Ch41 - Punishment

When Qin Xiaorou received Qin Lang’s call, she was sitting in the dining room, ordering food with her little sisters and preparing for dinner. As soon as she heard that something was wrong, Qin Xiaorou hung up the phone and hurried home.

When she entered the living room, she saw Ji Qinghuai kneeling on the ground with his head lowered while Ji Xianzhi’s face was cold and Qin Lang standing worriedly at the side.

During the phone call just now, Qin Lang had briefly explained to Qin Xiaorou what had happened. Since someone’s life was almost taken, Qin Xiaorou knew in her heart that Ji Xianzhi would not take this lightly.

Qin Xiaorou walked to Ji Qinghuai’s side and asked anxiously, “Qingqing, was there any misunderstanding?”

Ji Qinghuai remained silent.

This incident was indeed not a misunderstanding, he indeed had killing intent towards Weisheng Lin, but it was not what he wanted.

He only entered the competition because he didn’t want to see the Weisheng family continue flaunting. He had intended to defeat Weisheng Lin, lose another match and go down to sleep, but he lost control of himself during his second strike. It was as if another consciousness entered his mind, controlling his body to do things that he would never dare to.

But no one would believe this and would only think that he was trying to shirk his responsibility using an absurd excuse.

Seeing Ji Qinghuai’s silence, Qin Xiaorou’s heart sank like a stone falling into the deep sea.

She thought the same as Ji Xianzhi. She had watched her child grow up and she knew exactly what kind of character her son had. He would never do anything to hurt people without a reason. As long as Ji Qinghuai could give her a reason, she would intervene for him.

She knew that Ji Xianzhi was also waiting for Ji Qinghuai’s explanation, but they were only met with silent acquiescence.

In that case, Qin Xiaorou had nothing to say and could only stand aside. Ji Qinghuai was no longer an ignorant child. Now that the incident had already happened, he was responsible for his actions.

Ji Xianzhi sighed softly. Compared to rage, he was more disappointed. He walked slowly behind Ji Qinghuai and demanded in a loud voice, “Ji Qinghuai, do you know where you went wrong?”

Ji Qinghuai took off his dark blue windbreaker on his body, placed it on the ground casually, bowed his head and said, “I cannot escape the blame for today’s incident, I ask father to punish me.”

“Very well.” Ji Xianzhi raised his hand and a long black whip appeared in his hand. The whip curled to the ground slightly. Looking at Ji Qinghuai’s thin back, Ji Xianzhi took a deep breath.

“When you turned into an adult, I told you that as a child of the Ji family, you have an unavoidable responsibility.”

“I know that you have no intention to take charge of the four districts, and Xiao Lang has already taken over this responsibility for you, so I didn’t arrange your future prematurely and let you do whatever you want, but today, you let me down too much.”

Ji Xianzhi flicked his hand and the long black whip broke through the wind and struck heavily on Ji Qinghuai’s back. Ji Qinghuai couldn’t help but lurch forward. He immediately supported himself with one hand against the ground and straightened up again.

“No sense of modesty. Ignorant. Reckless. Unrestrained and extremely stubborn!”

With each word, the long whip struck Ji Qinghuai’s back one after another, using so much force that the shirt tore and blood seeped through, revealing striking whip marks.

Ji Qinghuai’s arms dangled at his side, his fists clenched to endure the pain on his back. Dozens of lashes struck down without a word. Ji Xianzhi looked at the open flesh on Ji Qinghuai’s back, and the hand holding the whip trembled slightly.

From beginning to end, he didn’t ask for mercy, nor did he use their blood relationship to soften his heart. Instead, he stubbornly accepted his punishment.

Ji Xianzhi’s grip on the whip tightened.

But if he was soft-hearted towards Ji Qinghuai now, who could save him in the future if something happened?

Moreover, this matter must also be explained to the victim.

Ji Xianzhi lifted his hand again.

Ji Qinghuai’s body was drenched in a cold sweat, and his face had become pale. Qin Lang saw that Ji Xianzhi had no intention of stopping but he had no way to intervene and could only be worried in his heart. He looked at Qin Xiaorou with pleading eyes, asking for help.

How could Qin Xiaorou not feel distressed when Ji Qinghuai was beaten like this? But since he had made a mistake, he could only bear the consequences and she had no way to intervene.

Qin Xiaorou shook her head.

Pa!

the long whip struck Ji Qinghuai’s back again. This time Ji Qinghuai finally couldn’t bear it. He fell forward and lay on the ground.

Seeing this, Qin Lang didn’t hesitate and rushed over to help Ji Qinghuai up, protecting him with his body.

“Father, you can’t hit him anymore.” Qin Lang’s eyes were pleading.

Ji Xianzhi replied coldly, “Get out of the way.”

Qin Lang refused to move and stayed in the same spot.

Ji Qinghuai endured the pain in his body and pushed Qin Lang with his hands, “Be obedient, get out of the way.”

Ji Qinghuai used very little strength to push Qin Lang. He couldn’t use much strength now and Qin Lang knew that he wouldn’t be able to hold on for longer.

