Chapter 043 Senior Brother – “ “I need a Daoist partner.” ” (08/19)
Shi Jingge was still unaware of what had happened at Canglie Peak. He had just returned to Suixing Peak and hadn’t even reached his quarters yet when he was blocked by Suixing Peak disciples on the path he had to take.
Moreover, the expressions on these disciples’ faces were all somewhat awkward.
Shi Jingge raised an eyebrow, his cold gaze sweeping over them, his expression stern. “Why are you here instead of cultivating? Disciples of Suixing Peak, found loitering and chatting during the time designated for cultivation. Punishment—” His voice abruptly halted, as if something had choked him. After a long moment, he slowly continued, “In that case, you need not eat dinner tonight.”
Most of the Suixing Peak disciples standing nearby froze in place; Shi Jingge’s speech was all too familiar to them.
A punishment that could mean losing spirit stones, elixirs, or spiritual herbs.
When they thought about it carefully, although Senior Brother had taken those spirit stones and elixirs, hadn’t they always been at fault first? Hadn’t every punishment been entirely deserved?
But why wasn’t Senior Brother punishing them this time?
Because on that day, Senior Brother had overheard their private conversation.
At that moment, a heavy weight settled in the hearts of the Shuixing Peak disciples, and a wordless sense of gloom spread throughout the area.
Shi Jingge cast a slightly puzzled glance at them and said slowly, “Aren’t you going to practice?”
His voice remained cold, tinged with a hint of condescending arrogance. In the past, such words would have sent the Shuixing Peak disciples into a frenzy, but this time, they all bowed their heads in silence.
A hint of confusion finally flickered in Shi Jingge’s eyes. The corners of his lips twitched slightly, as if he wanted to ask something, but in the end, he said nothing. He merely frowned at the disciples of Suixing Peak, creating a silent standoff.
In the end, it was Ji Qiulian who stepped forward to break the silence.
“Senior Brother.” Ji Qiulian mustered up her courage and bowed earnestly to Shi Jingge in gratitude. “The Xueling Pill is of excellent quality and has been of great help to me. Thank you.”
Shi Jingge shot her a startled glance, then turned away, feigning impatience. “What Xueling Pill? You finding a Xueling Pill—what’s that got to do with me? Are you going to let something like this interfere with your cultivation? I don’t think there’ll be any dinner for you tomorrow as well.” That haughty attitude, that tone of absolute certainty—if Du Han hadn’t witnessed everything Shi Jingge did that night with his own eyes, they might have actually believed him!
Ji Qiulan froze for a moment, furrowing her brow slightly, seemingly unable to understand why Shi Jingge would make such a claim.
At that moment, Du Han stepped forward and blurted out, “But I saw it with my own eyes last night!”
The very next second, Shi Jingge’s dagger-like glare shot toward him. Du Han instinctively took a step back.
Shi Jingge let out a derisive laugh, his aura chilling. “Nothing but lies and nonsense, and you’ve even twisted it to implicate me. I believe you won’t be having dinner for the next few days!”
Du Han impulsively retorted, “I don’t eat dinner anyway.” There was actually a hint of grievance in his tone.
Shi Jingge: “……”
Three seconds later, Shi Jingge snapped, “Then don’t have lunch either. Go practice!”
Du Han obediently nodded and murmured, “I’ll do as Senior Brother says.”
Shi Jingge’s face was dark with fury; he looked as if he wanted to thrash Du Han’s ears. But since Shi Jingge’s attention was entirely focused on Du Han, he didn’t notice Ji Qiulian scrutinizing his ears—nor did he notice the complex emotions in her eyes.
The next second, Ji Qiulian looked up and tugged at the sleeve of the person beside her, signaling them to notice the reddened tips of Shi Jingge’s ears.
Those crimson ears seemed to be silently conveying something.
