You are my brother.

Damn it, why didn’t you say so earlier! In Xiao Cai’s heart, it was as if ten thousand wild horses thundered past. All that effort, racking her brains and running her mouth just to beg a few sprigs from Qiu Ling.

Song Qiuling suddenly felt the spiritual branch in her hand lost all its charm; it left her uneasy.

The truth was, the spiritual branch was a rare herb, known to only a handful. Behind Qingshan Town stretched vast, endless mountains; few ventured there except those training themselves, and even fewer went to gather herbs. Only a select few even knew if the spiritual branch grew there.

“Ahem, He, you shouldn’t be so reckless in the future, understand? For something like this, it’s not worth it.” Xiao Cai spoke earnestly, putting on an air of looking out for him.

Lin He looked at Yu Daoyi without a word. How could there be a person like this in the world, eyes brimming with unshed tears, acting as if all he wanted were a few worthless herbs—yet before he could get them, they beat him up, and he didn’t even fight back, about to cry.

“You just wait. The Lin family is not one to be trifled with!” Lin He stood up and strode away, leaving behind a desolate figure.

The others from the Lin family quickly followed, taking broad, determined steps.

Yu Daoyi’s face remained calm. Such words were no more threatening than the classic villain’s line from his past life’s cartoons: “I’ll be back!” Utterly useless—otherwise, those cartoons wouldn’t have run for thousands of episodes.

“Sister Xia, next time could you just say so sooner?” Yu Daoyi said, a bit exasperated.

“What, are you scared?” Xia Rong looked on with amusement.

“Scared? What would I be afraid of? Him taking revenge on me? It’s just that I feel like I went through so much for nothing.” Yu Daoyi let out a deep sigh.

“I didn’t know there were spiritual branches on the back mountain either; it’s rare enough as it is. The master told me,” Xia Rong replied softly.

“The master? The one behind the Sky Pavilion?” Yu Daoyi asked in a low voice.

“No need to whisper. If he wants to hear, he will. The Sky Pavilion isn’t afraid of trouble, but neither does it seek it. Better to avoid what trouble we can—the Sky Pavilion isn’t your battlefield,” Xia Rong said, ruffling the top of his head.

Yu Daoyi scratched his head awkwardly.

“This is for you.”

Song Qiuling tossed the black box containing the spiritual branch to Yu Daoyi.

“Qiuling, I’m so moved I could cry.”

“Keep your tears.”

“Alright.”

So shameless.

“Just take it. The three sprigs aren’t enough for my purposes anyway. Since there are more in the back mountain, you use these first. I’ll just take a trip to the mountain in a few days,” Song Qiuling said, her tone still cool and aloof, though somehow lacking her usual confidence.

With the spiritual branch in hand, Yu Daoyi finally breathed a sigh of relief. It was crucial for his cultivation—if he could manage a few more successful furnace explosions and refine the right elixirs, he might soon reach the fourth stage of Qi training.

“Qiuling, when you go to the back mountain, take us along. Two more people mean two more pairs of hands.”

Yu Yunfan was stunned. Us? Two people? Where did the second come from?

“Two people?” Song Qiuling echoed.

“Yes.” Xiao Cai pulled Yu Yunfan over.

“See? One, two. Two people,” she said, pointing at herself and her pesky little brother without the slightest hesitation.

Had anyone asked for my opinion? Can't she just leave me out of this for once!

Song Qiuling glanced at Yu Yunfan, taking a rare moment to size him up anew. She knew Yu Daoyi had a younger brother, and that his talent was extraordinary, but he seldom visited the Song household. All she remembered was his unapproachable aura—nothing else.

Now, seeing him in person, she was truly astonished: not yet ten, and already at the ninth stage of Qi training—he could reach Foundation Establishment at any time. But his face was dark, as if he couldn’t believe he’d ended up with such an elder brother. Quite understandable.

She was not far from the truth.

