Chapter 25: Brothers

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Liu Jin allows himself a small smile as he looks at the town below.

He is sitting on the highest roof of the branch Sect’s compound. After many days of living in this place, Liu Jin has found the rooftops to be the best place to get away from all the nosy servants and disciples.

If this were Eastern Port City, the horizon would stretch out for miles and miles before him. In New Moon Town, the multitude of trees belonging to the Whispering Woods put a stop to that. However, that’s not to say the view is bad. Not at all.

Liu Jin hums. In its own way, it is quite lovely.

A cool breeze caresses his face. The sun and the wind are just right today. If at all possible, Liu Jin would like to lay here for hours just enjoying the peace and quiet.

“Boss!”

Liu Jin’s eyebrow twitches. He does not need to turn around to know Xiao Heng is making his way up to the roof. Still, he does look back just in case Xiao Heng slips and falls. He is still in the Foundational Realm after all. A fall from this height would not kill Xiao Heng, but it would hurt.

“I brought you tea, Boss,” Xiao Heng says, proudly holding up a tray with a tea kettle and a cup on it. “It is your favorite.”

“You did not have to do that.”

“Nonsense! If there is anything I can do to make Boss’ time here more pleasant, I will do so.” Xiao Heng literally prostrates himself before Liu Jin, offering the tray to him.

“Xiao Heng, raise your head,” Liu Jin says, fighting the urge to sigh.

“Yes, Boss!” Xiao Heng immediately does as he asks.

“Put the tray down,” Liu Jin orders, patting the spot next to him.

“Yes, Boss.”

“Good, now sit.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Liu Jin fights the urge to facepalm as Xiao Heng starts serving him a cup of tea. No matter how much he tried to make the older boy understand that he did not need him to be at his beck and call, Xiao Heng would not budge. Liu Jin’s words just go right through his ears, never once managing to land on his brain.

“Boss is Boss,” the teen had once said. “Boss gave me my life back, so this life belongs to him.”

In truth, Liu Jin does not consider what he did to be all that special. Certainly, it was by his hands that Xiao Heng was healed. However, curing him was not particularly hard. Anyone who had been able to recognize his condition and prepare the cure could have done it. His father could have healed Xiao Heng even though he cannot use Qi. His master could have healed Xiao Heng without even touching him. Of those two things, Liu Jin is certain.

Xiao Heng offers him a cup of tea, and Liu Jin accepts it. The scene has happened so many times by now that Liu Jin doesn’t bother fighting it.

As he brings the tea to his lips, Liu Jin starts thinking about the object he extracted from Xiao Heng’s body.

Xiao Heng was born with a rare obstruction in his left lung that altered his breathing just enough to interfere with the flow of his Qi. Had Xiao Heng been in a higher realm of cultivation, such a small thing would have done nothing to him. He might even have been able to expel it on his own. However, at just the Foundational level, the link between a person’s organs and a person’s meridians is still quite strong.

In that, his analysis had been correct. What Liu Jin had failed to discern was the nature of the obstruction.

“Xiao Heng, have you told anyone of your improved health?” Liu Jin asks. To his surprise, Xiao Heng shakes his head.

“No, Boss. I figure it is best if I wait until after the wedding. If I reveal it now, I might take the spotlight away from my brother’s wedding, and that could cause trouble,” Xiao Heng explains.

“I see,” Liu Jin says while thinking it might be better this way. While Xiao Heng has gone up a level after being treated, that is something easily hidden. This way, Liu Jin will not have to endure questions as to the exact nature of Xiao Heng’s ailment.

The obstruction was not what Liu Jin expected. He had expected an ugly misshapen tumor or something to that effect. However, the black mass inside Xiao Heng held a curious surprise for him.

The black mass pulsed with Qi. Slowly. Weakly. Undeniably.

Originally, Liu Jin planned to throw it out or burn it. However, the moment he felt that faint trace of Qi, Liu Jin decided to keep it in order to study it. Even now, the black thing is still hidden in his room. Liu Jin has it stored in a jar with a Temporal Seal slapped on it. The method is not as elegant as his master’s spatial pouch, but it will have to do for now.

Liu Jin shakes his head to banish those thoughts. Attempting to study the black mass has proven useless so far. He will have to wait until returning to Eastern Port City to ask his master. It won’t be long now. The wedding will happen in a couple of days, and after that, it would only take a few more for them to return to Eastern Port City.

Liu Jin is fine with waiting that much. While he cannot say he has disliked his time in New Moon Town, Liu Jin is looking forward to returning home.

“Brother Liu, I have been looking for you.”

Liu Jin goes very still when he hears that voice. Besides him, Xiao Heng does the same and with good reason. Liu Jin has no problems recognizing that voice, and he is sure the same goes for Xiao Heng. Sure enough, the moment he turns around, Liu Jin finds exactly who he expects to find.

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Xiao Dong.

“Senior Brother Xiao Dong,” Liu Jin says, cocking his head to the side. He nods in greeting. “It has been some time.”

Liu Jin has only interacted with Xiao Dong twice during his stay in New Moon Town. The first time was the unfortunate fight during his first night with the branch sect. The second one was when Hu Meili came to visit. The latter barely counted as Xiao Dong had been too busy with his fiancée to even look in his direction.

Beyond that, the two have not interacted even once. While Liu Jin would be the first to admit he has not been the most sociable of persons, that is not the only reason for their lack of contact. He heard some servants whispering the other day. Apparently, Xiao Dong has been doing closed doors training lately. If Xiao Dong has deliberately sought him out, Liu Jin cannot imagine it is for anything good.

Has he perhaps come to even the score between them?

That would be annoying.

“You are right. We have not seen each other as often as we should have. It seems I have been a poor host,” Xiao Dong says. “It looks like my little brother has stepped up in my absence.”

“Xiao Heng has been good company during these past few days,” Liu Jin agrees. He takes another sip from his tea. “I appreciate his company.”