If it was such a spoiled young lady, she would probably demand that Hua Ruohong kill both of them.

But for Hua Ruohong, women were dispensable, but sons were his own.

So, Mother died and he was still alive.

Sang Luojiu held Hua Ruohong's hand and thought, my father whom I have never met, if I were you, after setting that fire and erasing Mother, this "mistake", I would wait patiently for another month or two, until this child was mocked as a mother-killer and father-killer and suffered humiliation, before reaching out to help. By then, I would definitely be a little more grateful to you.

...You were too impatient.

But he said nothing.

Hua Ruohong did this so crudely, clearly treating him as a seven-year-old child who knew nothing of the ways of the world.

Then he should give him the reaction a seven-year-old child should have.

Sang Luojiu raised his head, smiled at his father with tears in his eyes, the curve of the corners of his mouth and the light in his eyes exactly the same as his mother's.

He clearly felt his father's body tremble, and the feigned tenderness in his eyes became a little more real as he embraced him, overcome with grief, "Bieyun, it's Father who has let you down, it's Father who has let your mother down--"

His weeping was real, so Sang Luojiu also shed two tears in response, making Hua Biefeng's face look extremely ugly.

And on the side, his third brother Hua Bieshuang also seemed to sense something and started wailing loudly in his swaddling clothes.

Sang Luojiu spent the night tidying himself up neatly.

During this time, he only spent an hour curled up in the corner, crying silently.

After getting up early, he wiped away his tears and took the initiative to pay his respects to Madam Zhu, getting up even earlier than her eldest son.

Madam Zhu looked ruddy and not ill, but her eyes were cold as she looked at Sang Luojiu, probably also dissatisfied that her husband had killed the mother and kept the son, and even brought the child back to upset her.

If this boy had died far away like his mother, it would be a case of out of sight, out of mind, but for her to personally kill such a young boy with eyes as soft as water, Madam Zhu considered herself not that cruel.

Sang Luojiu ignored Madam Zhu's gaze and slowly walked to Hua Bieshuang's side.

"He's so cute." Sang Luojiu said gently, "Madam, may I hold him?"

Madam Zhu showed a fake smile, "Of course you can. You are biological brothers after all."

From that day on, Sang Luojiu became the little young master's servant and bodyguard, and the second young master's punching bag and training dummy.

Of course, Madam Zhu would not trust such a poor boy raised by a shepherdess, and secretly sent a nanny to monitor him. He meticulously inspected every morsel of food and piece of clothing that passed through his hands.

If Sang Luojiu dared to lay a hand on her child, she would have ample reason to complain to Hua Ruohong and have him expelled from Feihua Sect.

However, Sang Luojiu was truly an impeccable child.

Not only did he refrain from any mischief or improper thoughts, but he also treated Shuang'er with genuine kindness.

When Shuang'er cried in the middle of the night, needed diaper changes, babbled his first words, or took his first wobbly steps, Sang Luojiu was always there to attend to him, teaching him word by word and doting on him bit by bit. During her several illnesses, Sang Luojiu stayed by her side without removing his clothes or sleeping, night after night, even deeply moving the nanny responsible for monitoring him.

When learning to speak, Shuang'er's first word was "Papa and Mama," not "Big Brother."

This little detail greatly pleased Madam Zhu.

She appreciated Sang Luojiu's obedience and sense of propriety.

But she failed to notice that when Shuang'er called for Papa and Mama, he was facing Sang Luojiu's direction.

In contrast to the attachment of his third younger sibling, Hua Biefeng, who was seven months younger, greatly despised Sang Luojiu. Therefore, when practicing swordsmanship with his second brother, Sang Luojiu would always end up bruised all over, unable to get up from the ground, having been beaten by Hua Biefeng, who had learned swordsmanship from a young age. On several occasions, he was even beaten until he coughed up blood, but he would simply go to the well to silently wash his clothes and face, then go to take care of Shuang'er with a bruised and swollen face, greeting her with a smile, never mentioning his own suffering.

After Shuang'er became sensible and started learning, he felt great distress for him: "Big Brother, why do you let Second Brother bully you like this?"

Sang Luojiu pinched his little cheeks: "This isn't bullying. Your second brother is helping Big Brother hone his swordsmanship."

Shuang'er was furious, convinced that his big brother was too simple-minded, so he secretly went and sawed off Hua Biefeng's beloved wooden sword.

Hua Biefeng was so angry he nearly died. The two brothers hurled insults at each other, ultimately escalating to physical blows.

Shuang'er, being young, fell and cut his forehead, crying loudly in pain.

From then on, the two brothers became enemies.

After Hua Biefeng got a new sword, he became even more ruthless in his mistreatment of Sang Luojiu. Often, before Sang Luojiu's old wounds could heal, new ones were added, causing Shuang'er unbearable heartache.

He went to complain to his mother, but his mother's words seemed to defend his second brother more, not taking his big brother seriously at all.

In a child's mind, there is only the simple notion of "who is good to him." Therefore, Shuang'er was both angry and in disbelief, and had a big argument with his mother before angrily leaving.

