Chapter 31: Senior Martial Brother Xiao, an Old Friend Returns

Chapter 31: Senior Brother Xiao, an Old Friend Returns

Ning Xishi remained silent.

Tong Kehua thought Ning Xishi simply wasn't heeding her well-meaning advice, and was about to speak more sternly when she suddenly sensed something was off about the atmosphere around her.

She stared at Ning Xishi before her, watching him blink back the glimmer of moisture in his eyes.

Then Ning Xishi looked at her as if nothing had happened, his tone casual: "I know, Senior Sister. I've only known him for a few days—how could I believe everything he says?"

It wasn't until Ning Xishi left that Tong Kehua realized something—their Young Chief had too much weighing on his shoulders.

Ever since the Ming family started causing trouble, the Young Chief had been walking a tightrope the entire way. If even a hint of his identity leaked out, everyone would be implicated.

And the man she had just warned him to be wary of was, in fact, the Young Chief's own husband.

He even had to be on guard against the person closest to him by law.

"At this rate, Xishi is caught between a rock and a hard place, with a hidden deadly threat right beside him."

How could a seventeen-year-old kid bear all this without breaking?

Tong Kehua smacked her forehead. "I should've threatened that man when he left this morning—told him that if he ever bullied our Gang Leader, no one in the Beggar Gang would let him off easy. Instead, I just piled more pressure on the Young Chief."

Tong Kehua immediately regretted her words and decided she would tell Aunt Ye all about it later.

After breakfast, Guardian Ye listened to Tong Kehua's account and stayed silent for a long moment before saying, "The Gang Leader usually seems playful and flaky, but when it comes to important matters, he's exceptionally trustworthy. He makes us all forget the crisis he's facing right now."

It was understandable to want to do one's duty as an elder and offer earnest advice to the Young Chief, but one also had to consider the pressure he was under.

Tong Kehua was still bothered. "This morning I saw him almost cry, and it scared the hell out of me. It's just that he doesn't act like a kid at all when it comes to big matters, so I couldn't help but say more. Ugh, when we were kids and I bullied him, he'd cry out for the master, always making a huge racket without shedding a single tear. Now he almost cried, but he didn't make a peep."

Tong Kehua's head drooped as she spoke. "I'm such a jerk."

"Alright, stop dwelling on it now. I understand—from now on, we all need to be more careful with our words." Guardian Ye settled the matter, stood up, and patted Tong Kehua on the shoulder before going back out to continue her work.

·

Meanwhile, Ning Xishi went back to his room alone to rest. Before long, he heard a soft tap at the window.

He walked over and opened it a crack, then jumped in surprise at who he saw—"Senior Martial—"

Before he could finish, Xiao Shaoqing clamped a hand over his mouth and slipped through the gap.

Ning Xishi had just been wondering how anyone could sneak into Beggar Gang territory so quietly, but seeing Xiao Shaoqing put his mind at ease. One of their own would naturally know the gang's defenses.

Actually, he'd briefly wondered if it might be Xie Jingxing, but Senior Sister Tong had said his leg was injured, so he probably couldn't make it over right now.

"You actually made it out alive?" Ning Xishi asked, not resisting as Xiao Shaoqing pushed him down, his hair splayed across the floor as he raised an eyebrow.

Xiao Shaoqing thought to himself, this guy's a real troublemaker, but having a human cushion was pretty comfortable. He'd been running around for Ning Xishi's sake these past days without a single good night's sleep—time to collect some interest on that.

So he couldn't be bothered to move, saying, "You ungrateful little brat. I threw myself into danger for you, and you don't even worry about me one bit."

At the mention of "conscience," Ning Xishi had something to say.

"Back then, if you and the two senior martial sisters hadn't dodged the position of Gang Leader in every way possible—even running off—would it have fallen on me? And if it hadn't fallen on me, none of today's troubles would exist..."

Xiao Shaoqing thought to himself that the master had said back then that only Ning Xishi could be the Gang Leader, which was why everyone had played along with the master's little scheme.

But there were too many reasons involved, and now wasn't the time to tell Ning Xishi.

So he quickly cut Ning Xishi off: "Do you still want to hear about the Ming family or not?"

With him, Ning Xishi didn't show the same respect he gave his senior martial sisters—after all, this senior martial brother used to steal his candy as a kid, making him wail until the master punished the senior by making him hold a horse stance outside in the scorching heat.

"Say it or don't, I don't care."

"It's been so long, and little Ning Xi, you've gotten even better at being annoying."

Before he could finish, a voice that seemed to carry barely suppressed anger cut in: "What are you two doing?"

Xiao Shaoqing froze—the voice sounded unfamiliar.

Ning Xishi was equally stunned, his gaze following the voice. Sure enough, he saw a figure reappear at the window Xiao Shaoqing had just opened—Xie Jingxing.

"This, this is my senior martial brother, General Xie." Ning Xishi explained.

It would have been better if he hadn't explained at all, because he clearly had no sense of being "caught in the act" in broad daylight, and made no move to shift his position for the sake of propriety.

There was a certain arrogance in completely disregarding the man who was his lawful spouse.

Xiao Shaoqing had evidently heard from his third uncle about Ning Xishi's arranged marriage, and knew exactly who the man before him was.

So he narrowed his eyes, flashed a provocative smile, and only then rolled off Ning Xishi, saying, "If I remember correctly, this is Jule Gang's territory. What business does the General have here?"

Xie Jingxing climbed in through the window, pulled Ning Xishi up from the floor, and casually brushed the dirt off his robes before handing him a small medicine bottle.