“Senior Brother.” Ji Qiulian pulled out the Xueling Fruits that Jiang Lingqing had sent a few days earlier from her storage pouch. “This is the Xueling Fruits that Senior Brother Jiang found. He came by a couple of days ago and asked me to keep them for you.”
Shi Jingge’s gaze faltered, his tone stiff. “I didn’t ask him to find any Xueling Fruits.”
With that, Shi Jingge turned to leave, as if he couldn’t be bothered to say another word to them.
Ji Qiulian called out loudly from behind him, “In that case, I’ll go to Canglie Peak and return them to Senior Brother Jiang!”
Shi Jingge abruptly halted in his tracks. He drew a deep breath and exhaled, as if steeling himself mentally. After a long pause, he suddenly turned back.
“Hand them over.” Those three words seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.
Was that… an admission?
A hint of a smile flashed in Ji Qiulian’s eyes. She hurried forward a few steps and handed the Xueling Fruits to Shi Jingge.
Shi Jingge took the Xueling Fruits and stuffed it into his storage space, his expression growing even more grim.
“Listen carefully,” Shi Jingge said coldly. “This Xueling Fruit is a gift from Brother Jiang. It has absolutely nothing to do with your little Xueling Pill. Do you understand?”
Ji Qiulian froze for a moment, finding it somewhat amusing. This was the classic case of “no silver here”[mfn]Tale where a person buried his life savings and then put a sign up saying there was no money buried there.[/mfn]—could it get any more obvious?
She replied respectfully, “Yes, this disciple understands. I’ll do as Senior Brother says.”
“What do you mean, ‘I’ll do as you say’?” Shi Jingge said darkly. “I told you it wasn’t me. Don’t you understand?”
Ji Qiulian replied earnestly, “As a disciple of Suixing Peak, I naturally follow Senior Brother’s guidance. Whatever Senior Brother says, I will obey.”
Shi Jingge: “……”
Shi Jingge’s chest heaved visibly. He ground his teeth and his voice turned so cold it could freeze water. “I’ve only ever seen people pin their losses on others, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone who found something and is dead set on trying to pin it on someone else.”
Ji Qiulian asked in surprise, “How did Senior Brother know I found it?”
Shi Jingge: “……”
Before Shi Jingge could lose his temper, Ji Qiulian added, “I’ve only ever seen people who did something wrong and were too afraid to admit it. I’ve never seen anyone who did a good deed and refused to acknowledge it. Sigh.”
Shi Jingge: “……”
“Talking back to your senior brother, disrespecting your elders—the punishment is—” Shi Jingge paused. “No meals for you at Suixing Peak for the next two weeks.”
“And as for the rest of you.” Shi Jingge’s stern gaze swept across the room. “Dinner is canceled for the next five days. Focus all your minds on cultivation! Just look at your cultivation levels. It’s been years, yet not a single bit of progress. I’m ashamed for you.”
That remark was downright harsh.
But Ji Qiulian had already realized during their earlier exchange that although their Senior Brother often put on a cold facade, he wouldn’t actually harm them.
His sole weapons were nothing more than that cold expression and his sharp tongue.
A few harsh words wouldn’t cost any flesh—what was there to fear?
So Ji Qiulian replied in a clear voice, “We shall strictly follow Senior Brother’s teachings.”
Shi Jingge shot Ji Qiulian a cold glance, and she returned it with a radiant smile. Then, she noticed that the flush on Shi Jingge’s ears had started to spread to his cheeks.
With her leading the way, the other disciples of Suixing Peak chimed in unison, “We shall heed Senior Brother’s teachings.”
Shi Jingge: “……”
Shi Jingge flung his sleeves and ran off. He even used his flying sword. The speed was as if he were running for his life.
No matter how you looked at it, it seemed like a full-scale retreat.
Ji Qiulan couldn’t help herself and burst out laughing on the spot. Her laughter was incredibly contagious, and the disciples of Suixing Peak all started laughing too.
