A Family of Hopeless Romantics, Except for the Evil Little Junior Brother

Mount Shushan, Silver Sword Peak.

Li Xuanxiao rubbed his temples.

How could Mount Shushan thrive, surrounded by this bunch of vermin?

The problems plaguing Mount Shushan were even more severe than he had imagined.

Not just externally—but internally, too.

As the old saying goes, the collapse of an empire...

Always starts from within.

Li Xuanxiao’s expression was grim.

Looks like a major anti-corruption campaign in Mount Shushan was inevitable.

Specifically, their power was too great, unregulated, and when they were stationed too far from Mount Shushan...

The disciples appointed as Inspector-Generals would start doing whatever they wanted. The local powers, pressured by Mount Shushan, dared not oppose them at all...

Of course, despite these flaws, the Inspector-General system still had its merits.

Firstly, it allowed Mount Shushan to better understand regional conditions.

And it made all the heretic scum and monsters across the land think twice before acting recklessly.

Preventing small nations and weak factions from having their cities and people massacred without cause.

Overall, the flaws did not overshadow the advantages.

But if there were problems, they needed to be fixed. You can’t just turn a blind eye.

A thousand-mile levee can collapse from an ant's nest!!

Li Xuanxiao began drafting his proposals, planning a complete overhaul.

If the Inspector-General held too much power, then it must be decentralized.

And to prevent collusion between parties, a series of regulations must be established.

To ensure the Inspector-General could maintain peace, but still be kept in check.

They couldn’t be allowed to run wild like Zhang Daqian.

“.............”

Two months later.

A massive campaign was launched within Mount Shushan.

It lasted for a full half-year.

The effects were far-reaching. Many renowned and highly cultivated Mount Shushan disciples...

Were stripped of position and imprisoned. Mount Shushan completely reformed the Inspector-General system, and established a direct complaint system.

All cultivators and even ordinary civilians across the world were encouraged to report misconduct by Mount Shushan disciples.

Mount Shushan would punish them severely.

“..........”

Another calm and peaceful day.

Li Xuanxiao, having nothing to do, was strolling Silver Sword Peak with his Little Junior Sister.

The plan was proceeding steadily.

These kinds of matters couldn’t be rushed—each step had to be taken carefully.

Like putting an elephant in a fridge—it had to be done in stages.

Jia Sidào was doing well over in Ye Yunzhou’s camp.

Every day, he instructed Ye Yunzhou, though most of the time he had to maintain the demeanor of a grandmaster, speaking cryptically.

Zhang Haoran, on the other hand, was a completely different story.

Zhang Haoran could be cautious, but sometimes he had to charge forward without hesitation.

Only then could the sharpness of youth shine through.

Now, Zhang Haoran had leveraged his solid strength to enter the Demon Suppression Bureau in the Capital City of Daxia.

Though his rank wasn’t high, he had already made it into the core.

Climbing one step at a time—this chess piece would eventually become crucial.

Li Xuanxiao nodded.

In the past six months, nothing particularly upsetting had happened.

Li Xuanxiao knew this was merely the calm before the storm.

The person behind the scenes was still scheming how to bring down Mount Shushan.

The First Senior Brother was already dead, but the Demon Suppression Tower still stood.

The Old Emperor was likely digesting the monsters absorbed into the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.

His strength would get a massive boost.

The most terrifying thing about the Ten Thousand Souls Banner was that anyone it absorbed—human or monster...

Could be used by the Old Emperor in peak condition.

And based on the previous two battles...

Even when the evil spirits released from the banner were injured...

They could return to the banner to recuperate, recovering much faster than regular cultivators.

It was like they had taken miraculous spirit pills.

Just thinking about the monster he would one day face made Li Xuanxiao lose any sense of joy.

Still, even in a life full of anxiety, one needed to relax from time to time.

Otherwise, it would be all too easy to fall into an inner demon.

A bowstring pulled too tight could easily snap.

Li Xuanxiao lounged in a rocking chair, fan in one hand, basking in the sun.

A half-read idle book leaned against the bamboo pavilion, wind flipping half, clouds reading the rest.

Heh heh~

I’m not reading any of it.

The sun is high and I’m still napping—who’s the immortal? I’m the immortal!

“..........”

“I’ve been reborn!”

I chased after Lu Zhaoyao for ten years. Every Mount Shushan disciple knew I liked him.

From the moment he first saved me, I fell for him.

But Lu Zhaoyao had cultivated the Ruthless Dao to perfection.

I always thought his heart was sealed shut.

Until that girl showed up.

Because of her, Lu Zhaoyao smiled for the first time.

The first time I saw him smile—it was so beautiful.

He patiently taught her swordplay, with a gentleness I had never seen.

On the day of my grand wedding with Lu Zhaoyao...

That girl entered the Demon Suppression Tower alone.

When Lu Zhaoyao heard the news, he went mad in an instant and slaughtered everyone present.

Including me.

He pierced my chest with a sword.

Blood gushed from my mouth as I asked him:

“Lu Zhaoyao, do you even have a heart? What do I mean to you, what does Mount Shushan mean?

You said you wanted to marry me—what is all this supposed to mean now?”

Lu Zhaoyao, eyes filled with murderous rage under the grip of his inner demon, slightly wavered.

I gave a bitter smile, “You were willing to go this far for her—so why did you marry me in the first place?

Lu Zhaoyao, I, Su Mu, should never have fallen for you. I was wrong!!”

Su Mu was run through the heart.

She watched the Junior Brother who had always adored her lying in a pool of blood.

That Junior Brother who had always been good to her—now a cold corpse, having died to protect her.

Su Mu gave a bitter smile.

I was such a fool. Truly.

When she opened her eyes again, she realized she had been reborn.

Su Mu looked at the sunlight pouring in through the window, and only after a long time did she accept she had indeed come back to life.

“Su Mu, still not up to train?”

Her elder sister’s voice called out.

Su Mu gripped her sword and walked out of the room.

Her elder sister, Su Wan, was already waiting for her.

Su Wan was the undisputed leader among the current generation of disciples on Little Bamboo Peak.

And her biological sister.

“Su Mu is going to practice swordplay.”

“...Alright.” Su Mu nodded in a daze.

Little Bamboo Peak.

Senior Brother Lu Zhaoyao was teaching the Little Junior Sister Cui Wanwan swordsmanship.

Su Mu had never seen Lu Zhaoyao so gentle.

She couldn’t help but recall the first time he taught her the sword.

“You don’t deserve to hold a sword!”

Those icy, bone-chilling words made her feel frozen all over.

Su Mu looked at Lu Zhaoyao, her heart aching.

She was seeing this man once again.

Lu Zhaoyao was focused on teaching Cui Wanwan.

Cui Wanwan shouted, “If you don’t know how to teach, stop pretending! I like striking like this, can’t I?”

She stood with her hands on her hips, puffing her cheeks in frustration.

“Are you mute? Can’t you say a single word?”

It was well known in the sect that Lu Zhaoyao hardly ever spoke.

Even when Master asked him questions, he only replied with “Mm” or “Okay,” never a word more.

But now, Lu Zhaoyao showed a pampering smile and patiently explained:

“That’s not the correct way to strike...”