"I didn't know who you were yesterday, so I hurt you. I had a physician prepare this specially—apply it for a few days and the swelling will go down."

Then he turned his gaze to Xiao Shaoqing. Before he could speak, he could already feel Ning Xishi's anxious expression behind him, as if worried he might make trouble for Xiao Shaoqing.

He hadn't even said anything yet, and Ning Xishi was already this tense?

He thought of what he had found that morning when he had people look into the Beggar Gang Leader's recent reputation—one line had read: "Extremely close with his senior martial brother; seen together constantly."

When he'd read that line, he'd nearly torn the paper to shreds, but still comforted himself that no matter what had come before, he was the one married to Ning Xishi now.

In the future, the one who could be by his side would naturally be only himself.

He hadn't expected to meet the legendary senior martial brother in person so soon—and to witness such a messy scene.

Xie Jingxing had been furious, but sensing Ning Xishi's concern for Xiao Shaoqing, he felt like a clown.

Swallowing back what he had originally planned to say, Xie Jingxing changed his approach: "You mentioned just now that you've uncovered some secrets about the Ming family. I happen to have some information as well—both of us are targeting the Ming family, so we could exchange what we know. I also have eight hundred cavalry; if there's anything useful, we could directly raid the Ming estate."

The moment Xiao Shaoqing laid eyes on Xie Jingxing, he realized the two of them were cut from the same cloth.

Just thinking about the emperor's marriage decree made his blood boil.

The junior martial brother he had silently protected all these years had, in an instant, married someone else—and another man at that...

"I have nothing to exchange with you." Xiao Shaoqing's tone was cold. "I'm in a hurry. I need to speak with my junior martial brother alone."

Even as oblivious as Ning Xishi was, he could sense the tension crackling between the two men. Though he had no idea why, he quickly pulled his senior martial brother out of the room, leaving only a brief word to Xie Jingxing: "General, we'll be right back."

The moment the door closed, Xie Jingxing's expression turned ice-cold—even darker than when the emperor had first issued the marriage decree.

Ning Xishi, for his part, simply found it ironic that the Beggar Gang and the imperial court were exchanging information. The Ming family was deeply entrenched, but surely not worth such a massive mobilization.

Sure enough, the two found a quiet room, and as soon as they entered, Xiao Shaoqing dropped a bombshell: "Our Beggar Gang's former Dharma Protector, Zhou Zitu, had his tendons slashed by the Ming family and is locked in the deepest cell of their dungeon. He's been delirious, seemingly drugged with all sorts of poisons. I've seen him a few times, but unfortunately, I've never been able to wake him."

"Wasn't he supposed to have been won over by the Ming family, which is why he leaked my identity?"

These past days, Ning Xishi had nearly come to accept the former protector's betrayal, but it turned out the man had been forced into it with drugs by the Ming family.

"Xiao Xi, you're young and don't know the old guard of the Beggar Gang well. Even if they leave the gang and choose a different life, they would never betray it."

"So that's why you've been tailing Old Fourth Ming in secret?" Ning Xishi seemed to piece things together.

"Xiao Xi, you're incredibly sharp. That Old Fourth Ming doesn't have any real skills and doesn't even rank high in the Ming family. I'd never even heard of him serving at Ming Hanche's side before. Yet he knew such a major secret as your identity and was even sent to the capital to contact you—that felt wrong to me."

Xiao Shaoqing continued, "I trailed him the whole way and noticed he's petty and nosy, always prying into everything. Plus, he's got calluses on the web of his thumb from frequent whip use. A whip is thin and flexible, not very deadly, and puts you at a real disadvantage in a fight. Who would regularly use a whip?"

Ning Xishi said, "Someone who interrogates and tortures people."

Xiao Shaoqing praised him, "Exactly. I had my suspicions when I followed him earlier, so this time I pretended to get caught and scoped out the dungeon—and sure enough, it's true."

Ning Xishi thought of something and said, a bit rushed, "That means Ming Hanche knows my identity, but perhaps he hasn't even told those closest to him. So our earlier guess that my identity would be leaked once Ming Hanche died was just us worrying over nothing."

Xiao Shaoqing said, "You really are my junior brother—you get it with just a hint. That's all I've found for now. I won't say more; I need to get back to the dungeon. I've got Old Fourth Ming under tight watch, don't worry—he won't last more than a few days."

Ning Xishi felt a wave of relief wash over him. He led his senior brother back to his own room, even opened the window for him, and watched him leave.

"Senior brother, take care."

Xiao Shaoqing said nothing, but after stepping out, he turned back, ruffled Ning Xishi's hair, and left with a teasing laugh before disappearing from sight.

Xie Jingxing remained in his previous position, standing still and silent, watching Ning Xishi close the window again and turn around.

His lips were still pressed into a thin line, clearly unhappy.

Ning Xishi snapped back to attention and quickly invited him to sit, pouring him some tea.

He used the same cup from yesterday.

That eased Xie Jingxing's expression slightly. Ning Xishi was about to wait for him to speak when Xie Jingxing said, "My information might not be as important as Xiao Shaoqing's. But that's because I didn't know your identity before and wasn't fully targeting the Ming family. With limited time, I've gathered only so much."

Ning Xishi didn't understand why Xie Jingxing was telling him this.

He hesitated, then said, "Should we exchange information later then?"

Xie Jingxing was nearly furious with him.

==========Author's Note:==========

Whimper, only one update today too.

Good night.