Chapter 517: Chapter 509: My Brother is a Fool
Except for Xiong Er, there were not many fools present. Once Jing Xiaosi spoke, almost everyone figured out the critical point.
Xiong Er became anxious and asked, "Why? You are under a spell and yet not dispelling it; aren’t you afraid of losing your life?"
"Idiot, didn’t you hear what the Junior Temple Master said? If the spell is broken, the caster will suffer a backlash, and they will know I have dispelled the spell. The journey back to the capital will assuredly be fraught with danger, and that would be a life-or-death situation," Jing Xiaosi glared at him and said, "If the spell is not broken, they will lower their guard. Once we safely return to the capital, we can break it then, which also avoids the possibility of being ambushed."
That is to say, lie low for now and safely return to the capital first.
When Xiong Er thought about it, it seemed to make sense.
"You are right in your calculation, but I don’t know if it affects you. You know how unlucky you have been during this period," Xiong Er said, not quite reassured.
Jing Xiaosi looked to Qin Liuxi and said, "We depend on the Junior Temple Master now."
Xiong Er also looked intently at Qin Liuxi and asked, "Junior Temple Master, if the spell is not dispelled for the time being, will he die?"
Qin Liuxi: "As long as the Silver is in place."
Which is to say, with Silver, all is well.
Xiong Er quickly nodded like pecking chickens, saying, "Yes, yes, we can provide any amount of Silver."
While speaking, he pulled out a wallet from his robes, took out several silver notes, and handed them to her, "Take this first, we can withdraw more from the bank if it’s not enough."
Feng Xiu glanced at them, which were all thousand-tael denominations, and said, "Quite generous indeed, that’s how a wastrel should be."
Xiong Er retorted, "You have no idea, compared to Xiao Si’s life, even tens of thousands of Gold are trivial."
Qin Liuxi passed the silver notes to Chen Pi, instructing, "Get a Jade Token for him."
Chen Pi complied, and soon brought a Jade Token strung with a red rope and engraved with runes to Jing Xiaosi, "Just wear it close to your body."
Jing Xiaosi thanked him, took it, and wore it around his neck.
Xiong Er leaned in and looked carefully, asking, "Is this enough? The spell won’t cause him to suddenly faint and die like today, right?"
"It won’t, it’s not time to die yet."
Xiong Er breathed a sigh of relief, but upon reflecting on those words, something felt off.
Jing Xiaosi remembered Qin Liuxi asking for Jing Wu’s birth dates and mentioned them.
Qin Liuxi calculated and found it strange, saying, "These birth dates are incorrect; there are no causal lines present."
Jing Xiaosi’s heart skipped, asking, "Are you saying it’s not that man stealing my lifespan? Wait, my stepmother, she is my father’s cousin, you said there’s a kinship, even though he’s not my biological brother, there’s still some familial relation."
"That’s not what I meant. I meant that this cheap brother’s birth dates are wrong; this shouldn’t be his actual birth time," Qin Liuxi explained, "Since it’s not his birth time, naturally it can’t connect to any causal lines."
By then, Xiong Er again said, "Xiao Si, I remember around the time Jing Wu was born, it seemed to be at the manor. That woman said she felt uncomfortable and went to the hot spring manor, where she gave birth prematurely."
Jing Xiaosi nodded, "If that’s the case, she hid the real birth dates early on as a precaution, not knowing whether it’s to prevent others from learning the boy is illegitimate or to protect him from harm."
"Either way, that’s quite scheming," Xiong Er sneered, "I always knew she wasn’t a pure little white flower but a Black Heart Lotus."
Jing Xiaosi looked at Qin Liuxi and asked, "If the real birth dates are unknown, can the spell not be broken?"
"How could that be? Having you is enough. It’s just simpler and faster to know the other party’s real birth dates," Qin Liuxi casually replied, "Even without them, it’s just a few more steps."
Jing Xiaosi breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "I intend to ask you to dispel the spell after returning to the capital; is that feasible? It’s thousands of miles away, I wonder if it would be troublesome?"
"The first time I saw you, you acted all high and mighty, always on guard. Now you are being humble and polite," Qin Liuxi squinted and chuckled.
Feeling slightly embarrassed, Jing Xiaosi bowed and said, "I apologize for any past offenses; truly, it was because I was caught in a maelstrom and had to remain vigilant."
Qin Liuxi nodded and said, "If you are not in a hurry, you can temporarily stay in Li City. In a few days, we will also be entering Shengjing."
Jing Xiaosi’s eyes brightened, "Really?"
"Of course."
Xiong Er pushed through, "There’s no rush, no rush. Traveling with the Junior Temple Master, the journey will definitely be interesting."
Feng Xiu gave a half-smiling, "Just don’t end up scared out of your wits."
Xiong Er didn’t understand, but Jing Xiaosi thought deeply. Was there a hidden meaning in his words? About the journey being tumultuous?
Later, he came to know just how interesting that journey was, so much so that it became an unforgettable and deeply ingrained experience in his life.
Yue Ding and the others arrived at Feichang Dao and saw the shop crowded with people, causing some surprise. The old servants entered and asked, "Did we come at an inconvenient time today?"
Apart from normal treatment, they would also visit the Daoist Room at Feichang Dao for Enlightenment and meditation. After all, that room was nurturing, and it was the reason Yue Ding recovered so quickly.
"Let’s just go to the Daoist Room," Qin Liuxi smiled and suggested.
Xiong Er stared at Yue Ding in the wheelchair and nudged Jing Xiaosi, "Look at him, doesn’t he resemble General Zhen Dong?"
"Show some respect," Jing Xiaosi fiercely glared at him.
The other party was so young and yet confined to a wheelchair, becoming disabled; such people are most sensitive to others staring at their legs. This idiot, who lacks tact and is too straightforward.
"No, really, he does resemble him, exactly like in the portraits. Plus, wasn’t it said that General Zhen Dong was crippled in a naval battle?" Xiong Er’s eyes were fervent, and seeing Yue Ding entering the shop, he squeezed past Jing Xiaosi and approached him, grinning as he bowed, "May I ask, sir, are you General Zhen Dong?"
Jing Xiaosi’s expression changed, and he immediately stepped forward to pull Xiong Er back, awkwardly bowing to apologize to Yue Ding, "Sorry, my brother here is a fool, please forgive any offense."
He then glared at Xiong Er, "Apologize now, or I’ll have uncle confine you when we get back."
"You always bully me," Xiong Er felt wronged, "I was just genuinely curious and asked."
Yue Ding laughed and asked, "Do you know me?"
Huh?
Xiong Er once again pushed Jing Xiaosi aside, excitedly saying, "Since you asked that way, are you really General Zhen Dong? You are a role model for our generation; many anxious fathers compare us young playboys to you. I’ve never seen you but have seen your portrait, appearing fifth on the Talent List. Although your rank dropped because of your disability... ugh ugh."
Jing Xiaosi covered Xiong Er’s mouth, awkwardly smiling, "I’m really sorry, my brother is indeed a fool. I was just thinking of asking the Junior Temple Master to prick him with a few needles to improve his memory!"
Fool, if you can’t speak properly, then shut up!
Xiong Er’s face turned red, and his waist was pinched painfully by Jing Xiaosi, causing his eyes to bulge even more.