Originated from mountains and seas, life never ends

Chapter 177 Pei Zhixing

"What happened to your neck?"

Xu Junyi just noticed the scab on Qin Jichen's neck and raised his eyebrows and asked.

"I was injured while sparring with my brother yesterday." Qin Jichen glanced at him and said.

Xu Junyi was half lying on the bed. The gauze on his body had been changed a lot but had not been completely removed. There was a small fruit plate on his legs, and he was eating from it from time to time.

"Ah? Your brother?" Xu Junyi was surprised. He thought it was natural for Qin Jichen to win with his strength, so he didn't ask much yesterday. He only heard the news today. "You lost?"

Faced with Xu Junyi's surprised expression, Qin Jichen, who originally thought it was nothing, also felt a little uncomfortable: "Yes... why is there such an expression?"

"What do you think?" Xu Junyi stood up suddenly, then lay back down halfway with his teeth bared. "Qin Jichen, you are eight years older than him!"

"……I know."

"Did you keep it?"

"……No."

"No?!" Xu Junyi raised his eyebrows and his eyes lit up, "Then I want to try it too."

Qin Jichen: ...

Qin Jichen closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead helplessly: "Then you think about it."

"Hey, since your brother can beat you, what's wrong with competing with me? I won't be ruthless." Xu Junyi said innocently, "Even if I lose, I won't say anything."

"What are you going to say?"

There was a voice coming from the door. He turned around and saw Xu Qingyun walking in with food for Xu Junyi in his hand.

Xu Junyi's eyes lit up: "Brother, let me tell you, he lost to his brother yesterday, haha!"

As Xu Junyi spoke, he couldn't help but clapped his thigh and laughed.

"Oh?" Xu Qingyun glanced at him calmly, without much reaction, and looked at Qin Jichen, "Are you serious?"

"…If you lose, you lose. There's no need to take it seriously." Qin Jichen smiled helplessly.

Seeing this, Xu Qingyun didn't say much. He didn't come here just to deliver food to Xu Junyi: "Recently, someone from the Pei family in Yang Tianzhou came. Did you know?"

Hearing this, Qin Jichen's expression changed.

Xu Junyi also paused, stopped smiling, looked at Qin Jichen, and observed his expression.

Yangtianzhou is located in the center of Yuhua, surrounded by rivers, with unobstructed waterways, frequent and prosperous trade, and many famous families have emerged there, which are even comparable to Luoyun.

The Pei family is one of them.

"who is it?"

I don’t know if it’s because of the light and shadow, but Qin Jichen’s face looks a little gloomy.

"Who else could it be?" Xu Qingyun picked up the teacup beside him and moistened his lips. "Pei Zhixing must be here."

After that, he raised his eyelids and looked at Qin Jichen: "What? Do you think it's difficult?"

"You know that..." Qin Jichen frowned, obviously feeling a little embarrassed.

"By the way, does your brother know about your relationship with the Pei family?" Xu Junyi asked suddenly.

Qin Jichen was stunned and slapped his thigh: "We haven't told him this yet."

"Your brother doesn't know the Pei family?" Xu Qingyun frowned when he heard this, seeming a little confused.

"...Qin Xiao has never met anyone from the Pei family since he was a child." Qin Jichen's eyes darkened as he spoke of this. "They never met their mother before or after she died..."

As he spoke, he twitched the corners of his mouth, as if he was mocking himself.

"To be honest, if I hadn't met Pei Zhixing when I enrolled in school, I wouldn't have known about this relationship." Qin Jichen's eyes dimmed and his mood became depressed.

"This is not your problem." Xu Junyi couldn't stand his look and slapped him on the shoulder. "In the final analysis, it's just that the Pei family is too stingy. It's nothing—Ouch! Brother, you hit me again!"

Xu Junyi held his head in dissatisfaction and stared at Xu Qingyun.

Xu Qingyun ignored him and continued to talk to Qin Jichen: "I think you should talk to your brother to avoid trouble."

Qin Jichen was silent for a moment and nodded.

"——A-sneeze!"

Qin Xiao paused as he was about to knock on the door and couldn't help sneezing.

"Did you catch a cold from being caught in the rain a few days ago?" Mo Hanyu beside him asked with concern.

"It shouldn't be that serious." Qin Xiao rubbed his nose and said as he pushed open the door.

They had made an appointment with Qiu Puryue to go out and play when the weather was good.

As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, a wave of heat hit him in the face. The scorching air made Qin Xiao squint his eyes.

"...What's going on?" Qin Xiao frowned, sensing a strange breath.

Mo Hanyu didn't react much: "Just go in and take a look and you'll know."

……

"Who did you say you took in?" Qin Xiao rubbed his eyebrows, looked at Qiu Puyue opposite him, and asked with difficulty.

Qiu Puyue felt a little embarrassed and scratched her head: "Well... I can't just watch him wander around outside. I'm not taking him in. I can just let him stay here for a few days, but we'll have to leave later..."

