Stepping out of the cave, Chen Ji still had not fully processed the shock of the Thousand Infant Coffin. The spring sunlight falling on his body failed to warm his fingertips, which were cold from fear.
Just then, the sound of crashing stone erupted behind him. He quickly turned around. The massive boulder that had been split in two was now being reduced to countless fragments by Liu Jingyun, who then used the rubble to seal the cave entrance tight.
“A-Ji, did I do well?” he asked, turning back.
The gloom in Chen Ji’s chest was instantly dispelled by those words. “You did great. As expected of my Liu Erha, you are an expert at breaking things. However, let what we saw in the cave remain our secret. Do not tell anyone else.”
“Okay,” Liu Jingyun agreed readily without any hesitation.
Chen Ji regained his usual sunny vitality. “Let us head back and tell Master Zhang that the lotus pond was just the work of an ordinary weasel. He has no reason to be afraid anymore. He can raise fish and plant lotuses just as he always has!”
“Mhm.”
“Let’s go.”
They returned to the Zhang residence. When the butler saw them, he asked, “A-Ji, are you here to take your two junior brothers home?”
Chen Ji was startled. “Qiu Lingzhou and Mumu are here?”
“Yes. Young Master Lingzhou said he was willing to cook three dishes for the Master, provided that a room’s worth of lumber be delivered to Emerald Bamboo Peak. The smell of the chili in his cooking was so strong it made everyone’s noses sting all the way in the front yard.” The butler paused to clear his throat twice.
Chen Ji had not expected Qiu Lingzhou to double back and cook spicy food for Zhang Yu without permission. Seething with anger, he marched straight toward the kitchen. As he approached, the pungent scent of chili caught in the wind and hit him full force, making him sneeze repeatedly. Zhang Yu and several others were already sitting at a stone table outside the kitchen, feasting heartily.
Chen Ji walked over angrily. “Qiu Lingzhou, did I not say you were not allowed to make spicy food for Master Zhang? Why did you come back?”
“The thing at the lotus pond was not the work of a monster, so you would not have earned any silver, Senior Brother. I had no choice but to come back,” Qiu Lingzhou replied righteously.
Chen Ji turned to Zhang Yu.
Zhang Yu offered a comforting word. “A-Ji, it is fine. I will send someone to the Tianyun Sect later to buy a bottle of spiritual medicine. A small case of hemorrhoids will be cured in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.”
“Master Zhang, you really have no self-control. When Madam Zhang finds out about this, she is going to be furious.”
“It is fine. If she gets angry, she gets angry. At worst, I will just have to kneel on the washboard for a while.”
There was no point in trying to persuade someone determined to court disaster. Chen Ji did not want to waste any more breath. He glared at Qiu Lingzhou. “We are going back!”
“Alright.”
“Big Senior Brother, I could not stop Third Senior Brother.” Feng Zhimu had been following Qiu Lingzhou the whole time. His small nose was red from the spicy air.
Chen Ji looked at him with pity. “It is alright. If I could not stop him, there is no way you could have. Let us go home.” He reached out his hand, and Feng Zhimu nodded obediently, grasping it and following along.
Qiu Lingzhou was slightly unhappy. He pouted and frowned. “Senior Brother, I earned a whole room’s worth of lumber. Why won’t you praise me?”
Chen Ji looked at him, remembering the suffering he was destined to endure in the Thousand Infant Coffin in the original book. He had intended to give him a piece of his mind to make him remember the lesson, but the words got stuck in his throat.
“You are a dog; you do not need praise,” Liu Jingyun spoke up before Chen Ji could.
“Liu Dog, at least I earned a room’s worth of lumber. What did you do?”
“I stayed with A-Ji.”
Qiu Lingzhou’s eyes immediately turned cold, radiating killing intent.
“Enough! What are you fighting for? We are going home,” Chen Ji said helplessly. He looked at Zhang Yu, who was still feasting, and said, “Master Zhang, Lingzhou told you there are no monsters in the lotus pond. From now on, you can go about your business there as usual.”
