Eldest Brother and Eldest Sister-in-Law

Second floor, 203.

Shen Qing stood before the door and took a deep breath. After steeling himself, he carefully placed his hand on the doorknob.

With a "click," he opened the door, first poking his head in to scan the room.

The entire layout was visible at a glance: a single room and a living room, plus a kitchen and bathroom. It was about fifty square meters—not exactly small, but it was home to three people.

The decor was still from ten or twenty years ago; the walls were yellowed and even peeling.

"Back already?"

Following the voice, Shen Qing confirmed that the only person in the living room was the young man sitting on the sofa, so he whispered:

"Brother, where's Sister-in-law? Putting Xiao Ziqian to sleep?"

The young man nodded.

Shen Qing finally let out a sigh of relief, stepped inside, closed the door behind him, and flopped onto the sofa, looking at the young man beside him.

Jiang Cheng, his older brother by non-blood relation.

They had come from the same orphanage, were five years apart, had known each other for twelve years, and the other man had supported him for seven full years.

Combined with government aid, scholarships, and interest-free loans, he had been able to finish high school and university without needing to work part-time.

His cheap parents hadn't earned low wages and had lived a decent life while they were around, but after they went missing, they left nothing behind; even the apartment was rented.

Before Shen Qing could say anything else, a woman's voice suddenly came from behind him.

"What, does it matter to you whether I'm here or not?"

Shen Qing's spine stiffened.

A woman with a gentle face walked over from the kitchen, though her expression was one of fury, and she said with a tone of exasperated disappointment:

"Coming back so late again. Tell me, you graduated from a top-tier university, so why must you insist on delivering food? Riding that electric scooter—aren't you afraid of getting into an accident?"

As she spoke, she reached out and pinched Shen Qing's ear.

"Sister-in-law, ouch, ouch, ouch—"

Shen Qing instinctively stood up in the direction of her pull, begging for mercy, "Isn't food delivery a relatively flexible job?"

He tilted his head, hissing in pain as he explained, "Sister-in-law, it's not like you don't know my personality. How could I ever sit still?"

Considering he had died from exhaustion and drowning in his past life, he had been diligently exercising every day in this one.

"Besides," Shen Qing continued to argue his case, "if I went into a corporate job with my degree, wouldn't the 996 schedule be the norm? One wrong move and I could easily drop dead from overwork."

"Oh?"

This remark was like adding fuel to the fire; the woman raised an eyebrow. "So, it's my fault then?"

Her fingers tightened, pulling upward slightly, before she looked at Jiang Cheng and said gently, "What do you think, as his big brother?"

Beneath that gentle tone was a murderous intent Shen Qing knew all too well.

"No, no, no, Sister-in-law, Brother—help me!"

Shen Qing's reasoned arguments crumbled within three seconds, and he scrambled to beg for mercy.

Although it didn't hurt that much, the lessons he'd learned since childhood told him that playing the coward was the right move now.

"Shut up, you brat."

Jiang Cheng had originally been watching the show, but seeing the fire threatening to spread to him, he quickly interjected:

"Honey, Qingzi is twenty-two now. He's not a child; he surely has his own ideas. Besides, don't wake up Ziqian."

The last sentence was the key.

Shen Qing felt the pressure on his ear lighten and seized the opportunity, fishing a roasted sweet potato he'd bought earlier out of his pocket.

"Right, right, Sister-in-law, I was wrong!" he said sincerely. "I have sweet potatoes here, the roasted ones you love!"

A faint, sweet scent of roasted sweet potato wafted up with the steam.

When the two of them were dating, they had been dirt poor, and his brother had used this to woo his sister-in-law, even though it was all he could afford at the time.

Perhaps reminded of those days, the woman snorted and let go.

"Hmph, dinner is in the pot. Eat it and get out quickly. If you wake Ziqian up, neither of you brothers will hear the end of it."

With that, she turned and walked toward the bedroom, muttering under her breath, "He used to be such an obedient child..."

Shen Qing scratched his head; he had only been acting that way to help his brother.

Jiang Cheng walked over and patted his shoulder. "You know your sister-in-law is all bark and no bite."

"Do you even need to say that?" Shen Qing replied as if it were obvious.

