The Clickbait Account That Tricked Me

"Let's become sworn brothers!"

Lin Dong, shedding his usual casual demeanor, looked at Lin Changqiang with solemn seriousness. At that moment, Lin Changqiang felt like he'd been parched for ages and finally found rain.

Compared to Battle Through the Heavens, why did he prefer Martial Universe? Was it because Lin Dong's cheat was stronger than Xiao Yan's? Not really—Yao Lao and the Flame Devouring Technique were no slouches either. Was it Ling Qingzhu and Ying Huanhuan? No—Xiao Yan had even more romantic entanglements than Lin Dong.

What he loved most was always the bond between Lin Dong, Lin Diao, and Lin Yan—sharing life and death, fortune and misfortune alike.

In his past life, he'd had plenty of friends, but few who'd stand by him unwaveringly through hardship. When a fight broke out, those who'd charge in without a second thought numbered fewer than ten.

Thus, Lin Changqiang took a deep breath, his face solemn as he cupped his hands in salute: "I couldn't ask for more!"

"Good, good, good!" Lin Dong was overjoyed and immediately dragged Lin Changqiang to kneel facing the sun.

"Heaven above, Earth below, bear witness!"

"Mountains and seas as our oath, sun and moon as our vow!"

"Today."

"I, Lin Dong!"

"I, Lin Changqiang!"

"Swear brotherhood—share blessings, share burdens!"

"We seek not to be born on the same day, same month, same year!"

"But we seek to die on the same day, same month, same year!"

"Should we break this oath, may heaven and man alike destroy us!"

"Second brother, rise!"

"Second brother, rise!"

"???" Lin Dong stared at Lin Changqiang in disbelief. "Changqiang, I'm older than you, so by all reason, I should be the big brother, right?"

"Not so, not so!" Lin Changqiang shook his head. "Haven't you heard that in martial arts, there's no seniority by age—only by achievement? I'm at the Heavenly Origin Stage, and you're at the Earthly Yuan Stage, so by that logic, I should be the big brother!"

Lin Dong frowned. "Cultivation can change—I might surpass you someday—but your age can't grow older than mine, so I should still be the big brother. Besides..."

"Wait!" Suddenly, Lin Changqiang snapped out of it like waking from a dream, cutting Lin Dong off. "Aren't we already from the same family? We're already blood brothers—why are we swearing brotherhood???"

As the words left his mouth, Lin Dong stared blankly at Lin Changqiang, looking a bit dim-witted. After a long pause, he came to his senses and scratched his head awkwardly. "Well... how about we pretend this never happened?"

"How can we do that? Who swears an oath and then backs out?" Lin Changqiang rubbed his chin in thought for a while, until he hit on a genius idea. "How about this—we settle it with rock-paper-scissors!"

"??? You serious?"

"What else? Got a fairer way?"

"...Fine."

"3, 2, 1!"

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

"???" Lin Changqiang stared at his rock, lost in thought. I remember that article from my past life said strong-willed people tend to throw scissors—why did Lin Dong throw paper? Didn't it say sunny, optimistic people throw paper?

"Heh, Changqiang, a bet's a bet~" Lin Dong cheerfully patted Lin Changqiang on the shoulder. "I've already figured it out—from now on, we'll keep it separate. At home, you call me Third Brother; outside, I'll call you Second Brother. How about that?"

"Getting the advantage and still acting smug." Lin Changqiang shot Lin Dong a glare, cursing that Clickbait Account to hell in his mind.

Lin Dong didn't mind at all. He sat down casually and said politely, "Changqiang, have a seat. Let's absorb Yang Gang Qi together, big brother."

Why does Lin Dong seem thicker-skinned than in the original? Is it the Butterfly Effect? Lin Changqiang muttered inwardly, then shook his head and sat down to absorb Yang Gang Qi alongside Lin Dong.

As the sun set, neither of the two youths, eyes closed in cultivation, noticed the faint smile curling at the corners of each other's lips.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, carts loaded with black timber lined up neatly at the gates of Ironwood Manor.

On the surface, this trip was about selling ironwood, but the real goal was to sell Yang Yuan Stones. The old man clearly took this operation seriously—he was leading it personally, bringing Lin Xiao and Lin Mang along, and even taking a hundred guards.

Lin Zhentian swept his sharp gaze over the group, nodded, then looked at Lin Xiao beside him. "Everyone here?"

"All here, ready to depart anytime."

"Good." Lin Zhentian said no more. He raised his arm and spurred his horse into a gallop. "Move out!"

The fairly imposing convoy set off with a chorus of shouts, and Lin Changqiang lightly tapped his horse's flank, following along with a surge of excitement.

Flame City was the closest city to Qingyang Town, but even so, they didn't arrive within its bounds until noon.

The road to Flame City was bustling, which piqued Lin Dong's curiosity, but Lin Changqiang slumped weakly over his horse's back—compared to the rush-hour crowds of his past life, this was nothing.

"Dong'er, Changqiang, don't stir up trouble when you get to the city. Flame City's a mix of dragons and snakes, with hidden tigers and crouching dragons—one wrong move and you might offend a big shot." Seeing their expressions, Lin Xiao warned them with some concern.

"Don't worry, Third Uncle. I won't start anything, but if someone starts with me, I'll finish it."

Lin Xiao nodded, but felt something was off. Before he could dwell on it, Lin Dong cut in.

"Dad, with Flame City this big, the power struggles must be way fiercer than in Qingyang Town, right?"

"In Flame City, almost every month, one faction falls and several rise. What do you think?" Lin Xiao shook his head. "Still, among all these factions, three behemoths stand tall, laughing at the rest—none can match them!"

"Oh? Which three?" Lin Dong asked, eyes wide like a curious child.

"The Jia Ma Imperial Family, the Miter Auction House, and the Cloud Mist Sect," Lin Changqiang replied, snickering inwardly.

"The Yan City Lord's Mansion, the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce, and the Blood Wolf Gang!"

"Blood Wolf Gang?" Lin Changqiang raised an eyebrow. He'd never noticed before how many names in this world sounded like they were doomed from the start. "That name's no good—doesn't even sound as tough as Mad Saber Martial Hall."

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" Lin Xiao was startled. "These three major forces are packed with experts, each backed by Yuan Dan Stage powerhouses. Not to mention all the mid- and small-sized factions under them. We can't afford to provoke them!"

The caravan pressed forward at a steady, unhurried pace. Before long, they reached the city gates. Seeing the towering, sky-scraping walls, Lin Dong couldn't help but gape.

After paying the entry fee, the caravan smoothly entered Yan City.

"Let's head to our lodgings first." Lin Zhentian led the way with practiced ease, clearly no stranger to Yan City. The group wound through the streets until they stopped at a somewhat secluded inn.

After a brief rest, they split into three groups. The first, led by Lin Mang, went to sell the Ironwood. The second, led by Lin Zhentian and Lin Xiao, went to sell the Yang Yuan Stones.

As for the third... that was Lin Changqiang and Lin Dong, left behind at the inn along with the guards watching the horses and other goods.

Of course, it wasn't long before the two couldn't resist sneaking out of the inn to wander around Yan City.