By the time Xiaoyu returned to her residence, the sun had already begun its slow descent beyond the mountain peaks.
The training session was finally over.
Unfortunately, the humiliation remained.
The image of her arrows flying everywhere except the target continued replaying inside her mind.
The target itself had remained completely unharmed.
At this point, Xiaoyu felt the poor tree she had repeatedly assaulted deserved compensation.
Perhaps even an official apology from the Sect Master.
Beside her, Shen Wei maintained his usual expressionless appearance.
If he had any thoughts regarding today's disastrous training session, he wisely kept them to himself.
For that alone, Xiaoyu was grateful.
The moment they stepped through the gates of the residence—
"Brother!"
A loud voice shattered the silence.
Xiaoyu froze.
Shen Wei closed his eyes.
A look of resignation appeared on his face.
As though he already knew exactly what was about to happen.
The next moment, a figure rushed across the courtyard.
Fast.
Far too fast.
Before anyone could react, Zichen appeared beside them.
"Brother!"
His face lit up with excitement.
"I heard a terrible rumor today."
Xiaoyu immediately felt danger.
"What rumor?"
Zichen gasped dramatically.
"You don't know?"
The younger brother looked genuinely shocked.
"The entire sect is talking about it!"
The servants nearby immediately lowered their heads.
Several looked ready to run away.
Others simply stared at the ground.
Refusing to participate in whatever disaster was unfolding.
"What rumor?"
Xiaoyu repeated.
Zichen's grin widened.
"I heard the mighty Sect Master declared war against a tree."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The courtyard instantly became quiet.
Even the birds seemed to stop singing.
Xiaoyu stared.
Shen Wei stared.
The servants stared at the ground with unprecedented focus.
Then—
Zichen burst into laughter.
Unrestrained.
Shameless.
Completely merciless.
"I knew it!"
He pointed dramatically.
"The rumors were true!"
Xiaoyu regretted everything.
"Brother."
Zichen wiped away imaginary tears.
"That poor tree."
"It did nothing wrong."
The younger brother doubled over in laughter.
The servants immediately turned away.
Their shoulders trembling suspiciously.
Even Shen Wei's expression seemed to tighten slightly.
Whether he was suppressing disappointment or amusement remained impossible to determine.
Perhaps both.
"You should have seen it."
Zichen continued.
"The disciples were discussing it all afternoon."
"The Sect Master missed."
"Then missed again."
"And then somehow attacked a tree instead."
Xiaoyu wanted the ground to swallow her whole.
Preferably immediately.
Unfortunately, the mountain showed no interest in helping.
---
The three eventually moved inside.
Tea was prepared.
Snacks were served.
And without waiting for permission, Zichen occupied the best seat in the room.
Nobody stopped him.
Not because they couldn't.
But because everyone had long since accepted that Zichen operated according to his own rules.
Or rather—
No rules at all.
---
"Brother."
Zichen grabbed a pastry.
"Captain Shen is too strict."
Shen Wei didn't even react.
"My duty requires discipline."
"See?"
Zichen pointed immediately.
"Too serious."
The younger brother turned toward Shen Wei.
"You should smile more."
Silence.
"You should also sit."
Silence.
"And join us."
More silence.
"We're drinking tea, not preparing for war."
Xiaoyu couldn't help it.
A laugh escaped her lips.
A real one.
The room immediately became quiet.
Zichen blinked.
Shen Wei blinked.
Even the servants looked surprised.
Because Yuchen almost never laughed.
Xiaoyu instantly realized her mistake.
She cleared her throat.
Attempting to regain some dignity.
Unfortunately, the damage was already done.
Zichen's eyes brightened.
"Brother."
His smile widened.
"You should laugh more."
For some reason, those simple words warmed her heart.
---
To hide her embarrassment, Xiaoyu quickly changed the subject.
She remembered the scene she had witnessed earlier.
Tianyu.
Li Jianhong.
The laughter.
The friendship.
A friendship that seemed effortless.
Unlike everything else in this sect.
"Tianyu and Li Jianhong seemed close."
The words came naturally.
Casually.
As though she were merely making an observation.
Zichen immediately nodded.
"Of course they are."
He leaned back comfortably.
"They've been friends for years."
"Training together."
"Competing together."
"Getting punished together."
Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow.
"Tianyu gets punished?"
"More than you'd think."
Zichen laughed.
"He became serious later."
"But when we were younger?"
The younger brother shook his head.
"Both of them caused plenty of trouble."
A smile appeared on his face.
A genuine one.
"They understand each other."
"Maybe because they share the same values."
"The same sense of responsibility."
"The same annoying habit of always doing the right thing."
