Brother, Will I Die

【The girl's condition is far worse than you can imagine】

【This is not an ordinary mortal illness, nor is it an injury from the outside world, but a collapse from within, as the girl's body gradually approaches its end】

【You cannot understand, nor do you know why】

【You can only do your best to find a cure, but unfortunately, even the elixirs of immortality from cultivators cannot eradicate the girl's illness, only slowing the decay of her body】

【You strive, you try, you fly like a bird beating its wings desperately through a thorny forest, searching for the faintest glimmer of hope】

【But no matter how hard you try, even if you are covered in wounds, begging everyone, including your master, you still cannot find the true cause of the girl's illness】

【You can only watch her grow more and more in pain】

【You can only watch her grow more and more frail】

【You are powerless, you can do nothing】

【Reality never changes according to human will; you cannot rewrite the tragedy and suffering before you with mere angry roars, like the protagonists of hot-blooded anime】

【In the face of true tragedy, human strength always seems so insignificant, so small that it brings despair】

【Every morning greeting, every goodnight farewell, is a signal that death is drawing closer. You have been under this pressure for four years, and in the end, you have achieved nothing】

【Four years have passed, you are 20 years old, the girl is 14】

【The once adorable child who followed you around, calling you "older brother," has grown into a beautiful young girl, but she can only lie on her sickbed, like a fragile object covered in cracks, ready to shatter at any moment】

【To some, this pale, sickly beauty is the ultimate aesthetic, but to you, it is the most desperate, helpless, and hateful sight】

【Your seasons seem to have turned into an endless, bitter winter, and you can hardly feel joy or warmth anymore】

【The girl sees all this and her eyes often carry self-blame and guilt】

She seems to care more about your increasingly weary body than her own suffering, frequently apologizing to you.

"I'm sorry, older brother..."

In the cave dwelling of Forest Sword Peak.

Years have passed.

The interior of the cave dwelling hasn't changed much; it still has the same few pieces of furniture, and the flowers and plants the girl once transplanted. The faint fragrance is filled with an unspoken silence.

The girl lies quietly on the bed.

Her hair is long and straight, black as night.

Her eyes are lifeless.

Her lips are pale.

She has a fragile appearance, as if she might break at a touch.

"It's okay, we don't need to apologize to each other," Xu Xi shook his head, placing a pill into the girl's mouth, "This is today's Nine Leaf Pill, take it and have a good rest."

The girl obediently nods and swallows the pill.

After taking it, the sick girl smiles at Xu Xi, like the morning sun, like a beautiful dream, like a flawless sky. She asks Xu Xi for a reward, just as she did when she was young.

"Older brother, Moli has obediently finished taking her medicine~~"

Her eyes filled with joy, the girl seems never to have grown up, as she coos to Xu Xi.

At this moment.

Right now.

Xu Moli's frail body and lively voice form a stark contrast, giving onlookers a deep sense of suffocation.

It makes people unable to speak, makes people unable to stop feeling sorrow.

"Yes, Moli is a good girl."

Xu Xi forces a smile, holding back the sourness in his nose, and takes out a candy he had prepared earlier, placing it in the girl's mouth. She savors it as if it were a priceless treasure.

Is candy really that delicious?

Xu Xi thinks back.

Every time he gives Moli candy, she always shows an incredibly happy expression.

After finishing the candy, the girl doesn't fall asleep as she usually does. Instead, she makes a request to Xu Xi, saying she wants to go outside. Xu Xi agrees.

Naturally, flying on a sword is out of the question; the speed would be too much for her already fragile body.

So.

Xu Xi supports the girl.

They leave the cave dwelling and take a simple stroll around Forest Sword Peak, which is now in autumn.

They walk very slowly, slower than the turning of life's years, and very carefully, more carefully than the little things in life.

Walking on the ground covered with autumn leaves, the girl's face gains a few more colors.

But.

Even such a slow walk, even such a short distance, is still too much for the 14-year-old Xu Moli. She suddenly stops, clutching the front of her clothes tightly, her face unusually pale.

"If you can't walk, don't push yourself," Xu Xi says, just like when she was little.

He lifts the girl onto his back, letting her rest on him.

The girl softly replies, "I know, older brother."

Resting on the familiar back, feeling the solidity and steadiness, the girl's eyes gradually close, and she feels the drowsiness overwhelming her.

Before falling asleep, she asks, "Older brother, will Moli die?"

"No, older brother will save you."

"Mm, Moli believes older brother, older brother wouldn't lie to Moli..."

Xu Moli's voice grows weaker and weaker, and blood starts to trickle from the corner of her mouth. She clings to Xu Xi, burying her head in his shoulder, trying her best to stay awake.

But the blood continues to flow, draining the girl's strength bit by bit.

By the time Xu Xi notices something is wrong.

The girl has already fallen into a coma.

【You successfully joined the Heavenly Sword Sect, becoming a disciple envied by many as a true inheritor with a natural talent for cultivation. Your future is bright, your life is full of possibilities, and you are a true genius in the cultivation world】

【But in contrast, your sister is struck with a serious illness, and it worsens further in the autumn of her 14th year】

【You have no way to save her, only completing sect missions and self-studying alchemy and pharmacology, using pills so precious that even cultivators find them invaluable, to delay and save your sister from death】

【In the fifteenth year of your transmigration, you are 21 years old, Xu Moli is 15】

【You successfully break through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment, your strength increases further, and you are no longer afraid of ordinary Golden Core cultivators. You gather pills for your sister faster】

【But at the same time, Xu Moli's condition worsens, and she loses the ability to walk, forced to lie in bed all day】

【In the sixteenth year of your transmigration, you are 22 years old, Xu Moli is 16】

【Your pressure has reached its limit, you seem to be on the verge of qi deviation, searching everywhere for a way to save your sister】

【Finally, before your sister's life reaches its end, you find a description related to her illness in an ancient book from overseas】

【Heaven's Curse】

【The ancient book records that having a spiritual root to cultivate is a well-known common sense in the cultivation world, but among the countless ordinary people, there are always a few exceptions who can absorb spiritual energy without a spiritual root】

【However, the spiritual root is the foundation of cultivation. Without it, an ordinary person's body, when absorbing too much spiritual energy, is actually harmful】

【Therefore, this situation is called Heaven's Curse, meaning a calamity sent by the heavens】

【Your sister Xu Moli is exactly this case】

【The abundant spiritual energy of the Heavenly Sword Sect caused her Heaven's Curse to arrive early. After learning this, you are stunned for a long time】