Leaning against a mountain rock, Xiao Lingyu began recounting his secrets one by one—ancient times, Void, the laws of the Heavenly Dao, Leng Hanyuan, and most importantly, Old Ghost. Of course, there were some things he did not fully reveal.
Across from him, Chu Mingwei’s initially relaxed smile gradually shifted—surprise, shock, disbelief—until finally settling into a grim expression by the time Xiao Lingyu finished.
Silence.
That was Chu Mingwei’s only response after hearing everything. No questions, no accusations—nothing.
Xiao Lingyu blinked, looking at him calmly. This reaction was completely unexpected; he could not figure out what Chu Mingwei was thinking.
After a long while, Chu Mingwei suddenly spoke.
“Do you know what you did wrong?”
Xiao Lingyu froze, instinctively replying, “What did I do wrong?”
Chu Mingwei looked at him steadily, then reached out and took his right hand, lowering his gaze to the ancient-looking bracelet on Xiao Lingyu’s wrist. Following his line of sight, Xiao Lingyu realized he was referring to Old Ghost—but still did not understand what exactly was wrong.
Seeing Xiao Lingyu’s confusion, Chu Mingwei sighed inwardly and spoke slowly, word by word:
“As you said, you found this bracelet as a child and only later discovered it contained an ancient remnant soul. Then how can you be sure what it says is true? How can you be certain it really comes from ancient times? How can you know it harbors no ill intent toward you?”
“For all these years in Yuntian Sect, you had Martial Uncle Wu’s care above you and your fellow disciples’ support around you. Yet even that could not earn your trust. You never once thought to tell Martial Uncle Wu about the bracelet.”
“Do you know—if that remnant soul had harmed you, how devastated Martial Uncle Wu would be?”
“Isn’t that your mistake?”
Chu Mingwei’s words struck Xiao Lingyu like a hammer.
He might not care about other things—but Wu Yunzi was his weakness. Thinking of Wu Yunzi’s fate in his previous life, guilt flooded his heart.
Old Ghost, who had been watching like it was a show, was completely stunned. He had expected the usual progression—Xiao Lingyu confesses, Chu Mingwei is surprised, asks questions, maybe feels a bit upset, then Xiao Lingyu coaxes him and everything ends sweetly.
But Chu Mingwei had completely broken the script—the first thing he latched onto was him.
Seeing Xiao Lingyu getting swayed, Old Ghost hurriedly protested:
“Hey! Kid! Don’t get led around by your senior brother! When have I ever lied to you? When have I ever meant you harm?”
The more he spoke, the more aggrieved he sounded.
Xiao Lingyu replied helplessly, “Senior Brother’s concerns are only natural. Besides, he doesn’t know your true origins. To him, you’re just an unknown entity inside a bracelet.”
Old Ghost was about to argue back—
when Chu Mingwei suddenly looked at the Nether Bracelet.
“I know you can hear me. Lingyu may trust you, but I must consider his safety. Can you swear a blood oath that you will never deceive him, and never harbor any harmful intent toward him?”
Old Ghost choked.
Before he could respond, Chu Mingwei pressed on:
“What? You don’t dare—or you’re unwilling?”
Provoked, Old Ghost immediately manifested in midair, glaring furiously at Chu Mingwei.
“Who says I don’t dare!”
This was the first time Xiao Lingyu had ever seen him—a vague green figure. Old Ghost ignored Xiao Lingyu’s reaction and, grinding his teeth, swore a vicious oath.
Only then did Chu Mingwei finally relax.
Of all the secrets Xiao Lingyu had revealed, the one he cared about most was Old Ghost. A mysterious remnant soul constantly by his junior brother’s side—if it ever harbored ill intent, it would be impossible to guard against.
Now that Old Ghost had sworn such an oath, it proved he bore no malice toward Xiao Lingyu. Only then did Chu Mingwei truly feel at ease.
