Siblings Reunited

The instant he stepped out of his room and took in the view of the courtyard, Xu Yuan suddenly halted in his tracks. He realized all at once that the heart-to-heart words Xu Changge had spoken to him earlier seemed to be gradually coming true. In a sense, manipulating the internal politics of the Great Desert was no different from what Li Zhaoyuan had done. Both acts were born of selfish desires, and both would plunge an entire land into devastation and slaughter. Yet when conceiving the whole plan, he had not realized this at all; even now, having recognized it, his heart remained completely unruffled. The gentle, warm late-autumn sunlight fell over him. As far as the eye could see, every blade of grass and tree in the courtyard was just as it had been more than ten years ago, but seeing them again stirred entirely different feelings. Standing beneath the eaves for several breaths, Xu Yuan shook his head softly. Then again, there were still some differences between him and Li Zhaoyuan. Li Zhaoyuan had taken to the field himself, whereas he was merely stoking the flames in secret at most. What was more, Li Zhaoyuan had slaughtered his own people, while he was orchestrating catastrophe for the Great Desert. Thinking of this, Xu Yuan gave an ambiguous smile and strode into the sunlit courtyard. He found that humans truly were hypocritical creatures with double standards. Strict with others, lenient with themselves, always finding all manner of excuses. If that day ever truly arrived, for the Prime Minister's Manor, for the people around him, and for himself, he might make the exact same choice as Li Zhaoyuan. Back when the Chancellor's Manor was built, the Gewu Academy had not yet developed Heavenly Communication Crystals. For convenience, the communication crystal in the Prime Minister's Manor's inner court had been placed in the same courtyard as his father's study. Thus, it took some time for Xu Yuan to walk over. It felt rather like that tired old meme from the internet of his previous life about having to walk ten minutes just to use the bathroom at home. The inner courtyard of the Prime Minister's Manor was exceptionally quiet. As Xu Yuan headed toward the secret communication chamber, he turned over in his mind the subordinate forces of the manor he might mobilize. Though his father had never explicitly told him, the man had indeed granted immense authority to him, the "crown prince" of the Prime Minister's Manor. So long as he was willing, he had the authority to mobilize the manor's top echelon, including Lou Ji. Of course, compared to his father's orders which had to be executed without question, his authority to mobilize them was contingent on their consent. Just like how, if he wanted Jiang He to develop the Doomfall Pills needed to cultivate the Blood Yuan Heart Calamity Art, he had to pay silver upfront, and if he wanted Lou Ji to investigate something, he had to clearly explain the whole sequence of events first. Pondering this, Xu Yuan unknowingly arrived outside the courtyard where the study was located. Looking at the elegant, antiquated red sandalwood doors, Xu Yuan suddenly felt a bit hesitant. His old man was working in the study right now—should he inform his father of this matter? Of course, mainly he wanted his father to advise him on the plan. Compared to ordinary people, he was certainly sharp and possessed a measure of cunning, but compared to his Prime Minister father inside that study—a man who schemed against the world—he still fell far short. A decision that might affect the rise and fall of a regional hegemon probably did warrant reporting to him. While he hesitated, a flurry of hurried footsteps reached Xu Yuan's ears. *Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.* The heightened hearing of the Flesh Integration Realm allowed Xu Yuan to discern in an instant, from the lightness of the tread, that these were a woman's footsteps. Lowering the hand he had been about to push the door open with, Xu Yuan stood where he was and quietly looked back toward the sound. Presently, only one woman could enter the inner courtyard of the Prime Minister's Manor. Little Fourth—Dorae-Yao. To maintain serenity, the entire inner courtyard was shrouded in a sound-insulating array that kept all outside clamor at bay, leaving only the warble of birds and chirping of cicadas to accentuate the quiet and lend a touch of vitality. The hurried footsteps drew nearer, soon reaching the corner of the inner courtyard's alleyway. Then, Xu Yuan saw his long-separated fourth sister once more. Xu Xinyao was still wearing that lake-blue ruqun, her fair cheeks flushed with a faint rosiness from running. After turning the corner, her gaze locked firmly onto the young man standing before the courtyard. A distance of seventy or eighty feet was not far. Xu Yuan could see that his fourth sister looked rather haggard, yet her eyes remained as pure and limpid as a spring. Inside the alleyway, it was quiet. Brother and sister looked at each other for a few breaths. Xu Yuan suddenly chuckled and asked, "What, hasn't been that long and you already don't recognize me?" Seeing the familiar smile on the young man's face, a look of relief unconsciously washed over Xu Xinyao's delicate features, and she asked tentatively, "Brother, when did you wake up?" Her voice was as gentle as water and virtuous as ever, feeling like a soothing spring breeze. That was how brother and sister were. Even if there had been conflict between them back in Shengshan County, it was like quarreling at the head of the bed... cough, fighting before the door and reconciling behind it. Xu Yuan looked up in thought and answered casually, "Probably an hour or two ago. I heard that poser king Xu Changge say you were over with Ran Qingmo, so I didn't go call for you right away." As he spoke, Xu Xinyao came to a halt right before Xu Yuan. Tilting her head up slightly to look at her tall, slender older brother, genuine smiling warmth filled her beautiful eyes, and she curved her lips in a smile. "Is that so? Aren't you going to see her?" Her voice remained as gentle as water and virtuous as ever, feeling like a soothing spring breeze. Xu Yuan glanced in the direction of the outer courtyard and shook his head gently. "Better not for the time being." Xu Xinyao was slightly surprised. "But Sister Qingmo has been waiting for you for so long, Third Brother." "Father plans to use this opportunity to fake my death," Xu Yuan said, not hiding the matter from her. "It wouldn't be appropriate for her to know." "......" Hearing this, Xu Xinyao fell silent for a moment, but she quickly grasped the reasoning behind it. A glint of dimness flickered across her limpid eyes. "Is Father about to make another move...?" Xu Yuan raised a hand, rested it on his fourth sister's soft hair, and ruffled it gently, speaking in a low voice: "You've been back in the capital for a while now, so you should know what the situation is. Father has to make some response." His fourth sister was an idealist, but an idealist was not synonymous with being foolish. Xu Xinyao remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly without a word. Seeing this, a flicker of surprise passed through Xu Yuan's eyes. "Many people are going to die because of this, you know." Her delicate frame trembled slightly, and she gave an almost imperceptible nod, whispering, "Father sent a transmission earlier saying an array needed to be set up. Xinyao agreed." At that, Xu Yuan drew his hand back, the astonishment in his eyes no longer concealed, and he asked with a somewhat strange tone, "You didn't object? It seems our Xinyao gained quite a bit of worldly experience while running off to travel on her own." At this point, Xu Yuan asked softly, "Have you abandoned the path you used to insist upon?" Xu Xinyao lifted her eyes to look straight into his, saying in a soft voice, "Brother, you nearly died this time." "......" Xu Yuan was stunned. Then a wave of tenderness washed through his heart, and he reached out to give her soft, tender cheek a firm pinch. Well then. She hadn't abandoned it after all. This time, she had simply made an exception because he had hovered at death's door.