Eldest Brother

Qin Ran couldn't bring himself to punish Li Shiyin, but he had no reservations when it came to Chasing the Wind.

Of course, there wasn’t much he could actually do to Chasing the Wind either.

A grown cub doesn’t obey its father.

Chasing the Wind was nearly an adult now, his combat prowess infinitely close to Divine Transformation. Even if he stood still and let Qin Ran hit him, the measly Golden Core cultivator would probably end up hurting himself from the recoil.

So, the punishment reverted to the usual—confinement and no food.

Chasing the Wind was a good child—never talking back, never retaliating. Since Qin Ran couldn’t lay a hand on him, he resorted to words. When Qin Ran forbade him from running wild outside, he obediently stayed put.

The King of Dan Peak regressed back into the Great Dan Peak Kitty. Once swaggering and domineering across the world, he now lay drowsing by Sword Washing Lake.

Instead, his tail evolved into a teasing stick, flicking about all day to pester Li An.

The scorching summer heat was perfect for napping.

By Sword Washing Lake, beneath the peach blossom tree, amidst a flurry of falling petals, a small white tiger bathed in the floral rain, lulled by the fragrance, lay sprawled on the ground, golden eyes shut in deep slumber.

A good place to sleep naturally brought good dreams.

In his dream, the King of Dan Peak had endless meat, indestructible toys, infinite fights to pick, and an inexhaustible supply of little followers. He could dart around his father’s legs, leap up and down on Li Shiyin, listen to his eldest brother boast of his peerless glory from tens of thousands of years ago, and hear Li An trailing behind him, calling out, "Brother Wind!"

Wait…

Eldest brother?

The dream froze. He focused his gaze toward the storytelling figure. But as his vision sharpened, the black flood dragon dissolved into nothingness. By the time his sight cleared, there was nothing there.

No flood dragon. No voice. No eldest brother.

"Eldest brother!" His heart lurched. With a desperate cry, he lunged forward, trying to reclaim him.

But the next moment, he plunged headfirst into Sword Washing Lake.

The warm water jolted him awake. His golden eyes opened to the clarity of the lake, its depths imprisoning him.

His heart felt hollow. He didn’t struggle, letting himself sink deeper and deeper…

Down, down—before he could reach the bottom, a loud splash erupted above him.

"Brother Wind!"

A clear, youthful voice—Li An, that silly boy.

Probably saw him fall into the lake and, after a long absence, dove in to "rescue" him.

As if a Divine Transformation-level beast could drown in a lake.

Ignoring Li An, he continued searching the waters, but no matter where he looked, the black figure was nowhere to be seen.

Then Li An, with his reckless strength, grabbed his tail and began dragging him toward the surface.

The boy might’ve been foolish, but he was strong. He hauled Chasing the Wind back up effortlessly.

…Wait.

"Foolish but strong"—wasn’t that what his father used to say about him?

"Brother Wind, what’s troubling you?" Li An swam closer, wiping water from his face as he cradled Chasing the Wind’s large head above the surface, his voice tinged with concern. "Why would you try to… you know?

"Is it because Uncle Qin won’t feed you? I’ll share half my meals with you!

"Is it because you can’t go out? Let’s sneak out right now!

"Is it because you can’t find a girlfriend? I’ll go kidnap a tigress for you—"

"Pfft—!" Chasing the Wind spat a mouthful of lake water into Li An’s face, scowling. "Nonsense! Your Brother Wind is dashing, charming, and utterly irresistible. How could I possibly struggle to find a mate?

"I jumped in because the shore was too hot—just wanted to cool off! Don’t you know I bathe here all the time?"

Li An wiped his face again, then pointed accusingly. "Brother Wind, you just drank your own bathwater."

Whap!

Chasing the Wind’s tail lashed out, flinging Li An back onto the shore.

The boy tumbled across the ground, collecting a layer of petals and mud before sitting up, undeterred. "Brother Wind, I saw you sleeping peacefully, then suddenly leaping into the lake. Did your leg cramp? Uncle Qin says that’s from lack of calcium. Want to eat some rocks to fix it?"

"Worry about yourself, kid." Chasing the Wind climbed onto the shore, eyeing Li An’s mud-caked clothes. "With your clothes in that state, your aunt’s bamboo whip—well, it’s still hanging on the old spirit locust tree."

Li An paled, glancing toward the ancient tree where the infamous whip dangled. Crafted by Qin Ran himself, it was said to deliver exceptional pain. And given Li An’s penchant for mischief, he was no stranger to its sting.

His flesh trembling at the memory, he scrambled up, stripping off his clothes and tossing them into the lake to rinse.

But there were too many pieces. Overwhelmed, he lost grip of his underpants—they floated away.

He dove back in after them, only for his shirt to escape in the opposite direction.

Chasing the Wind watched from the shore as Li An flailed in the water, chasing his drifting garments. With a dismissive flick of his ears, he shook off the remaining droplets.

"Clothes?" He turned, peach blossoms swirling around him as the white tiger strode into the grove. "Fur’s better."

Chasing the Wind traversed the peach forest, passed through Dan Peak’s Guardian Mountain Formation, descended the mountain, and arrived before the Dao Sword Sect’s barrier.

Yes, the sect’s Guardian Mountain Formation had long been restored.

And in truth…

Its special formation spirit—the black flood dragon—had also been resurrected.

The black flood dragon was named Ao Yi.

But…

"You’re here again?" A deep draconic voice rumbled from within the formation.

The barrier parted, revealing a pitch-black passage leading into the unknown.

Chasing the Wind recognized the voice but detected no warmth in its tone. The path ahead was familiar, yet he sighed.

This wasn’t his eldest brother.

His eldest brother… was most certainly gone.

His handsome tiger face remained expressionless as his soft paws carried him forward with uncharacteristic heaviness into the dark passage.

Inside, the world was a familiar riot of colors—all shades of black. Against the inky backdrop, the black flood dragon blended seamlessly, distinguishable only by his gleaming golden vertical pupils.

"Brother Ao!" Finally, Chasing the Wind’s face softened into Qin Ran’s trademark gentle smile, his voice steady and polite. "Long time no see. How have you been?"

Ao Yi’s golden eyes studied the powerful Profound Underworld Spirit Tiger before him. An eighth-tier beast, nearing adulthood—soon, he’d surpass even Ao Yi in strength. As the Dao Sword Sect’s guardian beast, Ao Yi had every reason to be wary.

"Brother Tiger…" he began.

Chasing the Wind cut him off. "My surname is Qin."

"Brother Qin," Ao Yi amended smoothly, "what brings you here this time?"

"I came to bid farewell to…" Chasing the Wind hesitated, then corrected himself, "to bid you farewell."

"Farewell?" Ao Yi’s voice echoed. "Where are you going?"

"Far away."

"How far?"

"Very, very far."

Chasing the Wind gazed at Ao Yi, his dark golden pupils seeming to pierce through space and time, as if seeing someone else entirely. "We won’t meet again."