Xiaoyu smiled.
That sounded exactly like the hero and Tianyu.
Then unexpectedly—
Zichen paused.
His gaze shifted toward her.
A strange look appeared on his face.
"Though..."
He hesitated.
"Compared to them..."
"You and Li Jianhong were much closer."
Xiaoyu's hand nearly froze around her teacup.
Fortunately, she managed to keep her expression calm.
Inside?
Panic.
Pure panic.
---
"You two were inseparable."
Zichen continued.
"There was a time when everyone thought you'd remain friends forever."
The younger brother laughed.
"Honestly, I was jealous."
Xiaoyu blinked.
"Jealous?"
"Of course."
Zichen pointed at her dramatically.
"You spent more time with him than your own family."
"You trained together."
"You studied together."
"You disappeared together."
The accusation sounded almost personal.
"You followed him everywhere."
"Then he followed you everywhere."
"I couldn't get rid of either of you."
Xiaoyu listened quietly.
Each word felt like another missing piece of a puzzle.
A puzzle called Yuchen.
---
Then Zichen suddenly grinned.
"Though maybe I know why everything changed."
Xiaoyu's heart skipped a beat.
"Oh?"
The younger brother nodded confidently.
"Li Jianhong became more handsome than you."
Silence.
The room became deathly quiet.
Even Shen Wei slowly opened his eyes.
Zichen remained completely serious.
As though he had just solved the greatest mystery in cultivation history.
---
"More handsome?"
Xiaoyu repeated.
"Naturally."
Zichen nodded.
"The maidens like him."
Then he crossed his arms proudly.
"Although not as much as they like me."
This time, even Shen Wei's expression twitched.
Just slightly.
---
"You?"
Xiaoyu asked.
"Obviously."
Zichen sounded offended.
"I am extremely popular."
"The maidens simply hide their feelings."
"Why?"
"They fear my overwhelming charm."
The younger brother nodded wisely.
"It is a burden I must carry."
---
Xiaoyu nearly laughed.
---
In truth, she knew the reality was completely different.
Back in her original world, discussions about these characters had been endless.
Li Jianhong had always been popular.
The righteous hero.
The kind-hearted protagonist.
The person who protected others.
Naturally, readers loved him.
But surprisingly—
Yuchen's popularity had never been much lower.
Despite being the villain.
Despite being a future tyrant.
Despite being completely insane.
Countless readers still adored him.
Why?
One word.
His face.
The memory almost made her laugh.
Readers would spend entire days arguing online.
"He's evil."
"So what?"
"He killed people."
"So what?"
"He's a psychopath."
"Look at him!"
The arguments never ended.
At the time, Xiaoyu had thought those people were ridiculous.
Now?
After seeing Yuchen's face every morning in the mirror?
She reluctantly understood.
A little.
Only a little.
---
"Brother."
Zichen's voice interrupted her thoughts.
"You smiled."
Xiaoyu froze.
"I did not."
"You did."
"I did not."
"You did."
The younger brother pointed triumphantly.
"You agree I'm the most handsome."
"No."
"You're lying."
---
For several moments, the room filled with laughter.
Even Xiaoyu found herself relaxing.
Genuinely relaxing.
For the first time since her arrival in this world.
Not thinking about assassins.
Not thinking about conspiracies.
Not thinking about secrets.
Just enjoying the moment.
---
As evening gradually deepened, Zichen continued talking.
One story after another.
Most involved Tianyu being too strict.
Others involved Shen Wei being too serious.
A few involved himself narrowly escaping punishment.
All of them somehow ended in disaster.
---
And throughout it all—
Xiaoyu simply listened.
Smiling.
Laughing.
Enjoying the warmth.
---
Then a strange feeling surfaced from somewhere deep within Yuchen's body.
Warm.
Gentle.
Protective.
Not hers.
His.
Yuchen's.
The feeling appeared only briefly.
Yet it was unmistakable.
Affection.
Genuine affection.
The original Yuchen loved his younger brother.
There was no doubt about it.
Not as a sect member.
Not as a subordinate.
Not as an heir.
As family.
As a brother.
---
Xiaoyu quietly watched Zichen's bright smile.
His endless energy.
His ability to make everyone around him relax.
And suddenly—
A familiar memory from the story resurfaced.
A future she desperately wished to avoid.
A future where Zichen died.
At Yuchen's hands.
---
The warmth lingering inside her chest only made the contradiction worse.
Much worse.
Because the affection she felt wasn't fake.
It wasn't imagined.
It was real.
Which made the question even more terrifying.
If Yuchen truly loved Zichen this much...
Then why did he kill him?