Chapter 86: Second Senior Brother?

The voice was shrill and piercing, leaving Qin Chuan’s eardrums aching and his head buzzing.

“I’ve been outplayed by this girl!”

Qin Chuan felt a bit frustrated, as if he’d spent his life hunting swallows only to have one peck out his eye. But he had no one to blame—after all, he’d told her to raise her voice.

Not only was Qin Chuan close enough to feel the full impact, but even the Dragon Fang Special Forces members in the car following closely behind faintly heard the commotion.

“That sounded like the Captain just now, didn’t it?”

“No way. Would the Captain really call someone ‘good brother’ with her personality?”

“Hard to say. Don’t forget who else is in that car.”

“You mean Qin Chuan?”

The group exchanged bewildered glances, silent for a long moment.

But soon, a shared thought arose in their minds: if their Captain really was calling Qin Chuan ‘good brother,’ perhaps it wasn’t so strange after all. In the Special Forces Corps, who didn’t admire the strong?

Let alone calling someone ‘brother’—calling someone ‘father’ wasn’t unheard of. The Dragon King, for example, was the adopted father of many in Dragon Fang.

Mo Qingqiu had no idea that her vengeful outburst had been overheard by all her subordinates, nor that her awe-inspiring image as Captain was beginning to crumble.

Still, seeing Qin Chuan rubbing his ears in dismay, Mo Qingqiu felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.

“Well? Did you hear clearly that time?” she asked with a bright, teasing smile.

Qin Chuan’s ears were still ringing. He could only just make out what Mo Qingqiu was saying by watching her lips—and, wary of another outburst, he nodded quickly to show he’d understood.

“Since you’ve heard it clearly, will you tell me the truth now?” Mo Qingqiu’s expression turned grave once more.

Qin Chuan replied in a serious tone, “The truth is, I created that set of hand signals myself. Purely by chance, someone else picked it up. I never expected it would become your secret communication method.”

“You’re playing with me!”

Mo Qingqiu’s anger flared instantly, her earlier sense of accomplishment evaporating. Qin Chuan’s earnest, nonsense-spouting face was truly infuriating.

“And you call telling the truth ‘playing with you?’”

Qin Chuan was a little exasperated himself. The hand signs really had been devised years ago by him and a few of his senior brothers, so they could communicate in secret under their master’s nose; many of the gestures were, in fact, advanced versions of the ones he’d used to speak with Qin Youyou.

As far as he knew, only his second senior brother had joined the military after leaving the mountain. But after receiving a letter seven years ago, all contact had ceased.

Seeing the Dragon Fang Special Forces using those signals, Qin Chuan had immediately suspected that the so-called mysterious figure was his second senior brother. Otherwise, it was too much of a coincidence. Still, he had no intention of revealing their relationship, so he refrained from asking Mo Qingqiu more about the Dragon King.

“Hmph! Say what you like.”

Unaware of these hidden stories, Mo Qingqiu felt only that Qin Chuan was making a fool of her. She turned her head away, fuming.

Her behavior left the other Dragon Fang members dumbfounded. Their Captain was usually fierce and quick to use her fists—when had she ever acted like a bashful girl?

Truth be told, it was rather endearing.

Qin Chuan sighed quietly. He’d told her the truth, but if she wouldn’t believe him, what could he do?

The rest of the journey passed with him enduring Mo Qingqiu’s cold looks, glares, and disdainful snorts. Helpless, he pretended to sleep to avoid further awkwardness.

Mo Qingqiu, for her part, felt equally powerless. If she weren’t sure she couldn’t beat him in a fight, she wouldn’t have resorted to such petty protests—in other times, she’d have settled things with her fists.

After about two hours, the car stopped in front of an unusual compound.

It was remarkable for its layout: five courtyards in succession, mostly single-story houses, but with a three-story villa at its center—like a sovereign atop a mountain, looking down on all around.

What was more, the place was guarded with extreme rigor: sentries every five paces, patrols every ten, all armed military personnel. Even a random guard bore insignia of rank.

Qin Chuan noticed that the innermost guards wore double bars and four stars—an indication of just how elevated the Dragon King’s status truly was.

Though escorted by Mo Qingqiu and her team, Qin Chuan was only able to pass through the outermost courtyard. At the second gate, he was stopped for a routine security check. Only after his identity and belongings were thoroughly inspected was he allowed through.

Inside the central villa, Qin Chuan saw the hall already filled with physicians carrying medicine cases, most of them elderly, their hair and beards white. Among them, he immediately recognized an old acquaintance: Li Youshan.

Since being politely refused when he’d sought to become Qin Chuan’s disciple, Li Youshan had devoted himself even more diligently to the study of acupuncture. He believed his rejection was due to his insufficient skill or talent, and so he had failed to earn Qin Chuan’s approval.

“Mr. Qin, you’re finally here!”

Ignoring the astonished stares of those around him, Li Youshan hurried forward with a beaming smile to greet Qin Chuan.

His behavior caused a stir. Li Youshan was a renowned figure in the world of traditional medicine, especially in acupuncture. If not the very best, he was close to it.

Yet here he was, greeting a young man with a smile bordering on obsequiousness—a sight that left the onlookers baffled.

“Are my eyes playing tricks? What’s going on with old Li?”

“Who’s that young man?”

“Who knows? He must have a powerful background, or old Li wouldn’t act that way.”

As the crowd whispered among themselves, an elderly man in a traditional tunic stepped up to Li Youshan, beaming. “Brother Youshan, who is this young friend?”

“Brother Derun, this is the one I told you about before…”

“The Fuxi…”

Li Youshan nodded quickly and made a hushing gesture, cutting off the sentence. He knew Qin Chuan disliked the limelight—if he drew too much attention, his hopes of becoming a disciple might vanish forever.

“Mr. Qin, this is Elder Hu Deren, famed as the master of therapeutic massage and a close friend of mine.” Li Youshan hastened to introduce them as Qin Chuan glanced over in inquiry.

Elder Hu waved his hands modestly. “Please, don’t call me that. My skills are far from masterful; my peers only flatter me with such titles.”

Qin Chuan appreciated Hu Deren’s humility. Li Youshan, on the other hand, was somewhat proud and dismissive—unless you demonstrated superior medical skills, then he would admire and respect you.

In short, both types were to Qin Chuan’s liking. He wasn’t one for rigid hierarchies; so long as they didn’t cause trouble, he respected his elders.

“Greetings, Elder Hu,” Qin Chuan said with a smile.

Hu Deren seemed flattered and quickly replied, “I dare not accept such respect from you, sir. In medicine, the learned are the teachers, regardless of age.”

Hu Deren had heard Li Youshan’s detailed accounts of Qin Chuan. In front of someone capable of wielding the legendary Fuxi Divine Needles, he surely couldn’t claim to be a senior.

Qin Chuan was about to make some polite remarks when a mocking voice rang out: “Birds of a feather flock together, as do fish and shrimp…and turtles and kings! Ha! I really don’t know what use the Dragon King expects from a group of amateurs like you.”