Clan Building System: I'm not the Protagonist?!

"Earlier, you said, 'we may or may not have the Third Princess.' What do you mean?"

Fang Yuan's voice was deceptively calm, the kind of calm that precedes a storm. "Speak."

Fang Tian flinched as if struck. He opened his mouth, then closed it, his Adam's apple bobbing in a convulsive swallow.

Words failed him, dying in his throat before they could form.

A silken laugh broke the tension, sharp and unnerving.

Lin Zhaoyue stepped forward, her movement a graceful, predatory glide.

She brought her hand down on Fang Tian's back in a slap that was just a little too hard to be truly friendly.

"Oh, don't look so terrified, little brother," she purred, her eyes glinting with malicious amusement.

"Your brother won't be vying for your lover." She shifted her gaze to Fang Yuan, her smile sweet yet utterly devoid of warmth.

It was a joke, but the underlying meaning was a promise written in ice and fire for Fang Yuan: If you ever dared to have feelings for another woman, I would burn this world and everyone in it to ash.

Fang Yuan though missed the lethal subtext entirely.

"I don't have time for games," he bit out, his patience evaporating.

His eyes, hard as flint, remained locked on his brother. "Spill it. Now."

The force of his command broke Fang Tian's paralysis. "Ahem! Yes! She's… she's here. With us."

The words tumbled out in a rush.

Seeing the thunderous look darken his brother's face, he threw his hands up in a defensive panic. "Wait-wait-wait! Before you judge me, Brother, listen! I had no choice!"

He took a ragged breath, trying to muster his conviction. "I went to the Crown Prince's place… and I brought her here."

The statement landed with the force of a physical blow.

The color drained from Fang Yuan's face as the full, horrifying implication settled over him.

"So," Fang Yuan said, his voice dropping to a dead, disbelieving whisper. "It is a kidnapping case."

Fang Tian gulped, the sound painfully loud in the silence.

He attempted a weak, strangled laugh that came out as more of a choked cough.

It was a sound of pure, unadulterated awkwardness, born from the crushing memory of his brother's very public, very proud declaration just moments before in the sunlit courtyard:

"Luckily, I received word it wasn't true. Otherwise, I'd have had to defend you with my life. Good thing it was all a lie—no brother of mine would be a kidnapper!"

The words hung in the air between them now, not as a shield, but as the most damning indictment possible.

The silence stretched, thick and suffocating. Fang Tian's attempted laugh had died a pathetic death.

Desperation sparked in his eyes. He had to break the tension!

His brother's cold, silent fury was more terrifying than any shouted curse.

He forced a wobbly, impossibly hopeful grin onto his face.

"So…" he ventured, his voice squeaking slightly before he cleared his throat. "You're going to defend me with your life now, right? You won't go back on your words now, right?"

Fang Yuan did not respond.

He did not sigh. He did not shout.

He simply stood up.

It wasn't a fast movement. It was slow, deliberate, and utterly final. The air in the room seemed to warp around him, growing dense and heavy.

The cheerful Clan Head was gone, replaced by an ancient, implacable force of paternal discipline.

Fang Tian's bravado evaporated. He knew that look.

It was the same look from their childhood when he'd 'accidentally' swallowed his brother's favorite koi.

Run.

His body moved before his mind could finish the thought. In a burst of pure, unadulterated self-preservation, he became a blur.

The full potential of a Nascent Soul realm master was on display—not for battle, but for the most important flight of his life.

He was a leaf caught in a hurricane of his own making, shooting toward the door.

It was, of course, utterly futile. He had the wrong type of opponent.

Fang Yuan took one step.

He didn't run. He didn't flash. He simply ceased to be in one spot and was in another, materializing directly in Fang Tian's path as if he'd been there all along.

He stood, arms casually crossed, as his younger brother came barreling toward him at full speed.

Fang Tian skidded to a halt, his momentum nearly toppling him over. He looked up into his brother's face.

Fang Yuan wasn't even breathing heavily. A smile touched his lips, but it wasn't the warm, proud smile from the courtyard.

This was the smile of a cat that had not only cornered the mouse but was also considering the architectural merits of the corner before pouncing.

"I won't kill you," Fang Yuan said, his voice deceptively light, almost conversational.

"But I will make sure you are thoroughly disciplined today. We're going to review every single poor life choice that led you here. It will be very… educational."

Fang Tian gulped, the sound echoing in the sudden stillness.

He sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "...Try to avoid the face? The banquet is later."

The resigned slump of Fang Tian's shoulders was all the invitation Fang Yuan needed.

In the space between one heartbeat and the next, his hand shot out.

It wasn't a grab fueled by anger, but one of sheer, inescapable precision.

His fingers closed around the back of Fang Tian's collar, yanking him off balance with effortless grace.

"Wai—!" Fang Tian's yelp of protest was cut short as the world tilted.

Fang Yuan didn't use his full, earth-shattering power.

That would cause damage, and this was a lesson, not an execution.

Instead, he channeled a precise, controlled stream of hollow Spirit Qi.

It was a unique energy, brilliant silver and shimmering like a mirage, that passed through physical matter without leaving a mark, but delivered a shockwave of pure, unadulterated sensation directly to the spirit and the nerves.

THWACK!

The first blow landed with a sound that was less of an impact and more of a resonant chime, like a ghostly bell being struck.

Fang Tian jolted as a bolt of sheer, startling vibration shot through him.

It wasn't exactly pain, but an overwhelming, undeniable sting of correction.

"AGH! Brother! Mercy!" he yelped, legs kicking out involuntarily.

"Mercy is for those who make simple mistakes," Fang Yuan stated, his voice calm, almost pedagogical, as he adjusted his grip. "Not for those who has a knack for causing trouble."

THWACK! THWACK!

Two more blows landed in quick succession. Fang Yuan wasn't even breathing hard, his movements economical and swift.

Fang Tian danced a frantic, involuntary jig, each chime-like impact making him yelp and squirm.

"You went to the Crown Prince's palace!" THWACK!

"You took a cultivational treasure he was cultivating!"

THWACK!

"And you even took the man's sister!"

THWACK THWACK!

Each statement was punctuated by another burst of hollow Spirit Qi.

Fang Tian was howling now, a mix of genuine surprise at the intensity of the sensation and dramatic performance, hoping to appeal to his brother's sympathy.

"IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! Well, the sword was! The princess was a choice! A poor one! I see that now! AIIIYAAA!"

From the sidelines, Lin Zhaoyue watched, a hand delicately covering her mouth.

But her shoulders were shaking, and her eyes sparkled with utterly delighted amusement.

She leaned toward a wide-eyed Fang Lian, whispering conspiratorially.

"See how your father disciplines his brother?" she murmured, her voice full of wicked glee. "So thorough. So... hands-on. It's important to correct misbehavior firmly, don't you think, dear daughter?"