Chu Hanjin felt like he was trapped in a nightmare.

In the deep darkness, his whole body was immobile, and his internal organs were crushed and corroded by pain. He tried to get up, but his limbs were unbearably heavy, as if thousands of pounds of lead were weighing him down, pressing his back firmly against the cold, damp ground, sinking him deep into the mud and water filled with a heavy stench of fishy water.

Pain.

And the alternation of hot and cold.

It surged through his body, sometimes freezing his blood, sometimes boiling it.

He trembled in shock, hearing a distant voice calling his name.

Chu Hanjin vaguely recalled his childhood, when there was a towering tree in the courtyard, and on a clear day, two children practiced swordsmanship face to face. A tall and capable man standing beside them placed a hand on one child’s arm: “Ah Chu, your inner strength is deep, but your swordsmanship is still lacking compared to your senior brother’s. You need to practice more diligently.”

Mu Lianchun, standing nearby, excitedly chimed in: “Master, that’s because junior brother is still young! He’s already stronger than I was when I was seven.”

Chu Kuang, with his handsome and refined features, smiled and patted Mu Lianchun on the head: “You’re not bad either.”

The summer at the Yuanshan Sect was humid and sweltering. Lady Chu, dressed lightly, sat in the pavilion watching the children practice their swords. On the stone table was a plate of watermelon cooled in ice water. She called out, “Let the kids take a break.”

Chu Hanjin was already sweating profusely from the heat, and upon hearing this, he returned to the pavilion to let Lady Chu wipe the sweat from his face. Mu Lianchun also ran in, grabbing a large slice of watermelon and biting into it eagerly, his mouth full of red juice.

Only Chu Kuang walked slowly, his brow slightly furrowed as he sighed, “The situation between the righteous sects and the demonic path is uncertain. War is imminent. Even on such scorching afternoons, it’s unwise to slack off in training.”

Lady Chu, who had once been a brave warrior herself, nodded in agreement: “Training must not be neglected, but it’s really too hot now. You can endure it, but the children can’t.”

Chu Kuang gazed silently at the sky, while Chu Hanjin, his little face pale from the heat, lay motionless in his mother’s arms. However, Mu Lianchun, having quickly finished his watermelon, wiped the sweat from his forehead and strode out of the pavilion. “Master, let’s continue training! Junior brother is still young; let him rest a bit longer. I’m not tired.”

Chu Kuang smiled. “You’re only two or three years older than him, yet you keep calling him ‘young’.”

Mu Lianchun patted his chest proudly: “Of course! As his senior brother, I must set a good example for him.”

Chu Kuang’s eyes showed approval, but his expression grew solemn. “Alright, then I’ll train with you first. Let your junior brother rest a little longer.”

They moved out into the scorching sun.

The two figures, one big and one small, wielded their swords gracefully, their movements as fluid as flying swans. Mu Lianchun, drenched in sweat, kept his bright eyes fixed on Chu Kuang, his sword strokes sharp and precise.

“The situation is unstable, and your father is anxious,” Lady Chu said, stroking Chu Hanjin’s head in the pavilion. “Lianchun is diligent. Your father treats him like his own son, and everything he’s taught you is the same for him. Yuanshan Sect is the righteous sect’s legacy. If he helps protect and assist you in the future, your father and I will be at ease.”

Chu Hanjin nodded.

At that time, he gradually sensed that his parents were aware of the impending crisis, entrusting the Yuanshan Sect to him and Mu Lianchun.

In the blink of an eye, it was the day when they left the refuge of the Rongku Sect as teenagers. They were kicked out, their bedding packed, and their uncle stood at the gate of the Rongku Sect, saying, “Both of you, take a good look. This is the outcome of being powerless and without status when you’re at the mercy of others. When you return to Yuanshan Sect, you must act humbly and revitalize the sect.”

Chu Hanjin didn’t feel sad. In fact, he was filled with anticipation, and so was Mu Lianchun: “Finally, we can go home!”