Madam Zhu was both shocked and suspicious, pained by the sight of her youngest son excessively protecting that little bastard.

That night, Sang Luojiu knelt in front of the main hall all night.

In the latter half of the night, Shuang'er also came running, crying, saying that if Big Brother kneels, he will kneel too. Even the nanny pleaded on Sang Luojiu's behalf, saying that she was always by Shuang'er's side, and Sang Luojiu truly never deliberately tried to drive a wedge between them, never speaking ill of Madam or the Second Young Master. It was Shuang'er who had an impetuous temperament and cared deeply, being overly protective of his big brother.

Madam Zhu could not bear to see her beloved son suffer, so she had no choice but to let Sang Luojiu rise and sent him to live with her second son, forbidding him from being close to Shuang'er again.

Sang Luojiu obediently complied.

But whether Shuang'er listened or not was beyond his control.

Shuang'er often ran to his second brother's residence to bring him pastries. Sang Luojiu would also hum the Yimeng folk tunes his mother used to hum to him for Shuang'er to hear. The two were as close as brothers could be.

When Hua Biefeng heard this in the main hall, he couldn't help but come out and mock a few words: "There are no sheep for you to herd here, so save your energy."

Before Sang Luojiu could speak, Shuang'er would always curse back at him first.

Shuang'er and this second brother gradually became like fire and water, incompatible.

Whenever Hua Biefeng was in a bad mood, he would vent all his anger on Sang Luojiu.

In his eyes, this so-called big brother had a weak character and mediocre talent, yet always smiled as charmingly as a spring breeze, making one wonder what he was smiling about, stirring up an inexplicable rage.

Therefore, he often used the family's swordsmanship to poke and prod at him, never stopping until he inflicted a body full of wounds.

Soon, Sang Luojiu reached the age of fifteen.

Over these eight years, many strange and bizarre events occurred in Jianchuan's Feihua Sect, causing a stir in the Jianghu.

The Second Master Hua and a maidservant from Hua Ruohong's room were caught in a midnight tryst by Hua Ruohong.

For some unknown reason, Hua Ruohong flew into a rage. The two brothers fought fiercely, becoming enemies. The Second Master Hua took the prostitute and left Feihua Mountain. It seemed the two brothers were on the verge of falling out completely.

Rumor had it that the maidservant bore a striking resemblance to the deceased shepherdess Li, whom Sang Luojiu and his father had encountered by chance during an outing, a prostitute who solicited customers by the window.

Sang Luojiu casually remarked that her features truly resembled his mother's.

He said nothing else.

As for how that prostitute later ended up on Feihua Mountain, responsible for attending to Hua Ruohong's daily needs, and how she became involved with the Second Master Hua, no one knew.

According to her, it was the Second Master Hua who first sent her a letter. The two exchanged correspondence, gradually developing feelings for each other.

After the Second Master Hua left the mountain, Hua Ruohong had a big argument with Madam Zhu. In a fit of anger, Madam Zhu returned to her maiden home. A rift seemed to have formed between Feihua Sect and Baisheng Sect.

A month later, the Second Master Hua's charred corpse was discovered in a stable. Perhaps someone had hired an assassin. Many speculated whether it was the doing of Hua Ruohong, who had previously quarreled with the Second Master Hua.

The two brothers, Hua Biefeng and Hua Bieshuang, were also troublesome. Despite being blood brothers, they viewed each other as enemies, constantly arguing.

The entire Feihua Sect was in chaos, a complete mess.

Only Sang Luojiu sat calmly in the study, flipping through the pages of a book, his expression gentle, just as he had been when he first arrived.

In the year Sang Luojiu turned fifteen, Hua Biefeng wanted to participate in the "Heavenly Rankings Competition," jointly hosted by the three major sects on a rotating basis, with various martial arts sects participating.

The Heavenly Rankings Competition aimed to select new talents from the martial arts world and compare the strengths and weaknesses of each sect's blade, spear, and sword techniques. This time, the competition was being held on Fengling Mountain, one of the three major sects.

At Shuang'er's strong insistence, Hua Ruohong, who had become increasingly addicted to alcohol in recent years, belched out a strong alcoholic breath and ordered Hua Biefeng and Sang Luojiu to go together.

Surprisingly, Hua Biefeng had no major objections and readily agreed.

In his view, only by having Sang Luojiu make a fool of himself in public and thoroughly defeating him could he prove his status as the legitimate son and clarify the master-servant hierarchy between them.

Who would have thought that Sang Luojiu, who usually fell short of him by an inch or half in swordsmanship, would perform exceptionally well in the Heavenly Rankings Competition?

In the end, it was Hua Biefeng, who had wanted to show off his prowess, who was blown off the stage by a blast of sword energy.

Hua Biefeng struggled to his feet, propped up by his sword, recalling the recent exchange of blows, feeling more and more unwilling to accept the outcome.

... He was so close!

He shouldn't have lost!

But no matter how regretful he was, he had been defeated by Sang Luojiu and eliminated from the subsequent matches.

In the end, Sang Luojiu obtained eighth place on the Heavenly Rankings.