Xiao Jingting supported Xu Mu’an as they walked down. Xu Mu’an’s belly was already quite round, and he had been well-nourished with a rosy complexion, looking very prosperous.
Mu Shuyu carried Xiao Xiaofu and walked into the Xiao family home together with Xiao Jingting.
Zheng Pei’er sat beside Xiao Qingyan, a hint of smugness leaking from her eyes.
“Second brother, third brother, you’ve finally arrived! You kept us waiting,” Zheng Pei’er said.
“Congratulations, eldest brother, on advancing to the sixth layer of Qi Refining. Among the younger generation of the Xiao family, you now have the highest cultivation,” Xiao Jingting flattered.
Xiao Qingyan nodded slightly at Xiao Jingting and said condescendingly, “Third brother, I heard your business is doing well, but it’s not that big brother is criticizing you – you should still put more energy into cultivation. In this world, cultivation is fundamental.”
Xiao Jingting secretly curled his lips, thinking: This guy Xiao Qingyan is showing off to him? Just the sixth layer of Qi Refining! Once the spiritual herbs in his space matured, he could advance too. Xiao Qingyan was seven or eight years older than the original host. By the time he reached Xiao Qingyan’s age, he would definitely advance to the sixth layer of Qi Refining.
“Eldest brother is right. I will definitely work hard at cultivation and look up to eldest brother,” Xiao Jingting said.
“Working hard at cultivation is right, but don’t be eager for quick success. Being too hasty will only cause your cultivation to regress.”
“Eldest brother’s teachings are wise,” Xiao Jingting said perfunctorily.
Xiao Qingyan nodded slightly with an arrogant expression.
Xiao Jingting looked at Xiao Qingyan’s air of superiority and once again deeply experienced this world’s saying that being one level higher in rank could crush a person.
Zheng Pei’er’s gaze fixed on Xu Mu’an. “Mu’an! I heard Jingting bought you a storage bracelet! Why don’t I see you wearing it? Do you think the bracelet isn’t good enough?”
Xu Mu’an touched his hand and said, “No, it’s just too valuable, so I put it away.” Xu Mu’an felt the bracelet was too ostentatious, so he didn’t wear it out and had stored it in his personal pouch. He hadn’t expected Zheng Pei’er to point it out.
“Second brother, third brother, your business is doing quite well! You’re both wearing spatial rings now.” In the academy, not many people owned spatial rings. Xiao Qingyan had always taken pride in owning a spatial ring. Seeing that both his younger brothers now had them, his mood became somewhat complicated.
Xiao Jingting sat in his chair and said indifferently, “So-so, just barely enough to make ends meet.”
“Third brother, you’re being too modest. Having such a profitable business, you only think of your second brother and don’t think of your eldest brother,” Zheng Pei’er complained.
Xiao Jingting smiled and said, “Eldest brother is a busy person who needs to cultivate. How could he look favorably on my little business?”
“You even bought your wife a storage bracelet, which shows you’ve made quite a lot. Why be so modest?”
Xiao Jingting smiled and said, “I’m just putting on a brave face when I’m poor. Actually, I don’t have much silver.” All the silver had been exchanged for spirit jade and thrown into the spiritual spring.
Xiao Xiaofan sat in his chair, kicking his feet listlessly. Xiao Yuerong looked at Xiao Xiaofan with hatred.
Xiao Qingyan looked at Xu Mu’an’s protruding belly and said, “Mu’an, you’re expecting again.”
Xiao Jingting nodded and said, “Yes!”
“Such good fortune!” Xiao Qingyan said.
Xiao Jingting nodded and said, “Yes! That’s what I think too.”
“With Mu’an’s belly so big, it’s probably inconvenient for him to serve you. Should eldest sister-in-law introduce you to a few women?” Zheng Pei’er said.
Xiao Jingting was drinking water and nearly spat it out upon hearing this. Xu Mu’an was sitting right beside him, yet Zheng Pei’er was saying such things.
“No need, no need,” Xiao Jingting said.
Zheng Pei’er said dismissively, “No need? Why not? Don’t tell me you’re still thinking about Sun Miaomiao. I’m not criticizing you, but Sun Miaomiao is your cousin’s wife now. It’s pointless to keep thinking about her.”
Xiao Jingting: “…” Which eye did Zheng Pei’er use to see that he was interested in Sun Miaomiao?
“I’m not thinking about Sun Miaomiao. Having Mu’an is enough for me,” Xiao Jingting said.
Zheng Pei’er looked at Xiao Jingting with a mischievous expression and said, “Jingting, you’re really devoted!”
Xiao Jingting felt his scalp tingle from Zheng Pei’er’s laughter, thinking: What does this damned woman mean?