Chu Hanjin looked back at the green-tiled roofs and grand avenues of the Rongku Sect without a trace of reluctance. Mu Lianchun, however, seemed to recall something and said, “Uncle, rest assured, with me and my junior brother here, we will certainly fulfill Master’s dying wish.”

At that time, his senior brother and he were full of hope. Throughout their journey back, they talked endlessly about how to revitalize Yuanshan Sect, how to repair the Dao Palace, how to arrange new tasks, and how to officially appoint Chu Hanjin as the new sect leader. Mu Lianchun was so excited that his face glowed with enthusiasm: “Finally, we can achieve something instead of relying on others!”

The night before they returned to the Dao Palace, they couldn’t sleep at the inn. Moonlight poured in through the window, and Mu Lianchun sat up. “Junior brother, once you return to Yuanshan Sect tomorrow, you’ll immediately be appointed as the sect leader. You’ll be busy with affairs and won’t have time. Should we go to the Celestial Burial Pit tonight to pay our respects to our friends and family?”

Chu Hanjin thought for a moment and replied, “Alright.”

The inn wasn’t far from Yuanshan Sect, and in the middle of the night, they flew with their swords. Along the way, they saw mountains and cities burnt and destroyed, smoke rising everywhere, and white bones exposed in the wilderness, with no sounds of life for miles. When they landed on the mountain, they were greeted by a massive pile of corpses under the dim moonlight, a stench so foul that ghostly flames flickered around. Both of their faces turned pale as they held their breath.

Chu Hanjin’s robe sleeve was damp, and he slowly stepped around the corpses with his toes.

Mu Lianchun kicked a burnt infant corpse and, shocked, grew furious: “I hate them to death! Those demonic bastards!”

Chu Hanjin’s blood also surged with anger.

“Yuanshan Sect has been reduced to this,” his eyes were wet and bright, “Master and Mistress, their bodies are nowhere to be found!”

A deep sorrow surged in Chu Hanjin’s heart.

Under the moonlit night, Mu Lianchun covered his nose and mouth, numbing himself as he turned over the corpses one by one, saying, “Master, Mistress, we’re home. My junior brother and I have come home.”

“Master, Mistress, don’t worry. My junior brother is doing well. His cultivation is advanced, and he’s grown into a fine young man, all grown up now.”

“Master, Mistress…”

He frantically flipped through the corpses, his voice choked, his hair disheveled, until dawn began to break. He finally stopped, kneeling heavily on the ground before the ruins of Yuanshan Sect’s city, bathed in the early morning light. “Master, I swear, my junior brother and I will restore the glory of Yuanshan Sect! I will assist my junior brother well! I will, without a doubt, protect our home.”

The dawn light cast a deep red glow on his face, unclear and shadowed. Chu Hanjin finally voiced the thought he’d been pondering for a long time: “Senior brother, I’ve actually been thinking, you should be the sect leader of Yuanshan Sect.”

Mu Lianchun was taken aback: “What do you mean?”

“I think you’re more suitable than I am.”

Mu Lianchun’s face changed drastically: “Don’t joke about this!”

“I’m serious,” Chu Hanjin’s voice was firm. “Senior brother, I’m serious. You’re more responsible than I am. You dare to love, hate, and fight for justice. You’ve always treated my father’s wishes as your lifelong dream. I see you as my elder brother, and based on seniority, this position should be yours.”

Mu Lianchun grew angry: “Stop talking nonsense!”

Chu Hanjin gripped his sword tightly: “Senior brother, when have I ever joked with you?”

Before the pile of corpses, under the moonlight, the two figures stood facing each other…

This scene flashed through his mind, and the memories paused. Chu Hanjin’s body shivered, as if frozen by ice and snow, his bones creaking under the weight.

The alternating hot and cold within him.

Every once in a while, the pain would flare up, tormenting him. Sometimes he would hear Yue Lin’s voice, and other times, he would hear Mu Lianchun’s. It was as if he stood at a crossroads, his thoughts pulled by two different directions.