“Senior Brother doesn’t seem as scary as we imagined.”
“Right. It’s just a cold face, sharp words, and punishments—it doesn’t seem like such a big deal.”
“I’ve noticed our Senior Brother is actually quite handsome.”
“Are you kidding? How could our Senior Brother not be handsome?”
“Hey, Du Han, why aren’t you saying anything? What are you looking at?”
Du Han looked at the others with a dazed expression, and they all turned to look at him.
His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. After a long moment, he slowly managed to squeeze out a sentence, “Just now, when Senior Brother was riding his sword, I think I saw his face.”
“Who hasn’t seen Senior Brother’s face?” another disciple said dismissively.
After a long silence, Du Han muttered, “Senior Brother’s face… turned completely red.”
The disciples of Suixing Peak: “!!!!”
Shi Jingge had originally returned to his quarters, but the thought of the fruit teas in his storage space made his expression change.
Sneaking the fruit teas over to the Suixing Peak disciples’ quarters in the middle of the night was clearly unrealistic, but openly going there himself to give them the teas was absolutely out of the question.
So, after much deliberation, Shi Jingge had no choice but to deliver the fruit teas to Suixing Peak’s dining hall.
At this hour, the dining hall should be empty—the perfect time to act.
Besides, he had deprived the Suixing Peak disciples of their evening meals these past few days, so no one would be there at this time.
If he placed the fruit teas at the meal pickup station and set a sign nearby stating they were a special benefit distributed by the sect, wouldn’t that be a great way to avoid attention?
So, Shi Jingge first made up a sign, then headed straight for the dining hall with it and the fruit tea. To avoid the disciples of Suixing Peak, he even used his flying sword.
Upon arriving at the dining hall, it was indeed empty. Shi Jingge placed the sign and the fruit tea down and quickly made his escape.
Flying on his sword, he moved incredibly fast, so he didn’t have the time to notice the two Suixing Peak disciples hiding in plain sight.
These two had huge appetites and could never stand being hungry. While missing a few evening meals was no big deal for other disciples, for them, it was like a rain of knives falling from the sky.
They had no choice but to sneak over to the dining hall to see if—just maybe—they could find something that slipped through the cracks to help them get through this agonizing night.
But as soon as they neared the dining hall, they heard noise and immediately ducked for cover.
Soon after, they saw Shi Jingge emerge from inside, jump on his sword, and vanish in the blink of an eye.
“Should we still go in?” one of them asked, licking his lips.
The other nodded solemnly.
The two crept inside and soon discovered the fruit tea and the sign, which bore six large characters: 【Liuchong Sect Special Perks】
However, no one from the sect was in sight. The person who had just left was their Senior Brother.
The two exchanged glances. Finally, one whispered, “Should we call everyone over?”
The other nodded emphatically. “I’ll stay here. You go find the others.”
With their roles decided, the other quickly gathered all the disciples of Shattered Star Peak.
——- —— —–
Ji Qiulian opened the fruit tea bottle, and a rich aura of spiritual energy wafted out. She sniffed at the opening and recited the names of several spiritual flowers, herbs, and fruits. “…This contains a wealth of spiritual energy, which will be of great help to us cultivators at the Qi Refining Stage.”
Silence fell over the scene; the disciples of Shattered Star Peak didn’t know how to express their emotions.
Du Han said hoarsely, “I don’t think this was distributed by the sect; it must have been prepared for us by Senior Brother. It’s just that he didn’t want us to know, so…”
Du Han paused, then smiled bitterly. “Even though I saw it with my own eyes, Senior Brother still refuses to admit that the Xueling Pills were his gift. He’s always acting like this… hiding everything he does… letting us misunderstand…” His voice grew hoarser, breaking slightly.
“Actually, it’s very simple to confirm whether the sect sent them,” Ji Qiulian said slowly, “Wouldn’t asking the disciples from the other peaks be enough?” It was such a simple solution.
