What an Eldest Brother Should Be

Qin Wudao continued to speak, but his words were like the deep waters of a cold pool, with undercurrents surging beneath the surface.

"Your Sixth Brother is in love with Dragon Girl from the Mingyuan Ancient Dragon."

"Although this clan has a history of grave sins, the Dragon Girl's feelings for your Sixth Brother are genuine. There have been many twists and turns along the way, and the Lineage initially... did not approve."

The phrase "full of twists and turns" is easy to say, but the real story behind it can only be understood by those who have experienced it.

Qin Wudao's voice was low and deep, as if he had sunk into a memory he didn't want to revisit.

"Your Sixth Brother has always been such a proud person. He's usually so flamboyant and arrogant... as if the world is unworthy of his attention."

He paused slightly, as if he was carefully choosing his words, or as if the image was choking him.

"But that night, he came to see me."

"Just like that... he knelt down heavily in front of me."

"He had his head down, so I couldn't see his expression, but I could hear his voice... it was incredibly hoarse."

He said he was really at his wit's end, 'Eldest Brother, please.'

Qin Wudao closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, and suddenly felt a slight movement in front of him—

A withered leaf was swept by the wind and landed right in front of me, teetering on the verge of falling.

He subconsciously raised his hand, and the leaf gently fell into his palm.

"My life revolves solely around the Tao. From birth, everyone has unanimously told me that I was born for the Tao, and therefore I don't understand what love is."

"I don't understand why it can make men bow down, the proud bow their heads, and power vanish, all for the sake of a title."

The withered leaf shattered silently between Qin Wudao's fingers. For the first time, a faint trace of bewilderment flashed across his usually calm eyes, as if he were seeing through the withered leaf a realm he could never set foot in.

"But I also know that life shouldn't be just about the Tao." His voice lowered a few decibels. "My life is like this, but his shouldn't be like this."

"So, I agreed."

"On the one hand, it's because I owe them a favor, and on the other hand, it's because I see that they've really had a tough time."

Despite strong opposition, the Qin Clan did not obstruct them, but only allowed them to perform the ceremony in the Upper Thousand Provinces.

"Marrying Human Race is a great disgrace to Alien Race, and Alien Race also eager to take advantage of it." A trace of reminiscence flashed in his eyes. "My sixth brother hesitated back then, but I promised him that I would protect them no matter what."

Looking back now, I realize I was too complacent.

At this point, a faint hint of coldness flashed in Qin Wudao's eyes, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze for a moment.

"At that time, apart from a few of us, no one from our clan was present. Those remnants of the Alien Race seized this opportunity and launched their attack."

"That was a catastrophe." His pace remained unchanged, yet his words carried the chilling scent of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. "Among the Alien Race, there was a powerful figure named Yue Xingtian, the Dragon Girl's brother, whose cultivation was extremely profound."

"I fought him to a bloody end, and when the battle was still undecided, he... right in front of my sixth brother and me, personally murdered his own sister, and then fled Outer Realm."

Qin Wudao paused slightly, as if trying to calm the still-burning Killing Intent that had transcended the long years.

"Back then, I wasn't as powerful as I am now, so I asked the Old Ancestor for a sword Swordsmanship called the <Taichu God-Burial Sword>, and chased after him to the Foreign Lands to kill him."

"Though revenge was taken, the people can never return." His tone finally showed a barely perceptible fluctuation. "Fortunately, most of the Alien Race don't actually die; they are constantly reborn from the Chaos Sea."

"Since that day, your Sixth Brother has left home and traveled throughout the Heavens and Myriad Realms, vowing to find the traces of her reincarnation."

He searched for a long time, so long that the landscape changed color, but in the end, he found nothing.

"Ultimately, he had no choice but to stay at the Wandao Academy, burying himself in forbidden ancient books day and night."

Qin Wangchuan listened quietly, then nodded slightly and said, "So... there's such a past."

Qin Wudao closed his eyes briefly and nodded slightly. "Yes."

After a moment of silence, he spoke again, "I paved the way to tragedy with my own hands."

"They made that promise, yet they arrogantly chose a location and arrogantly moved the date forward."

"The one who started this tragedy is none other than myself."

