After Descending the Mountain, Seven Big Brothers Spoil Me - Chapter 439

Chapter 439: Severing Familial Bonds
Upon hearing the young girl’s words, Lu Qing felt a warm surge in his heart. Holding her close, his eyes were filled with tenderness. How could he not cherish such a little junior sister?

As Sun Mei cast a faintly sinister glance, Lu Qing furrowed his brow slightly, turning to Zhouzhou and murmuring softly, “Let’s go, I’ll escort you out.”

He was reluctant for Zhouzhou to have too much contact with Sun Mei, lest it tarnish her innocence.

Zhouzhou nodded, and before leaving, she glared fiercely at Sun Mei once more, waving her fist in a defiant gesture.

Sun Mei, inexplicably, felt a twinge of fear at the sight of her, but then dismissed it with disdain. Just a little brat, what was there to fear?

However, she noticed a gaze fixed upon her. Turning, she saw Ye Lingfeng gazing at her with an eerie intensity, sending shivers down her spine. This person was truly terrifying.

Who were they, exactly?

Lu Qing also pondered their identities. Judging from their demeanor, they were undoubtedly people of significant status, with the most refined appearances he had seen since leaving the mountains.

One wealthy, the other powerful, both exceptional individuals. Fortunately, they both cared for Zhouzhou, so Lu Qing didn’t dwell on their identity further.

Zhouzhou, however, held Lu Qing tightly, brimming with affection for him.

She looked up at him, furrowing her brows, and said, “Fifth Senior Brother, you shouldn’t have stopped me just now. You should have let me teach her a lesson.”

“Why involve yourself in karma for someone like her?”

Lu Qing chuckled lightly, patting her head gently, his tone turning indifferent when mentioning Sun Mei.

He was kind-hearted but not foolish. From a young age, he had seen through Sun Mei’s true nature. After all, he had been abandoned by her countless times as a child.

He knew she never cared for him. It wasn’t until he excelled in his studies and received awards that she abandoned the idea of getting rid of him.

Then, upon discovering his talent in metaphysics, she immediately handed him over to their master. When she realized he wasn’t cooperating, she turned hostile.

In Sun Mei’s eyes, he was nothing more than an object. But Zhouzhou didn’t see him that way. She held onto Lu Qing tightly, displaying her love for him.

Zhouzhou looked at him, her brows furrowed, and said, “Fifth Senior Brother, come home with me. I’ll take care of you. My family will be your family. I’ll share my dads with you, and from now on, my dads will be your dads.”

“Wow,” Huo Ji’an, who had been silent, couldn’t help but admire, enthusiastically recommending, “Uncle Ye and Uncle Qin are both great! They treat chubby girl so well. If you become their child, you’ll be so happy, Fifth Senior Brother, hurry and call them dads.”

Zhouzhou nodded, saying, “Yes, call them dads! Then we’ll truly be a family.”

After speaking, she looked at him expectantly.

Lu Qing: “…”

Qin Lie: “…”

Ye Lingfeng: “…”

The three exchanged glances, looking at the newly formed “two dads and one son family”, falling silent for a moment.

Yu Ze hurriedly covered Huo Ji’an’s mouth, giving them an apologetic look. Kids say the darndest things.

Huo Ji’an looked up at him blankly, puzzled. What’s wrong?

Seeing his reaction, Zhouzhou was also taken aback. Seeing their silence, she shook Lu Qing’s arm, puzzled, “Fifth Senior Brother, what’s wrong? Don’t you want to?”

Lu Qing sighed, “Zhouzhou, I’m only a few years younger than your dads.”

Oh, right.

Slapping her forehead, Zhouzhou tilted her head to look at them, realizing that it might not be quite appropriate.

After some thought, a spark of inspiration struck her, “Then you can call my dads ‘brothers’. I have many brothers, it’ll be great if you also have some. You can recognize them as your brothers, and we’ll still be a family.”

“But then I’ll have to call you ‘uncle’, which might be a bit confusing.”

“It’s okay, we’ll each have our own titles. You can call them ‘brothers’ while I still call you ‘senior brother’, it won’t affect anything!”

With her hand gesturing confidently, she seemed quite sure of herself. Thinking of her tangled family tree, Qin Lie couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.

Rubbing his temples, he said, “Zhouzhou, your senior brother is already family. No need for formalities.”

“Exactly,” Ye Lingfeng chimed in hastily, fearing that Zhouzhou might bring back a son if they said too much. A younger brother wouldn’t do either.

Lu Qing nodded hastily, fearing that his junior sister might actually force him to recognize others as brothers.

Although her dads were indeed kind, he didn’t have the habit of acknowledging siblings everywhere.

Upon hearing this, Zhouzhou didn’t insist on the matter of recognition anymore. She hugged Lu Qing and smiled, “So, from now on, Fifth Senior Brother is our family. Will you come home with us?”

Her biological mother was clearly not a good person; she would definitely bully him when they returned home.

Fifth Senior Brother had a good temper and didn’t fight back, so he would definitely suffer. She couldn’t bear it.

However, to her surprise, it was Lu Qing himself who refused. He shook his head, “It’s not the right time.”

Pouting, Zhouzhou asked anxiously, “Why not?”

Lu Qing sat down on a nearby bench, holding her since she had gained some weight recently and he found it hard to lift her.

He gestured for the others to sit as well before slowly explaining, “The reason I came down from the mountain this time was actually to sever my familial bonds.”

“These ties bring me no benefit and only burden me. It’s time to cut them off.”

“But as you know, only parents can sever familial bonds; children cannot, otherwise they will incur divine punishment, which isn’t worth it.”

“So, when she hit me, I didn’t fight back. Each time she hits me, a bit of the familial bond is severed, and it’s almost over.”

As for his father, he had passed away long ago, so he wasn’t worried about the familial bond on that side.

It was mainly with Sun Mei; even if she treated him poorly, she was the one who gave birth to him, making this karmic tie the strongest.

Zhouzhou glanced at the familial bond on his hand and indeed found it lighter than the one she had seen in the restaurant earlier, which eased her mind slightly.

She had known that Fifth Senior Brother wasn’t a fool; how could he stand there and get hit without dodging? She had thought he was being people pleaser again.

But still…

Seeing the wound on his head, she felt a pang of heartache. “Fifth Senior Brother, do you really have to endure being hit? It must hurt so much.”

At her words, Lu Qing’s lips curled into a smile, and he leaned down to nuzzle her forehead, saying gently, “It’ll be over soon, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Once it’s over, I’ll come find you to play, okay?”

“Okay,” Zhouzhou replied, still somewhat sullen. She couldn’t bear to see Fifth Senior Brother get hurt, but as he said, these familial ties had to be severed.

He was lacking in life, already the most afraid of bearing karmic consequences, so these burdens had to be resolved.

Remembering something, she said nervously, “But Fifth Senior Brother, you must never go to tell fortunes for others, or you’ll lose your lifespan.”

This was her biggest worry.

Lu Qing shook his head, “Don’t worry, I won’t. I know my limits.”

Listening to the conversation between the senior brother and junior sister, Ye Lingfeng had remained silent until he heard this remark.

Opening his eyes, he spoke, “Do you know that your mother intended to sell you to that Mr. Zheng?”

What?!

Zhouzhou clenched her fists.

She shouldn’t have put the nightmare talisman under her bed; she should have directly given her a reincarnation talisman!