Chapter 79: Is That

At Zhou Qing's sudden question, Yan Xiaohu froze, puzzled.

"You ask that? I don't even know how to answer you—if I were a woman, I'd think you were a good man!"

Zhou Qing: "..."

Isn't that just a roundabout way of calling me an honest man?

"Is there nothing involving money at all?" Zhou Qing pressed.

Yan Xiaohu's face twitched, and he chuckled awkwardly: "How could that be? You're my junior brother, even my brother—brothers' bonds are pure, how could money ever come into it? That's so vulgar. Enough said, I'll go exchange your coins right away."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Xiaohu vanished in a flash.

Zhou Qing smiled and shook his head, saying nothing more.

Unexpectedly, within less than five days, Yan Xiaohu brought him one hundred and fifty middle-grade spirit stones.

"Pity—high-grade spirit stones are too rare, or I could've just swapped you straight to full amount!" Yan Xiaohu said.

Looking at this pile of glittering spirit stones, Zhou Qing's eyes gleamed.

"No need, no need—this is already more than enough, thank you, Third Zhou Shixiong!" Zhou Qing expressed heartfelt gratitude.

Yan Xiaohu grinned: "I came right before mealtime—how about—"

"Haha, fine, straight to Jade Feast Hall!"

"I've been waiting for you to say that!"

The two immediately headed for Jade Feast Hall, found a private room, and ordered wildly.

"Counting now, I've got one hundred and fifty-six middle-grade, two thousand low-grade spirit stones, and two spirit eggs—more than enough to support my next phase of cultivation!"

Zhou Qing was overjoyed.

"Zhou Junior Brother, Yan Junior Brother!"

As the two feasted, a delighted voice rang from outside the door, and Shi Zhen Yuan Shijie stepped in.

"I've been wanting to see you, but I've been swamped—heard you two came to Jade Feast Hall, so I rushed over. Looks like I'm not too late. Oh, I already paid at the counter!"

Shi Zhen beamed.

The two hurriedly rose in surprise and invited Shi Zhen Yuan Shijie to sit.

"I've been saying for ages I'd treat you to a meal, but you never gave me the chance—finally caught you!" Shi Zhen teased.

The two felt slightly embarrassed.

Especially Zhou Qing, seeing Shi Zhen Yuan Shijie's note above her head had changed to 【Poor Zhou Junior Brother】—he couldn't help but chuckle.

It must've changed that day when I used the Lightning-Calling Talisman.

"That... with everything that happened, how's your Zhou Shixiong...?"

After Shi Zhen Yuan Shijie sat down, they fell silent, unsure what to say. After a brief pause, she asked hesitantly.

Zhou Qing shook his head: "Still in seclusion. You know—he's a cultivation fanatic."

Beside him, Yan Xiaohu kept slurping, his hands greasy, grabbing a chicken leg and mumbling: "Sister-in-law, don't worry—when my Zhou Shixiong comes out, I'll notify you the instant he does."

Zhou Qing stared at Yan Xiaohu in disbelief.

Shi Zhen froze instantly, her cheeks flushing crimson, her heartbeat quickening, fingers nervously tugging at her sleeves.

"W-what are you talking about?!" Shi Zhen stammered, her mind going blank.

Yan Xiaohu laughed: "It's bound to happen eventually! My Zhou Shixiong's cold on the outside but warm inside—sure, he looks like he wants everyone to stay away, but my Master says after he picks his toes, he'll..."

Zhou Qing quickly grabbed a pork knuckle and shoved it straight into Yan Xiaohu's mouth.

How dare you say things like that? Your Zhou Shixiong will beat you the moment he breaks seclusion.

Shi Zhen's ears turned bright red; she stood up abruptly: "I—I just remembered something urgent—I'll... I'll go now. You two keep eating."

Saying that, she dashed out the door.

Zhou Qing turned helplessly—and saw Yan Xiaohu rolling his eyes, one hand clamped over his throat—he nearly jumped out of his skin, yanking the pork knuckle free.

Yan Xiaohu then shoved his hand down his throat and forcibly pulled out a chicken bone.

Then he gasped for breath.

"You trying to murder your own brother?!" Yan Xiaohu immediately downed several bowls of tea in rapid succession.

Zhou Qing looked embarrassed, apologizing profusely.

"But... this isn't even official yet—calling her sister-in-law—isn't that inappropriate?" Zhou Qing hesitated.

Shi Zhen Yuan Shijie is kind, and she's always looked out for us junior brothers.

If she could become sister-in-law, that would be perfect.

But Zhou Shixiong is a cultivation fanatic—he's never shown interest in women. Third Zhou Shixiong's random shout just gave Shi Zhen Yuan Shijie false hope.

What if Zhou Shixiong... how crushed will Shi Zhen Yuan Shijie be then?

Yan Xiaohu replied: "What else can we do? You eat their food, you're bound to them. She paid for the meal—what's the harm in calling her sister-in-law? Look how happy she is! After all, Jade Clear Peak suffered heavy losses, and she's been drowning in guilt..."

"Zhou Junior Brother, Yan Junior Brother—I worried you wouldn't have enough, so I ordered more dishes, and a bottle of fine wine!"

Just then, Shi Zhen Yuan Shijie returned, smiling warmly at the door. Before either could speak, she smiled again and left.

Yan Xiaohu shrugged: "See? One 'sister-in-law'—how valuable!"

Zhou Qing sighed deeply.

"Don't worry—Zhou Shixiong saved her before, and now we've done the same. Clearly, she's destined to be tied to our Little Spirit Peak. Keep eating!"

Yan Xiaohu, utterly carefree, resumed eating heartily.

…………

As the two sneaked back to Little Spirit Peak from Divine Peak, they received a voice message from their Master, Mo Mo Xingjian.

Arriving at the Council Hall, Mo Mo Xingjian handed them a jade slip.

"The incident with Deputy Director Cao Wei of the Spirit Field Office has sounded an alarm across Taiqingmen—our Sect Master has ordered a full investigation into all food supplies sent to every peak's kitchen over the years."

"Thankfully, everything seems safe—but yesterday, Green Wood City sent an urgent plea for aid..."

As Mo Mo Xingjian recounted step by step, the two, reading the jade slip, gradually grasped the full picture.

Green Wood City is one of the hundred cities under Taiqingmen's protection and a vital source of spirit rice.

The city cultivates over ten thousand mu of spirit rice, making it a primary partner of the Spirit Field Office, with many Taiqingmen disciples stationed there and a late-stage Jin Dan cultivation elder permanently assigned.

Yet over the past two months, vast fields of spirit rice have begun cracking, and the crops have died in succession.

Additionally, villages surrounding Green Wood City have seen a surge of malevolent spirits causing havoc.

Elder Feng Cheng led disciples to investigate the cause—and vanished.

City Lord Hu Hu Xuantang urgently reported the crisis and requested aid.

The sect immediately checked Feng Cheng's soul flame—it still burned, but weakly, as if about to extinguish at any moment.

Thus, they deduced he was either trapped somewhere or gravely wounded, barely clinging to life.

"Therefore, after deliberation, the sect has decided to send you two to lead an investigation," Mo Mo Xingjian said to Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu.

Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu froze.

Are you kidding us?

Don't you know our status? Our situation?

Green Wood City is far from Taiqingmen—even flying nonstop without rest, it takes at least ten days.

Do you realize how dangerous that journey will be?

Please everyone, help us out—read the latest chapter, thank you so much!

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【80】 (End of Chapter)

(End of Chapter)