After Luo Bigfoot left, Xu Zirong slowly raised his head. If anyone had been present, they would have discovered that his beautiful face showed not the slightest trace of fear. Instead, the corner of his mouth curved into a cold smile.
A Nascent Soul cultivator’s suppression of a Foundation Establishment cultivator was absolute. If Luo Bigfoot had wanted to kill Xu Zirong, it would not have taken even a second. His mistake was that, rather than crushing Xu Zirong with his strength, he had tried to plant a seed of fear in his heart.
Xu Zirong was someone who had been reborn. He could not match Luo Bigfoot’s current cultivation, but his state of mind had already reached the level of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
However astute Luo Bigfoot might be, he could never have guessed that the body of this teenage boy contained a soul that had already experienced the Nascent Soul realm. For Xu Zirong, something like a seed of fear could be dealt with in moments.
“Big Brother…” Xu Zirong murmured, wrapping his arms tightly around Xu Ziyan’s waist. He inhaled deeply. After five long years, he could finally smell that familiar scent again.
Although he had successfully deceived Luo Bigfoot back then, the incident had taught Xu Zirong a lesson. His disguise was not nearly as perfect as he had imagined. He did not know how Luo Bigfoot had discovered his secret, but a flaw was a flaw: if Luo Bigfoot could find it, so could someone else.
He had been fortunate that Luo Bigfoot had not exposed him, but others in the Flowing Light Sect might not be so kind.
Throughout those years he had kept to himself, becoming almost invisible in the Flowing Light Sect. Apart from duties assigned by the sect, he never went out. Every day, he remained in his meditation chamber cultivating.
Occasionally, when he could no longer suppress the violence within him, he left the sect and found a secluded mountain range where he slaughtered demonic beasts. By persevering this way, he had somehow endured the entire five years.
But he had reached his limit. If Xu Ziyan had not awakened soon, Xu Zirong truly did not know what he might have done.
“All right, all right. It’s Big Brother’s fault. I never thought this retreat would last five years.” Xu Ziyan smiled helplessly.
Although it had never been his intention, he had left Zirong alone for five whole years. The little boy in his memories had grown into an extraordinarily beautiful young man, leaving Xu Ziyan full of guilt and a sense of loss…
Xu Zirong said nothing more. He simply held Xu Ziyan tightly and refused to lift his head from his brother’s embrace.
Xu Ziyan gently stroked his back. The brothers stayed that way, quietly embracing without exchanging a word.
“Ahem… am I… interrupting something?” An unexpected voice broke the silence.
Xu Ziyan looked up and saw his master, Luo Bigfoot. The teasing expression on the man’s face immediately made Xu Ziyan blush.
He patted Zirong’s shoulder and pulled him away from his embrace.
Xu Zirong straightened obediently. Only then did Xu Ziyan notice just how tall Zirong had become.
The realization brought another wave of melancholy. The little boy who had once reached only his chest had grown until they were almost shoulder to shoulder. Xu Ziyan himself seemed to have grown a little over the past five years, but even so, Zirong was only slightly shorter than he was.
Pushing aside his sentiments about having raised a little brother who was now all grown up, Xu Ziyan turned toward his master.
Although Xu Zirong bitterly resented Luo Bigfoot for interrupting their affectionate reunion, he did not let it show. Since that warning years earlier, Luo Bigfoot seemed to have developed a conscience and had treated him much better, offering earnest, attentive instruction as though trying to make up for the seed of fear.
Xu Zirong accepted every bit of it without hesitation. He had never had a master in his previous life, teaching himself from the Blood Sea Heart Scripture and jade slips bought in cultivator markets. The difference between having a master and learning alone was immense; otherwise, people would not fight so desperately to enter great sects.
Luo Bigfoot was a genuine Nascent Soul cultivator, and guiding someone at Foundation Establishment was effortless for him. Xu Zirong lacked precisely this kind of basic knowledge. One was willing to learn, the other to teach, and the master-disciple relationship became unexpectedly harmonious.
Xu Zirong paid Luo Bigfoot no attention. Wherever his brother was, all of Xu Zirong’s attention centered on Xu Ziyan.
With a Cleansing Dust Spell, he swept away the dust that had accumulated over the years. Xu Zirong then carefully smoothed every wrinkle in his brother’s clothes.
Xu Ziyan saw nothing unusual in Xu Zirong’s gesture. Ever since Azure Firmament Divine Lightning had become mixed into the energy in his dantian, he had grown accustomed to Xu Zirong taking care of his clothing.
Luo Bigfoot’s eyes flickered at the sight of Xu Zirong’s attentiveness. He gave Xu Zirong a meaningful look, but the young man was too busy serving his brother to notice.
“Master, did you need something from me?” Xu Ziyan asked.
Although five years had passed, he knew Luo Bigfoot well enough to be sure the man would not come merely because he had emerged from seclusion.
Luo Bigfoot nodded. “I’m not here for you.”
