptically. “Praying can go wrong?”
Qin Shuang shrugged. “Beats me.”
“Hey, the sect leader is coming downstairs.”
Qin Zheng froze. He immediately covered half his face with his hand and whispered to Qin Shuang, “Don’t tell anyone I’m here.”
Qin Shuang nodded in understanding and quietly left the table.
Qin Zheng couldn’t help feeling uneasy—Qin Su had always known where he was, even without seeing him.
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