Chapter 045 Senior Brother – ” “Senior brother, could you… help me…?” ” (10/19)
At that moment, the three-tailed cat was completely stunned.
Thhis—Was this really his master, the one who’d never feared anything, had always been taciturn, and hadn’t shown a single other expression his entire life?
If it weren’t for the fact that their contract was still intact and everything seemed perfectly normal, it would have suspected that someone had possessed its master!
It wasn’t just the three-tailed cat; even Shi Jingge was a bit dazed.
The boy before him was soaked through, with strands of long hair clinging to his face. He held his head slightly bowed, revealing a sensual collarbone, and his body was even trembling with nervousness and fear.
What a weak and pitiful little thing!
If it weren’t for that familiar sensation, if it weren’t for the slow, resonating flutter in his heart, Shi Jingge might actually have believed it!
Under Shi Jingge’s inscrutable gaze, the boy bowed his head even lower, his trembling growing more pronounced.
Though he knew the boy was most likely putting on an act, in that moment, Shi Jingge felt a long-forgotten sense of mischief.
“Tsk.” Shi Jingge eyed the boy from head to toe, a hint of disdain naturally flickering in his eyes. “What if I say no?”
The boy jerked his head up, looking flustered. “I—I can pay you!”
“Oh?” Shi Jingge raised an eyebrow, staring at him intently. “What kind of payment?”
Under the piercing gaze, the boy lowered his head even further, his ears turning red bit by bit. “Spirit stones, spirit artifacts. I—I have them all.”
In the space of a few words, the boy’s ears had turned an even deeper shade of red. He was putting on quite a convincing act. He’d even mastered the stuttering tone perfectly.
Was this some sort of innate talent for acting?
Shi Jingge felt both exasperated and amused; he couldn’t figure out what this rascal was up to. But one thing was certain: such a display was rare for this particular person. How could he not indulge his desire to perform?
Shi Jingge slowly turned his gaze to the three-tailed cat. It blinked and meowed obediently a few times, as if pleading on the boy’s behalf.
The boy muttered, “The… The rain truly is too heavy…”
Just then, a bolt of lightning suddenly split the sky, accompanied by a deafening thunderclap.
The boy shivered and jumped like a startled rabbit. He then pulled out a storage pouch, shoved it into Shi Jingge’s hands, and said pitifully, “Please, take me in. Just for one night. The rain… I’ll leave as soon as it stops.”
“Alright.” Shi Jingge nodded reluctantly, grabbed the storage pouch, and shoved it toward the three-tailed cat, saying in a matter-of-fact tone, “See if there’s anything you like. Pick whatever you want.”
Boy: “……”
The three-tailed cat actually really wanted to pick something out. After all, every item in there was a treasure carefully selected by it and its owner. But…
Feeling the death glare coming from its owner, the three-tailed cat silently nipped its excitement in the bud.
Better not provoke him right now.
So the three-tailed cat hopped away from the storage bag with a heavy heart, meekly swishing its tails to signal it didn’t need anything.
Shi Jingge raised an eyebrow, not at all surprised by the three-tailed cat’s reaction. He simply set the storage bag aside and calmly told it, “If you need anything, just help yourself.”
The three-tailed cat hesitated for a moment, then nodded, not even daring to glance at its owner.
But soon, the three-tailed cat sensed something was off.
This time… it didn’t seem to be getting that death stare from its owner?
The three-tailed cat hesitantly sharpened its claws, then cautiously turned its head toward its owner—just a quick glance before turning away again—but…
…its owner didn’t seem to be looking at it?
The three-tailed cat finally mustered its courage, ran to a corner, and took the opportunity to glance at its owner as it turned around. It then realized that its owner’s gaze was fixed on the cultivator in front of them, not a single glance directed its way!
No wonder there was no death stare!
The three-tailed cat ground its teeth. Immediately after, it noticed that its owner’s gaze seemed rather peculiar.
The three-tailed cat didn’t know how to describe it. It was a mix of joy, excitement, pride, and self-satisfaction, and its eyes were exceptionally bright, as if they were glowing.
That intensity made the three-tailed cat want to hide itself away.