A sudden gust of wind blew past outside the hall, stirring his loose hair and casting dappled shadows on his stern face.

"Having endured so many long years and overcome countless obstacles, only to watch all hope vanish in an instant on the eve of the finish line—such a situation would be a heart-wrenching blow to anyone."

"Your Sixth Brother... he really has it tough."

Qin Wangchuan listened quietly, but his gaze gradually darkened.

He had already guessed what was going on.

His gaze was fixed on Qin Wudao when he suddenly spoke, his voice soft yet causing the surrounding air to freeze.

"Sixth Brother has had a tough time, but what if I said... I would one day become his Sixth Brother?"

"Eldest Brother, you--"

He looked directly into Qin Wudao's eyes, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"Whose side are you on?"

The atmosphere seemed to freeze at that moment.

Qin Wudao fell silent.

The silence lasted for an extremely long time, so long that the sound of the wind outside the hall seemed to solidify, pressing heavily between the two.

Finally, he spoke, his voice low and hoarse, yet without the slightest hesitation.

"Help him."

After speaking, Qin Wudao closed his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, as if suppressing some surging emotions.

"If he truly finds Yue Fangyun's reincarnation, let alone you, even if all the elders gather and the Patriarch himself comes... I will stand by his side."

"This is... a promise I made back then."

Qin Wangchuan had actually anticipated this answer.

His eyes lit up with a smile, and a knowing glint appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Just as I expected..."

According to his Future Self, Qin Hongchen's return is a key turning point— the Qin Family Civil War.

But the key question is: how could one person Qin Hongchen possibly trigger a civil war?

Now, the answer is obvious.

The one who truly instigated the internal strife was the Eldest Brother.

Of course, a woman alone couldn't really cause much trouble in the Qin Clan.

It's really just a very simple thing.

But the key point is that the woman wasn't the original body; she was some unknown entity wearing a mask.

Her arrival will mess up everything that's simple.

This was... the beginning of the civil war.

'But that's all in the past. I will change all of that,' Qin Wangchuan vowed silently in his heart.

The smile in Qin Wangchuan's eyes had not yet faded when Qin Wudao suddenly raised his eyes, a faint glint of sharpness flashing in them.

"Ninth Brother."

His tone remained calm, even carrying a hint of brotherly casualness.

"Your talent is great, but you'd better... not entertain such thoughts."

"Otherwise--"

As he spoke, Qin Wudao paused, a rare hint of mockery appearing on his lips.

"But you'll die."

"Eldest Brother is joking," Qin Wangchuan replied softly, his voice devoid of emotion.

But he knew very well what was going on in his heart.

There might truly be a showdown between him and his Eldest Brother in the future.

Although it's only a possibility.

But carrying the hopes of several timelines, Qin Wangchuan still needs to make preparations early.

"Speaking of the Wandao Academy— " Qin Wudao changed the subject, "At your and Eighth Sister's age, it's time for you to go to the Wandao Academy for some experience."

"The Academy will open soon; you should go there."

"That place is similar to your path—it doesn't discriminate based on status or strength, it only transmits the Way."

He paused, then offered a rare comment.

"It's a good place."

The fact that Qin Wudao called it a "good place" speaks volumes about the importance of the Wandao Academy.

Qin Wangchuan met his Eldest Brother's gaze and saw in it an unprecedented sense of recognition and expectation.

If Qin Wudao hadn't been speaking to the ancient cypress tree on the cliff edge at that moment, this display of "brotherly affection" would have been quite touching.

He nodded solemnly. "Thank you for your explanation, Eldest Brother."

Qin Wudao nodded slightly, said no more, and turned his gaze to the vast world again.

The two brothers stood silently on the edge of the cliff, one like Lone Peak, overlooking the vicissitudes of time;

One man is like a dragon lurking in the abyss, poised to unleash his power.

After staying a while longer, Qin Wangchuan took his leave.

He did not travel by carriage, but walked slowly along the mountain path alone.

His gaze fell upon each step he took, and he muttered to himself, "My future enemy is my Eldest Brother..." A barely perceptible fighting spirit flickered deep within the boy's eyes. "It seems... a fight wouldn't be so bad?"