Senior Brother

Qin Fang had not yet spoken when Master's Wife's voice came from behind him. "Who is it?"

The young man froze for a moment, but paid Qin Fang no more mind. Smiling, he leaned forward to peer inside. "Mistress, it's me."

"Oh, it's Little Xing! Come in, come in."

Master's Wife stood at the kitchen door. When she saw Zhou Xing, she smiled and welcomed him in.

Zhou Xing answered with a smile. He was carrying some things too, and stepped inside.

Qin Fang moved aside, then closed the door.

Zhou Xing chatted cheerfully with Master's Wife. It was clear they were close, and Master's Wife obviously liked him a great deal; after only a few words, she was smiling from ear to ear.

Qin Fang quietly followed them over, without joining in.

Only when Master's Wife noticed Qin Fang did she turn to him with a smile and introduce them. "This is your eldest senior brother, Zhou Xing... Little Xing, you haven't met your junior brother yet, have you? This is the new disciple your master took in. His name is Qin Fang."

Qin Fang breathed out softly and bowed. "Qin Fang pays his respects to Senior Brother."

"So you're the junior brother?"

A flicker of surprise passed through Zhou Xing's eyes. Naturally, he immediately thought of the Identity Plate his master had given him a few months ago.

At the same time, he remembered something else and almost instinctively glanced at Qin Fang's left hand.

The injury to Qin Fang's left hand had healed somewhat... but it had been broken, after all, and only a little over two months had passed, so it was still a bit swollen.

Of course, that did not escape Zhou Xing's notice. His pupils narrowed slightly, but he quickly smiled and said, "So you're my junior brother. Master never mentioned you before."

As he spoke, his gaze unconsciously flicked toward Qin Fang's right leg...

The intelligence Lan Gui Fang had obtained said that the last injured man to disappear was suspected of being the culprit who had faked his injuries...

The injury was to his right leg.

Both of these gestures had been extremely subtle.

But Qin Fang knew Zhou Xing worked for the authorities. He had also learned from his master that Zhou Xing was in charge of the Wang Long case. Since this was their first meeting, Qin Fang naturally watched the other man's expression closely.

So when the other man's gaze discreetly swept over his left hand and right leg, Qin Fang's heart gave a slight lurch.

But he said nothing more. Instead, looking a little embarrassed, he said, "I can't really be called a formal disciple yet... I'm only an unregistered disciple."

Master's Wife smiled warmly. "Formal or unregistered, what does it matter? Do you think your master is some great sect? Since he's brought you home and you've called me Mistress, then you're family."

Qin Fang felt a warmth in his heart and lowered his head. "Yes..."

Zhou Xing glanced around and immediately figured out what Qin Fang had been doing here...

The snow had been cleared, and some firewood was still piled by the door. Sweat glistened on his forehead. Clearly, he had been helping Master's Wife shovel snow and chop wood.

He smiled gently. "Mistress is right. Once you've come through the door, you're family."

"But Master has always been a low-key man. He has some connections in True Martial, and if he held a formal ceremony to accept a disciple, it would cause too much of a stir. That's probably why he chose to keep things quiet... Don't take it to heart. Knowing Master, the fact that he brought you home means he's accepted you."

Qin Fang had not expected Zhou Xing to comfort him. Not knowing what to say, he could only draw a deep breath and reply earnestly, "Master's kindness to me is as great as a mountain. If it weren't for him, I'd probably be dead by now... If I can truly earn his acceptance, I'll be at ease."

Zhou Xing smiled and nodded warmly.

Seeing the senior and junior brothers naturally fall into conversation, Master's Wife smiled and said, "All right, you two chat for a while. I only have a few more dishes to make, then dinner will be ready... You can have a little to drink later."

"Mistress, how can I let you do all the work? I'll help, I'll help." As soon as Zhou Xing heard that, he smiled and hurried to head for the kitchen.

