Sorry for making you laugh, Brother Yi

In the blink of an eye,

two days had passed.

The siblings Qin Nan and Qin Zhiyu remained deeply troubled. Fortunately, no more deaths had occurred on the ship, as those who had endured this long were all formidable experts. Compared to the other guards, they could certainly hold out much longer.

Yet, at best, they could only prolong their survival. If no solution was found, their fate would remain grim.

Their gazes involuntarily turned to Yi Feng, who lay leisurely on a recliner, lazily fanning himself. Their expressions darkened.

"Brother, it's been two days. How can this guy still be so carefree?" Qin Zhiyu asked with a scowl.

Qin Nan was equally baffled.

Logically, after two days, one should distinctly feel their vitality and cultivation draining away. So why did Yi Feng seem completely unaffected?

Unable to hold back any longer, Qin Nan approached Yi Feng.

"Brother Yi, I truly can’t understand why you’re still so relaxed at a time like this," Qin Nan said with a grave expression, his tone earnest. "By now, after two days, you should clearly feel your vitality and cultivation diminishing. How can you just sit here? You should be working with us to find a way out of this danger."

"Oh?"

"Two days is enough to feel your vitality draining?" Yi Feng exclaimed in surprise, patting himself down before looking up and retorting, "I don’t feel anything at all."

???

The siblings exchanged puzzled glances.

"Really, nothing at all?" Qin Zhiyu couldn’t help but interject. "That’s impossible. Two days in this space is enough for it to consume a significant amount of our vitality and cultivation."

"Is that so?" Yi Feng lowered his head to inspect himself. "Let me try sensing it again…"

After a long pause, he looked up and said, "Maybe there’s a tiny bit?"

Yi Feng himself wasn’t sure.

He had no idea how to gauge such things—how was he supposed to measure how long he had left to live? But since they insisted two days should have taken a toll, perhaps… there was some effect?

Yi Feng’s response left the siblings exasperated.

"Brother Yi, since you’ve already sensed your vitality slipping away, you can’t just sit around waiting for death!" Qin Nan implored, his voice tinged with urgency. "We must act now."

"But… but it’s only a tiny bit!" Yi Feng protested, looking up.

Qin Nan covered his face with his hands, taking a moment to steady his emotions before speaking through gritted teeth. "Brother Yi, what do you mean, ‘only a tiny bit’? Are you waiting until the shit’s at the doorstep before pulling down your pants?"

"By the time our vitality and cultivation are truly drained, it’ll be too late to do anything!"

"That makes sense."

Yi Feng nodded solemnly.

Seeing that Yi Feng had finally grasped the severity of the situation, Qin Nan let out a long sigh of relief.

At last, he’d gotten through to him.

But the next moment, Yi Feng reclined back onto the lounger.

Witnessing this, Qin Nan angrily slapped himself across the face—hard.

Slap! Slap!

He was an idiot.

Why had he wasted his breath trying to reason with Yi Feng?

Watching the siblings’ frustration, Yi Feng sighed inwardly, feeling a pang of guilt.

Ah, such is human nature.

Where you stand determines how you think. You want to live, but I want to die.

Besides, I truly have no solution. If I could think of a way, I’d help you escape on your own.

But don’t worry.

If we all end up dying here, once I achieve immortality, I won’t forget you.

I’ll appoint you both as Ghost Emperors!

"Brother Yi."

Drawing on his formidable mental fortitude, Qin Nan took a while to calm himself before speaking again.

"I don’t know why you’re so indifferent to your own life and cultivation, but to each their own. I won’t force you."

"However, before the end, I have one final request."

Qin Nan clasped his hands respectfully.

Yi Feng turned his gaze toward the siblings.

"By my calculations, I can hold out for at most half a month."

"Though I can’t discern your cultivation level, it must be considerable. Since you arrived later, you’ll likely outlast me. So, I beg you—when the time comes, please bury my remains."

"Absolutely."

Yi Feng met Qin Nan’s solemn expression with a firm nod.

"Good!"

"Then I thank you, Brother Yi."

Qin Nan bowed gratefully.

At this point, he had given up struggling.

After exhausting every possible method to escape, he chose to accept his fate with dignity.

"Zhiyu, fetch two jugs of wine from the cabin," Qin Nan instructed.

"Mm."

Qin Zhiyu nodded and headed toward the cabin.

Once she was gone, Qin Nan’s eyes flickered. He leaned closer to Yi Feng and lowered his voice.

"Brother Yi, there’s one more thing I need your help with."

"Go ahead," Yi Feng replied.

"Truthfully, I still possess a spatial treasure."

"This artifact contains its own pocket dimension, gifted to me by my family’s ancestor. Under normal circumstances, entering it should shield us from the force draining our vitality and cultivation in this space."

"My plan is to use my remaining strength to seal Zhiyu and the other Qin family members inside."

"Perhaps, after my death, our ancestor will investigate this incident and rescue them."

"But I must apologize—I don’t intend to include you in this plan. The more people I seal, the shorter the duration my dwindling power can sustain the barrier."

"So, I beg your forgiveness for this selfish decision, made for the sake of my family’s survival."

Hearing this, Yi Feng studied Qin Nan closely.

Far from blaming him, Yi Feng felt a surge of admiration.

This selfishness wasn’t despicable.

Qin Nan’s choice to prioritize his family’s safety was entirely justified.

Moreover, Yi Feng and Qin Nan were merely passing acquaintances. There was no reason for Qin Nan to risk his family’s slim chance of survival for someone he barely knew.

