LAVW – Chapter 66 Brothers Reunited

In the city of Cold Ice.

Shi Qian crouched in a corner of the city, admiring the heartbreaking drama that had unfolded with his subtle orchestration.

The manager of the local oil shop had fallen for the girl next door, the daughter of a scholar’s family. From when she was just five or six and still had a runny nose, to when she grew up and he worked his way up from an errand boy to shop manager—he had only ever loved this one girl.

Now that the once-young girl had become a widow, the oil shop manager touched the peach blossom hairpin he had bought years ago but never given her, and mustered up the courage to visit his beloved.

The fair, gentle woman wore mourning clothes, a pure white flower pinned in her hair. Even in the wind, she looked like a delicate flower, blooming to the point of withering.

But as she listened to the words of this old acquaintance, her face darkened.

Why? Because she had just lost her husband a month ago. Worse yet, yesterday she had even been frightened by the “ghost” of her late husband.

Angrily, she demanded, “What kind of woman do you take me for?”

“You’re the one I treasure most—my one and only,” the oil shop manager said with deep affection, about to pour out the devotion that had kept him single all his life.

But before he could finish, he was met with a hot slap of rejection, both metaphorical and literal.

The door slammed shut with a loud bang, shattering his heart.

All kinds of bitter, wrenching emotions surged within the oil shop manager as he stood there in tears, a grown man in his fifties or so, crying like a child.

The peach blossom hairpin fell from his hand, snapping in two.

The onlooking neighbors, many of whom knew his story, sighed in sympathy and advised him to try again another time—it was just the wrong moment.

But who could reason with a broken heart?

Yet in the midst of his sorrow, the oil shop manager suddenly snapped out of it.

He stopped crying, looking around in confusion. “Wait, that’s not right. Didn’t I already get married? My kid’s already eight or nine!”

“I remember now—I married the old manager’s daughter!”

Neighbors and passersby: “???”

With that, a dozen spectators also snapped out of it like waking from a dream.

Shi Qian finished watching the drama and looked up at the sky.

The black dragon’s cultivation hadn’t stirred for a while. Could it be that Brother Ye was finally awake?

Shi Qian silently flew into the sky, slipping into the misty clouds above.

Other cultivators had been curious about the giant dragon in the clouds, but a barrier prevented anyone from approaching—except Shi Qian.

However, once inside the mist, Shi Qian found that the black dragon was still completely motionless. Definitely not awake.

Bored, Shi Qian sighed. “Squeak.”

Brother Ye, when are you going to wake up?

With Long Ye’s cultivation having advanced, Shi Qian believed—once Long Ye awoke, he’d be fully conscious and not just a rampaging black dragon.

Hearing that, the just-awakened Long Ye felt a pang of guilt.

But every time he thought about the things his dragon self had done, he simply didn’t have the courage to open his eyes and face Shi Qian.

What had the black dragon done?

If his father ever found out he’d dug up his mother’s grave—even if it had been empty—he’d probably claw his way out of his own coffin just to beat him to death for being such an unfilial son.

And then there was swallowing Shi Qian whole, forcing a little furball to scrub every inch of his body, and not letting him go…

If he didn’t open his eyes, he wouldn’t have to deal with it. For the first time in his life, Long Ye was avoiding reality—cowardly and weak.

Shi Qian noticed a pained expression flicker across the dragon’s face: “?”

Your expression changed, bro!

Shi Qian climbed onto the dragon’s face and yanked on his whiskers.

And just like that, he forced the dragon—who was trying so hard not to open his eyes—to open them.

Because every time someone tugged on his whiskers, Long Ye would instinctively remember the cold sensation of losing hair on his head, and reflexively open his eyes to stop it.

He had lots of hair—he could lose some. But whiskers? There were only two.

Meeting Shi Qian’s angry, wide-eyed glare, Long Ye could only force out an awkward smile.

“Roar—” Even his dragon roar sounded weak.

Brother Qian…

“Squeak! Squeak?!”

Brother Ye, you were pretending to sleep?! How long have you been faking it?!

