SPMT : Chapter 35: Second Brother’s Broken Engagement

 

“Why would Zhou Kangqi want to frame my second brother? Do they have some grudge between them?” Xiao Jingting asked.

 

“My second brother originally had an engagement with Sun Miaoyin. I heard that Zhou Kangqi’s elder brother, Zhou Kanghe, had a good relationship with Sun Miaoyin,” Xu Mu’an explained.

 

Squinting, Xiao Jingting recalled meeting Sun Miaoyin before. She appeared dignified and noble. From the original host’s memories, although Xiao Jinfeng’s cultivation was decent, Sun Miaoyin didn’t have much affection for him due to his lack of wood attribute.

 

Previously, with the presence of the original host’s parents, Sun Miaoyin might have reluctantly married Xiao Jinfeng for the sake of their reputation. But now, with the fate of the original host’s parents unknown, Sun Miaoyin wouldn’t waste her thoughts on someone she never favored.

 

“After rumors spread about your brother having an affair with Feng Xue’er, the Sun family broke off the engagement between your brother and Sun Miaoyin. I suspect the Sun family might have had a hand in this matter regarding your brother and Feng Xue’er,” Xu Mu’an continued.

 

“When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter, and when the wall collapses, everyone pushes,” Xiao Jingting remarked.

 

With his head lowered, Xu Mu’an thought to himself: Indeed!

 

“By the way, you said curing my second brother’s poison requires the Biheart Pill, which costs one thousand two hundred silver taels?” Xiao Jingting inquired.

 

Xu Mu’an nodded hesitantly. “Yes! If the Xiao family purchases it, we could probably get it for one thousand two hundred silver taels. However, if we buy it ourselves, we might have to use some connections, and it would be more expensive. In smaller places, such high-end items are more costly.”

 

Xiao Jingting nodded. “Anyway, let’s gather more silver taels first.”

 

“I noticed that the grapes in the yard are ripe. If we sell them, we should make a profit,” Xu Mu’an suggested.

 

Xiao Jingting nodded. “Indeed, I don’t want to lower the price. I’ve already made a deal with the boss of Yuehe Inn to sell them all to him. He said he could offer a higher price.”

 

“Huh?” Xu Mu’an couldn’t help but feel surprised. “But aren’t there many landlords in the village who have started growing grapes? Wouldn’t raising the price now be risky for the boss?”

 

Xiao Jingting shook his head. “No, the boss said he could sell them even if he couldn’t sell them here. My grapes, grown with Lingquan water, are incomparable to those grown by the landlords.”

 

“That’s good,” Xu Mu’an said.

 

“By the way, the first batch of wine I brewed is ready to drink,” Xiao Jingting mentioned. “I’ve placed two barrels with the boss at Yuehe Inn for sale, and each barrel can be sold for one hundred silver taels.”

 

Xu Mu’an was somewhat astonished. “Can they sell for that much?”

 

Xiao Jingting nodded. “Yes! Actually, one hundred silver taels isn’t expensive. My spirit wine can enhance spiritual power, and in battles, drinking a sip can restore thirty percent of spiritual power, much better than a two-silver tael Qi Restoration Pill.”

 

“Calculating it like this, we should be able to gather one thousand two hundred silver taels soon,” Xu Mu’an said.

 

Xiao Jingting nodded. “Yes, originally, I was thinking of buying a flying and farming beast first, but solving Second Brother’s issue is more urgent. Let’s gather the silver taels to buy the antidote for him first.”

 

Xu Mu’an nodded. “Okay!”

 

“I remember Second Brother enjoys drinking. Fetch a jar of wine for him later,” Xiao Jingting instructed.

 

As far as Xiao Jingting knew, being poisoned by the Rainbow Spider was extremely tormenting. Getting drunk might alleviate some of the suffering. His brewed wine, brimming with spiritual energy, should have some suppressing effect on the poison.

 

Xu Mu’an nodded. “Sure!”

 

“By the way, after Second Brother’s incident, did you try to contact Big Brother?” Xiao Jingting asked.

 

From the original host’s memories, Big Brother was a capable person. Although the original host outwardly respected Big Brother, he harbored deep resentment towards him. The original host felt his parents were unfair because both he and Big Brother, Xiao Qingyan, had the same attributes, yet their parents spent most of the family’s money on Big Brother.

 

The original host believed that if their parents had invested the same effort in him, he would have already reached the fourth level of Qi cultivation. It didn’t make sense for him to be overshadowed by his younger brother, who was considered a waste due to his attributes.

 

“I did try to contact him, but perhaps because of the academy’s heavy workload, we didn’t reach him,” Xu Mu’an replied.

 

Xiao Jingting’s heart flashed with a hint of sarcasm. Did they really fail to contact him, or were they just lazy to do so?

 

Even though Bi Feng Academy had strict rules, it shouldn’t be impossible to send a letter out.

 

Mu Shuyu entered with a jar of wine and said to Xiao Jinfeng, “Jinfeng, this is from your younger brother. He brewed it himself knowing how much you love drinking, and he asked me to bring it to you.”

 

Looking at the wine in Mu Shuyu’s hands, Xiao Jinfeng remarked, “Jingting is considerate.”

 

Xiao Jinfeng looked at the wine in Mu Shuyu’s hands, feeling that this jar of wine had become exceedingly precious. Back when he was thriving, he could afford to treat the entire mercenary group to drinks. Now that he had fallen on hard times, those people spoke ill of his character, claiming they didn’t recognize him.

 

“Big Brother, rest assured. Xu mentioned that once we gather enough silver taels, he’ll help you buy the antidote,” Mu Shuyu comforted.

 

Xiao Jinfeng nodded. “I know.”

 

Xiao Jinfeng opened the wine barrel, took a deep sip, lost in thought. When their parents were alive, they favored Big Brother, Xiao Qingyan, the most, boasting about him at every opportunity.

 

Xiao Qingyan had been sent to Bi Feng Academy at the age of thirteen with a hefty sum. Bi Feng Academy was a place rich in spiritual energy, a holy land for cultivation. People who graduated from Bi Feng Academy were at least at the sixth level of Qi cultivation.

 

Their parents often praised Xiao Qingyan’s potential, saying that if Jinfeng had half of Xiao Qingyan’s potential, that would be good enough.

 

Xiao Jinfeng had always thought that if he ever faced difficulties, his capable elder brother, Xiao Qingyan, would help him. But now that he was in trouble, the only one he could rely on was his younger brother, who was seen as lazy and irresponsible.