Chu Yun quickly pulled Chu Yi aside, giving him a once-over with a puzzled expression.
"What the hell are you doing here? Do you even know where this is?"
"I told you, I'm back at my ancestral home!"
Chu Yi also sized him up, memories of Chu Yun quickly surfacing in his mind.
Chu Yun, five years his senior, had been a good playmate in their childhood.
The most memorable event Chu Yi could recall was when a fifteen-year-old Chu Yun took ten-year-old Chu Yi to steal a watch from Chu Shizhong.
They sold it for millions, then blew it all at a club over half a month.
Only later did they learn that the watch was a Vacheron Constantin attic artisan series 6620C, worth seventeen million and priceless.
One can only imagine the horror they faced upon returning to the Chu family.
To be precise, it was Chu Yun who bore the brunt, taking the fall for the incident, while Chu Yi, only ten at the time, escaped punishment due to his age.
It was after that incident that Chu Yun was sent abroad by his father to tap into his business acumen.
"What the fuck? Back home my ass!"
Chu Yun, frantic, said, "Is this a place you should be? Who told you about the direct line of the Chu family? Uncle Three? Has his brain degenerated with age, telling you this and putting you in harm's way?"
Hearing this, Chu Yi felt confused and searched his original memories to understand Chu Yun's urgency.
The Chu family's side branch had a rule: those not of Chu blood were not privy to the direct line and the martial arts world's affairs.
And the direct line had its own rule: side branch disciples were forbidden to visit without permission, or they'd bear the consequences.
Goodness, Chu Yi thought to himself.
Had he just broken both the side and direct branch rules?
Not only was he aware of the direct line and the martial arts world's affairs, but as a side branch disciple with no blood relation, he had trespassed into the direct line's territory.
In the hierarchical and strict martial arts world, this was a capital offense, wasn't it?
Understanding Chu Yun's panic, he couldn't help but scold, "How can you still act so spoiled after all these years? Uncle Three really didn't raise you right! When you were sixteen, I told you to come study in America, but you refused, despite the connections I had…"
Mid-sentence, Chu Yun realized this wasn't the time for such talk and reached out to push Chu Yi down the mountain.
"Stop talking and get out of here! You could die for trespassing like this, you know?"
"And that girl! Hurry up and leave! What's a civilian doing here? You have no idea what this place is!"
Chu Yun instinctively mistook Fan Qingling for a pretty companion his spoiled cousin had brought along.
Bringing a girl to frolic in the mountains, and ending up in the Chu family's direct line territory?
Was this a joint suicide mission?
In the martial arts world, killing a few civilians would go unnoticed!
Fan Qingling felt somewhat embarrassed, unsure of what to say.
She could only stand silently beside Chu Yi.
So this is what meeting relatives feels like? And in such a place…
Even a family meeting is abnormal with Chu Yi…
"Cousin, stop pushing me!" Chu Yi protested helplessly. "What's wrong with going home to get some stuff? It's perfectly reasonable!"
Chu Yun was flabbergasted. "What? Get what stuff?"
Chu Yi candidly replied, "Spiritual stones."
Chu Yun: "…"
Are you fucking with me?
Been reading too many cultivation novels, huh?
"This is no time for jokes!"
Chu Yun, both anxious and helpless, said, "Little Yi, you have no idea how serious this is. Staying here could really endanger your life, you get that?"
"Forget it, I'll explain later!"
Seeing he couldn't persuade Chu Yi, Chu Yun gave up trying to reason with him. Without delay, he grabbed Chu Yi's arm, ready to forcibly take him down the mountain.
"Eh?"
But Chu Yun's expression suddenly changed, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
He had tried to lift Chu Yi but found he couldn't budge him!
That's impossible! It shouldn't be!
Without time to ponder, Chu Yun exerted more force.
And yet…
Despite summoning all his strength, he couldn't even lift Chu Yi's arm!
"What?" Chu Yun was dumbfounded.
I'm a D-level martial artist!
"Cousin, can you not?" Chu Yi teased.
Chu Yun looked at him incredulously. "Little Yi… there's something off about your body?"
Chu Yi pondered and said, "I'm a PE teacher, it's reasonable to have good physical fitness, right?"
Chu Yun: "…"
Reasonable my ass!
I'm a D-level martial artist who could take on thirty PE teachers!
And I can't even lift your arm!
Is that reasonable? That's just absurd!
Chu Yun was truly baffled, not expecting this at all.
Had Little Yi been practicing martial arts?
Or had he… awakened alien abilities?
The latter must be the only possibility, given Chu Yi's status, he couldn't have accessed martial arts techniques.
Meanwhile.
Chu Shizhong and Chu Rong, watching the stunned Chu Yun, both wore puzzled expressions.
What's he doing?
"Brother, if Chu Yi doesn't want to leave, just take him down!" Chu Rong hurriedly said. "I don't want to see him die before my eyes."
Hearing this, Chu Yi turned to his cousin, who was a few years older but looked like a middle schooler, and teased, "Yo, cousin, long time no see. What grade are you in now? You care about me that much?"
Chu Rong: "…"
Why is Chu Yi even more annoying than before?
He used to be spoiled, but not this insufferable, right?
Ignoring his teasing, Chu Rong said expressionlessly, "Who cares about you? I just don't want to see someone die in front of me."
Chu Yi chuckled. "Still so tsundere? We used to share a bed, remember how close we were!"
Chu Rong: "…"
Fan Qingling: "?!!!"
"Get lost!" Chu Rong, her face slightly red with embarrassment and annoyance, said, "That was when we were kids. Just go! Or you might really die here!"
Chu Shizhong, his brows furrowed, also grew anxious and instructed Chu Yun, "Take him down quickly, I'll deal with him after we're off the mountain."
But Chu Yun was stuck, admitting awkwardly, "I… I can't move him…"
"What?" Chu Shizhong looked puzzled.
Just as Chu Yun was about to explain.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
Suddenly, several figures in black robes flew in from the sky.
Each one radiated a powerful aura.
The leader, an old man with a sharp glint in his eyes, was clearly a master above grandmasters.
"It's over…"
Seeing this, Chu Yun's face turned deathly pale.
The direct line has sent people! Now Chu Yi can't even escape if he wanted to!
Proofreader & Editor:Peter Pan