“Roar—!”

Not long, I just woke up, really!

If possible, Long Ye wished he could lose all memory of everything that happened before he regained consciousness.

Shi Qian flexed his sore claws, thought about his meager belongings, and decided—it was time to settle accounts with Long Ye.

He let go of the black dragon’s whiskers and, using his own claws, mimed digging a hole on Long Ye’s face.

Long Ye shut his eyes in pain and begged for mercy. “Roar—”

Brother Qian, Brother Qian, please have mercy.

Shi Qian scraped his claws against Long Ye’s rock-hard eyelids. “Squeak.”

Open your big dragon eyes.

“Squeak—”

Brother Ye, look at the Ice City I’ve conquered for you.

Long Ye heard Brother Qian nearly roaring. He first used his spiritual power to pull Brother Qian away, then opened his eyes and helplessly faced reality.

“Roar roar.”

Thanks for your hard work, Brother Qian. Don’t be mad.

Long Ye lowered his voice, coaxing his spirit beast gently. On the other side, realizing his dragon claws weren’t good for the task, he simply used spiritual power to conjure two hands and pressed Brother Qian down to give him a massage.

“Squeak.”

Don’t think you’ll get away with this so easily!

“Squeak squeak.”

Softer—no, harder—

Realizing the opponent’s technique was too skilled, Shi Qian chose to shut up and struggled to dig a storage pouch out from his necklace with his tiny claws.

Long Ye took it and opened it for a look.

Empty.

With no clear memory of eating and drinking, Long Ye retraced the black dragon’s bandit-like behavior in his mind.

Long Ye: …

Just how much did the black dragon eat?

It seemed he had been chasing Brother Qian the whole time without stopping, eating for at least a day. He even swallowed Brother Qian’s golden bowl—and the impression of its taste… not bad.

Long Ye froze. That definitely wasn’t something he had done.

Shi Qian kicked his legs. “Squeak squeak.”

Don’t stop.

Now it was Shi Qian’s turn to enjoy himself—he wasn’t letting Long Ye off the hook. He was going to be just as shameless and domineering as the black dragon’s claws.

Long Ye didn’t argue, honestly continuing to serve his Brother Qian.

The black dragon coiled his massive body, massaging the tiny dragon-chinchilla on the cloud mist with spiritual power, completely unaware that his long tail had slipped out of the mist.

Below, the people of Ice City had mostly regained consciousness. Many, however, were beyond saving—souls and minds lost for good, their lives truly ended in the illusion.

Those who were awake were amazed by the dragon’s tail: “Look! In the sky! A dragon’s tail!”

“Has Lord Dragon God awakened?”

“Must have, right? The tail is poking out.”

“The Gold Core Patriarch in the west part of the city said the Dragon God is a great demon, but thanks to his intervention, we’ve come to our senses.”

Then, everyone began speculating what Lord Dragon God was doing after waking up.

Long Ye, still tending to Brother Qian, heard the commotion and looked down at Ice City, seeing quite a few of those “madmen” regaining their sanity—an impressive number, too.

Long Ye asked in surprise: “Roar—”

Brother Qian, what did you do? A lot of people down there seem to be waking up.

Shi Qian recalled the shameless things he’d done recently, then responded with total nonsense:

“Squeak squeak.”

Just like with you—sincere compassion works wonders.

Long Ye didn’t fully understand at first.

After all, he hadn’t been moved by compassion. It was just that the black dragon remembered Brother Qian’s two signature bricks, smelled the familiar scent, and recognized Brother Qian as his own.

Still, when Brother Qian dealt with the black dragon version of him, he was very patient—gave him whatever he asked for, practically indulgent.

He’d really struck gold, meeting Brother Qian.

So Long Ye said: “Roar—”

Brother Qian, you’re always so kind… even the first time I saw you, you were like this…

Looking at Long Ye’s face full of admiration, and listening to his long-winded reminiscing, Shi Qian felt a little guilty. But just a little.

After all, he was doing a good deed.

Saving people—who cares about the methods? You have to think big.

