Yuan Yong had always wanted to become stronger, but a man's growth required time, just like his second brother Yuan Fa. He had to go through a long period of being beaten down.
Currently, he was still weak and unable to achieve his goals.
So when his 3-year-old sister jumped down from the windowsill, his heart pounded furiously.
His arms were thin and frail. If he failed to catch Yuan Luoyi and she got hurt, Yuan Yong would feel guilty for a long time.
Yet the 3-year-old Yuan Luoyi was oblivious to the gravity of the situation. She leapt down cheerfully, rushing into Yuan Yong's embrace and towards the freedom she had longed for.
Everyone said the outside world was dangerous, that she was fragile, and they had no time to accompany her, so they locked her alone in the room.
Yuan Luoyi had been a good girl for so many days, and she had cried just as many days in return.
Tonight, she mustered her courage and decided to embark on an adventure!
Her white nightgown fluttered in the evening breeze, like a suddenly blooming white jasmine, making her appear light and airy.
But when she landed in Yuan Yong's arms, her weight was substantial, like three or four lead balls dropping into his embrace. This child always ate a lot during dinner.
Wincing in pain, Yuan Yong stumbled a few steps while holding Yuan Luoyi. In his panic, he stepped on a slippery patch of moss, lost his balance, and fell into a bush of hydrangeas, stirring up the broken petals on the ground.
Yuan Yong shouted, "This is very dangerous!"
Yuan Luoyi said, "It's not dangerous with Third Brother around!"
"Look!"
"It's a petal shower!"
Her little hands swung amidst the scattered petals, and she let out a string of childish laughter, like a joyful flute melody.
Those petals had withered and fallen with time, retaining only a hint of blue in their dried brown hue, not looking particularly appealing and almost turning to mud, but at that moment, for some reason, even the wilted petals seemed to glow with radiance.
Yuan Luoyi was unharmed because Yuan Yong had become her human cushion at the last second.
The brother would protect his sister, and the sister knew this too. They trusted each other, as if they had silently formed an ancient soul pact.
As time passed, Yuan Luoyi grew older and forgot many things, while Yuan Yong was expelled from the Yuan family and faded from her world.
But Yuan Yong remembered every second he spent with his sister, her laughing face, pure and beautiful, as if time had stopped for her.
It didn't matter if he was the only one keeping the pact.
It didn't matter if he was forgotten.
As long as he knew that she was laughing freely somewhere in this world, Yuan Yong's heart would find peace.
However, fate was cruel, and his hopes were dashed when his sister died.
In the decaying Yuan residence, he tirelessly engaged in killing, anger and regret causing wave after wave of bloodshed. An excessively sharp sword would destroy everything around it, including himself.
He had sustained too many wounds and would soon die, but he didn't care.
Until the 11-year-old Yuan Luoyi shouted, Yuan Yong finally regained consciousness.
He watched as she leapt up, just like before, brave and determined, the wind billowing her clothes like a blooming flower.
The fear of losing his sister again gripped Yuan Yong's heart tightly. He rushed over at full speed, stretching out his arms like a seed bursting from the dark soil, desperately reaching for the sun.
Yuan Luoyi landed in his embrace.
"Congratulations, victorious holy knight. This time you protected the princess, so you can stop now. Please don't hurt yourself anymore."
Yuan Yong's breath caught for a moment.
So he was never alone after all...
Yuan Luoyi hadn't forgotten; she too had kept the pact.
Even though he was now covered in blood, a raging beast of slaughter that struck fear in people's hearts when they saw him, Yuan Luoyi embraced him, just like she did when she was young.
This trust was enough to soothe Yuan Yong's anguished soul.
The sailor lost in the storm had finally found the brilliant North Star, which had always been there, merely obscured by the clouds.
The sword returned to its sheath, and Yuan Yong regained his composure.
Holding the 11-year-old Yuan Luoyi, Yuan Yong's voice trembled slightly, "This is very dangerous."
Yuan Luoyi said, "It's not dangerous with Third Brother around."
