NOVEL NEXT Chapter 122: Your Sister Is Mine!
Three Weeks Later: The Village of Redleaf Hollow
Lin Fan hadn't spoken to anyone since the duel.
He left without a word. No goodbye. No dramatic monologue. Just a note on his bed:"Gone to recalibrate my soul. And maybe cry in a forest."
Now, he stood at the crest of Redleaf Ridge, overlooking the village where he was born.
Redleaf Hollow. Quiet. Peaceful. Undisturbed by sect politics or imperial madness. The trees here always looked like autumn, the wind always smelled like roasted yams, and everyone still called him "Little Fan."
His boots crunched on the familiar dirt road as he descended into the village proper.
And for the first time in weeks, he felt like a person again.
"Ah, Little Fan!""Look at you! Still skinny!""Have you gotten married yet? No? Disgraceful!"
He smiled politely through every interaction, dodged six aunties and a curious goose, and made it home before sundown.
The old house still stood: clay-brick walls, paper windows, and that one broken roof tile that always leaked during rain. His sister, Lin Yue, greeted him with wide eyes and open arms.
"Fan-ge!"
He hugged her tight. Her long hair smelled like jasmine. She hadn't changed at all.
"You look tired," she said, pulling back to inspect his face. "And... spiritually violated."
"…That's accurate."
"You lost again, didn't you."
"Stop using that tone."
She grinned. "You're just lucky I haven't gotten married yet. You're still the family disappointment."
He rolled his eyes and shoved past her. "I missed this place."
He really did.
The smells. The sounds. The rice porridge that didn't insult him. He sat outside that night, breathing in the mountain air, watching fireflies rise from the fields.
No sects. No poison. No Hei Long.
He was at peace.
Until he wasn't.
—
The Next Morning
The world ended at exactly 9:14 a.m.
A knock came at the door.
Lin Fan answered with bed hair and a mouthful of steamed bun.
And nearly choked.
Because there, standing on the threshold of his childhood home, dressed in imperial black-and-crimson robes with sleeves rolled casually to the forearms—
Was Hei Long.
Holding a bouquet.
Of wildflowers.
Lin Fan blinked.
Hei Long raised a brow. "You're chewing."
Lin Fan spat the bun into the dirt. "WHAT IN THE—"
"Is Lin Yue home?" Hei Long asked.
Lin Fan froze. His eye twitched. "What?"
"She invited me."
"What??"
"We've been exchanging letters."
"WHAT?!"
"I helped her cultivate an orchid array in the imperial gardens during the spring festival. She's quite talented."
"NO."
At that moment, Lin Yue skipped out of the house in a flowing pale dress and soft makeup.
"Ah! Hei-ge!"
She hugged him.
Lin Fan made a sound like a dying cow.
—
Hours Later – The Family Table
Lin Fan sat across from Hei Long, hunched like a gargoyle, arms crossed, glaring.
Hei Long sipped tea like he belonged there.
Lin Yue chatted happily between them, absolutely glowing. "And Hei-ge taught me this cleansing array that purifies toxins from roots! Our carrots grew 20% bigger!"
Lin Fan choked on his rice. "This is not carrot-relevant!"
Everyone ignored him.
Their grandmother placed more dumplings in Hei Long's bowl. "Such a polite young man. So tall. So composed. Not like Little Fan, always yelling."
"I am RIGHT HERE."
Their grandfather nodded at Hei Long. "So. Intentions?"
Lin Fan froze. "WHAT INTENTIONS."
Hei Long, as usual, remained calm. "I respect Lin Yue deeply. If she would allow it, I'd like to begin formal courtship."
Lin Yue turned pink.
Lin Fan turned purple.
"YOU WANT TO WHAT?!"
Everyone stared at him.
"What?" Lin Yue said sweetly. "You've never brought anyone home."
"I'M NOT TRYING TO DATE THE PERSON WHO DESTROYED MY LIFE!"
"You lost one duel."
"IT WAS A HUMILIATION SO PURE IT GOT SENT TO THE HEAVENS!"
Hei Long placed his cup down. "Would you prefer I lie to your family?"
"Yes!"
"No."
Grandma waved her spoon. "Enough. Yue deserves a nice boy. Hei Long brings flowers. You bring exploding frogs."
"That was ONE TIME!"
—
That Evening – By the River
Lin Fan sat alone, kicking rocks.
His life had spiraled into a surreal nightmare. He had no sect, no prestige, and now Hei Long — HEI LONG — was dating his sister.
The universe had chosen violence.
And just as he was mentally composing a eulogy for his dignity, Hei Long appeared beside him.
Sat.
Quiet.
