Nie Tong

Nie Tong

"Yun'er..."

Seeing her son beat Nie Chao and Nie Chaoxing into a state where their life and death were unknown in the blink of an eye, Nie Ling stood frozen in place, her body stiffening as though she were about to turn to stone.

Was this really my son, Nie Yun?

An Early Qi Cultivation Realm cultivator had beaten Peak Qi Cultivation Realm experts until their lives hung in the balance... What on earth had happened?

As his mother, she knew Nie Yun's personality better than anyone.

His family had affected him too deeply. Beneath his resilience lay a trace of isolation; he was usually cold to the extreme and never willing to speak with anyone. What was wrong with him today?

"Hehe, Mother, go back and rest early!"

Seeing his mother like this, how could Nie Yun not know what she was thinking? He could only smile helplessly.

His rebirth was too deeply entangled to tell anyone about, not even his mother. Nie Yun could only muddle through it and send his mother, whose face was full of doubts, back to her room.

Following behind her and seeing the additional white hairs at her temples, Nie Yun's eyes reddened slightly.

In his past life, how much had Mother worried for him, how much hardship had she endured? He had never seen any of it. Instead, he had kept blaming her. He truly was a complete bastard!

Mother, in my past life, your son was useless. I never let you live a good life, and instead made you fall from a cliff because of me!

Mother, in my past life, your son was foolish and stupid. I made you worry and fear for me constantly, until your hair had turned completely white before you were even forty.

Mother, in my past life, your son was immature. I brought such great calamity upon the family and made you worry yourself to pieces again and again!

But, Mother, in this life, with your son here, I will definitely make you the happiest mother in the world! I will make you proud of me, make you glory in me!

Clenching his fists, Nie Yun swore an oath in his heart.

After settling his mother, Nie Yun returned to the courtyard.

Every blade of grass and every tree, every brick and every stone in the courtyard perfectly overlapped with his memories. The excitement of living two lives filled Nie Yun's chest.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

As he reminisced about the events of his past life, a series of muffled sword winds suddenly howled from the depths of the courtyard, as though someone were practicing swordsmanship.

A young, immature face flashed through his mind. Nie Yun's heart tightened, and he strode toward the source of the sound.

In an open space at the very corner of the courtyard, a boy of only ten or so held a longsword, his gaze resolute as he thrust again and again. Every thrust made the air sizzle, as though sword qi filled the air.

The boy's swordsmanship was not weak, but his lower body did not move at all, as though it were rigid. Seeing this, Nie Yun felt a pang of sorrow. It was not that the boy had never learned footwork, but that when he was three, a venomous snake had bitten his leg, causing his meridians to become congested and his legs to stiffen like stone. Even walking was difficult for him!

His Third Uncle's son, Nie Tong!

Nie Tong's congested meridians made him unable to cultivate his qi sea, yet he had not given up. From the age of six, he had secretly practiced swordsmanship. Every sword thrust just now had relied on pure muscular strength! For a nine-year-old child to practice swordsmanship to such a level using only his muscles, how great a willpower did that require?

"Ah, Brother Nie Yun, I was wrong. I won't dare practice again. I'll leave right away..."

Seemingly hearing movement behind him, Nie Tong turned around. When he saw that it was Nie Yun, his face immediately changed. Trembling, he hid the sword away, sweat beading on his forehead.

Seeing Nie Tong act this way, Nie Yun's heart could not help but ache.

What he had done to Nie Tong was perhaps the most bastardly thing he had done in his past life—calling him trash and forbidding him from cultivating!

In his past life, he had believed that someone unable to cultivate a qi sea was of no use to the family, and that cultivation would only waste resources. Every time he saw Nie Tong, he would harshly berate him, even personally teaching him a lesson. Thus, Nie Tong always cultivated behind his back. Once discovered, he would panic in terror, afraid of being blamed.

This continued until that calamity of the Demon Race!

His father had been killed, and he had lost all hope, deciding to perish together with the Demon Race. It was Nie Tong who saved him!

At the time, Nie Tong's legs were stiff and every step was incomparably difficult, yet his sword flew like the wind. With every strike, a member of the Demon Race would die. His gaze was steadfast and cold; no matter how many enemies came, it never changed in the slightest!

All the Demon Race members who had surrounded them were slaughtered. Just as he was rejoicing, Nie Tong collapsed heavily to the ground.

Only then did he discover that Nie Tong had suffered a full one hundred and thirty-seven sword wounds. His life force had long since been severed; he had endured until the end solely by relying on an unyielding will!

"Brother, I'm not trash. It seems... I'm still somewhat useful!"

Those were his final words, and also the only words he had spoken to him in the years since he began practicing the sword!

After saying that, he was gone. No matter how Nie Yun cried out with his heart torn to pieces, he never moved again!

He had only been fifteen that year!

"Nie Tong!"

The countless events of the past seemed to unfold before his eyes. His heart in agonizing pain, Nie Yun stepped forward and pulled the boy into his arms. Tears streamed down his face. It was him—truly him!

Though his face was still youthful, the resolve in his eyes had not changed at all. He was that younger brother who had suffered 137 sword wounds amid a horde of demon beasts to save him, yet had not cried out in pain even once!