Qiu Puyue's voice became smaller and smaller. Looking at Qin Xiao's expression, she closed her mouth and stopped talking.

Yin Xihui, who was standing next to him, saw that the atmosphere was a bit tense, and stood up with a smile: "She found him on the rainy day. She felt sorry for him because he was soaked in the rain, so she brought him back."

Yin Xihui said this, pointing at the purple-haired man who was sitting quietly and looking at them.

The man had purple hair that trailed on the ground and a fierce face. Whenever he lowered his head to look at people, he always gave people a strong sense of aggression. His fingers had sharp nails that looked more like the claws of some animals.

The man was squatting beside them, and when he heard them talking about him, he looked up at them. Although he looked fierce, his eyes revealed a timidity that was the opposite of that.

Qin Xiao had already learned of his identity from the questioning just now—this was the fire dragon that had been with Yu Yunhao before.

"Didn't Yu Jin say anything?" Qin Xiao looked at Qiu Puyue. He still remembered that the dragon burned Yu Jin so hard that he almost broke one of his arms.

"He...was a little opposed at first, but soon accepted it." Qiu Puryue touched the back of his head and said hesitantly, "I heard him say that the man didn't want him anymore and took away his bracelet and other things."

"Why don't you want it anymore?" Mo Hanyu asked.

"It's said... because we can't win the game." Qiu Puryue hesitated and looked at Huolong, "But I don't seem to be that surprised. I also saw him kicking him on the court before..."

Qin Xiao listened without saying anything. He looked at Yin Xihui with a questioning look.

Even if Yu Yunhao didn't want it anymore, he could make money from the monster, trade it, or even kill it and sell its meat and crystal cores. Why would he abandon it on the roadside?

Faced with Qin Xiao's doubts, Yin Xihui shook his head slightly and said nothing.

Qin Xiao frowned, but didn't ask any more questions. Instead, he brought up the topic of going out to play.

Speaking of this, Qiu Puryue's eyes lit up and she agreed happily. She then thought of her acquaintance Tian Miao who also came here and asked if she could add him.

"I think... we haven't played anything together before..."

Qiu Puryue twisted her fingers, feeling a little uneasy about what she had proposed, and asked tentatively: "Should we... ask him?"

Qin Xiao was stunned for a moment, then nodded indifferently.

Mo Hanyu and Yin Xihui had no objections, but when they found that there was no contact with Tian Miao, they all looked at Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao: ...

In full view of everyone, Qin Xiao took out the Qi guide and contacted Qingyi.

Hua Wujian handed the Qi Dao to Tian Miao who was beside him. Tian Miao was very happy when he heard the news.

"Really, really?"

Tian Miao's excited voice came from it.

"Then, then I want to join you!"

Tian Miao readily agreed and arrived here soon, accompanied by Hua Wujian.

Qin Xiao looked at Qing Yi and raised his eyebrows, a little surprised.

Hua Wujian glanced at him indifferently, still looking cold.

"Why did you follow me?" Qin Xiao asked proactively when he saw that he was really cold.

"What? Are you afraid that I will find out that you are trafficking children?" Hua Wujian said with a wry smile.

Qin Xiao: ...

Qin Xiao took a deep breath, turned his head and decided to ignore him.

Because Qing Yi had a cold attitude, he would ignore anyone who talked to him. After being ignored several times, Qiu Puryue gave up on communicating with him. Only Tian Miao seemed to be insensitive to his coldness and talked to him with a smile.

"Look, the water is so beautiful."

Standing on the bridge, looking at the rippling cold water below, Tian Miao was in deep thought.

Hua Wujian glanced at him, snorted and said nothing.

"Wu Jian, this fan... suits you very well." Tian Miao happily held the newly bought green bone fan and couldn't wait to present it to him.

Hua Wujian took it without raising his eyelids, said "hmm", and put it aside casually.

……

"...Isn't he too cold?" Qiu Puryue looked at the attentive Tian Miao and couldn't help frowning.

"...He is just like that." Qin Xiao glanced over there, seeming a little helpless.

Qiu Puryue shook her head in disbelief: "Tian Miao keeps looking for him."

Qin Xiao didn't say anything. He looked at the flower he had won in the competition. He rolled it lightly with his index finger, turned it half a circle, and casually pricked it next to Mo Hanyu's ear.

Mo Hanyu, who was staring into the distance in a daze, was startled. When he turned around, the flower next to his ear fell due to the unstable stem. He instinctively caught it and looked at it.

"I saw someone put a flower on his ear." Facing Mo Hanyu's puzzled look, Qin Xiao pointed at the person in the distance as if to explain.

Looking in the direction Qin Xiao pointed, I saw a young girl in her prime with a few bright flowers pinned to her ears and a wreath made of many small grass flowers on her head. She was smiling coquettishly at the people around her.

Mo Hanyu looked at him, frowned, glanced at Qin Xiao, and said nothing.

Seeing that he didn't seem to want to stab it, Qin Xiao didn't mention it again and just stabbed him in the head.

