Junior Brother Pays Respect to You: Chapter 48 - Xiao Hua’s Identity
Chapter 48: Xiao Hua’s Identity
Today was the third day since Qin Zheng returned to the Tianque Sect, and also the first time he had left the small wooden hut.
Qin Su hadn’t returned since the day he left.
Although he had said he would come back "later," he never said how much later.
Qin Zheng had waited for three days in the hut and couldn't wait any longer.
He was just one step away from restoring his mortal body and didn't want to delay any further.
The longer it dragged on, the more unpredictable it would become.
This time, he only got back into the sect thanks to Xiao Hua. The future was still uncertain—he didn’t know when he might have to leave again.
Because the matter at hand was rather serious, Qin Zheng didn’t want to bring Xiao Hua along.
Over the past three days, he had found Xiao Hua to be especially obedient. As long as it was a command, Xiao Hua would definitely follow it.
Before leaving to look for Qin Su, Qin Zheng gave Xiap Hua clear orders in a commanding tone: “I'm going out for a while. You are not allowed to follow me. Before I return, do not leave this house even half a step!” Then he softened his tone with a trusting smile: “I like Xiao Hua so much. Surely Xiao Hua wouldn't lie to me, right?”
After all, he had no magical powers and no third eye to monitor the child. If Xiao Hua snuck out after he left, Qin Zheng wouldn’t know. But if something serious happened because of that, it would be a real problem.
Xiao Hua looked at Qin Zheng with a wronged expression, not understanding why he wasn’t allowed to follow. But when he heard Qin Zheng say, “I like Xiao Hua so much,” he agreed without hesitation.
As Qin Zheng’s figure disappeared into the distance, Xiao Hua’s eyes darted around sneakily, clearly thinking up mischief.
But when he remembered his promise, he ultimately suppressed the urge to sneak out.
Qin Zheng didn’t want to waste time on small talk, so he took the secluded paths—it was peaceful.
His luck was good too—he didn’t run into a single person along the way.
He decided to head first to the conference hall used by the senior elders of the Tianque Sect.
Qin Su wasn’t someone who went back on his word. He had said he would come once he finished his business, so if he hadn’t come, that meant the matter wasn’t resolved yet.
Which meant Qin Su was likely still handling it—possibly at the conference hall.
If something was taking three days to resolve, it probably wasn’t small.
Just as Qin Zheng arrived at the hall entrance, someone opened the door and walked out.
When the person looked up and saw Qin Zheng, he was shocked.
“Senior Brother! I’m not seeing things, am I?” Qin Shuang, afraid the people inside might hear, deliberately lowered his voice and quickly walked toward Qin Zheng, pulling him a bit farther away. “So the rumors among the disciples that the Sect Leader brought two strangers back—was that really you?”
“Seems like you’ve got some skills after all, Senior Brother—managing to win over even the Sect Leader Junior Brother!”
Seeing that it was Qin Shuang, Qin Zheng felt a surge of happiness.
Right place, right time!
He cut straight to the point: “Is Qin Su inside?”
Qin Shuang hadn’t expected that after so long apart, the first thing his senior brother would say would be about the Sect Leader Junior Brother. His face immediately fell. “Senior Brother, when are you going to share some of that favoritism toward the Sect Leader with me?”
Qin Zheng shot a glance toward the conference hall, then gave Qin Shuang a sideways look and said with clear annoyance: “Never going to happen.”
“Now hurry up and tell me where Qin Su is—I need to talk to him!”
Being used to such blunt rejections, Qin Shuang had long since developed a thick skin. He reached out to block Qin Zheng’s line of sight and said helplessly: “Don’t bother looking—Sect Leader Junior Brother isn’t in there!”
“Something big happened recently. You probably wouldn’t want to hear the details anyway. All you need to know is that Qin Su hasn’t returned to the sect for three days because of it.”
Qin Zheng frowned. “Then when will he be back? I’ll just wait and come again.”
So unlucky. If only he’d mentioned it when he first came back to the sect!
Qin Shuang shook his head. “No idea. But as soon as he returns, I’ll let him know you’re looking for him—privately. How’s that?”
Qin Zheng looked at the thoughtful and helpful Qin Shuang and finally gave him a smile. “Not bad, not bad. My Qin Shuang is really starting to understand me!”
“You folks go back to work. I’ve got something to take care of—heading back now!”
Since Qin Su wasn’t there, Qin Zheng hurried back to the wooden hut, still slightly worried that Little Hua might have disobeyed.
If something had gone wrong, he’d definitely be the one blamed for it.
Qin Zheng stopped some distance away from the hut, slowed his steps, and quietly approached before calling out loudly: “Xiao Hua, I’m back! You can come out of the house now!”
The moment his words left his mouth, the hut door swung open and Little Hua shot out, running straight toward him.
