Chapter 504: My Third Brother and I Are Here to Fight

Chapter 504: Third Brother and I Came to Fight

So, after a thousand years, she didn’t know if the grave she’d built for her master was still there.

Though the grave was built on a remote mountain peak, where most people couldn’t even climb, after such a long time, she wasn’t sure if she could find it herself.

Xiao Yin traveled east with his baby, sons, and nephews, accompanied by only a few attendants.

They could’ve passed for any ordinary family—Hongmei was pregnant, Yuan Hui stayed close to protect her, Xiao Yin carried Xiao Xi'er in his arms, and bystanders whispered guesses about which noble house the children belonged to.

After all, the kids were downright gorgeous—the boys dashing and elegant, while the little girl…

"One woman gasped, ‘I swear, this is the most beautiful child I’ve ever seen!’"

"They say women from Dongming have fair skin, but this child is from Dawei—and yet, her skin is so fair you could almost see through it. And those eyes! So captivating, along with her tiny mouth and nose. Just looking at her makes you adore her!"

"If those men around her weren’t so skilled in martial arts," another chimed in, "I’d snatch her up in a heartbeat!"

Overhearing the crowd, Xiao Ruilin bristled.

"How dare they even look at my sister like that?!" Xiao Ruilin huffed angrily.

Xiao Yuze chuckled. "Relax—it just proves how pretty she is. Nobody’s stealing her."

"True enough!" Xiao Ruilin nodded.

The brothers had plenty of adventures along the way. Though tired, they had enjoyed themselves.

Soon, the group arrived at a border city.

"We’ll see Second Brother soon!" Xiao Yuze flashed a toothy grin. "It’s been so long since I last saw him. I’ve got a *great* present for him!"

"Be careful," Xiao Yin warned. "Your brother could wipe the floor with you."

"Don’t sweat it, Dad!" Xiao Yuze replied quickly.

Of course, he planned to give his brother something amusing—they were *totally* best friends; it’s not like they brawled on sight.

Well, the idea that they always fought upon meeting actually came from Xiao Yuting, who had told their father about it.

As the eldest brother, Xiao Yuting often played referee. Whenever they played together, they’d cook up some new trouble—tinkering with Fire Thunder or collecting creepy-crawlies. Every time, they ended up filthy as stray dogs before Xiao Yuting caught them.

Then, Xiao Yuting would scold them before hauling them to the emperor to apologize.

But neither would cop to it. In the end, their respective mothers would have to take them back.

At first, it seemed like Xiao Yuting was just a buzzkill who loved bossing them around.

Later, everyone realized that Xiao Yuting had been a master manipulator from the start.

Everything he did was to ensure that everyone knew Xiao Yuheng and Xiao Yuze were hopeless—no brains, no morals, just screwing around. Especially Xiao Yuheng, who, despite his age, still acted like a kid with his little brother.

Thus, Xiao Yuheng was always seen as all brawn, no brains—obsessed with lifting heavy cauldrons and picking fights.

And Xiao Yuze? He remained the eternal class clown, always looking for new ways to have fun.

As for the eldest prince, Xiao Yuting, he was the most likely candidate to become the crown prince.

Xiao Yuting was born to the empress, so it should’ve been a given that he’d become the crown prince. However, after Xiao Yin ascended the throne, he had never officially designated an heir. This was because he remained dissatisfied with Xiao Yuting.

That child, Xiao Yuting, had been calculating and manipulative since childhood. Xiao Yin had even witnessed him torturing small animals on multiple occasions, which made him hesitant about granting him the title of crown prince.

Of course, after everything that’s happened, he wasn’t in such a hurry to decide on an heir anymore.

After all, he now had Xiao Xi'er, and he very much wanted to pass the throne to her—assuming his two sons don’t object.

Of course, even if they did, it wouldn’t change a thing.

After all, the Great Wei Empire was his, and he could give it to whomever he pleased.

"Isn't that the second prince?" Yuan Hui pointed at the distant procession and said, "Hey, that silver spear? That was from me!"

"Why did you give him a spear?" Xiao Yin asked helplessly.

"Nothing beats a spear in battle. The troops from Dongming are different from others—their shields aren’t thick, but their soldiers are slippery as hell. So, we can’t let them get close. If they do, we’re screwed!" Yuan Hui explained.

"Hmm, you make a good point!" Xiao Yin nodded, then added, "But he’s so strong—I’m afraid he might hurt himself with that spear!"

"I’ve thought about that too. I haven’t figured out a solution yet, but for now, I’m just keeping him safe!" Yuan Hui said.

Xiao Yin and Hongmei both agreed. Yuan Hui, a seasoned veteran of the battlefield, was highly skilled in assessing enemies, so they trusted his judgment.

"Xiao Xi'er! Ze’er!" Xiao Yuheng galloped toward the two of them, but the first one he noticed was Ruo Xi Baby, which drew a scowl from his father.

"Haha, Dad, my mother is at the border! She said she received word that you were coming, so she sent me to greet you!" Xiao Yuheng dismounted and hurried forward. "Lin’er is here too! I’ll show you a fun game!"

"Second Brother, is there a war at the border? Third Brother and I came to fight!" Xiao Ruilin said.

"There’s no war at the border for now, but it’s coming soon. Recently, we captured a group of spies from Dongming. If not for them, we wouldn’t have known there’s talk of rare treasures in the Kunlun Mountains of Dongming—some say they’ve spotted immortals training there!" As he spoke, Xiao Yuheng held Xiao Xi'er in one arm while gripping the horse’s reins with the other. With a swift movement, he mounted the horse.

Xiao Yuheng then took off like a shot with Xiao Xi'er.

"Second Brother, let’s go to the Kunlun Mountains!" Ruo Xi Baby said.

The Kunlun Mountains weren’t far beyond the border—half of them technically belonged to Great Wei—so traveling there from within the empire posed no issue.

Xiao Yuheng carried Ruo Xi Baby as they swiftly bypassed the border city.

"Ah, he’s going the wrong way! That kid—he’s going the wrong way home!" Just as Yuan Hui was speaking, he suddenly slapped his thigh. "Oh no, the little girl led him astray!"

In the palace, Yuan Hui was as close to the emperor as a brother, so he treated the royal children like his own. Without hesitation, he immediately gave chase.

"Whatever, let them go. We’ll head to the border." As the emperor, Xiao Yin felt like chopped liver. The children ran off without a second thought—did anyone even remember he was emperor?