Fair-weather brothers?

Inside the cave, Li Qingyue changed her clothes and cleaned her wounds.

On the blue stone before her lay a Ghost Face Mask and a hairpin carved from wood.

Now there was also a porcelain bottle, a silk handkerchief, and a moon-white robe torn at the waist.

As for the Bronze Ring, she had initially worn it on her thumb.

But as she grew older and bigger, it now fit only on her index finger.

"I only want to grow stronger! To seize every chance to grow stronger."

"Nothing else has anything to do with me!"

Li Qingyue murmured softly, her pale fingers slowly gathering up the Ghost Face Mask, the hairpin, the porcelain bottle, and even the torn robe.

"Your kindness... once I'm capable, I'll repay it all!"

"I don't want to owe anyone anything anymore!"

After gathering everything, Li Qingyue was just about to leave the cave.

A sudden rumble came from outside.

Rumble...

It was like immense thunder ravaging heaven and earth, making the entire cave tremble.

Loose stones fell from time to time.

"What happened?"

Startled, Li Qingyue pushed off with her toes, leaving a mark on the hard blue stone and a faint afterimage.

In an instant, she was outside the cave.

At a glance, she saw two figures, one white and one gold, crisscrossing through a nearby valley, the radiance of their divine power spilling down like sunlight.

"No, that wasn't a valley!"

Li Qingyue clearly remembered that a mountain hundreds of meters tall should have stood there.

But now the mountain had vanished, and a valley had inexplicably appeared in its place.

Shattered stones, broken wood, and ruined trees littered the surroundings.

This was a battle far beyond the ordinary.

"They're... fighting!"

"Just because of what happened earlier..."

As something occurred to her, Li Qingyue's heart lurched. Was this what they called fair-weather brotherhood?

At that thought, Li Qingyue was about to approach, only to feel terrifying shock waves flinging everything around them into the air.

Countless head-sized rocks flew like cannonballs.

With her current strength, even getting close would be extremely difficult.

"Hah!"

Suddenly, a loud shout rang out. Like an ancient Fierce Beast, the golden figure kicked a massive Giant Stone into the air.

The Giant Stone was bigger than a house, yet it hurtled like a cannonball toward the slender white figure.

"Rise!"

Divine light burst from the white figure's body, merging him with heaven and earth.

With a wave of his hand, the ground split apart. His spell unleashed tremendous power, heaving up a Giant Stone to collide with the one flying toward him.

Rumble...

The Giant Stones collided like a nuclear bomb exploding.

An enormous shock wave swept through the surroundings.

Countless rocks were hurled into the air. Stone fragments swept wildly like bullets, piercing and snapping countless enormous trees.

It was like the end of the world.

"So strong! Are they serious?"

"Do they have to be so petty?"

Li Qingyue's scalp tingled, but she could only watch from afar, unable to get anywhere near them.

The two figures crisscrossed like ancient Fierce Beasts, the radiance of their divine power colliding again and again.

Nearly every blow seemed to shatter heaven and earth.

The force was simply unimaginable.

It was terrifying.

Rumble...

Suddenly, the two figures collided once more, unleashing a blaze of divine light.

The roar blasted apart the mist in the mountain ravine, as though heaven and earth were being cleaved open.

Streams of divine power swelled like expanding domes, sweeping everything away.

It was as though fierce winds had scoured the entire world.

Thud!

The two colliding figures flew backward like magnets with matching poles, crashing into the ravine.

Boom!

The mountain rocks shook, then gradually settled.

Only then did Li Qingyue dare approach.

Along the way, the shattered Giant Stones and devastated Mountain Forest left her utterly shaken.

This was a clash between a Sacred Body and a Dao Body.

It had nearly destroyed everything around them, bringing down mountains and splitting the earth.

It was truly terrifying.

"Hahaha... that felt good!"

From far away, Yan Wushuang's exceptionally hearty laughter rang out.

When Li Qingyue drew close, she saw two battered figures leaning against separate Giant Stones, gazing at each other.

Only a few meters apart, their auras were weak, and even their faces and the corners of their mouths were covered in blood.

They could barely move.

"You two..."

Li Qingyue opened her mouth, unsure what to ask. The words on her lips became only, "Are you all right?"

"How could anything be wrong? I have a Sacred Body! I was going easy on him!"

