The Aloof Junior Brother I Was Supposed To Be Is Actually A Hopeless Romantic! - Chapter 2

Emerald Bamboo Peak had very few houses to begin with. The building Liu Jingyun had collapsed two days ago had not yet been rebuilt, and now that another one had been leveled, Chen Ji’s blood pressure soared.

However, the culprit was completely absorbed in his sword practice. Unaware of Chen Ji’s mounting fury, he continued to study each move and form with intense focus.

Chen Ji set Feng Zhimu down and marched aggressively toward the husky known as Liu Jingyun. Liu Jingyun suddenly thrust his sword backward, but Chen Ji drew his own blade just in time to parry the strike.

With a sharp clang of clashing metal, Liu Jingyun snapped out of his trance. He tilted his head slightly, a faint brow raised. “Ah Ji?”

“Is something wrong?”

Liu Jingyun suffered from a common ailment shared by most romance novel leads: a paralyzed face. He was a stoic, righteous statue. Failing to realize he had done anything wrong, his handsome face remained expressionless. Coupled with his deep, gentle voice, he looked somewhat harmless at first glance.

But Chen Ji, having lived with him for years, was not deceived by the surface. He pointed at the heap of rubble. “What do you think that is?”

Liu Jingyun followed his gaze. Seeing the collapsed house, he replied nonchalantly, “Qiu dog’s kennel is gone.”

Perhaps due to the natural friction between a protagonist and a villain, these two problem children loved calling each other “dog.”

Seeing his lack of remorse, Chen Ji’s blood pressure hit its limit. “How many times have I told you? Pay attention to the surrounding buildings when you practice! Qiu Lingzhou’s house is gone. Where is he supposed to sleep tonight? With you?”

As the words left his mouth, a sharp sword aura and a burst of scorching flames flew past Chen Ji’s head.

The house behind Chen Ji collapsed amidst the flames.

Liu Jingyun sheathed his sword, his face still blank. “Ah Ji, my house is gone, too.”

“Burned to a crisp,” Qiu Lingzhou added, clapping the dust off his hands.

Liu Jingyun’s eyes shifted to the right, coldly glancing at Qiu Lingzhou. With speed too fast for the naked eye to track, he drew his sword and lunged for Qiu Lingzhou’s throat.

Qiu Lingzhou had anticipated the move. He drew his short sword with equal speed to block the assault.

“You burned my house.” “You collapsed mine.” “Could you just die, Qiu dog?” “Why don’t you go see the King of Hell yourself, Liu dog?”

The atmosphere became instantly volatile. Chen Ji sighed. “You two keep fighting. I am going to cook lunch.”

Upon hearing this, the two men shared a rare moment of unity. They immediately stepped back and blocked Chen Ji’s path.

“Senior Brother, I can handle the cooking,” Qiu Lingzhou said. “Ah Ji, I can make whatever you want to eat,” Liu Jingyun added.

Chen Ji’s cooking was essentially poison, though he himself was immune to its effects. The first time Liu Jingyun and Qiu Lingzhou ate his food, they genuinely thought their Senior Brother was trying to assassinate them. After realizing Chen Ji simply lacked culinary talent, they both learned to cook out of sheer survival instinct.

Chen Ji, noticing how much they hated his cooking, often tried to force his way into the kitchen just to be stubborn. This forced the two problem children into a rare alliance where they set up barriers around the kitchen to keep him out. Even now, while he could no longer enter the kitchen, the mere phrase “I am going to cook” was enough to stop any fight.

Chen Ji knew this worked while they were still young. Once they grew their wings and became too powerful to stop, they would no longer listen to him.

With the crisis averted, Chen Ji led Feng Zhimu to a dormitory that had not yet been demolished. He helped the boy change into the sect uniform he had prepared. According to the book, Feng Zhimu was a rare beauty. Currently, he was still young, with a well nourished, chubby face that looked like a freshly steamed bun. Chen Ji gave it a soft, squishy squeeze.

“Senior Brother,” Feng Zhimu called out in a soft, childish voice.

Chen Ji’s heart softened. “Little Mumu is so cute. Do not worry, those two problem brothers still listen to me for now. If they bully you, tell me. I will definitely settle the score for you.” He tightened his fist for emphasis.

Feng Zhimu nodded obediently.

After changing, the two sat on stone stools under a tree in the courtyard. The green mountains rose in layers through the misty clouds as a cold breeze shook dry leaves from the trees. Chen Ji took a sip of bitter tea and sighed. If only he had transmigrated into a standard cultivation novel, he could have lived a lazy life instead of worrying about two problem children and his fluctuating blood pressure.

“Little Mumu, practice hard. In the future, Senior Brother is counting on you to protect me,” Chen Ji said with great feeling.

Feng Zhimu nodded earnestly. “Okay!”

Qiu Lingzhou and Liu Jingyun soon finished cooking four dishes and a soup. Their culinary skills were top tier; even a simple stir fried vegetable tasted better than the food at the best inn in Tianyun City. This was the only thing that comforted Chen Ji.

Once he was half full, he put on his Senior Brother airs. “Qiu Lingzhou, Liu Husky, we are going down the mountain tomorrow to take some commissions. We need to earn silver to fix the houses.”

“Senior Brother, why work so hard?” Qiu Lingzhou asked. “Just go to the Gathering Yang Hall and ask the Sect Leader for some money.”

Chen Ji glared at him. “Shut up!”

“Every disciple in the Tianyun Sect says Emerald Bamboo Peak has the fewest people but the highest expenses! Do you know how many eye rolls I get from the other disciples every time I go to the main hall?”

Tianyun Sect was founded by Bodhisattva. After his passing, his five disciples established branches on five peaks: Gathering Yang, Heavenly Purity, Mysterious Cloud, Flowing Shadow, and Emerald Bamboo. Hai Yangzi, the master of Emerald Bamboo Peak, was a recluse by nature. While other peaks had thousands of followers, he had only managed to recruit four.

Thanks to Liu Jingyun and Qiu Lingzhou constantly fighting and destroying furniture, Emerald Bamboo Peak had earned the title of the most expensive peak in the sect.

Currently, Tianyun Sect was the largest sect in Shu. Between commissions and offerings from local gentry, they had more money than they could spend. The Sect Leader, Tian Jizi, was generous to a fault, giving money to anyone who asked.

However, Chen Ji could not bear the shame.

It was a rule that inner disciples must visit the Sect Leader on their first day to light a life lamp. As the fourth disciple of Hai Yangzi, Feng Zhimu was an important member. The process had to be followed.

Chen Ji led Feng Zhimu to see the Sect Leader, and the two problem children insisted on tagging along. Chen Ji figured it was safer to keep them by his side than to leave them home to demolish the peak.

The main peak, Gathering Yang Peak, was the largest and served as the sect’s face. The moment they stepped onto its grounds, they were hit by a wave of opulence. Thinking of the shabbiness of Emerald Bamboo Peak, Chen Ji felt a wave of sorrow.

If it were not for those two problem children! With the allowance the Sect Leader provided, they could have had a warm, beautiful little home!