After three rounds of massage, drained and sleepy, Shi Qian lazily flicked his tail. “Squeak.”

Forget it. Let’s do the rest tomorrow.

Debtor Long Ye began the next phase: “Roar roar—”

Brother Qian, I’ll go find some things.

Dragon claws picked up the small white furball and gently placed him on the center of the black dragon’s head. Then, with a flick of his tail, Long Ye pierced through the clouds and flew toward the icy lake.

The people of Ice City stared wide-eyed: “Lord Dragon God moved! He moved!”

“Look! Look at the flying dragon!”

Shi Qian: The black dragon’s just asleep, not dead.

Sitting squarely in the center of the dragon’s head, surrounded by protective spiritual energy, Shi Qian settled into the comfy, stable “dragon throne.”

No need to worry about being swept off by waves.

Even diving into the lake didn’t feel cold—Long Ye’s spiritual power completely blocked the chill.

Thinking about it more deeply, Shi Qian felt a bit moved. Clearly, the black dragon had tormented him a lot.

“Squeak squeak?”

What are we looking for?

“Roar roar—”

Jiao dragon bones, cold spirit marrow beneath the lake, plenty of spirit stones at the bottom, and my storage ring.

Penny-pinching Long Ye planned to make the most of everything—not even the remains of the flood dragon would be spared.

Shi Qian fully approved.

Those locals were way too poor. He was embarrassed to take any payment. It was all unpaid labor. Being able to take some “local specialties” was a nice bonus.

They dove deep, but Long Ye swam fast and quickly reached the lakebed.

At the bottom was a huge whirlpool. Nothing grew nearby—only violent currents crashing against the lakebed, which glittered with icy blue top-grade spirit stones.

The scene was stunning. The glowing blue water wasn’t dim at all, but clear and bright.

But in Shi Qian’s eyes, there were only spirit stones everywhere.

Shi Qian was overjoyed: “Squeak!”

So many spirit stones!

He took out a storage pouch and began collecting stones with Long Ye.

The spirit stones at the lakebed were too cold for practical use, but they could be traded for other kinds. In fact, because of their chill, they were even more valuable than regular ones.

Seeing how happy Brother Qian was while collecting, Long Ye didn’t stop him—he just did everything for him.

After recovering his storage ring, he quietly got to work, efficiently filling and handing over one pouch after another to Shi Qian.

Shi Qian’s storage necklace filled up, so he started stuffing the extras into his clam shell.

After looting all the spirit stones from the vast lakebed and collecting the cold spirit marrow, Long Ye also filled a storage pouch with the flood dragon’s bones.

They could use the flood dragon’s remains, combine it with a medicinal herb, and refine a pill for Brother Qian to consume. But Long Ye suspected that if Brother Qian found out, he wouldn’t want to eat it, so he decided not to say anything for now.

After cleaning up the bottom of the lake, Shi Qian still looked forward to the next wave: “Squeak?”

Was there another place in Cold Ice City where special products grew?

Long Ye shook his head and brought Brother Qian back up to the surface.

Upon seeing the fluff ball on top of the Dragon God’s head again, the people of Cold Ice City realized the rumors were true — the great dragon really had “grown a ball” on its head.

Two Golden Core cultivators chosen from among the city dwellers bravely stepped forward.

But when the black dragon’s cold, dark red eyes swept toward them, their legs went weak.

One of them stepped forward to thank the Dragon God for his great kindness in saving lives; the other bowed and raised a tray, on which lay a storage ring.

The ring was feminine in design — an accessory worn by the flood dragon in its human form.

Long Ye took it without hesitation and immediately offered it to the “main creditor,” Brother Qian.

Shi Qian took it into his claws and noticed that it still carried a divine sense imprint. This further proved that the “flood dragon” had only lost its avatar, not its true body.

But that didn’t matter — once it was in his claws, it was his.

When they got back to the Sword Sect, he would learn a sword technique specializing in divine sense imprints, and with his spirit sword diligently hacking away, he could break through any level of divine sense branding.