And even if Qin Nan had offered, Yi Feng would have refused.

He’d finally found an opportunity to die—why waste it?

"I understand," Yi Feng said with a nod.

"Thank you."

Qin Nan clasped his hands again.

"Actually, I have a better idea," Yi Feng mused after a moment.

"Oh?"

Qin Nan looked up at him.

"You and your family should all enter the spatial treasure. I’ll help seal it for you," Yi Feng suggested.

Since he was determined to die, why not let Qin Nan and his family take this chance to live?

"What?"

"Brother Yi, you…?"

Qin Nan’s eyes widened in shock as he stood abruptly.

"Brother Yi, I never imagined you wouldn’t just forgive my selfishness but even propose such a solution." Overwhelmed with emotion, Qin Nan bowed deeply, his voice filled with reverence. "I apologize for my earlier disrespectful attitude toward you."

"No need for formalities."

Yi Feng waved his hand with a smile. "Well, what do you think? Isn't my idea a good one? This way, you, your sister, and the others might all survive."

"Brother Yi, your kindness is deeply appreciated. If it were possible, I wouldn’t refuse," Qin Nan said with a bitter smile. "After all, who would willingly choose death? In the end, I, Qin Nan, am a selfish man."

"But this spatial treasure has long recognized me as its master. No one else can activate it except me. Though I could erase its imprint and let you claim ownership, there simply isn’t enough time."

"So, for them to have even a sliver of hope, I must die."

At this point, Qin Nan laughed freely, as if unburdened. "Truth be told, at least I’ll have Brother Yi’s company for a few more days. And you’ll be here to bury me—that’s not so bad."

"Though, Brother Yi, after I’m gone, you’ll be left all alone, with no one to bury you…"

"Hahaha."

Hearing this, Yi Feng chuckled softly.

First, out of respect for Qin Nan’s carefree resolve.

Second, because the lad knew how to speak well.

His words were music to the ears!

Since this young man had no choice but to die, Yi Feng decided then and there to reserve a seat for him among the future Ghost Emperors.

"No!"

Suddenly, Qin Zhiyu’s voice cut in. Her face was deathly pale, her eyes red as she rushed forward, crying out in desperation, "Elder Brother, let me stay with you! If we die, we die together. If we live, we live together!"

"Zhiyu… you—"

Seeing that she had overheard their conversation, Qin Nan sighed helplessly before speaking with solemn patience. "I alone can seal the spatial rift. Even if you stay, it would be pointless."

"No!" Tears streamed down Qin Zhiyu’s face as she declared firmly, "I said it before—if we die, we die together. I won’t leave you out here alone!"

"Zhiyu, listen to me."

Qin Nan’s expression darkened. "You are the most outstanding disciple of the Qin family’s younger generation. You must survive to inherit our family’s legacy. For the sake of the Qin family, you have to live."

"No. Impossible."

Qin Zhiyu bit her lip, shaking her head stubbornly. "I won’t let you stay behind alone."

But in the next moment, her body stiffened, rendered immobile. Looking down, she realized Qin Nan had sealed her cultivation and meridians.

"Listen to your elder brother. Live on."

Qin Nan affectionately ruffled her hair, smiling. "I still want someone to leave a jug of good wine at my memorial tablet every year. The others in the family are always too busy—they’ll forget about me sooner or later. Only you would remember."

Unable to move or speak, Qin Zhiyu trembled, her face drenched in tears, her eyes red with grief.

"Be good."

Qin Nan wiped her tears away with a gentle smile before straightening his posture and shouting, "Qin family!"

"Here!"

The remaining members of the Qin family aboard the ship swiftly assembled, standing at attention before him.

"Take your positions. Enter the Fourfold Spatial Array immediately!" Qin Nan commanded.

"What? Young Master!"

The group paled, their knees hitting the deck in unison.

"Young Master, this must not happen!"

"We haven’t reached the point of no return—there must be another way!"

"Yes! Even if we die, we die together!"

It was clear they understood the implications of his order.

"Hmm?"

Qin Nan’s stern gaze swept over them. "Are you disobeying me now?"

"And let me be clear—this is not a request. This is an order from your Young Master."

"No, we cannot!"

"This must not happen!"

They knelt, trembling, their faces streaked with tears.

"If you refuse, you betray the Qin family and disregard the ancestral teachings passed down through generations!"

Qin Nan’s voice was unyielding.

With that, his aura surged, and he raised a square array box into the air.

As it ascended, the box erupted in radiant light, forming a swirling portal.

"Qin Mu, take Zhiyu into the spatial realm," Qin Nan ordered.

"Young Master, I—"

The middle-aged man named Qin Mu shook his head desperately, tears falling freely.

"I command you to enter!" Qin Nan barked.

"Yes!"

Clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white, Qin Mu struggled for a long moment before finally yielding in anguish. He scooped up Qin Zhiyu and stepped into the portal.

"Qin Yu, enter."

"Young Master, please—"

"Enter!"

"...Yes."

One by one, under Qin Nan’s unrelenting authority, the Qin family members passed through the spatial gateway.

"Seal!"

Once the last of them had vanished, Qin Nan roared, channeling his full power into the array box.

The portal snapped shut, and the box returned to his hand.

But the effort cost him—blood spilled from his lips, his face as pale as paper, his body wracked with coughs.

"Pathetic," he muttered, wiping his mouth with a handkerchief.

He then picked up the wine jug Qin Zhiyu had brought earlier, pouring a cup for Yi Feng before smiling wryly.

"Forgive me for the unsightly display, Brother Yi."