But clearly, the human cultivator wasn’t going to let that happen.
Shi Jingge beckoned to the three-tailed cat. It steeled itself and walked over, receiving a bottle of love-infused Nourishing Qi Pills from the human cultivator.
The three-tailed cat hesitated for a moment before offering the bottle to its owner, but the very next second, Shi Jingge’s gaze drifted over.
No matter how foolish a man might be, he knew this bottle of Nourishing Qi Pills was absolutely off-limits!
So he forced a pale, weak smile and looked at the three-tailed cat with deep relief and joy. “Go ahead and eat it. I don’t need it. This is…” He paused, as if searching for the right words, before continuing after a moment, “It’s from your benefactor.”
Shi Jingge nearly spit out his drink right then and there.
What the hell was “benefactor”?
“Don’t call me ‘benefactor,’” Shi Jingge said coldly. “My surname is Shi. You can call me Senior Brother Shi.”
Shi Jingge hadn’t spent much time in the cultivation world yet, and he’d been busy handling matters at Shuixing Peak. Since he wasn’t clear on the proper titles in the cultivation world, he decided to just stick with “Senior Brother.”
A flicker of joy crossed the man’s eyes. His cultivation partner had told him to call him “Senior Brother.” That was an intimate title.
The man was elated and naturally dropped the surname, calling out, “Senior Brother.”
Shi Jingge: “……”
Oh well, he didn’t really care about one extra word or one less, so he nodded coldly.
The man felt even happier—his cultivation partner had acknowledged him!
Don’t let his fierce appearance fool you—he’s actually quite kind at heart. Even though he complained, he didn’t chase him away. He even let him call him “Senior Brother” and gave the three-tailed cat some Nourishing Qi Pills. Although he had taken his things, he clearly didn’t care and even let the three-tailed cat pick whatever it wanted.
What difference did it make if the three-tailed cat picked out the items himself, or if they were simply handed back to him?
He was, after all, the three-tailed cat’s owner!
When the creature refused to choose, his partner tossed the storage pouch aside, seemingly not the least bit bothered.
What did this mean?
It meant his future partner was a kind-hearted soul with a cold exterior!
Just then, Shi Jingge suddenly said, “What’s your name?”
“I…” The boy paused, lowering his head dejectedly. “I don’t have a name, but my number is Nine. You can call me Ah Jiu.”
Shi Jingge frowned. “Why don’t you have a name?”
“Because…” The boy hesitated, then decided to tell the truth. “I haven’t found anyone willing to name me yet.”
Shi Jingge looked at him with furrowed brows; his intuition told him there was no need to ask any further.
The boy looked at Shi Jingge with pleading eyes, desperately hoping he would ask more questions.
Who could name him?
Naturally…
His Dao companion.
But Shi Jingge didn’t press the matter; he merely nodded. “Then why are you here?”
The boy felt a twinge of disappointment, but upon reflection, wasn’t this a form of tenderness from his Dao companion? So he quickly cheered up again.
“I don’t know.” The young man blinked. “I just opened my eyes and found myself here.”
This was certainly no lie; all the spiritual veins on the surrounding peaks belonged to him. Wasn’t it perfectly natural for him to be here?
But he couldn’t tell his Dao companion that just yet. He was afraid he’d be rejected for being too old.
He knew that cultivators these days placed great importance on matching social status and being of similar age.
Shi Jingge said nothing more and turned to pet the three-tailed cat.
The three-tailed cat instinctively wanted to jump away, but then thought better of it. This person was the future partner his owner had found—and would also be his future owner—so what harm could it do to let him pet him a few more times? He’d be getting petted sooner or later anyway.
Besides, his petting felt pretty good.
The three-tailed cat closed its eyes and savored the moment. Although it tried hard to restrain itself from any “excessive” behavior, Shi Jingge’s petting technique was simply too superb. The three-tailed cat couldn’t help but rub its head against his hand, acting all cute and affectionate with such natural ease.
The man—that is, Ah Jiu—was completely ignored.
But in front of one’s future partner, who could stand being ignored?
Ah Jiu certainly couldn’t.
