Chapter 327: Chapter 188: Blood Leaf, Is It Him?

The night has fallen.

Today, San Jun Peaks felt particularly deserted.

The moonlight was dim, not the bright kind, casting its glow on the peaks. It was already late autumn, and the chilly wind brought a sense of loneliness.

As he reached the entrance, Li Hengsheng caught a whiff of alcohol.

“Senior Brother Three, I’m here.”

Li Hengsheng called out from outside.

After a moment, Lord Zhou came to open the door, first checking if Li Hengsheng was carrying anything.

Spotting a plucked Spirit Chicken in each of Li Hengsheng’s hands, Lord Zhou’s mouth almost split to the back of his ears, as he hurriedly welcomed Li Hengsheng inside with enthusiasm.

“Are you welcoming me, or the Spirit Chickens?” Li Hengsheng said with mock annoyance.

“Oh come on, of course, I’m welcoming you. Only you can get the Spirit Chickens. If I tried, Second Sister would kick me out.” Lord Zhou said gleefully, taking the chickens from Li Hengsheng and even giving them a quick peck.

This scene left Li Hengsheng utterly speechless.

“Senior Brother Three, did you just give away your first kiss like that?”

“Nonsense, how could your dashing and charming Senior Brother Three still have a first kiss by now?” Lord Zhou said, his face neither blushing nor paling.

“I believe you.”

Li Hengsheng nodded.

Carrying the chickens, Lord Zhou led Li Hengsheng to the spot where they previously roasted chickens. They lit a fire, and Lord Zhou eagerly placed the chickens onto it, meticulously applying oil to them, treating the Spirit Chickens as if they were his lovers.

Li Hengsheng sat by the fire, picked up the bottle of wine from the ground, and took a swig without pouring it out first.

“Wow, drinking so boldly today, feeling down?” Lord Zhou’s eyes were still fixed on the chickens as he asked.

“Why do you like eating chickens so much, Senior Brother Three?” Li Hengsheng suddenly asked.

“Hm? Because they taste good,” Lord Zhou replied casually.

Li Hengsheng said nothing and took another sip of wine.

“My younger brother also loved eating chicken.” Lord Zhou, his head lowered, carefully brushed oil while managing the rotation of the Spirit Chicken. The firelight rendered his gaze deeper.

“In the Zhou family, I wasn’t born to the first wife, and I had a younger brother. I was actually ranked Old Third, and he was Xiaosi.” Lord Zhou suddenly smiled, saying, “Just like us, I’m Old Third and you’re Xiaosi.”

Li Hengsheng smiled lightly.

“When I was young in the Zhou family, I was rather mischievous, and with the strict family rules, I was often punished and frequently went hungry.” Lord Zhou reminisced, “My mother, lacking status, was even scared to bring me food, fearing my father’s wrath. But at that time, only Xiaosi would secretly bring me food.”

“Sometimes it was a steamed bun, and if I was lucky, a meat bun, all of which Xiaosi sacrificed from his own share for me. Yet, I used to complain that he brought too little, keeping me hungry.”

“Xiaosi always told me, ’Third Brother, if you behave and don’t anger Father, you’ll have food to eat.’” Lord Zhou chuckled self-deprecatingly, “But back then, I prided myself on my rebellious nature, looking down on his obedience, scorning him as unambitious.”

“Until later, when I got into trouble again and was locked in the woodshed for a day and night. That time, I caught a cold and became seriously ill.”

“Xiaosi came to find me, and seeing my illness, he worried and wanted to beg Father to release me, but I refused. I didn’t want to bow to my father,” Lord Zhou’s voice grew calm. “But by then, my illness was grave, and Xiaosi left.”

“It wasn’t until the next morning that Xiaosi brought me a bowl of chicken soup. The soup tasted terrible; I even found feathers in it.”

“Then I learned Xiaosi had stolen a chicken from home and secretly cooked the soup for me in the kitchen.”

“That must have been Xiaosi’s first bad deed. He was only six, yet he still managed to cook me a bowl of chicken soup, hoping I’d recover soon. I was genuinely touched.”

Li Hengsheng just listened quietly, without interrupting.

But to Li Hengsheng, this story felt truly heartwarming, seeing Lord Zhou smiling broadly now.

“Later, Xiaosi often stole chickens for us to roast and eat, always ending up with greasy mouths.”

“Xiaosi grew bolder, transforming from an obedient child into a rebellious youth under my influence, until the chicken theft was finally discovered by Father, and he received a harsh punishment.”

“But then we couldn’t steal chickens from home anymore as the watch tightened, yet I still craved roast chicken. Seeing my desire, Xiaosi claimed he had a way and told me to wait for him.” Lord Zhou’s gaze dimmed as he continued, “That was the last time I saw Xiaosi.”

“It wasn’t until two days later when I saw Xiaosi’s body that I understood. Because of my craving for roast chicken, Xiaosi went outside the city to steal a farmer’s chicken, got caught, fled up the mountain, and eventually fell into a deep valley, meeting his demise.”

Lord Zhou hugged his knees, burying his head into them.

The whole person was utterly dejected.

Li Hengsheng could roughly guess the outcome, as Lord Zhou had never mentioned his younger brother before.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep