The Family Elders

Yue Zhengyu's gaze rested on Le Zhengyue, a complex emotion in his eyes. He didn't directly question or doubt him.

Watching that expression, Le Zhengyue quickly began to assess the situation.

Yue Zhengyu clearly had memories—or rather, he really had been reborn with his memories. But those memories probably didn't come from a complete rebirth.

They were still themselves; they merely possessed memories of a past life.

If the real Yue Zhengyu had returned, then with the strength and temperament he'd had back then, he would have killed Le Zhengyue without hesitation.

Yue Zhengyu shouldn't have had a younger brother at all.

But Yue Zhengyu hadn't made a move. That meant he was just as confused—or perhaps he couldn't understand why someone who hadn't existed in the original world had appeared.

He might even have begun to doubt the memories in his own mind.

Looking at this cheap older brother of his, Le Zhengyue narrowed his eyes slightly.

As far as he was concerned, he himself was the most important.

If he could, he would kill this older brother without the slightest hesitation and remove one of his troubles.

After all, his existence was something this world couldn't accept.

Or rather, by this point, Tang San, Huo Yuhao, Tang Wulin, and he were all enemies.

"Don't you recognize me?"

"I'm your own little brother. We were playing together just yesterday."

"What's wrong with you today?"

Le Zhengyue stared blankly at Yue Zhengyu. His face held just the right amount of confusion and disbelief, as if he couldn't understand why his older brother had forgotten him.

Meeting the boy's wounded gaze, Yue Zhengyu fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

"I haven't forgotten you, little brother."

"It's just that... there are some things I'm not sure about, big brother."

A thoughtful look came over Yue Zhengyu's eyes. He couldn't be certain whether the memories in his mind were real.

Compared with those so-called memories, the little brother he'd lived with for six years was naturally far more real.

So, seeing the hurt in his younger brother's eyes, he naturally tried to reassure him.

"All right, little brother. Big brother hasn't forgotten you. Did you come to see me about something?"

"Nothing important. I just wanted to say goodbye. I'm going traveling, and the family's having an elder take me."

As he spoke, Le Zhengyue lowered his head, hurt in his eyes.

"I came all this way to say goodbye to you, big brother. I didn't expect you to say something like that."

Yue Zhengyu glanced at his little brother and fell silent for a moment.

"I'm sorry. Go traveling with the elder. Big brother still has to keep cultivating."

His voice was calm, without a trace of guilt.

Clearly, although he didn't entirely believe his memories, they were simply too vivid.

How could he not pay attention to memories so real that every detail matched up perfectly?

Le Zhengyue had only glanced at him, and still couldn't tell whether his older brother had a system.

So, after saying goodbye to his brother, Le Zhengyue calmly turned and left the courtyard.

The moment he was outside, the hurt vanished from his face. In its place, grim resolve and murderous intent surfaced.

Whether or not his brother believed him, as long as he existed, there was a flaw in his identity.

His brother's existence was even more dangerous than Tang Wulin and the others.

At this stage, Tang Wulin and the others would have no idea he existed, much less know that he was their enemy too.

But if Yue Zhengyu came to believe his memories completely and met Tang Wulin and the others, he would become a huge liability.

If Yue Zhengyu told them about this, the appearance of a new person who didn't exist in the original timeline would certainly put Tang Wulin on alert.

"Ah. So I still have to get rid of this older brother."

"Best to do it in a way no one can trace."

"Not now, though. In a few years, he'll definitely go to Shrek Academy."

Le Zhengyue's gaze was calm. Now that the timeline had begun to unfold—or rather, now that they had their memories—Yue Zhengyu couldn't go to Shrek Academy in his second year like he had in the original timeline. This time, he would definitely go in his first year.

That would be the perfect opportunity to ambush him.

At the thought, Le Zhengyue's gaze sharpened.

He returned to his room, and the afternoon passed quickly.

Neither his grandfather nor his cheap older brother showed up again. At the family dinner that evening, he was the only one there.

Le Zhengyue was sitting and eating, thinking over what lay ahead, when the dining room door opened.

A handsome, middle-aged man walked in slowly. He wore a military uniform, and the insignia on his shoulder marked him as a major general.

To become a major general in a Federation military district in his early forties, he clearly had not only great strength but also powerful connections in the Federation.

Le Zhengyue only glanced at the man for a moment, then gave a slight nod.

"Good evening, Father."

"Mm. Good evening."

The man's voice was calm, though more than anything, he sounded uncomfortable.

It seemed he'd never been alone with this son of his. Sitting there, father and son remained silent.

Le Zhengyue was thinking about how to seize the opportunities ahead and planning out each of his next moves.

The man sat quietly, eating.

Less than five minutes later, he calmly stood up and left.

He didn't say another word to Le Zhengyue the entire time, but Le Zhengyue didn't mind.

The Yue Family was very traditional. Although they no longer bore the surname Qian,

they were a standard hereditary family with a history stretching back over a thousand years.

The family had always followed the principle of seniority.

In fact, every generation of the family's main line had a single heir, one branch passed down alone.

Aside from his great-uncle Yue Zhengen, his second, third, and even fourth grandfathers had all come from collateral branches.

That way, the families they established and the children they had wouldn't threaten the true main line of the Yue Family.

But somewhere along the generations, an exception had appeared: him, Le Zhengyue.

Or perhaps his very existence was the result of some strange arrangement.

Judging from Yue Zhengyu's situation, there had definitely been no one like him in the original timeline.

At the thought, Le Zhengyue sighed. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, but he had no time to dwell on it.

After all, the most important thing now was to survive.

It would be one thing before Tang San and the others became gods. Once they did, there was no way they wouldn't sense that he was an anomaly. When that happened, all that awaited him was death.

So rather than enjoy a few decades of life before dying, he'd rather take a gamble and see if he could snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

As Le Zhengyue pondered, the door opened again. This time, two old men in white robes entered. Their robes were adorned with ornate runes, and each bore the emblem of six pairs of wings on his back.

Le Zhengyue saw the two elders and hurried to his feet.

"Good evening, Elders."