True Brothers

Chapter 45 True Brothers

I suspect there is a vein here that can be mined for red iron ore!

When Zhou Chun voiced his guess, Zhou Zhengyong was immediately jolted awake and looked at him with a shocked expression.

"Thirteenth Brother, you're not kidding, are you?!"

"A vein containing crimson iron ore—do you know what you're talking about?"

"We can't jump to conclusions about this so easily!"

Zhou Zhengyong was so shocked that he almost stammered, staring at Zhou Chun with a look of astonishment and stammering.

"Brother Yong, do you think I'm the kind of person who likes to boast and exaggerate? I dare to say this because I have actual discoveries to back it up."

Zhou Chun responded to Zhou Zhengyong's questions with a calm expression and a very firm tone.

But after he finished speaking, seeing that Zhou Zhengyong still looked shocked and incredulous, he hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly and said:

"However, Brother Yong, your concerns are not without merit. Perhaps this is just a random occurrence of some Crimson Iron Ore, and not a large vein. As for the specifics, once we return and inform the clan chief, he will naturally have a way to verify it."

Hearing this, Zhou Zhengyong snapped out of his daze and quickly nodded, saying, "That's right, we just need to report the situation truthfully to the clan chief!"

"Then let's go out first. My brother has already collected the Purple Flame Sable's corpse. You can rest assured now, Brother Yong."

Zhou Chun patted the storage bag at his waist and said something that surprised and delighted Zhou Zhengyong.

Immediately, the two packed some red iron ore into a storage bag and took it away as evidence, then returned to the ground via the same route.

Once on the ground, Zhou Chun's first action was to block and conceal the cave entrance to prevent anyone from accidentally passing by and discovering anything.

After completing the concealment, he put away the rock tortoise that had been guarding the ground and went out of the red pine forest with Zhou Zhengyong.

"Uncle Sun, this is the corpse of the Purple Flame Sable. Please take a look."

Outside the red pine forest, in front of Sun Lianzhong and his family of three, Zhou Zhengyong reached out and patted the storage bag, taking out the corpse of the Purple Flame Sable that Zhou Chun had killed with the Moon Blade.

At that time, the Purple Flame Sable's final desperate attack did not cause any actual damage to Zhou Chun.

It was the fireball explosion that caused part of the cave to collapse, and the falling crimson iron ore that led to his unexpected discovery.

Looking at the mangled corpse of the Purple Flame Sable on the ground, Sun Lianzhong couldn't help but shake his head slightly and say, "What a pity."

Then he nodded to Zhou Zhengyong and said, "It is indeed the corpse of the Purple Flame Sable. You have passed this test. Now, let your elders come to the Sun family to propose marriage!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengyong was naturally overjoyed.

Sun Yujiao, standing to the side, blushed and stamped her foot, saying coquettishly, "Father, how could you sell your daughter with just one sentence? She hasn't even agreed yet!"

Before she could even speak, Zhou Zhengyong hurriedly exclaimed, "Jiaojiao, how could you say that? Didn't we agree on something? You..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Chun covered his mouth and whispered a few words in his ear, bringing him to his senses.

He was also a smooth talker and quite talented at charming women.

After his expression shifted a few times, he grinned as if nothing had happened and said, "Hehehe, Jiaojiao, don't misunderstand. I was just too excited. Don't worry, my promise to you will always stand. You'll always be the only one in my heart!"

"Hmph, dream on!"

Sun Yujiao, her pretty face flushed with embarrassment, spat at him lightly, too shy to say anything more.

After chatting and laughing like this, the group returned to the Sun family's mountain gate.

After returning to the Sun family, Zhou Chun and Zhou Zhengyong meditated to recover their magical power and then hurriedly went to say goodbye to Sun Lianzhong's family and left.

"Don't you two nephews want to rest for a couple more days?"

Inside the Sun family courtyard, Sun Lianzhong looked at the Zhou family members, who appeared tired but were eager to leave, with a look of surprise on his face.

"We appreciate Uncle Sun's kindness, but the clan chief instructed us before we left that if the trip goes smoothly, we should return as soon as possible to report the good news."

At this point, Zhou Chun couldn't help but glance at Zhou Zhengyong beside her and chuckle, "Besides, Brother Yong also wants to win the heart of his beauty as soon as possible!"

"Hehehe..."

Zhou Zhengyong smiled broadly, cooperating with Zhou Chun to dispel Sun Lianzhong's doubts.

Seeing this, Sun Lianzhong indeed stopped asking questions and thus developed a greater liking for Zhou Zhengyong.

Although he still felt that Zhou Zhengyong was not as suitable for his taste as Zhou Chun, Zhou Zhengyong's affection for his daughter was enough to make up for some of the shortcomings, and his daughter should not suffer any losses if she married him.

