Since Chu Yunfei's life or death was at stake, they naturally couldn't afford to be careless. Chu Qing couldn't fully trust the person before him without being certain of his identity, even though he had used the Azure Void Palm and Star Chasing Moon Following Steps.
So the moment he saw Chu Tian, Chu Qing had already made up his mind.
Chu Tian had deliberately shown off Star Chasing Moon Following Steps and the Azure Void Palm.
That happened to align with Chu Qing's own thinking.
Only when Chu Qing called out Chu Tian's identity and had him pull off his face covering did everything finally settle.
The two brothers fell silent for a while, then laughed at the same time.
After they had laughed, Chu Qing reached up and took off his own mask as well.
Chu Tian stared at his face for a while. Chu Qing was beginning to feel embarrassed under his gaze when Chu Tian finally spoke, his eyes dimming:
"You've had a hard time all these years, haven't you?"
"Life hasn't exactly been comfortable, but it hasn't been too bad either."
Chu Qing smiled, not wanting to dwell on the subject.
"What exactly is going on between Ten Thousand Night Valley and Heavenly Dance City?"
"It's hard to say for now."
Chu Tian spoke softly.
"Last year, they were still keeping out of each other's way. But after the new year, spies from Ten Thousand Night Valley started turning up in the city one after another.
"Because of that, City Lord Wu sent a letter to Gu Qianqiu. He didn't say it outright, but he warned him in no uncertain terms not to overstep.
"But Gu Qianqiu's reply claimed he knew nothing about it...
"After things like that kept happening, City Lord Wu grew angry. His letters became more and more severe, and Gu Qianqiu stopped even pretending—he simply quit replying."
Chu Qing nodded, then asked:
"Have Heavenly Dance City and Ten Thousand Night Valley fought before?"
"Father told me they did, a long time ago. But back then, you weren't even born, and neither was I.
"The most recent grudge... must have been four years ago. Father and Xin Youhen ran into each other on the road, and Xin Youhen insisted on testing Father's Azure Void Palm.
"They fought thirty-seven moves. Xin Youhen took a palm strike and, supposedly, needed two years to recover.
"But it seems a bit much to go to war over that alone."
"Four years ago..."
Chu Qing shook his head. It didn't make much sense for things to suddenly escalate so dramatically over something like that.
"But..."
Chu Tian glanced at Chu Qing.
"After hearing what you told Miss Wu today, I've come up with a new theory."
"Oh?"
Chu Qing was taken aback.
"Did you find a clue in what I said?"
Chu Tian nodded but didn't elaborate. Instead, he asked:
"You joined the Sin Mirror Platform?"
The question came out of nowhere, but it wasn't surprising that Chu Tian had figured it out.
He had seen the aftermath of Chu Qing's fight with someone from the Sin Mirror Platform. Though they used different martial arts, their styles were remarkably similar.
Afterward, Chu Qing had personally told Wu Qianhuan that he was an assassin.
A little deduction was all it took to reach the answer.
Chu Qing nodded, then shook his head.
"I've already left the Sin Mirror Platform. They're hunting me all over the world now."
"Because of Father?"
"Because of something else... What happened to Father was just a coincidence. I stumbled across it by chance."
After he said that, Chu Qing froze. It seemed that saying "Father" aloud hadn't been so difficult after all... just as he had called him "Big Brother" earlier without giving it much thought.
Chu Tian suddenly smiled.
"That's good, then. Since you've left the Sin Mirror Platform, come home.
"What does the Sin Mirror Platform hunting down one of its deserters have to do with the Third Young Master of the Chu Family?"
Chu Qing said nothing, only lowered his gaze to the ground.
The hope on Chu Tian's face gradually faded.
"You don't want to come home?"
"Let's talk about it later..."
Chu Qing smiled.
"I'll give it some serious thought."
Chu Tian watched him quietly for a while, then nodded.
"All right. But Father has truly missed you all these years.
"No matter what you decide in the end... come home and see him when you have some free time."
"Okay."
Chu Qing agreed.
After all this, Chu Qing understood that some things couldn't be escaped.
He had inherited everything from the original Chu Qing, so there was no way to avoid these entanglements.
Fortunately, Chu Tian was a reasonable man. If Chu Fan had been standing here today... there would have been no reasoning with him.
That blockhead would have hauled him home over his shoulder if he had to.
"About Ten Thousand Night Valley and Heavenly Dance City..."
Chu Qing tried to return to the earlier topic.
"...You're being hunted. Don't get involved in this.
"It's best to avoid fighting whenever you can."
Chu Tian patted Chu Qing on the shoulder.
"Father, City Lord Wu, and I will deal with it. You don't need to worry."
"All right."
Chu Qing smiled.
"Then I'll head back..."
"Third Brother."
Chu Tian called after him.
"If you need to find me, come in through the South Side Gate. I'll leave it slightly open for you.
"Once you're inside, you can come straight to my courtyard."
"Got it."
Chu Qing nodded and headed toward Heavenly Dance City.
But as he watched Chu Qing's retreating figure, Chu Tian called out again:
"Wait..."
"What is it now?"
Chu Qing turned back with a helpless look.
"Big Brother, why not just say everything at once?
"Why are you being so fussy?"
"You little brat, is that any way to talk to your brother?"
Chu Tian couldn't help laughing as he chided him, then his expression turned serious.
"No matter what you decide in the end, Big Brother will support you.
"But remember..."
He paused, then continued with a faint smile:
"You've never been alone."
Chu Qing looked at Chu Tian in silence for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing.
"Ugh, cheesy. I'm off."
With that, he turned around and leaped away without looking back.
Chu Tian was left alone where he stood, gazing up at the sky. He stared blankly for a long while before finally chuckling under his breath.
"Brat, who are you calling cheesy..."
Naturally, the moment Chu Qing returned to Heavenly Dance City, he caused another commotion atop the city walls.
The Heavenly Dance Guard on the walls probably wouldn't get much sleep tonight.
Back at the inn, Chu Qing changed out of his soaked night clothes and tossed his mask onto the table. He stared out the window at the fine, dense raindrops, looking dazed.
After a long while, he pulled his gaze back and gathered his thoughts.
He sat cross-legged on the bed...
After what had happened last time, he figured he ought to find somewhere safe whenever he claimed a reward and opened a chest.
With a thought, the interface appeared.
[One unopened Martial Arts Treasure Chest. Open it?]
"Open!"
Chu Qing was much calmer now. He wasn't short on Internal Energy Techniques for the time being, so he could accept whatever martial art he got.
Unless it really gave him the Sunflower Manual or the Evil Warding Sword Manual... then he'd be sweating buckets.
"But if it came from the system, I shouldn't have to castrate myself, right?
"The system can even help merge conflicting Internal Energy. This little thing shouldn't be too hard for it."
As he thought that, a prompt appeared before him.
[Opening successful. Obtained blade technique: Blood Blade Technique.]
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