Xu Mu’an frowned and cast a somewhat dark glance at Zheng Pei’er.
“Since eldest sister-in-law is so virtuous, why don’t you find eldest brother a few concubines?” Xiao Jingting said.
Zheng Pei’er’s face darkened, but she smiled and said, “I meant well, but it seems you don’t appreciate it, Jingting. Then forget it.”
Xiao Jingting: “…” Meant well, indeed it was meant well.
…
Xiao Linfeng and Wang Lu came out of the room. As soon as they appeared, everyone in the room fell silent.
“Everyone’s here! Let’s go eat together,” Xiao Linfeng said.
Xiao Xiaofan tugged at Xiao Jingting’s sleeve and said, “Finally time to eat!” Xiao Xiaofan touched his belly and said, “I’m starving.”
Xiao Jingting: “…”
Xiao Yuerong looked at Xiao Xiaofan mockingly. Xiao Xiaofan glared back defiantly.
Xiao Jingting and the others sat around the table in a circle. Xiao Linfeng asked Xiao Qingyan, “Qingyan, now that you’ve entered the sixth layer of Qi Refining, you don’t need to return to the academy often, right?”
Xiao Qingyan nodded and said, “That’s right!”
“Perfect, eldest brother can look after the farmland now,” Xiao Jinfeng said. Their parents had given Xiao Qingyan four times as much land as him. With Xiao Qingyan’s high cultivation, letting ordinary people farm those good fields was really wasteful.
Xiao Qingyan frowned and said nothing.
Zheng Pei’er looked at Xiao Jingting and said tentatively, “Jingting, I heard you’re very good at farming! And what you grow seems different from others.”
Xiao Jingting smiled and said, “It’s alright. I just plant things casually.”
“But I heard the farmland area you manage is almost catching up to that of a sixth-layer Qi Refining cultivator,” Zheng Pei’er said.
Xiao Jingting smiled and said, “That’s all thanks to the spirit tower I bought before. That spirit tower seems to have mutated and has particularly good auxiliary effects. Without it, I couldn’t manage so much land.”
Xiao Jingting had casually soaked the spirit tower in the spiritual spring when he was bored, instantly making it full of spiritual energy.
“So third brother, you found a treasure?” Zheng Pei’er said.
Xiao Jingting nodded and said, “Exactly! Although it was a bit expensive, it was worth the price.”
“That’s not just a bit expensive! It was over a hundred thousand taels of silver,” Zheng Pei’er said sourly.
Xiao Jingting said nothing. Wang Lu glanced at Zheng Pei’er and said, “Eldest daughter-in-law, say less.”
“Third son, does your shop still need people? Your eldest brother happens to be free now.”
Xiao Jingting said, “Mother, mine is just a small business. Eldest brother is now a sixth-layer Qi Refining cultivator. Having eldest brother stay in my little shop would be too much of a waste of his talents.”
Hearing Xiao Jingting’s words, Wang Lu said nothing more.
Xiao Qingyan glanced at Xiao Jingting, his eyes dark.
By evening, Xiao Jinfeng and Xiao Jingting returned to the outskirts of the city.
Zheng Pei’er paced in the room, saying angrily, “That guy Xiao Jingting doesn’t put you, his eldest brother, in his eyes at all.”
Xiao Qingyan looked at Zheng Pei’er and said, “Enough, be quiet. It’s just a small shop.”
“It’s not small now. They’ve already expanded the storefront,” Zheng Pei’er said.
“Even so, I don’t need to go to that shop,” Xiao Qingyan said.
Xiao Qingyan thought privately: If he wanted to open a shop, he should open his own, not take over a shop his two brothers had been running for some time, inviting criticism. Besides, Xiao Jinfeng was now the boss. If he went there, would he be working under Xiao Jinfeng?
…
At the Dessert Shop.
“Brother Jing, you’re back.”
Xiao Jinfeng nodded and said, “Yes!”
Li Qing asked in confusion, “Brother Jing, why did you come back so early? Didn’t you say you were going to hire helpers? I don’t see anyone!”
Xiao Jinfeng shook his head and said, “I’ll go another day.”
Xiao Jinfeng sat in a chair, holding his forehead. When he went to hire people earlier, he had actually encountered Hua Yufeng.
In Xiao Jinfeng’s memory, Hua Yufeng had always been somewhat arrogant and domineering, charging ahead fearlessly. But he discovered that Hua Yufeng, like a group of desperate people, was looking for work. Hua Yufeng’s strength had regressed to the second layer of Qi Refining. He looked like he hadn’t fully recovered his vitality and could only do very simple work.
When even three coins can stump a hero, once you fall from grace, it’s truly unimaginable.