The wind rustled.
"I should kill you," Lin Fan muttered.
"You couldn't lift a spoon right now."
"I hate you."
"Understandable."
Lin Fan didn't look at him. "Why her?"
Hei Long shrugged. "She's kind. Intelligent. Has none of your… defects."
Lin Fan shot him a glare. "You're doing this to get to me."
"No."
"You're using her as leverage."
"No."
"Then what? You suddenly woke up and thought, 'You know what's missing from my life? A family barbecue with my rival!'?"
Hei Long turned to him. And for the first time, his expression shifted — just slightly.
"She saw me."
Lin Fan blinked.
"She looked at me and didn't flinch," Hei Long said. "She laughed. Not like the others. She didn't see power. Or prestige. Just… me."
Lin Fan stared.
"And that's why you're dating my sister?"
"Yes."
"…Godsdammit."
—
Later That Night – Lin Yue's Room
She found her brother outside her door, pacing.
"Fan-ge?"
He stopped. Looked at her. Really looked.
She was happy.
She was glowing.
She was safe.
"…Do you love him?" he asked.
She tilted her head.
Then nodded. "I might."
"…Don't let him hurt you."
"I won't."
He paused.
Then walked off without another word.
—
Hei Long watched the moonlight ripple on the water.
He smirked.
He truly loved acting.
. . . . .
Redleaf Hollow was quiet that night.
Too quiet.
The Spring Moon Festival had ended.
Lanterns still floated gently across the pond, casting soft, glowing ripples against the dark water.
The scent of jasmine and incense lingered in the warm air. Crickets chirped. The breeze carried laughter.
Lin Fan could not sleep.
Not because of indigestion.Not because of spiritual unrest.But because something was deeply, cosmically wrong.
He stared up at the ceiling of his childhood room, one arm over his eyes.
From across the house, through the paper walls and creaky beams, came the occasional sound of footsteps… soft voices… the murmur of conversation that ended too quickly.
He sat up.
Squinted.
His sixth sense twitched.
The one forged from years of humiliation, betrayal, and spiritual trauma.
"…no."
He got up. Silently. Stalked barefoot across the wooden floor like a thief of truth.
Past the kitchen.
Past the ancestral altar.
And then he heard it.
"Ah—Hei-ge… slower…"
Lin Fan froze.
His entire soul spasmed.
"You're not even circulating your qi properly," Hei Long's voice replied, maddeningly calm. "Let me guide you."
A pause. Then:
"Like that. Yes. That's right."
The sound of fingers against skin. A gentle, maddening rhythm. A moan, half-stifled.
Lin Fan pressed himself against the hallway wall, eyes wide, face pale, mouth open in spiritual agony.
"NOOOOOOOOOO—"
He screamed internally.
Externally, he made a sound like a boiling teapot.
They were in her room.His sister's room.The same room that still had a bunny doll he gave her for her 8th birthday.
"Don't hold back, Yue. Let it flow."
"It's so intense, Hei-ge… I can't…!"
Lin Fan staggered back from the door like he'd taken a palm strike to the soul.
"This isn't happening," he whispered. "This isn't happening, this isn't—"
"Good. Now draw the spiritual thread tighter. Right there. Yes. Feel how deep it goes?"
Lin Fan collapsed.
Collapsed.
Fetal position.
Curled on the hallway floor like a ghost.
He could hear her laughing. Giggling.
He could hear Hei Long's smug silence.
This wasn't training.This wasn't cultivation.This was a hate crime.
"STOP SHARING YOUR QI!" he hissed under his breath.
He clutched his knees.
The walls were paper. Paper. The spiritual suppression arrays didn't block sound. Why didn't they block sound?!
"I can feel it inside me…"
Lin Fan slammed his head against the wall. Lightly. Once. Twice.
He could feel his ancestors judging him.
He could feel Hei Long winning.
"Good girl."
Lin Fan screamed.
Silently. A spiritual scream.
A scream so raw and primal the air around him trembled. Somewhere, a dog barked. A fish died.
"Why… why is this my life?" he whispered, rocking slightly.
This was supposed to be his safe haven.
His sister. His village. His redemption arc.
And instead—
Hei Long had claimed it all.
With flowers. With smiles.
With… hands.
"I'll kill him," Lin Fan whispered.
His hair wild. His soul cracked.
"I'll kill him and frame a ghost. I'll leave no spirit signature. I'll dissolve his bones in alchemy fluid and feed them to the chickens."
But no one heard him.
Because the moaning got louder.
And so Lin Fan lay there…
In the hallway of his childhood home…
Alone…
Dying…
Again and again…
Without ever actually dying.