As the apartment elevator ascended, Liu Xiaoran suddenly spoke: "How have you been lately?"
Liu Mengran stiffened: "It's alright, I guess." She deliberately omitted the strange details. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing," Liu Xiaoran said, staring at the changing elevator numbers. "Just asking."
The key clicked crisply into the lock. Liu Mengran kicked off her shoes, walked straight to the center of the living room, and turned around: "Now you can tell me, right? What exactly happened between Mom and Dad—"
"Sit down first." Liu Xiaoran gently pressed her shoulder, his touch gentle yet firm. "I'll go get you a glass of water."
The special forces squad leader, known for his decisive and efficient actions in the military, was unusually slow at this moment—he took a glass from the cupboard, rinsed it twice, and carefully dried it. Every step seemed like he was stalling for time.
Liu Mengran sat on the edge of the sofa, her nails digging into her palms. She knew her brother too well; this unusual caution meant only one thing: the conversation that was about to begin would overturn her understanding of the world.
"Here." Liu Xiaoran handed her warm water, and as he sat down beside her, the sofa sank slightly. He unbuttoned the top button of his military uniform, let out a long sigh, and said, "This is something Grandpa should have told you himself..."
"But Grandpa had his own reasons," Liu Xiaoran's voice lowered, his fingers unconsciously tracing the rim of his teacup. "He didn't want you to go through that...darkness again."
Liu Mengran's expression faltered for a moment, the teacup tilting slightly in her hand, a few drops of tea splashing onto the table. "What... exactly happened?" Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.
Liu Xiaoran took a deep breath, as if organizing his thoughts after many years: "Our Liu family is actually an ancient martial arts family. Just like in martial arts novels, we are a reclusive family that cultivates true qi and pursues the pinnacle of martial arts. In the ancient martial arts world of China, the Liu family was originally considered a mid-to-upper-level power."
The sound of rain outside the window suddenly intensified, raindrops pounding against the glass like countless tiny fingers scratching. Liu Mengran's pupils dilated slightly; this sudden truth left her mind blank.
"The year you were born," Liu Xiaoran continued, his gaze falling on the distant rain, "your grandfather and the head of the Nangong family, Nangong Wentian, clashed over a piece of 'Mysterious Yin Jade.' From then on, the two families were constantly engaged in open and covert struggles. Your grandfather, worried about your safety, had your parents take you to live in the mortal world, so you never knew about the family's affairs."
Liu Mengran's fingertips began to tremble. She suddenly recalled those strange memories from her childhood—her father would occasionally stand in the yard late at night and do some strange things, and her mother always forbade her from contacting certain "relatives" who came to the house. It turned out that it wasn't her imagination.
"And then what?" She heard her own voice, dry and unlike her own. "What does that have to do with Mom and Dad's deaths?"
Liu Xiaoran's Adam's apple bobbed. He picked up his teacup and drank it all in one gulp, as if needing the tea to suppress certain emotions: "The struggle between the two families lasted for seven or eight years, until..." His fingers tapped unconsciously on the table, "...until Nangong Lie broke through to the Great Perfection of the Innate Realm. The Liu family instantly lost the ability to resist."
A rumble of thunder rolled across the sky, and the living room lights flickered. Liu Xiaoran's profile appeared particularly sharp in the shadows: "The Nangong family not only stole our Liu family's 'Azure Nether Cultivation Stone,' but also..." His voice suddenly choked, "...and they even tried to kill the younger generation of the Liu family. It was then that my grandfather urgently sent me to the Northern Military Region."
Liu Mengran gripped the hem of her dress tightly, the fabric crumpling in her palms. She felt a wave of dizziness, as if she were standing on the edge of a cliff, about to plunge into some terrible truth.
"Back then, we don't know who leaked your parents' information," Liu Xiaoran's voice trailed off. "By the time Grandpa received the news and rushed over, Second Uncle and the others had already..." He slammed his fist on the coffee table, making the teacup jump, "...and you were nowhere to be found."
With a crash, the teacup in Liu Mengran's hand fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. The tea left a dark stain on the carpet, much like that rainy night in her memory—
"Mengran, stay here and don't make a sound. Mom and Dad will be back to get you soon."
"Mom, I'm scared..."
"We'll be back after we count to one thousand. Okay, count louder..."
She began to count, her childish voice echoing in the basement. When she reached 372, a terrifying crash came from outside; when she reached 501, liquid seeped in through the crack in the door, its color a strange, dark red in the moonlight; when she reached 999, she fell into a deep sleep…
"Mengran?" Liu Xiaoran's worried voice pulled her back to reality.
Liu Mengran then realized her cheeks were ice-cold. She raised her hand to touch them, finding her hands covered in tears. Those fragments of memory were like sharp glass, each recollection causing her heart-wrenching pain.
"After Grandpa heard the news," Liu Xiaoran handed her a tissue, his own eyes reddening, "he went on a rampage against the Nangong family like a madman. The entire Liu family... was almost wiped out." He uttered the last few words with difficulty, "In the end, it was only through the intervention of the three major families that the conflict was quelled."
The rain outside intensified, and the wind whipped tree branches against the windowpane, making a "pat-pat" sound. Liu Mengran huddled in the corner of the sofa, looking just like the little girl who used to hide in the storage room.
"But Grandpa never gave up looking for you." Liu Xiaoran's voice softened. "He used all his connections and spent over a decade searching, until just two years ago... he finally found you." He hesitated for a moment, then gently patted his sister's trembling shoulder. "Grandpa told us we must never tell you the truth; he was afraid you couldn't bear it. Actually... he loves you more than anyone else."
Liu Mengran buried her face in her hands, her shoulders trembling violently. Those scattered fragments of memory suddenly took on meaning—the tears in her grandfather's eyes when they first met; the complex looks in the eyes of the elders at family gatherings; the old man's stern demeanor yet his constant presence by her bedside every night when she was sick…
"Why didn't you tell me sooner..." Her voice was muffled in her palm, with a heavy nasal tone.
Liu Xiaoran sighed softly, "Grandpa wants to protect you. All these years he's been secretly building his power, hoping that one day he can..." He suddenly stopped, shook his head, "Never mind, we'll talk about that later."
Liu Mengran raised her head, her eyes, washed clean by tears, exceptionally bright: "What can I do?"
Liu Xiaoran met her gaze for a moment, then finally said slowly, "To revive the Liu family and avenge your parents." He paused, "But now, these responsibilities are shared by my siblings and me."
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