Chu Hanjin didn’t know which way to go.

In the mist, someone was chanting incantations, the voice familiar and clear—it was Mu Lianchun’s. Following the sound, Chu Hanjin found himself back in the great hall of Yuanshan Sect. The sound of clear bells echoed, and the leaves of the bodhi tree grew lush and dense. Beneath it, cultivators who had just finished a discussion walked with floating robes, their heads held high as they left the hall.

Chu Hanjin walked among them, and it felt like just after school. Many people congratulated him: “Lord Yue Zhao, your argument earlier was excellent!”

“Yes, yes! I held my breath, afraid I’d miss a single word and not understand!”

“Truly impressive, admirable!”

Chu Hanjin remembered now. This was the scene from two years ago, when Yuanshan Sect hosted a philosophical debate.

At that time, he represented Yuanshan Sect and participated in the debate, the topic being: Should the Six Sects teach Dao techniques or Dao virtues?

Why this topic?

At that time, Rongku Sect had declared the twelve sages of Yuanshan Sect as their own ancestors in the northern realm. Using this as an excuse, they openly taught Yuanshan Sect’s secret internal techniques. When accused of stealing techniques, they not only denied it, but also found some absurd reasons, arguing that Yuanshan Sect had actually stolen from Rongku Sect’s ancestors, claiming that the internal techniques’ true origin was with Rongku Sect.

This shameless twisting of the facts strained the relationship between the sects.

Feeling that they were too selfish and harmful, Chu Hanjin had used the debate to criticize them, arguing that they focused too much on technique and had forgotten that the core of the Six Sects’ cultivation was virtue.

As Chu Hanjin was thinking, a voice called out from behind him: “Junior brother!”

Chu Hanjin turned around and saw Mu Lianchun.

Dressed in blue, standing at the corner of the corridor, his handsome face was full of suppressed anger. “Junior brother, what were you just talking about?”

Chu Hanjin: “What’s the matter?”

“You’re still so idealistic! Do you know why Rongku Sect insists on teaching Yuanshan Sect’s internal techniques? It means that what we can teach, they can teach too. What we can’t teach, they can still teach! If things continue like this, who will join Yuanshan Sect? Won’t they all go to Rongku Sect instead?”

Chu Hanjin: “I know.”

Mu Lianchun grew more frustrated: “But in the debate, you kept talking about lofty ideals like Dao techniques and virtues, and even said Yuanshan Sect would never… But if they can teach our forbidden techniques, why can’t we teach theirs? If they dare to teach our forbidden techniques, why can’t we teach theirs? I was about to turn their own methods against them, but you blocked my path and slapped me in the face during the debate!”

Chu Hanjin fell silent for a moment, then said, “Senior brother, I never thought of it that way, but you did. Do you really think techniques are more important than virtue? Yes, Rongku Sect has taught our internal techniques, but they’ve only learned the surface. To truly master them, they’d need decades of experience from Yuanshan Sect. Their teachings are flawed, misleading their disciples, and even risking driving them to madness. We should despise this. So why, senior brother, would you imitate them just to spite them?”

“Do you think I don’t know that!?” Mu Lianchun was nearly shouting, “Junior brother, you’re thinking too much. The strength and glory of our sect don’t come from those who have comprehended the highest levels, but from the tens of thousands of so-called ‘surface learners.’ Offerings, incense, reputation, territory, order—we can’t do without any of these! And now, Rongku Sect has taken all of that from us. What should Yuanshan Sect do now!?”

Chu Hanjin’s chest filled with unease: “But even if we teach Rongku Sect’s forbidden techniques, it’s still just surface-level, and it’ll mislead their disciples!”

“So what!!” Mu Lianchun shouted.

