Chapter 1260: Sibling Strife (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
Lin Feng watched the young man warily.
“This place is a dream, and your scholarly path is mostly related to dream creation.” Despite his precarious situation, Lin Feng remained calm.
What she wants to know most right now is when she will enter her dreams.
The dream was so real that she couldn't find any clues during her daytime naval training duties. However, based on her experience, she carefully observed things she usually overlooked and discovered that these details were exactly the same as reality. It was a dream so realistic it could easily be mistaken for reality!
You guessed right.
The young man developed a greater appreciation for Lin Feng.
His younger sister is more outstanding than he imagined and more than the rumors suggested.
“Outstanding children will be rewarded.”
Lin Feng secretly activated the Corpse Vine to completely surround the youth group. The dense vines filled the small courtyard, making it look like a snake pit at first glance. She asked a somewhat lame joke: "The reward is my little sister's head?"
The young man's expression darkened slightly at her response.
Lin Feng's reaction was neither defiant nor fearful; it was simply one of composure and calmness. Her question also subtly revealed that Lin Feng was mentally prepared for the possibility that one of the siblings would end up dismembered.
It wasn't her, but a young person.
He was silent for a moment: "I'm not so heartless as to kill you without batting an eye. Even though we've been separated for many years, you are still the brother that our mother personally sent to me."
Lin Feng had no memory of her as an infant, but he remembered how she looked wrapped in swaddling clothes: "Before I met you, I kept thinking—if the turmoil back then hadn't happened, or if I had taken you away with me, would we, as siblings, still be in such a dilemma?"
Immediately afterwards, the young man heard a response from the adult woman in front of him.
"I can tell you the answer, but I'm not interested."
Lin Feng's answer was truly exceptional.
She had never considered this hypothetical life. Even in this life, she would still have her parents, siblings, and other close relatives by her side.
Lin Feng's response was too quick, so quick that it didn't require any thought, so quick that it showed no hesitation or reluctance regarding blood ties: "Why?"
"Why imagine how smooth a road that has never been traveled can be? Is it really perfect and flawless? Can it really satisfy all shortcomings? I don't think Lin Jiaojiao's life can be better than Lin Lingde's! If I were given the chance to start over, I would not sit idly by and watch my grandmother and the others die unjustly under the swords of the traitors, but I would also not leave with them to seek refuge with my father and brothers."
Lin Feng made no secret of his ambition.
“As a scholar, you have seen the vast world, so you can learn needlework to alleviate your financial difficulties, or you can pick up a sword and travel the world. The world of a young lady is only within the four walls of her courtyard, and she has no other choice. I cannot give up the right to carry a sword. The choice of growing up by my father and brothers is not attractive at all. I cannot choose it. There is not even any value in comparing the two.”
The subtext is—
The bond between father and daughter, the loyalty between siblings—these have value, but not so high that she would abandon everything she has. The young man's attempt to appeal to her emotions was a grave mistake from the start. Lin Feng will not only remain unmoved, she will also ruthlessly crush him!
Whether for oneself or for the sake of one's lord's ambition!
"I don't want to pave a smooth road with my own flesh and blood, but if you really drive me to the brink, you'll be one step above me on the ladder to heaven!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the Corpse Vine pounced out in a frenzy.
To Lin Feng's horror, these Corpse Vine tendrils did not bind the young man in front of her as she had expected; instead, they surged towards her like a tide.
The Corpse Vine dissipated into white mist the moment it touched the body, making Lin Feng's hair disheveled and his eyes almost unable to open.
When she suddenly opened her eyes, she was met with unfamiliar roof beams.
The room was simply furnished, but it was clear that the owner was a young man. Lin Feng sat up on the bed warily, his first thought being to check the situation. He turned to look at the only bronze mirror in the room, which reflected a familiar but slightly awkward young man's face.
"Brother?"
Is this body my brother's?
Just then, there was a knock on the bamboo door, and the person who entered was rude and impolite. Following his body's instincts, Lin Feng grabbed the sword from beside his pillow. He didn't have time to think about why his brother would put his sword by his pillow while sleeping. He quickly put on his clothes and went out to see what was going on with this dream.
Why did you get up so late today?
The person outside was older, with a Wenxin monogram hanging from his waist, wearing an indigo Taoist robe, and appeared to have already taken his vows. Seeing Lin Feng open the door, the person naturally reached out to put his arm around Lin Feng's waist, but when he saw the sword in Lin Feng's hand, he moved his hand up and placed it on Lin Feng's shoulder: "Anzhi, it's time for morning lessons."
Lin Feng frowned, pondering how to kill someone.
It doesn't matter if you kill everyone in a dream.
But as soon as she had a thought, she discovered that the flow of spiritual energy in this body was completely different from her own. Even if she could use incantations, she wouldn't achieve the desired effect. The other person's aura was quite strong for someone her age. She suppressed the unfamiliar humiliation that suddenly rose in her heart, pressed down her lips, and held her sword with both hands across her chest: "Hmm."
Morning classes are boring.