“I won’t let go.” Qin Lang replied firmly and then knelt.

“Father, brother’s body has not yet fully recovered, if you continue, something will surely happen to him. Please show mercy to him, I’m willing to bear the rest of the punishment for brother.”

Ji Qinghuai leaned on Qin Lang, “Don’t make trouble.” His eyebrows were furrowed and his voice was extremely faint.

“No, I’m serious.” Qin Lang picked up the windbreaker on the ground and covered Ji Qinghuai. He looked up at Ji Xianzhi, “Asking for father’s permission.”

Qin Lang looked directly into Ji Xianzhi’s eyes, his eyes unwavering. He was determined to protect his brother. Ji Qinghuai’s eyes were half-closed and the hand on Qin Lang’s arm exerted a slight force, trying to push him away.

Regardless of whether he intended to kill Weisheng Lin or not, since he had caused the accident, he will naturally have to bear the consequences and there was no reason to involve others. The feeling of being beaten was not at all comfortable and he didn’t want Qin Lang to suffer alongside him.

When his body was being detoxified, Ji Qinghuai’s body had already suffered trauma. His body could not recover in just two to three days and now that new injuries were added to his old illnesses, his already weak body couldn’t bear it. He was only holding on through sheer willpower.

Ji Xianzhi also knew about Ji Qinghuai’s current physical condition. With Qin Lang’s plea, Ji Xianzhi’s heart also softened and he couldn’t do anything to Ji Qinghuai who was already scarred.

The two children in front of them, no matter how much they quarreled and fooled around, always valued each other more than themselves. Qin Lang was willing to be punished for Ji Qinghuai, and Ji Qinghuai never tried to escape his responsibility from the beginning to the end and was also unwilling to involve Qin Lang. They both had their responsibilities.

Ji Xianzhi thought, this may be the only thing that could comfort him today.

The black whip fell to the ground and Ji Xianzhi walked past Ji Qinghuai and Qin Lang. He climbed the stairs and went upstairs silently.

Qin Lang’s heart finally relaxed with Ji Xianzhi’s departure.

This matter was over.

The hand gripping his arm lost strength. Qin Lang looked down and found that Ji Qinghuai’s half-closed eyes were already shut.

“Brother!”

“Qingqing!”

Qin Lang grabbed Ji Qinghuai’s arm and put it on his shoulders. Qin Xiaorou supported Ji Qinghuai by the side and the two worked together to bring him into the room.

Ji Qinghuai’s injuries were all on his back and he would press against them if he laid down. Qin Lang took off Ji Qinghuai’s shirt and turned him on his stomach gently.

On Ji Qinghuai’s back, countless welts crisscrossed and under the numerous wounds, there was no unscathed skin. Blood flowed out along the cracks and then dripped onto the bedsheet. The amount of blood in front of them was shocking.

Qin Xiaorou was extremely distressed. She went out and brought in a basin of warm water, and carefully wiped off the bloodstains on Ji Qinghuai with a towel. As she continued wiping it off, the red blood continued to flow out of the wound endlessly. She could only dab his back meticulously.

Ji Qinghuai’s brows were still furrowed and didn’t relax for even a moment. He grabbed the pillow with his hand and groaned lightly.

Suddenly, Qin Xiaorou’s eyes were wet and tears streamed from her eyes, silently sliding down her cheeks.

In the early morning, Ji Qinghuai’s consciousness gradually became sober and he slowly opened his eyes. The injuries on his body had been treated and Qin Lang had also wrapped him tightly with gauze.

Qin Xiaorou had been staying by Ji Qinghuai’s side. Seeing him wake up, she said with joy, “Qingqing, you’re awake. Are you hungry? Do you want to drink water? Tell mom what you want to eat, mom will cook it for you.”

If this was in the past, Ji Qinghuai would be aggrieved and act like a baby but this time, he didn’t after seeing Qin Xiaorou’s reddened eyes.

That’s what someone looked like after crying.

Ji Qinghuai was a little sad.

It wasn’t that he didn’t get into trouble before, but Ji Xianzhi would only be slightly irritated and wouldn’t be too heavy-handed. This time, he was also beaten, but compared to before, everything was different.

His parents had been with him for many years and their relationship had always been very good. The two were also very affectionate. Since he could remember, he had never seen Ji Xianzhi and Qin Xiaorou quarrel, let alone Qin Xiaorou crying.

But today, his mother cried because of him.

Ji Qinghuai looked down, recalling the disappointed look in Ji Xianzhi’s eyes.

This time, he hurt his old father’s heart.

Ji Qinghuai felt guilty and said dumbly, “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault.”

Qin Xiaorou was still waiting for Ji Qinghuai to take her hand and act like a baby, but she didn’t expect him to apologise. Unexpectedly, her eyes became wet again.

However, she didn’t want to cry in front of Ji Qinghuai so she resisted her tears and said, “Mom knows that you didn’t mean it because mom knows that my Qingqing has always been good.”

Ji Qinghuai wanted to raise his hand to help Qin Xiaorou wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes, but it hurt too much to move.

He looked at Qin Xiaorou, and at that moment, he suddenly thought of something.