"Brother Nie Yun, I was wrong. I know I'm trash and can't cultivate. I won't dare do it again..."

"You're not trash. It was Brother's fault!" Nie Yun felt as though his heart were being cut by knives!

I truly was a bastard—the greatest bastard in the world!

If not for that incident, he would never have known how much sweat and blood this younger brother had shed in secret. If not for that incident, he would never have known how much time and effort his younger brother had spent over that single word, "trash"!

Little Brother, you aren't trash. Brother was blinded by obsession! Brother was incomparably foolish! Brother failed to recognize what was good for him!

"Brother Nie Yun..."

Whenever he saw his older brother before, he would be berated. Yet today, his brother had suddenly pulled him into an embrace and said it was all his own fault. Nie Tong stood there in a daze, unable to process it!

"Nie Tong, from today onward, you may cultivate freely. If there is anything you do not understand, Brother can personally teach you!"

Knowing that his memories from two lifetimes had caused him to lose his composure somewhat, Nie Yun released the boy and stated his decision.

"I can cultivate freely? Brother won't scold me anymore?" The boy's eyes lit up, his dazzling gaze as bright as it had been in Nie Yun's memories from three hundred years ago.

"Mm!" Nie Yun nodded firmly.

"That's wonderful!" Trembling all over with excitement, the boy threw his arms around Nie Yun. "Long live Brother! Thank you, Brother!"

"Hehe!" Seeing how happy he was, Nie Yun's slightly sorrowful mood improved greatly. That was right—the past life was already gone. Since he had been reborn, he had to live brilliantly in this life. His younger brother had died for him in the past life; in this life, he absolutely could not let him repeat the same tragedy!

Thinking this, Nie Yun smiled. "Nie Tong, Brother has a cultivation art called the Spirit Rhinoceros Body Refining Technique. It can be cultivated without opening a qi sea. I'll copy it down for you in the next couple of days. As long as you cultivate it properly, your legs... will definitely regain their freedom!"

"My legs can regain their freedom? Brother, are you... certain?"

Nie Tong only felt a rumble explode in his mind. His resolute eyes abruptly lifted as he looked at the brother before him, his face full of disbelief.

"I'm certain!" Nie Yun nodded.

After his younger brother died in his past life, he had always wondered why Nie Tong, who could not even cultivate a qi sea, had been able to unleash such powerful strength. It was only later, after he obtained an inheritance and his horizons broadened, that he understood: through arduous sword practice day after day, year after year, Nie Tong had long fused his unwavering conviction into his life, and the swordsmanship he practiced secretly aligned with the methods of the Devil Race!

The Devil Race was a race even more noble than the Demon Race, born with bodies far stronger than humans. Unable to cultivate a qi sea, Nie Tong had practiced the sword day and night, inadvertently embarking upon the path of cultivating the flesh!

Back then, he had explored the path by himself, without any cultivation art. Yet this Spirit Rhinoceros Body Refining Technique was a supreme Devil Race method that Nie Yun had obtained. Its preciousness was no less than the Nine Revolutions Nirvana Art. As long as he passed this method on to him, Nie Tong would definitely be able to cleanse the remaining snake venom from his body and restore his legs! The Spirit Rhinoceros Body Refining Technique and the Nine Revolutions Nirvana Art were the two great cultivation arts upon which he had built his fame in his past life. He had never passed them on to anyone, but now that he could see his younger brother again in this life, he no longer had any regrets. Passing one on to him was nothing!

"Brother..."

Seeing his changed brother make him such a great promise, Nie Tong's eyes reddened. He silently swore in his heart that if his legs could truly be healed, he would definitely treat his brother well and would not hesitate even if it meant dying ten thousand deaths!

"Alright, cultivate well and strive to achieve something. When that time comes, we brothers will roam the world together and slay every fiend!" Nie Yun laughed loudly.

"Roam the world together and slay every fiend! Yes, Brother, I absolutely won't disappoint you!"

Nie Tong's eyes shone as the hot blood within him boiled completely in an instant!

Ever since he could remember, Nie Tong had been crippled. Neither the main family nor its branches thought highly of him. Now, Brother Nie Yun had not only said that he could heal his leg injury, but would also take him to roam the world. How could he not be excited?

"By the way, Nie Tong, wasn't it always Sister who kept watch for you while you cultivated, so I wouldn't discover you? Why isn't Sister here today?"

Nie Yun asked with a smile.

The sister he spoke of was his Eldest Uncle's daughter, Nie Xiaofeng.

This branch of his family had descended from his grandfather, Nie Tian. Among his father's generation were Eldest Uncle, his father, and Third Uncle. Eldest Uncle and Third Uncle had passed away one after another, each leaving behind a daughter and a son: Nie Xiaofeng and Nie Tong.

"Yesterday, Sister heard through unofficial channels that Nie Chao had already received the family's punishment order. As soon as dawn broke this morning, she went out and still hasn't returned!"

Nie Tong scratched his head as he spoke.

The family's punishment orders were issued by the Council of Elders. There was usually an interval between receiving the order and carrying it out, so it was perfectly normal to learn of it in advance.

"You said Sister went out as soon as dawn broke?"

Hearing this, Nie Yun's face drained of color as though he had been struck by a heavy blow, and his entire body began trembling violently without his control.