It Was All Xuantian Pavilion's Doing; It Had Nothing to Do with Our Wen Dao Palace

Night was falling.

As Qin Wangchuan led Li Qingluan through the streetlights.

On the distant rooftops, several figures sat or stood, silently watching this scene.

"I originally thought that Ninth Brother was acting somewhat recklessly,"

Qin Xuanji leaned against the roof ridge, his robes fluttering slightly in the night breeze, his expression complex. "But now it seems that what he's thinking... is probably much deeper than ours."

"Did you hear what he said? He said—he wants Sixth Brother to come home."

"It seems that pushing Ninth Brother to be the Divine Son was the right thing to do." Qin Qingni sat casually on the roof tiles, her elbows propped on her knees and her palms supporting her chin.

"But I think it's wrong."

Qin Kuangge stood with his arms crossed, his posture as straight as a spear, his brows furrowed. "Ninth Brother is still too young. These old matters shouldn't be his responsibility to resolve."

"But isn't that the duty of the Divine Son?"

Qin Qingzheng sat to the side, a long sword resting across his lap, his voice cold and clear.

"But nobody said that the Divine Son should do these things."

Qin Zhaoer sat on the edge of the eaves, her long, straight legs dangling in the air, swaying gently.

She raised her hand, tucking a few strands of hair that had been ruffled by the evening breeze behind her ear, her gaze fixed on Qin Wangchuan in the lamplight below.

"Oh, oh, oh, feeling sorry for her again?" Qin Miaoyan teased mischievously, tilting her head to look at her.

Qin Zhaoer did not refute, but simply watched quietly.

Qin Miaoyan pouted, feeling awkward, and looked at the tall figure in the dim light. She said with unusual seriousness, "This is precisely the difference between him and us."

"Thinking too much, doing too much, a precious gem of our Qin Clan, a perfect yet immature Divine Son."

She paused, then added, "There's one flaw—she always likes to secretly shoulder things alone."

"I agree with that." Qin Zhaoer's lips curved slightly, but the smile quickly faded into her eyes. "So, Second Brother, what are your plans?"

Qin Xuanji was silent for a moment, then said in a steady voice, "Since Ninth Brother has spoken, I will naturally help him."

Even without evidence?

Qin Kuangge suddenly turned his head, his eyes sharp. "Ninth Brother only explained that it was a warning from the future, but there's no evidence! We've seen it ourselves; that woman doesn't seem to be pretending."

He raised his voice. "The most important point— the Eldest Brother might make a move."

"Not just possible, it's absolutely certain."

Qin Qingni corrected, her tone resolute, "Eldest Brother has always felt guilty towards sixth brother and won't sit idly by in this matter." She paused, "It's just that I don't know to what extent he will go."

"You're going to help your Eldest Brother?"

Qin Qingzheng lightly stroked the sword sheath with his fingertips, turned his head to look at Qin Kuangge and asked.

Qin Kuangge was speechless for a moment, a struggle flashing across his rugged face.

"I just... I just don't want to act recklessly without evidence."

His voice lowered, "Sixth Brother and that woman have already endured too much suffering; they shouldn't have to suffer further unwarranted suspicion and harm."

"And why does Ninth Brother insist on doing it himself? He could clearly..."

"Didn't he say that?"

Qin Zhaoer interrupted him, her voice soft yet carrying a profound understanding, "Sixth Brother should go home."

"Suppression alone is not enough; his goal is to resolve this century-old grudge."

"It doesn't necessarily have to be him, does it?" Qin Kuangge asked.

"No."

Qin Qingzheng shook his head, his gaze then falling on Qin Wangchuan with an almost certain approval, "No one but Ninth Brother."

"Ninth Brother is special; only he can do this."

"Actually, there's no need to help Sixth Brother. Leaving him alone won't do any harm..." Qin Miaoyan muttered softly.

She didn't have a good impression of that cold and aloof Sixth Brother.

"He ignored me several times when I asked him for help. He's so stingy!"

"That's the kind of person my Ninth Brother is," Qin Zhaoer said calmly, her gaze distant. "Even if we were to fall into the abyss one day, he would come to our aid."

"That's the charm of Ninth Brother."

Silence fell over the eaves for a moment.

The evening breeze rustled softly through the eaves and roof ornaments.

