Brothers

Liu Chengjun continued, “What do I have now? Sixth-tier strength, the status of the Liu family’s legitimate eldest son, and the support of most of the clan. Father is dead, so I no longer have to worry about surprise siblings, mistresses, or stepmothers appearing. I’m already standing in a secure enough position.”

His voice paused.

“No one can poison my tea anymore.”

“What is the Azure Dragon Token to you?” Liu Feiyu asked.

“Frosting on the cake.”

Liu Chengjun answered without hesitation.

“Or perhaps it’s inertia. I’ve fought for it for twenty years, and I’ve forgotten why I was fighting in the first place. I simply can’t stop.”

“I’ve grown accustomed to fearing everything. I’ve grown accustomed to firmly taking hold of anything that might threaten me.”

Liu Feiyu stared at him. His eyes held scrutiny, probing, and some other emotion even he couldn’t quite put into words.

“Big Brother, don’t you think you’re making it sound too simple?”

“What part is simple?”

“You say you’re going to withdraw, just like that. But what about the people caught up in your competition? The collateral branches you suppressed? And Second Brother?”

Liu Feiyu’s tone sharpened.

“You can’t escape responsibility for how far he went. Can you wipe the slate clean with a single declaration that you’re done competing?”

Liu Chengjun did not evade the question.

“No, I can’t.”

“Then how can you—”

“It’s precisely because I can’t that there’s even less reason for me to continue.”

Liu Chengjun cut him off, his voice carrying a strange calm.

“Feiyu, you heard what Second Brother said at the end.”

Liu Feiyu’s throat bobbed.

Never forget your original intention.

“My original intention was to survive. Now I’m alive, and I’m living safely.”

Liu Chengjun continued, “If I keep fighting, I’ll only create another Liu Xiao. If you take the initiative to reach for something dangerous, you have to bear the consequences.”

“There’s a saying: a barefoot man has nothing to fear from a man in shoes. But now I’m the one wearing shoes. I’m afraid.”

In the distance, an ambulance siren sounded, slicing sharply through the night before gradually fading away.

Liu Feiyu pushed himself away from the railing and took two steps forward, closing the distance between them to within arm’s reach.

“You’re serious.”

“I am.”

“You’re not testing me.”

“I’m not.”

“You’re not waiting for me to lower my guard so you can make your move.”

Liu Chengjun let out a laugh, bitter yet relieved.

“Feiyu, when did you become so suspicious?”

“Anyone raised in the Liu family who isn’t suspicious won’t live to see twenty. Even with all my suspicions, I’m only eighteen.”

Liu Feiyu’s reply was cold, but the edge in his tone had dulled somewhat.

Liu Chengjun nodded without arguing.

“You’re right. That’s a problem with our family.”

He straightened from the railing and stood facing Liu Feiyu.

“The Azure Dragon Token is yours.”

For a moment, Liu Feiyu’s expression froze, but it quickly returned to normal.

“I never said I wanted it.”

“You don’t?”

Liu Chengjun raised an eyebrow.

“You think I don’t know what you did in the Northern Frontier? All those connections you cultivated in secret?”

Liu Feiyu’s expression did not change, but he did not deny it.

“I have my own plans, but I don’t need your charity.”

“I’m not giving you charity.”

Liu Chengjun shook his head. “This is my choice. It has nothing to do with you. I simply don’t want to compete anymore. I can already survive, and whether you want to fight for the means to survive in this world is up to you.”

“Let’s make one thing clear: the position of heir to the Liu family belongs to me, and me alone. No one is allowed to compete with me for it.”

The two men looked at each other.

The night wind passed between them, carrying the chill unique to late autumn.

Liu Feiyu was the first to look away. He turned back toward the night view beyond the railing, resting both hands on the cold metal bar.

“Big Brother.”

“Hmm?”

“Never mind. It’s nothing.”

Liu Chengjun froze for a moment.

Then he turned as well and stood beside Liu Feiyu, leaving a person’s width between them.

Silence spread through the air. But this time, it was different from before. There was no tense standoff, only two brothers who had grown up beneath the same roof yet had never truly spoken, standing on the same side for the first time as they looked up at the same stretch of night sky.

Starlight spilled down, tracing the outline of Liu Feiyu’s profile. His expression was difficult to make out.

His mind churned with countless thoughts.

For him, Big Brother’s withdrawal was obviously a good thing. With his greatest rival gone, the Azure Dragon Token was practically within reach. All that remained were matters that could be settled with money.

But Liu Xiao’s death felt like a thorn lodged in his heart.

He remembered the look Second Brother had given him before dissipating.

“Big Brother.”

“What is it this time?”

“When we go back, don’t tell the others in the family what you just said.”

Liu Chengjun looked at him.

Liu Feiyu’s gaze rested on the distant afterglow that was slowly fading away, and his voice was soft.

“When I obtain the Azure Dragon Token, I’ll make sure the Liu family never needs anyone to die again.”

“No one will ever have to fight for their life again.”

……

“As expected, it went exactly as you predicted. I lost again.”

In the dim room, a young girl’s bored voice rang out.

The girl was, naturally, Santai.

“Liu Feiyu’s victory was the most reasonable outcome. Liu Chengjun already possessed everything. Just as the architect of order would never personally tear that order apart, he had already lost the courage to advance.”

The glow of the computer screen illuminated another person’s face. It was Southern Dipper.

“What about Second Brother Liu? I actually had pretty high hopes for him too.”

Santai leaned over curiously, resting her head near the screen. She had always thought Liu Xiao had the best odds. After all, he had brought in a demon god as an angel investor.

“That’s right, Liu Xiao’s odds were indeed the best—but only on paper.”

Southern Dipper rolled the pen he had just picked up between his fingers. “He brought Astaroth into the picture and obtained the power of a six-winged projection. According to conventional projections, he should have been the person with the greatest potential to become a variable.”

“Exactly, exactly! So how did he lose?”

Santai tilted her head, resting her chin on the edge of the desk while her legs swung back and forth beneath the chair.

“Because he thought he was the player.”

“Those who make contracts with demon gods are never the ones moving the pieces.”

“He was merely a piece on the board—a piece that believed it could move beyond the board’s boundaries.”

Santai tilted her head in thought. “You mean Liu Xiao thought he was using Astaroth, when in fact Astaroth was using him?”

“Not entirely.”

Southern Dipper’s voice remained even. He had foreseen Liu Xiao’s fate long ago; he simply had chosen not to interfere.

“Astaroth needed a vessel to bear the ritual, while Liu Xiao needed power to shatter the Liu family’s established order. Their needs happened to align perfectly. It was a transaction, and both sides understood exactly what they were giving up.”

“Then where did things go wrong?”

“The problem was that Liu Xiao’s driving force was fear.”

Southern Dipper turned his chair to face Santai.

“People driven by fear are predictable in the way they act, because every choice they make points toward the same end: eliminating the source of their fear.”