Purpose

After returning to Lishuang, Beigong Qiyi stormed away from Beigong Juechen with a dark expression and headed straight for Idle Retreat. Beigong Juechen watched the youth’s departing figure with a puzzled look. Qi Wen quietly stepped forward and stood at Beigong Juechen’s side, speaking softly, “It seems the Young Master is angry with you, Master.”

Beigong Juechen turned his head, studying the face so similar to his own, and raised an eyebrow, asking, “Where are you from?” Qi Wen gave a faint smile. “A very distant place, a land of great beauty, but also vast and empty, with not a soul in sight. When I left, only an old man near death remained there.”

Beigong Juechen looked him over from head to toe, continuing, “And what is your relationship to me?” Qi Wen’s expression was calm. “That old man told me I had an elder brother, a brother I had never met. Perhaps you are that brother.”

Perhaps? Beigong Juechen arched an eyebrow. The person before him bore a striking resemblance to himself—the same eyes, even the same familiar feeling. Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed the youth’s wrist. Qi Wen stood motionless, gazing back at him. Beigong Juechen tightened his grip, as if he could sense the flow of blood beneath the youth’s pale skin and faint blue veins.

Yet in the next instant, Beigong Juechen abruptly yanked Qi Wen behind him. At the spot where he had been standing, an iron nail was deeply embedded in the stone floor. Beigong Juechen frowned sharply and looked with displeasure at Beigong Qiyi, who stood not far away with an icy expression. “What are you doing?” he asked in a low voice.

Beigong Qiyi shot him a cold glance, offering no reply, and instead, her fingers curved into claws as she lunged for Qi Wen’s throat. Qi Wen’s emerald eyes fluttered slightly. He hadn’t moved, but the moment Beigong Qiyi’s hand touched his throat, he vanished.

Beigong Qiyi’s expression darkened further. Narrowing her eyes, she silently pursued him. Qi Wen’s face remained emotionless as he stood where he was. This time, he didn’t dodge; he simply reached out and gently grasped her wrist.

His movement was light and soft, yet he effortlessly neutralized Beigong Qiyi’s powerful strike and held her wrist tightly. Beigong Qiyi struggled with a frown, but could not free herself. Qi Wen gazed at her coldly. “You are no match for me.” His eyes shifted to Beigong Juechen, his expression softening slightly. “I can’t defeat him, but you are not my opponent.”

A faint smile appeared on Beigong Juechen’s lips as he approached them. “One day, let’s have a proper match, just the two of us,” he laughed quietly.

Qi Wen nodded slowly. Beigong Qiyi looked at them, her strikingly beautiful face twisted with growing hostility. “Let go,” she said in a low voice.

Qi Wen slowly released her wrist. Beigong Qiyi jerked her arm free, suppressing her anger as she demanded, “Since your martial arts are so formidable, why did you become a courtesan at the Spring Garden? What exactly are your intentions?”

Qi Wen lowered his gaze and blinked slowly. “I ran out of money. They couldn’t do anything to me even if they bought me. Those lechers needed a lesson, but I didn’t expect to run into you during my first encounter.”

Beigong Qiyi sneered, “How convenient. My brother and I rarely go outside the city, and yet we happened to see you selling yourself.” Qi Wen nodded solemnly, as if he hadn’t noticed the mockery in her words.

Beigong Qiyi clenched her fists but refrained from striking. Qi Wen was right—she was not his match. She took a deep breath, her tone unfriendly. “Then what do you want, coming back with us?”

Qi Wen stared coldly at her, voice low. “You bought me back.”

Beigong Qiyi gave a cold laugh, folding her arms with a mocking smile. “My brother merely redeemed you. You’re free now. You can leave.” But Qi Wen shook his head. “I won’t leave.” Beigong Qiyi’s eyes narrowed. “Oh?”

Qi Wen’s gaze shifted past her to Beigong Juechen, and he smiled lightly. “He is my brother, not yours. If anyone should leave, it’s you.” The moment his words fell, Beigong Qiyi’s flexible sword slid along his clothing. The strike was sharp and precise, yet did not pierce Qi Wen’s flesh.

Qi Wen landed steadily beside Beigong Juechen and, to everyone’s surprise, looped an arm around his waist as if making a declaration. “Still, Lishuang is yours. I could take him away with me.”

Beigong Juechen’s eyes reddened as he looked at Qi Wen’s hand around the man’s waist, and, furious, he let out a cold laugh. “Take him away? And where would you go? I’ve lived with him for eighteen years. Even if you are his blood brother, the ties between us run deeper than blood.”

Qi Wen stared straight at Beigong Qiyi, and in his emerald eyes, a layer of golden green seemed to rise. Beigong Qiyi shuddered under his gaze. Suddenly, she heard a soft whisper: You lied to him.