Lin Feng divided his mind in two.
While seemingly reciting Taoist scriptures earnestly, she secretly observed the sun outside the window—time in dreams differed from reality, and finding a flaw would allow her to break free. As time passed, her anxiety grew. The frequency of the dripping water perfectly matched the sundial's tilt, mirroring reality exactly… The passage of time in the dream was too real, so real it didn't feel like a dream!
"It's a pity that my brother's scholarly talents don't lead him to the Ministry of Justice."
With such a realistic dream, how could Wei Heng not be excited?
It would be perfectly legitimate to have prisoners serve their sentences in their dreams—three months in reality, thirty years in the dream. Even the most mentally strong prisoner would break down.
Lin Feng could only find things to do.
For example, I could study my brother's meridians and the flow of his literary energy, and investigate his path as a scholar... Oh, no, either the other party is deliberately guarding against me, or my brother in the dream hasn't awakened the path of a scholar yet... What a pity!
Day 1: Morning class, noon class, evening class.
The next day, there were morning classes, noon classes, and evening classes.
On the third day, there were morning classes, noon classes, and evening classes.
Lin Feng, expressionless, carved a square mark on the bamboo slip he carried with him.
His classmates mocked, suppressed, and ridiculed him, repeatedly saying that a poor student like him didn't deserve to study in the same room as them. Lin Feng scoffed at their naiveté. She was focused on finding a weakness and had no time for such trivial matters.
As the third character was being depicted, Lin Feng, who was asleep, suddenly opened his eyes with alarm. The door to the bamboo house was pushed open, and three spoiled young masters, who were always gossiping, entered. Lin Feng suddenly understood why his sword was by his pillow: "If you don't want to die, get out!"
Upon hearing the threat, the three were taken aback at first, then burst into laughter: "Lin Su, who do you think you are to dare talk to me like that!"
Lin Feng said, "Your ancestors are no exception!"
She's capable of killing in real life, so what about in a dream?
The three men were clearly unaware of the danger, even mistaking Lin Su for the weak, easily bullied, and submissive poor boy they remembered. They exchanged glances, and the leader gave a signal: "Hmph, teach him a lesson!"
Left with no other option, Lin Feng had to kill someone.
She fell silent as the three corpses lay at her feet.
She knelt down and wiped the fatal wound from which blood continued to gush from the corpse. Rubbing her fingers, she found that the temperature and viscous texture of the blood were exactly the same as in reality. Sometime later, a scholar wearing a lotus crown stood outside the door. He was the same person Lin Feng saw on the first day he woke up. The man's face was ashen, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, and his breathing grew heavier.
His voice was hoarse as he asked, "You killed them?"
"Should we spare them to offer sacrifices to the Three Pure Ones in a few days?"
The capital city of Fengluo is known for its open-mindedness, and the stories in the market are often quite explicit. Even though Lin Feng initially misunderstood the three as simply spoiled brats bullying her, she eventually realized that they had ulterior motives! Considering that she was still using her second brother's body, Lin Feng's expression became even more strange—if what she was seeing was her second brother's past, wouldn't that mean that the three of them had all foolishly coveted her second brother?
Thinking of this, he became even more ruthless in killing.
"It's a pity I didn't use castration on them while they were alive! What, do you also want to test the sharpness of my sword?"
The other person didn't speak, but just looked at him silently.
Stepping inside, he bent down to move the body: "Bury it in the back hill!"
Lin Feng was quite surprised: "Oh."
The three bodies were quickly disposed of.
When he turned back, Lin Feng crossed his arms and asked, "Do you also want to be like them, preparing to submit to me?"
The other person suddenly turned to look at her, their pupils dilating in shock.
Lin Feng, however, paid no attention to his reaction, only gazing up at the moonlight, which was as clear as any other day. She had just keenly sensed a fleeting fluctuation in her dream, only to have it instantly return to calm. The other person's voice was strained: "No, I never thought of that..."
Lin Feng looked at him quietly: "Lying."
It just so happened that it was the end of the month and Lin Feng was going down the mountain to visit relatives, so he packed his bags and went down as well. At the foot of the mountain, he saw a young man who was a bit older than himself. The young man looked somewhat like his second brother, but a few strands of white hair had appeared at his temples, making him look somewhat haggard and listless. Only when he saw Lin Feng did his eyes regain their light: "Anzhi!"
"Brother!"
As the carriage swayed and bumped, the elder brother cautiously probed Lin Feng's life on the mountain. Although he only revealed a few words, Lin Feng was horrified and regretted killing the three so hastily. Studying on the mountain was arduous; wealthy students couldn't bring servants and had to do everything themselves. How could they possibly manage such chores? Those students from poorer families were the ones who suffered.
Being at someone's beck and call is a minor matter, as long as it doesn't affect one's studies.
The problem is that these wealthy young men, having tasted the sweetness of sex early on, are unwilling to remain aloof. They set their sights on their good-looking classmates, and unfortunately, Lin Su perfectly fits the bill, constantly being harassed and quite distressed.
