Qin Rui: "..."
I suddenly felt guilty.
He subconsciously lowered his eyes to avoid Qin Chu's gaze.
When Qin Chu learned of what he had done, normally he would have uncontrollably entertained some panicked and dark thoughts.
Now that he had clearly shown Qin Rui his worst side, Qin Rui no longer felt that uncontrollable anxiety.
He lowered his head and hesitated for a while before nodding in agreement.
But before Qin Chu could reprimand him, he immediately looked up at Qin Chu and defended himself: "Dr. Su wanted to kill me, and he..."
Qin Rui still didn't want to say those disgusting things to Qin Chu.
"And what?" Qin Chu raised an eyebrow at him.
Qin Rui pursed his lips, picked out something to say, and said, "Dr. Su wants to do something bad to you, brother."
"Oh, what about Captain Zhang?" Qin Chu continued to ask with a cold face.
Mentioning Captain Zhang, Qin Rui sneered, "He's still up to no good and wants to prove you're a brother, brother. Besides, I didn't kill him. I just brought him some snacks and placed a few stones in his yard. He couldn't resist getting drunk and accidentally killed himself; that's his own fault."
When a teenager says these things, there is a natural cruelty on his face, as if he has his own set of standards, and in his standards, what he is doing is perfectly normal.
But after saying these words, Qin Rui realized that his tone might have been a bit too blunt, so he looked up cautiously at Qin Chu.
Sure enough, as soon as he looked up, he heard Qin Chu sneer at him: "You have quite the excuse."
Qin Rui blinked twice, then reached out and tugged at Qin Chu's clothes, softening his tone: "Then, brother, are you angry with me?"
Qin Chu: "..."
Even after things have come to this point, you still dare to act cute towards him?
Qin Chu tugged at his sleeve, but couldn't budge it.
He looked down at Qin Rui's gradually developing features and, for some reason, suddenly felt a bit suffocated.
But no matter how angry he was, he couldn't stoop to Qin Rui's level.
"Angry." Qin Chu sighed inwardly and looked away.
Qin Rui paused for a moment, just as he was about to continue trying to coax Qin Chu, when he suddenly saw Qin Chu stand up.
Qin Chu looked down at the child and lectured him: "You are a child. If you do something wrong, it is also my fault. I failed to teach you well, so I will take the punishment for you in these two matters."
As he spoke, he turned and walked out.
Upon hearing this, Qin Rui, who had remained calm throughout, was suddenly startled.
He suddenly lunged forward and hugged Qin Chu's waist: "No! I did it, why punish my brother!"
"That's the rule," Qin Chu said, looking at him.
"I don't care about the rules! Punish me if you want!" Qin Rui gritted his teeth, raised his head, and looked at Qin Chu with extreme seriousness. "I won't allow anyone to punish my brother. If anyone dares to punish you, I'll kill him!"
The words were spoken in a low, heavy voice, and a chilling expression appeared on the child's still-childish face; he was clearly not joking.
Even though Qin Chu was mentally prepared, he was still taken aback by Qin Rui's performance.
He was speechless for a long time, even wondering if someone had switched the puppy. He thought he was raising a sweet and cute little puppy, but it turned out to be a ferocious wolf cub.
Qin Chu, who was completely absorbed in raising a child for the first time, was dealt a heavy blow. He stood there for a while, beginning to doubt whether he was a good enough parent.
Seeing that Qin Chu remained silent, Qin Rui also became a little scared. He softened his tone and began to plead, "Brother, they are not good people, they deserve their punishment. The General has not mentioned this matter anymore, brother, please don't go to receive the punishment..."
Qin Chu felt incredibly conflicted. He looked at Qin Rui and asked, "Do you know where you went wrong?"
As long as Qin Chu didn't go to accept punishment, Qin Rui was willing to admit any wrongdoing: "I know I shouldn't have killed him. But..."
Qin Rui looked up at Qin Chu and said seriously, "Brother, I can tolerate everything else, even if they wanted to kill me. But they shouldn't have tried to hurt you..."
Hearing this, Qin Chu's feelings became even more complicated.
I felt worried on one hand, but on the other hand, I couldn't help feeling comforted on the other.
In a society with a sound legal system, someone like Qin Rui would have already turned the child over to the relevant authorities.
But that's not the case. Qin Rui's past life shaped him into this way, and even if it's for survival and self-preservation, Qin Chu can't criticize his actions.
After a long silence, Qin Chu felt that he should first correct things at the root.
He sat down again, looked at Qin Rui and said, "I can skip the punishment, but you need to promise me one thing."
Seeing that Qin Chu's attitude had softened, Qin Rui nodded hurriedly: "I agree to whatever you say, brother."
"You are not allowed to kill people indiscriminately, except in self-defense," Qin Chu said, pressing down on Qin Rui's head.
But this request seemed to go against Qin Rui's nature. He remained silent for a long time before reluctantly asking, "Then it's okay if it's not just any kind of request, right?"
Qin Chu: "..."
Who taught this brat?
Noah was thrilled: "His skill in exploiting loopholes has truly been passed down from you!"
After giving Qin Rui his instructions, Qin Chu couldn't help but ponder the reason why Qin Rui had gone astray, even as he was busy on the training ground.
