Junior Brother Pays Respect to You: Chapter 43 - A Strange Encounter in the Mountains

September 04, 2025 Oyen 0 Comments

Happy Reading~

Chapter 43: A Strange Encounter in the Mountains

 

After Qin Su gave the directions, he didn’t speak again.

 

Qin Zheng felt that the body he was supporting was growing heavier and heavier—almost all the weight was leaning on him.

 

He would have already collapsed to the ground if he hadn’t had one arm wrapped around Qin Su’s waist.

 

Qin Zheng could roughly guess Qin Su’s condition, but he had no time to stop and check.

 

All he could do now was keep walking forward as fast as he could. 

 

He was terrified that if he stopped even for a moment, the group behind them would catch up.

 

As for the sudden shift in scenery earlier, Qin Zheng was gradually piecing things together.

 

He remembered the book he had read in the fourth-floor library of the Tianque Sect about rare treasures, and also what Qin Shuang had told him about the Spirit of Time.

 

Those demon clan members had also mentioned the Spirit of Time, confirming that it was on Qin Su.

 

Recalling the previous times Qin Su had passed out, Qin Zheng now suspected that he might really be carrying this legendary treasure.

 

And from the look of things, the cost of using it was clearly very high.

 

No wonder it was such a mythical item—not something you could use at will.

 

Just look at Qin Su’s current state.

 

Though their path forward had no direction or destination, Qin Zheng didn’t dare stop.

 

Fortunately, the terrain was flat, and there were no cliffs or sheer drops in their way.

 

He didn’t know how long or how far they had walked, but eventually, the sky began to lighten, and he could slowly make out the path ahead.

 

Qin Zheng figured the group must have chased off in the wrong direction by now. Otherwise, with their speed, there was no way they wouldn’t have caught up by now.

 

As soon as his tense nerves relaxed, Qin Zheng’s legs gave out, and he dropped to his knees.

 

Struggling to get up, he barely managed to rise before falling again.

 

His legs had gone numb after a night of nonstop walking.

 

Left with no choice, Qin Zheng sat down on the ground.

 

Maybe if he rested for a bit, the feeling would come back.

 

He looked around. Still, it was nothing but endless, dark green forest—no sign of an exit.

 

It looked like, unless his master returned to the sect and came looking for them, they’d have to wait until Qin Su recovered to leave.

 

Qin Zheng looked down at the unconscious Qin Su beside him.

 

He finally had time to worry about him—but he didn’t look good at all.

 

By now, the sun had risen, casting the entire forest in clear light.

 

Qin Zheng’s gaze was drawn to a patch of stone wall covered in thick ivy.

 

That spot looked different from the rest of the stone wall—dark, almost black. It looked like there might be a cave hidden behind the vines.

 

Even if the demon group had gone the wrong way, Qin Zheng still didn’t feel safe as long as they were in the same forest.

 

Especially now that it was daylight. If they flew up into the sky, he and Qin Su would be even easier to spot.

 

Once the feeling in his legs began to return, Qin Zheng struggled to stand and then used all his strength to lift Qin Su again.

 

The two of them staggered step by step toward the patch of ivy.

 

What should have been just a few steps took ten times as long as usual.

 

Once they reached the thick vines, Qin Zheng quickly pulled them aside and peeked through.

 

Inside, it was pitch black, as though the darkness could swallow a person whole—but it was definitely a cave.

 

This discovery immediately gave Qin Zheng a surge of strength, and he dragged Qin Su inside.

 

Even though he was only standing at the entrance, it felt as if a solid, opaque barrier separated them from the outside world.

 

He couldn’t even see Qin Su beside him anymore.

 

Thinking about those terrifying demon race members out there, Qin Zheng braced himself and took another step into the cave.

 

But as soon as he did, everything changed.

 

The pitch-black darkness suddenly lit up without warning.

 

There were no torches or light sources, yet it was bright as daylight, warm like sunlight.

 

Everything in the cave was clearly visible.

 

Qin Zheng was stunned to find himself in what seemed like a magical world.

 

Before him stood a small courtyard.

 

Though it was small, every object was crafted with exquisite care—even the roof tiles had an unusual design.

 

Qin Zheng looked up and saw no sky—just a vast, black expanse.

 

This courtyard seemed to be the only source of light in the entire place.

 

Perhaps because of that mysterious light, all the plants and flowers in the courtyard thrived—and many of them were species Qin Zheng had never seen before.

