When Elder Luo saw that Xu Ziyan had chosen a wood-element technique, he looked a little surprised. He had never expected Xu Ziyan to spoil Xu Zirong so much that he would even surrender a hard-won opportunity to enter the repository for the boy’s sake.
His expression soon returned to indifference. He remained here only to protect the foundations of the Xu family. What these juniors did among themselves was none of his concern.
Xu Mo looked at Xu Ziyan strangely. He could not understand what had happened to the previously arrogant and overbearing young master. The old Xu Ziyan had not been entirely selfish, but giving away such an opportunity was still astonishing. Xu Mo could only look back and forth between the brothers with a gaze that made their skin crawl.
Xu Zirong, by contrast, remained perfectly calm. He had guessed that Xu Ziyan must have chosen the jade slip containing that wild lightning power.
Only…
His eyes darkened slightly. If his ‘big brother’ could hide something from even Elder Luo’s scrutiny, it seemed there were still many secrets he had not uncovered.
Completely unaware that he had revealed more clues to Xu Zirong, Xu Ziyan gave him a delighted look, and the brothers returned together to Liushang Courtyard.
They were sharing a room now, and Zirong had been the one to tell him about the jade slip, so Xu Ziyan had not thought too deeply about it. Only when they returned to their room did he realize… how was he supposed to take the thing out?
Surely he could not conjure a jade slip out of thin air right in front of Zirong.
“Big Brother? What’s wrong?” Xu Zirong asked, pretending not to understand.
One glance at Xu Ziyan’s expression told him exactly what the problem was. Whatever means he had used to fool a Golden Core elder, he obviously did not want to reveal them in front of Zirong.
But Zirong had no intention of making it easy for him. He disliked anything about Xu Ziyan that remained beyond his control, particularly now that he was so satisfied with this ‘big brother’. No unexpected variables would be tolerated!
He put on an innocent face and stared unblinkingly at Xu Ziyan. His large dark eyes sparkled so brightly that Xu Ziyan began to feel embarrassed about concealing things from him.
After thinking for a moment, Xu Ziyan coughed. “Zirong, have you ever seen a magic trick?”
Xu Zirong: …
Xu Ziyan continued looking at him as though silently begging him to say no. Zirong could only reply hesitantly, “No.”
“Wonderful! How about Big Brother shows you one? Close your eyes first.” Xu Ziyan was pleased with his little brother’s cooperation. What a good child! Zirong was so much more obedient than that little troublemaker Ziyu.
Xu Zirong: …
The excuse was unbelievably childish, but looking at Xu Ziyan’s face, Zirong somehow could not bring himself to argue.
A magic trick? You were asking a cultivator who had once come close to the Mahayana stage about such a trivial mortal pastime. Was that supposed to be an insult?
(Another note silently added to the little notebook…)
Xu Zirong raised his hands and covered his eyes with his fingers. His round black pupils gleamed through the gaps between them.
Xu Ziyan: …
This cheeky little imp cannot possibly be my sweet, obedient little brother! _(：з」∠)_
Swallowing his frustration, Xu Ziyan put on a stern face, grasped Zirong’s shoulders and slowly, firmly turned him around so that his back faced him.
Xu Zirong: …Big Brother, do you seriously think that pretending not to see something makes it disappear?
Xu Zirong found this shameless tactic rather novel. Who would have thought his seemingly dependable big brother would resort to such childish tricks against an eight-year-old?
“All done.” By the time Zirong turned back, Xu Ziyan had already retrieved the jade slip. Taking it out had been quick; it was simply the way it appeared from nowhere that would have been startling.
Xu Ziyan could have concocted an explanation involving some miraculous magical artifact. Zirong was supposedly a child newly introduced to cultivation and would not know the difference. But Xu Ziyan did not want to lie to his little brother, especially one as sensitive as Zirong.
Someone with Zirong’s disposition might not recognize a lie now, but if he discovered it later, the hurt could remain with him for a long time.
So Xu Ziyan preferred an obvious little trick to lying outright. That way, even if Zirong learned the truth someday, he would at most feel exasperated.
Xu Ziyan shared the information contained in the jade slip with Zirong. He did not expect an eight-year-old to analyze anything important; he merely wanted to share it with him.
Although he lived among the Xu family, he had no real friends there. Over the past month, he had distanced himself from the flatterers who used to surround the original Xu Ziyan. The remaining children were all young teenagers, and as a grown man at heart, he found it painfully difficult to discover anything they had in common.
Xu Ziyan was not asking Zirong for advice. He merely wanted someone with whom he could share a few secrets. And Zirong was ideal: only eight, yet often quite mature, apparently obedient, and perfectly able to satisfy Xu Ziyan’s big-brother instincts. He was an excellent listener.
With the jade slip retrieved, Xu Ziyan prepared to cultivate. The Nine Transformations of the Purple Firmament was an extraordinarily profound technique. He had only glimpsed its principles in the repository, but had already sensed its power. Now that he was back in private, he could study it properly.
