~~~

Once upon a time, there were two brothers.

The younger brother was calm, resourceful, and patient. His father loved him dearly. The older brother was brash, brutish, and reckless. He caused his father endless worry.

The older brother delighted in doing as he pleased. Power. Women. Wealth. The older brother loved indulging in all those things and cared little for who he offended in his quest for satisfaction. Consequences meant nothing to him. All that mattered was sating his appetites.

That is what lead to his downfall.

One day, the older brother did something that could not be taken back. He went too far in his quest to sate his boundless greed. In his fury, his father banished him from the clan. He was to leave the town and never return.

With him gone and his father old, the fate of the clan would come to rest on the shoulders of the younger brother.

~~~

“Are you certain of this?”

“I am sure of it, Clan Master. The man identified himself as Xiao Nan. His clothes were similar to those worn by the Xiao Sect’s disciples. There is no doubt in this one’s mind he is related to that accursed sect!”

The Patriarch of the Lun Clan, Lun Shu, frowns as he receives confirmation from his subordinates. He looks at the two men kneeling before him and shakes his head. “And when faced with someone from the Xiao Sect, you all ran with your tail between your legs? You allowed someone from the Xiao Sect to drive you away from a place that is supposed to be ours?! There were many of you and one of him, yet you ran! Is that what you two are telling me?”

As he speaks, Lun Shu draws himself up to his full height. He is someone who towers over most men. In addition to that, he has a fairly muscular build. To the two men kneeling before him, he cuts quite the intimidating figure.

“We had no choice, Clan Master,” the other man says, his gaze firmly locked on the floor. “The one known as Xiao Nan, he was young, but his Qi was already in the Spirit Realm! Even if twenty of us had been there, we would have been no match for him.”

Spirit Realm.

Lun Shu growls. His hand curls into a fist. “Leave!” He barks. “And tell Lun Kai to come here! I must speak with him at once!”

The two Lun Clan members nod and quickly leave the room. Lun Shu sighs. To think the Xiao Sect would send someone who is already in the Spirit Realm here. Things were bad before, but for Lun Shu, this is definitely the worst-case scenario. In the entirety of the Lun Clan, there is not a single person in the Spirit Realm. Even Lun Shu, who is the patriarch of the clan, is not yet in the Spirit Realm. He is still only in the Ninth Level of the Nascent Realm. Unfortunately, he has not been able to progress past that point for a long time now.

He is close to doing it. Lun Shu knows he is very close to the Spirit Realm but reaching that level before the accursed wedding happens is nothing but a pipe dream. A bitter laugh escapes his lips. To think there was once a time when someone like him had been recognized as the strongest in New Moon Town. Only the Hu Clan's patriarch had been his match.

For a thousand years, the two major powers in New Moon Town had been the Lun Clan and the Hu Clan. The two clans always competed against each other, neither managing to gain the upper hand. Sometimes, the Lun Clan won. Sometimes, the Hu Clan won. Regardless, the feud went on. That was the way of things. Lun Shu would be lying if he said he hadn’t enjoyed their rivalry on some level.

Then the Xiao Sect moved in.

They had appeared out of nowhere and opened a branch in New Moon Town. They began taking disciples and started intruding in the harvest of Steel-Skinned Trees.

Usually, the Lun Clan would have thrown out anyone that tried to interfere with their business. It was something they had done many times in the past. However, the Xiao Sect is too strong.

The Xiao Sect has Xiao Ding.

The annoying man stands in the Second Level of the Spirit Realm, making him the strongest person in New Moon Town. Neither Lun Shu nor the patriarch of the Hu Clan had been able to do anything against him. Even if they had combined their powers back then, there was no guarantee they would have been able to force the Xiao Sect out.

With no other choice, they had gritted their teeth and bore their presence in silence.

Lun Shu sighs.

That had been a mistake.

Unchecked, the Xiao Sect had spread its influence throughout New Moon Town at lightning speed. Before, the town was divided between the Lun and Hu Clans. Now, a third power has taken over much of their territory in what felt like the blink of an eye.

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People who bore grudges against the Lun and Hu Clans were quick to throw their lot with the Xiao Sect. People who sought opportunity joined for a chance to better themselves, unhindered by the major powers of the town. Finally, those who were practically minded had been able to tell which way the wind was blowing and bowed before the Xiao Sect.

Bit by bit, piece by piece, the Xiao Sect took over New Moon.

As things are now, unless Lun Shu does something, the Lun Clan will lose all its power before he ever has grandkids. That is how bad things are. If Lun Shu does not find a way to stop the Xiao Sect, the Lun Clan will fade away entirely within a few generations.

The engagement was supposed to put a stop to that, but…

“Father, you called for me?”

Lun Shu turns as his son, Lun Kai, enters the room. Although Lun Kai is not a full-grown man yet, he shares his father’s long face and large body. It makes him look older than he actually is.