He was about to throw himself into Qin Zheng’s arms when— Qin Zheng, with lightning-fast reflexes he didn’t know he had, pressed a finger against Xiao Hua’s forehead mid-pounce, stopping him in place. With a light flick, he said, “Haven’t I told you not to jump on me?”
Rejected, Xiao Hua stood there in front of him, holding his forehead as his eyes instantly welled up with tears.
This expression—he had already used many times over the past three days. Though Qin Zheng did feel a twinge of guilt, he didn’t give in one bit.
These past few days, Qin Zheng had carefully thought about why he was suddenly overflowing with maternal instinct.
For someone who disliked children, this was far too abnormal!
Qin Zheng pondered for a long time. When he stared into Xiao Hua’s eyes, he suddenly thought of the demon race—and soon after, of Wen Lun, the one whom the demons had called a traitor.
If he remembered correctly, Wen Lun had placed a mark on him, something like… if he didn’t fulfill a promise, he’d feel guilt?
Qin Zheng glanced at the one-year-old Xiao Hua and spent an entire night considering the issue of how demon children grow.
If Xiao Hua was Wen Lun’s child, then he’d be about fifty years old by now, right?
Qin Zheng looked at Xiao Hua, whose face still held a hopeful expression even after being rejected. Those eyes seemed to ask: I’ve been so obedient, why don’t I get a reward?
But then Qin Zheng remembered that inside this child was possibly the soul of an old man older than himself acting all cute, and he couldn’t help but get goosebumps. Still, that damned sense of guilt kept surging up in his chest.
Fortunately, this kind of guilt didn’t last long when it came to trivial things.
Just as Qin Zheng was about to walk past Xiao Hua into the house, a figure suddenly flashed out in front of the door.
The person was staring at him angrily.
Qin Zheng’s face changed, and his voice instinctively rose.
“Wei Feiluan! What are you doing here?!”
Wei Feiluan sneered. “I came because I wanted to.”
“But you—how could you treat a child like that?!”
Qin Zheng stared coldly at the angry Wei Feiluan and found it all rather ridiculous. “How I treat him is none of your business. Aren’t you meddling too much?”
This guy was seriously unreasonable!
Qin Zheng’s words were like a bucket of cold water that snapped Wei Feiluan out of his rage.
The next moment, Wei Feiluan’s attitude did a complete 180. He even kindly explained, “Sorry, it’s just that I really like children. So when I saw you ignoring such a cute kid’s wish, I got overwhelmed by anger.”
If Qin Zheng hadn’t experienced transmigration, he might’ve actually believed him!
But there was no if.
When Wei Feiluan had attacked him, he showed no signs of being a kind, child-loving man.
Qin Zheng watched Wei Feiluan act out his performance with a serious face, but he asked bluntly, “I remember that in Tianque Sect, if someone enters, the senior seats should be able to sense it, right?”
Wei Feiluan paused, then grinned smugly. “They’re all too busy now to notice me!” Then, wearing a fawning look, he added, “Could you treat this child a little better? I think he’s a poor kid who grew up without his parents. Don’t you feel sorry for him?”
Qin Zheng gave Xiao Hua a puzzled look, then glanced at Wei Feiluan again.
His current behavior was way too suspicious!
Based on the things Wei Feiluan had done before, Qin Zheng was sure this man wasn’t the loving, caring type.
Yet now, in front of him, he was asking him to be kind to a child he supposedly didn’t even know?
“What’s your relationship with Wen Lun?”
Qin Zheng cut to the chase.
He was sure there was something unusual between Wei Feiluan and Xiao Hua.
Wei Feiluan froze, confused as to why Qin Zheng would ask that, then shook his head. “I don’t know anyone named Wen Lun.”
Qin Zheng eyed him with suspicion. That split-second reaction just now didn’t look like a lie.
Could it be Xiao Hua had nothing to do with Wen Lun?
His thoughts tangled up like a knot in his head. No matter how he looked at it, Xiao Hua’s identity just didn’t add up.
Since he couldn’t get the answer he wanted—and couldn’t beat Wei Feiluan—Qin Zheng said indifferently, “If you want to give him warmth, go ahead and do it yourself.”
“Xiao Hua, give this uncle a hug. If you let him hold you, I’ll give you a reward.”
As soon as he heard “reward,” Xiao Hua—who had looked reluctant—immediately gave Wei Feiluan a big smile and walked over.
But seeing Xiao Hua approach, Wei Feiluan suddenly looked conflicted. He wouldn’t reach out, and instead backed away step by step.
When he found he had nowhere else to go, he simply vanished into thin air.
Qin Zheng looked at the now-empty corner and patted Xiao Hua’s head with mock severity. “Next time you see that guy—bite him!”
As Qin Zheng looked at Xiao Hua, recalling Wei Feiluan’s nervous hesitation, a suspicion suddenly crossed his mind.
He needed to go back and find the sect leader again!
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