The brothers stood so close that their shoulders nearly touched. The instant Xu Ziyan sent his divine sense into the slip, he heard Xu Zirong cry out beside him.
“What happened?” Xu Ziyan opened his eyes and was shocked to find that the fabric over Zirong’s left shoulder had turned to ash, leaving a small patch of skin exposed.
Xu Zirong was equally alarmed. Xu Ziyan had apparently done nothing, yet the jade slip had suddenly released a streak of lightning. If Zirong had not reacted quickly, he would have suffered far worse than ruined clothing; half his arm might have been injured.
After hearing what had happened, Xu Ziyan frowned in frustration. He knew lightning techniques were often overbearing, but had never heard of a cultivation manual that could not be practiced while someone else was watching.
“It’s all right, Big Brother. I’ll go somewhere else,” Xu Zirong offered considerately.
Xu Ziyan reluctantly agreed, unaware that this was exactly what Zirong wanted. The boy had been worrying about how to train without Xu Ziyan watching him, and now the chance had arrived on its own. By generously giving his brother privacy, he earned a little guilt and gratitude, while freeing himself to head up the mountain and practice.
Xu Ziyan usually protected him so closely that Zirong had almost no chance to practice the Blood Sea Heart Scripture apart from the time he spent alone at night. Now it was different. He could openly head into the Forest Sea to hunt.
After leaving a message for Xu Ziyan with Ruohua, Xu Zirong happily made for the mountain behind the residence. He chose a ridge near the edge of the Forest Sea, where most demonic beasts were at the first or second level of Qi Refining and the strongest reached no higher than the third, suitable for his publicly known ‘second-level’ cultivation.
He had little choice. Without Xu Ziyan, he had no way to enter the deeper areas of the Forest Sea. He would have preferred to refine the blood essence of stronger beasts, but his publicly displayed strength was only at the second level. Showing unusually great ability would create even more trouble.
Xu Zirong decided to compensate through sheer quantity. The low-level demonic beasts on the ridge suffered accordingly. He swept across the mountain with the thoroughness of a passing storm, leaving practically nothing behind.
Low-level demonic-beast blood essence was not very useful to him, so he had to refine it further. After killing the beasts across the ridge, he had collected a mass of blood essence about the size of a fist. Once purified, it was reduced to a single drop.
Looking at that drop turning on his fingertip, Xu Zirong frowned. He could not slaughter low-level beasts on this scale very often, or the Xu family would soon notice.
And the efficiency was so poor…
His brow drew tighter. He could only sigh and give up on quickly recovering his former cultivation through refining blood essence. Unless he could reach Golden Core in an extremely short time, keeping a low profile was the wiser course.
With his current strength, he could actually leave the Xu family, develop his power independently and return to destroy the clan when he was strong enough. Yet for once he hesitated, because he could not bear to leave this big brother.
Life with the two brothers caring for one another felt good, even complete. The rest of the Xu family remained an eyesore, but for Big Brother’s sake he could tolerate their existence.
He sighed irritably, grabbed a passing wild animal and crushed it into a bloody pulp. Only then did some of his agitation subside.
Never mind. It would be only a few years, and he could wait. Three years from now, Big Brother would enter the Flowing Light Sect. In his previous life, Zirong had fled the Xu family before that happened, but this time he had no intention of separating from his brother.
Perhaps it was better this way. If his strength rose too quickly, he might lose the opportunity to enter the Flowing Light Sect alongside Xu Ziyan. Until he had the power to overcome everyone who might stand between them, he would have to endure.
Xu Zirong had lacked many things in his former life, but patience and the ability to endure were not among them. Xu Ziyan was the only person in two lifetimes who had ever made him feel warm, and he was willing to compromise for that person.
Of course, Big Brother would have to pay a price for that.
As for what the price would be… they could discuss that slowly in the future.
Having finished refining the drop of blood essence, Xu Zirong returned to Liushang Courtyard. Since he had decided to slow his cultivation, he might as well invest more effort in wood-element spells. With the Blood Sea Heart Scripture as his foundation, he could still progress as quickly as Xu Ziyan. To conceal his blood cultivation, however, he needed a different art to serve as cover.
He had initially chosen a wood-element method almost on a whim, but in retrospect it really was the best option for him.
When he returned, Xu Ziyan was still cultivating. Since no one was allowed near his room, Zirong had no intention of inviting trouble by going in. Instead, he went to the rear training ground, chose a secluded corner, and practiced the newly acquired Wood-Tempering Art.
Meanwhile, fine strands of purple lightning filled Xu Ziyan’s bedroom. They did him no harm, although pain occasionally flickered across his face.
For different reasons, both brothers were wholly devoted to cultivation. Perhaps they did not realize it themselves, but their dedication was steadily encouraging the entire Xu family to train harder.