From what Xiao Jinfeng knew, because of Hua Yufeng’s several strategic mistakes, everyone in the mercenary team had great complaints against him. So after the mercenary team disbanded, no one cared whether the severely injured Hua Yufeng lived or died. Couples are like birds in the same forest who fly apart when disaster strikes – if even spouses are like this, how much more so for mercenary team members? Hua Yufeng was immediately abandoned by people seeking their own ways out.
Xiao Jinfeng sighed lightly. Hua Yufeng had hidden when he saw him, and Xiao Jinfeng hadn’t thought of repaying evil with good by finding Hua Yufeng a way out.
Xiao Jinfeng looked at several people without much interest, felt they weren’t suitable, and came back early.
Back then, he had offended Zhou Kangqi for the mercenary team, but was immediately abandoned by the mercenary team. Xiao Jinfeng still remembered Hua Yufeng’s vicious expression then. If third brother hadn’t rescued him, his future would have been completely ruined. He had done what he should do. He couldn’t repay evil with good. How Hua Yufeng would fare in the future depended entirely on his own fortune.
…
“Young Master Xiao, business is good!” Zhou Kangqi said.
Seeing Zhou Kangqi, Xiao Jinfeng’s face immediately darkened. “What are you here for?”
Zhou Kangqi smiled and said, “I’m just curious! Xiao Jinfeng, you were expelled from the mercenary team and even forced yourself on your sister-in-law, yet you dare show your face in public.”
Xiao Jinfeng laughed coldly, “A fourth-layer Qi Refining weakling like you dares to shout in front of me, a fifth-layer cultivator? Aren’t you afraid I’ll beat you into a cripple?”
Zhou Kangqi was stunned, then sneered, “Do you want to start a war between the Xiao and Zhou families?”
Xiao Jinfeng said dismissively, “Would the Xiao and Zhou families go to war over you? If it were your brother, that might be possible.”
Zhou Kangqi looked at Xiao Jinfeng and said, “Do you think that because your eldest brother advanced to the sixth layer, you have someone to back you up?”
Xiao Jinfeng thought privately that this guy Zhou Kangqi really liked to overthink. Because he liked to use his older brother’s influence, he thought everyone else would rely on Xiao Qingyan too. In fact, his eldest brother was really not dependable.
“Something like that. My eldest brother also advanced to the sixth layer. Your brother’s sixth-layer cultivation isn’t unique anymore. He doesn’t need to be so arrogant,” Xiao Jinfeng said.
Zhou Kangqi said proudly, “My brother is different from yours. My brother entered the sixth layer of Qi Refining through real strength, while your brother was eager for quick success and relied on pills to advance. Your brother will at most reach the seventh layer of Qi Refining in this lifetime.”
Xiao Jinfeng looked at Zhou Kangqi with narrowed eyes and said, “Your information is really well-informed. You know things even my parents don’t know.”
Zhou Kangqi snorted and said, “Your brother can hide this from your parents, but he can’t hide it from my brother. My brother and yours are both students at Emerald Peak Academy. He knows the academy’s rules clearly.”
Xiao Jinfeng nodded and said, “Fine, say whatever you want. Even if eldest brother relied on pills to advance, you might not even reach the sixth layer of Qi Refining in this lifetime. But that’s fine – your brother will take care of you for life anyway.”
Zhou Kangqi was stung by Xiao Jinfeng’s words.
Having a brilliant genius for a brother was both a good thing and a suffocating thing.
Xiao Xiaodong leaned on the counter, looking at Xiao Jinfeng with bright, sparkling eyes.
Xiao Jinfeng turned around and, seeing Xiao Xiaodong’s expression, said, “What’s wrong?”
Xiao Xiaodong shook his head and said, “Nothing! It seems eldest uncle ruined his own future.”
Xiao Jinfeng said irritably, “Don’t talk nonsense. Nothing’s been confirmed yet.”
Xiao Xiaodong curled his lips and said, “Second uncle, actually, you already believe it, don’t you?”
Xiao Jinfeng glared at Xiao Xiaodong and said, “Little devil with an old soul…”
Xiao Xiaofan was drinking a beverage, blinking his eyes, “Brother, second uncle, what are you talking about?”
Xiao Xiaodong glanced at Xiao Xiaofan and said, “You’re just a kid, don’t worry about so much.”
Xiao Xiaofan snorted lightly and said, “Annoying, always treating me like a child. Actually, I know everything.”
Xiao Xiaodong said with interest, “Oh, you know? What do you know?”
“Eldest uncle took medicine. Eldest uncle is sick,” Xiao Xiaofan said proudly.
Xiao Xiaodong: “…”
“What’s wrong with eldest uncle?” Xiao Xiaofan asked in confusion.
Xiao Xiaodong: “…”
So quingyan is 26…