It was noon in a flash. Learning from their previous mistakes, they chose a restaurant that looked quiet and elegant and booked a private room.

While Yin Xihui was communicating with the front desk, Qin Xiao and Mo Hanyu were watching quietly behind him.

There was a sudden commotion at the door. Looking over there, I saw that several young men who looked about the same age as Mo Hanshang walked in together, followed by some strange people.

Qin Xiao glanced at the boys and girls behind them who were blushing and extremely excited, and raised his eyebrows in some confusion.

Those people seemed to be used to it, and they said something skillfully to the group of people behind them. Although those people were still excited, they left reluctantly.

Qin Xiao was even more surprised when he saw this scene.

"Let's go upstairs."

At this time, Yin Xihui's voice interrupted Qin Xiao's thoughts.

Qin Xiao paused, without thinking too much about it, turned around and put the question behind him, and nodded to show that he understood.

But when he was going upstairs, Qin Xiao suddenly felt a burning gaze falling on him. He couldn't help but look over there and found that it was the leader of the young men who came in before.

The young man had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, his figure was as tough and upright as a pine tree, he was wearing a green bamboo suit, his short hair hung down to his neck, and he was looking up at him.

The man looked at Qin Xiao, but instead of feeling embarrassed about being caught, he rolled his eyes downward and looked at him with a scrutinizing look that Qin Xiao was very familiar with. He then turned around and started chatting with his companion as if nothing had happened.

Qin Xiao frowned, but didn't say anything. He just paused and went upstairs.

"Do you know those people just now?" Qin Xiao asked Mo Hanyu after entering the room.

Mo Hanyu knew who he was referring to: "Of course. You don't know?"

Mo Hanyu's tone rose, obviously surprised that he didn't know this.

Qin Xiao was even more puzzled when he saw this: "I don't know, but he looks quite famous. Is he also a contestant this time?"

"...No." Mo Hanyu's expression was complicated, "You really don't know him?"

"Do I need to know him?" Qin Xiao frowned, his tone slightly uneasy.

"...I don't mean anything else." Mo Hanyu knew his temper from his tone. He scratched his head and said, "He is from your mother's clan. I'm a little surprised that you don't know."

Upon hearing the news, Qin Xiao frowned even deeper, and there was even some confusion in his eyes.

Mo Hanyu couldn't tell what his reaction would be, so he didn't say anything.

Yin Xihui and others noticed the conversation here, and they all shut their mouths and looked over here.

Qin Xiao looked at him, was silent for a moment, and spoke again.

This time, his tone was full of confusion: "What is the mother clan?"

Mo Hanyu: ...

Yin Xihui and others: ...

Qing Yi laughed twice without any emotion: "Haha."

Mo Hanyu glanced at him: ...

"I know!"

In the dead silence, Tian Miao raised his hand excitedly, his eyes shining, proud that he knew the answer to the question.

"Oh?" Qin Xiao looked at him, "What is it?"

Hua Wujian picked up the teacup that had been scalded with hot water at least five times, and slowly looked over it.

Under everyone's gaze, Tian Miao straightened his chest and said logically while counting on his fingers: "My mother told me. Mu means gender, which means female; Zu means family group, so -"

Tian Miao's voice was firm and powerful.

"The maternal clan is the clan consisting entirely of girls. Right?"

As he spoke, he cast an expectant look towards Hua Wujian, as if hoping to get his praise.

Yin Xihui: ...

Mo Hanyu: ...

Qin Xiao suddenly realized: "So that's it."

Hua Wujian couldn't help but laughed out loud again, but this time there was much less sarcasm in his laughter.

"No...it's not like that, right?" Although Qiu Puyue didn't quite understand what was going on with her mother's clan, she asked hesitantly after seeing the reactions of those present.

"Yes, it's not like that." Yin Xihui stretched out his hand to cover the smile on his lips, raised his eyes to look at Mo Hanyu, obviously asking him to explain.

Mo Hanyu felt pressured by Tian Miao's instantly lost look. He rubbed his forehead and said tactfully, "Actually... the mother here refers to the mother."

The light in Tian Miao's eyes gradually dimmed, she pouted, and her eyes drooped, as if she was sad because she got the answer wrong, but then her face turned red and she felt a little ashamed.

"I...I said something wrong." Tian Miao lowered his head nervously, not daring to look at the reactions of the people around him. Listening to Hua Wujian's laughter in his ears, his face turned even redder and he lowered his head even lower.

"Ahem." Yin Xihui coughed twice. "Actually, your explanation is not completely wrong. It's just that the meaning of the word is different in each place."

"Yes, yes, I actually don't know either." Qiu Puryue agreed.

Qin Xiao looked at Mo Hanyu: "So, what you mean is..."

"He is from my mother's family?" Qin Xiao's eyes moved slightly, "Who is he?"

"He is the child of your mother's brother and is of the same generation as you." Mo Hanyu did not hide anything, and a golden light flashed in his eyes.

"His name is Pei Zhixing, and he is from the Pei family in Yangtianzhou."