Breaking storage rings, pouches, and necklaces — Sword Sect disciples were pros at that.

But Shi Qian and Long Ye were still new disciples, not very skilled yet.

Shi Qian: “Squeak.”

Brother Ye, remember to learn that sword technique.

Long Ye: “Roar.”

I probably will.

Shi Qian: ?

Shi Qian didn’t want to get into that topic, but he happened to be becoming a topic of conversation among the townspeople.

“The Dragon God gave the storage ring to that little fluff-ball spirit beast?”

“Is it a baby dragon? Looks like it has horns.”

“No way. A dragon should look majestic like the Dragon God—”

Shi Qian: …

Damn it, I’m the one who saved your lives, fluff-ball or not.

But since they were doing so many “bad things” at the time, the credit had been passed to the black dragon.

Long Ye was looking toward the direction of the grave mountain, but turned to comfort Brother Qian when he heard the gossip: “Roar—”

Brother Qian, you’re just still small. When you grow up, it’ll be different.

As for the merit of saving people, the Heavenly Dao won’t credit the wrong person.

The black dragon flew to the grave mountain again and took a scoop of still-wet yellow soil from the pit he had dug before.

Then he quickly flew away again. The memory of digging that hole still lingered in Long Ye’s mind, as if he could hear his own father yelling at him for being an unfilial son.

Outside Cold Ice City.

More people had arrived.

Mo Sanchi and other Sword Sect disciples, along with two elders from the Heaven’s Secrets Pavilion, rushed over.

But when they approached their destination — Cold Ice City — they found it already surrounded by monks from the Buddhist sect.

After a brief conversation, Mo Sanchi understood the whole situation and couldn’t help but worry about Brother Qian inside.

So, among the group attacking the protective light barrier, a new figure joined — Mo Sanchi.

Next, the Sword Sect disciples rolled up their sleeves.

Hua Qing: …

She joined too.

Even though the senior monks said it was useless, now that more people were helping, their collective strength had to be making an impact.

Only the two elders from the Heaven’s Secrets Pavilion were studying a complex compass, occasionally glancing at the sky and pondering the deeper meaning behind the divination.

They had tracked a clue to a hidden den of demonic cultivators.

Besides killing off a good number of them, they had also joined forces to eliminate a powerful avatar.

Using the lingering aura of the avatar, which Mo Sanchi had managed to retain, and the painstaking calculations of the Heaven’s Secrets elders, they determined it was related to Cold Ice City and came all the way here.

Now, just outside the city, the compass’s pointer shifted again. The hexagrams changed, and the heavens’ will grew more complex — not easily deciphered.

Inside the city, Long Ye and Shi Qian sensed the disturbance.

Shi Qian: “Squeak.”

Feels like the sky is trembling.

Long Ye calculated the days: “Roar—”

Maybe someone from the sect is here for us. The Hero Assembly is exactly where you and I—

Halfway through his sentence, Shi Qian cut him off: “Squeak.”

Isn’t it possible that someone like you, already at Nascent Soul level, isn’t allowed to participate in the Hero Assembly?

Long Ye looked like a dragon that had fallen into a pit of lost spirit stones: “Roar.”

What a pity, all those rewards…

Then he turned to praise Brother Qian: “Roar roar—”

We can only count on you now, Brother Qian!

Still, Long Ye thought to himself that he might not be just Nascent Soul anymore.

After all, he had “eaten” half the flood dragon, including its demon core.

Just like the flood dragon had intended to devour him, the mindless black dragon had no reservations about feasting on a great power boost.

Truly consuming that kind of thing — well, there was no need to say it out loud and scare Brother Qian.

If Brother Qian found out he had eaten the flood dragon and even put Brother Qian in his mouth at one point, he might actually be frightened.

But the flood dragon’s demon core was too powerful — it was from a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator — so it couldn’t be digested in one go.

The black dragon had previously fallen into a deep sleep for cultivation because he had overindulged and needed time to absorb it. The overwhelming energy also made it temporarily impossible for Long Ye to return to human form.