His voice was loud, drawing the attention of nearby cultivators. Mu Lianchun reined in his expression, but his eyes still burned with rage. “Everyone is scheming and fighting for more disciples, power, and honor! But you, junior brother, you’re still stubbornly clinging to principles and virtues, holding onto that old, worn-out scroll in the Dao Palace, refusing to budge! If Yuanshan Sect falls because of this, the blame will be on both of us!”

Chu Hanjin stood frozen for a long time, his heart in turmoil: “Senior brother, I want to ask you, the path our father asked us to uphold at Yuanshan Sect—was it to protect the people, or was it a path for fame and fortune?”

“Junior brother, I want to ask you too! The Yuanshan Sect that Master wanted us to uphold—is it the thousands of warriors who were willing to sacrifice themselves to fight the demons, turning our land to ashes, or is it these self-righteous hypocrites who have nothing to do with us?”

“Senior brother!”

“Master should watch his words!” came a sudden interruption from nearby.

Their argument had grown too heated, and their words became increasingly extreme. Their uncle hurried over to intervene, diverting the conversation. “Master, there are guests waiting in the front hall. You should meet with them first, and then discuss with Lord Yue Zhao afterward.”

He urged Mu Lianchun away, but unexpectedly, Mu Lianchun, still full of resentment, threw out a parting comment: “Go ahead and sit high on your pedestal as the pure, unsullied Lord Yue Zhao, untouchable by the dirt of the world!”

With that, he left in a huff.

In his eyes, Chu Hanjin’s adherence to their father’s principle of protecting the people had become an idealistic dream, a mere philosophical debate. Meanwhile, Mu Lianchun’s ambition to restore Yuanshan Sect’s wealth and influence had led him to disregard the safety of their disciples, resulting in such extreme retaliation.

Chu Hanjin remembered this scene clearly. He had been deeply hurt by those words, and though their uncle had intervened, Mu Lianchun went to meet the guest in the front hall. Later that night, he came to Chu Hanjin to apologize.

Mu Lianchun had said that the stress of managing Yuanshan Sect had weighed heavily on him, causing him to speak rashly in a moment of frustration. Chu Hanjin understood, knowing that as the leader of the righteous sects, it would be hard to explain if word got out that he had publicly insulted his peers as hypocrites.

They apologized to each other, and Mu Lianchun followed Chu Hanjin’s advice, refraining from ordering the teaching of Rongku Sect’s forbidden techniques. The matter was resolved, and since they had grown up together, there was no lasting grudge between the two brothers.

But now, Chu Hanjin, in his daze, suddenly understood everything.

This time, instead of watching Mu Lianchun walk away in his memory, he called out: “Senior brother.”

Under the bodhi tree, Mu Lianchun stopped.

Chu Hanjin asked, “Our paths are different, our plans incompatible. Is this why you want to kill me?”

The figure didn’t respond, then suddenly dissolved into bubbles.

At the same time, the towering halls and pavilions, marble-paved roads, white jade railings, the walking cultivators, and the clear sky all vanished without a trace, replaced by the deep blackness from when Chu Hanjin had lost all memory—profound, dark, damp, boundless, with no way out.

As Chu Hanjin’s thoughts sank deeper, he remembered the small details of when he entered seclusion.

When cultivators go into seclusion, their minds and bodies become more vulnerable and defenseless, so many choose to do so in a sealed chamber. He was no exception, entering the secret chamber of Yuanshan Sect, heavily protected by layers of enchanted armor.

It was supposed to be eighty-one days of darkness, but Chu Hanjin saw light much earlier. When he opened his eyes, his head was dizzy, all his spiritual energy drained, and he felt like he was about to be pushed off a towering cliff.

In front of him were a pair of pitch-black eyes.

The person said nothing for a while, then sighed heavily. They raised their hand, just as Chu Hanjin’s eyelids were about to close, and said.

“Junior brother, human hearts may change, but a sword never will.”

“From now on, you and I, as brothers, will be of one mind, with no more conflicts. We will protect Yuanshan Sect well.”

“Junior brother…”

Those eyes stared into Chu Hanjin’s eyes.

“Don’t hate me.”