[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-my-master-s-elder-brother-just-took-on-a-female-":3,"chapter-my-master-s-elder-brother-just-took-on-a-female--my-master-s-elder-brother-just-took-on-a-female--chapter-40":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","My Master's Elder Brother Just Took on a Female Disciple",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2265573,4423,"Chapter 40: Elder, Just What Are You Talking About?","my-master-s-elder-brother-just-took-on-a-female--chapter-40",40,"\u003Cp>At that moment, Lu Yaoyao laughed: \"As long as the chicken is found, it's fine—I was counting on earning those three thousand spirit stones from you, Senior Brother, but it looks like I won't get the chance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Xiaohu muttered softly: “I wanted to earn them too, otherwise I wouldn’t have stormed in and started a conflict with them from the start.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Qing said: “I’m still deeply grateful for your help last night, Lu shimei, Li shixiong, and He shixiong. Luckily, it was just a misunderstanding—today I’m treating everyone to Yushantang!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he had three thousand spirit stones, plus the chicken was found, and he’d laid an almost pure spirit egg—the crisis was fully resolved, and with these [Heart Mirror Points], he absolutely had to celebrate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With six of us total, two hundred spirit stones should be plenty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Consider it money well spent to avoid disaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing Zhou Qing was treating them, Lu Yaoyao immediately cheered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Zhen shijie had wanted to decline, but Zhou Qing insisted repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, you treated me last time—this time it’s only fair it’s my turn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, the group headed straight for Yushantang, picked a private room at random, and began ordering wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During this time, they asked what was so special about that chicken that made Zhou Qing care so much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Qing could only lie—he’d grown attached to it, especially since it woke him up punctually every morning for cultivation; it was a decent pet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yaoyao was puzzled: “Do hens crow?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Xiaohu, his mouth dripping with grease, enthusiastically recounted his past heroic deeds, spittle flying everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In contrast, Li Daoxuan and He Han kept grim faces, only occasionally tasting a bite or two out of respect for the little shimei—they often came here anyway, and last time it was where they celebrated Er’s birthday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Two hundred fifty-one?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Zhou Qing went to pay, he stared at the bill in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Correct—the prices are clearly marked, you can check. Of course, I’ll round down the change—two hundred fifty is fine,” the Yushantang manager chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Qing looked again at the bill—it felt like the number was mocking him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What if it were two hundred fifty-four? Could you still round down the change?” Zhou Qing asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The manager was confused, but seeing all diners were core disciples, he nodded: “Of course.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then add five more servings of sweet soup—exactly two hundred fifty-four spirit stones. Round down to two hundred fifty, right? Here you go. Oh, since I ordered five servings each, could you throw in one extra? We’re six people—it’d be awkward otherwise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The manager froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait, I just got paid, and now I’m giving away four spirit stones and six bowls of sweet soup?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, manager! We’ll come again soon—wish you booming business! Oh, and add more red dates to the sweet soup!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Qing finished speaking and walked off, beaming with delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the afternoon, the group walked together to Yanlong City, just to digest their meal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For safety, Zhou Qing didn’t dare let the chicken roam—he locked it in the courtyard, where the barrier should keep it from flying out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, Li Daoxuan and the other two left—they truly didn’t want the little shimei to associate too much with these two from Xiao Ling Peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Haven’t you seen how far Zhou Qing has gone under Yan Xiaohu’s influence?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Shi Zhen shijie, she planned to wander further—the Five Sects Exchange Fair was nearing its end, and more rare items were appearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, many others held up that suspicious painting, whispering endlessly, guessing who the man was—what a lucky fellow, to have seen so many female disciples bathing at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Qing’s ears turned red; Yan Xiaohu looked utterly unfazed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t look guilty—stand tall. Act like this has nothing to do with you,” Yan Xiaohu said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Qing just wanted to use up his [Daily Mirror] opportunity and go home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? That old man didn’t set up his stall today? Did he leave?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, Yan Xiaohu noticed the blind-box stall was gone and blurted out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Qing followed his gaze—sure enough, it was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You two… looking for me?” A sinister voice suddenly rose from behind, startling them both.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They turned to see Old Second, hunched over, face wrinkled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re gonna kill me!” Yan Xiaohu clutched his chest, cursing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Qing instinctively glanced at the note above his head—sure enough, it had changed from [Lucky Kid] to [Kid with the Old Man’s Old Charm].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uh…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder Master said peers were willing to drink with him, and shijie and shimei all liked to stroll past his quarters every night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You don’t happen to like sneaking peeks at people bathing, do you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m leaving for a while!” Old Second suddenly spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both were stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What’s that got to do with us? We’re not that close you need a farewell party.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhou Qing knew—Old Second was speaking to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, leaving was fine—he’d stop worrying about being caught and betraying him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I wish you a safe journey, Elder!” Zhou Qing beamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Second smiled, then turned to Yan Xiaohu: “Lend me your junior brother for a moment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean? My junior brother isn’t an object—you can’t ‘lend’ him…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Yan Xiaohu finished speaking, the old man grabbed Zhou Qing’s shoulder—and vanished right before his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he snapped back to his senses, he could only stare in disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That old man… is a master!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good heavens—he’d always assumed the guy was just an ordinary elder with low talent; after all, some people were already white-haired at Qi Condensation or Foundation Establishment, due to poor talent and resources.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shit—could this be revenge because Lao Si kept winning good items from him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, Yan Xiaohu grew anxious and rushed off to search…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Zhou Qing felt as if he’d returned to that Cave Heaven journey—the scenery rushed backward, then his feet touched solid ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he opened his eyes again, he found himself atop a mountain peak, surrounded by thick clouds and mist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So… they’d left Yanlong City?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve thought long and hard—did you recognize me from the start?” Old Second’s voice came from beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Qing turned—and saw Old Second staring straight at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His heart skipped—he stepped back instinctively, confused: “Elder, what are you talking about? I don’t understand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Keep pretending. People lie about everything—but their eyes never lie. I saw it clearly just now—how did you figure it out?” Old Second’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course—in front of this old fox, Zhou Qing was still too green.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he kept up the innocent act, bowed: “Elder, I’m confused—have you mistaken me for someone else?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh. Fine. I don’t like forcing things—I prefer mystery. Asking outright feels dull—it’d rob life of fun. This actually gives me something to look forward to.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Second smiled faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Qing gave a nervous chuckle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still don’t understand what you’re talking about, Elder.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Second waved his hand: “Forget it. As I said, I’m leaving for a while to handle something important. Since you’ve crossed paths with me many times, I’ll give you a bit of fortune.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Qing, hearing this, stepped back fearfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this “fortune” of yours meant to ruin me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1218,"2026-06-19T20:13:53.139Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","82e3a2bd5adf94079d3a6299f5ba14b82a8214175c95593d6d77324e2dab2798","my-master-s-elder-brother-just-took-on-a-female--chapter-41","my-master-s-elder-brother-just-took-on-a-female--chapter-39",302,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmy-master-s-elder-brother-just-took-on-a-female--cover.jpg"]