Just those four words made Beigong Qiyi tense all over. She gritted her teeth, glaring at Qi Wen, and after a moment, replied in a voice only he could hear, “Even if you tell him, he won’t believe you.”

Her gaze was fixed unwaveringly on Qi Wen. His cool face showed little emotion, and he didn’t look at her again. Instead, he turned to Beigong Juechen. “I want to stay by your side.”

Beigong Juechen nodded indifferently. “As you wish.”

Beigong Qiyi’s face darkened with surprise. “Brother?” Beigong Juechen met her gaze calmly. “It’s fine. If he wishes to stay, let him.” Beigong Qiyi’s beautiful lips parted, but in the end, she only gritted her teeth and strode away.

Beigong Juechen watched the furious youth’s retreating figure with narrowed eyes. Qi Wen’s gaze remained fixed on him, and in those emerald eyes, a trace of white light flickered. He walked slowly to Beigong Juechen’s side and said coldly, “Aren’t you curious why I want to stay?”

Beigong Juechen withdrew his gaze and looked at him, suddenly curving his lips with a faint smile. “You appeared at Spring Garden at just the right moment, and now you’re here at Lishuang. Whatever you’re plotting, I have no need to know.”

Qi Wen’s lips, thin and smooth, pressed together. He and Beigong Juechen looked much alike, but where they differed was mostly in their lips. Beigong Juechen’s were of moderate fullness, rosy and moist; Qi Wen’s were thinner, making him seem colder and more unfeeling. “You don’t trust me,” he said softly, the words spilling from his lips.

Beigong Juechen raised an eyebrow. “If you were me, would you trust yourself?” Qi Wen was momentarily taken aback, a rare hint of bewilderment flickering across his face. He looked at Beigong Juechen for a long moment, then smiled faintly—a smile quite unlike Beigong Juechen’s.

Indeed, both their smiles were beautiful, but Beigong Juechen’s was like the thawing of ice and snow, gathering all the world’s colors into one dazzling, unmatched, and elegant moment. Qi Wen’s smile should have been warm, but instead a lingering chill clung to it—subtle, but indelible.

Suddenly, Beigong Juechen thought of Fu Zhi, a person born without joy or sorrow, his expression eternally unchanging. And Qi Wen… he was like a meticulously carved ice figure—stunning, yet devoid of warmth.

The smile at the corners of Qi Wen’s lips grew, even his phoenix eyes narrowing. He took Beigong Juechen’s hand, chuckling softly. “I don’t trust you.” Their strikingly similar faces were very close. Qi Wen blinked and gently ran his fingers across Beigong Juechen’s hand. “But if you say it, I’ll believe you.”

“Oh?” Beigong Juechen’s naturally lifted eyes arched even higher. He casually pulled his hand free and said in a low voice, “I am curious—why would you believe me?”

But those hands grasped his again, relentless. Qi Wen’s gaze softened as he looked at Beigong Juechen. “Because you are my family, my kin by blood. In this vast world, you are my only relative. If I don't trust you, who else could I trust?”

A ripple passed through Beigong Juechen’s eyes. He no longer tried to pull his hand away, letting Qi Wen hold it tightly. He gazed deeply into the eyes so like his own, and after a moment, smiled faintly. “Is that so?”

Qi Wen nodded emphatically. “Yes.” His eyes were earnest and hopeful as he looked at Beigong Juechen, but the man did not give him the answer he wanted.

Beigong Juechen’s gaze passed over him, expressionless as he looked into the distance. “Qiyi was right. The bond between us is deeper than blood. And you—” He tilted his head, as if with a wry smile. “Even if you are my brother by blood, all these years, it’s been him calling me brother, not you.”

For the first time, a crack appeared in Qi Wen’s ice-carved face. His long brows furrowed as he said in a low voice, “Even if I speak the truth and he deceives you, you would believe him over me?”

Beigong Juechen looked at him slowly and laughed, soft and low. Qi Wen blinked in confusion. Beigong Juechen’s laughter faded, and he said quietly, “No. I don’t trust you, but that doesn’t mean I fully trust him either.”

Dark clouds slowly swallowed the crescent moon and scattered stars above. Beigong Juechen waved his hand carelessly. “I know he’s hiding something from me. Naturally, I won’t let him deceive me. For now, he has the upper hand, so I’ll just have to bide my time and strike back.”

The cool touch in his hand suddenly vanished. Qi Wen instinctively clenched his hand, his fingertips pressing into his palm. He lowered his eyes and murmured, “I can help you.” The wind howled past his ears as he slowly raised his head, seeing only the man’s receding figure. “I can help you uncover what he’s hiding from you!”

That emerald figure paused for a moment. Beigong Juechen waved a hand without turning back. “I don’t need it.”

Qi Wen frowned, parting his lips as if to speak, but before he could, Beigong Juechen added, “When it comes to my affairs, I’ll get to the bottom of them myself.”