In the coming days, Long Ye’s cultivation would continue to grow rapidly.

It was just growing so fast, so easily, that it all felt a little unreal to him.

Shi Qian, meanwhile, was more concerned with whether they could leave: “Squeak.”

If the sect is here for us, then we won’t have to face the demonic cultivators behind the flood dragon alone!

“Roar—”

I’ll go help wear down that light barrier.

“Squeak.”

I’m coming too.

Shi Qian wanted to join in as well — but he discovered that the black sword didn’t want to work.

It was lying under the dirt stove of a house that had lost its owners, acting as one of the bricks at the base.

Apparently, it had been picked up and just didn’t feel like moving anymore — content to observe the mundane rhythms of life by the fire.

Thinking of how hard Big Black had worked recently, Shi Qian begrudgingly accepted its lazy attitude and pulled out another magic sword to get to work.

With attacks from both inside and outside, the light barrier trembled constantly, its glow flickering in and out.

Inside the Ice City, the people were both worried and a little excited.

They had been trapped for so long, completely unaware of what was happening outside. But deep down, they yearned more for freedom than for living an ignorant life dictated by “others.”

Soon, the light membrane turned transparent.

Shi Qian first saw sword light outside the barrier, then a familiar figure.

A giant rat with black-gold fur—though its coloring had changed somewhat, the facial features looked just like his Rat Bro!

Shi Qian couldn’t believe it and flew up to the membrane, pressing close to it. “Squeak?”

Bro—bro?

“Squeak Squeak!”

Brother, is that really you?!

His fluffy face was almost squished through the barrier.

Hei Mao, in his beast form today, stared at his little brother for a few moments, then abruptly pulled his head back before he bumped into the membrane.

Shi Qian hadn’t seen his Rat Bro in so long—he was too happy to even know what to say.

He just stood there on the ground, having to crane his neck to look up at his Rat Bro.

Now that he had improved in his cultivation, Shi Qian wanted to show off a bit, so he used his transformation skill to enlarge himself.

Compared to the mature figure of Rat Brother, Shi Qian’s size was just an illusionary “grown up” version.

But that was fine—at least it allowed for a fair hug!

Shi Qian cheerfully threw himself against the barrier for a hug.

Hei Mao, seeing his giant little brother, thought—Ha, enlarge? Your brother can do that too.

So right in front of Shi Qian, Hei Mao enlarged himself as well.

Big enough that Shi Qian could only wrap his arms around one leg.

Shi Qian looked up in a daze and said, “Squeak Squeak.”

Brother, you’re still you, after all.

You used to run fast, now you’ve grown huge—whatever it is, you always have to outdo your little brother, no matter how painful it is to witness.

Hei Mao recovered and began to speak. “Squeak Squeak!”

Brother, I missed you so much!

Just as Shi Qian was about to ask his Rat Bro to shrink down again, a pair of dragon claws picked him up, lifting his view high so he was face-to-face with Hei Mao.

Shi Qian: …

He thought about his current position and realized—it felt kind of stupid.

“Squeak Squeak.”

Brother Ye, put me down!

“Squeak Squeak.”

Brother, shrink down!

Hei Mao saw the big black dragon holding his brother and bared his teeth, his face full of fury. “Squeak Squeak!”

Let go of my brother! Did you hear me?!

Long Ye, knowing this was Shi Qian’s biological brother, felt a bit uneasy inside. But seeing how silly and harmless the guy looked, he decided not to argue.

The black dragon let out a low growl. “Roooar—”

Brother Qian, I’ll listen to you.

Then he gently placed Shi Qian back on the ground, fulfilling his request.

Hei Mao, seeing his brother back safely on the ground, realized he was towering too high. With a thud, he shrank back to his original form.

Then he quickly stretched out his paw and, through the thin and “soft” light membrane, pulled his little brother into a hug.

“Squeak——”

Brother——

Shi Qian couldn’t stay emotional anymore. He laughed and poked his brother’s belly with a paw. “Squeak Squeak.”

Long time no see, Bro.