In fact, from the moment he was born, his life was not just for himself. Before Qin Lang appeared, he was the only child in the family and Ji Xianzhi was full of expectations for him, but what did he want of him?

Since he remembered, he was a troublemaker who beat up the whole street. All he knew was to stir up trouble and he had been punished by Ji Xianzhi several times.

Later, there was a little guy in the family and he was busy dealing with the little one’s temper every day. After he grew up, he didn’t take the initiative to fight others but his fighting didn’t decrease. He also firmly refused Ji Xianzhi’s arrangement to enter the fourth district’s management.

He felt that it was too restraining, he wanted to live more freely and do what he wanted.

As Ji Xianzhi said, Qin Lang took over the responsibility that he should have assumed, he never forced him. He had become more authoritative over the years, but what did he get in return?

His father, Ji Xianzhi, was once the most powerful right-hand man of the God of War, and one of the heroes in integrating the chaotic world. He was a respected and disciplined general standing tall in the sky.

But what about him?

In the eyes of others, Ji Qinghuai was useless except for showing off his ferocity and fighting some hooligans. Some people even thought that it was a great shame for Ji Xianzhi to raise such a son.

Today, he suddenly felt that this evaluation was deserved.

He once thought that Ji Xianzhi disliked him for refusing to work and felt that his father was too strict with him. Only now did Ji Qinghuai realize that Ji Xianzhi’s lack of enforcement was not a kind of indulgence.

Perhaps now, his old father was pondering deeply about whether indulging him for so many years was right or wrong.

After thinking about it for a moment, Ji Qinghuai wanted to get up and sit up, but as soon as he moved, he opened the wound on his body and cried out in pain.

He had injuries on his body and Qin Xiaorou dared not touch him, so she hurriedly said, “Don’t move, just tell me what you want.”

Ji Qinghuai could only lie on his stomach.

He originally wanted to stage a wave of sensational scenes, telling Qin Xiaorou that he wanted to understand what he should do and that he was willing to take on all responsibilities he should bear. Just imagining the scene of the mother and son hugging each other and crying was moving.

However, he gave up.

It’s hard for him to even move, still wanting to embrace and cry?

Ji Qinghuai curled his lips. Save it.

The room Ji Qinghuai was staying in now belonged to Qin Lang. He liked to run over to sleep with him when there was nothing to do but now, for the convenience of taking care of Ji Qinghuai, he was brought to Qin Lang’s room.

After Qin Lang came back from the shower, Qin Xiaorou got up and went back to her room, not wanting to disturb the two brothers. In the corridor, Ji Xianzhi opened the door of the study and happened to run into Qin Xiaorou who was about to return to their room.

Qin Xiaorou stopped and stared at Ji Xianzhi for two seconds, “Qingqing is already awake.”

There was some fatigue evident on her face and after saying this, she returned to their room.

Ji Xianzhi followed Qin Xiaorou, thinking about how to comfort her. He had whipped Ji Qinghuai to that state in front of Qin Xiaorou. Although she didn’t say anything, she must be very distressed in her heart.

Ji Xianzhi watched Qin Xiaorou walk into the room and trailed after her. He had just walked to the door when a pillow flew towards him. Ji Xianzhi reached out his hand to catch it, saw Qin Xiaorou walking towards him and quietly close the door.

Ji Xianzhi stood at the door holding a pillow in a daze.

This…

Ji Xianzhi stood at the door for a while, and finally accepted the fact that he had been driven out by his gentle and considerate wife. As he turned and was about to return to the study room, he didn’t realise since when he had stood behind him.

Qin Lang: “…”

Ji Xianzhi: “…”

The old father was still holding the pillow in his arms, his face a bit flustered.

Qin Lang calmly turned around. I just came out to get something and didn’t see anything.

Qin Lang didn’t even take anything and ran away with oil on the soles of his feet.

If I can’t afford to mess with him, I’ll just hide.

The author has something to say:

Here are some of the less important things. Because “The God of War” has not yet been published, some things may appear suddenly here.

The entire series of Meng Chong is actually two era backgrounds, and only this book will intersperse some, because most of the people around Ji Qinghuai are people who have survived that era, and so is Xie Yan, but compared to Ji Xianzhi’s age.

Shen Xie is the most powerful person in this world setting, and also the person with the highest status. Xie Yan’s identity advantage is probably equal to that of Ji Xianzhi, but he is also a junior in front of Ji Xianzhi, and it is probably this kind of relationship.

Don’t ask why the settings are so messy. If you ask too much, it will be tears.

T/N: LOL once again, I didn’t translate that, its google translate. I hope the author’s note cleared up some understanding of the world setting. I’m not sure how much of the world is explained in God of War since the first chapter has yet to be written (as of when im writing this) but so far in this one, there’s not too many complicated stuff.

On another note, this chapter absolutely devastated me. It hurt to see JQH being wounded so bad dfnjnrejk. I read every sentence at least thrice when I’m translating so each word was just twisting my heart and as the TL-er, the characters are like my children, I love them so much but seeing him in pain was unbearable T-T I had to take a 2 hour break mid-way lol