A young woman appeared in Longtian’s line of sight.
She was about fifteen or sixteen years old, with delicately arched eyebrows, clear, mesmerizing eyes, a fine nose, and cherry-red lips.
Her face was as radiant as a spring blossom, her complexion as fair as the autumn moon.
She possessed an extraordinary grace, clearly a natural-born beauty.
“Seventh Sister, what did you just call him?”
Before Longtian could speak, He Qingfeng’s displeased voice rang out.
The young woman in green standing before them was He Wanqing, the seventh child of her generation.
“Brother, that is enough.
Father and even Grandfather will be here soon.
The Sun family is also sending people over.
If outsiders see this, they will inevitably laugh at the He family,” He Wanqing said, casting a slightly worried glance at Longtian.
In the entire He family, she was the only one who didn’t ostracize Longtian and He Chen.
Even Longtian’s own father, He Yitao, looked down on his two sons.
He Qingfeng gave He Wanqing a strange look and said coldly, “Sister, I know you want to help Longtian.
However, you must not forget the humiliation our He family suffered eight years ago.”
The incident regarding Longtian’s mother eight years ago had always been the laughingstock of Flying Horse Village and a disgrace to the He family.
“I know, Brother.” He Wanqing knew that even though the incident had nothing to do with Longtian and He Chen, the He family had still shifted their resentment onto them.
“As long as you know.
Today, out of respect for my sister, I won’t lower myself to bicker with a stray dog like you.” He Qingfeng shot Longtian a cold glare before entering the mourning hall.
He looked at the person lying in the coffin with a mocking expression, his eyes seemingly saying that He Chen had finally gotten what he deserved.
“Sixth Brother, are you all right?” With He Qingfeng gone, He Wanqing finally helped Longtian up.
Longtian clenched his fists tightly.
He gritted his teeth and glanced at He Qingfeng in the mourning hall before saying indifferently, “I’m fine.
My arm is just dislocated.”
“Let me help you pop it back in.”
“No need.
I can do it myself.” Although Longtian had a reputation as a useless playboy, he was not lacking in backbone.
He pressed his dislocated right hand against the ground and gave it a vicious twist with his left hand!
CRACK.
The dislocated bone snapped back into place.
Even though the pain left him drenched in cold sweat, Longtian didn’t even furrow his brow.
His brother was dead.
If he wasn’t strong, who would be strong for him?
“Sixth Brother…” He Wanqing looked at the stubborn Longtian with a complex expression.
To her surprise, Longtian offered her a faint smile.
“Seventh Sister, your Sixth Brother isn’t that fragile.
I swear, one day, I will no longer need anyone’s protection.
Instead, I will be the one protecting them.
For instance, perhaps in the future, you will be under my protection.”
Longtian’s dark eyes were terrifyingly resolute.
These words, which sounded like a joke, deeply shook He Wanqing.
As the two conversed, members of the He family arrived one after another.
Eldest Uncle Yihong, Second Uncle, Fourth Aunt, as well as the top youth of the He family, He Tong, and the eldest sister, He Qingzhu, all made their appearances.
“Wanqing, what are you doing over there?
Come here!” Second Uncle frowned slightly and called He Wanqing back.
Only then did Longtian raise his head and look toward the members of the He family.
The longer he looked, the colder his expression became.
Almost all the direct descendants of the He family’s third generation had arrived, yet exactly one person was missing: He Yitao, his father.
Longtian suddenly felt a strong urge to cry, yet he also wanted to laugh.
His son was dead, but the father didn’t even bother to come and take a look.
What kind of father was he?
What kind of family was this!
For eight years, ever since their mother left, He Yitao had completely ignored his two sons, even actively shunning them.
He had transferred his hatred for Longtian’s mother onto his children.
If He Yitao acted this way, it was no wonder the rest of the He family followed suit.
“The Sun family has arrived!”
A shout came from the doorway, and the members of the Sun family entered the He family’s courtyard.
The Sun family was the other major faction in Flying Horse Village, but not many of them came today.
Only a symbolic two or three people attended—Sun San Niang and her two sons.
Although Sun San Niang was in her thirties, she was still highly attractive.
She had naturally been a beauty in her youth, and even now, her every movement could easily stir a man’s desires.
“Sun San Niang, I didn’t expect you to come,” Eldest Uncle Yihong said as he stepped forward to welcome them.
Sun San Niang gave a sweet, coquettish smile, yet feigned a sorrowful tone.
“The pride of Flying Horse Village has passed away.
How could we not come to pay our respects?
Sigh, the heavens truly envy geniuses.
Even I feel it is a pity.
With He Chen’s talent, he probably would have soon surpassed my son, Sun Jili.
The ways of the world are truly unpredictable.”
Ever since Sun San Niang walked in, Longtian’s gaze had been fixed on her.
This woman was having an affair with his father, He Yitao, and their relationship had grown even closer over the past two years.
Rumors outside said that He Yitao was going to marry Sun San Niang.
However, for some reason, Longtian always found her displeasing, feeling that she was incredibly fake.
Suddenly, Longtian’s pupils contracted as he shifted his gaze to Sun Jili.
Sun Jili was the top youth of the Sun family, and his cultivation was significantly stronger than the He family’s top youth.
At just twenty years old, his cultivation was already at the Eighth Level of Mortal Realm.
Sun Jili’s younger brother also had remarkable talent, possessing a cultivation at the Seventh Level of Mortal Realm.
Among the younger generation in Flying Horse Village, the Sun family had always suppressed the He family.
At this moment, a mocking smile appeared on the corner of Sun Jili’s mouth.
