Senior brother is so awesome!

The following is the main text of the novel "{?$article_title?}" ({?$jieqi_title?}) provided by {?$jieqi_sitename?}. Please enjoy! Yang Shanshan, feeling annoyed, heard a sob. Looking up, she saw a little boy a few steps away, his face streaked with tears, staring at her. Something seemed to sting her heart. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

The little boy wiped his tears with his sleeve and accused, "Are you stupid? How could you let him take advantage of you for nothing? Everyone knows that Senior Brother is cold-blooded and ruthless. Just wait and see how you'll try to kill yourself when you're abandoned!" As he spoke, tears welled up in his big eyes again, and Yang Shanshan felt as if his tears were flowing into her heart.

He was only one year older than Qin Yuechan, but nearly ten years younger than her actual age. She had always treated him like a little kid. Even when he tricked her into thinking she had lost her virginity, she had never felt that way before. It is often said that men do not easily shed tears, especially in ancient times when men were absolutely patriarchal. Today, he cried for her. Does that mean something?

She stepped forward and gently wiped away his tears with her sleeve, then smiled nonchalantly and reassured him, "Don't worry. If my senior brother abandons me one day, it might be my good fortune. If I'm lucky, I might even become a regent's wife! Hehe, wouldn't that be wonderful!"

He suddenly grasped her hand as she wiped away her tears. Although he was only fifteen years old, he was already very well-developed and about 1.75 meters tall. Yang Shanshan looked petite and delicate in front of him. His eyes, red from tears, stared straight at her and he said firmly, "Don't worry, I will protect you even if it costs me my life. If he dares to touch a single hair on your head again, my Vermilion Bird Kingdom will tear him to pieces!"

Although she was moved by what she heard, she could not let him do such a thing. According to her second senior brother, the Xuanyuan Kingdom, which was under the rule of Zhong Zhichen, was the most powerful country, far superior to the Zhuque Kingdom. If war broke out because of her, it would still be the people of both countries who would suffer. She could not commit such a great sin, and she could not harm him!

"Are you stupid? I'm doing this willingly. After all, my senior brother is tall and handsome, and the title of Regent is enough for me to admire." She shook off his hand and walked straight to the window. The window he had opened when he came in was not closed. She smiled bitterly to herself. Sure enough, a child is a child. He is not as cautious as Zhong Zhichen. How can she compete with him?

The little boy clenched his fists in disbelief and stood behind him, growling, "If I offered you the position of the future Empress of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, would you leave her?"

She looked up at the moon, which seemed so close yet so far away, and whispered, "Let's talk about it when you become emperor."

The cool moonlight shone on the woman beside the bed, as if shrouding her in a divine glow, making her seem almost unreal. Behind her, the slightly immature boy's mind transformed into that of a man overnight. Years later, the new emperor of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom ascended the throne, its military might strengthened, and its people lived in peace, directly challenging the Xuanyuan Kingdom's position as the strongest of the five kingdoms. But that's a story for later. At this moment, Yang Shanshan couldn't foresee the war that would ensue a few years later; she only wanted to roam the martial world and live this life bestowed upon her by heaven.

That night, Yang Shanshan didn't know how the little boy left. When she finally snapped out of her reverie, she was all alone in the bedroom. She sighed silently. Youthful feelings are always poetic, but unfortunately, she would never experience that kind of pure love. She glanced at the window and thought about telling Aunt Yun tomorrow to add a railing to the outside of the window. Did these people really think this place was their own home, where they could come and go as they pleased?

The next morning, under her master's guidance, Yang Shanshan practiced some techniques. Although she was covered in sweat, she felt incredibly relaxed. Afterward, her master asked her to meditate in the woods to calm her mind and improve her skills. This task stumped her. Ever since she almost went into a state of demonic possession while meditating alone on the mountain, especially the image of the man in the yellow robe that she saw in her mind—though she couldn't see his face, it caused her excruciating pain—and the magnificent palace that she knew so well, as if she had spent her entire life there, she subconsciously didn't want to see that image again. So, in desperation, she sought help from her master.

Ye Xianqing showed no surprise upon hearing this. He simply took out a jade pendant from his person and instructed her to wear it day and night without removing it. Looking at the exquisite, crystal-clear jade pendant, she was overjoyed. This was the first gift her master had ever given her! And it seemed quite valuable—she had really struck gold! She obediently strung the jade pendant with a red cord and hung it around her neck. A cool sensation ran through her skin, and she painfully suppressed her laughter. Only after being pressed did she learn that the jade pendant was meant to be worn at the waist. However, she remained stubborn, as it was more convenient that way. What if it were stolen or lost someday? One shouldn't flaunt wealth!

Since the day she was kidnapped by her eldest brother at the temple fair, she hadn't seen her second brother. It wasn't that she didn't want to go, but that she was afraid to see him. She was a coward, afraid to see the clear look in her second brother's eyes, devoid of any resentment or blame. Seeing him so submissive and accommodating only made her feel more ashamed. Perhaps it was a tragedy that she was entangled with someone as perfect as her second brother, who was like a banished immortal. After thinking it over, she decided not to bother him anymore. That was for the best. With time, she would forget him. Once he finished his studies and returned to the Azure Dragon Kingdom, they would never see each other again.

The mountains are lush with trees, filled with birdsong and the fragrance of flowers. A simple thatched cottage stands harmoniously in the forest. In the fenced courtyard, a man in white is reading a medical book, along with some medicinal herbs in his hand. He occasionally turns his head to look at the path leading to the cottage. Seeing that no one is there, he sighs softly. With his mind wandering, he can't concentrate on anything. He puts down his medical book, picks up his medicine basket, and decides to go up the mountain to find some herbs. Having something to do might calm his mind.

The path up the mountain was one he had traversed step by step over the past ten years. Back then, he was a child filled with resentment, having just experienced the chaos of the royal succession struggle. Several of his brothers had perished in the turmoil, all because his mother was his father's most favored concubine. The jealous queen, along with several concubines who had borne princes, framed his mother for adultery, thus robbing him of his right to inherit the throne. He would never forget the trauma that bloodshed inflicted on him at the age of twelve, never forget the screams of his mother as she was violated and killed, her beautiful and noble face now devoid of its former splendor, leaving only a deathly silence. If it weren't for her appearance then, he would likely be nothing but a withered skeleton by now. But she too was gone in the end; they were all victims of the power struggle, leaving only him and his grieving father. The man held his face, so strikingly similar to his mother's, and wept bitterly, while he felt contempt. How could such a man be worthy of his mother? Then, his wandering master took him as his apprentice. He said, "You are too violent. If you continue like this, you will become a tyrant who harms the common people if you ascend the throne."

Ten years had worn away much of his pain, and his quiet life had distanced him from the hustle and bustle. However, he now had someone he wanted to protect, and all his plans had to be carried out in advance. He was a man; how could he bear to see his woman defiled by another?