Brothers

He had won. Yet the moment he actually saw his elder brother collapsed at his feet, Xu Yuan felt none of the anticipated excitement, much less the urge to rub it in his face. Xu Yuan felt there must be something wrong with his mentality. After all, The strong were supposed to ruthlessly humiliate the weak. Yet after a few breaths of silence, Xu Yuan merely sat down quietly in a puddle beside the crater Xu Changge lay in. With his back to his brother, Xu Yuan said softly, "I thought you'd call me underhanded. After all, those five talismans were clearly external aids." "The Fengyuan Sword is an external object as well." "..." Xu Yuan laughed at the remark. That was indeed something this king of posturing would say. Xu Changge never made excuses for his defeats. To lose meant he simply wasn't strong enough. It had nothing to do with his opponent. If one were strong enough, one should fear no tactics the opponent employed. At that thought, Xu Yuan quipped, "So by that logic, if we spar again next time, it won't matter if I prepare a few hundred in advance?" "As you wish." "Tough talk." Sitting in the rain with his knees drawn up, Xu Yuan looked down at his own palms. "But Xu Changge, the truth is, I could have beaten you without those talismans." "Mm." "Don't forget, I didn't even open my Dao domain this time." "Mm." "I'm not joking. The offensive methods of the Life and Death Dao charm destroy a person's foundations directly. They're only good for killing." "Mm." "..." *Should I just beat him up again?* Xu Yuan's fist tightened slightly, but he eventually relaxed it. His elder brother had always spoken with this infuriating attitude. If he let it get to him, the two of them would tear down the entire Prime Minister's Manor within two days. Glancing at the two shadow-recording stones in the sky, Xu Yuan suddenly said softly, "On my way back to the capital, I met the two Celestial Masters from the Celestial Master Manor." Xu Changge's tone grew slightly awkward. "I can tell." "She said that the Celestial Master Manor will remain neutral from now on." "..." Hearing this, Xu Changge did not answer immediately. Only after soaking in the rain for a good while did he reply slowly, "...The Celestial Master Manor has made its choice after all." Xu Yuan glanced back at his elder brother, frowning slightly as he repeated, "I just said the Celestial Master Manor will be neutral." Xu Changge's voice regained its calm. "Changtian, in the days to come, will there still be any room for neutrality in this world?" "..." Xu Yuan fell silent. All under heaven belonged to the emperor; all along the shores were the emperor's subjects. Not to mention Daying Province's geographical position right between the capital region and Jiangnan. Once an imperial decree was issued, the Celestial Master Manor would only have two choices: submit, or rebel. Xu Changge slowly sat up from the rubble. Rain dripped along his long hair, veiling his lowered face. His voice was utterly flat: "The Celestial Master Manor—I will handle it personally." "I agreed." "Mm. When the time comes, I will submit the plan to you—" "What I agreed to was the Celestial Master Manor's neutrality." "..." Xu Changge's head snapped to the side, his dark eyes sharp. Feeling the gaze, Xu Yuan merely cast a calm glance at his brother: "I made the decision. You have an objection?" Knowing reason was not on his side, Xu Changge fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly: "Changtian, if you are doing this because of my relationship with Tang Weijun, there really is no need..." "Don't flatter yourself." Xu Yuan cut him off, his voice devoid of inflection. "I did this both because it serves the Prime Minister's Manor's interests and because I have no wish to destroy that utopia built by a group of idealists." Xu Changge narrowed his eyes, his tone dropping lower: "Even I am not so certain of that. Did you really place your trust in that woman Tang Weijun after a single meeting? Allow me to lay out the stakes for you. In the first phase of Father's war preparations, Daying Province, where the Celestial Master Manor resides, is not particularly vital. But once the advance reaches the sect heartlands of Jiangnan, Daying Province—situated squarely between the capital region and Jiangnan—must be brought under our control—" "Xu Changge!" Xu Yuan snapped in a low voice, staring directly into his brother's eyes, enunciating every word: "This is the judgment made by me, the heir to the Prime Minister's Manor!" "..." Their eyes met, neither yielding an inch. Were it not for physical constraints, Xu Yuan had no doubt his elder brother would have already thrown another punch. Fuming with anger, Xu Changge coughed up two mouthfuls of blood. Wiping it away with the back of his hand, he spat out a single word: "Reason?" "Right now, I don't seem to have any obligation to explain my reasons to you." "Then you must at least explain them to Father!!" "Father didn't ask." "..." The corner of Xu Changge's eye twitched. Xu Yuan shrugged. "In any case, the matter regarding the Celestial Master Manor is settled. The task of negotiating with them will fall to you, the eldest son." "..." Xu Changge's hand instinctively clenched against the wet flagstones, the icy touch sending a faint shiver through his body. After a long silence, Xu Changge braced his hands on his knees and pushed himself up from the rubble. Neither brother was gravely injured from the battle; their condition was mostly exhaustion from drained Source Qi. With their Transcendent physiques, this brief pause for conversation had already allowed them to regain some degree of mobility. Without saying a word, Xu Changge walked through the curtain of rain toward the exit of the sword grounds. As he brushed past Xu Yuan, he breathed two almost imperceptible words: "Thank you." Xu Yuan didn't turn his head, merely saying: "Tsk, I told you not to flatter yourself." "..." Passing by, Xu Changge slanted his eyes, gave a cold snort, and shook his head. Xu Yuan remained seated on the ground, unmoving. After Xu Changge had walked a dozen or so paces away with their backs to each other, rain pattered down, sending ripples spreading across the scattered puddles. Xu Yuan suddenly called out to Xu Changge: "Hold on." Xu Changge paused in his tracks. The puddle before his boots reflected his blurred silhouette. Xu Yuan still did not turn around, his tone calm as he spoke: "The Prime Minister's Manor's affairs, Xiao Si's affairs—I will handle all of them properly from now on." Hearing this, Xu Changge let his disheveled hair hang loose, the look in his downcast eyes indiscernible. There seemed to be a sense of relief, yet also the helpless sting of reluctance. "However, if you're ever dissatisfied, you're welcome to come find me in private anytime." Xu Yuan slowly turned his eyes back, staring at his elder brother's back, and chuckled. "Just remember: from now on, you're the challenger." *Tap.* His footsteps resumed. A fleeting smile crossed Xu Changge's stern face. "Then you'd best not slack off in your cultivation." "Don't worry. I'm a genius, after all." "Heh." Xu Changge's staggering figure gradually disappeared at the far end of the sword grounds, leaving Xu Yuan once again alone amidst the vast ruins. Drenched in the same bleak, cold autumn rain as three years ago, he could no longer feel any biting chill. After sitting quietly for a while longer, Xu Yuan rubbed his neck and slowly stood up, letting out a soft sigh. In the end, that apology and thank you still couldn't be spoken aloud. Certain things had to be experienced firsthand for one to understand how truly desperate the person had been. Because the family elders had deliberately concealed the truth, he, the third son, and Xu Xinyao, the fourth child, did not actually know the details of how their mother and second brother had died. And Xu Changge? This eldest brother had witnessed their mother's death with his own eyes, and then, years later, had watched helplessly as his younger brother died bit by bit before him... *I really should find another chance to say those words.*