Yan Wushuang's eyes brightened as he looked at Li Qingyue. She was as breathtaking as ever, making it impossible to look away.

And she got along remarkably well with him. They both loved eating.

Although the girl ate to grow stronger, he thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of looking after her.

It was a feeling no other woman could give him.

"Stop holding it in. Cough up a little more blood. You'll feel better!"

Yang Wuzheng's gentle, tranquil voice drifted over.

As though he had never fought at all, he looked at Li Qingyue with calm, uncontentious eyes and said, "We were only sparring. Don't worry."

"Bullshit! Who's holding anything in?"

Furious at those words, Yan Wushuang glared at Yang Wuzheng. "Get up if you've got what it takes! We'll fight another three hundred rounds!"

"Then we'll see who needs to hold it in!"

Yang Wuzheng remained calm as he replied, "Whoever's holding it in knows perfectly well."

It was an utterly mild remark, yet it seemed to have trodden right on Yan Wushuang's sore spot.

"You... I was going easy on you! Look at that scrawny body of yours. I'm afraid one punch would wipe you out!"

"Oh? Then who was smashed into a mountain just now and knocked the whole thing out of existence?"

"I felt like it! I'm strong, and I like crashing into mountains when I've got nothing to do. What's it to you?"

"Then why are you coughing up blood?"

"I've got plenty of blood! What's wrong with coughing up a little?"

"Then stand up!"

"..."

Their voices, one calm and tranquil, the other fiery and frantic, kept taking shots at each other, neither yielding an inch.

Yet neither moved so much as a muscle the entire time.

Clearly, both had exhausted their strength and suffered considerable injuries.

"You two should just get together... you have my blessing."

Li Qingyue was speechless. They had made her worry for nothing.

But as she listened to the barbs they traded and the affection beneath them, her eyes dimmed slightly, and a trace of envy suddenly appeared on her face.

This was affection between men, simple and direct.

She had once had an older brother like that, too. He often teased her and picked on her, yet in the end, he would always find ways to coax her into a good mood.

Her battles with her brother had always ended in her victory.

But now her brother was truly gone. He would never appear before her to tease her again.

Li Qingyue turned silently. Under their gazes, she wet the silk handkerchief in the stream, came to their sides, and wordlessly wiped the blood from their faces.

She was very meticulous.

This was the only thing she could do for them, to repay their earlier kindness.

Watching Li Qingyue and her busy movements, breathing in the delicate fragrance from her body, the two gradually fell silent.

They really had used all their strength in this battle, fighting until they could no longer move.

Yet neither had managed to convince the other.

The battle was a draw.

Now, watching Li Qingyue's busy figure and earnest expression, they felt a measure of enjoyment, along with an inexplicable flutter in their hearts.

A girl so quiet and gentle, yet so sensible it made their hearts ache, was always impossible to ignore.

"Get some rest, both of you."

After wiping the blood from their faces, Li Qingyue silently turned away and sat on a blue stone nearby, hugging her knees.

She tilted her head back to gaze at the sky.

She looked extraordinarily lonely and distant.

Out of place in the world.

The bond between Yan Wushuang and Yang Wuzheng filled her with both envy and sorrow.

"Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Grandma, big brother... I miss you a little!"

The faint murmur escaped Li Qingyue's lips, as soft as a mosquito's hum.

Although they were twenty or thirty meters away, Yang Wuzheng and Yan Wushuang were strong enough to hear that faint sound.

Her words were quiet, yet they pierced effortlessly into their hearts.

Both looked toward the fragile figure hugging her knees on the blue stone, their expressions troubled.

Even the strongest person had a tender side.

The girl before them was no different.

Perhaps they had both been wrong.

For a moment, neither knew how to comfort her. Even if they wanted to go to her, they could not move.

But the next moment, they saw that fragile figure stir.

Holding a small stone fragment between her fingers, she began scratching repeatedly at the blue stone before her.

The sorrow in her eyes had already vanished, leaving only resolve and stubbornness, glinting with a cool light.

Her long hair brushed against her ears and danced before her eyes, but her face remained intensely focused. She paid it no heed.

As her red lips moved, silent words seemed to ring out.

Being sentimental is useless. I don't have much time!

I must grow stronger!

PS: Please send monthly tickets, recommendation votes, and tips! Please keep reading!