"Brother!"
A soft cry unleashed all of Su Chirui's twenty-something years of longing for the brother she had only imagined.
Ever since she learned she had a brother out in the world, a tiny flame of fantasy had ignited within her heart.
However, when she discovered that her brother had been abandoned in the wilderness as an infant, Su Chirui's flame of fantasy was ruthlessly extinguished.
She was only ten years old then.
At ten, she understood what fate truly meant.
Simultaneously, the embers of that extinguished flame, left in the ashes, reignited, transforming into anger and sorrow.
From that moment on, the innocence of youth faded from her eyes, replaced by the blazing inferno of passion.
She was determined to seek justice for her brother, whose life had been crushed by fate.
...
Looking at the woman before him, her eyes wide open, submerged in tears yet still fixed on him, Ye Ming's heart gave a sudden, sharp twinge.
He didn't understand why he felt this way.
Wasn't his heart supposed to reject those from that family?
Wasn't he supposed to hate them?
Wasn't he supposed to be disgusted by their belief in absurd fate?
Yet, why did he feel a pang of pain when he saw his sister, with whom he shared only blood, weeping?
This wasn't right!
"Don't... don't cry!"
Ye Ming's trembling hands hovered in the air, afraid to touch Su Chirui, only able to try and comfort her.
"Wuu wuu wuu!"
But his comfort seemed to have the opposite effect. The tears in Su Chirui's eyes gushed out like a spring, uncontrollable.
At this moment, Su Chirui felt so helpless.
Like a fragile younger sister needing her brother's protection.
"Bai Yi! You help..."
As Ye Ming was at a loss, about to ask Xia Bai Yi for help to comfort her, he realized the white-clad immortal had already vanished.
"I..."
Now Ye Ming was truly flustered.
"Don't... don't cry! Please!"
Ye Ming was almost in tears himself.
Thump!
This time, to Ye Ming's utter astonishment, Su Chirui threw herself directly into his arms. Her scalding tears instantly soaked his chest. Her sobs grew even louder.
Feeling the slender, trembling body in his embrace, Ye Ming sighed deeply, his emotions surprisingly calming.
He slowly lowered his hands and gently patted her back.
How could Ye Ming not feel that his unexpected sister genuinely saw him as her brother?
The emotion emanating from the depths of her being was undeniable.
At this moment, Ye Ming's bewildered expression gradually softened.
"There, there! It's alright now!"
Ye Ming closed his eyes, temporarily setting aside his aversion to that family.
Now, he only wanted to fulfill his duty as a brother, to prevent his sister from crying any longer.
...
On another mountain peak, Xia Bai Yi watched the embracing siblings, a rare ripple disturbing her clear, mirror-like eyes.
"This is good."
She whispered.
Xia Bai Yi understood both Ye Ming and Su Chirui.
Ye Ming harbored prejudice against that family, but didn't Su Chirui also?
This was evident from Su Chirui's indifferent attitude towards some elders of that family.
This included her own father.
Xia Bai Yi was aware of all these things.
And precisely because she was aware, she knew what kind of emotions Su Chirui held for Ye Ming, her brother whom she had never met.
Heartache! Sympathy! Unwillingness! Injustice!
These had always been deeply buried within Su Chirui's heart.
Over the years, without these emotions as her driving force, Su Chirui's current cultivation realm would have been impossible to achieve.
Twenty-three years old!
Early Yuan Soul Realm!
This strength far surpassed that of countless prodigies from the outer realms.
Furthermore, the Primordial Force attribute she awakened had once shaken the entire outer realm.
From that moment on, Su Chirui's brilliance truly began to shine.
Countless sects had desired to take her as their successor.
Recalling these events, Xia Bai Yi couldn't help but sigh, "The matters of this world are truly wondrous. The unfair fate that Chirui believed in ultimately changed her own destiny."
"This is truly... impermanent!"
...
Several minutes later, the sobs in the air gradually faded. However, a trace of melancholy still lingered between the two.
"Chirui! It's all in the past now!"
Ye Ming gently pushed Su Chirui away, placed his hands on her shoulders, patted them, and smiled as he shook his head.
"Brother!"
Seeing Ye Ming shake his head, Su Chirui's eyes seemed to redden again, her lips quivering, tears threatening to overflow.
"No! No! Please, brother begs you! Don't cry!"
Seeing this, Ye Ming quickly wiped the corners of her eyes with his hands, afraid Su Chirui would start crying again.
Truly!
When girls cried, he was completely helpless.
"Pfft!"
Seeing his cautious actions, Su Chirui finally managed a faint smile, wiping away her tears with her hand. "Okay! I won't cry anymore!"
Only then did Ye Ming breathe a sigh of relief.
"Brother! Do you know how happy I was when I learned about you from Bai Yi?" Su Chirui tightly gripped Ye Ming's hand, looking into his eyes and asking.
"I..."
Ye Ming also gazed at her swollen, red eyes, a complex emotion stirring within him, before replying, "I don't know!"
He truly didn't know.
Even now, Ye Ming still didn't know how to face this sister who had suddenly appeared before him.
However, one thing he was certain of: Su Chirui was different from Ye Qingzhu.
With the former, he could feel genuine emotions stemming from the heart.
They were the most authentic.
As for Ye Qingzhu, although she claimed to be his sister, after learning some truths, Ye Ming naturally understood the true meaning of the appellation "sister."
Therefore, Ye Ming felt conflicted, yet seeing Su Chirui's red, swollen eyes, he would subconsciously put aside that conflict.
He didn't know if Su Chirui's appearance was a deliberate arrangement by that family.
But Ye Ming could truly feel Su Chirui's sincere emotions towards him.
There was not a trace of falseness!
To put it without exaggeration, Su Chirui's appearance fulfilled all of Ye Ming's fantasies about the beautiful concept of family affection.
Therefore, Ye Ming did not want to speculate further at this moment.
Other matters could wait until later.
Perhaps sensing Ye Ming's thoughts, Su Chirui took a step closer and hugged her brother once more.
This time, she wasn't crying!
She was smiling!
"Brother! When I learned you were alive, I felt like my world... was complete!"