He nodded slightly and said, "In that case, have a safe journey, and remember to be careful on the road."

"This junior takes his leave."

Zhou Chun and Zhou Zhengyong bowed to each other, then rode the large-horned blue sheep that had been left at the Sun family's animal park back to the Zhou family.

They again rode their sheep at full speed, and it took them more than a day to get back to Jiufengling.

After returning to their family, the two put the exhausted Great Horned Sheep, which was almost drooling with exhaustion, into the mountains and headed straight for Pagoda Peak.

"How was it? Judging from the way you two look, the trip should have gone fairly smoothly."

Inside the Zhongping Hall, after receiving Zhou Chun and his companion upon their return, Zhou Daoyi smiled slightly and inquired about the outcome of their trip.

Upon hearing this, the two exchanged a glance, and Zhou Zhengyong bowed respectfully and replied, "Clan leader, you are wise. Thanks to my thirteenth brother, I was able to pass Uncle Sun's test this time. He has already agreed to my marriage with Yu Jiao and asked me to find an elder in the clan to propose marriage to the Sun family."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Daoyi immediately smiled and exclaimed, "Very well, then I must congratulate you in advance!"

After a moment's thought, he continued, "As for the marriage proposal, Jiapeng will go to the Sun family as the groom's elder. I will also write him a letter to deliver to Clan Chief Sun Zhongping."

Upon hearing his words, Zhou Zhengyong immediately showed joy and gratitude, and hurriedly bowed to express his thanks: "I am deeply grateful for the clan leader's kindness."

"This is what I, as the clan leader, should do; there's no need to be so polite."

Zhou Daoyi waved his hand, then looked at Zhou Chun and said, "As for you, Zheng Chun, I'll reward you..."

Before he could finish giving Zhou Chun his reward, Zhou Chun suddenly bowed to him with a solemn expression and said, "Clan leader, you are wise. I have another important matter to report."

Ok?

Zhou Daoyi looked at Zhou Chun with a surprised expression.

Upon seeing Zhou Chun's solemn expression, he narrowed his eyes, nodded immediately, and said in a deep voice, "Go ahead and speak!"

Zhou Chun immediately shared his findings and speculations, and took out the red iron ore he had dug out from his storage bag to present to Zhou Daoyi for identification.

As Zhou Chun reported, Zhou Daoyi's expression changed repeatedly.

After examining the crimson iron ore presented by Zhou Chun for a while, he looked at the ore in his hand with a complicated expression and sighed deeply, "Although the quality isn't very good, it is indeed crimson iron ore!"

After saying that, he took a deep breath and looked at Zhou Chun and the other man with a solemn expression, slowly saying, "You did the right thing in this matter. If there really is a Crimson Iron Mine, then its value will be enormous, so much so that even our Zhou family alone cannot swallow it up!"

"Therefore, from this moment on, you two must keep your mouths shut about this matter and not mention it to a fourth person!"

"As for your rewards, I will discuss with the Supreme Elder how to reward you after this matter is completely finalized!"

His expression and tone clearly demonstrated how seriously he took this matter.

Zhou Chun and his companion were well aware of the gravity of the matter; if the news leaked, they risked their lives.

Therefore, he immediately swore in front of Zhou Daoyi that he would never reveal this matter to anyone again.

Seeing that the two knew their strength, Zhou Daoyi felt relieved and immediately waved his hand, saying, "Alright, you two go back and rest first. Once I've made preparations here, I'll have Zhengchun come and lead the way."

"Yes, this junior will take his leave."

Zhou Chun and his companion bowed and quickly left Pagoda Peak, returning to Baozhi Peak.

They walked in silence until they reached Zhou Chun's courtyard. Then, Zhou Zhengyong looked at him with a serious expression and said, "This whole affair was made possible entirely by your help, Thirteenth Brother. I won't thank you enough. If there's anything you'd like me to do for you in the future, just say the word, and I promise I'll do it without hesitation!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chun immediately waved his hand and said, "Brother Yong, you're too kind. Since we're brothers, there's no need for thanks."

After saying that, he chuckled and said, "I'm just waiting to drink your wedding wine!"

Seeing this, Zhou Zhengyong felt even more grateful to him.

But he didn't say anything more about thanking him, only laughed loudly and said, "Haha, I'll make sure you get to drink it soon!"

Then he nodded emphatically to Zhou Chun and left without saying anything.

As Zhou Zhengyong's departing figure was being watched, a smile appeared on Zhou Chun's face.

He knew that, given Zhou Zhengyong's personality, after this incident, he would have the first brother in the Zhou family who would risk his life for him!

(End of this chapter)