No one spoke, but the ripples in everyone's eyes reflected a silent agreement with those words.

"So, you've already decided?"

Qin Xuanji slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping over the crowd in turn.

Qin Qingni nodded, Qin Qingzheng remained silent, Qin Miaoyan pursed her lips in tacit agreement, and Qin Zhaoer's gaze was calm.

Finally, his gaze fell on Qin Kuangge:

"And you, Eldest Brother and Ninth Brother, whose side are you going to take?"

Qin Kuangge remained silent, his chest rising and falling slightly.

He may appear rough and boorish, but he is actually very sensitive and tender-hearted, and he hates to see his brothers fight each other.

"Does fighting really have to be the only option?" Qin Kuangge's voice was hoarse. "Aren't there better ways?"

"For example, explaining the situation to Sixth Brother, then imprisoning the woman and finding a way to verify her identity, etc..."

"Don't be naive," Qin Xuanji interrupted him.

"Think about the consequences. If you imprison her, what will Sixth Brother think and do?"

After saying that, he looked at Qin Kuangge's suddenly dimmed eyes, remained silent for a moment, and finally just sighed heavily.

"If you really don't want to do it... then just watch from the sidelines, like we did back then."

"Watching the tragedy unfold, watching everything become irreversible, watching my sixth brother slam the door and leave."

These words were like a needle, piercing Qin Kuangge's heart.

His eyes suddenly sharpened, as if fire was burning deep within his pupils.

"Yes..."

"It's because we chose to stand by and watch that things turned out this way. This was something we should have resolved, but it ended up falling on Ninth Brother's shoulders."

Qin Kuangge gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his clenched fists, but what finally escaped his lips was a hoarse, low question:

"Is Ninth Brother... really not mistaken?"

Qin Xuanji met his gaze and slowly said, "Who knows?"

"Anyway, Ninth Brother has never made a mistake before."

After listening, Qin Kuangge closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the cool night air.

When I opened my eyes again, all that remained was an unwavering resolve.

"Okay." He uttered a single word, decisively, "I'll help Ninth Brother."

Qin Xuanji nodded, his gaze sweeping over everyone on the rooftop once more.

"Then, the Eldest Brother Suppression Squad is complete."

"Leave Sixth Brother's situation to Ninth Brother."

"Our job is just to hold off the Eldest Brother."

"He might die." Qin Qingzheng suddenly spoke, his voice still calm and even, yet it made the air freeze for a moment.

"Everyone dies, including us."

Qin Xuanji replied, his eyes showing no fear, only a profound and calm composure, "But—I won't die here."

"Although I didn't want to fight my Eldest Brother... it's too late now."

"Let our invincible Eldest Brother lose just this once."

At the same time.

Middle Thousand Provinces, Jiuqu Realm, Wen Dao Palace.

Originally, the grand plan of the people of the Wen Dao Palace was to build a mining empire, using an endless supply of Spirit Stone to lay the foundation for eternity.

However, the situation changed drastically when the "Returnees," an organization also under Qin Wangchuan's command, joined the group.

While everyone was still figuring out where to recruit more people to mine, Feng Qingjue's group had already come up with an even more "ingenious" plan.

Jiang Yan stood in a brightly lit warehouse, staring at the mountain of colorful fabrics piled up before him, lost in deep confusion.

Stockings are just the tip of the iceberg.

There were also many more pieces of light clothing that he had never heard of or seen before, which, in his conservative understanding, were considered immoral and uncivilized, displayed in a dazzling array.

"These things... they're certainly profitable," he muttered, "But isn't the Wen Dao Palace a reputable sect?"

Jiang Yan's imagined sect: morning exercises, discussions of Tao, and seclusion.

In reality, the Wen Dao Palace collects Spirit Stone in the morning, at noon, and in the afternoon. In the evening, they hold Spirit Stone to discuss what sells well and how to adjust their strategy.

"Is this still a sect?" He was on the verge of collapse.

"Hey! Junior Disciple Jiang, you're talking nonsense again."

Senior Brother Xiao Yun walked over carrying a stack of account books, his face beaming, and corrected, "Of course, our Wen Dao Palace is a reputable sect! These customs and trinkets are all arranged by the Xuantian Pavilion; what do they have to do with us?"