After finishing the oath, Old Ghost ignored Chu Mingwei entirely and slipped back into the bracelet, grumbling to Xiao Lingyu:
“Your senior brother is terrible!”
Xiao Lingyu felt a bit apologetic—but knowing everything Chu Mingwei did was for his sake, his heart softened. Smiling, he looked at Chu Mingwei, unable to care much about Old Ghost’s complaints.
Chu Mingwei glanced at him, raising an eyebrow.
“That’s it?”
Xiao Lingyu blinked, confused.
Chu Mingwei’s expression turned cold.
“You think that’s your only mistake?”
Xiao Lingyu lowered his head, trying hard to think. Seeing his confusion, Chu Mingwei felt a tight frustration in his chest.
“You already suspected Leng Hanyuan was connected to the ancient demon race. Why didn’t you tell me when you met him? Am I not worthy of your trust?”
“Have you considered—if what you saw in the illusion was real, would Leng Hanyuan let you live as someone who knows the truth?”
Seeing Chu Mingwei’s expression, Xiao Lingyu’s earlier calm turned into guilt. He hurriedly explained:
“I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me. It all sounded too unbelievable.”
Chu Mingwei lowered his eyes.
“In the end, you still don’t trust me.”
“That’s not true!” Xiao Lingyu said instinctively.
But Chu Mingwei refused to look at him. A sour ache rose in Xiao Lingyu’s chest.
Thinking back over the past ten years—how Chu Mingwei had always taken care of him—while he himself had kept so many secrets, Xiao Lingyu felt deeply ashamed.
“I don’t not trust you,” he said softly. “I just didn’t know how to say it. Before, I was always alone, so I treated these things as my own business. Later… when I was with you, I wanted to stay with you for a long time. I didn’t want to hide anything. I kept trying to find a chance to tell you—but I didn’t know how to begin.”
As he spoke, he thought of the secrets he would never be able to reveal—his rebirth, his past life.
Guilt weighed heavily on him.
But he silently made a decision: aside from those two things, he would never hide anything from Chu Mingwei again.
After hearing his explanation, Chu Mingwei sighed and pulled him into his arms.
“I hope that from now on, no matter what happens, I’m the first person you think of.”
“No matter when, no matter what you say—I will believe you.”
“Can you trust me?”
Xiao Lingyu nodded firmly.
Seeing his earnest expression—I promise I’ll tell Senior Brother everything from now on—Chu Mingwei finally couldn’t keep a straight face and laughed.
Relief filled Xiao Lingyu’s heart.
But suddenly, Chu Mingwei seemed to recall something.
“Lingyu… you’re not hiding anything from me anymore, right?”
Xiao Lingyu nodded immediately.
Chu Mingwei thought of Liu Haoxue and smiled inwardly, though his face turned serious.
“Really?”
Xiao Lingyu hesitated.
Chu Mingwei leaned close and whispered into his ear:
“What did Liu Haoxue give you?”
Xiao Lingyu’s face instantly flushed bright red. He looked at Chu Mingwei nervously, but seeing his calm expression, he relaxed slightly—almost blurting out some random excuse.
But then he remembered his promise.
Caught between honesty and embarrassment, he stammered for a long time, unable to say what it was.
Seeing his junior brother flushed and flustered in his arms, Chu Mingwei felt a surge of affection. He gently kissed Xiao Lingyu’s forehead and was about to continue—
when Old Ghost let out a loud scoff.
Chu Mingwei’s expression darkened instantly.
Thinking that from now on, anything he did with his junior brother would have an extra “spectator,” he made up his mind—
Once they returned to Yuntian Sect, he would find a way to remove the Nether Bracelet from Xiao Lingyu.
And if that wasn’t possible, then at the very least, he would figure out a restriction to block it.
Old Ghost, having successfully ruined the moment, felt immensely pleased with himself—completely unaware of what awaited him after they returned to the sect.