Only Senior Brother would make things so complicated just to hide what he’s done for us.
How could there be someone like their Senior Brother Shi?
Ji Qiulian grumbled inwardly, yet her heart felt soft and tender, tinged with a faint bitterness.
Is it really that hard to admit he cares about them and has done so much for them?
What a… fool…!
Soon, the truth came out. The sect had never distributed any special benefits at all.
This was something Senior Brother had prepared just for them!
Everyone felt a mix of guilt, sadness, and gratitude, but on one point, they all agreed.
Senior Brother was a good person.
And so, from that day forward, everything began to change quietly.
For instance, early the next morning, the disciples of Shuixing Peak walked past Shi Jingge one by one, bowing their heads and calling out, “Senior Brother!”
The first time he heard it, Shi Jingge nearly jumped out of his skin. He held back for a while, staring at them with a very strange look, as if he wanted to ask if they’d taken the wrong medicine.
But he didn’t ask.
However, his look—a mix of confusion, bewilderment, and embarrassment—didn’t go unnoticed by the disciples of Suixing Peak. And so, the last shred of fear they had for him vanished into thin air under that gaze.
One particularly bold disciple not only grinned widely but also chimed in, “Senior Brother, we’re heading to the dining hall for breakfast. Would you like to join us?”
Shi Jingge remained silent for a long moment, then walked past him without uttering a single word.
The Shuixing Peak disciple felt a little slighted.
Then they saw the Senior Brother, who had walked about ten meters away, suddenly turn back. He rubbed his eyes, and when he looked at the disciple, his pupils contracted in shock.
Junior Disciple: “!?!?”
Although Shi Jingge disappeared the next second, this scene was deeply etched into the minds of the Shuixing Peak disciples.
In that moment, they suddenly realized that Senior Brother was actually such an adorable person!
From then on, everyone would look the Senior Brother in the face, and they would go out of their way to find the true meaning behind his cold words. Whenever Shi Jingge delivered a barrage of sarcastic remarks, he was often met with looks of surprise and delight from the Shuixing Peak disciples.
Then, a single question—“Is Senior Brother concerned about me?”—would send Shi Jingge running away on the spot.
Shi Jingge used to dislike flying on a sword, but now his proficiency in sword flight was improving at an astonishing rate.
Later, Shi Jingge simply couldn’t take it anymore, so he slipped away.
But this little escape backfired. Shi Jingge suddenly realized he could hear his name being mentioned everywhere he went!
Thanks to the “publicity” from the disciples of Shuixing Peak and Canglie Peak, Shi Jingge’s reputation had done a complete 180!
The disciples of Shuixing Peak now held Shi Jingge in the highest regard, especially those who had previously misunderstood him—they were overcome with shame.
Driven by this mix of gratitude and embarrassment, they were fiercely protective of Shi Jingge. Whenever they heard people gossiping about him, especially in a negative light, they nearly came to blows!
When they were stopped, they immediately began recounting how kind Shi Jingge had been to them and what a wonderful person he was. At the most emotional moments, they were nearly crying, leaving their listeners completely dumbfounded.
If only one disciple from Shuixing Peak had spoken this way, people might have been skeptical. But since every single disciple, from top to bottom, spoke in this manner, what was there left to doubt?
On top of that, disciples from Canglie Peak were there to corroborate their claims.
You must know that Canglie Peak disciples have always been known for their clear-cut sense of right and wrong and their fierce hatred of evil. Jiang Lingqing from Canglie Peak had been at odds with Shi Jingge, so there was no way Canglie Peak disciples would speak up for Shi Jingge for no reason!
Upon further inquiry, it turned out that Jiang Lingqing had already become good friends with Shi Jingge, and both the disciples of Suixing Peak and Canglie Peak realized that all the past incidents had been nothing but a misunderstanding!
And so, Shi Jingge’s reputation was completely turned around.
Except for Lingyue Peak.
