Don't Cry, Brother

The brothers Listening Yulong and Listening Yuhu had never imagined that one day they would fight each other to the death.

They had always been close, but now that things had come to this, neither had any way back.

Listening Yulong knew that unless his younger brother died today, the Mind-Listening Clan would never have another chance to rise.

However reluctant he was, however insistently a voice in his head told him he could hold back and let his brother escape...

Reason kept dragging him back to reality.

Nothing I do can escape that man's notice. He's too clever!

Listening Yulong dared not gamble, so from the very start, he had gone straight for his younger brother.

Fending off his elder brother's attacks, Listening Yuhu shouted, "Brother, are you really going to throw away our bond and follow that brat all the way to ruin?"

Listening Yulong said nothing. He simply attacked, again and again.

By then, five or six clan members had fallen in pools of blood, struck down by the very relatives who had supported them throughout their journey.

At the sight, Listening Yuhu's eyes reddened, and his voice choked as he called out again and again.

"Brother, we can leave together! We don't have to kill each other over an uncertain future!"

"Brother, look at them! You watched them grow up. Can you really bear to let them die at their own relatives' hands?"

Listening Yulong's heart was breaking too. Should he give up on joining Flower Village?

In the past, he would have hesitated. But the more he learned about this place and Lu Zeming, the more he understood that this was not a matter of choice. The answer was obvious.

"Your stupidity got them killed!"

Listening Yulong roared and slammed a fist into Listening Yuhu's face.

Blood trickled from the corner of Listening Yuhu's mouth, and he gave a bitter laugh.

"Brother, if we really fight, you're no match for me!"

"I know. Have everyone else stop. Today, the two of us will decide the Mind-Listening Clan's future. If I die, take our people and leave. You're no match for the Lord!"

With that, Listening Yulong drew a kunai and took a stance, ready to fight to the death.

Listening Yuhu wiped the blood from his mouth and drew his own kunai.

"Fine. Then I'll send you on your way today, Brother!"

The brothers clashed again. This time, there was no flashy ninjutsu, only a bloody, flesh-pounding struggle, every strike aimed at a vital spot.

In less than half a quarter of an hour, both were drenched in blood, their stamina stretched to its limit.

Their hands trembled around their kunai, and they swayed on their feet as though they might collapse at any moment.

"It's... it's time... to end this!"

"Yes... time... to end... end this. Die!"

Shouting, the brothers mustered the last of their strength and charged each other.

The instant they closed in, both gripped their kunai in two hands and thrust toward the other's heart.

The scene froze. The two leaned against each other, just as they had as children.

Listening Yulong could not remember how long it had been since he had looked at his younger brother's face from so close.

It seemed he had never been this close to his brother since they grew up!

Looking at his brother's bloodstained face, Listening Yulong felt that he was still just as mischievous and reckless as he had been as a child.

Before he knew it, tears filled his eyes.

Blood welled from Listening Yuhu's mouth. Forcing himself to hold on, he said, "Brother, don't cry. It was all my fault. You have to take our people and live well!"

With that, Listening Yuhu could hold on no longer and crumpled to the ground.

Only when they separated did everyone see that Listening Yuhu's kunai had been pointed toward himself.

He had never intended to kill his elder brother.

"My brother... my foolish little brother!"

Listening Yulong knelt and gathered his brother's body into his arms, refusing to let go for a long, long time. It was just like those childhood nights when their parents were away, when his timid little brother could only fall asleep nestled in his arms.

Only this time, he would never wake again...

Two days passed before Lu Zeming saw Listening Yulong again.

Listening Yulong was still wrapped in bandages and looked utterly haggard.

"Has everything been settled?"

Listening Yulong answered respectfully, "Those who needed to establish separate households have done so. The ancestral property has been divided among the households, and they've all been settled in different locations. I didn't let them live on the same street."

Lu Zeming nodded. "Good. I'm sorry about your brother. I prefer to lay everything out in the open, so tell me: will you resent me over this?"

Listening Yulong shook his head. "When my brother died, the Mind-Listening Clan had not yet joined the village. No one from the village was involved at any point. It was entirely an internal matter for our clan. Only after settling our private affairs could we move forward without burdens."

"As long as you understand my intentions. Work hard. The village has a long road ahead, and there will be plenty of opportunities for your clan's talented people to show what they can do. I've already informed the Mind-Listening Clan's ninja that they'll begin studying in the Ninja Advanced Training Class tomorrow!"

Listening Yulong's heart sank. The Mind-Listening Clan's ninja now answered only to the village. He had no authority over them as clan head anymore.

Still, Listening Yulong rallied himself and said, "Thank you, my Lord!"

"Oh, and although your clansmen have established separate households, they still need to honor their ancestors every year. As clan head, you must take responsibility for that. Ideally, you should put together a genealogy or something. They should still visit one another on holidays, too. Having you form separate households doesn't mean you should abandon your ancestors and relatives!"

Listening Yulong was overjoyed to hear this!

"Thank you for your guidance, my Lord!"

His gratitude was far more sincere this time. Lu Zeming laughed and called him a crafty bastard.

Listening Yulong did not mind. He even eagerly sidled closer to ask what a genealogy was, how to put one together, and how to arrange ancestral rites that were solemn and dignified, grand without being ostentatious.

Lu Zeming freely shared everything he knew.

After Listening Yulong left, Lu Zeming reflected on this unexpected incident.

Listening Yuhu's rebellion could actually have been avoided entirely.

Ultimately, the village lacked enough military might to serve as a deterrent, making it all too easy for people to entertain ideas they should never have had.

Lu Zeming took out Ghost Lantern Vine's Summoning Scroll.

It was time to subdue Ghost Lantern Vine and make him the village's military deterrent!

Taking the Summoning Scroll with him, Lu Zeming stepped onto his long saber and flew deep into the mountains.

After more than an hour of uninterrupted flight, Lu Zeming reached a dense forest rarely visited by humans.

He opened the scroll, bit his finger, swiftly formed hand seals as instructed, and slapped his palm onto it.

Bang!

A great cloud of smoke burst from above the scroll.

A massive tree more than thirty meters tall appeared before Lu Zeming.

The enormous tree was pitch-black, without branches or leaves. It had only a single spiraling trunk that thrust into the sky.

Rubbing his chin, Lu Zeming spoke in confusion.

"Ghost Lantern Vine? Why is he a tree? He's not moving at all. Don't tell me he's dead?"

The next second, the spirals around the trunk began to loosen. Vines peeled away, reaching outward like an octopus's tentacles.

Only once all the vines hung down from the trunk was the true trunk revealed.

The actual trunk was only four or five meters tall, shaped like an oversized octagonal lantern.

An eerie blue flame flickered within its hollow interior. At the junction beneath the octagonal lantern sat a set of humanlike facial features, which looked rather ugly.