“These three sprigs are merely a stopgap for me. I can't guarantee I’ll succeed in refining the elixir within three tries. Besides, I have other formulas I wish to test, so I plan to visit the back mountain myself to gather other herbs,” Yu Daoyi explained to Song Qiuling.

“Then let me know when you’re ready to go. I’ll make preparations as well,” Song Qiuling replied after a moment’s thought, not refusing.

“Alright.”

Yu Daoyi flashed a broad, toothy grin. Once Song Qiuling and her party left the Sky Pavilion, he looked toward its deepest recesses, then at Xia Rong, a trace of contemplation in his eyes.

“Thank you for everything, Sister Xia,” Yu Daoyi turned to her, grinning.

“No need for thanks. I didn’t do much. But in the future, try to talk less,” Xia Rong replied, patting his head helplessly.

Am I being disliked again?

On the way home, dusk was falling, the weather much more pleasant than in the morning.

“You noticed, didn’t you?” Yu Daoyi suddenly spoke to his younger brother.

“I’m not stupid. But when did you figure it out?” Yu Yunfan asked, head lowered, lost in thought.

“The Sky Pavilion forbids fighting within its walls—it’s the rule. But we were the first to start something, and twice at that. That warning only came out when the Lin family was about to act. Regardless of how things ended, we wouldn’t have been on the losing side. The Pavilion helped us while upholding the rule. But aside from those two shut-ins at home, I can’t think why the Pavilion would help us—there’s no benefit to them,” Yu Daoyi mused aloud.

“Until just recently, when you heard from Father that the Pavilion owner’s surname is Xia,” Yu Yunfan added, lifting his head.

“I still don’t know the exact connection, but it’s safe to say Xia Rong is related to the one behind the Pavilion. I know a few people there, but she’s the only one I’m close to,” Yu Daoyi nodded.

“So you’ve found yourself a good big sister? You suspected something long ago, didn’t you?” Yu Yunfan asked quietly.

“Come on, I wasn’t thinking that much at the time. Even now, I’m just a bit curious. Don’t make me out to be so calculating,” Yu Daoyi protested.

Yu Yunfan looked at his brother’s profile. This guy was always smiling and mischievous, yet sometimes even he couldn’t guess what went on in his mind.

“So today you purposely provoked Lin He in the Pavilion, knowing fighting was forbidden, just to test the Pavilion owner’s attitude?” Yu Yunfan asked.

“Purposely? There was no need for that. I just don’t like the guy,” Yu Daoyi replied, annoyed.

“…True enough.”

A moment passed.

“You don’t blame me for using you as a shield today, do you?”

“You’re my brother,” Yu Yunfan shook his head, answering simply.

Yu Daoyi suddenly smiled, warm and gentle, the sunlight dazzling on his face.

He could have many sisters, many brothers, but only this one younger brother—and that was enough.

Xiao Cai stretched lazily as she walked, “Little brother, get ready. In a few days, we’re heading up the mountain together.”

Yu Yunfan: …Damn, I forgot about that. I really don’t want to go. When there’s something good, I’m never included, but when there’s trouble, I’m always the first one dragged in.

Yu Yunfan let out a long sigh. No helping it—his brother’s talent was poor, his cultivation low, and he was always causing trouble. It fell to him to watch over his brother, to keep him safe. It really was a bit troublesome. Just a little bit.

As he thought, the corners of his lips unconsciously curled up, matching his brother’s smile.

“Oh, by the way, when did you reach the ninth stage?”

“I haven’t. My spiritual power is just thicker because of my cultivation method.”

“So how come I didn’t notice?”

“Your level’s too low.”

“…You really have no tact.”

“You’ve known that since day one. Does it matter?”

“I guess not. Haha.”

Their voices faded into the distance.

The afternoon sun was lazy, blurring the world and making everything around them seem dazzling. At the same time, their shadows stretched long, side by side, as they walked forward. The road ahead was long—long enough for them to keep walking together far into the future.

The warm sun blazed ahead; their shadows stretched far behind.

I am your brother, so I can trust you unconditionally.

I am your younger brother, so please trust me unconditionally.