The most troublesome thing is that Lin Su has refused several times, and the resentment has run deep.
The young man came to pick him up in person because he was afraid of retaliation.
Lin Feng: "It's alright, it's resolved."
The young man said, "Your method isn't foolproof either. Offending one person is certainly better than offending several, but..."
Lin Feng: "...I will be careful."
Forgive me, forgive me. Her first thought was of those academic novels called "Five Elements of Misconduct," which combined elements like cross-dressing, contractual relationships, fake love turning real, tragic romance, and reconciliation. Her second brother's academic life was indeed much more exciting than hers.
The relaxed mood didn't last long.
Thinking that this might be something his second brother had actually experienced, he somewhat understood how bitter the repressed past he had so casually mentioned must have been. Lin Feng followed his eldest brother home. The house looked decent on the outside, but the inside was incredibly shabby. Apart from the reception hall and the courtyard, which were relatively clean, the rest of the house could only be described as bare, and even the house itself was drafty.
It all feels too real.
Before I knew it, the bamboo slips were already covered with drawings.
A thought swirled in her mind and became increasingly skeptical as time went on—she had truly fallen into a dream fabricated by her second brother, rather than accidentally traveling back in time to her second brother's past.
“Anzhi, you’ve changed since that day.” After Lin Feng’s failed suicide attempt by cutting his wrists, his classmate, who wore the Lotus Crown, came to visit him and tentatively asked, “Is it because of those people harassing you? But they’ve already been dealt with by you… Why are you still so troubled that you’re willing to harm yourself?”
Lin Feng said, "You don't understand."
After resting for two days, Lin Feng packed her few belongings and prepared to head to the Northwest. If it weren't for the dream, how would her master, teacher, and she herself be doing right now? Regardless, she had to return to serve her master.
The elder brother hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
During this time, he looked more tired and aged.
The father, whom he hadn't seen often, also remained silent.
Upon hearing that Lin Feng wanted to travel and study abroad, the two thought for a long time before finally agreeing. The father said, "I can take care of everything at home."
Lin Feng lowered his eyes and nodded.
Although her father and elder brother hadn't explicitly said anything, Lin Feng had overheard snippets of conversation during her several trips down the mountain. She knew the family was in dire straits, that her father and brother had suffered setbacks, and that her clansmen had been subjected to injustice… She knew that with her experience and abilities, she could help share the burden, but she chose to remain an observer. Her departure now was also a way of not wanting to continue the relationship; she feared that reason wouldn't prevail over blood ties, and she was also afraid of being too soft-hearted.
Studying abroad is not a solitary activity.
That classmate, having somehow heard the news, also came along.
Lin Feng: "..."
I wanted to refuse, but I agreed because of the travel expenses.
The two traveled together, trekking through mountains and rivers, heading northwest.
His classmate asked, puzzled, "I've heard that the area is in turmoil and the people are uncivilized. Anzhi, should we choose a safer place for our studies?"
Lin Feng said, "I am looking for a wise ruler."
Classmate: "Northwest?"
"The Purple Star emerges from the Northwest, and so too does a wise ruler reside in the Northwest!"
To his utter surprise, after months of enduring wind and rain to reach Heyin County, he received news that his lord had been transferred to Longwu County. Lin Feng calculated the timeline and realized it didn't match up at all! He immediately set off for Longwu County, only to hear that Longwu County was at war with Shiwu.
wrong--
That's completely wrong!
Lin Feng followed his memory and headed toward the cliff he remembered.
Just then, he witnessed "himself" unleash a [Sinking into Fire] attack, severing a person's head on a stone platform halfway up the mountain. Beside him stood Xun Zhen, a passerby he didn't recognize at the moment. The two were whispering when they suddenly looked over. Lin Feng looked at the other "her."
She looked at Lin Feng, and then at the classmate beside him.
Quite surprised: "They actually came looking for us."
Despite having the exact same face, it felt like a stranger to Lin Feng.
"Second Brother?"
Upon realizing something, Lin Feng's face turned ashen.
If she is experiencing her second brother's past, is her second brother also repeating her past? Lin Feng's hand holding the sword trembled, not because of fear, but because of an uncontrollable killing intent! How could Lin Feng not know how many secrets her identity granted her access to?
"Second brother, if I kill you here, will you die?"
"Why don't you try it and see?"
ヾ(ゞ)
Originally, I wanted to name him Lin Lai, since he was already here, I decided to make the best of it. However, that would be the same name as Gong Xilai, so I changed it to Anzhi Ruosu.
Lin Su was a student who suffered severe bullying. While studying in the mountains, he had to do odd jobs for his classmates, and it was during this period that he gained the skills and experience of sewing and mending. As he grew up, the methods of bullying changed, so he kept his sword by his pillow for self-defense.
The three people Lin Feng killed were also people he had killed in real life.
Lin Feng thought Lin Su had been bullied to the point of developing psychological trauma, but in reality, Lin Su had killed so many people that only a handful remained in the school's group photo...
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