Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

Jiang Jibai looked at Shen Jiangliu and asked with a half-smile, "I didn't expect you and Feibai to become neighbors?"

The teacher stayed at his house for two days, but he didn't mention at all that his "junior brother" lived next door, which seemed a bit illogical.

What if we let slip the identity of the small-hole beehive...

Shen Jiangliu inwardly broke out in a cold sweat, his face full of "surprise" as he looked at Lao Qian, "So the person living in the house next door is actually the son of the Sichuan Provincial Governor, my junior brother. How come I've never heard you mention him before?"

Didn't you ask that on your first day back, young master?

Could it be that you don't want Mr. Jiang to know?

Old Qian had served Shen Jiangliu for many years, and he knew his son's memory very well, so he immediately noticed something was wrong.

His eyes flashed, and he added in a playful tone, "The son of the Provincial Governor of Western Sichuan is actually your junior brother, young master?"

"It's also my fault for being negligent. Young Master Bian doesn't live here often, he only comes occasionally, so the house is vacant most of the time."

Shen Jiangliu said with "regret," "So that's how it is. I've missed out."

The young apprentice serves as His Majesty's study companion, with a ten-day break every ten days. Moreover, this is not the Bian family mansion, but rather a villa, so it's not surprising that we didn't run into each other.

The people from Washa came and went in a hurry, and quickly moved their positions after realizing they had gone to the wrong address.

Listening to the sound of the proud and spirited fighting roosters flapping their wings in their cages, Jiang Jibai said to Lao Qian, "Could you please pass on a message to the owner next door?"

Shen Jiangliu's eyelids twitched, and he tried to stop him, "Today isn't Junior Brother's day off; isn't he on duty in the palace?"

Jiang Jibai glanced at him, "Did you end up working in the dumps?"

Shen Jiangliu shut his mouth.

Old Qian asked, "What message do you want me to convey?"

Jiang Jibai brushed off non-existent dust from his sleeve and said casually, "His neighbor is very interested in his fighting roosters and asked him to introduce each one."

Shen Jiangliu: "..."

Small-hole honeycomb briquettes, don't blame me for not doing my best.

Do not live by committing sins.

...

After applying the medicine to Shang Jingming, Qin Ji was helped to wash his hands by a servant.

He took the cloth from the maid, dried his hands, and pondered whether to make Shang Jingming, the boy, go to the foreman with his injury to teach him a lesson, or to grant him a two-day rest to show his kindness.

A maid came in and whispered a few words in his ear.

Qin Ji raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "Neighbors? Who lives next door?"

The maidservant replied in a low voice, "He has only recently returned to the capital. He seems to be a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Water Resources, surnamed Shen."

Qin Ji: "..."

Qin Ji narrowed his eyes slightly.

What's wrong with Shen Jiangliu?

Who should introduce him to cockfighting?

And one by one...

wanna die?

But this tone... a voice quietly whispered in my heart about a certain possibility.

Unwilling to accept reality, Qin Ji banished the annoying voice and decided to make one last desperate attempt.

He dismissed the maids, clenched his left fist, and tapped the table with his knuckles. "Go and take a look."

The "wildcat" on the roof responded to the call, rising and falling, crossing the buildings of the villa, climbing over the wall, and landing next door like a leaf.

Lentil closed his eyes, twitched his ears, and with a light step, he was already on top of the study.

He lifted the tile to take a look, then silently put it back down. He rummaged through his pocket for his cotton earplugs, confirmed they were still there, and immediately turned back as fast as the wind, his figure disappearing in a blur.

The lentils landed beside Qin Ji and truthfully reported what they had seen.

My heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was completely dead.

Qin Ji slammed his hand on the table and stood up expressionlessly.

Bian Yushu looked over, puzzled. "Young Master?"

Shang Jingming glanced at Biandou and knew that something must have happened, related to what the maid had just reported.

Since His Majesty didn't bring it up, it means he didn't intend for them to know.