 

Clearly, whoever lived here was no ordinary person. Sensible enough not to enter the house, Qin Zheng simply helped Qin Su to rest on a lounge chair in the yard.

 

Even though everything around him was unfamiliar, Qin Zheng had no energy to investigate.

 

He was just a slightly long-lived mortal—after staying up all night without sleep, his brain was barely functioning.

 

With no spare seats nearby, Qin Zheng collapsed onto the grass.

 

He was exhausted, starving, and just wanted to sleep.

 

***

In a haze, Qin Zheng seemed to hear many people walking back and forth beside him, making a lot of noise.

 

One voice sounded especially familiar.

 

Startled, Qin Zheng sat up from the ground, and the voices immediately disappeared.

 

He looked around and saw that Qin Su was still lying on the lounge chair.

 

But Qin Zheng was so shocked he didn’t know what to do.

 

Qin Su’s entire body was somehow surrounded by a glowing circle.

 

Previously, Qin Su’s several fainting spells were always overseen by their master, so Qin Zheng was completely clueless about what was happening now.

 

Even if he knew, there was nothing he could do—he could only watch helplessly. 

 

He just hoped that this was something Qin Su had to go through on his own, so that, as Qin Shuang had said, he would safely return to the Tianque Sect in a month.

 

Qin Zheng noticed that the glowing circle occasionally had a golden object flashing through it quickly.

 

That thing looked just like the spiritual roots he had seen before.

 

However, this golden object was about three inches long—longer than the ones the demon clan had taken from his junior disciples.

 

Qin Zheng thought of the spiritual root that Wei Feiluan had extracted from him—it was probably about the same length—and dismissed the idea that it was the same.

 

Although he believed he wasn’t that useless, he knew it was a bit far-fetched to think his root would be like Qin Su’s.

 

As Qin Zheng was guessing how long Qin Su’s spiritual root might be, the voice he had heard in his dream started up again—

 

This time clear and unmistakable.

 

Alert, Qin Zheng looked around and listened carefully, confirming the voice came from outside the cave.

 

In fact, it seemed even clearer inside the cave than it would outside.

 

Considering the strange nature of this cave, this wasn’t too surprising.

 

Feeling uneasy, Qin Zheng walked to the cave entrance and peered through the gaps in the ivy leaves to see outside.

 

Outside stood several red-eyed demon race members, one of whom was the person who had fought Qin Su the night before.

 

Among them was also someone who was not a demon but very familiar—

 

Wei Feiluan!

 

Qin Zheng gritted his teeth and glared at the unaware people outside.

 

That device used to extract spiritual roots was indeed his.

 

For some unknown reason, the group lingered around the cave entrance instead of leaving.

 

Qin Zheng glanced back at the unclear situation of Qin Su in the courtyard and silently prayed that these people wouldn’t discover the cave.

 

However, it seemed the heavens were against him, never letting things go his way.

 

Just after he finished praying, Wei Feiluan seemed to sense something and turned to stare long and hard in the direction of the ivy.

 

Watching further, Qin Zheng almost thought Wei Feiluan had spotted him.

 

But Wei Feiluan only stared and took no action.

 

The demon race members with Wei Feiluan also followed his gaze.

 

“What are you looking at?”

 

Wei Feiluan said, looking toward the ivy, “This seems to be Yu Jingchen’s residence.”

 

“What!?” Several demon race members hurried over, looking at the stone wall before them. “Should we go in and search?”

 

Wei Feiluan shook his head. “Without his permission, we can’t enter here.”

 

The impatient demon clan member from last night said, “If we can’t enter, then stop looking!”

 

“We’re after those two people right now.”

 

“I don’t believe it—one’s injured and the other without magic power, where could they possibly escape to?”

 

Wei Feiluan turned and glanced coldly at that person. “You don’t have much time left. It’s better to give up now.”

 

The demon race members hurriedly shook their heads. “If we can’t find them, how do we report to Lord Ling Yan?”

 

Wei Feiluan was indifferent. “What’s there to explain? They might run, but they can’t hide forever.”

 

“Now that what you want has been found, it’s time to help me find what I want, right?”

 

Seeming to agree with Wei Feiluan’s logic, the group lingered at the cave entrance for a while before leaving.

 

“This young fellow’s situation is strange.” 

 

A sharp voice sounded inside the cave.

 

Qin Zheng quickly turned to look at Qin Su.

 

By the lounge chair stood a rabbit-sized rat, now looking up at the still-unconscious Qin Su.

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