Not for me? Then he must be looking for Zirong?
Xu Ziyan glanced at Xu Zirong in confusion. He remembered that their master’s attitude toward Zirong before the retreat had been rather peculiar. Had they… made up?
Then again, five years had passed in the blink of an eye. What could not be resolved in that much time?
“You’re looking for me?” Xu Zirong’s voice was cool and clear. It had lost its boyish quality and gained the rich resonance of precious jade striking gold.
With his appearance and that clear, resonant voice, it was no wonder people had once proclaimed the Blood Demon the greatest beauty in the Xuanyu Domain.
Xu Ziyan gazed at Xu Zirong’s face and found himself drifting into a daze. He had seen Zirong at eight, Zirong again at twelve, and had even glimpsed the grown Zirong in the original body’s memories. But no memory could compare with seeing Xu Zirong’s breathtaking face from so close.
Porcelain-white skin, features almost too perfect to be real, a high nose bridge, and full red lips that continued moving as he spoke: “Big Brother…”
Hmm?
“Big Brother? What’s wrong?” Xu Zirong looked at him curiously. “Why are you staring at me?”
Xu Ziyan was mortified. He had been looking at his own little brother and become so stunned by his beauty that he forgot himself. As if he would ever admit something so embarrassing!!!
“Nothing.” He awkwardly averted his eyes, inwardly berating himself. He had seen all kinds of beauties in modern society. How had he ended up staring blankly at Zirong?
It could not have been more embarrassing!
But seriously… Zirong really was beautiful, even more beautiful than those women whose looks were carefully enhanced with makeup.
“Then… Big Brother, did you hear what we were saying just now?” Xu Zirong asked helplessly.
“Uh…” Xu Ziyan froze.
He had been lost in thought. Of course he had not heard!
With a resigned smile, Xu Zirong patiently repeated what had been said.
Xu Ziyan silently pressed a hand to his forehead. He was the older brother, right? Zirong was supposed to be the beloved younger brother, right? Then why had he just detected a hint of indulgent fondness in Zirong’s smile???
That absolutely had to be his imagination!!!
“Are you two done yet? It’s only a retreat. Do you really need to cling to each other like this?” Luo Bigfoot could hardly stand watching them. Neither of these two disciples ever gave him peace of mind.
One spoiled his little brother without principles, while the other delighted in playing the obedient baby every single day…
Well, viewed from another angle, they did complement each other. If Xu Zirong was a sharp blade, then Xu Ziyan was both its sheath and the hand that held it.
As long as Xu Ziyan was there, Luo Bigfoot did not need to worry about Xu Zirong doing something mad. Combined with the seed of fear he had planted, this was why he could allow Xu Zirong to develop without constant concern.
Still… these two youngsters were going too far! They were treating their own master as though he did not exist while busy displaying their brotherly affection. It was enough to make anyone feel thoroughly irritated!
“Heh, heh…” Xu Ziyan could only laugh foolishly. Any attempt to argue at a time like this would be extremely unwise.
Luo Bigfoot was only grumbling. He could hardly punish the two for having a good relationship. But their constant closeness rubbed him the wrong way. He had seen plenty of brothers, yet never one as clingy as Xu Zirong.
To be frank, judging only from Xu Zirong’s current behavior, nobody would ever imagine that he cultivated something like the Blood Sea Heart Scripture.
“Master, can Big Brother come with me?” Xu Zirong suddenly asked.
Luo Bigfoot nodded casually. “Go ahead. You can count it as a training expedition for both of you. Besides, you haven’t gone home since joining the Flowing Light Sect, have you? You can visit while you’re on the road. You have two months, after all. That’s more than enough.”
Xu Zirong had no particular opinion about going home. He felt neither love nor hatred for the present Xu family. In his previous life, he had annihilated the entire family, so he had already taken his revenge. In this life, they had not done anything wrong to him so far. Besides, whatever else it was, that was still his brother’s home. He could tell that Xu Ziyan cared about it, so naturally he would not destroy the family again.
Xu Ziyan had not thought so deeply about it. Xu Zirong was Xu Xiao’s son, after all, and had lived in the Xu family for years. Surely he had formed some attachment to the place. Since they would be passing through, there was no harm in visiting.
Luo Bigfoot took no part in the brothers’ discussion. His reason for coming was to send Xu Zirong as his representative to visit the family of an old friend.
That friend had died long ago, but Luo Bigfoot was loyal and helped his family from time to time. The clan’s patriarch was a sensible man who never used Luo Bigfoot’s protection as an excuse to behave arrogantly. Instead, he maintained a low profile and never bullied others in Luo Bigfoot’s name.
Luo Bigfoot did not mind occasionally helping such a considerate family. This time, the patriarch’s daughter was getting married. The groom’s family was a medium-sized cultivation clan with three Golden Core cultivators. In comparison, the Jiang family was somewhat weaker.