"He's in the military camp. Although the discipline here isn't exactly strict, he hasn't done anything wrong on the surface..." After a moment of silence, Qin Chu began to shift the blame, "He can't have gone astray just because he's seen Ti Rong a few times, can he?"
Noah: "..."
He was about to point out that Qin Chu was too concerned about Qin Rui when he suddenly thought of a possibility.
But after thinking about Qin Rui's appearance, he dismissed his doubts.
Five years later.
Outside the newly recovered Tailiao City, a peaceful and serene scene unfolded.
It is springtime in the border region, and tender green shoots are emerging from the grass. The only sturdy, withered tree outside the city wall has also sprouted some greenery, adorning its bare branches.
A shadowy figure flashed behind the withered tree, and a middle-aged man with a goatee emerged. He glanced furtively at the city gate of Tailiao City, then at the patrolling soldiers ahead.
After waiting for a while and figuring out the soldiers' patrol patterns, the middle-aged man cautiously turned around, intending to run away into the distance.
But as soon as he stepped onto the soft grass, he suddenly felt a tightness in his ankle, cried out in alarm, and was lifted upside down.
The perspective suddenly shifted, leaving the middle-aged man disoriented and confused, still not understanding what had happened.
Then there was a rustling sound in the tree, followed by a flash of a figure, and a tall young man jumped down from the tree.
The boy was already as tall as an adult, and his features had matured, already showing the beginnings of a handsome appearance.
A slight smile played on his lips, a smile that wasn't exactly unfriendly, but inexplicably revealed a blatant malice. Yet, given his striking good looks, he was sure to be a menace in a few years.
"This, young man? You... are you a resident of this neighborhood? Why did you tie me up?" The man with the goatee was a little flustered, but seeing that the young man in front of him was not wearing military armor and looked somewhat like a Xiongnu, he wondered if it was a misunderstanding.
The boy didn't answer. He leaned closer to examine the goatee, and his smile widened: "It really is you? That corrupt official who defected to the Xiongnu."
"This, this is not something you can say carelessly!" Goatee hurriedly tried to cover up.
He tried to make up an identity on the spot, but the boy had no intention of letting him speak. Suddenly, the boy grabbed his shoulder and exerted force in one direction, causing his dangling goatee to spin uncontrollably.
His vision was so blurry that he was first hung upside down and then spun around like this. Goatee felt like his brains were sloshing around and he felt like he could vomit them out.
He endured the dizziness and nausea, and tried several times to beg for mercy, but the boy standing beside him showed no intention of listening.
He seemed to have acquired some interesting toy, and as soon as the goatee stopped, he would twirl it around a few more times, faster and faster...
Finally, the goatee almost vomited, his face was covered in filth, and he nearly choked to death.
With his last breath, the goatee-bearded man vaguely saw the boy dodge the filth on the ground and approach slightly. The boy looked at him and laughed: "No wonder you're like this, threatening the people of the city with your wife and children to fight for the Xiongnu. Do you know how much trouble you've caused my brother, you scoundrel?"
"I...I had no choice, please have mercy..."
Before he could finish speaking, the goatee's vision went black, because he saw the boy fiddling with the rope again.
Just then, a patrolling soldier rode up on horseback and called out, "Qin Rui, come back quickly!"
The boy glanced up, but showed no intention of letting go, and looked about to twist the rope again.
But then the soldier added, "Your brother is looking for you!"
The boy paused, then quickly withdrew his hand, glancing at the man with the goatee: "Consider yourself lucky."
Qin Rui handed the man over to the soldiers, returned to the city, and headed straight for Qin Chu's residence.
He didn't knock; he simply pushed the door open and went inside, as if he knew the way well.
Qin Chu was reading a letter from the imperial court at his desk. He seemed to have heard his footsteps, but he didn't even look up.
Qin Rui didn't care and walked over on his own.
He showed no intention of avoiding suspicion whatsoever. While Qin Chu was sitting there reading a letter, he moved closer to Qin Chu's back, bent down, and read it together through the gap behind Qin Chu's neck.
The fifteen-year-old boy was no longer the little bean he used to be. Qin Rui had grown like crazy over the past few years, as if he had been fed pig feed. The boy was also very hot-tempered, and even his breathing seemed heavier than that of an ordinary person.
Therefore, it has a strong presence.
Author's Note:
Haha, none of you guessed the boss? Looks like I was too subtle in my foreshadowing.
Chapter 76, Fourth Story (22)
After lying there for a short while, Qin Chu became a little impatient and turned to look at the boy: "Still looking? Do you know them all or something?"
Qin Rui gave a shameless smile: "I recognize all the characters, but I can't understand them because they're written in a very convoluted and literary style."
The older this kid gets, the less he studies. Qin Chu hired several teachers for him, but they couldn't keep an eye on him.
Qin Chu was annoyed by what he saw, so he simply lifted his leg and pushed the person aside.
Qin Rui wasn't annoyed at all; he just smiled and moved to the other side of the table.
Over the years, he has grown taller and more robust. Qin Chu no longer protects him like he did when he was a child, letting him wrestle and fight in the military camp.
"Brother, I did a great job today. I caught that shameless corrupt official."
Qin Rui rested his chin on one hand, seeking praise from Qin Chu.
The boy was tall and slender, and he was restless when he sat down. Although he was sitting opposite someone, his entire upper body was almost leaning on the table.