"Enough, you stay out of it... With your cooking, you'd only waste my ingredients." Master's Wife laughed as she scolded him.

"Uh..." Zhou Xing froze, then looked a little helpless. "Mistress, my junior brother is right here. Couldn't you at least save your eldest disciple a little face?"

Master's Wife only smiled without answering. She waved a hand and went back into the kitchen to continue working.

After being dismissed, Zhou Xing could hardly go in after her. He turned to Qin Fang and smiled. "Junior brother, we'll talk in a bit. I'll put these things away first."

He lifted the things in his hands.

Qin Fang quickly replied, "All right, Senior Brother."

Zhou Xing smiled at him once more, then turned and went inside.

Qin Fang returned to the kitchen door and continued chopping wood.

But his smile had faded somewhat, and his eyes flickered.

...Zhou Xing had definitely noticed something.

Qin Fang did not know Zhou Xing well, and could not be sure what he would do next.

But it was definitely bad news for him.

As the one in charge of the case, if Zhou Xing decided to be impartial to a fault, it would spell disaster for him.

Never mind whether he had any evidence...

Just Qin Fang's status as a refugee was enough. If Zhou Xing really wanted to deal with him, Qin Fang would be utterly powerless to resist.

He was staying in True Martial without authorization.

Under normal circumstances, the authorities had the right to arrest him outright.

If Zhou Xing really decided to do something to him, Qin Fang would have no way to fight back.

He might not even need to act himself. All he had to do was mention it to Wang Hu... and Qin Fang would be in dire straits.

Qin Fang's heart sank.

His mood swung back and forth.

Meanwhile, Zhou Xing's smile also faded after he entered the room, and his brows drew tightly together.

As he set down what he was carrying, he fell into thought.

...So Master really did know the culprit.

Not only did he know him, he had even taken the culprit in as a disciple...

His fears from that day had come true.

His brows remained knitted.

A moment later, he heard the clack-clack of chopping wood from outside.

He turned to look at the courtyard, fell silent for a moment, then breathed out softly.

...He would watch and see.

That was what he thought.

Clack...

Clack...

Unsure of Zhou Xing's attitude, Qin Fang was distracted. He chopped wood while pondering what to do next.

At some point...

"Junior brother, have you started practicing martial arts already?"

Zhou Xing's voice suddenly sounded beside him.

Qin Fang jumped and came back to his senses.

He turned and saw that Zhou Xing had somehow come to stand behind him. The man was watching him with some surprise.

"Ah, Master taught me the fundamental technique the day before yesterday. I've only just started practicing the stance..." Qin Fang answered without thinking.

"Just started practicing the stance?"

The words left Zhou Xing momentarily stunned. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Qin Fang, leaving Qin Fang baffled.

Suddenly, he asked, "Did he teach you the Wild Ox Qi Force?"

Qin Fang froze, then nodded. "Yes."

"He only taught it to you two days ago?" he asked again.

Qin Fang nodded once more.

Zhou Xing suddenly said, "Can you show me the stance once?"

Qin Fang stared... After all that guessing, he had never expected Zhou Xing to make such a request.

After hesitating for a moment, Qin Fang breathed out softly and stood up.

"All right."

Although he did not know why Zhou Xing wanted to see him practice the stance,

Qin Fang had also decided to observe him before he could be sure of Zhou Xing's attitude.

As the eldest senior brother, it made sense for him to watch Qin Fang practice the stance.

After all, in any era... the eldest disciple held a very high position in a sect.

"Come over here."

Zhou Xing beckoned.

Qin Fang nodded, then went to the area he had already cleared. He took a deep breath.

"Please correct me, Senior Brother."

With that, he assumed the posture and began practicing the "Wild Ox Qi Force Stance."

As Qin Fang's breathing rhythm began to flow, and the faintest Skin-Membrane Drumbeat sounded within his body, astonishment clearly appeared in Zhou Xing's eyes...