He suppressed his doubts and didn't ask any further questions.

Qin Ji glanced at the left and right arms lying on the bed, offered no explanation, stepped out of the room, and instructed the servants, "Tell them to stay in bed and recover from their injuries, and not to wander around."

His Majesty did not deliberately lower his voice, and the two people in the room could hear it clearly.

Bian Yushu and Shang Jingming, unusually, did not clash and peacefully exchanged a glance.

The servant bowed and accepted the order. Qin Ji looked at the house and felt uneasy, wishing he could seal the doors and windows.

Fortunately, the villa is large enough that as long as he doesn't lead Jiang Jibai this way, the two will not run into each other.

As Qin Ji strode towards the door, he pondered how to get through the ordeal.

The message from the fighting cock arrived at the same time as the message from next door. Could it be that Jiang Jibai saw the fighting cock come to his door?

There's no way to deny it now. If you don't want to drag "unrelated" people into this, you have to take the blame yourself.

I wonder what Jiang Jibai's attitude is towards cockfighting...

Thinking about the parts of his body that weren't fully healed yet, Qin Ji felt a little itchy to touch them.

The blessings given were insufficient.

Bian Yushu really got a great deal by winning forty small bamboo clappers!

As his thoughts raced, Qin Ji arrived at the gate of the house.

The cockfighting cages were piled up at the bottom of the stone steps and hadn't been moved inside yet; even the people from the entertainment venue hadn't left.

Upon seeing Qin Ji appear, the leader's face revealed a hint of cautious flattery. "We've brought you both the fighting roosters from Big Beard. If you're satisfied, we'll save the better ones for your household in the future."

The Provincial Governor of Western Sichuan was a high-ranking official of the second rank. Although he was not an official in the capital, he was still a regional governor of the second rank.

If they could please this young master Bian, they would have truly climbed the social ladder.

Qin Ji didn't care about his flattery; he only intended to ask about the fighting cocks in detail so he could deal with Jiang Jibai later. "This one..."

Qin Ji caught a glimpse of the two people crossing the threshold next door out of the corner of his eye, and immediately changed his tune, "Not bad."

"You've shown your kindness; you can leave now."

If these people ramble on and on, revealing the two people lying inside, things will get complicated.

The governor's son's attitude of dismissing people was too obvious. The leader also saw the two people who came out from next door. Although he was disappointed, he knew that this was not a good time to curry favor.

He readily agreed and quickly left with his men.

Qin Ji turned his head and "discovered" two people walking towards him from next door.

He raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise on his face, which quickly turned into realization.

"I was wondering which neighbor had sent me this random message, but it turns out it's because 'Senior Brother' lives here. What a coincidence."

Turning his gaze to Jiang Jibai, Qin Ji greeted him with a look of "surprise," "Teacher, what brings you here?"

Shen Jiangliu: "..."

You must have studied face-changing techniques.

And why does the phrase "eldest brother" sound so sarcastic and menacing?

Could it be that they're trying to pin the blame on him for this small-hole honeycomb briquette?

Faced with his junior disciple's "enthusiasm," Jiang Jibai politely answered his question, "Come and warm up your senior brother's home."

"Aren't you on duty today?"

Qin Ji casually replied, "His Majesty has granted a day off for not attending classes today."

"Please come in, teacher."

Jiang Jibai nodded slightly, seemingly accepting his explanation.

Seeing that Jiang Jibai hadn't mentioned cockfighting, Qin Ji nervously led his teacher and his companions inside.

As Jiang Jibai passed the last cage, he gently kicked the cage frame with the tip of his shoe. The fighting rooster reacted by raising its tail feathers and flapping its wings with a loud thud.

Qin Ji froze.

Jiang Jibai, as expected, didn't let him off the hook. His indifferent voice came from the side, "What, aren't you going to introduce your treasure?"

...

Thanks to @ThisIsMyAbstractID for the expert certification.

Sorry I'm a little late today.