“Sit down, son,” Lun Shu tells him. “I have received ill news.” Without even waiting for his son to do as asks, he continues. “A man from the Xiao Sect’s main branch has arrived today. No doubt, he is here to make sure the wedding happens without interruption.”

To Lun Shu, it is the only thing that makes sense. The wedding between Xiao Dong and Hu Meili will solidify the Xiao Sect’s control over New Moon Town. Once that is done, there will be no going back. Thus, the man known as Xiao Nan must be in New Moon Town to ensure the wedding happens.

“Accursed Xiao Sect!” Lun Kai growls. Lun Shu approves of his son’s anger but unfortunately not the motive behind it. “Is there nothing we can do, father? We must rescue Hu Meili from those barbarians! I can’t believe her spineless father would force her to marry that brute, Xiao Dong!”

Lun Shu does not roll his eyes. He is above such things.

He dearly wants to, though.

His son’s feelings for Hu Meili have always been obvious. When Lun Kai was young, Lun Shu had thought little of them. However, that had been before the Xiao Sect backed them into a corner. Once they did, Lun Shu realized how useful those feelings could be for the sake of the clan.

Outwardly, the wedding between Lun Kai and Hu Meili had been one born out of love. The truth went deeper than that. Faced with the Xiao Sect’s growing power in New Moon Town, Lun Shun met with the Hu Clan’s patriarch in secret. After much discussion, the two had agreed to join forces in order to oppose the Xiao Sect. The wedding between their children would have served to solidify their alliance. The two clans would have become as one fist.

That was the way things were supposed to go.

However, they had been betrayed.

Before they could announce the wedding, the Hu Clan had gone back on their word. The wedding had been canceled. Instead, of marrying Lun Kai, Hu Meili would be marrying Xiao Dong, the son of the Xiao Sect’s Branch Master.

The message had been clear. The Hu Clan was abandoning them. They were choosing to bow before the Xiao Sect while leaving the Lun Clan to wither away. Everyone in the Lun Clan understood that.

Everyone except his son, that is.

“How many times must I tell you this matter goes beyond your juvenile interests?”

“But Father, how can I not think of what poor Hu Meili must be going through right now?” His son protests.

It is an unfortunately old and tired argument between them. His son cannot see beyond his romantic interests. He can only see Xiao Dong as the villain who has stolen his bride and Hu Meili as an innocent maiden to be rescued. In truth, it is unlikely the girl is suffering. If anything, she stands to gain much from her current situation.

“There must be something we can do to stop the wedding!”

“On that at least, we agree,” Lun Shu says. If the Hu Clan fully submits to the Xiao Sect… If they really plan to give everything to the Xiao Sect… Lun Shu does not even want to think about it. “However, brute force will be pointless in this endeavor. This Xiao Nan is supposed to be in the Spirit Realm. That is the same level as Xiao Ding. Our Lun Clan does not have the strength to match that.”

“Are you saying we should lie down and give up, Father? There is no way this Lun Kai can accept that!”

“Good,” says Lun Shu, much to the surprise of his son. “You shouldn’t give up. All this means is that we have to resort to other means to secure our victory, means that cannot be traced back to us.”

Lun Kai blinks in confusion. “What are you talking about, Father?”

Lun Shu closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “Normally, I would wait a few years to share this secret with you. I do not believe you are mature enough to learn this, but the situation forces my hand. You cannot afford to remain ignorant.”

“Father? I do not understand. Is this about the T-”

“Do. Not. Say. It!” Lun Shu hisses. “Do not say it! Do not whisper it! Even here. Even among our own, your tongue must know restraint.”

Lun Kai flinches and lowers his head. “I understand, Father.”

Lun Shu maintains his stare for a moment until he feels his son is suitably chastised. ”Good,” he says. “See to it that you do not make the same mistake again.”

“Yes, Father.”

“However,” Lun Shu adds, “your words were not entirely wrong. That is part of the reason we must move. If things continue as they are now, that will be lost to us forever.”

If only the wedding were to take place even a day later, he would never have to resort to something like this. However, that is precisely the reason why the wedding is taking place on that date.

“We must do all we can to prevent the wedding," Lun Shu says. A serious expression falls over his face. "Tell me, son, what do you know about the Black Bear Group?”

Lun Kai's face instantly twists in displeasure.

“A pack of thieves, cowards, and murderers.”

An expected answer. A normal answer. It is the answer anyone who lives in New Moon Town should give.

“Good. Now, allow me to tell you the truth.”

~~~

Once upon a time, there were two brothers. The older one was banished, leaving the younger one as heir to the clan.

The older brother traveled the land and learned of its vastness. The more he saw, the more he realized how small and pathetic an existence like his was. For someone like him, climbing to the top was impossible. The older brother firmly believed this.

Thus, the older brother learned to stay away from places where the truly strong dwelled and made sure to only prey on the weak and helpless. In time, he gathered like-minded people around him. In time, he heard the news of his father’s passing and returned to his hometown in secret.

Older and younger brother met once more. Time had passed, and they had changed.

However, they were still able to embrace each other as brothers.

~~~