The familiar fluffiness was gone. His Hei Mao Bro was now a battle-hardened “tough guy” down to the belly.

But in Hei Mao’s eyes, his little brother hadn’t changed much. Even enlarged, he was still small, soft, and looked like an easy target.

“Squeak Squeak.”

Did that dragon bully you?

Shi Qian: ?

“Squeak Squeak?”

Brother, which eye of yours saw him bullying me?

Lately, Long Ye had been acting like a humble servant eager to please a young master. Shi Qian was thoroughly enjoying it.

“Squeak Squeak——”

Of course with both eyes.

Hei Mao worriedly stared into his brother’s eyes. “Squeak Squeak?”

Brother, is one of your eyes not working?

Long Ye, who had spent ten years listening to Shi Qian’s mouse chatter, found Hei Mao’s speech easy to understand—it was basically the same dialect.

Compared to Brother Qian’s biological brother, Long Ye figured he might be the better “brother,” no?

Sure, he ate a lot, but at least he had brains.

The massive black dragon coiled quietly behind the glowing orb, sneaking glances at the pair, unaware that the people of Ice City behind him were completely stunned.

Shi Qian didn’t know it yet, but at their very first meeting, the two “brothers” had already started competing like children.

He patiently explained to Hei Mao. “Squeak Squeak.”

Brother, both my eyes are perfectly fine, don’t worry.

“Squeak?”

Really?

Hei Mao lowered his head, wanting to touch his brother’s eyes through the membrane—but knowing how heavy-handed he was, he didn’t dare touch it.

Nearby, Hua Qing noticed this little gesture and immediately felt wronged over all the times she had been clawed by those iron paws.

There was no doubt Hei Mao cared deeply for his little brother.

But me? Not at all!

All those spirit herbs, all that effort—wasted. Hua Qing fumed silently.

Shi Qian nodded obediently again. “Squeak Squeak.”

Really, truly.

Hei Mao brightened once more, and just then, the chanting monks reached a climax. With a pop, the light membrane shattered.

All the scattered light gathered into a single, golden, tangible alms bowl.

Long Ye spotted it instantly—Brother Qian’s golden bowl could finally be replaced.

Since Long Ye and Shi Qian were already inside the barrier, they were closer. The black dragon soared upward and, with a swift move, grabbed the Buddhist treasure in his claws.

The dozen monks in mid-air: ?

That’s our Buddhist bowl! What use could demon beasts have with it?

Even if you’re a dragon, you can’t just snatch things!

Monk Chan Hua was about to fly over to reason with them—only to see the black dragon, holding their sacred treasure, turn and offer it to the fluffy white mouse.

Long Ye: “Roar——”

Brother Qian, what do you think of this golden bowl?

The Golden Delight Bowl was entirely gold, but its color was soft and refined. It looked far more elegant than the previous golden bowl.

It radiated a Buddhist aura, peaceful to behold, and overflowed with spiritual energy—clearly a precious treasure.

Shi Qian let go of his long-lost big brother and turned to catch the new golden nest. “Squeak Squeak.”

Looks nice.

Chan Hua the monk: …

“Fellow cultivators, my apologies, but this is a Buddhist artifact…”

Seeing the monk’s face practically shouting “I want that,” and the same look mirrored on the faces of the other monks, Shi Qian immediately felt the bowl in his hand grow more precious—it could surely be exchanged for a lot of good stuff.

He quickly stuffed it into his clam shell and hid it.

Then Shi Qian reverted to his beast form, raised his tiny paw, and pointed behind them at Ice City. “Squeak Squeak.”

Perfect. Go help the people of Ice City—they’ve suffered enough.

Since this was your Buddhist item’s fault, you lot should be the ones to clean up the mess.

Long Ye instinctively tried to translate, letting out a few dragon roars.

Hei Mao, thinking the monk was causing trouble, stepped in front of his reverted little brother. “Squeak Squeak——.”

That belongs to my brother!

Chan Hua looked at the rat, then at the dragon, and squeezed out one line:

“This humble monk… doesn’t understand a single word.”