He had caught her again.
No.
She had found him hiding in the corner once more.
Perhaps they had crossed time and space repeatedly, all for this brief reunion.
Yuan Luoyi knew that the time she could travel back was limited, so she hugged Yuan Yong as tightly as she could, wishing time could pass a little slower.
The second brother, Yuan Fa, strode over and aimed his gun at Yuan Yong's head, his finger on the trigger.
Yuan Luoyi jumped out, shielding Yuan Yong from the black muzzle, and shouted, "Don't kill him!"
Yuan Fa's gaze swept over the bodies scattered on the ground. The broken Yuan Yong's destructive power was too strong. During his killing rage, his indiscriminate attacks could easily harm Yuan Luoyi.
Yuan Fa said coldly, "If I don't kill him, he'll continue."
Yuan Luoyi said firmly, "He won't continue!"
Hearing his sister's words, Yuan Yong let out a soft sigh. He didn't know how long he could remain conscious, so he dropped the blood-stained knife for Yuan Luoyi's safety.
Yuan Fa said, "You can kill even without a weapon."
Yuan Yong said, "Then what do you want to do?"
"Bind him!"
"Fine."
So Yuan Fa found some wire and bound Yuan Yong's hands.
The two brothers, eager to fight each other, temporarily reached a truce in front of their sister.
Yuan Luoyi breathed a sigh of relief.
The gym teacher was severely injured but still conscious. Under his protection, Zhang Xunyin survived, though she was shaken, pale, and trembling in the corner.
Yuan Fa went over and bound their hands too.
Everywhere in the Yuan residence was covered in blood, so the group could only go to Yuan Luoyi's room.
A soft towel was soaked in warm water, wrung out, and then Yuan Fa gently wiped the dried blood stains from Yuan Luoyi's face.
He complained, "Yuan Yong, how could you get so much blood on her when you were killing people? She's fragile. What if she catches a cold?"
Yuan Yong remained silent.
If the eldest brother Yuan Ao's ability to care for children was on the ceiling, then Yuan Yong's was in the basement, and digging a few inches deeper would reach hell.
He often made mistakes and reflected on them, but he always reflected in the wrong direction.
The gym teacher leaned against the wall, glaring at Yuan Yong with resentment and sadness, "You killed so many people! You were supposed to be a guardian of justice!"
Yuan Fa gave a snort of laughter: "Your friend really has a sense of humor."
He suddenly turned his head, and the gym teacher started staring at Yuan Fa again: "I know you, the rising star of the legal profession. You defend the weak for free, and even powerful officials can be sent to prison by you. Why have even you become a criminal!"
Taking out a small blanket from the cabinet, Yuan Fa wrapped it around Yuan Luoyi: "Sorry, I didn't prepare any spare clothes for you. If you're cold, there's a small cotton blanket inside, you can use that."
Yuan Luoyi said, "I'm not cold anymore, the blood on my clothes has dried."
Yuan Fa gave a light laugh: "That's good then."
After dealing with the most important matter, Yuan Fa had the leisure to respond to the gym teacher. He walked up to the man, playing with a bullet in his hand, the golden pellet flickering in and out of sight between his fingers.
"First of all, in this world, it's usually the strong bullying the weak, so the weak have to sue the strong. But they have no money and will lose, while I like adding some difficulty to my work."
"Secondly, I haven't committed a crime. I did kill someone, but they brought it upon themselves."
"And lastly..."
Without any warning, Yuan Fa violently struck the gym teacher with the butt of his gun.
"Bang!"
The gym teacher's head slammed against the wall, a trickle of blood running down from his forehead. He coughed up a bit of blood in pain.
Calmly wiping the gun butt, Yuan Fa said, "In this room, you'd better stay quiet. I have a terrible headache and am feeling quite irritable, with an urge to kill something."
"Though I do like your description of me as the 'rising star of the legal profession,' so you can keep breathing for now."
He sighed, hand on his chest: "Thank my sister, for in her presence, I'm always kind."