So Ah Jiu bit his lower lip hard, leaving a mark, then tugged at his clothes, exposing half his shoulder. His long silver hair was damp and clinging to his shoulder, giving him a decidedly seductive air.
“Um, Senior Brother.” He licked his lips and spoke nervously, “Do you have any clean clothes?” He tugged at the hem of his shirt again, looking extremely uncomfortable, and said with his head bowed, “It’s too wet. It’s a bit uncomfortable.”
Silence spread.
Just as Ah Jiu cautiously raised his eyes, a set of clothes was thrown right at his head.
“Go inside and change!” Shi Jingge said coldly.
“Oh, oh, okay. Thank you, thank you, Senior Brother.”
Ah Jiu clutched the clothes and stumbled toward the back, but as he passed Shi Jingge, he accidentally tripped over the robes and fell straight into Shi Jingge’s arms.
Shi Jingge: !!!
Three-tailed cat: !!!
In that moment, the thoughts of the man and the cat oddly aligned.
What a terrible performance.
Unfortunately, Ah Jiu, the one staging this performance, couldn’t quite grasp their shared mindset.
Caught off guard, Shi Jingge didn’t push him away immediately, so Ah Jiu ended up rubbing against him slightly while still in his arms. His hand brushed against Shi Jingge’s before he jumped out, his face flushed crimson.
“I-I-I… didn’t mean to… My clothes… they slipped… I accidentally… stepped on them… S-S-Sorry…”
Ah Jiu stammered, unable to form a single coherent sentence, his ears so red they seemed ready to bleed, perfectly embodying the role of a flustered young boy who’d made a mistake.
Shi Jingge looked down and indeed saw a shoe print on the hem of the robe. Ah Jiu’s shoulders slumped, and he clutched the dirtied robes even tighter.
“I-I’m sorry.”
What a weak and pitiful little boy.
Shi Jingge took a deep breath, pulled another set from his storage space, and hurled them at Ah Jiu’s head.
“Go. Change. Now.”
Every single word seemed to be squeezed out through gritted teeth.
Ah Jiu obediently ran off clutching the two sets of clothes. After running just a few steps, he turned back and stammered, “I-I-I… I’m rather wet… Senior Brother… I just touched you… did… did you get wet too? Shouldn’t Senior Brother… change his clothes as well?”
So he’d been waiting for him all along.
Shi Jingge’s face remained cold. “Go change your own clothes.” After a pause, he added slowly, “My robes are waterproof.”
Ah Jiu gave a nod and turned away, looking somewhat disappointed.
He’d been too careless.
But soon, Ah Jiu noticed that the robes Shi Jingge had given him differed greatly in style from his own, and the accessories were quite different as well.
Perhaps this was how clothing in the cultivation world had changed over the years.
The next moment, an idea struck Ah Jiu.
He first stripped off all his own clothes, then put on the undergarments Shi Jingge had given him, followed by the outer robe, though it felt awkward to wear.
Besides, these were Shi Jingge’s clothes, tailored to his height and build. Since Ah Jiu had shrunk in stature, the garments were already too large for him, so it was only natural that they looked so ill-fitting.
Ah Jiu rolled up the excess sleeves, then picked up the accessories, placing them here and there. Finally, he put on an expression that said, ‘I tried my best, but I really don’t know what to do,’ and timidly spoke up, “Senior Brother—”
Shi Jingge’s brow twitched; his intuition told him that someone was about to pull a stunt.
The next second, he heard a voice filled with both shame and helplessness.
“This… this robe, I… I don’t know how to put it on. Senior Brother, could you… please… help me…?”
Author’s Note: Ah Jiu: If you want to say goodbye to loneliness, stop being single, and find a cultivation partner, you can’t be too proud!
Ah Jiu: Now you understand why I made myself look like such a mess, right?
Ah Jiu: Smug.jpg
Even though the male lead has become a bit of a simpleton from being cut off from the world, he’s certainly not shy about throwing his pride to the wind [Hey!]
I’d rather call this chapter—
#The Show-Offs’ Showdown#
It really couldn’t be more fitting!
Edit: Krone
Proofread: Choux_choux
