#Chapter 10: Displaying a Deep Brotherly Bond
The plot in the book matches perfectly, Li Yuezhou thought to himself.
Lu Zhaoye, however, was frowning deeply. After a brief moment of silence in the room, he caught the sound of approaching footsteps outside. He rose to greet the newcomer.
"Godfather."
"Greetings, Alliance Leader."
Li Xiaolian walked in with a dark expression. What on earth was going on with this grand assembly? One disaster after another.
The moment he stepped inside, his eyes landed on Li Yuezhou, who was sitting obediently to the side. His brow twitched. "Why is Yuezhou here too?"
"I asked... Brother to bring me along."
"Nonsense!"
Li Xiaolian voiced his complete disapproval, turning a stern glare toward Lu Zhaoye. The older youth could only hang his head in silence. What else could he have done? Who could possibly say no to Li Yuezhou?
"Father, I wanted to see. Don't blame Brother," Li Yuezhou interjected hastily, terrified that Li Xiaolian would take his anger out on Lu Zhaoye, which might make the older youth resent him. Because he had been taking so much medicine lately, a faint, clean scent of herbs seemed to radiate from him inside out.
Li Xiaolian took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down a fraction. "Zhaoye, what exactly happened?"
Lu Zhaoye immediately recounted the entire incident. When Li Xiaolian heard that Jin Qiyao suspected a member of the Demonic Cult, his brow furrowed fiercely once more.
"Why do you believe it was the Demonic Cult?"
"I... I used to follow my father to hunt down demonic cultivators a few times in the past," Jin Qiyao explained. By now, the worst of her panic had subsided, and her emotions had stabilized enough for her to analyze the encounter calmly. "Even though that intruder acted like a common, lecherous thief, his aura inadvertently leaked a strange, distinct trace. I recognized it."
Watching her speak, Li Yuezhou finally understood why her father used to bring her along on campaigns.
Li Xiaolian was also somewhat surprised by Jin Qiyao’s quick composure. He raised an eyebrow slightly and nodded. "If a demonic cultivator truly managed to infiltrate our ranks, then someone within the Alliance has been deeply negligent. This matter will absolutely not be brushed aside lightly. Rest assured, you two; this old man will personally see to it that you receive a proper explanation."
Jin Dunhong and Jin Qiyao had never expected the grand Alliance Leader to be so approachable and sincere. Filled with profound respect, they bowed politely and escorted the trio out.
---
Once the silhouettes of the leadership faded from view, Jin Qiyao let out a long breath. Jin Dunhong turned to her anxiously. "You aren't hurt, are you?"
"No. That demonic cultivator's martial arts weren't particularly impressive. He likely only dared to strike because he saw I was a woman alone in her quarters." Jin Qiyao pressed a hand against her chest. She hadn't expected any of this to happen, let alone that she would cross paths and speak directly with Leader Li.
"Leader Li truly is a good man. No wonder Father explicitly instructed us to seek his aid directly if we ever encountered an emergency."
"Indeed. Back then, I actually laughed at Father, thinking, He is the Alliance Leader, why would he bother himself with the likes of us?" Jin Qiyao offered a small smile, and after her senior brother comforted her with a few more words, they retired to their respective rooms.
---
With Li Xiaolian present, the task of pushing the wheelchair naturally didn't fall to Lu Zhaoye. They retrieved the wheelchair from Yi Rufeng’s quarters and began a slow trek back.
Li Xiaolian and Lu Zhaoye spoke in hushed tones behind him, making no effort to conceal their conversation. Li Yuezhou found the technical talk rather dull and felt drowsiness creeping in. Not wanting to fall asleep in the wheelchair and catch another chill, he began to idle away the time by looking around.
The Martial Arts Alliance was vast, so massive that one could scarcely explore it fully in a matter of days. Every pavilion and hall was manned by sentries who operated on a strict, round-the-clock shift rotation, ensuring twenty-four-hour coverage.
Man, Li Yuezhou lamented silently, working a corporate shift even in the Jianghu is no joke.
As he observed his surroundings, a sudden thought struck him. He tilted his head back to look at the two men behind him. "Are there... any female disciples in the Alliance?"
The two men blinked, exchanging a startled glance before Li Xiaolian answered, "There are a few. Practicing martial arts is a grueling path, and most families are reluctant to let their daughters endure it. On the whole, their numbers are small. Why do you ask?"
"Today's... incident." Li Yuezhou paused, contemplating how best to articulate his thoughts.
In his modern life, he had often read social news reports where, in sensitive situations involving women, having male officers handle the case proved highly awkward and inappropriate, so female officers were typically deployed.
Tonight, although Jin Qiyao hadn't suffered any physical harm, the guards who rushed to the scene were exclusively male.
Even among the onlookers who gathered to gawk, a quick scan revealed they were predominantly men. Wouldn't Jin Qiyao feel deeply uncomfortable?
In truth, he didn't know for certain, as Jin Qiyao hadn't appeared outwardly distressed just now. Yet, the whole setup felt inherently flawed to him.
"Only men... it's inconvenient." Li Yuezhou hesitated for a moment before adding, "The Alliance servants... include women too."
While Li Xiaolian was still processing the suggestion, Lu Zhaoye’s eyes flashed with a sudden realization. A look of quiet astonishment, mingled with an unreadable emotion, crossed his face as he asked, "Yuezhou, do you mean to say that because the Alliance guards are entirely male, it becomes awkward and inappropriate whenever a woman requires sensitive assistance?"
Li Yuezhou’s eyes lit up. He had been racking his brain trying to figure out how to phrase it, yet Lu Zhaoye had understood him perfectly. As expected of his wonderful older brother!
"The children of the Jianghu generally don't fuss over such trivial formalities..." Li Xiaolian began, but realizing the flaw in his own words halfway through, he swallowed the rest of his sentence. Instead, he smiled gently and said, "Father understands. You need not worry about this, Yuezhou. Zhaoye and I will see to the arrangements."
Li Yuezhou had merely brought it up on a whim because the thought happened to cross his mind; he had no intention of forcing a sweeping systemic change upon them. He was still uncertain of how this world viewed gender dynamics, and behaving in a way that wasn't too radical or bizarre was his safest bet. Thus, seeing that his dependable father had readily agreed, he promptly banished the matter from his mind.
Lu Zhaoye, however, kept his gaze fixed on Li Yuezhou’s slender back, deeply lost in thought.
---
The moment his head hit the pillow back in his room, Li Yuezhou drifted into a deep sleep.
Within his dream, he beheld the familiar book once more, but this time, a phantom silhouette stood beside it.
As Li Yuezhou hesitated, dynamic and unsure whether to step forward, the phantom let out a soft, ethereal chuckle that echoed like an otherworldly voiceover. "Have you read this book?"
"I have."
"This is the recompense we bestow upon you. This is no mere book; it is the life of Li Xiaolian." The phantom paused briefly before continuing, "It is the life he lived when your soul failed to return to its proper place."
Li Yuezhou blinked, his mind running a step behind. "You mean... because my soul hadn't integrated yet?"
"Precisely. It was our transgression, and this is your compensation. We hope you can alter their destinies."
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