The disciples of Lingyue Peak were absolutely furious. If Shi Jingge had cared about the disciples of Shuixing Peak, he should have said so earlier! If he had, they wouldn’t have gotten so carried away. They all thought Shi Jingge didn’t care about those disciples, but in the end…
They lost both the battle and the war, and even got punished.
Just thinking about it was infuriating.
Thanks to the gossip from both the Shuixing Peak and Canglie Peak disciples, many who had previously misunderstood Shi Jingge now felt a little guilty toward him. So, whenever they ran into him on the path, they would often say hello.
Shi Jingge could ignore the Shuixung Peak disciples, but he had to acknowledge the disciples from other peaks.
So Shi Jingge would usually nod, occasionally offering a brief reply.
But this kind of response only reinforced everyone’s impression that “Shi Jingge isn’t such a bad person after all.” So when they occasionally mentioned him to friends, they now had “concrete proof” to back up the idea that he was a decent person.
However, what truly left Shi Jingge speechless was yet to come.
One day, while wandering around the back mountain, Shi Jingge was stopped by someone.
“E–Elder Brother!” The person bit their lower lip and bowed to Shi Jingge.
Shi Jingge stared at him intently for a long moment before saying indifferently, “You’re no longer on Shuixing Peak. There’s no need to call me Elder Brother.”
The person immediately became agitated. “Are you worried that walls have ears, Elder Brother?”
Shi Jingge: “?”
Shi Jingge replied coldly, “No.”
“I understand, I understand.” The man’s eyes began to redden. “In the past, I always kept to myself, and every day I would go to the small lake behind the Alchemy Hall to practice. That time, on the path I had to take to get to the lake, I found a bottle of Spirit Essence Pills. I thought I was just lucky.” He chuckled self-deprecatingly. “But come to think of it, how could that possibly be luck? It was simply someone who had deliberately placed a bottle of Spirit Essence Pills on my path.”
He fixed Shi Jingge with an intense gaze, and Shi Jingge returned his stare coldly. “It wasn’t me.”
He gave a bitter laugh. “I know Senior Brother wouldn’t admit it. It was I who let Senior Brother down.”
“I said it wasn’t me.” Shi Jingge’s voice grew even colder, as if he were lashing out in frustration and shame.
He bowed deeply to Shi Jingge. “I know Senior Brother doesn’t need my repayment, but I will definitely repay you. Please wait for me, Senior Brother.”
“It wasn’t me,” Shi Jingge spat out those three words through gritted teeth.
He gave Shi Jingge a long, intense look, bowed to him, then ran off as fast as he could.
Shi Jingge: “……”
Does no one believe me even if I tell the truth now?
Perhaps he should go back into seclusion, Shi Jingge thought earnestly.
——— ——– ——-
Meanwhile, the man who had been waiting for Shi Jingge at the Spirit Vein for a long time, without seeing him arrive, finally made up his mind to go out and look for him.
“Meow?” The three-tailed cat wagged its tail and looked at the man who had stood up, looking somewhat puzzled.
The man stared intently at the three-tailed cat and said sincerely, “Don’t you think it’s a bit lonely living in this vast cave residence with just the two of us?”
The three-tailed cat shook its head and meowed innocently.
No, I don’t.
The man’s lips twitched. He glared at the three-tailed cat and said coldly, “I do.”
Three-tailed cat: “?”
“I’m lonely.”
The three-tailed cat stared in shock, its eyes wide and utterly bewildered.
“So,” the man said slowly, “I need a cultivation partner.”
Three-tailed cat: “!!!”
___________________
Author’s Note:
Three-tailed cat: Isn’t this how you’ve lived all these years? Didn’t you go into seclusion precisely because you didn’t want to interact with people? Can’t you go into seclusion for a hundred years at a time just by closing yourself off?!
Three-tailed cat: You don’t need a damn thing!
Edit: Krone
Proofread: Choux_choux