“Got it.”
“By the way, Master Zhang, if anything strange happens in Tianyun City in the future, you can come find me. Just like this time with the chicken feathers and entrails at the pond, I can help you catch the monster for free.”
“No problem.”
Zhang Yu was so busy eating that Chen Ji was not sure how much he actually heard. However, repeating himself would only invite suspicion, so he said no more and led his three junior brothers home.
By the time they returned to Emerald Bamboo Peak, it was still early. Chen Ji sat in his rocking chair, staring off into the distance in a daze. Seeing him like this, Qiu Lingzhou remarked, “Senior Brother always has a few days every month where he gets all sentimental and melancholy.”
“If you could act like a human for a few days, A-Ji would not have to worry about you so much,” Liu Jingyun countered.
Qiu Lingzhou grew slightly angry. “Liu Dog, Senior Brother stayed with you for a while and came back looking completely drained. What did you do to him?”
“Hmph.” Liu Jingyun replied with a snort and turned to leave. He caught sight of Feng Zhimu sitting by the stone table, peeking at them secretly. “Come here. I will teach you the mental cultivation methods.”
“Thank you, Second Senior Brother!” Feng Zhimu ran over happily.
“When did you become so warm-hearted?” Qiu Lingzhou asked disdainfully.
Liu Jingyun looked at him flatly. “If I teach him, A-Ji does not have to. Understand?”
Qiu Lingzhou was speechless. This guy was really doing everything he could to find chances to be alone with Big Senior Brother.
The four of them squeezed into one bed for another night. Early the next morning, Chen Ji got up. He planned to go down the mountain alone today to work and earn money to finish the houses for his two unfilial sons.
While eating breakfast, a noisy commotion came from the mountain gate. When the people appeared at the courtyard entrance, they realized it was the lumber Zhang Yu had promised Qiu Lingzhou. It was exactly enough to build one house.
“Senior Brother, we will build one house today and finish the rest tomorrow,” Qiu Lingzhou said.
Chen Ji nodded. Squeezing four people onto one bed was indeed very cramped. “Go move the broken beams and debris away then.”
“Alright.”
Qiu Lingzhou walked over to the ruins of Liu Jingyun’s house. With a wave of his sleeve, a whirlwind erupted, tossing the broken wood and debris into a corner. Chen Ji asked, puzzled, “That is Liu Jingyun’s house. Why are you cleaning up for him?”
“Senior Brother, you always teach me to respect my elders and love the young. So, this time I plan to show Liu Dog some respect and fix his house first.” After speaking, he looked at Liu Jingyun triumphantly.
Liu Jingyun knew exactly what Qiu Lingzhou was thinking. He stood up, walked to the ruins of Qiu Lingzhou’s house, and waved his sleeve to send the broken walls and tiles flying. “You respect me, and I respect you in return.”
With that, Liu Jingyun summoned his sword and began digging a hole under the site of Qiu Lingzhou’s house. Chen Ji had seen their ridiculous antics many times, but this was a new level of absurdity.
“Liu Erha, what are you doing?”
“I am building an eternal home for Qiu the Dog.”
“Are you building him a house? You are digging a hole to bury him!”
“A-Ji really understands me,” Liu Jingyun praised him solemnly. “Dig a hole and plant one Qiu Dog, and by autumn, we can harvest many more Qiu Dogs.”
“If you want to kill him, just say it. Fill that dirt back in and stop messing around!” Chen Ji flicked Liu Jingyun’s forehead.
Liu Jingyun’s long eyelashes trembled slightly. “A-Ji hit me.”
“Do not play the victim! I barely used any strength!” Chen Ji clarified quickly.
Liu Jingyun refused to let it go. “A-Ji hit me! Hard!”
“I did not!”
“You did!” He stared at Chen Ji intently with his dark pupils.
Under his burning gaze, Chen Ji submissively admitted his mistake. “Fine, it was my fault. I should not have hit our cute and handsome Liu Erha.”