However, this smile wasn’t directed at Eldest Uncle Yihong, but rather at He Chen, who was lying in the coffin!
Longtian’s entire body trembled.
He had a faint feeling that his brother’s death was inextricably linked to Sun Jili and Sun San Niang!
It was purely an instinct, but Longtian’s instincts were usually terrifyingly accurate!
He silently committed those two names to memory—Sun San Niang and Sun Jili.
Time passed.
The so-called funeral was nothing more than a mere formality.
By the time the proceedings ended, neither the He family’s patriarch nor He Yitao had shown up.
As the crowd mostly dispersed, Eldest Uncle Yihong’s voice suddenly rang out.
“Longtian, since your father didn’t come, you should be the one to bury your brother’s body.
However, he cannot be buried within the He family’s cemetery.
Go find a good plot of land in the wilderness outside the village yourself.”
Longtian didn’t find his uncle’s words unfeeling; this was completely within his expectations.
While alive, his brother had potential and was allowed in the He family.
But now that he was dead, he was merely an empty vessel.
The very flesh and blood in his brother’s bones were deeply despised by the He family.
Longtian gave a faint nod.
He opened the coffin and, without a single word, hoisted his deceased brother onto his back.
Looking at his brother’s pale and ice-cold face, the tears he had been holding back since leaving the He family’s home finally fell.
The tears streamed down in continuous lines.
When they were young, his brother had always carried him on his back.
He never imagined that one day he would be the one carrying his brother—and that his brother would be a cold, stiff corpse.
“Sixth Master…”
Mr.
Ah Fu had been following behind Longtian.
Seeing the usually carefree Longtian crying so intensely, his own eyes grew red.
Longtian might be a playboy, but that didn’t mean he was heartless.
He knew perfectly well who treated him well.
“Mr.
Ah Fu, you can leave.
I want to bury my brother myself, and I want some time alone.”
Carrying He Chen’s body on his back, Longtian walked step by step away from the noisy streets.
Along the way, people pointed at him and gossiped, while many others shook their heads and sighed.
“Sixth Master…”
Mr.
Ah Fu realized that at this moment, Longtian’s back looked so desolate and helpless.
He suddenly understood that being part of a prominent family wasn’t as glorious as it seemed; in fact, it was incredibly cruel.
In the wilderness outside Flying Horse Village.
Longtian set He Chen’s body down, but his tears continued to fall.
“Brother, I know you must have been murdered by someone, not killed by some wild beast.
I swear I will avenge you!
I will definitely find the killer.
“Brother, I know you were so, so tired.
In the past, I was ignorant and made you shoulder everything.
I didn’t understand before—you were only born a little earlier than me, so why did you always carry the burden for every single thing?
Now I understand.
Being a brother isn’t just a simple word.
As the older brother, you felt it was your duty to protect me, to let me live a carefree life, and to shield me from everything.
“Brother, you were my brother for a day, and you will be my brother for all lifetimes.
Even if there is a next life, I still want to be your younger brother.
No, in the next life, I want to be your older brother!
I will protect you and take care of you.
Even if the sky falls, I will be the one to shoulder it!
“Brother, do you know?
I’ve only lost you for a few hours, yet I feel so lonely, because there is no one left in this world who will treat me well.
“Mother abandoned us when we were young and ran off with someone else.
Father ignores us and treats us like we don’t exist.
Now, he’s even going to marry that slut, Sun San Niang!
Did you know?
Just today, on the very day you died, he actually had Eldest Uncle Yihong pass on the message that he will go to the Sun family to propose in a month, and then he will marry Sun San Niang!
He decided to get married right after you died!
Does that bastard even deserve to be called a father!
“Brother, what should I do?
I can feel that your death is tied to Sun San Niang.
It might even be her who killed you.
But I have no evidence.
Even if I did find evidence, I don’t have the strength to do anything.
Brother, what on earth should I do?”
Longtian’s fists were clenched tight, his veins bulging ferociously like raging dragons.
Suddenly, a faint halo of light flashed before his eyes.
Longtian thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but after wiping away his tears, the halo was still there.
Looking closely, he realized the light was actually emanating from his brother’s corpse.
The halo glowed with a faint golden hue, giving off an ancient yet domineering aura.
Longtian instinctively pulled open his brother’s clothes.
A hideous wound appeared in his sight; it was about a finger long and had been stitched closed with a needle and thread.
The light was shining out from inside the wound.
He thought, “There is something inside the wound.”
For a moment, Longtian’s mind was filled with complex thoughts.
He wondered, “Could it be that my brother made this wound himself?
Did he put something into his own flesh and blood?”
Longtian hesitated for a few minutes before finally gritting his teeth and saying, “Brother, please forgive my disrespect.”
Longtian slowly unpicked the stitches, and the halo grew brighter and brighter.
Sure enough, there was an object lodged within the coagulated flesh.
As he dug it out, a blood-shaped crystal came into view.
The crystal seemed to be a container, only the size of a finger, and inside it rested a single drop of blood.
Bizarrely, although the blood was red, it released a faint golden halo.
It was impossible to tell whether the halo was coming from the blood or from the crystal itself.
Just as Longtian reached out to touch it, the golden light suddenly grew dense.
After faintly hearing a dragon’s roar, Longtian felt a tearing pain in his head.
The pain didn’t just come from his physical body, but from his very spirit.
Pain!
Pain!
Pain!
This pain was unbearable.
He even felt his consciousness slipping away.
But just as his mind blurred and he neared the brink of death, he seemed to hear a voice.
“Little brother, live on.”