Su Wan, his sister-in-law—he had known her for six years, so he naturally understood her character.

Otherwise, who would be willing to let their husband continue to support a brother with no blood relation?

From the start of high school through university, and even now, she still had him over for dinner every single day.

To say they were like his own brother and sister would be no exaggeration.

However, great kindness needs no thanks; words were useless, and besides, he hadn't even been able to feed himself before, so what was there to talk about regarding repayment?

"Right, where's my share?"

Watching Jiang Cheng reach out his hand, Shen Qing rolled his eyes at him. Was this not the same guy who used to feed him leftover roasted sweet potatoes?

"Go buy it yourself."

After saying that, he walked into the kitchen with practiced ease, finished his meal quickly, and conscientiously washed the dishes.

"Alright, brother, I'm heading back now."

Shen Qing stood at the entryway and waved. He wasn't so lacking in social awareness that he would insist on living with a young married couple.

Even though neither of them minded, he felt like both a dowry and a bride-price rolled into one.

"Get lost, get lost, hurry up and scram. Running off the moment you've finished mopping up a meal." Jiang Cheng waved his hand impatiently.

Shen Qing chuckled, pulled open the door, and the smile in his eyes vanished instantly.

It wasn't that he didn't want to stay longer, but Supernaturalists were simply more prone to attracting demons than ordinary people.

The way that middle-aged man had died today left him somewhat uneasy. He cultivated so that he could better protect himself, his brother, and his sister-in-law in the future, not to bring disaster upon them.

Stepping out of the apartment building, the sound of rain came crashing down, and with another loud "boom," Shen Qing frowned and looked up at the sky.

"No way, it's not even June yet, and the weather changes just like that?"

There hadn't been a single cloud a moment ago, and now a layer of dark clouds had gathered, pouring rain—just like the day before yesterday.

His electric scooter was left in the shed. Shen Qing rolled up his pant legs and started sprinting through the rain, splashing water several meters away.

"Little Shen, you didn't bring an umbrella!"

The old man in the security booth saw him looking like a drowned rat from a distance and fished an umbrella out from under his desk.

"It's fine, Uncle! I'm already soaked through anyway."

Shen Qing didn't stop, just waved his hand and continued splashing toward the neighboring residential complex.

"Hey, Little Shen... I heard there's something haunting your neighborhood..."

The old man stood at the booth entrance holding the umbrella, watching Shen Qing disappear around the corner. "That kid runs too fast; no idea if he even heard me."

The downpour came and went just as quickly.

By the time Shen Qing reached the neighboring complex, the rain had gradually eased. He looked up.

Compared to his brother's complex, this one was much older; the wall paint was peeling, and the streetlights had been broken for who knew how long without anyone fixing them.

It was said to be slated for demolition soon, and aside from him, there were hardly any households living in the entire building.

That was why the price was so cheap—seven hundred yuan for a two-bedroom apartment—which also saved him from bothering the neighbors.

"Haunted? Another supernatural incident?"

In the stairwell, the lights flickered. Shen Qing pondered the old man's words.

But it seemed unlikely. The organization had monitoring methods; if ordinary people already knew, they should have notified him long ago.

On the third floor, Shen Qing unlocked the door and pushed it open. A gust of damp wind hit his face.

"Did I not close the window when I left, or did the wind blow it open?"

He frowned, standing at the doorway to observe his surroundings. The sofa, coffee table, refrigerator—the living room had so little that everything was in plain sight.

"Was it really just the wind?"

Shen Qing checked the room carefully. Only the living room window was open. Perhaps he had truly forgotten to close it for ventilation, so he shut it and thought nothing more of it.

Along the way, he had fully experienced the passive effect of his new entry: spiritual energy constantly surged into his body, tempering his physique.

Now, he couldn't wait to test his active ability.

Back in the bedroom, Shen Qing sat cross-legged. As he actively drew in spiritual energy, he could immediately feel a surge of energy far greater than on ordinary days.

The spiritual energy was like a tide, continuously pouring into his body, being refined into blood and qi to wash his body, from skin to bone.

In the blink of an eye, several hours passed. Shen Qing, sitting on the bed, suddenly opened his eyes. In just one week, he had achieved another breakthrough.

"Ninth Grade, mid-stage..."